The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-05-07
SOMETHING ABOUT GUNCOTTON
How the safest of High Explosives is
Made and Used.

Navy DepdI w oollluSl OA, L.
c.: Gun cotton" said an ordnance
officer. when asked about the qualities
of this substance, which is used by
the torpedoes carried by the ships of
the navy. lis by far the safest of any
of the high explosives. This is the
reason it is chosen instead of nitro
glycerine preparations, which, although
they will produce more powerful eff
fects, are very dangerous things -
have on shipboard. They can be eX-
ploded too easily by the application of
heat, by shock, and, under some con-
But tn gun cotton, so long as it is
wet is absolutely safe and there is no
trouble about preserving the necessary
! degree of moisture"
Precisely the same opinion regarding
gun cotton as an explosive for naval
warfare was expressed by the super
intendent of one fthe largest powder
manufacturing firms, a man who has
had much experience in the making Of
mot only is guncotton absolutely in
ert and harmless so long as it is wet"
he said, but it does not necessarily
follow that it will explode even when
dry. Of course, 1t is then much more
liable to do so, but if it is undisturbed
in any way a considerable quantity Of
it might remain dry without any &C
cident In our works we are extreme
ly careful about the way in which We
handle dry guncotton, but there is no
need of any precautions when it is wet.
On shipboard the disks OF dry cotton
which are used as primers to detonate
the wet are always kept away from the
magazine, either on deck or in one of
the cabins. The only danger from them
would be in case they would be dropped
while being handled. The result then
would not always-perhaps not usually
be an explosion, but you can never
tell with certainty. One of the disks
might be dropped half a dozen times
and not explode. and the next time.
under apparently the same conditions
it would go off. AS far as heat is con-
cerned. if the dry guncotton is exposed
to a continued high temperature for
long time, it is likely to decompose,
undergoing chemical changes which
generate heat and may go far enough
But no such condition is possible on a
ship, because the guncotton is always
carried in the torpedo heads and in
spected regularly to see that it re-
mains wet. The heads are practically
alright, but if any evaporation is no.
ticed the cotton can be dampened by
a regular means arranged for that
purpose"
The process by which so common and
harmless a substance as cotton is con-
rerted into a high explosive is a COM
paratively simple one. Pure raw cot
ton or ordinary cotton waste IS STEPPED
in solution Of one part Of nitric acid
and three parts OF sulphuric acid The
nitric acid is the one which renders the
cotton explosive the presence OF the
sulphuric being required only to alb
sorb the water. thus allowing the other
acid 10 combine more readily with the |
nearly pure cellulose Of which cotton /
consists. After the cotton has soaked 1
in the acids for several hours. IL IS 4
taken from the pots and squeezed 4
through heavy rollers to extract all 1
the supurfuous acid which Il has not /
absorbed. Then II is washed carefully 1
and thoroughly. still with the same /
object OF removing the free acid. II |
any OF this remained. its tendency I
would be 10 cause chemical changes
in the guncotton and decompose it.
Formerly this washing was the last
process resorted TO for the removal Of
the free acid, bat a few years ago Sir
Frederick Abel found that the cells in
the cotton fibre so absorbed and rel
tanned the acid by capillary attraction
that the washing failed 20 extract il
entirely. To remedy this and make the
junction mora pure. II is now. after
being washed. passed through a ma
chine similar 10 that which griads Up
the rags in a paper n7iiL Here il is
crushed thoroughly and afterwards
washed again until the last tTace Of
free acid disappears. and the cotton
comes out in the form OF a soft pulp.
closely resembling the pulp of which