The Indianapolis journal., 1898-04-07
WILL FIRE GUN COTTON.
The High Explosive Adopted for the
Army and Navy.
New York Sun.

New York Sun.
Gun cotton shells for heavy guns have
been adopted by the United States as the
result of experiments extending over
period of years. Long ago the ordnance
experts were convinced that high explosive
shells could be used with entire safety, and
emmensite, modern explosive of uncertain
action, was adopted for use in the army.
The service charge of emmensite for COM
seventeen pounds, and for deck-plercing
shells at thrty-eight pounds. Three years
ago the Army Ordnance Bureau announced
that experiments were in progress with
view to adopting an armor-piercing projec-
tile and high-eXplosive shell. Several
American inventors have since brought for
ward armor-piercng shells meeting the gov
ernment requirements. The projectile fac
tories are now working under rush orders
making shells for the government. The
armor-piercers deck-piercers, and common
shells are all made with powder chambers,
solid shot having been discarded. No more
emmensite will be made, and the govern
ment is placing large orders for cellulose
Cotton fibre) and nitric and sulphuric acids
for the manufacture Of gun cotton.
structive agent and the remarkable freedom
with which it can be used safely alike make
it valuable military explosive. Gun cotton
is made by immersing pure dry cotton in
mixture of the purest and strongest nitric
and sulphuric acids, and pressing it into
blocks. When dry it is as easily electrified
bed in the dark. Dry gun cotton may be
exploded by wrapping it tightly in tin foil.
IL d
to compress it. and then giving it a heavy
blow; but there is no certainty that it will
explode. Saturated with water gun cotton
is exploded with great difficulty, and it is
in this condition that it is stored away in
magazines and used as Shell-charging ex-
posive. The wet gun cotton, in the process
of pressing in its manufacture at the United
States torpedo station, is subjected to
pressure of about $500 pounds to the square
inch, and the pressure has been carried to
fifteen thousand pounds without causing ex-
plosion. Dry, loose gun cotton burns with
a. flash, but without explosion; wet COM
pressed gun cotton will not burn until the
moisture is dried out of it. In the torpedo
station experiments ton of wet gun cotton
has been placed in bonfire, where it slow
ly burned away without explosion.
lmperfectly made gun cotton decomposeS,
first beginning to give off vitreous fumes
and eventually yielding them in such guam
tity as to color the surrounding atmosphere
deep brownish red. AT the same time
the gun cotton begins to show pasty yellow
converted into a pasty yellow mass which
ShrinkS to about One-tenth the original vol
ume and then swells up as the gas is
evolved. Next the mass ShrinkS again and
becomes converted into a gummy residue
having a very much smaller volume than
IN ne t oFlglai h gun eo1t1n, ana nnally IL oFles
the great care used in it's manufacture, this
remarkable series of changes has never
taken place in gun cotton issued to the
service, but it has been observed in the
government laboratories
Remarkable results have been attained in
the government tests Of explosive Shells
Shells charged with compressed gun cotton,
but not fused We're fired point blank at a
wall of masonry fifty yards from the muZ-
zle of the gun. Some of the shells were
broken up, the gun cotton scattering about
on the ground, but not exploding. Others
tore through the masonry, burying them
selves in the sand behind, without explo-
sion. Shots fired into the ocean ricocheted
along the water with The. same result. Inn
perfectly made shells broke up in the bore
without exploding the gun cotton charge
The tests, begun with common shells in
charges, were carried through ali the condi-
tionS required in modern warfare. The
most difficult problem to solve was the
piercing of armor plate with charged shells.
The earlier forms of armor piercerS were
simply cored shot, the manufacturers not
being able to produce a large-chambered
projectile which would pierce nickel steel
This difficulty was overcome, but there was
the still greater difficulty of securing a fuse
the shell had pierced the armor. The gov
ernment now has an accurate method of
exploding the armor-piercers when they
reach the interior of the vessel attacked
but no details have been made public
Ordinarily gun cotton is exploded by
means of a small charge of dry gun cotton,
which in turn is detonated by few grains
of mercury illuminate. This last COM
pound is easily exploded, and instantly eX-
pands. to $500 times, it's original volume.
The detonation of the dry gun cotton
causes the charge of wet explosive to de-
Velop its maximum strength in very small
interval of time, and thus to procure the
The most heavily armored ships aflOat
will not dare venture near a harbor pro-
tected with guns throwing gun cotton
shells. Even with equal arTnaments con-
test between battle ship and a fortifica-
tion like those at Sandy Hook. Fort Ham
ilton Fort Wadsworth and Willet's Point is
q very unequal one. The fort has guns un-
der cover mounted on a stable foundation,
capable of being accurately fired at ranges
several miles greater than a ships guns on
moving platform. TO disable, fort its
guns, very small targets, must be hit and
this is only possible during the short inter-
walls when the guns are exposed. Ships
have no mortars by means of which they
can throw explosive shells into earthworks
Even mortar shells would have little effect
on the guns defending New York harbor.
They might kill the men in the gun de-
tachments, but a fort can constantly be
supplied with fresh men. ship is a big
target, and every shot counts. One shot
may wreck the steering gear. another blow
up the boilers, and a ship may be put out
of action without a shot directly disabling
a gun The Notifications of New York har-
bor have immense advantages over attack
ing shfnS let alone the value of gun cot