Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-06-24
sMOKELESs POWDER.

Its Adoption Of Great Importance to the
Army.
There is no question of higher importance in
the army than the use Of smokeless powder
both for field artillery and for infantry. Its
use will form Q leading feature Of this years
military maneuvers in Germany and other Eu-
ropean countries. These powders have been
employed to greater or less extent in former
maneuvers during several years, but they are
now beyond the realm Of experiment. and their
serviceability Is well sttested. It is, therefore,
OF high importance to accustom officers and
men to the conditions and tactical dispositions
which they require.
All the principal foreign countries have
adopted this powder in one form or another,
but while the United States army and navy
have seriously considered the question the Sc
made by this country.
SELECTION URGENT.
The definite adoption of the Krag- Jorgenson
gun makes the selection Of q smokeless powder
for 1t urgent 1t has been pointed out that
Denmark, which uses this rife, has produced a
new smokeless powder at her government fac
tory, which causes little smoke or fouling aud
no excessive pressure. Three thousand rounds
were fired from one rifle without ipjuring it,
while a gun could be left twenty -four hours
without cleaning and yet suffer no injury. In
firing tests the proportion Of hits at various
ranges was enormously in favor of the new
powder over the cid. But it Is represented that
the powder used by our trial board in testing
rifles was different product, the Belgian Wet
teren. This was selected after experiments
with many foreign powders. and its results, as
used at Springfield, have often been spoken Of
Nevertheless, it has not been recommended for
regular adoption in our army. The desire is,
If possible, to have an American invention for
regular use, and several such powders have
given more or less promising results. In ad-
dltion. at frankfort arsenal, where the army
experiments with smokeless powder are carried
on. various foreign devices have been tried, and
foreign smokeiess powder has even been fred
at Sandy Hook in the eight-inch rifle.
THE NAVY COMPOUND.
At the Newport torpedo station the navy MN
compound Of macaroni form has been used in
all callers up to and including the 6-inch with
excellent results. Its stability is especially
noteworthy, its superiority to many European
powders In remaining unchanged in different
temperatures being very marked. In the point
Of safety it is all that can be required The
6-inch gun, with charge Of twenty five pounds
and only IL. Sc tons pressure Yielded 2. $50 feet
Of initial velocity, while with twenty-six pounds
and H. sc tons 1t yielded 2, 469 feet. Higher We
focities have been obtained in other countries
but ALWAYS with much higher pressure Our
naval authorities have officially reported that
this powder yields higher and more regular We
locities than the European products at lower
and more uniform pressures.
CHANGES IN TACTICAL MANEUvERs
In regard to the changes in tactical mn
neuvers which the free use Of smckeless pow
ders will cause, it is represented that the de-
tense may be assisted by being able to open fire
on the attack without having its own position
and force thereby disclosed. At Aidershot re-
Gently battery. which had been firing at the
distance Of a mile and a half upon the body
supposed TO be attacking it. had disclosed its
position SO little that. merely for the sake Of
giving the attacking party practice, it was re-
quested to fire few charges Of black powder.
SO that its position and distance might be dis
covered. This is only one instance Of the changes
that may be expected from the general intro
duction Of smokeless powder, 80 that its use in
this years maneuvers will be watched with
much interest.