ORGANISATION AND EMPLOYMENT OE SIEGE ARTILLERY. 
445 
The possession of railways leading to important fortresses would of 
course enable heavier natures of ordnance to be brought forward for 
siege purposes, but the limit of weight for transport will usually limit 
the weight of ordnance composing a siege train, unless guns be 
constructed of different parts capable of being conveyed on separate 
carriages. 
But “ firing carriages ” must necessarily be made much stronger 
than is required for transport, so that more powerful ordnance can be 
taken by carrying them on some such wagon as the ee platform wagon,” 
and either letting the firing carriages also be transported, or, if siege 
travelling carriages be employed, by allowing them to travel empty. 
The 64-prs., therefore, usually travel on platform wagons; whilst lower Advantages 
natures, whose weight with that of their firing carriages does not Selling 
approximate very closely to 100 cwt., move on their firing carriages; ^„^ eir 
by this means fewer horses are required, fewer carriages compose the carriages, 
column (whose length is accordingly shortened), no shifting of gun from 
transport to firing carriage is needed, and the gun can be brought into 
action more quickly. 
Carriages are needed for “ high-angle,” ce curved,” and “ direct fire.” 
The new iron siege travelling carriages are especially constructed to variety of 
allow of high-angle and curved fire from them, whilst beds are also carna s es * 
furnished for the 8-in. howitzer and 7-pr. 
As regards u direct fire,” a difficulty arises, owing to the great 
accuracy of rifled ordnance, such fire must take place either from guns 
mounted en barbette , or in ordinary embrasures. 
Recent experiments at Eastbourne, in 1876, shewed that ordnance Experi- 
mounted to fire over a parapet would, at a long range, be very quickly Sg at 
disabled by guns firing on the same level. fSette” 
In 1875 also, experiments were made in Russia, to ascertain the requi- andinem- 
site number of rounds to dismount guns placed in different positions biasuies> 
1. A gun, en barbette , unprotected. (24 rounds dismounted the gun 
and killed all the dummy detachment.) 
2. A gun behind an ordinary embrasure. (The gun met with the 
same fate after 10 rounds, the embrasure being completely 
destroyed.) 
3. A gun, mounted behind a shallow embrasure, at a certain 
distance from the interior slope, close to the rear edge of the 
terreplein. (The gun was dismounted, with the loss of all the 
detachment, after 52 rounds, the shallow embrasure being 
transformed into a trench, 3 ft. deep, by 10 ft. broad.) 
The firing was from a 24-pr., distant 1166 yds., with common shells 
and Prussian percussion fuzes. 
Remarks state iC it was found that the gun behind the embrasure was 
the easiest to dismount, because it offered a larger object.” 
General Todlebeiffs opinion was expressed thus :—“ Direct laying is General 
only possible from guns en barbette, or from those firing through an opMon. n 3 
ordinary embrasure, two methods which, now-a-days, are inadmissible.” 
