Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1898-09-23
GUN-COTTON.
SAFEST OF THE HIGH EXPLOSIVES
FOR NAVAL WARFARE.

something About Its Qualities and the
way In Which IL is srado-Precautions to
Make 1t Nom Expiosivs I'm the ships Mag
azinc-A Remarkable Discovery.
"Gun-cotton," said an ordnance off,
Ger few days ago, when asked abou.
the qualities OF this substance which
is used In the torpedo0s carried by the
ships of the Navy, lis by far the safest
OF any OF the high explosives. That is
the reason it is chosen instead of the
nitro-glycerine preparations, which.
although they will produce more now
erful effects, are very dangerous things
TO have on shipboarG. They can be
exploded too easily, by the application
OF neat, by a shock, and, under some
conditions, by spontaneous combus-
ton. But the gun-co:ton. as long as
1t is kept 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 superin-
tendent of one of ths largest powder
manufacturing firms. man who has
mad much experience IN the making OF
gun-powder and gun-6otton.
Not only is gun-cOtton absolutely
inert and harmless so long as it is
Wet he said, but il does not neces-
sarily follow that it ill explode even
when dry. Of course, it is then much
more liable to do so, hut if it is undis-
turbed in any way a considerable
quantity OF it might remain dry with
out any accident. 10 our works we
are extremely careful about the way in
which we handle dry gun-cotton. but
there is no need of any precautions
when IL is wet On shipboard
the disks OF dry cotton which are
USED as primers TO detonate the wet
are always kept away from the maya
zines. either on deck or in one of the
cabins. The only danger from them
would be in case they were dronned
while being handled The result then
would not always-pel haps not usually
be an explosion. but you never can
tell with certainty. Cine of the disks
might be dropped half a dozen times
and not explode, and the next time
under apparently the same conditions
1t would go off,
The process by which so common
ana harmless 4 substance as cotton is
converted into q high explosive is 4
comparatively simple one. Purr raw
cotton or ordinary cotton waeto is
steeped IN solution of one part Of nj
uric acid and three parts of sulphuric
acld. The nitric acid Is the one which
renders the cotton explosive. the pres-
ence OF the sulphuric being reniired
only to absorb the water. thus allow
ing the other acid TO combine mora
readily with the nearly pure cellulose
OF winch cotton cOngists. After tho
cotton has soaked in the acids for sew
eraI hours, it is takeo from the nots
and squeezed through heavy rollers IN
extract all the supernuous acid which
II mas not absorbed. Then 1t is wash
ca carefully and thoroughly, still with
the same object of removing the free
acid.
IL Is now passed though a machine
similar to that which grinds IN the
rags IN paper-mill. Here IL is crush
ed thoroughly and atterward washed
again until the last trace Of free acid
disappears, and the cotton comes. ont in
the form of a soft, white puIp. closely
resembling the pulp Of which panar (
Is made. This concl, des the process
OF actual manufacture and IT now re-
mains only to convert Che gun-cottor
into the most convenient form for the I
use TO which 1t is to be put. If il il
10 De employed in making powder II
IS dried and stored away in pulverizad
iorm' but If ii is designed for filling
'orpedoes 1t must be compressed to n
certain density and moulded into the
Shapes which will hes: enable II IN no
packed into the torpedo heads. If nm
compressed and dry, the gun-cotton is
extremely light, Weighing no mora
than ordinary cotton batting. So safe
from explosion, unless detonated Is
pr'ck OF wet gun-cott2n. that it may
DE placed upon hot Goals. AS Tho
moisture dries off from the outsida
the cotton flakes off and burns ~,
quietly. ~