The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-08-16
FUTURE WARS WILL BE SHORT
Explosives Recently Discovered Will
Turn Them Into Massacres.

From the New York Tribune.
The discoveries of new explosives follow
fast on each others heels, and the number
of them in the world markets is already
well-nigh boundless. one of the best
known and the.one adopted by the British
government is cordite In most of the
high explosives nitroglycerine enters
largely into the composition, which rem
ders them dangerous to handle. This is
also true of the composition of corditc,
but in this explosive the danger is min
imized by a 10 per cent. admiXture of vas
cline.
This explosive has probably proved as
effective as any, but its enormous expense
is serious drawback. The actual cost
of the explosive proper is the least part
of the expense, which is principally from
the wear and tear of the guns from the
erosion attendant upon the use of this
and other high explosives. This enormous
wear and tear from erosion. and conse-
quent great expense, first led John kar-
stairs. an English scientist. to attempt the
discovery of a new agent wherein this
erosion was eliminated. but without di-
mirishing the force and power of the ex-
plosive. Mr.. Karstars thinks he has
succeeded in his quest and on May %
las he took out patents in this country
to protect his discovery. Similar patents
have already been taken out in Russia,
Germany and England.
Experiments have been made at the
Sandy Hook proving grounds and it is
said they have been successful. Mr.. kar-
stairs is at present in Europe and Charles
T. Nasmyth has charge of the explosive
in this country during his absence. Mr..
Nasmyth, in speaking of it, said:
THE explosive has no particular name,
being simply known at present as 'kar-
stairs explosive and it is beyond all
doubt the most wonderful yet discovered.
| 1t has a greater velocity and carrying
| force than any known explosive, and con-
| sequently its Use would increase the range
| of ordinary rifles. 1t calls for no partic-
ular style of gun and can be used for any
| purpose for which any other explosive
| is used save only the mining of coal. 1t
| IS not subject to chemical changes from
| heat or cold, as is dynamite, and under
| ordinary circumstances it is absolutely
| safe to handle In filling, shell has to
! be rammed full of the explosive used and
| this is dangerous with many of them.
| bu- not the least with 'karstairs' ex-
plosive. The saving in expense 1t will
| effect will be enormous. After 60 shots
with the modern smokeless powder an or
| binary gum no longer fires true, and after
| 12O shots it becomes useless. This is due
| to erosion. The constructors require
some 20 shots in proving the gun, so that
| inns NUMBER must De Geuutltu llpIll IT'S
| actual use in warfare. MIR. karstairs'
| discovery will largely do away with this
| erosion and add greatly to the life of the
| gun. Il also has no wave of detonatOn.
| | do not know exactly how to describe
this; it is a peculiar vibration of the air
caused by an explosion, which is likely to
set off other explosives. even though they
| are at a distance. This is true of all ex-
| plCsives. ! think. but ours has the addi-
| tional value of being perfectly smoke
| less powder.
among It's principal characteristics are
| these: 1t burns in the open air without
explosion and no ordinary degree of fric-
| ton or conclusion will explode it. 1t can
| be detonated only by powerful deonator
| in an inclosed place; it's temperature of
| EXPLOSION is about one-half that of cord
ite, and hence erosion in gun barrels is
| practically eliminated by its use. Millions
of dollars have already been spent on 1t
| on the other side. In a letter just received
from Mr.. Karst 4irs he speaks OF some ex-
| periments he has been carrying on for
the Austrian government as follows:
81 remained on an island in the Adriat-
ic more than SIX weeks. The trials con-
sisted in firing shells filled with my eX-
plcsives against steel embrasures and IN
dropping 50O-weights at a time from a
captive balloon. The results were such
that even with all my past experience
was myself astonished. One nigh ofhclal
made the remark: This sort OF thing Will
turlt war into simple massacre.