QUICK-FIRING GUNS IN HARBOUR DEFENCE. 
297 
cease rapid firing, &c. Consequently in each case one man per gun 
will be required as a “ dial number,” to watch these means of com¬ 
munication, and call out changes of range, signalled orders, &c., to his 
No. 1. 
If the firing were to be by salvoes the rapidity of fire, the peculiar 
quality of quick-firing guns, would to some extent be lost, and the 
difficulty of getting the group to work together sufficiently well to 
effect this species of fire properly, under the circumstances of their 
distance apart and the special nature of the guns, would be consider¬ 
able ; on the other hand, the difficulty of smoke, which at present 
unfortunately still exists, would be minimised by firing salvoes, and the 
fire would be under the best possible control. But it seems hardly 
possible that quick-firing guns will in practice be fired by salvoes, from 
their very nature ; probably, too, by the time we have them in large 
numbers in the Land Service they will be fired with smokeless ammuni¬ 
tion ; and there seems no reason, if the Group Commander ” is able 
to start or stop his fire at will, why it should not be under sufficient 
control when each gun fires as rapidly as it individually can. 
The methods of working that suggest themselves are these :— 
(a) The “ Group Commander,” his objective having been indicated 
to him, points it out to his Nos. 1 by transmitting to them 
its bearing. He then takes the range of the objective 
with a depression range-finder at his observing station— 
on the windward flank of the group—and, making his 
corrections for strength of powder, speed and direction of 
vessel (as if he were a Fort Commander), and also for 
displacement (by using a difference table in conjunction 
with the graduated horizontal plate of the range-finder), 
he sends down to the group the corrected range and signals 
“ Commence slow fire :” each gun then, beginning from the 
leeward flank, fires a shot (by signal) at the rate of about 
one per minute per gun. Before the first minute is up 
the “ Group Commander ” should have been able to send 
down his additional corrections on the first two rounds, 
and he then gives the signal Rapid fire.” On this each 
gun continues its fire as rapidly as possible, the Nos. 1 
receiving from their dial numbers each change of elevation 
necessary, as given by the range-finder and transmitted 
corrected by the dials, and altering their tangent-sights 
accordingly. The u Group Commander ” should, by the 
proper use of his dials, control and correct the fire; but if 
it becomes wild or unsteady he may have to bring it to a 
temporary stop, to pull the group together as it were. 
This method secures the advantage of continuity of fire, 
but requires a range-finder, and seems liable to get tem¬ 
porarily out of hand. 
(£) As before the “ Group Commander ” points out to his guns 
the objective indicated to him. In this method no range¬ 
finder need be used, but the <( Group Commander ” estimates 
Salvo 
Firing. 
First 
Method 
(with Range. 
Finder.) 
Second 
Method 
(no Range- 
Finder 
necessary.) 
