166 
SHOOTING OF COAST ARTILLERY. 
The offensive power of this battery shooting as was done at practice 
b, was evidently nearly double that obtained with such shooting as 
shown in a. 
If we take the hits on a ships target as about double those gained on 
the “ record target,”—as they certainly would be, if not more than 
that, and then consider that one-half, at least, of the shot strik¬ 
ing a ship may, on an average, be taken as effective rounds, we should 
obtain, in firing, say for ten minutes, at an enemy’s ship : — 
For a, about twenty-one effective hits. 
For by „ forty-one „ „ 
The value of the battery’s fire being thus immensely increased. To 
gain such an increase, and that without any addition to the number of 
guns or to the personnel employed, is worth taking much trouble and 
the overcoming of many difficulties. 
5. Competitive prize firing—existing system. 
In order to stimulate the personnel to obtain excellence in the 
direction considered, at the time, to be that of the most importance, 
prizes of some description, are at present, and have for a long time 
past, been given in the several arms, to encourage good shooting. 
In the Coast Artillery, up to the year 1891, such prizes were purely 
individual prizes for shooting, then practically dependent upon 
the individual Nos. 1 who laid each gun both for direction and range. 
By 1891, however it had come to be recognized that the good 
shooting of a battery or company depended on the combined know¬ 
ledge of their work and of their skill in it of the officers, N.C.O.’s 
and men, as a whole, each in their own particular portion of it, and 
that consequently some different method of prize rewarding should 
be established. 
A Committee, of which I myself was President, was therefore 
appointed to draw up such a system for the different branches of the 
Artillery. 
The system proposed by them was adopted and officially promulgated, 
and is that at present in use, with certain small modifications, as ex¬ 
plained further on. 
The system consists briefly :— 
(A). Of rewarding excellence in shooting (and partially in fire 
discipline), by a classification of the batteries or companies, according 
to the standard reached by each, as “ qualified ” for “ first,” “ second,” 
or “ third ” class prize, as the case might be; and in giving to the 
best shooting battery or company of a certain number grouped to¬ 
gether (if qualified), a prize, in the shape of a badge, to be worn for 
a year, by every N.C.O. and man.* 
* To each group of companies is allotted a given number of prizes according to the number of 
the companies in the group, e.g., for a group of from four to seven companies, two prizes, in 
suchagroup, therefore two companies would win prizes, but only two, even though others might 
“ qualify;” the prizes being, as already mentioned, a badge to be worn by each N.C.O. and man 
of the company. This badge being first, second, or third class, according to the standard of 
classification reached by the winning company, but only one company in each group is allowed 
to wear a first class badge. 
