Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-05-10
IN THE HOUSE.
Debate on the Naval Appropriation Bin
Touches on the Tariff.

WASHINGTON, May III ne House Wenl
into committee of the whole on the nava
appropriation bill. Walker the first speaker
made briet tar # speech, denountin ing III
Wi son bill sn1 charging that every peri,t
Of business depression known in American
nistory wss due to mocratic legislation
except from 1878 to 1888, and that was du,
| to the reduction of the tariff due to the re-
sumption act of 1876.
Grosvenor also made tariff speech, ridi-
cuhng the present position of the Demo
cratic rty on the Wilson bill Ever,
u,t in the country, he said, pr. fitted b,
| the p opposed changes in the tariff bill.
In the course of the debate Meikeljohl
paid attention to the frauds recently mad,
public in the manufacture of arnor plate.
TOR which the Carnegie Company was fue,
$l45 900. He said the navy department au-
thoritles who made the investigation decided
that the co. tractors be fined 1924 900 ano
that $1,000 premiums paid the firm be re-
covered. From this decision Carnegie ap-
pealed to President Cleveland, who reduced
the amount Of the fine to 1924 900 and re-
leased the company from all Liability On ac-
count of the premiums.
A controversy arose between Boutelle and
Cummings as to procedure the latter insisting
that the Republicans should proceed with tn.
debate, and taunting them with having
"bitten off more than they could chew" il
demanding seven hours debate, and Bou-
tele Insisting that the ID, mocrats SHOULD
alternate in The discussion or abandon tn,
time to the House. Without coming to a
conclusion in the matter the committee
rose and the House aoj urned.
Modern Explosives.
The invention of what are distinctly
known as modern explosives began in 1888
with nltrocellulose or gun cotton. This
consists simply of dried cotton waste or
vegetable fiber acted upon by strong nitric
acid. The cotton consists of carbon, hydro
gen and oxygen in com bnation. The eff.
feet of the acid is to remove certain mole
cules of hydrogen and to substitute in
their place certain other compound mole
cules of oxygen and nitrogen combined.
The result of this transformation is to in
troduce into the body an exceedingly I'M
stable compound, which breaks up at the
least increase of temperature The whole
body then becomes disorganized and is re-
duced with Instant suddenness from solid
to gaseous state, with enormous increase
of volume and great development of heat,
the process, except as regards speed, being
precisely the same as happens every day
with the combustion or oxidation of coal
in a CRATE.
Nitrogycerin,s which was invented in
1917, has precisely the same chemical COM
position as nitrocelulose. 1t is made by
spraying pure g1ycerin (also composed of
carbon, oxygen and hydrogen) into mix
.ure of strong nitric and sulphuric acids,
the latter serving merely to keep the nitric
acid strong, as water is evolved in the proc
ess which has to be absorbed.
The history of nitroglycerin has been
from the first a very disastrous one. 1t is
such a ready explosive that a tap on the
vessel containing it is almost enough to set
it off, and had not some simple device been
thought of for soaking it up into a porous
or spongy substance, so as to render it
capable of being handled in a solid and less
dangerous form, it could never have come
into commercial use.
This, like gun cotton, is useful solely as a
blasting agent. Its explosion is so rapid
that no gun could stand it, and artillersts
all over the world, while seeking in every
possible direction for a smokeless explosive
suitable to gunnery, did not dream prior to
1888 that nitroglycerin could in any way as
sist them in their search. The discovery in
1888 of ''ballistite," an explosive suitable
tor ballistic purposes, from the union of
nitrocellulose and nitroglycerin, was partly
dne to accident, but was none the less "a
brilliant achievement.