Each fuze is made two inches long, and the yellow consequently burns
10". For any shorter time, the fuze is cut with a sharp knife. With
this fuze is used a fuze-plug having a conical opening, which is reamed
out to fit the paper-case when the shell is loaded, and the fuze is
then pressed in with the thumb.
10. What is the great advantage of this fuze?
Its simplicity, and the little trouble required to place it in
the shell, which renders unnecessary the numerous and complicated
instruments such as saws, fuze-setter, and extractor, files, &c., which
were formerly used in field artillery.
11. What is the composition of paper fuzes made of?
+==========+===========+==========+
| | Mealed | Sulphur. |
| | Powder. | |
+----------+-----------+----------+
| Black, | 1 | 0 |
| Red, | 8 | 3 |
| Green, | 8 | 3.5 |
| Yellow, | 8 | 4.0 |
+----------+-----------+----------+
[Sidenote: 112]]
12. Describe the _Belgian_ or _Bormann fuze_?
[Illustration: Fig. 2.]
The fuze-case is made of metal (a composition of lead and tin), and
consists Fig. 2, first, of a short cylinder, having at one end a
horse-shoe shaped indentation; _one_ end only of which communicates
with the magazine of the fuze placed in the centre.
[Illustration: Fig. 3.]
This horse-shoe indentation extends nearly to the other end of the
cylinder, a thin layer of the metal only intervening. This is graduated
on the outside into equal parts representing seconds and quarter
seconds (see Fig. 4). In the bottom of this channel a smooth layer of
the composition is placed, with a piece of wick or yarn underneath
it. On this is placed a piece of metal, the cross section of which is
wedge shaped (see Fig. 3); and this, by machinery, is pressed down
upon the composition, sealing it hermetically. The cylindrical opening
represented at _a_ Fig. 2, is filled with fine powder and covered
with a sheet of tin, which is soldered, closing the magazine from the
external air.
[Sidenote: 113]]
Before using the fuze, several holes are punched through this sheet of
tin, to allow the flame to enter the shell. On the side of the fuze the
thread of a screw is cut which fits into one cut on the inside of the
fuze-hole, and the fuze is screwed into the shell with a wrench.
[Illustration: Fig. 4.]
The thin layer of metal over the composition is cut through with a
gouge or chisel, or even a pen-knife, at the interval marked with the
number of seconds which we wish the fuze to burn. To prevent the metal
of this fuze, which is soft, from being driven into the shell by the
explosive force of the charge, a circular piece of iron, with a hole
through its centre, and the thread of a screw on the outside Fig. 5 is
screwed into the fuze-hole before the fuze is inserted.
[Illustration: Fig. 5.]
13. To what kind of artillery has this fuze been confined?
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