The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1905-09-06

EM NEl alike on sea and land, rev
people give thought to
the wonderful powder known as "shl-
nose" after it's ingenious and expert
chemist-inventor, which has wrought
such terrific havoc among the hosts OF
imperial Russia.
As all the world knows, every nation
has its own pet rifle for the army, and
its peculiar theories about naval ord
nance also. Germany swears by her
Mauser, we have our Lee-Enfield, and
so on. Similarly, every nation has its
own "high explosive" the British
cordite, the French melinite, etc. In
all cases the various government chem
lists pursue their investigations and
experiments in absolute secrecy.
AS in all other departments OF ia
pans wonderful work, an all but i'm
penetrable veil of secrecy has been
drawn over the Investigations and even
the personality of her chemist in ex-
plosives, DR.. Clan Shimose. He was
born in the very humblest circum-
stances in the province of Hiroshima
some forty years ago, when rail-
ways and regular steamers were prac-
tically unknown in the island empire.
And vet as youth ShimOse deter
mined to make his way to the capital,
although it is over 4S0 miles from his
native village in Hiroshima to Toxic.
That his plans were already fully de-
veloped in his mind will be seen from
the fact that on reaching the. Japanese
capital he was able to pass n fairly
stiff examination at once. and forth
with gained the first round in the bat
tie of his life by entering the Imperial
Unversity-surely one of the most 60
ahead academical institutions in the
world. not even excepting Yale, Har-
ward and Columbia.
But his studies in the home village
were necessarily limited for want of
books; and now on arrival in the great,
rambling, teeming city of Toxic we find
Shimose compelled to beg and borrow
text books from eX-studentS who took
pity on him, and he has been known to
stay up whole nights copying some of
these by hand in order that the books
themselves might be faithfully re-
turned TO their owners in the shortest
possible time.
1t is no exaggeration to say that
young Shmose quite commonly felt the
pinch of actual starvation. Certain it
is that he was ordinarily without the
few coppers necessary for the barber
or the bath man. 1t need hardly be
said that the future hero of his country
passed every examination with perfect
precision; yet strange to say, after
graduating with the highest honors,
he could find no better employment
than assistant in q humble printing
office at wages which appear to us sim
ply Notwithstanding under ten
shillings a week!
But even in those days Of obscurity
Shimoses restless spirit was casting
about for openings for his ability. He
was wondering what his destiny had
mapped out for hima had, moreover,
a craze for "bettering himself" that
would have done credit to a conscien-
tious city clerk. He became so skilful
in the printing Office that it suddenly
occurred to him he might get employ
ment from the Government in this
way, and at length, after many demon
strations of his ability, he was given,
on trial. somewhat responsible posi-
ton in the Government Printing Works
in Toxic.
1t was Mt this stage Of his career
that Shimose turned his thoughts to
invention, and naturally enough, he
began operations in connection with his
own employment. After many expert
ments he succeeded in producing the
curious ink which is now used in Japan
for banknotes and paper money gem
orally. and which renders forgery and
alteration practically impossible. The
secret, like all Japanese secrets. was so
well kept that the productions of the
very ablest counterfeiters We're in
stantly detected.
1t was while employed in the Gov
ernment Printing Works that Shimose
turned his attention to naval and mill
tary implements of all kinds, offensive
and defensive. He was brought into
contact with naval and military Off
GERS, both foreign and native, and be-
gan TO discuss eagerly with them the
components of the various high ex-
plosives used throughout the world.
He soon saw that most of the smoke
less powders of the world-and, indeed,
also the japanese service powder in
use at that time, and known as 'men
kayaku'-had very serious defects.
The "men kayaku" had been adopted
by the Japanese Government as n kind
of compromise, and it certainly pos
sessed the best qualities and fewest de-
fects Of all the service powders of
Great Britain, France, Germany and
Russia. Unfortunately, when dry the
slightest concussion was apt to set it
off. and it was found absolutely neces-
sary by the then war chemist Of Japan
to add at least twenty per cent of
moisture to it if it were to be consid-
cred at all safe.
But like all high explosives, the stuff
was extremely capricious and delicate,
and the slightest excess of moisture
caused it to become entirely non-ex-
plosive. 1t was also very delicate to