The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1898-05-19

inr smnktiEs foNbet'
Although never thoroughly tested 70
sctuAl warfare The many advantages 81
smokeloss over otlibsry bl.ok posdor
have ff6qaehlly been demonstrated, snd
With suoh success that, 10 the opinion oi
experts, the black pouder for nee in mill
tsry and nAv.l operations is a thing OF the
/ past,
The idea Of ptoluclls ssm okclesslpo~
dsr, ssidlCspt,in II @, Aspeuvsli OF the
Gfm Of Lt6tn 4 Rand, wbea sskei 10
.ivs few facts concerning this explosive,
orlgiusied With Captain SehnIlEe, Of the
Ans,risn army. 10 1883 OF 1884 bot until
eight or nine years ago smokeless posder
was stil used by sportsmen alone,
Some time after Captain sohultza 40
uounosd bis discovery, Alfred Nobel, :
Svede. invented 'bsllistite. aud this gave
so impetus Tor developing smokeless pow
der for military purposes, As q result OF
experiments, based largely on Nobels
work. various kinds OF smokeless powder
have been made, differing from one sn
other 10 composition. but sll quite simi
lar 10 general results. Each nation has
special brand OF its own. The United
States. for instance, has adopted the pow
der With nitroglyoerne G ITS principal
ingredient. English powder is known rs
'oordite, aud the Italian and German as
'bsllistite., and so on. All smokeless
powders. however, consist OF 3 combina
ton OF nitrogly cerlne and quo cotton, or
OF gun cotton alone, although picrste acid
and pictfsie OF potassium are sometimes
used.
There have been many objections TO the
use OF nitrog lycerine powders because OF
isncied danger arising thereirom. 1t has
been absolutely proved that 20 exception
OIL danger attends the use OF such pow |
1ers The methods employed 10 their
are such as to make the pro |
duct more Uniform in action, more VOLS
iic in result than any o her explosive,
The ordinary powder known as black pow
der is capable OF throwing q prolectle at
he rate Of 1860 feet per second, while
mokeless powder will throw q proiectile
It a speed OF $500 or 2iOO feet per second,
Not only does the new explosive give 10
,reased velocity, but is much more power
ul and one hsli-pound Of smokeless pow
Ter will do the work OF ponnd OF black.
At first thought one might say that the
increased velocity naturally causes q great
r STRAIN on the gun. But such il not the
ase. There is no additional strain. Prsc
ically sll OF the charge OF the smokeless
'owder is transformed into gas at the time
( explosion and very little residue is left,
With black powder only forty per cent be
ONES gas, leaving q residue OF sixty per |
ent &C lid matter. Furthermore. there is
o more chemical injury resulting to the ,
uu Jusu WIN u VuhIkt VI Dihch HoNuef 4
nd after continued nee there is little, il /
uy corrosive sotion. Smokeless pow Ter I
SO clean and leaves so little solid mat a
Or after an explosion that shotgun, rifle d
Z cannon may be fred repeatedly With
at being cleaned. 8
The absence OF smoke after a charge rem h
ers the explosive very valuable, but its /
Blooity and great penetrating force are g
lually important qualities. Artillery L
rov ded with smokeless powder and 0
,reened only by a sparse hedge or line OF /,
ees, for instance, could work terrible a
ovoc in the enemy's lines. for there
ould be only the report and fash to in /,
cate the location OF the artillery, where r,
q cloud OF smoke, such as would result N
ON using black powder. would furnish
fatal target for the enemy to train his b
lbs by. b
Very little white powder is exported
Dm the United States although some is o
ut to foreign countries, but this is usual 4
10 the shape OF loaded shells and cart ar
iges The present output Of emok eless Of
WIDER factories in this country s sbout in
I tons per day, which is equivalent, ap tl
o1imstely TO, twenty tons OF Ordinary in
,ck gun powder. Here 10 the United IN
stes, IS elsewh here. there are different TO
1ds OF smokeless, varying 10 color and 90
mbinstion. The American product is OF
d to rank among the best. ST