New-York tribune., 1874-07-20
APPLIED SCIENCE.
Exp,os,oy OF Guy-Corrov.-For a long time

EXPLOSION OF GUN-CoTroy.-For long tlme
Prot Abel, al Woolwch, has been conuucuns oA'0i
ments upon gun-cottOn and very lately ne n's oo'eu
results OF unusual interest In the nrst p"oc, o MUS
HAT the explosion Of guncotton Is so W sPo"h,
Ihetc varying according 10 the manner IN wheh IL Is
bocpn ~ Il, the form yarn the guncotton beignted
NV snart ~ snolders slowly away; flame causes II
a. bprn rapdy; fired charge, ii behaves with cor
resnonding ,gor; aud, exploded by Eliminating pow
der II acts with tremendous violence. Every fumina-
tus powder however, will not explode guneotton, IL
seeming to need peculiar set Of vibrations to which
alone it will respond Illuminating mercury the ordi-
nary powder OF percussion caps the best agent
for this purpose II guncoton, compressed into CAKES
be arranged IN line, and cake at one END detoh'ou
by the illuminate, the detOnations follow eaeh o'no
along the line with marvellous veocltyj Veioci'E W.
,ordng 20 the electric chronosope OF about 10000 fet
pT nearly four miles per second When We recoleoV
" oe bullet usually travels only about l5O lee' "n"
sound only 900 feet per second We canparay reaIo
,htsox,raordparv velocity only the speed OF the pan
cts IN their orbits and the rapidity OF Ght an" VI
heat can be compared with 1t. Another Ie'n"'A"OO
,eatnro I. that by means Of Illuminating powder wei
Sgnrot,on may be exploded aS readily az dry WEI gun
.nfcr has hitherto been considered apSolulclS ~ ~hui
,Joye ana indeed is so. far regards flame thrown
,,nor p II acts like wet blanket. But 10 the Iuui-
Rating powder the cotton though SOAKING We Iesloe
fsGing net and provided with dry primer and fumlss
nate fuse will explode under water as Nl0len'y as
confined within water-tieht steel case hSre oS,,S S
new field for the makers OF submarine t0fpedos SONIC
other new applications Of guncott9n nave DGen , sui
rested II several mines are TO he exploded shnu
ianeousv they can be connected by lines OF g0ncOton
- mSaes are 10 he DESTROYED discs of guu-cottOn ex
r,6dcd against them will do the work enectually Ana
nsng around the trunk viii, when detonated perform
Inc work thoroughly and as neatly as 1t could be done
With an ak.
ACrION OF SALT AND POTAsH SALTS on TIE
sYsTEM-Carefu study was made by Bunge OF the re-
markabe fact that herbivorous animals, domestic as
effv for
amount in their natural food while the carnivorous do
NOT although the latter DO obtain more in their
ordinary nutrimeRt. Also that while the amount OF
soda s equivalent that Of the potash Ia the food OF
carnvora in OF the herbvoa the potash salts are
double in quantity those OF soda Comparison of results
ofexperiments showed that, while herbyOra obtain no
less sodium and chlorine in their food than the carnvora
they secure four times as much potash By CIV
ing doses Of different potash salts, and determining the
amounts Of different salts excreted he found as inc
most evident eject decided increase OF sodium ana
chlorine on the day Of administration and dlmnuion
below the normal amount the subse qucnt day; and
also that besides chloride Of sodium, additional soda
must have been excrctcd. since the sodium, usually
present in amounts chemically equivalent 10 the cGor
zeal displacement, increased Glhlson ana nlIatIon
ne salt by the salts entering the blood Is not sustained
ty The experiments but II Is more pausoig 10 S
that mutual decomposition and decomposition Oh @ tnC
potash salts introduced, and of the soda salts IN tne
loOd, take place. aud the potash ana soIa S|1lts | r %
formed not being normal constituents or tie ulooV dit
.yctod There indications that this change prop
ably begins and carried on IN part, IN the stOudth
and iutcstues. Ii also appeared that the lAosiha'e
M sfttr r-surpIon partially combined with the pOd
rurm~ccs. and gradually given up by them, ana thdt
yI cOrpusces, therefore win theT OtueI uuC
lions tend to render the harmful matter present III
all nntrment harmless. In support of tins view theIG
j, the fact that normal blood potash salts are found
ost exclusively IN the cOrpusclcs, ana lIlhcpdIY III
combination with phOsphOrc acd, Whie thrse st' an
3rrscv poisonous in the pasna of The blood. Although
potash may, within limits. exceed soda M ceHaln iOC
without removing soda from the system ls Ia mus, tne
food Of Young mamuals). il must De remembered thtl
t greater part potassium IN these cases II n the
fpp Of cOi idc potassium. which, according tu W.
t,mui-tc experiments, j. less effective than Other poa-
sam compounds since rye, potatoes Nt, tue lOou u
III lauollug classes. contain potash salts largely I'D t&
cess Of The SALTS the author S inclined 10 regard
ConrOu salt as d necessary udIiueht as "c.' dS Goa