Copiah signal. (Hazlehurst, Miss.) 1888-1899, 1889-10-24

Koissi..s sod othsr Iassss.tias bet ta.-
strastiss Powders rh.t Wu msks
ratsrs Warfare psagsrsa.
Brown gunpowdor vas introduced In
iNs2 II hBs hucn generally supposed
that the invention vas German bat
few months ago Coluuf nrackenbury
stated In London that England was thc
fret country 30 make slow powders,
and that the German powder came In
long after ,hc experiment. ~ Nalth.
um Abb,y Tho chief characteristics
~ brown powder IL its slow rate 81
burning This DO due 90 the fact that
d cuutsins ,rr1 little sulphur and .
peculiar Kind - charcoal Sulphur i
Iav srial kiudling agent and any
Isusd. mas d. s'owcd 0r quickeucd
bt var, iug tho proportions Of this In
rrsdi.ut The composition ~ brown
or "cur"a" powder vas kept q -ccrct
iur a long time bat i i now known
that tho Gcrnan T"wd.r h compo-"d
~ seventy ty-uiuo prr rent ~ potassium
nitrate. three pnr cent ~ sulphur and
olghtson Por cent 81 iighuy-baked
bruwn char,oal made from slightly
carlsuuiErd straw Previous % lss2
thc powder formula the world over
wBs Bhuut rcyenty-hvo per cent Of
potassium tcn peg cent ~ sulphur and
fn,rn pur cent oi charcoal The Du
luutr iu tbo brandy sine. Who supply
a., Guycrnmout uith powder, have suo-
cy,a,I in making brown powder that
b. given ~ Fuod results ~ the for
slEn article
Rruwn powder l. made In hexagonal
prisms ons inch long. piero-d luugi-
tahiiually with oentrsi hole. In
masking up cartridges the prisms are
II 81 fegaiurly ike honey -comb.
- ihe holea y 81 each other. 80 A.
H,ru caus lnrmn inles throngh the
- t. lbieca a this h 70
- =, &AAs pcrmnato ahrpugh
CO. fAaa when he chMrrs u
49, is aashs and gases lfuaA
A. a - ~ ualer cod Of ~ n<riI
sdam. b.f fnsuias eAch prism IN - %
/. a isAIa. 49, a aslnw ahem A. $3.50
sfAm - aNsquently produeiaN {
pregretsiteiy itareasing suFfaco ~
tgniiion and efulFiug Increasing voi-'
ames of gHs uoroo browh powder q.
soisotisucs caiied progressive" but
the term npplics r-ally 10 all powder
hne rruiu a. well ~ pFismatic. he-
cause in the true sense Of the uurd
powder - not an explosive such ~ gan
cotton ur uitro-r' ycrriae.
The Voloeity - combustion l. great |
80 in fuo. grain black powdor. which |
sr"ms b. explode when igni,ed. - rap !
idiy is N consumed. aud slowo.t in |
brown powder A prism oi black |
PUwdor - The cid composition when |
iguiiod iu opcn air burns in lc.s than q |
socuud. while similar grain oi oocoa |
powdvr is nearly siKty times A. long In |
burning, Fising of dense volumes Of
white smoke.
A. She velocity u combustion Of
black powder l. almost instantanoous. |
the pressure arising from u resembles |
the force Of . sharp quick blow. aud |
would Impose upon the gun In witch |
lite ir'd severe strains u the projectlIe /
did not move Al oucc and relieve a.
For this reason black powdor can not
be- used iu hirh-p0ucr guns v hich EN-
pluy q long heavy shell having upon
iis ruar oud band Oi soit metal the
diameter Of whi,h l. gr-alcF than that
Of the bar. ~ The gun. ~ the she'll can
not pass through the boro until this
metal u forced out iato the groove. Of
the riding Nos, II the gun wore
loaded with black powder the press
ure would rise 10 ts maximum /
almost at the instant oi Ignition be-
fOrU the sholl would have time "a /
move. and the result would probably |
b. tho destruction ~ the gun. The
Uaso IL VERY difCront with brown pow
der When the charge IL ignitod the
prossuro is Zoe At arsL gradually ris-
inR until IL l. SUFFICIENT 10 start the
she'll. the copper band is iorucd into
The grooves. aud the proiectile starts
on he flight slowly ~ frst. but with a
velocity Of :, GO feet por second when
u leaves the muEale. AZ the space he-
twecu the shell aud the charge in-
crcuscs the pressure II The gases would
rapidly fall were u not Tor the fact
ahai the powder l. giving Of constant
ly Increasing volumes of gas IN this
way the pressure l. maintained oa the
proicctllo all the way 70 the muElls.
thus greatly increasing its muzEle
velocity. ID ls clear. then. that brown
powder gives a much higher mean
pressure In the gun than black pow
der. aud that the maximum pressure ls
not reached until after the prolectile
10 started In a 6-inch steel hreech.
loading rife The mAKimum pressure 10
fftecn tona and the pressure at the
muEEle from thrce 10 four tons
The development Of powder has
Jagged behiad that Of Runs Before the
''stesl age Of guns the tendency was
toward nn increase Of ealiber only nnd
consequently larger charges. but 80
the charge oi quiek-buruing powder
increased. 20 aia the pressures. and
the gunmAkeFt had 10 provide some |
means Of protecting their guns from
the violont strains set up By the press
ure Of the powder Fases Then u
vas that the principle building up |
guns b. shrsuking types over the taees
vas introduced. ana this systsm was
almost perfected 10 the high-power
hulls-up guns Ioi to-day. whieh toFm
ths armal5ent u every military power.
slow powder followed the wrought
Iron bailt.up qua. and forced another
change "a the manufariure u ordi-
uAnea TIE Fun had 70 BE- ieugsbened.
sal, u eoaseQasaoa srseeh leading !