Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1862-03-13

or saItpere 20 be used in the manufacture Of gunpow-
Ger, given in Ures Dictionary, under the head of
gunpowder:-
GUNPo WIDER is mechanical combination Of rire, SUI
phu and char coa deriving the intensity Of its explosive
from the pny Of It's constituents the proportion il
which they mixed and the intimacy of the aduizUre
tion in and crystazatCD the muddy particles
and foreign salts with which usually contaminated In
saturated aqueous solution Of nitre boiling ho the tenn
peraure is 20 deg Fahr and the relation OF the salt to
its solvent is weight three to by experiments:
five one vi m. Bottee and Rfult have stated
We however adop the general language Of chem
ists and that three parts OF ne soluble Of
boiling water. since the liquid has much higher heat and
greater solvent power than this expression implies.
Water 60 de dssoves only Onefourth OF its weight Of
nre; exactly, this saturated solution contains Il
per cent Of salt. Its specific gravity is I45: 100 parts
volume OF the Two constituents occupy noE 99i parts
From these data may perceive Tn ltte advantage
could be gained in refining crude nitre, ty making
boiling hot satu aed solution Of it; since cooling
! the whole would etc into d moist saline mass,
consisting by weight Of "a parts Of sas mixed with
part OF water holding OF sat @ IN solution, and n 10
gravity nre ZOOS very nearly the double Of water.
better therefore, to use equal weights OF ga pere ont
in making the boiling HOT solution. Whsn the filter
ed liquid is allowed to cool slowly somewhat less than
tins of the Ditre will separae in regular sI
while the foreign salts that present will remain with
fully fourth Of nre in the mother liquor On redis
solving hese crystals Wlh heat IN about tWo-thEds OF
their weight Of water solution viii result, from which
crystalline ntre fit for every purpose will concrete on cool
a the principal saline impury satpere mariae
soda "a substance scarcely soluble in hot than in cold
water ready mode thence arises OF separating that salt
from the in mother that contain them in nearly
equal proportion. Place ade basin perforated
with small holes on the bottom of the boiler in wi the
solution concentrating. The murate it separates by
the evaporation OF the water ta down and hi the ba
sin, and may removed from time time. When small
needles OF Dtre begin appear the u0n must be
off into the crystal Eng cooler il which moderately pure
ntre will be obtained To be eaed by another similar ope-
ration.
1t the Waltham Abbey guDpowder works the nitre is
rendered pure by successive solutions and stazatoGs
that OpalesceDce III solution Cf nitrate OF s
Such crystals dried. fused in iron pot TEN
perature Of from 500 deg TO 600 deg f. and cast into
he raE Eorp mrs we'd n
About tie period Of 1894 and 1885, under the Of
the irst wars OF Their reVollon 'e @nch chemists EN-
ployed by government cortved expeditions,
nomical suf ienty effective mode of purifying their
nitre must be observed that this salt as brought to the
gunpow Gr-w0rbs France. il general much c!udar
article than that imported iao his country from India 1t
Is extracted from the nitrous salts contained IN the mortar
rubbish of old buildings especially those of the lowest aud
lthest descriptions BY their former hoda the French
could not refine their ritFe in less time than eight OR ten
days. and the salt obtained in great Jumps very difficult
to dry and divide whereas the process easy and
so quick that n less than twenyfoar hours at period
Of PRESSURE the crude saltpere converted into pure
sa brought to perfect dry ness and IN such state OF eX
treme division as to supersed9 the opera ions OF grinding
. and sitting whence also considerable was avoided.
The following is brief outline Of this method, with Ger
tain mprOVen ents pracsed in the establishment
the administration d6S pOJdr6S SdtpetfeS,
The refining boiler IS charged over night with 600 III O.
delivered by the satpetriers No more apped
is adequate to effect the solution of this first chgEge OF
pCe. 1t may be here observed, that such article
tains several deiqueeent salts, and much soluble
ed and the hcicr IS chard at different h fresh
doses Of sa!tpetTe ill the whole 5000 kiiO
grammes During these additions care is taken to stir the
ond very diligently and to skim off the froh "a il rises
When it has been for time in ebutoD, and when
may be presumed that the solution OF the nir0us salts is
elected the muriate of soda is scooped out from the bot
tom The boiler and certain afusiors n3pesjons OF
cold water made into the pot quicken the preCpta
op of that portion which the boiling motion NAV have
kept aoat When is found tofall, one kogramme
of Flanders glue, dissolved sufficient quantity of hot
water nonIcd into the boiler: the mixture is thoroughly
worked together the roh being skinned eff with several
successive nspersious Of cold water till 400 additional ko
grammcs have been introduced constituting aoge l0UC
e knogrammes.
r When the refining liquor affords froth, and is
grown perfectly Clear, all manipulation must The
fire withdrawD with the exception of kindlng. sc
as to maintain temperature till the next morning a.
about IS DEG, q. = 1904 F8hr
This liquor transferred by han7-b basins into he
CrysalZiDg reservoirs taking to disturb the solution
little possible and TO leave untouched the impure mat
ter at the bottom The contents Of the opg cryatalzDg
cserTs stirred backwards and forwards with woodeI
paddles 10 order to quicken the cooling and the cOnseQnen
precipitation of the tre in minute crystals, These art
raked as soon as they a TO the upper end OF be doub
nCl bottom Of the cTysazar and thance removed to
the washing chest boxes. BY the ncessant agitation
the liquor, no large crystals OF ntre can possibly torn
When the temperature has fallen to within deg or deg
Fahr of the apartment. that is after seven eight hours
e all the sapejre that can yield VIII have been chfane
il BY Of the double inward slope given 10 the crystal
zer, the supernatsnt liquid is collected in the middle
II the breadth and may be e8shy iad&d out -. -,
Ii The sapee is shoveled out of the cfyStaWer INTO 'h
washing chests and heaped up 10 them az to standaho
ak or seven inches above their upper edges IN order TO
low for the subsistence which It must experience III tn
washing process Each of these chests being thus filed
and tler bottom holes BENG ctosed "h plugs the st
OF bespriDk'ed from the OF watering with
sive quantities Of water saturated with sapetre and as
g with pure water MI The llqnor When aoWtd 10 run Oh
to indicates by the hydrOmeer saturated solution. The
of each sprinklng ought to remain The salt for
or three hours; and then nay be suffered TO dram
through the plug-holeS below for about an hour
All the liquor of drainage from the first watering,
as norton of the second azidn being
bly, loaded with the foreign salts OF the ntre III order to
evapoated in the sequel with the mother waters The las
portions preserved because they contain almost
but ne and may therefore to wash another dose
that SALT 1t has been proved by experience that the qan
ID ty water employ ed in washing need exceed th
spriBk the whole composed OF three water
ngs of which TIE first two consist ct fifteen and the las
Of six pots =3 gallons + or in other words OF hftee
II sprnkDg OF water saturated with sapetre and tWebty
~ one of pure water.
&c The saItpetre afer remaining five six days in III
washing chests is transported ato the dfrg reservoirs
heated by the ue of the boer hTe 1t Is stirred
from time time with wooden shoVes to prevent It's aC
in herisg the boom running into Jumps, well as
quicken the drying In E course OF about Ou
hours gets completely dry in which state 1t no oDge
sticks shovel but falls down into soft powder
pressure the hand perfectly white and pulveruen
is passed through brass sieve, to separate an
small Jumps of foreign particles accidentally present. an
then packed up bags barrels Even in the shostes
winter days the drying basin be twice charged SO
hi dry 200 500 kogammes By this Operaton the ne
produce of 5000 Gogrammes g ons thus refined amoun
1850 to 1880 kogammes OF very pure nitre quit
ed ready for the manufacture OF gunpOwder.
r. The mother concentrated; but into the
i'll management is needless enter in this memoir.
On reviewing the above process IS practsed at pIesen
is obvious that, the revolutionary crisis its col
n ducOrs have shortened greatly and have been
We tent With a brief period of drainage
VOLUNTEERING The volunteering spirit is still @
the increase throughout this part of the State In th
county two rev companies have recently been f0Tme
Capt icaolS' anu Capt. Ross, and others are beiL
m formed, one under Messrs. J. Fl. White, S. E. Bee
us and J. NJ. Springs, and one under j. A. Fox, Esq
bo The time has now come when msn must either volu
re teer or be drafted. Volunteers get 500 bounty
el drafted men get no bounty.
h, COL Y. Bryce and J. B. French, Esq, are all
0i forming company.-C Charlotte Democrat.