EXPERIENCES AT OKEHAMPTON IN 1891. 
105 
slow shooting-at-a-mark system, and this is shown to be the case by 
the gradually decreasing casualties and hits per shell, which go down 
at the same rate that the rate of fire goes up. So far, however, no 
harm has been done for we are arriving at the consummation of our 
wishes, the destruction of the target in the shortest possible time, 
more rapidly than heretofore, but with a proportionately greater expen¬ 
diture of ammunition. We must take care, however, that we do not 
fall into the other extreme, of hurried fire, which would tell upon the 
average by the loss of effect that always accompanies it. 
As a direct incentive to care and thoroughness in drill and training, 
in which the reward so soon follows the effort, I refer yon to the last 
line in the table which shows the effect produced by the 58th (Instruc¬ 
tional) Battery. The ranges varied from 3550 to 600 yards, with an 
average of 1 750, which is undoubtedly shorter than the average of the 
other batteries, for the reason that the targets shot at during these 
series were generally placed under the direction of infantry officers, 
who desired to see what losses their men would incur in the attack on 
artillery, from the time they extended up to the time they arrived 
within such a distance that they could use their own arms with effect. 
(Taking the experience of last year's practice with this, the figures 
show that in the FRONTAL ATTACK OF UNSHAKEN ARTIL¬ 
LERY infantry would lose about 50 per cent, of the firing line between 
2400 and 700 yards, and more if exposed to fire in closed bodies at 
long ranges.) 
This battery, when it first came up, started under no more favourable 
conditions than any other, but about double the allowance of ammuni¬ 
tion that any other battery had, and careful drilling on off days when 
there was no practice, produced the result before you. 
Time. 
A good deal of trouble has been taken this year to hasten the 
moment when the truly effective fire, that of shrapnel shell, begins, 
and the results of those efforts are given in a table. 
In writing last year on this subject I ventured to say that a properly 
trained battery should be able to open shrapnel fire at any range up 
to 3200 yards in four minutes. This statement was received with 
incredulity by one of the service papers, and also looked at rather 
doubtfully in the pages of the “ Proceedings ” of this Institution, but 
I think that the figures before you sufficiently bear out my statement. 
The average time from action to first round remains the same, but a 
striking difference is in the time that a battery takes to range itself. 
If we admit that in many cases artillery at the longer ranges does not 
disclose its position until it opens fire (and not always then with smoke¬ 
less powder), then shrapnel fire commences on the average four minutes 
and eight seconds after the presence of the guns is made known. Be 
it also remembered that if the battery is properly ranged the first 
shrapnel, even if it burst on graze, is likely to be effective. 
In order to hasten on as much as possible the opening of effective 
fire, the 58th Battery was told off to fire some series coming into 
action with loaded guns, after the fashion of foreign artilleries and 
