COAST ARTILLERY IN ACTION. 159 
be very liberally corrected by the officer conducting the fire. Knowing” 
Fie. 3. 
| 
1000 2000 3000 4000. 5000 
the proper elevation for a certain range, at which a good number of rounds 
had been fired, we had a fixed point on a new curve, which we sketched 
in between the two others, and the results, as I have said, were very 
satisfactory. But, as a rule, we are only provided with a range table 
for one fixed muzzle velocity, so that, if we knew the elevation, different 
from that laid down, due to a certain range, we would still be in doubt 
as to other ranges. I think, however, it would be a good thing fora 
Battery Commander to have the curves for range and elevation drawn 
out for kis guns, not, of course, for use in action, but for study at 
leisure. He should also note carefully every round he fires and seek to 
determine any difference there may exist between guns of the same 
nature. 
The influence of tide is only at times important, but it may be very 
serious: thus, with a B.l. gun on a site say 14 feet above mean tide, 
the rise and fall of the latter being + 10 feet, it might be + 175 yards. 
The correction for travel is seldom properly appreciated, as our 
practice targets go so slow and keep at such slowly changing ranges ; 
it may be very serious indeed, and amount to 200 yards or more on 
service. 
Now the net correction for all these things has to be applied to the 
range, but if it is left to one person to account for all, how possibly can 
22 
