The sun., 1894-12-14
sMOKELEss PONDER.
Thsir Uses Tor Heavy Rises ssd Nsesri-s
anna-rast aad ErosneetlNe Tests.

IheNE Ueeo tnE hheoWy HNNea onn NHRnNNAe
euns-Psst asd Prospective Tests.
wAsHiNaToS. Dec. 13.-1t is hoped that be-
fore long the problem Of smokeless powders will
be solved in our army, both for cannon and
small arms. Much advantage has been expert
enced from having an ordnance officer. Lieut..
stuart, at the Wilmington works OF Du Pont Il
Co, to supervise the development both Of brown
and OF smokeless powders. He has At his dis
posal an s-inch rifle and q 3.2-inch feld gun,
with instruments for determining pressures and
velocities. The new chemical powder labora-
tory At Frankford is another source Of help.
Again, the Leonard Powder Company, which
makes an excellent smokeless powder. is under
stood to be trying TO get one with reduced
proportion Of nitro q lycerine. Some crcditable
results have been obtained with Leonard
smokeless powder in 5-inch Brown segmental
wire gun. To a 6O£ projectile a charge
Of 2b pounds gave 2,603 feet per second Of muz-
zle velocity, with "a. .707 pounds OF pressure per
square inch; o charge of 80 pounds gave 3l2s
feet, with $500 pressure, and charge OF 80
pounds gave 3.11O feet, with 52934 pressure.
with a 45-pound projectlle a charge of 30
pounds gave 3.O24 feet OF muzzle velocity. with
4O, ,l70 pounds Of pressure. Other results were
obtained. and, though a little irregular. all
showed high ballstc qualities. In 3.2-inch
Drggs-Schroeder rife. with 1316- pound pro-
jectie, ~ pounds of powder gave $3.50 feet Of
muzzle velocity. with 1890 pounds OF pressure.
and .wo-pound charge gave 1897 feet, with
"a, 400 pressure. In q Driggs-Schroeder 6-pound-
er charge of one pound gave 2,o19 feet, and
charge of IN pounds gave 2,243 feet.
In the s-nch rife 45 pounds of German
smok eless powder impaired /, ,065 feet of muzzle
velocity to 3oo-pound projectile, with 3o945
pressure, while q charge of 40 pounds and
302Is-pound proiectile gave 2.O1s feet, with
3l,T!0 pressure. This powder had been kept
nearly three years Theoretically sealed, and
the result showed that IL had not materially de-
Perforated from the long storage.
In due time IT. may be hoped to have results
made public from the trial OF walsrode smoke
less powder for field guns and OF Cologne-Rott-
well for s-inch and 19-inch rifles: But specially
competitive tests OF smokeess powders for field,
siege. and seacoast guns at sandy Hook.
authorities The speclhcations for the :i.2.inc6
gun required an initial velocity of ,450 feet
with p 10y; pound projectile. and pressure not
gun the velocity was fixed at about |. $50 feet,
and the maximum pressure at 3l.360 pounds;
pressure at 26.SS0 pounds; for the s-nch rife.
1000 feet, with $4,000 pounds; for the lQ;inch
the two latter the highest velocitics within al
lowable limits OF pressure and erosion are
Standard for e bi%eE po%der is o 1ed @ BIDS for for
these powders were received from the Maxim
nn p9nt & ds he smSITs CS the
which manufacture the Peyton powder. From
lack OF funds. awards were given only for the s.
rifle Of 3o.caii6re are made now With Peyton
powder. although an order has also been placed
FOR Leonard powder. The required mu2zle
velocity is Zoo feet per second. with n mean
variation OF one per cent. in twenty consecutive
rounds. and a maximum pressure OF $4,000
pounds per square inch. Tests for unusual heat,
cold moisture corrosive effect, hTa'ing % OF the
the heating OF tbs barrel. a thermometer is
lowered into the bore, he breach closed, and
temperature had risen from So to lO6'. in
poWds the snbssanes boiled at from M as to
2s9'. but did not explode 1t exploded: how
seconds. and at 382o after IA seconds. The
grains boiled up few seconds before exploding.
also % notes the tests for % sun exposure With Pey.
ton and Leonard powders, which contain nitro
inH e9 Ree fGsFa h s
powders. They were placed in shallow glass
bottom trays for eight weeks during the winter
powders showed the most loss OF weight the
most change in color and grain, and the great
ana temperature OF ignition the changes of the
best samples of them compared favorably with
also showed more corrosive effect on steel plates
when burned In the air, especially when the
flashed residue remained Tor some time un-
but thus far 1t has not been found OF advan-
tage to substitute smokeless for black powder in
the old 45-caibre Springfield rifle. where this is
retained in use. Promising results are obtained
with samples OF .30-calibre smokeless powder
made by the Giant Powder Company OF Califor-
mia. although u has not yet been made in guam
tity or, Il would appear fully tested for stability
or keeping qualities. Four rounds OF one SAM
pie, 45 grains each, at Benicia, gave n.l+5 feet
mean velocity. and u variation Of only 5ip feet,
another sample. AZ grains, gave mean velocity
OF 9. l20 feet no variation whatever and 3j,I5
pounds pressure. A third sample of ~ grains
gave for three rounds ,0s4 feet per second, with
80 feet variation. and =, 800 pounds pressure.
Other small bore smokeless powders from which
more may be heard hereafter are those present
ed by Albert Smith and II. p. Weidig. the latter
said to be pure cellulose treated in peculiar
way and also powder sent by Mr.. Heidemann,
director OF the Cologne-Rottweil works. This
last Is said to contain no glycerino and to have
as . characteristic very little action on the bore.
the accuracy OF fire from German rifle not be-