The Red Cloud chief., 1889-11-29

Rapadly Coming In Use Both for Sinai
Arms and Artillery.
The first general information obtained
In regard to the smokeless powders was
In connection with the Lebel rife, the
new small-csliber repeating arm of the
French, which created such n excite
ment . few years ago. and practically
dictated reconstruction to small arms
throughout Europe. At that time
neither the Austrian 1Mannlicher rife
nor the German repeater used smokelesa
powder. 1t is understood, Of course.
that the words ''smokless" and ''noise-
less'' are used in . comparative sense,
as there is some smoke and some noise
in nearly all these powders. 1t has
been said, however, that the report Of .
single Lebel rife can not be heard at
q distance of more than twenty or thirty
yards; that it may be said to make
no smoke, and that the re-
coil is Of no consequence what
ever. The powder Is said to
be q secret compound of gun cotton and
collodion, and its exact composition is
perhaps the only secret now remaining
in regard to the Lebel rife. The Ger
mans began with the use Of the Duttin-
hofer semi-smokeless powder, and have
also made limitations Of the French pow.
der as nearly as it can be found out.
The Russians have tried a new powder,
made by the Ochtenski factory, in imi.
tation of the Duttinhofer, and its manu-
facturers insist that it is superior to the
latter in ballistic properties; but it has
. little higher initial velocity weight
for weight, with less pressure on tho
bore. This may be the reason why the
Russians have come to the use Of the
vmsll caliber, which could only have the
required efficiency with one of the new
compounds, as otherwise the bore would
foul too rapidly.
The English also have obtained a
smokeless and noiseless powder, invent
ed by the well-known artillerist, Cap
tain Noble, of the Elswick Works, at
Newcastle-upon-Tyne. A British mill
tsry authority says that its use has al
most zen decided upon, both for small
arms and for machine and quick-iring
guns. 1t speaks of the powder as "a
curious, grayiSh-loOking material, il
long threads or a whipcord-like form,
presumably from the shape it assumes
under hydraulic pressure. Its action is
most startling. At three hundred yards
range not a sound is heard when a vOlley
is fired with It, and only a faint haze
arises, which is almost imperceptible,
while . shower of bullets is seen to fall
upon the targets, an effect produced
seemingly without a cause" Careful
experiments will be made with it al
Lydd. In their quick-fring guns the
British at Shoeburyness have used
the Chilworth smokeless powder
with great effect, obtaining q very high
initial velocity. In rapid-ire cannon.
as in magazine small arms, tho value Of
smOkeless powders is obvious, because
: he peculiar advantages Of these weap-
ons might otherwise be largly counter
balanced BY smoke. OF all the new
powders Schultze's is perhaps the best
known. Nearly or quito all appear to
depend on the union Of nitrous COM
pounds of some sort with other sub
stances. Some will not keep in all eli.
mates, and some give out an unendura-
bic odor. Their introduction will per
haps call for some new studies in tactics,
certain movements now depending on
the cover of smoke can not hereafter RELY
this protecting mantle. But just at
present the tactical considerations SOON
to be less important 20 our own country
than the procuring Of powders as efi-
cient as the new ones which are finding
favor in E~urOpc.-Waskington Letter.