The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-05-25
IMPORTANT TEXPERIMENTS WITH @ IN
COTTON AND GUNP o WIDER.
From the Pail Mall Gazette,

COTTON AND q UNP o WIDER.
From, the Pail Mall Gazette.
An important experiment was carried out
a short time ago at the Royal Arsenal,
Woolwich, to discover how far Abel's com
pressed gun-cotton, which, as our readers are
aware, is now being largely introduced into
the service, is liable to explosion en- naGsse by
simple ignition, and whether the explosion or
ignition of one case of gun-cotton would
necessarily be attended with the explosion or
ignition of adjacent cases. For the purpose
of this experiment quantity of compressed
gun-cotton was packed in wooden cases, con-
tanning 20 pounds each, which, as regards ex-
plosive power, is equivalent to about 112
pounds of gunpowder. In the first instance,
one of these 2S-pound cases, the lid of which
was tightly screwed down, was ignited. There
was sudden burst of bright f1ame which
opened the box without destroying it,
and without causing anything of the
nature of an explosion. After this eight
cases, each containing % lbs. of gun-cotton,
and two cases containing each 2S lbs. of
damp gun-cotton, were placed on the ground,
and covered and surrounded by thirty-two
more boxes, each of which contained
quantity of sand equal in weight to 2S lbs. of
gun-cotton. The object was to initiate as
nearly as possible the condition of things 10
d LldSdDlhO VI Suu-COIJOu, HuGI6 IL OF
cases would be piled together, and one of
them might be accidentally fired The igui-
ton of one box caused sudden rush of bright
flame, which penetrated through the pile,
and was followed by another rush of flame,
due to the ignition of the contents of another
box-without any explosion. The result on
examination proved to be only partial dis
turbance of the pile on one side and the igni-
ton of the contents of only one box in addi-
ton to the box full of gun-cotton pur-
posely ignited. The gun-cotton in the
six remaining cases had not been ignited,
nor had the damp gun cotton. If any one
will take the trouble to consider what would
have been the effect of exploding barrel of
gunpowder in the midst of seven other bar
rels of gunpowder, closely packed and built
up into pile with other barrels, he will be
able to appreciate the exceptional and very
satisfactory behavior of the gun-co cotton in this
experiment. Afterwards, a case of damp gun
cotton was placed upon the ground, on the
top of it box of dry gun-cotton, the bottom
of the box being thlckly smeared with tar,
and the box itself being surrounded with
shavings. On this case another box of gun
cotton was placed; and the whole was sur
rounded with boxes of damp gun-cotton and
a number of boxes filed with sand. The
shavings were then ignited, and the fire com-
municated in short time with the interior
of the pile, the two cases of dry gun-cotton
becoming soon partially enveloped in flame.
Nothing further was observed for about a
quarter of an hour, when there was puff,
a rush of flame playing through and about
the pile, and-nothing more. There was
no explosion, no disturbance even of the
pile. 1t was now considered safe to ap-
proach the pile. On examination it appeared
| that no damage had been done beyond char
ring or burning some of the boxes, charring
the surface of the damp gun-cotton as it be-
came dried by the heat. 1t was supposed
that both the boxes of dry cotton had been
infiamed; but, some little time afterwards,
while the debris was being collected, the
second box of gun cotton, which had been
burned through, and which had been mis-
taken for box filled with sand, suddenly
burst into flame without even injuring 9
man who was at the moment holding the box
When it is considered that the box full OF
gun-cotton represented 112 lbs. Of gunpowder
this result is sufficiently remarkable.
Those who witnessed this extremely in
structive experiment-an experiment which
testiies in an unmistakable manner to the
safety of properly made compressed gun
cotton in store-and who may have failed Il
appreciate the exact significance of the trial
can hardly do better than compare the re-
suits with those lately obtained on the Plum
stead Marshes with gunpowder. On this oc
casion it was desired to establish whether
the statutory distance of twenty yards be
tween he,''danger sheds" of an ammunition
factory, as laid down by the Gunpowder act
is sufficient to aft ord complete and adequat
protection to the workpeople in sheds situate
at this distance from a shed IN which
80 lbs. of powder (the maximum
quantity permitted by law may happel
to explode. To determine this point, whic
the Home Office had directed to be investl
7 gated in anticipation of the revision of tn
Gunpowder act, which we are glad to hear i
, in contemplation, five ightly-built woode
sheds, such as might be employed in privat
t cartridge factories, had been erected a
twenty yards distance from one another
Fnty pounds of gunpowder-or less than th
q equivalent of half the quantity of gun -coi
ton in one of the cases in the former exper
I ment-was exploded in the central shed {
{ the group The result was a violent expl,
a sion which entirely destroyed the shed i
I which the explosion took place, and whic
: blew the planks and tlmbers over
. large area-some of the planks bein
a carried to a distance of seventy-i,
Yards. The whole of the sheds WEI
i more or less shaken. A large plank WI
|, driven on end, like projeoile, through u
a side of one of the sheds; and it was clear
!. established that the distance of twenty var,
N prescribed by law is not sufficient to affo
> absolute immunity from danger to the wor
"a neople in the adjacent sheds The We
Of diff trent behavior OF the two explosions W
- very remarkable. This difference might
N even more strikiDgly illustrated by the igI
L. ton of a case of gun-eotton in a eartride
1r shed. such as that which was completely {
,u stroyed in the second experiment by ha