The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1903-10-02
, LYDolrE's TERRIBLE POWER
W Shells Are Filled with the Ew
pIosLve at WooINIeh.


ehlei!y a. o dyo and was often stored
IN large quantities, without any idea
OF It's terrible power A number Of
years ago a fire occurred IN q building
u cae Of the large manufacturing
towns where a large amount OF picric
ccid was stored. During the progress
oil tho Ere a terrible explosion oc-
Cured, tho cause Of which could not
be explained. After a time expert.
ment5 showed that picric acid when
rapidly heated and burned In a con-
hned space appeared TO undergo a
process OF decomposition, which trans
iorped 1t from an inert substance into
~ IF the most terrible Of explosives.
~ Turpin, a French chemist, recog-
Eins the possibilities Of the sub
ta1ee, invented the preparation Of 1t,
which he named after NJ. Meline, the
then French premier and It was adopt
cd in the French military service. The
English war ofhce. says the London
Chronicle, somo years afterward fol-
lowed suit, only their adaptation Of
picr.c acid was named not after a
prominent politician, but after the gum
Mry school at Lydd, In Kent, where
lie lrst experiments with It were car
ried cut by British artillery experts.
Lyddite melts at a temperature OF
1925 centigrade, a degree of heat
about 40 degrees Fahrenheit hotter
than bc.Iing water, when it assumes
the form Of pale yellow liquid. The
method OF filing shells with it is to
melt the lyddite and pour 1t into the
shells. which are then allowed to cool.
D II ignited in the open air 1t burns away
1armlessly with a smoky flame. To
develop its explosive quality it must DO
fired by 2 decorating substance, such
es illuminate Of mercury, when 1t In
stantly resolves itself into gas at ter
riHc pressure.
In the filling sheds at Woolwlch ar
senal the shells, after being filed with
lyddite, are left to cool in the shed.
When quite cold the fuse hole in the
nose Of the shell, through which the
charge was poured, is closed with a
wooden plug, driven in with a lead
hammer, SO as to avoid risk Of sparks,
and the shell is then placed in store
No shells In the British service 0f a
larger calibre than 10 inches or a
smaller size than Al inches are at
present filled with lyddite. Those Of a
larger or smaller size are filled with
ordinary gunpowder in the form OF
! what is known as pebble" powder,
I from It's bulk and shape. Lyddite
D. shells are always fused at the point,
n sJ8 as to avoid the risk of premature
aexplosions in the bore Of the gun when
4 the shell is fired If this accident hap
pened no gun would be strong enough
to resist the pressures that would be
set up Indeed, a premature explosion
of this nature did occur some years
ago in one of the English war ships
when at practice in the North sea.
Tlfe gun in which it took place was
cut off at re point Of explosion as
clearly as If it had been done with a
lathe. Fortunately, the burst occurred
in that portion of the gun which was
outside the side of the ship, SO that
there was no fatal result.
The inquiry which has been or
-ydered by the war office into the dread
q accident last month at Woolwich
nSiy disclose the cause, but this is ex-
kremely doubtful. If, as is the accept
ed theory, one of the 10inch shells
burst decorating the others near it,
it is possible that the accident was
caused by particle of grit on the
wooden plug with which the filling
hole is closed. This may have caused
a NY spark that fell on and ignited
tho Ayddite charge within the shell.
The man who drove in the plug could
not, Of course, notice this, as the plug
would prevent him reeing it, and the
charge would burn quietly for a Sec
ond or two until the pressure and
temperature rose sufficiently high
when the whole contents of the shell
would instantly detonate Be that as
- it may, the fact that lyddite is exceed
ely safe to manufacture and to han
lis proved by the fact that guam
La of the explosive which was in q
g4melting pot in a shed near that de
a stroyed was quite unaffected by the ex
plosion.