178 
SHRAPNEL FJRE. 
The following table may be of use; it represents the fronts covered 
laterally by various cones at various lengths from the point of burst;— 
TABLE II. 
Length from Burst in yards . 
20 vds. 
40 yds. 
60 yds. 
80 yds. 
100 yds. 
120 yds. 
140 yds. 
160 yds. 
180 yds. 
ft. 
ft. 
ft. 
ft. 
ft. 
ft. 
ft. 
ft. 
ft. 
8 °. 
8*4 
16-8 
25*2 
33-6 
42-0 
50-4 
58-8 
67-2 
75-6 
9°. 
9-3 
18-6 
27-9 
37-2 
46*5 
55*8 
65*1 
74-4 
83-7 
10 °. 
10-5 
21-0 
31*5 
42*0 
52‘5 
63-0 
73*5 
84-0 
94-5 
As a general rule, it would be quite near enough to say that for 
ordinary ranges the cone of dispersion is from 8° to 9° and the 
diameter from *14 to T5 the length from burst of shell. 
2. The area of a section at right angles to the central line of the 
cone is the space which the splinters and bullets spread themselves 
over at the different portions of their flight; and since the chief cause 
of the spread—viz., the centrifugal force imparted by the rotation of 
the shell—affects these bodies in a degree differing with their distance 
from the centre of rotation, they are spread with very fair regularity 
over this space. 
Taking one of the angles just mentioned as those due to ordinary 
ranges—viz., 8°—the following will be the square yards of area in 
the cone at different lengths of burst:— 
TABLE III. 
Length of Burst in yards. 
20 yds. 
40 yds. 
60 yds. 
80 yds. 
100 yds. 
120 yds. 
140 yds. 
160yds. 
180 yds. 
200 yds. 
8 ° 
sq. yds. 
6 
sq. yds. 
24 
sq. yds. 
55 
sq. yds. 
98 
sq. yds. 
154 
sq. yds. 
222 
sq. yds. 
302 
sq. yds. 
394 
sq. yds. 
498 
sq. yds. 
615 
When a 9-pr. M.L. shrapnel shell is burst at rest, the following is 
the average result 
Splinters, effective. 22 
« non-effective. 6 
Bullets . 63 
Effective total . 85 
In the case of a 16-pr. M.L. shrapnel, 
Splinters, effective . 13 
„ non-effective . 3 
Bullets . 123 
Effective total 
136 
