BIG GUN SHOOTING

New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 6362, 9 November 1907, Page 5

BIG GUN SHOOTING

WITH THE NAY AES IN CAMP. A DAY AT POET KELBHENE. Ngahauranga, the far-famed, has three features df which it is extremely proud —its mcatworks, its smell, and its fort. Tho latter, olliciaily known as Fort Kelburne, ‘lies on a little plateau between the creek and the harbour. Here, ior tho past twelve days, tho Potonc Navals liavo been undergoing thoir annual sixteen days' training and examination, and in the early mornings and tho evenings the scene has been an animated ono. Tho company musters 85 men m camp, and in addition there are several instructors from the permanent force in attendance, bringing tho number in the fort to well over 80. While in camp the men have to work fairly _ hard. Take, for instance, a day during tho actual training or practice period of tho camp. Reveille sounds at 4.30 a.m. At five o'clock tho men parade and until 6.15 the various squads are exorcised in gundrill, signalling, and range-finding. Then tho men clean up their quarters, and at 6.45 com os breakfast. After ‘'tucker" tho men turn civilians and there is a general exodus to the day's worK. In the evening again they parade at : 6.30, and for two hours undergo further trailing in fortmamiing, gun-drill, signaling, range-finding, etc. From 8.30 to 9 the theoretical part of the work is attended to, officers-and non-commission-ed officers of tho permanent force delivering lectures to the men., Tho next hour is "free," and at 10 p.m. "lights out" sounds. A short resume Tike this, however, gives no idea of tho amount of work involved, and lack of space forbids the enumeration of the duties. Some idea of tho work may be gleaned that every man is provided, among other books, with a closely printed volume of 117 pages of questions and answers on, gunnery, and must be able to immediately answer any question therein, . For the first year or so a member of a 1 coast artillery corps is instructed in general gunnery and company drill. Then, if he proves intelligent, he is drafted into a range-finding or signalling - squad, whose work requires trained specialists. DEPRESSION RANGEFINDtINGL

Range-finding is ono of the most interesting details of an artillery '.company's work. It is earned out chiefly by means of a Watkins depression rangefinder, generally called a D.R.F. This instrument consists of a small telescope about 14 inches long, mounted on a email stand, and, ns one artilleryman summed it up, /'provided with a lot of small gear." 'These instruments cannot be used front batteries having a height above sea-level less than 30ft. Before a D.R.F. can be used to take ranges it is necessary to know either the exact height of the instrument In feet above sea-level, in which cose tho state of tho tide has' to be taken into, consideration, or the true range in yards to a datum polpt. Inside the telescope are two small intersecting wires, a horizontal and .a vortical one. When the data referred to have been obtained the instrument is focussed until these crosswire?© cut the water-lino of the steamer to bo fired at. at tho foremost. , In cases where twx> Hongkong targets are being used the front, target represents the vessel's foremast., A small brass drum’ under the .telescope thep . shows the range. This in turn is transmitted to the gun commanders by mean® of autodials. In tho D.E.F. station at Fort Kelburiio are two dials -.with* ranges marked thereon. \ The officer in charge of tho D.R.F. tells a man standing, by each dial what the range is, and he then turns a pointer on the dial round to the necessary: number. In each gunpit, is a similar dial, with a man on duty to read it off. A bell rings to attract his attention, and the pointer moves round, so that the range is known to the guncommauder as soon’as it is known in the D.R.F. station. :At night the crosswires in the D.R.F. are illuminated with a small electric lamp inside the telescope. CLEVER CONTRIVANCES.

Many anti various are the' evidences in the forts of the ingenuity ,of, man. Several of them are the invention of Captain Eiehardson, Director of Artillery. ; Close to the D.11.F. station is an iron rail. On this a pulley works an outline of a man-df-n’ar.' cut out in iron and drawn to scale. This is need for giving instruction to the range-finders. As the vessel moves up and down the range-finders .are required to find tho exact nange, an instructor from ,the permanent force checking their estimates. The vessel being 'drawn to scale the ranges vary considerably, ’ affording plenty. of practice. Another :contrivance is a' horizontal board, painted” to resemble the surface of the sea. On this are drawn to scale the outlines of two war vessels. This is used to afford officers practice in judging how, close a (shot goes to tho target and in obtaining deflection. The base of the board is marked off to a scale, corresponding to the scale on which -the targets are drawn, the distance between’each mark representing 10 yards. The officer undergoing'practice stands oft a short distance with a small telescope. Another officer stands 'by the board, tells the first-mentioned to make so much allowance or deflection in his shot, and then places 'a small disc somewhere on tho board. Tho officer with' the telescope calls out the number of yards he judges the "shot/' represented by the disc, has fallen from the target, and the figures on; the base of the: board show how accurate he is. There are many other mechanical contrivances, but' a 1 description would entail too much spaceThe officers, are a perfect mine of information on, the war vaasels: of other powers. Two of:,their most valuable posessions are a recent edition of F. T., Jane's “Fighting Ships" ,'and a set of outlines in tin of men-of-war. The, book gives full details of all the ships of war in tho world,' including their armament and their armour, so; that the student can learn exactly what are a vessel's capabilities for dome mischief, find also Where she is most gusceptible-to damage. Tho tin silhouettes are copies of actual, vessels, and tho officers exercise their wits in picking out the shin each represents., Special attention is given to men-of-war operating in Pacific waters. Tho chief armament of Fort' Kclbumo' is a pair of six-inch breechloading guns, . mounted on hydrb-pftcumatio carriages. l The pits arc sunk in, the little plateau already referred to. Above each gun is. a thick steel circular shield, flush with the level of tho plateau', and with an opening through which the’gun rises' to fire, being pumped up from below. The recoil carries it back on the buffers for reloading. The only person exposed I .to fire from ,an enemy is' the gunlayer. I whose head projects through a small I opening alongside the gun. The gun s are not always used for tuition purpose, a dummy gun with a proper breech hav- i ing been erected ,in a ehed at the fort, t saving wear and tear on the “real article.’’ '. i

On Monday last actual service condj- , tions came into operation. On that . morning four practice shots wore fired. On Tuesday morning the firing comnetition for the 'Government ."Challenge ■ Shield. On that morning a visitor might have noticed, four'thousand hx hundred yards-out in the Harbour, between Point Halswell and Somes Island, a small steamer, the Janie Seddon steaming along with two small dots some seven hundred yards behind. The dots are two Hongkong targets, six feet square, and a hundred feet apart. The targets are supposed to represent a small steamer, and a certain dhrtanoe k> allowed on each side for hits, the idea being that shots falling a certain distance short would have struck her-, beneath the water-line, and those falling a certain distance over the targets would ; have hit above the water-line; On the plateau of the fort are a small giouji |

of officers and non-coms of tho pormar nont force, with, white badges on their arms. Above each gim-pit appears* a man’s head, that of the gun-layer. Tho battery commander is in his fighting station, the range-finders in their little armoured station, and ,iu each pit are some ten or eleven men/ several ped to the buff. Beside tho group of officers are a couple of- flag' signallersOn a high • point some - distance away from the point uro also a couple Of signallers. Suddenly a long, slim, green painted gun rises-.above. No. 1 pit. Tho gun-laj'or utters a few short, sharp words, "trail right,’ or "trail loft, glances along tho sights, and,, fourteen seconds alien the gun cornea up, prCKSOi mi electric button in front of him, A flash, a heavy concussion, and a cloud of brown smoke, and loaves of grass lit*] in tho air, followed a second or two later by a ©mailer cloud ’of white smoker from tho pit. For .a few moments u tdmll scream assails tho car ns the shot whistles through, tho air, and then a ■ fountain of water rioes half-way between the two targets, . just where tho vessom engines ©houldbol As soon as the'shot leaves the muzzle the gun diops back into tho pit, and No. 2 gim come© up and goes through the fiojno ooum). Tim projectile is an unpleasant thing to meet in full .career, being a practically solid shot weighing 100 lbs. Tho charge Of cordite with. which it is sent on its way weighs. 16 lbs 12 oz. Cordite is a peculiar, thing. The weather affects it very often, causing it to‘Oither send the projectile further than .the actual range, or less. For instance, nt last yoar's camp, tho battery commander found - that ho had to deduct 125 yards from his ranged because the cordite was too powerluL Tliis year the deduction is 75 yards. Some excellent shooting lifts been performed by tho Rolone this camp. On Tuesday morning, withLiout. Bilk in , command/, twelve shots wen* fired in a total time oi 54 minutes,, atV ranges between 4030 and 4600. yards,and twelve hits were recorded. On Wednesday morning when Lieut. Price ’ was [ bat* tery commander, twelve hits woroj made in Involve ./shots at raiigeS betw’<kn 3000 1 and 4500 yards, in 4.46 secs. „ The; 'corps' is determined to retain possession of the Governor's Cup, ; ■