GOLD MEDAL PEIZE ESSAY, 1879 . 
527 
too long, and thus nearly 16 per cent, were ineffective. Now, in actual 
war we cannot expect always to know the ranges exactly, and even the 
best time fuzes may fail occasionally. Under these circumstances, if a 
percussion arrangement is added to the time fuze, we not only are likely 
to get some effect when otherwise we should get none, but the burst on 
graze would be a most valuable indication of the correctness of the 
range. Moreover, the value of the simplification of the service of the 
gun, by having only one fuze, and that carried fixed, which is time, or 
percussion, or both, at pleasure, cannot be over-estimated. 
A prejudice seems still to exist against this combination, arising, we 
think, from the bad effects obtained with the segment shell of the 
Armstrong period when fired thus; but we must remember that seg¬ 
ment, from its nature, required to be burst close up to the object to 
develop its best effects. This could best be done by a percussion fuze. 
The time fuze either spoiled the result by opening the shell too soon 
or merely acted as a plug. On the other hand, with the shrapnel, we 
depend for effect chiefly on our time fuze ; the percussion would only 
come into play when, from some cause or other, the time has failed. 
The percussion can in no way lessen the effect produced by a good time 
shell, as, of course, a time shell bursting after graze is useless. 
The fact, then, that a combination of time and percussion failed with the 
segment is no argument against its use with the shrapnel. 
(6) If once bored, the present fuze is useless for any longer range, 
and can only be replaced by going through the long operation of finding 
the fuze extractor and pulling it out. 
The German time fuze has an ingenious arrangement for causing the German 
shell to burst on graze, if set too long ; it also appears worth imitation time fuze ‘ 
in its means of setting. The collar is kept firmly in its place by a nut 
which does not move. The collar is set by a key, without unscrewing 
the nut. The only preparation required is to place the key on the collar 
and turn an arrow mark to the range (in metres), and the fuze being 
carried in the shell the whole operation takes little more time than 
adjusting the tangent scale. 
What we require, then, in a time fuze, to develop the power and what is 
extend the sphere of usefulness of shrapnel, is— TumefLef 
(a) It must be capable of being carried fixed. 
(b) It must take a very few seconds to adjust. 
(c) It must have alternative percussion action. 
(d) It should be graduated in yards in such a manner that on being 
set to a given range the shell bursts the proper distance short. For 
instance: range by range-finder 2000yds., fuze set to 2000 bursts 
at 1900. 
(e) Must of course burn regularly, be free from prematures, and 
not deteriorate in store. 
Limbers. 
The question of reducing the weight of our limbers is one intimately Limbers, 
associated with the future of our field artillery. In no other part of the 
