Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1892-06-10
GUN COTTON.
ONE OF THE STRONGEST OF
MODERN EXPLOSIVES.
Onsv One Place in the United States
Where IL is Made-Interesting
Processes of Manufacture
Used i'm Naval Warfare.
now COTTON Is common
- enough, and everybody has
% ~ some sort of an idea what it

1S Dkt, edlu 4NCN Il vi n
chemist to a Sun reporter, "but there
isn't one person out Of hundred prob
ably who knows what 1t is made of or
how it is made, to say nothing OF
knowledge of the fact that there is only
one place in the United States where
it is manufactured. That mandatory
belongs to the Government, and it is in
Newport Harbor, within sight and sound
of our great summer world OF wealth
and fashion when it is the season for that
exclusive world to be at Newport. Un-
til that factory was started-about eight
years ago-all the gun cotton used by
our Government aud by every one else,
came from England. All of our tor
pedoes are now made from the home
manufactured explosive.
"The manufacture of gun cotton Is an
interesting process. The best cotton
waste only, combined with the purest
and strongest of sulphuric and nitric
acid, is used in making it. The waste
is subject to a thorough and careful
hand picking, the pickers removing every
possible particle of dirt and grit. 1t is
then placed in huge boiling tanks. There
it seethcs for four hours. Then it passes
through, a cleansing process, being
washed thoroughly, when it is reboiled.
At this stage of the treatment OF the
waste there is not particle Of oily mat
ter left in it, aud it has become harsh
and stiff, almost like wire cloth. After
the second boiling it is placed in boxes,
where it is left until it is perfectly dry.
As it dries the cotton is drawn into
curly snarls and punches, like the ripe
seed pods of a touch me-not plant after
they have been pinched.
''In that condition its contact with
the acid could not be even and thorough,
and so the disheyeled waste is run
through shredding machine. which
picks and pulls and tears it into a woody
or fluffy condition, when it would be a
perfect absorbent if there were not still
remaining in it a certain amount OF
moisture, imperceptible to the touch,
but quickly detected by the action Of the
acids. To remove this moisture the
waste is placed in an air light box, where
it is exposed to a steady heat, the
temperature being kept at 200 degrees.
This exposure, after five hours, has dis
sipated all the latent moisture, and then
the cotton is ready for the acid, having
been made into small bundles for this
purpose.
"The apartment where the cotton aud
acids are brought together is called the
dipping room. Iron troughs are filled
with nitric and sulphuric acids, mix
ture of one part of the former with two
parts of the other. Into these troughs
Of acid the cotton is placed one bundle
at time. Ten minutes in the bath is
sufficient to soak the cotton thoroughly
with the acid. Then the cotton is put
into hand presses aud the superauols
acid squeezed out of it. AT this stage
of the process the acidized waste is put
into covered earthen jars In these jars
the cotton undergoes radical and Won
derlul chemical reaction, and the trals-
formation Of the stuff is attended with
the evolution of heat so intense that it
is necessary to keep the jars in other YES
sells, into which cold water is constantly
kept running.
"After twenty-four hours Of this treat
ment the cotton has become nitrated,
which is the last stage of its transfor.
nation into gun cotton, but it still holds
its acid Ingredients, and they must be
removed, even to the slightest sus.
pision Of their presence, or their action
will soon destroy the value Of the ex-
plosive.
"To remove the acid from the nitrated
waste the latter is first run, jarful or
charge at time, through powerful
wringer, which separates all Of the acid
it is possible to separate by pressure.
From the wriDger it is transferred to a
large tub, into which water is constantly
flowing. The cotton is agitated and
tumbled about in the water by wheel
which revolses rapidly in the tub. No
more thorough washing could be given
to anything than the gun cotton receives
there. It Is tumbled aud beaten about
in the turbulent bath until the water is
found to have no suspicion Of acid.
"This is determined by the taste of
the employe in charge Of this work, he
touching his tongue with samples of the
wafer every few seconds until he can no
longer detect the acids presence. When
the gun cotton is removed from its bath
Il has been drawn into long threads aud
rolled into many balls and matted into
tangled wads by the manipulation of the
revolving wheel. 1t is then safe to
handle and store away for use. But in
that form it would take up too much
room and be inconvenient for military or
naval use, AMI it is then put through
other processes to reduce II bulk.
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