The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-06-24
MELINsT5.
The High Explosive That the French
Have Ado pied for Their Cannon.
Erom the Netv Yors SIM

Inc nlgn Explosive That the French
Have Ado pied for Their Cannon.
Prom the Netv Yors Sun.
The excitement produced In France by
the arrest of NJ. Emile Tripone, the officer
OF the French territorial army who was
charged by NJ. Turpin, the inventor of
melinite. with having sold the secret Of thar
explosive to the Armstrong;, can readily be
understood. NJ. Tripone was the agent of
the English firm, and the transfer
OF the secret to them would amount to
It's free us9 by all, as the Armstrong; sell
their guns TO anybody hat will buy The
ultimate discharge OF Tripone from arrest
may have been influenced by the statement
OF the Armstrong; that, though he was their
agent in France, they learned nothing Of
melinite from him, and, in fact, dealt di-
rectly with Turpin, who represented that
he was free to sell them his invention be-
cause the French government had made i'm
pertant changes in it and had kept the
knowledge OF them from him.
1t Is noticeable that while IN the United
States so much attention has been paid to
the destructive power Of high explosive
shells, the pneumatic gun being the most
remarkable result, III Europe attention has
largely been directed to a different
problem, that of securing a safe high ex-
ploslve 70 use as the bursting charge of
proJectiles propelled from ordinary powder
guns. This aim has caused the production
of the English lyddite, the Austrian
ecrasite. and the French nelinite
Of these the melinite is the most widely
kuown, and the French assert thst, as now
improved, it can be manufactured, handled,
ana fired with entire safety, since it will not
explode by simple conclusion. Nearly all
the nigh explosives now regularly used in
shells, are compounds either of gln>cotton
or OF picric acid, although one objection
which used to be urged TO the latter for
naval warfare was that it would cause shells
to explode instantly on striking, and hence
fail TO secure that degree of partial penetra
ton which Is necessary for the best effects 10
attacking thick armor plates. But there
are means for delaying explosion.
Lyddite, which was invented by NJ.
Turpin, the inventor Of melinite, and BIZ
him sold to the Armytrongs, is plcric acid
comnound. The EaRhsh use it in expert
nents at Lydd aud il is said that they have
been able to send she'll loaded with il
through hve-inch plate before it exploited.
The Swedish extralite is composed, accord
ing to good authority of either nitrate or OK
nlate OF ammonia, hydTocarbon and
chlorate of potash, and it cannot be ex-
Dloded without percussion cap. Melinite
in its original form was chiefly picrio acid
1t is said that no melinite ever burst In a
gun, that no accident ever occurred in draw
ing the charges from shells, and that but
one accident OK any kiud from its use oc-
CURED in three years.
The last annual publication from cur
office Of naval intelligence says that in its
present improved form melinite is believed
to contain pfcric acid as its chief consti-
tuent, either mixed with some oXidizing
substance or simply made into a compact
mass with oollodion. II is said to be Joined
always with a substance called cresilite.
This latter, a nitro-cresol, obtained from a
coal-tar product is first put into the shell.
taking up two-thirds Of the space. and then
melinite is ''rammed in by mallets" TO fill
the remaining space. As is evident, only
a powerful detonator can explode it.
Undoubtedly 1t was to this fact that
NJ. de Freycinet, the war minister alluded
when the Turpin-T ripone incident was dis
cussed in the Chamber Of Deputies in say
ing that melinite formed only small part
of the invention, and that the mechanism
for exploding it remained in sole possession
Of the war office. There are other high ex-
plosives Of military value. like the ecfasite
extralite already mentioned, roburite
romite, the Russian sleetover, the Amer
icau enmensite, and so on: but 1t is melinite
with its appliances which Is so confidently
relied upon by the French.
The authority already cited says that
France uses in her 6-inch gun 12l-pouud
armor- piercing shell, containing a bursting
charge of nearly twenky-three pounds of
melinlte, whereas the common shell weighs
only eighty-eight pounds and contains a
bursting charge of only three pounds. 1t is
not surprising that France should have laid
in a large stock of these projectiles, both
for laad and naval use. OF course the
contrast is great between the charges
of melinite and that which can be
put in the shell of a pneumatic gun. But
the velocity and range of the former enable
1t to be fought at the outset of battle, in
stead of only at the distance of a mile, and
it also has the vast advantage OF horizontal
firing, with penetration, instead of being
dropped as from mortar. The relief that
has followed the assurances of NJ. de Frey
cinet as to the substantial safety of the
secret has been very great, although Mr..
Turpin may have more to say on the sub
ject.