The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1891-09-10
sMOEtltsS POWDER

smok eless powder wa hr.i invent
eel Ia America SOME ten years agO.
Little vas thought II the invention
at Washington aud tine Inventor t0Uk
Il to Paris, whore the War Depart.
mrnt took i ~ eagcri Several
YEAR were spent Ia experiments and
notifications Of the original poNder.
AT length powder was made, which,
from being used in the Lehd ride,
has gone by the name Of the Lebel
powder. All the troops ia France
are, or we're until lately, supplied
with this powder. Its composition
IL secret, which is 50 zealously
guarded that its export is forbidden,
and soldier who opens a cartridge
is liable to ten years imprisonment
in tue galleys. simultaneously a
smokeess powder was invented in
Italy, and the German Army was
supplied with a similar powder, which
has been known as the Duttenhoftr
Following the example Of France,
Germany forbids the export of the
precious compound. The American
war authorities have been reconciled
to their prlyation of the new engine
Of war by the knowledge that both
the Lebel and Duttenholer powders
were experimental and not wholly
satisfactory.
Within few months a new pow
der. called after Its inventor the Wet
teren powder, has been invented in
Belgium and is said to be superior to
all its predecessors. BY cutting a
little red tape the War Department
succeeded this Spring in buying 800
pounds of this powder through the
house of Dupont & Co, and having
it shipped from Antwerp to New
York. Upon arrival it was distribu-
ted among the Government armories.
The tests show that its rcpute bad
not been an exaggeration. With 100
grains of this powder projecuile had
an initial velocity of 1894 feet per
second, and with 10 grains an ini-
tisl velocity of l464.S feet per sec
ond. These results are regarded as
very promising They have stimu-
lated American makers of smokeless
powders Dupont & Co , DR.. En-
mons, Professor Schuppans, Mr..
Houghton and others-to renewed
exertons to perfect their respective
inventions.
The advantages of the Wetteren
powder over ordinary gunpowder are
three: First, it does not obscure the
battlefield second, ignition Con-
sumes the powder entirely, leaving
no gritty residium to foul the barrel
of the gun; and third, it causes
less violent strain on the gun and
leads to fewer explosions. Ordinary
gunpower explodes instantaneousy
throughout its mass, and of course
imparts shock to the weapon which
is pr0portionate TO the initial velocity
Of the projectile. Wetteren powder
is slower OF combustion. Its propell-
ing power is exerted for an apprecia-
BILE fraction of a second, and thus,
while the projectile gets its full i'm
pulse, the shock to the gun is less
sudden.
But the main merit of the smoke
less powder is that it does not shut
out the field of battle from the Gene
raj in command. Civilians who have
witnessed a battle in progress have
been surprised to find that they
could see very little and could not
make out what was going on. Sol.
diers familiar with military evolu-
tions catch occasional glimpses of
movements of men, but even they
are often at fault from the fact that
they Can neither see their own troops
nor make out where the enemy is. AT
Inkerman tile Russians were enabled
to creep up to the British lines nm
der cover of the smoke from the
British guns, and the battle of
Shiloh was fought in a cloud of
smoke, which hid the combatants on
either side from the Generals com.
manding. With a battle field clear
of atmospheric obstruction military
maneuvcrs could be conducted with
more accuracy and precision.
Every invention which renders
war more deadly makes for peace,
and is therefore tc be welcomed by
Friondo NJ civilization