The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-07-23

c<nsrased acetone and the acetates q
meshyi ethyl and annyl
All Of the above grades ct pyroxyiin. ex-
cept trinitrocellnioSes are. In common
pariAnce. termed soluble
Xr. Maxim then takes up the progress
Of tia work and dlscusses the production
OF smokeiess powder by Sir Frederick
Abel. whose experiments he says. con-
tributed more than anything else 70 the
perfection of a safe and reliable agent for
use In gunnery and mining. Sir Frederick
cieanssd hiS cotton thoroughly before I'm
mersing Il In thu acid bath He then pre-
pared mixture Of soluble and fnsoaabie
gun cottons and then treated pellets form-
ed Of .Ais mixture with q solvent OF the
soluble variety. thereby aggiutinating the
nbers Of the insoIuoie with q ccilodsoa
formed OF the soluble.
Experiments with the Powder.
Experiments with this powder In rifles
gave very satisfactory results. 1t was the
first ever produced that did not fail on
use. Mr.. Maxim then continues:
After experiments with anokeiess pow
ders had been taken mp In earnest in the
early SOS. the necessity soon became ap-
parent Of devising means OF increasing the
rapidly Of combustion Of coliodsal COM
pounds OF gun cotton. In order 10 permit OF
sufhclentiy coarse granuiation to adapt
Sks1oASASSS &fJWaefS 80 large guns. Inc
writer's method was TO muisiperfora.e the
grains. SIR Frederick Abel sought the same
end by increasing the percentage Of nitro
giycerfn. producing cordite, while the
French added nitrate Of bar!um to gun
cotton collodfon. and rolled the mixture
into long. fiat strips.
In 1898 DR. Robert c. Schupphaus and
the writer united their forces and inven-
tons, and have been working together
<hnx~ x,~I@
TO develop snokelese powder on the lines
OF celluioid manufacture. At first they
experienced great difficulty IN manipulate
Ing irinitrocelluiose and producing grains
from II which would not warp and crack
all 10 pieces In drying. Ii was necessary
to employ such a large quantity of solvent
10 render the gun cotton plastic that the
shrinking and drying was so great as to
make II quite impossible to produce grains
OF sufhcient size for use in large guns
They also experimental extensively with
numerous compounds Of nitrogiycerin and
soluble pyroxyiin. as well as with COM
pounds OF nitroglycer.n and trinitroceIlu-
lose.
Happily they hit upon the expedient
OF adding a small admixture of gslatine
pyroxylln to the trinitroceilulose. This re-
suited In a most important discovery
that the gelatin pyroxylin had similar
effect when employed in connection with
a small proportion of aeetone on trinitro-
ceIlulose of rendering the latter plastic
and susceptible OF being nodded into
grains of any desired size or shape. under
heat and pressure, as camphor In cellu-
loid. 1t was found that this could be
done with SO little of the volatile solvent
that the grains shrunk but very little and
did not warp or crack, while at the same
time the tensile strength of the COM
poend was much enhanced and the pro-
duct made tougher.
1T was found also that the same prop
critics were manifested when nitrogiycer-
In was added to the compound. in what
ever proportion. After numerous expert
ments to determine upon the best COM
pound to employ. it was decided that a
certain percentage of nitrogiycerin
should be added. and that the proportion
should not be less than per cent"
This powder is now In use as the SER
vice powder by the army and navy of the
United States. Discussing smokeiess
compounds, Mr.. Maxim says:
Oxygen United to Combustibles.
.Smokeless explosives are compounds in
which the oxygen is In chemical union
with the combustible elements-carbon
and hydrogen. Associated together In the
same molecule Is nitrogen. an element OF
weak affinities. Such bodies. when liquid
like nitroglycerin. are easily detonated