Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1897-03-04
4 POWDER MAGAZINE.
MAKING EXPLOSIVES FOR UNCLE
SANS NAVY.


Large Sized Grains now Used. Avlslt e
the Big Government storehouse Among
the New Jersey Hills.
a. one follows the road that leads
from the town of Dover, N. j., III
among the craggy and rock-seameo
iirls OF Norris County, he Is surprised
ON approaching what seems to be the
summit of this desolaIte assemblags
to find himself confronted by heavy
gate bearing the legend, u. 8. Naval
Powder Magazlne-No Smoking.
From the top Of the hill, says the
Washington Star, floats the Stars and
Stripes, and below its frowning crest
clusters a group of long, low, yellow
brick buildings, within whose walls
is concentrated force mighty enough
TO shake even these eternal hills" 70
their foundations. For miles on either
side, taking in the double line OF lof'y
HIS and the valley THAT Hes between,
stretches the government preserve,
without a sign of rife to disturb the
solemn grandeur of the solitude save
where Tile bright-hued banner hoats
above the little group of buildings IN
the heart of the wilderness.
At first thought there Is something
almost hrdicrous,y homogeneous in the
idea of connecting this dmpregnable
and almost inaccessible fastness win
the navy. But when one Cooks thro ugh
h,4n l1ptT linn rs n IL
side his attention is attracted TO an
interesting and lltt e-known part OF
Inc scheme of national defense, tna't
Of preparing and storing the force
which makes our great floating fort
reSses effective.
about the navy and naval service OF
che United States within the past few
months, the manner in which the new
navy is supplied with powder seems
% have escaped attention.
IT is an important subject, too, as n
brief calculation will enable the reader
90 determine 10 his own satisfaction.
The batteships Indiana and Oregon,
the most powerful in the navy, carry
four 13-inch, eight S-lnch and four u
inch guns. To fire a single charge
from one on the 13-inch guns requires
90 pounds of powuer, not counting
that contained in the she'll Itself TO
explode it. Accordingly, every time
the four chief guns of the Indiana's
armament speak together more than n
ION of powder is turned into nothing
ness.
Up-to-date powder is chiefly of two
kinds, the smokeless and the brown
prsmatlc, though rhe black Is stu
used for igniting. 1t has two adv1ur.
ages over the C1I-fashloned kind. One
is in the ingredients, the other in its
form.
: The goal which the maker sets al
ways before him in preparing powder
Tor any gun is to obtain the maximum
of propulsion power without such ex-
p.osive force as to wreck the gun IL
self. The action of the powder now
used in al the larger guns Of the navy
shows the nicely with which modern
Invention has solved the problem.
The second important Improvement
in modern powder is in its form.
Many persons have the idea that all
powder is in the form of small grains,
while some others, whose memory
reaches back to the civil war, recall
the cannon" powder Of that day, which
was in the form Of small cubes, much
like loZenges.
TO either of these classes the powder
Of the present day is the most sur
ptsing in appearance. It's regular
shape is that or a hexagon, with
small hole running through the center.
The size varies, OF course, with the
bore of tie gun for which it is intend
ed, but for the largest calibers the hex
agons are an inch high and q trifle
over an inSL in diameter. The little
hoe in the center is important, for 1t
causes the block to burn more evenly
an. with greater erect, since the Ace
can work from botn the interior and
exterior surface. The smokeless pow
der comes in dihe form of fat strips,
pieces Of tape, or In little cylinders,
that look for all the world like maca-
roni. In one respect alone Is the black
powder superior to brown, in the
greater ease with which it is ignited.
On this account, in making UP the
heavy charges a tier of black hexagons
is placed first, for the percussion cap
20 act upon, and TO make certain the
discharge by fgnfting the other.
The essential ingredients in the max
ing of gunpowder, of course, remain
the same now as formerly, the differ
ence being found in the chemical treat
ment Of It during the mining" proc
esses, which are, of course, carried on
according to carefully guarded foEmu-
las.
powder destined for Uncle Sans big
guns is much the same as that of the
better known kinds, the chief differ
ence being, as noted, it's treatment Urn
der the chemists hands. 1t is rollcd
in the same way, PIt in the press room
Cts treatment is changed and 1t is
shaped into hexagonal blocks before
described instead of minute grains.
After the glazing and shaping process
is over, the powder is taken away 10
the packing room, and here the really
futeresti' part IN the career OF the
government. powder begins. The six
sided blocks are packed In fat wooden
cases, lined with tin. Where the sides
fit on a small, ssighty raised band Of
rubber runs about tine edge Of rhe
case, making 1t practically abr and