The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-03-20


NNA of gunpowder. Experiments
u carried on at the naval tor
pedo station az Newport for
several years have convinced the ordnance
! bureau o. the navy department that n
point has been reached in the uianufac
ture Of smokeless powder which shows
that IL Is going 20 supresede the brown
powder now in use. Just as great many
street railroad companies have been run
ming horse cars for several years while
waiting for the perfection of the electric
traction. the government has been using
brown powder and buying il in small
quantities while waiting for the smoke
less powder 10 be improved. Hanging in
the air IN this way the navy has been
without an adequate supply Of aTnmuni>
ton. and If We were thrown into conflict
With Spain tomorrow We would not have
powder with which TO load the guns on cur
ships
II congress Is liberal. the navy depart
ment will spend s.. coo. 900 this year buying
smokeiess powder from contractors to be-
gin the work Of stocking the ships. This
Will be a good step i'll the right direction.
but not Il great one
Ii will take more than one-third of that
million to stock the battleship kearsarge
alone.
Ii will take 81. sS5 5o3 to stock with smoke
less powder all the ships now in fighting
condition.
To stock the five battlesh:ps under con-
, struction Will take 1855, 49, more.
In case Of war the government would be
thrown on the resources OF the private
powder factories from which it now gets
It's supply OF ammunition. OF course it
could seize these factories and operate
them. and Is undoubtedly what II
would do. Therefore ii is not the posi-
bility of a war emergency which makes
the navy department anxious to build its
own powder works. There is little compe-
tition among powder makers for the gov.
eminent contracts. and the secretary OF
the navy thinks he has 10 pay too much
money for his powder He believes that 4
factory built on government ground-prob-
ably at Bellevue magazine. on the Poto-
mac just below Misunderstanding $685.
IT. would save the government that
amount In a very few years. II would be
convenient too. TO the proving grounds
at Indian head. on the Potomac, where
tests OF powder. projectiles. guns and ar
NOR plate are made for the navy,
At present the two private concerns are
making 100 900 pounds OF sfnokeless powder
each under the formula OF the ordnance
bureau for delivery to the ships on the
Atlantic and Pacific stations. The tor
pedo station at Newport could not turn the
powder out as fast as it was needed.
This powder. according 10 the Official
report results from the development oe
a special variety OF nitro-ceilulose, sou-
BILE I'm ether alcohol. forming a colloid of
extreme toughness. that burns progress
lively III very regular manner and which
may be converted directly into smokeless
powder, decomposng wholly into gaseous
products and possessing high ballistic
efficiency" The formula Is secret.
The advantages of all smokeless powders
are manifold. Their comparative smoke
lessness and noiselessness are not their
chief merits. They are almost entirely safe
10 handle. because they will not explode
unless confined and set off with strong