Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1889-12-17

the charge Of slow powder was great
~ increased, and in the navy guns tho
rule for the charge is one-half the
weight OF the projectile for gun thir-
ty calibers long.
The products OF combustion OF pow
der are liquids and gasses. and the
actual temperature about 800 deg.
Fahrenheit At this temperature the
volume OF the gasses Is about 5000
times that OF the powder. but when
cooled down to the ordinary tempera-
ture IT Is about $50 times greater.
Brown powder. when fred in a gun,
leaves reddish deposit in the cham
Der. and on the face OF the breech
plug. This deposit, when cool, ia
readily faxed OF. 1t Is composed OF
sixty-four per cent Of potassium car
Donate. fourteen per cent. OF potassium
bicarbonate, and twenty-five per cent
Of potassium sulphate.
The knowledge OF what actually oc-
cars in the charge during the COM
bustion must. OF course. be altogether
theoretical. but it is probable that
Eugene Du Points theory is not far
wrong. He says:
THE action of such powders SCENE
10 be as follows: Upon firing the
charge the gases confined In the pow
der are released and act to expel by
their expansion the projectile toward
the muzzle Of the gun. This term
the first explosion. At this time
the oxygen and hydrogen are released
as gases. but under too great heat to
unite in the form Of steam. As the
pressure is decreased BY the motion Of
the projectile in the gun this heat also
decreases. and the gases oxygen and
hydrogen--unite in the form Of water.
The heat generated by this union at
once changes the water into steam,
this expansion, which takes place be-
fore the projectile leaves the muzzle
of the gun, term the second explo-
sion There is thus formed q powder
OF great explosive force, which acts
twice upon the projectile- have also
found that such powders are very eff
fective in dissipating the smoke aris-
Ing from the discharge. owing, as
suppose. to the fact that the steam,
generated as above stated, condenses,
and in SO doing, absorbs large quanti-
ties of the carbonate OF potash, the
solid portion OF the result of decom-
position of charge OF powder, and
that portion which forms the smoke"
All the brown powder for the navy
is manufactured by the Du Points, and
before acceptance 1t is sent to the
Naval Ordnance Proving Ground to be
tested. Its physical qualities are de-
termined at the powder yard, and at
the proving ground it is fired for We
locity and pressure. The Government
specifications require a pressure of
fifteen tons per square inch in the
chamber and muzzle pressure of 1900
feet per second. The velocities are
measured by the Boulenge chronograph
and the pressure by the crusher gauge
The specific gravity of brown powder
ranges from 1921 in the 5-inch B. S.
r to 1855 in the 10-inch B. S. R.
The attention of the general public
has lately been called to so-called
''smokeless." and even noiseless pow
ders. There are several patents on
the former class of powders, and
Schultze's powder is an early example
of it. They are all of nitro-cotton or
other kind of nitro-cellulose. specially
| treated with the view of producing a
slower-burning substance, or of nitro
glycerine Or nitro-cotton. The French
have adopted smokeless powder
(Poudre By for the Lekel rifle. This
is said to possess high ballistic quail
ties, and to produce very little smoke;
but it is also reported to be very deli
quescent Prof. Deering, chief assist
ant chemist in the War Department,
in a recent lecture summarized the
views of French writer on smokeless
| powders as follows:
LAS regards the influence which the
use of smokeless powder would have
on tactics, the writer remarks that the
subject is at present conjectural. but
some obvious consequence can be fore
seen. In the case of artillery. the use
OF smokeless powder against an enemy
similarly provided would render pre-
cision OF aim possible, and would al
| low the effect of fire to be seen. A
small drawback would be that it would
be more difficult to execute the move
ment recommended for avoiding the
| effects OF well-directed fire from the
enenmy. viz, advancing the guns by
hand about fifty-ive yards. move.
ment favored by the cover of smoke.
LAS regards infantry, he thinks thai
the question is more complex. The
smoke cloud with the old powder is
less dense than in the case of artillery
and interferes less with the mainte-
nance of effective fire. The smoke
shuts out the sight of death and suf-
fering and gives sense of protection
really betrays the infantry's position.
BY these remarks the writer does moi
mean to find fault with 'Poudre b. or
the contrary, he regards it as a neces-
sary accompaniment of a reduction Of
caliber of the rifle, the old powder caus
ing too much fouling. If the enemy
were also provided with a smoke
less powder, the balance of ad
vantage would be equalized; both sides
would have to modify existing tactical
arrangements. Surprise would be a
factor of the greatest Importance in the