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 It is Mado-Precautions to
Mako 1t Non-ExpIosivs In tho Ships Mag
nzinc-A Remarknblc Discovery.
"Gun-cotton," said an ordnance Off
Ger few days ago. when asked about
the qualities OF this substance which
is used in the torpedoes carried by the
ships of the Navy, is by far the safest
of any of the high explosives. That is
the reason ii is chosen instead of the
nitro glycerine preparations. which.
although they will produce more pow
erful effects, are very dangerous things
to have on shlpboard. They can be
exploded too easily, by the application
OF heat, by shock, and, under some
conditions, by spontaneous combus-
ton. But the gun-cOtton, as long as
it 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
had much experience IN the making OF
gun-powder and gun-6otton.
mot only is gun-cOtton absolutely
inert and harmless 50 long as It is
wet" he said, but II does not reces-
sarily follow that it will 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 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 maya
zines, either on deck or in one of tho
cabins. The only danger from them
would be in case they were dropped
while being handled. The result then
would not always-pei haps not usually
DE an explosion, but you never can
tell with certainty. One of the disks
might be dropped half 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 substance as cotton is
converted into n high explosive is a
comparatively simple one. Pure raw
cotton or ordinary cotton waste is
STEPPED in a solution of one part of nj
tric acid and three parts of sulphuric
acid. The nitric acid is the one which
renders the cotton explosive, the pres-
ence of the sulphurit being REQUIRED
only to absorb the water, thus allow
ing the other acid to combine more
readily with the nearly pure cellulose
Oh which cotton consists. After tho
cotton has soaked in the acids for sew
eral hours, 1t is takeO from the pols
ana squeezed through heavy rollers TO
extract all the superiluous acid which
1t has not absorbed. Then 1t is wash
cd carefully and thoroughly, still with
the same object of removing The free
acid
IL is now passed Though Il machine
similar to that which grinds IN the
rags in paDer-mill. Here ii is crush
Ell thoroughly and atterward washed
again until the last trace of free acid
disappears, and the cotton comes out in
the form of soft, white pulp. closely
resembling the pulp Of which paper
Is made. This concl, des the process
OF actual manufacture and It now re-
mains only to convcr. The gun-cotton
into the most convenient form for the
use to which 1t is to be put. If il Is
to be employed in m4king powder. it
Is dried and stored away in pulverizad
form, but If it is designed for filling
torpedoes 1t must be compressed to n
certain density and moulded into the
shapes which will bes. enable II TO he
packed into the torpedo heads If I'M
compressed and dry. the gun-cotton is
extremely light, Weighing no moro
than ordinary cotton batting. So safe
from explosion. unless detonated Is n
brick of wet gun-cott2n, that it NAV
be placed upon hot Goals. AS the
moisture dries off from the outside
the cotton fakes OFF and burns IN
quietly.