The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1892-01-13
EXPLOSIV ES FOR THE NAVY
HOW THE AMMUNITION FOR OUR
WAR SHIPS is PREPARED.

OF the old water battery at Fort Wads-
worth force of experienced men has
been kept hard at work the past few
weeks preparing the ammunition for the
war ships fitting out at the various navy
yards. These men are skilled IN the
handling of explosives, and the officer in
charge, Gunner John A. Mcdonald, has
had long experience in this kind of work
during the thirty years he has been in
the naval service.
When a Recorder reporter called upon
Mr.. Mcdonald at the fort the officer had
just succeeded in getting the last of the
Newark's ammunition transferred from
the magazine down to the powder light
er at the wharf
At the magazine the powder tanks or
cases and the boxes of shell were loaded
on to truck by working party of the
blue jackets from the ship. Arriving at
the wharf the truck was unloaded aud
the contents passed by part of the blue
jackets to others on the lighter, where it
was carefully slowed below. A navy
yard tug was lying at the wharf ready to
tow the lighter aud its dangerous cargo
up the bay to where the Newark was
anchored.
On entering the fort one ascends sew
eral flights of winding stone steps be-
tween walls of gray stone and under a
stone ceiling. One could almost imagine
himself in some historic fortress or prison
built during the medieval ages. The
very air smells of dampness. The fort
is shaped like the letter o and the in
side is open and exposed to the elements.
On the outside three rows of frowning
gunports face the Narrows, while the
waters of the bay beat against the base
of the massive walls. The place has
long been abandoned by the soldiers,
who are now quartered inside the big
Notifications on the hill above.
On what corresponds to the third
floor, one encounters long piles of
wooden boxes. These are all empty,
but when received here from Whining
ton, Del, they contained brown pris-
matte powder. Hundreds of tons have
been used in the past four months. The
powder is manufactured according to
contract with the Navy Department by
the Du Pont Mills on the Delaware.
The powder tanks for the ten.inch
! guns of the new monitor Miantonomoh
are cylindrical in shape, the sides beins
of copper and the ends of steel. The
tank is divided into two sections, each
of which contains quantity of powder.
Four of these sections, or some 250
| pounds, are used each time the gun is
fired. The projectiIes fired from the
ten-inch guns weigh over so pounds
apiece.
For the eight-inch rifles the tanks
used, Of course, arc not 50 large, and the
weight of the proiectile is $50 pounds.
Only small quantity of this cahbre has
been prepared at the fort, the only ships
using them being the Baltimore, Chica-
go, Atlanta and Boston; in all only
twelve guns.
Most of the work is for the six.inch
rides, with which every cruiser of oul
new navy is armed. Each ship has from
one to twelve of these, aud the quantity
of ammunition expended in target prac'
tice and that needed by new ships going
into commission keeps the men at the
magazine busy the year round loading
she'll and weighing out powder.
For this calibre the powder charges
are of two kinds, the full weight being
forty.six pounds, and what is called the
reduced charge for use at target practice
being thirty three pounds. This powder
is put into sacks ready for use and in,
closed in copper cylinders, which arc
then sealed to make them water tight.
These cylinders are very easily slowed in
a ships magazines and being fitted with
rings at the ends, can readily be hOisted
TO the gundecks when needed. The
projectile made for the six-inch gun;
weigh 10Y pounds, and is of two kinds
The armor- piercing shell is longer and
sharper pointe than the common or iron
kind, and the point is of heavy forged
steel. The bursting charge, which is
placed inside, weighs several pounds,
and is ignited by n timed fuse.
Fixed ammunition for the rapid firing
guns is also loaded here occasionally. In
this kind the projectile and powder
charge are fixed together in the form of
a cartridge to expedite the loading and
firing of the guns. The projectile weighs
one, three or six pounds. The most of
the ammunition for the Hotchkiss guns
in general use in the navy is furnished
now by the Hotchkiss Company itself,
and is made in Connecticut. The car
tridges are packed in specially designed
boxes. Loading blank saluting charges
for the guns of the secondary batteries
of the ships keeps the men busy part of
the time, but this work can be done on
shipboard. Then the old style smooth
bore guns, such as are in use on the Ian
caster. Pensacola, Kearsarge aud few
other of the remaining relics of our
"wooden walls, +" make demand for an
other form of projectile and size of pow
der charge.
The gunner and his assistants at Fort
Wadsworth do not manufacture any of
the powders, forge any Of the shells or
make any of the powder tanks and fuses,
but the work of putting them together
keeps them busily employed. Handling
powder may be dangerous occupation,
but great care is exercised there and it
is not often that an accident of any kind
is reported .-NeO York Recorder.
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The Japanese practice refined cruelty