The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-07-14
Why There is a Lack Of
Smokeless Powder.
A CIVILIANS INVENTION.
Government Tested It but Did Not
Buy the Formula.
FRANCE TRIED TO. SECURE IT.

NEW YORK, July 14.-lSpocial. l-"Tht
papers are printing a whole lot about ths
lack of sinokeless powder for our guns by
sca and land said inan who Is thor
ouRhly familiar with the progress of i'm
provement In cxplosivcness, ordnance and
projectiles this morning "and somo of II
is not exactly complimentary. We're we
not In the midst of n war, when our weak
nesses should by no means DO exposed, ]
should be glad, as On American citizen
who loves his country, TO have thiJ matter
fully ventilated.
Even as 1t Is, tho stirring UP how ap-
parontly sure TO come may do no harm,
since ths world already knows that we are
behind the ago with our explosives and
has learned that our gunners can do better
work with old time smoke producing
brown powder, inferior though itbe, than
most grInners can with tho latest and best.
In the circumstances, then, am willing
TO permit the publication of d few bits of
frozen truth about Uncle sans failure to
have plenty of modern explosives ON hand,
on condition, however, that no names be
used for the present.
Among the excuses given for our lack
OF smokeless powder hayo noticed the
statement that, none OF tho foreign pow
ders OF that general variety being quite
satisfactory, IL had been decided to wait
until our government could make its own
boforc discartling brown prismatio and
black grain powder. Tho government not
having succeeded In producing the better
smokclcss powder, we suddenly found our
selves confronted with war few weeks
ago with only obsolete explosives available
except In small quantities, and so forced
TO use powder the firing of which produces
a smudge that decreases tho effectiveness
of our gunners by Mt least onc-third In
reproducing this statement somc newspa-
pcr editors havo allowed themselves to go
80 faras to declare tho present situation
duo TO neglect and Incompetence.
American smokeIess Powder the Best.
Listen now to what have to say, and
you will agree with mo that neglect and
incompetence arc mild adjcctives to apply
TO the conduct of the officials personally
to blamc for our lack Of srnokclcss pow1cr.
some years ago--at just about tho time
splokeless powder was first successfully
manufactured abroad, In fact-an Ameri-
can ordnance inventor discovered that he
had produced q gun. which could not be
burst by all the black or brown prismatic
powder he could crowd into the piece from
get more powerful cxplosive-not dyna-
mite or gun cotton or any other nitroglyc-
erin compound-it would bo impossible
to give his gun thorough tost Ho tried
to procure q quantity of smokcless powder
from tho other sidorof the Atlantic, bait
failed and in desperation set about the
OF n powder himself that
should meet his requircnents. frl ~,
I'm duo time sticccss rewarded bis CT
forts. After following many formulas no
sulting wholly or partially in failure he
found one fromwhichaa powder was inado,p
that proved several tinrs. more powerful !
than any othcr OF VI hicb he had knowl-l
edge, whilo at tho same tiIhc its explosions
produced virtually no smoke--less in
deed, than 'corditc, tho smokcless powder
ol Great Britsin, or Srsclinite, she sinoke
less powder OF France.
Aftor nc had tested the new powder IN. [
every conceivable wsy the inventors inadc |
known his discovery TO the government |
snd afforded its authorities every facility |
Tor carryiRg.on. exbaustivc tests More
,ver. he. offered tho formula itscif toGncle i
sam on exceedingly advantageous terms. II
No Civilian Need Apply. 81 II
"Well tho covo,-nn,ent tooL s,mn,os ~ /
he poyvdcr and made tho fosts which bv
he wav rcs,,ited Ind n cmnrstrafine % amony
,tber things th,t many of o,,,. nrcsept
rms IN shore AMI shin,,oo,v, co,,,d nor
stand n ,orgo ,,,,p,hcr os nari-
,,,in cborgo flrings' wore tho nav cxnIo-
i've lusc,l That wos tbc last t,e ;pvcntor
,earti al,ou, h for q lon.,f 1o,, tin,n -
ain tho course az sonc ,,,,ontbs how.
YER. hc Svns informed Tint bisr powacr !
vas very nice iudec,i--that Il WAS, rutbcr
,cttcr. In faot tha., any forcir.e ,,nxv.lcr
ct tested I'm the IIuitc,l States 'sti,i n .yas
,ot altooct her frcc from far,its Its smell