517 
THE AMMUNITION SERVICE OF A FORT. 
MAJOR R. F. JOHNSON, R.A. 
Or late years much has been done to improve the fire of Garrison 
Artillery. Papers frequently appear in the “ Proceedings” describing 
various methods of increasing the accuracy of ranging and of aug- 
menting fire discipline, but the ammunition service does not seem to 
have received the attention it deserves. Nveryone recognizes the im- 
portance of securing uniformity in the charges, and the necessity of 
sufficient speed in the supply of projectiles, but little or no advance has 
been made in either direction. 
There are several reasons for this. The advantages of large groups 
of cartridges are obvious to the practical gunner, but the cartridges 
are supplied by an independent department ; the regulations require 
the oldest cartridges in store to be used for practice, the amounts so 
used are generally very small, and consequently groups are becoming 
lessin size. The structural conditions of the older forts present difficult 
problems, for the solution of which other duties of the Majors in charge 
leave little time. The practice of supply from the stores to the guns 
entails much fatigue work in replacing the heavy projectiles, especially 
where lifts are used, as few of them are made to take the shells down 
from the gun to the magazine floor. Ammunition drill is not required 
at inspections, and gun-drill, which is, takes up all the time spared 
from bayonet exercise, marching-order parades, employments, fatigues, 
&e. The whole subject is dry, uninteresting until understood, gives 
trouble and occupies time without affording a show in the end. The 
spirit of the age passes it by. 
The system of supply to the forts requires reorganization, and the 
principles of construction, on which the system of supply from the 
stores to the guns depends, want regulation, in some of the older 
forts perhaps alteration, but this paper is designed chiefly to assist 
officers in dealing with the subject under existing conditions. 
However perfect the system of supply and the construction of the 
work, a thorough organization of the service is necessary, and the first 
step in this direction is a proper system in the storage of the ammunition. 
‘A group of cartridges is composed of cartridges of one nature 
filled on one day with powder of one lot; that being considered the 
greatest amount of uniformity attainable.? Now, it looks neat and also 
1 The following amendment to ‘‘ Regulations for Magazines, &c.,” 1894, will shortly be pub- 
lished or included in the next revise of that work :— 
Part II., section IT., paragraph 223 (0) : 
‘Filled cartridges, in groups which will be as far as possib’e, identical in nature and age. 
The age of the cartridges to be reckoned from date of filling and grouped by years. If 
there is a sufficient number of cartridges of the same lot, they may be grouped sepa- 
rately.’—Communicated by D.A.4.G., R.A. 
2 Since this was written, the Regulations, as stated in note 1, have been altered and cartridges 
are now grouped by years of filling. This facilitates the supply to the artillery and gives an appear- 
ance of uniformity as the groups will be larger. If an officer, however, desires to ensure accuracy 
of shooting he will sub-divide his groups by day of filling and lot of powder, and therefore I leave 
the paper without alteration. 
N@; (Olin SOX, 70 
