The Opelousas courier., 1883-07-28
GUN-CO1TON.
The Power of the Terrible and Dangerous Ex'
pl0siVe.
DR. Daremus, in tie New York Sun.

The Power of the Terrible and Dangerous kS-
plosive.
DIR Doremus, in tie New York Sun.
In to Supt. Walling's crit
cism, allow me to state II few facts CON
corning explosives, which l shall be
lappv to demonstrate to him, if he will
honor me with his presence, at the
College of the City of New York: or
at Bellevue Medical College. If gun
powder is placed in q basket made OF
coiled platinum wire, and is then in
serted in a glass jar arranged so that
it can be exhausted of air by an ar
pump, on applying 9 current OF cleo
tricity to the coil, so as to render the
wire red hot, the gunpowder will
neither explode nor burn with a flash.
It will apparently boil, with a purple
light, and will require from five to
twenty seconds for its complete COM
bustion, depending on the quality OF
powder and the amount of air removed.
All know that gunpowder has it's
own supply of oxygen-it does not re-
quire any from the air; for we shut out
the air when we load a pistol, or a rifle
or a cannon The nitrate OF potash
furnishes the oxygen for the carbon
and sulphur of the powder. The cause
of the tardy combustion of the gun
powder in the exhausted receiver is the
diminished pressure. :
But wrap the powder in paper, and
we have the ~frecracker; lnclose the
powder in an iron sphere, and we have
the bomb-shell. AS the powder burns
under increased pressure produced by
it's own gases, it explodes with in
creased force. An ounce or even a
pound of gunpowder, when burnt in
the open air, produces no explosive
sound -merely a puff.
The Eliminates of silver or mercury
which are used in PERCUSSION caps will
also burn slowly when placed in the
platinum coil referred to and heated
red hot after the air has been exhaust
ed from the glass jar. Yet in the
open air, when fred, they will explode
with a sharp sound. ,
If q lock of gun-cotton (of the most
explosive kind, say a foot in length:
be suspended III a glass jar with said
platinum coil, and, after removing the
} pressure of the air by a pump, If the
: coil is made red hot by an electric cur
rent, the gun-cotton will not explode,
. nor will q fame OF spark of fire be
e seen; the %gun-cotton will gradually
!. disappear.
e Even under the pressure OF the air,
I or in other words, in the open air
, small quantities of gun-cotton of the
. most explosive variety when lighted do
l not explode; they merely burn with a
: bright flash of light. When we pre-
pare g~un-cotton before q class in chem
e istry we frequently place a lock OF
r it on o students hand and fire it to
: show how quickly it burns; for he
e scarcely feels it. This is n of the
s trivial tests of its good quality,
Another is to place the %gun-cotton on
! gunpowder, then apply a light. If il
q plosive variety; if it sets fire to the
= powder it is inferior in character. Pho
9 ~tographer's gun-cotton. which is solu'
: BILE in alcohol and ether, and is USED
: for making collodion, will burn slower
- IF placed on gunpowder it will ignite
! it. Inclose the explosive variety O.
%gun-cotton in q stout receptacle. Nov
! fire it, and it will exhibit three time:
the force of gunpowder.
If Superintendent Walling will fill
a teaspoon with tro-glycerine and ap
n ply to it q lighted match, he will fine
that the nitro-glycerine will quietl,,
e and slowly burn, with a green-colore(
flame, because it is only subjected tt
the pressure of the air. But if b,
places this amount of nitro glycerint
in a closed vessel and fires it, I would
r advise him to remain at q respectful
q distance from it.
I have placed q fluid ounce Of nitro.
e glycerine in a metal cup, connected will
+ one pole Of a g~alvanic battery, and OF
applying the opposite pole of the bat
n terry to said liquid. I have shown before
a sledical class that the nitro-glycerine
burns tardily and without noise. Will
said battery I had previously fused anG
volatilized platinum, iridium and other
e refractory metals to demonstrate The
. intensity of the heat. Yet if a single
o drop of nitro-glycerine is placed on {
smooth surface and struck a sudden
e blow, the explosion is stunning to the
ear. The same law applies to giant
y powder, dynamite, rend-rock anG
other terrific explosives. They mus
e have pressure to exhibit their power
They burn quietly and slowly with
out it.