The Works Of Messrs. Schneider And Co.

296 MESSES. SCHNEIDER AND CO.’S WORKS. effort due to recoil has been reduced to a minimum owing to the weight of the recoiling mass—365 kilogrammes (804 Ib.). The carriage does not recoil ; it is held to the ground at three points, by the trail-spade and by two drag-spades placed under the wheels. Lateral deviation is practically absent : and vertical deviation is very slight, the trail not penetrating the ground ; corrections for training, when they are necessary, are therefore very plaeing of the gun in battery, nor in removing it to othur spots and attaching it to the fore-limber. The force of recoil is absorbée! by the hydraulic recoil cylinder in the simplest inanner possible, and return is insured by an independent compressée!-air recuperator, which, being quite tight, requires no special attention. As it is independent of the recoil cylinder, in case of an accident firing can still be proceeded with, the gun being Figs. 956 to 958. Schneider-Canet Carriage (1898 Pattern) for 75-Millimetre Quick-Firing Gun. quickly eflected. As the carriage scarcely moves under fire, it is possible to seat two gunners on thé trail ; their weight contributes still more to the stability of the carriage, and they can rapidly train and load. Lateral training is eftected by displacing tlie carriage on tlie axle, the wheels turning on the drags ; this arrangement does away with tlie strain that would i-esult from the obliquity of the gun on the carriage. Trained gunners can fire with this type 20 to 24 aimed rounds per minute, owing to the simplicity of the manœuvres. The quick and smooth return of the gun is one of the elements necessary for rapid firing. The system followed for fixing the carriage to the ground does not cause trouble and delay in the run out by hånd. A pump forms part of the equipment ; and with it one man can charge the recuperator afresh in five minutes. The gun consista of a tube, a jacket, and seven cbase eoils, of tempered and annealeel steel. The same remarks made in the description of the preceding type, regarding the construction of the gun, apply to the present model. The breech opens with one circular action. Firing takes place by pressing on the catch through a spring rod fixed to the cradle, either direct or through a line ; the firing device does not, therefore, recoil with the gun ; and the gunner has it constantly under his control, but he cannot fire the gun until it has run completely out.