Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1898-06-20
OUR SMOKELESS POWDER
MANY ADVANTAGES POSSESSED BY
THIS TERRIBLE EXPLOSIVE.

|
Made of Nitroslycerinc-Gun Cotton Is
Also Ono of Its observation-disclosures.
full, Clean and Safe, 1t Has Been
Adopted by All Civilized Nations.
Although never thoroughly tested
in actual warfare, the many advan-
tages of smokeless over ordinary
black powder have frequently been
| demonstrated, and with such success
that, in the opinion of experts, the
black powder for use in military and
naval operations is q thing of the
past.
''The idea of producing a smokeless
powder" said Captain H. G. Aspin-
wall, Of the firm of Latin & Rand,
when asked to give a few facts con-
cerning this explosive, Originated
with Captain Schultze, of the Austrian
army, in 1883 or 1884, but until eight
or nine years ago smokeless powder
was still used by sportsmen alone.
''Some time after Captain Schultze
announced his discovery, Alfred No.
bel, Swede, invented 'ballistite, ;
and this gave an impetus for develop
ing smokeless powder for military
purposes. AS result of experiments,
based largely on Nobel's work, various
kinds of smokeless powder have been
made, differing from one another in
composition, but all quite similar in
general results. Each nation has O
special brand of its own. The United
States, fer instance, has adopted the
powder with nitroglycerine as it's
principal ingredient. English powder
is known as 'cordite, and the italian
and German as 'ballistite,' and so on.
All smokeless powders, however, con-
sist of q combination of nitroglycerine
and gun cotton, or of gun cotton alone,
although picrate acid and pictr ate Of
potassium are sometimes used.
''There have been many objections
to the use of nitroglycerine powders
because of fancied danger arising
therefrom. 1t has been absolutely
proved that no exceptional danger at
tends the use of such powders. The
methods employed in their manufac-
ture are such as to make the product
more uniform in action, more volistic
in result than any other explosive.
The ordinary powder known as black
powder is capable of throwing pro-
jectile at the rate of 1850 feet per
second, while smokeless powder will
throw projectile at speed of 2300
or 2400 feet per second. Not OILY
does the new explosive give increased
velocity, but is much more powerful,
and one-half pound of smokeless will
do the work of pound of black.
''At first thought one might say
that the increased velocity naturally
causes a greater strain on the gun.
Such is not the case. There is no
additional strain. Practically all of
the charge of. the smokeless powder is
transformed into gas at the time of
explosion and very little residue is
left. With black powder only forty
per cent. becomes gas, leaving a re-.
sidue of sixty per cent. of solid
matter. Furthermore, there is no more
chemical injury resulting to the gun
than with q charge of black powder,
and after continued use there is little,
if fany corrosive action. Smokeless
powder is so clean and leaves so little
solid matter after an explosion that a
shotgun, rifle or cannon may be fired
repeatedly without being cleaned.
1.-The absence of smoke after dis
charge renders the new explosive very
valuable, but its velocity and great
penetrating force are equally impor-
tant qualities. Artillery provided
with smokeless powder and screened
only by sparse hedge or line of trees,
for instance, could work terrible
havoc in the enemy's lines, for there
would be only the report and flash to
indicate the location of the artillery,
whereas cloud of smoke, such as
would result from using black powder,
would furnish fatal target for the
enemy to train his guns by.
Very little white powder is export
ed from the United States although
some is sent to foreign countries, but
this is usually in the shape of loaded
shells and cartridges. The present
output of smokeless powder factories
in this country is about six tons per
day, which is equivalent, approx
mately, to twenty tons of ordinary
black gun powder. Here in the
United States, as elsewhere, there are
different kinds of smokeless, varying
in color and combination. The Ameri-
can product is said to rank among the
best. New York News.
Predicted a General War.