The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1846-11-12

the quicknsss of Eliminating acknowledgements. if
struck with hammer on an anvil IL put into gun,
smaller quantity in weight will do much execution
gunpowder II is used precisely in the manner
gunpowdera piece of paper being necessary between
ton is always certain from the explosion of
cap. All persons without exception, who have been
present at the exhibitions have made of its properties
fully convinced of Its practicability The tes
mony which annex of two distinguished persons who
have made arms their profession will corroborate my
yesterday, the 4th of October we were present at
the hrs experiments which were made with the explo
having convinced ourselves of the perfectly satisfactory
results with sharp loaded firearms
Doctor, counsellor of Forest Board
Won sCHAWRZKoPPEN,
" High Forester"
rcf the medical board chemist, $e~
seems that other acid than that procured by the
Of vitrol will confer upon cotton its explosive pow
err Hydrate Of nitric acid (salpeter dis
comes and The fibre Is not Injured or dissoiy
ed The acid by dstation first procured is best Cot
ton dipped int it Tor half minute and then quickly
pressed between glass plates boards, and washed az
forwards until it is entirely free from acid and subss
guently dried, produces superior exploding article.
but II after having been washed and dried il is again
dipped into the acid, it becomes excellent A repe
tition of the manipulation necessarily augmens the
exploding quality. Cotton may even remain in the
acid longer than half minute. That which has
well washed when it is tax en- out of the acid for il any
remains in it, satpetre flavor will attach to when dry
and when exploding will leave thing white acid
tincture The vivid explosion of small ball of the arti
ce on white china plate is the criterion to test its good
dust behind it, If particle is it cannot be
used in guns also appears to be necessary that the
cotton after having been dipped into the acid and
ed, be Immediately put into large quantity of water II
the cotton be put into an insufficient quantity of water
are also preferable for larg., forms into knots Of
BLUSH green color which firm, be easily
loosened The more the prepared article resembles the
one In its natural state the better and powerful it
is With o4ths or 64ths of gran-+sO grams equal to
an English ounceballs of Is inch diameter driven
through boards noh thick With grams, a bullet
driven from rifle, distance of IS steps, into an
oak plank to the depth of an inch and with four five
The readily the cotton explodes the greater the
care to be taken in handling it,"
e or @ =. an e made IN pre-
gun.cotton which had been immersed in water sixty
days and found as good as when perfectly fresh after
We experiments made upon the gun.cotton to-
day, at the War Office. The President was present.
the packet, which Professor Shonben had sent by Mr.
Robertson, the American consul at Bremen, to be
ope being unsealed, of cotton of deeper vel
low tinge than commen presented itsel-and weighing
about 60 or 10 grains Col Talcott the head Of the
Ordnance Bureau, and Mr. Robertson make
some experiments. small quantity of the prepared
cotton was laid upon a white sheet of paper When
touched with another piece of paper fire. the cotton in
spontaneously exploded, producing small volume of
smoke, and leaving slight stains with very small par
cies on the paper. The best gunpowder was then ex
ploded 1t produced smoke and leftn1arger stains
thus showing that the combustion was more complete
in the former than in the latter case small quantity
OF cotton was then thrown some grains of gunpow
der but both exploded together In this respect well
as in the stains upon paper the tests failed On apply
ing to the tongue these PARTICLES which left up
paper by the combustion of cotton alone it presented
the alkaline tasteshowing that the fluid in which the
cotton had been immersed not completely prepared
"a portion Of the potash from the nitre had been depo
sited in the vessel and in dipping the cotton into had
imbibed some Of the alkali of the nre itself
" Upon Col Talcots putting some of the cotton into
gun, with cap explosion took place with COM
paratvsly little noise. On loading the gun second
time with about ten grains OF the cotton wad of paper
upon it, and ball and another wad upon them the gun
was fired with smart noise. 1t was discharged from
the upper window Of the War Office and aimed at the
Navy Office, about forty yards distant. The ball was
found about eight yards from the basement of the Navy
Office from which it had recoled after making a smart
ndentation in the stone WALL and great the force
with which had gone and rebounded that when was
picked UP it was found considerably lattened and
smashed.
is evident however, that the cotton was not prepar
cd in the best manner Mr. Robertson about to have
certain quantity of the material (say twenty five
pounds manufactured in the most scientific manner and
further experiments to be made at the arsenal with
the delicate machinery which tests the force Of gun.
powder We shall take that these experiments shall
be duly reported