Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1846-12-16
MISCELLANEOUS.
From the ". o. Commercial ddotrtiscr.
GIN COTTON.

=
GUN COTTON.
Ihaya bee9 for some weeks past exper
imentins upon Gun cotton in rather more
Of curious than scientific spirit. aud
was with Yourself not little astounded by
the results a, FIRST envelopcd, my final opin-
ion-adopled after many tests To ascertain
the chances Of ti.is article becoming
general explosive agent--is precisely The
opposite of your own. and | am now
fully convinced rha, it cannrl lay claim to
such title. The objections are Of weight
and numerous--developins themselves al
every successive examination, and so for.
chilly that many friends who have seen the
experiments are as firmly convinced as
myself that. although curions and inle-
resting discovery, it can result in no par.
,icular benefit to the woi,i' at large.
Itmay seem Ike assurance to express
thus confidently an opinion which at The
first blush appears to clash with that eI-
pressed by scientific men in Enri'he, hui
two considerations will moIlily any such
impression; one is, lhal. l.ithese MEN have
expressed no views but such as will eS'ab-
Iish The explosive power oflhe Cotton; and
again, even scientific men arc not i"lalible
hut NAV, in the enthusiasm of their dis
cnvorie>, leap al conclusions Which reGec-:
lion aud experiment may fail to s,:bsran-
TIME. twill hc also recp!lected that bn:
-stir,Ie ciporsanity has as ser Seen sfiardefi'
for a critical examination. The discovery
ia, as i. were comparatively i'll lis infancy,
and the pro,lisy has hGrsl upnn the wd:ld
5, suddenly that. absorbed in Specializing
upon the wonderful ar,ihutes il possesses,
we have nj: heeuu IN find not where II
NAV lack. After The first excitement ol
The discovery, cautious AMI criIical,ln?es.
.i-arions, wItich time is required 10 mature
will ellactually determine The Claim Of
This new explosive p"&'cr: and as faint
shadow Of the conclusions which will ulll'
malely I've established. venture tc present
nv own crude experience.
l was able. with very nruderae'charge
TO drive bullet lhruush an inch plank
and tiauen il upon she wall behind, hut
the ouan,ity from which this charge vas
taken had exploded twice while in the
process Of drying once hy he mere ac' OF
pressing the Enger uppa i, and again
spontaneously. 1t had been remv''eh from
all conlac, with metal, being spread upon
board elevate, about lwo inches aboge
a moderately heated stove. On both ll:ese
occasions much of the cotton. b1ln: st'tl
WEI, was preserved. The risk in manu-
featuring this article in any quantity mnst
necessarily bc immense, but not lEuch
more than incurred by The sportsman or
soldier whose gun, becoming he2,!ed by
lieruenl discharges, can communicate fire
10 the load The moment il i,rammed home.
lis liability TO deterioration is also very
great--so much So as 10 give sond reason
N question its ability To retain its power
six months. | conceive this 10 have been
the difficulty with the parcel brought 10
this country by Mr.. Robertson. which ne
acknowledg ged to have laied in many cs-
sen,ial respects. This liability 10 delero
ration would be a serious objection to the
use IF gun coton as an aseu, Of war. An
invading army would have bitter reason
10 complain if al the end of tedious
march they found themselves exposed to
the attack of an enemy, having their own
artillery charged with simple inexplosive
vegetable substance. A ship Of war on
two years cruise wonld mol be very
formidable enemy, but rather an easy
prev, If she had ammunition no more etli
cient than cotton.
The minuleness Of cotton fibre mus
always present large surface to the
atmosphere. aud until the same chemica
change can be produced in maIerla
presenting more solid substance, that ex
posure must be deleterious Gun cotton, i
is true. can be repeatedly moislened ant
dried without its properties in any way
hut this, Le il remembered, is not exposure
Itmight be efectually preserved for man!
months by permitting it to remain alto
ce,her in IS ater; but the action Of the case
which make up the atmosphere is of
nature altogether different and peculiarl,
destructive. This colon has also strouI
tendency to absorb moisture, being in tlI
respect similar to other porous substances
and when in this condition is more or les
retarded in the process of combustion
This fact would speedily ih1paIr me gun
ner's confidence in The cotton, and rathe
enhance than obviale the difficulty q
discharsing gun on a damp day.
Those objections; momenlous as the
are, still appear l1iaing when we regar