The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-07-16
lew substance on explosion produces car

new substance on explosion produces car
bonic oxide gas.
From time to time 1t has been an
nounced in official ordnance circles in
Washington that the navy department
was too we'll satisfied. with the results
of black powder explosives in shells dur
ing the last war to care to substitute
any other explosive. Nothing was said
OF experiments going on for months back
looking to the obtaining Of a chemical
that would do what black powder would
not do-kill by inhalation OF the fumes.
The use OF poisonous chemicals is an old
idea. One reads Of 1t in ancient history,
and the Chinese Of today, clinging tena-
ciously TO the habits of centuries gone by,
still calculate on providing contrivanees
for smothering their enemy in time of
battle.
But here we have enlightened America
improving both on the crude methods of
the anclents and Of the present-day Chi
nese. and by means of high-powered
rifled ordinance devising schemes of pro-
jecting discriminating powder gases
among the crowded batteries Of an en-
emy's warship.
At the battle Of Yalu between the jap
anese and Chinese fleets the Chinese
crews are said to have suffered greatly
from the fumes occasioned by the burst
Ing of shells filled with cordite. Cordite
Is the smokeless powder used in the Brit
ism navy. The Japanese were employing
in the Yalu fights guns mainly Of Eng
lish manufacture.
hnT 4h.A lIch
jecting safely from their naval ordnance
shells filed with lyddite, and lyddite 1t
should be known, is the original parent
millinite. The ingredients, are said to be
a picric acid compound composed of
Chloro-pcric, chloride OF picryl, naphtha-
line. iOdo, dinitro. and other phenois.
II requires confinement to develop fits full
force. Concerning lyddbe 1t is reported
that the fumes which it gives off are
highly deleteTious to animal life The
English found this fact out as a result
OF exploding lydlite shells in the interior
OF n wooden hulk vessel called the Re-
sistance, and by trying the effects ef the
powder fumes on sheep and hogs. The
same sort of experimenting is reported
to have been carried on in connection
with the new American explosive. One
report has 1t that a shell was exploded
in an enCased space having sufficiently
thick walls to hold the projectile frag-
ments, but that the walls were marked
by an unmistakable lot OF eli.s which
opened into a second enclosure. In this
second enclosure sheep and hogs were
placed. The Sits in the wall permitted
the gases 10 permeate the animal space
and with the result that every bit of live
stock was asphyxated in the shortest
possible order. Care, 1t Is said. was taken
to prevent the animals being struck by
shell fragments. and they were carefully
Examined for traces OF shell particles
after death. The animal enclosure fl Is
said was left uncovered so that there
could be no question as TO the destruct-
I've properties OF the gases. II the reports
are true, animals were killed as a result
Of inhaling the poisonous fumes at dis
tances OF fifty feet from the point OF
the explosion.
For holding large quantities OF the new
explosive special types OF shell. 1t Is said.
have been devised. the main idea preva-
lent being to afford cushion between the
base OF the she'll and the powder seat.
\ shell not unlike the one used by Justin
in his late experiments is stated to have
been tried. and with good results. The
shell In question Is understood TO have
been projected from a smooth bore gun
From the rified gun a projec.ne fitted with
heavy disks is said to have been en-
ployed.
Additional Information concerning the
new American explosive states that II
can be fred through steel plates ~ con-
siderable resisting power without fear OF
premature bursting. The force OF the ex-
plosion is greater than an equal weight OF
black powder, ba; less than gun cotton.