67 
KRUPP’S NON-RECOIL SYSTEM. 
wrought-iron glacis-plate, M. A wrought-iron shield, N, covers the 
muzzle of the gun when not firing. It rests on a trigger, 0; so that 
when the gun is ready to he fired, the wire rope draws back the trigger 
and the shield falls. As soon as the gun is fired, the shield is raised by 
the winch, P, acting in aid of the balance weight, Q, and the trigger is 
forced back to its place -as a support by the spring It. 
The sides of the casemate are built up of brick, covered with wrought- 
iron plates. They are all sloped to permit shot to glance off without 
penetrating, as shown in Fig. 2. 
It does not seem to be worth all this expense and complication to 
protect a 6-in. gun, and it may be assumed that Krupp is merely 
experimenting on a small scale, preparatory to mounting powerful guns 
in the same way. As regards the probable success of the system, it is 
too soon to speak with any certainty, and so many strides have been 
taken of late years in both offence and defence that it would not be 
prudent to condemn anything brought forward by gunners and engineers 
of such ability as those of Germany. At the same time, it seems 
that a great deal of strength would be required to hold, say, one of 
our 38-ton guns, when launching a projectile having an energy of 
14,000 ft. tons. 
Krupp considers that when this system is perfected, the doom of 
muzzle-loaders will be sealed; and if it should prove thoroughly suc¬ 
cessful, and should be quite inapplicable to muzzle-loading ordnance, it 
would no doubt be a strong argument for the employment of breech¬ 
loaders in certain positions. There is evidently, however, a good deal 
more to be done before this consummation is arrived at, and the system 
possesses one disadvantage which may possibly prove fatal to it. The 
principle of laying the gun is similar to that recently brought to great 
perfection by Capt. Watkin, whereby the guns are elevated and directed 
in accordance with instructions given by telegraph from the look out. 
The gunners know nothing of what they are firing at; they simply train 
the gun to a specified graduation of an arc on the floor, and give a 
specified quadrant elevation. This answers exceedingly well, as long as 
nothing goes wrong with the communications; and with us, if this 
should unfortunately happen, no very great damage is done-—the No. 1 
looks over the gun at the object, aims at it as well as he can in the 
smoke, guesses its distance, gives his elevation accordingly, and fires. 
With Krupp* s system, on the other hand, a failure in the communication 
appears to stop the fire of a whole battery of guns; for it may probably 
be assumed that decent practice can scarcely be made by looking through 
a gun. It may be that such practical artillerists as the Germans have 
obviated this difficulty, or perhaps consider it of little value. In either 
case the new system is certainly one to be watched, with a view to our 
own profit, if it should turn out well. 
Febetjaet, 1877. 
