The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1855-12-17
MUNITIONS OF WAR.

(Frcrn the Washington Giobe.1
1t probable that some preparations will be made by
our government during the present year Tor prov idng
supply cf od for arripg Qualifications and tina
furtl provision will be made for the fertilization OF
faciure Of ordnance will be awaited Of and have for
turaey ample mate rial Of the best description for their
~, heiactafe very fasinctoy experiments have been
lately made by engineers in the fabric u guns Of
large catbie and great strength.
The British ordnance has been found to be very de-
Sec,e the recent trials winch IL has undergone and
tie attention Of the British is directed
10 the by which these desects may be remeded
large number Of the morars used In the tmbardment
s~eapeig burst after few discharges. The siege guns
OF British manufacture employed before sebsstop, were
useless sitter oIe hundred discharges
The infer ioi y Of Britih iron sho also even
the shovels, picks and used in the trenches and
tbete implements were found to be almost worthless.
Fngii iron owing to the Of sulphurous
mineral coal in It's msnufacture. The British govern
m.nt has lately sent commission to Berlin, to inquire
important muniments Ct war. II has been ascertaincd
that the frusaus obtain all the iron for their guns
Sweden and that the requisite for ordnance must be
made with charcoal.
Our goveinmn mt has exercised tie utmost care in
the selection Of the materials for ordnance aud in ta
sl should be charcoal ircn But the cost merely Of the
raw Of ordnance Is said to be greater than
hat ofthe flashed guns OF 9 eat Britain.
The standard dems nded by Ordnance Bureau is
1905 for density or specific gravity, and tensile
twenty pound howizers OF American charcoal iron
made in ls4o at the South Boston Foundry, 1906
mepts made upon Scotch iron showed only density of
1882 and q tensile strength Of 10, PSI lbs
Charcoal iron Is made with great facility in Nova
Scotia and in consequence Of che ciprociy treaty the
attention 81 our iron manufacturers Is directed TO that
Of supply II is curious fact that the British
government Is looking to the province as the only
one in all her dominions which furnishes the proper ma
tel iai for ordnance.
supply ofrhe material for the manufacture Of gun.
powder subject 10 which the attention OF our govern
ment has been lately directed Nre ssltpetre Is nov
other regions In this country II Is found In the lime.
stone of the southwestern Sntes 1t In said that
it costs fifty cents pound to prepare II from this source
while II has usually been imported into this country
from British India ut eight ten cents pound. In
consequences o the demand occasosed by the large con-
sumption powder In the present the price OF ntrc
has been doubled and at this time, hardly be pro-
cured at all from any Our market Is nearly
exhausted Of the article. The expectation OF altpetre
from Calcutta and from England Russia to any neu
ts port in Europe prohibited by the British govern
freely imported into the United States from Calcutta
and hence exported in large quantities Bremen
Hamburg and Holland whence II found its way Russia
In consequence OF this the British government by re
Of the Piiyy Council have prohibited the or
poraon Of saltpetre to the United from any mart
of her POSSESSIONS The supply in this country Il now
very limited. Russia makes most Of tie nitre that u
employed In her powder works by artificial meansthat
IT, by the artificial union Of its two ingredients nitric
acid and potash Nitrate Of soda can be found Ia abuu
dance In South America and to that OF supply Of
the CHIEF element in modern warfare our government ana
powder makers now look. In Of the sudden oc
81 war, magazines ought 10 be well stored
with this essential article, without which ordnance
would be quito useless.