All guns except boat-guns are provided with a loading-box. This is a hollow steel cylinder fitting in the loading-hole. When in place, its forward end rests against the back of the gas-check, while the rear end comes to the end of the cascabel, being provided with steadying hooks that hook into the cascabel. The charge being entered in this loading-box is pushed directly home. The boat-guns have no loading-box, but instead the right end of the breech-block is prolonged and a loading-hole is cut through it. The transporting-screw removes the block by about one and three quarter turns, as it has a very sharp pitch. Below the calibre of seventeen centimetres there is no transporting-screw, the locking-screw serving both purposes. CARRIAGES _Broadside-Carriage for the Heavy and Light 8-cm. Guns._ This carriage is of the simplest construction. It consists of two plate-iron brackets connected and braced by through-bolts. It is mounted on two trucks forward, and a single broad wooden rear chock. For the light gun, breeching-holes are made in the forward part of the carriage, the ends of the breeching shackling to bolts in the ship’s side; for the heavy gun, the ends of the breeching shackle to the brackets, the bight being shackled under the centre of the port. These carriages are provided with breast-pieces for training, a training handspike, and tackles for running out and in. The light gun is provided with the ordinary elevating-screw, but the heavy one has a rack, pinion, and hand-wheel for rapid and extreme elevating. The pinion is held by a compressing lever. The trucks are of cast-iron with brass journals. [Illustration: Broadside-Carriage for 8-cm. Boat-Gun.] _Broadside-Carriage for 12-cm. and 15-cm. Guns._ This carriage consists of two plate-iron brackets, a forward transom, and two bottom plates. The trunnion-holes, as in all other carriages, are broadened by brass journal-plates. It rests on two cast-iron trucks forward, and in rear on a rear chock. A swivel roller is fixed in the middle of this chock with a forked attachment, by which a trail handspike may be shipped at an angle of about 45°. Heaving down on this handspike lifts the rear of the carriage on the roller, and the lateral movement permitted to the handspike enables the carriage to be steered out. Bolted to the forward transom is a fork which, projecting forwards, forms a pivoting point. In running out it is necessary to run the end of this fork (which has jaws for the purpose) against the bolt provided for it to pivot about. The rear chock is of plate-iron with a brass shoe.