154 Q.F. FIELD EQUIPMENTS ON THE CONTINENT. 
design of equipment, but no action seems to have been taken with re¬ 
gard to any designs which were submitted. 
In 1895, Colonel Schumacher, Chief of the Swiss Artillery, published 
a “ Sketch of a field equipment for the Swiss Artillery 33 in which he 
discussed at length the requirements which he considered should be 
fulfilled,* with a view to its acting as a guide to manufacturing firms, 
to show them what sort of equipment was wanted in Switzerland. 
The following is a brief summary of his paper:—The calibre of the 
gun should be 2*95 inches, final twist of rifling 1 in 30, the weight of 
projectile 12*8 lbs. He considers a shrapnel of this weight might 
hold 263 bullets, 41 to the lb.,f this shell should have a base burster. 
The weight of the gun and carriage should be 11 cwt. 24 lbs., and the 
limber should be the same, giving a weight behind the team of 22 cwt. 
48 lbs. and four gunners would be carried in addition. This weight 
would be drawn by four horses. He considers about 200 rounds per 
gun should be carried, and this would be nearly done by carrying 
forty-eight rounds in each limber, and in each wagon body; if nine 
wagons per six gun battery were provided, as he recommends, this 
would give 192 rounds a gun. The ammunition should be carried in 
the limber in boxes containing four rounds each. 
He considers the M.Y. should be 1640 f.s. As to breech mechanism 
he does not express any decided preference for any particular 
mechanism, although he says that if a metallic case is not adopted he 
considers the interrupted screw system is the best. 
A high explosive shell should be adopted, using a simple “ double 
safety 33 percussion fuze. For the shrapnel shell, a double action fuze 
with a time ring which will burn for a considerable time should bo 
used, it should be permanently clamped down and not require unclamp¬ 
ing and clamping to enable it to be set. He considers the Swiss 
smokeless powder meets requirements ; it appears to consist of 
nitrocellulose, gelatinized and compressed and cut into squares. Nobel 
powder ( ? ballistite) he states wears out the bore of the gun very 
quickly, and it would be no advantage to use it instead of the service 
powder. Colonel Schumacher does not pronounce definitely in favour 
of a brass cartridge case or against it, but says that if an interrupted 
breech screw mechanism is adopted he considers a brass case un¬ 
necessary. He states that slowness of fire is not usually attributable 
to the loading; it is in rapid laying that an increase in the rate of 
fire must be looked for, and it should be possible to lay and load 
simultaneously. Suppression of recoil is very desirable but it does 
not yet appear to have been obtained. He considers a shield weigh¬ 
ing about 154 lbs. should be carried, (this is to be included in the 
weights of gun and carriage given above). Track of wheels should 
be 54 inches, weight of each wheel 132 lbs. diameter from 51 to 53 
inches. The axis of the trunnions should be from 35 to 39 inches 
above the ground. 
* A detailed resume of this sketch is given in Revue d’Avtillerie Sept.-Dee. 1896. 
f Col. Schumacher states that this is the weight of the (then) German bullets, and that 
the Eliasian shrapnel bullets are 42*6 to a pound* 
