The Weldon Range-Finder
J. B. Richardson · Royal United Services Institution Journal · 1886
USTIL tlic firo of infantry and nrtillcry approaclicd somctlilig like accuracy, instrumcnts which would indicatc with prccision and spccd thc distnncc of tlic objcct nimcd a t wcrc unncccssq.For some pn.s p t thc nrtillcry, liowcvcr, hnvc bccn nwnrc of thc immcnsc incrcnso both in tlic inom1 and actual results of their fir0 wlicn tlic ran o is but thc jndgmcnt of tlic unaided cyo is singularly incorrcct when cstimoting tlic position of crcn so distinct an objcct ns thc burst of o. conimon slicll nt n modcidc rnngc, whilc tho strikc of riOc and machine-gun bnllcts is in most cascs indistinguishablc.As a conscqncnce, nrtillcry Lavc Lccn thc first to wclcomo cach advance in mngdnding, nnd tlic earliest stcps towards suppljing thc want fclt cnmc from that blanch.Tho I-.ingc-findcrs first iiitroduccd into thc Scrricc rrero tho inventions of two nrtillcry Officers, Nola11' and Wntkin, and thcso still rcrnnin Scnicc iristrumcuts.Tnfantry u-crc trnincd mniully to shoot nt tnrgcts on \rcll-mcnsnrd nnd marked rnngcs, aud ns R conscqucncc did not so soon rccognizo thc wnnt of an accnmto nngc-mcasurcr ns did the iirtiller , ~vvhoso arid riiorc frcqucntly practised n t gun-pits, shcltcr-trcnclics, nud dnmmics nt unknown mngcs.Tlio dcvclopmcnt of ficld-firing has, howcrcr, led to tho dcmnutl for n trustworthy and handy rangy-finder for infantry, nnd the ncw Scrvicc instrnmcnt which I bring Lcforo you to-day comcs from thc infantry.It was tlic want of n rmgcmeasurer ndnptcd to thc wnnts of his branch of thc Scrvicc thnt primarily induccd Coloncl Wcldon to turn his attcntion aud iiigerinity to tho iiircntion of a Tnrictj-of instrumcnts which havc rcsultcd in thc siniplo rnngc-findcr Lcforc you, which is cxccllcntl~ ndaptd for thc ficld work of both nrtilleg and infiintry.Wliilo siinplc, rapid, nud nccurntc in working, it is capnblo of stnuding thc vcrr scvcro tcsts of varying climntcs, and of thc rough usngc inscpainblc, at any mtc with niountcd corps, from tlic usc of n iaugc-Gndcr in tlio ficld.known Lcforcliand.It is truo that tlicy can makc us0 of trial s f Lots, Inttcrics, cspccinlly in Indin, scldom u s d targcts on mcnsurcc T imgcs,