The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1898-07-02
some HIGH EXPLOSIVES.
WHAT UNCLE SANS GUNS ARE
NOW FIRING.
Something About Melinite, Smokeless
Powder, Guncotton, Brown Cocoa
Powder and Other Little Toys.

The suggestion was made just after
the explosion which destroyed the
Maine in Havana harbor, that the dis
aster might have been caused by some
form of high explosive about whose
action little is known, that might
have been contained in the magazine.
A general discussion of the nature
and qualities of such explosives fol-
lowed, but the result was scarcely il
Eliminating, as few of those who took
part in it spoke as experts. This be-
ing the case, brief statement of the
character power and degree of safe
ty of several of the principal kinds of
high explosives used in naval warfare
will be welcome, and we publish be-
low statement from the columns of
the Engineering News of New York.
Says that paper:
"Snce the introduction of the
French melinite, in 1885, as a substi-
tute for black powder in the bursting
charge of shells, other nations have
been experimenting in the same di-
rection, and now England, Germany
and the United States claim to have
found explosives equally powerful
and much safer than the melinite orr
ginally invented by NJ Turpin. The
secret of the French composition was
very carefully guarded for a number
of years, and even now the exact
method of manufacture has to be
guessed at. But competent authori-
ties say that there is very little
doubt that it is essentially a mixture
of fused picric acid and trinitrocellu-
lose or guncotton, dissolved in a mix
ture or ether and alcohol The ether
alcohol mixture evaporates and the re-
sulting cake is graduated. Melinite
has the characteristic yellow color of
pcric acid, has a bitter taste and is
practically without crystals. When
ignited by flame or by heated wire
in an unconfined state, it gives off
reddish yellow flame and copious vol
umes of black smoke"
Lyddite, used by the English and
Joveite, by the American govern
ment, are practically identical with
the French explosive, which seems 10
be the only type that can be used safe
ly with high power guns. Wet gun
cotton is safer still, bnt cannot be
used in shells, owing TO the difficulty
of packing it into them, although, as
noted below, it is the favorite eXplo-
sive in torpedoes.
1.-The smokeless powder, developed
at the United States naval torpedo
station, and intended for use in guns
of all calibers in the United States
navy, is essentially a nitrocellulose
powder 1t is made of a mixture of
soluble and insoluble nitrocellulose,
to which is added about 10 per cent
of nitrates of barium and potassium
and very small percentage of cal
cium carbonate. AS yet it is made on
ly for the rapid fire guns up to six
inch caliber, and the resultant pow
der takes the form of compressed
scored sheets or ribbons; in thick
ness equalling 0.015 of the caliber of
the gun and of length made to fit
the powder chamber of the gun. These
sheets have vellowish grey color,
with a smooth surface and a glue-like
consistency. Nitrocellulose is the re-
sultant of the treatment of cotton fl
Der with nitric acid, and is only an
other form of guncotton.
"The brown prismatic, or cocoa
powder, used in the United States ma
Wy for the heavier guns, is an eXplo-
sive of the old type, inasmuch as it
is made of a compound of inter, char
coal and sulphur. But the method of
manufacture is very different and i'm
parts to it qualities not possessed by
the old black powder This new pow
der is in the form of perforated hex
agonal prisms, weighing about eleven
to the pound for large guns, of the
color of cocoa, and the velocity of
combustion is so slow that a grain
may be ignited when held in the
hand and then Dlape6 on the OrolIn6
before any of the burning part rea-
ches the fingers. It's advantages are,
the ability to impart high initial
velocity to the projectile without ex-
gun, and the form, size and great
density of the grains"