The star. (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1874-1875, 1875-05-29
A New ExplOSiYe.

A LOnQOn paper gives The following
interesting account OF some experiments
recently made at Feversnam with soma
new gunpoWder manufactured from gun
cotton:
The company went into the marshes
and the experiments began. Cartridges
were held IN the hand lit with fuses, and
burned with steady blaze, while,
ignited by the detonators, they exploded
with a loud report. Hitherto the COM
pany had not found any detonators
strong enough to explode their powder
with the exception of those especially
manufactured for them, but at the eX-
perimenLs some new dynamite detona-
tors proved powerful enough tor the
purpose. At any rate the powder evil
IDENTIFY needed powerful detonator, for
ten pounds were placed on the anvil,
and an iron pile driver weighing hall a
ton was allowed to TALL fifteen feet upon
it without causing an explosion. This
proved cOnclusiyeIy that IL could be car
ried in safety In railway trucks, and
that collision would have no elect upon
it. Two barrels, each containing forty
pounds Of powder were now placed in
pile Of taggots. Upon This being fired the
powder burned with steady but i'll
tense flame, and without any tendency
to explosion.
The next experiments were for the
purpose Of illustrating the applicability
OF the powder to mlning work, iron
breaking, etc. A charge OF two ounces
OF powder was placed IN a hole drilled
in a rough block of Kentish ragstone,
four feet by two feet wide and twenty
inches deep. The stone was split into
| tive pieces by the explosion. A solid
| block OF steel OF about half q ton in
| weight, was bored TO the depth of six
| inches, and siX-ounce cartridge was
inserted in the hole. 1t would seem an
| impossibi.ity for the small quantity OF
powder to split mass OF steel, but pom
| The explosion taking place 1t was found
that it was split IN two places. An eX-
pertinent tried upon cylinder oil cast
iron of the best quality-Ol diameter
OF two teet and depth of eighteen
inches-was to certain extent a lail.
ure, for the six ounces OF powder, used
in hole eight inches deep, drove con-
ical piece out of the bottom. This, how
ever, sufficiently indicated the strength
eXerted. In none OF those cases were
The cartridges tamped, in some they pro.
| jecteu partly above the hole, and i'll one
instance few ounces OF damp clay was
put upon the top OF the cartridge. Two
nalf-pound cartridges were now LAID
| loosely upon rail- weighing seventy
pounds to the yard. Upon their being
Ignlted, they not only broke the rail IN
half, but broke two pieces out across
the spot on which they were lald. This
was an extraordinary instance OF force
eXerted without any weight OF tamping
whatever upon the cartridges. The
greatest exhibition of force, however,
was shown in two experiments with
| ingots. In the first experiment four in.
gots of eight inches square and three
feet long were used. In the center OF
these four masses of steel as laid to.
gether two-pound cartridges of powder
| were placed and kept in their place with
a lew handiuls OF clay. In the second
experiment the four ingots were each
| eleven inches square and the charge
used two pounds and half of powder.
The results were in each case astonish.
ing. The eight ingots were all broken in
halves, some of these pieces Of steel
| were sent flying high in the air, falling
thirty, thirty five, and in some instances
torty-fve yards away, while others
were sent twisting over the grass, one
going over eighty yards. When the great
weight Of these masses OF steels are
| taken into consideration it will be seen
that the force required, not only to
break them but to hurl them thus far,
must be enormous, and yet it was ac.
complished in one case by two pounds
and in the other by two and hall
pounds OF powder.