Los Angeles herald., 1908-04-02

I'D fatal and more terrihc is
we'll known. But 1t has
not brought>about a-revolution. Noise :
less battle may be made possible by the
new noiseless gun invented by Maxim,
and military experts are trying to peep
| into the future to see along what lines
such a battle will be fought. When to
smokeess powder and noiseless guns
| powder Is added that Will propel the
| leaden missiles double the distance they
are now driven the combination would
set as wide a difference between the
battle of a century from now and the
battle of Manila as lay between Manila
and Marathon.
| More intense and more high powered
explosives are being discovered each
year. military experts and chemists i'm
proving on each years discoveries until
each step has been marked by such in
| creased explosive force that the won.
derful power is almost already beyond
| the bounds of comprehension. A recent
| preparation known as perunite h is
rated as the most powerful explosive
known. Its force is used as the basis
| of comparison for other explosives.
With the force of perunite B figured at
100 per cent, the force of other high ex-
plosives is represented as follows: Ex7
| plosive gelatine, 81 per cent; nitro
gIycerine, 73 per cent; NobePs smoke
| less powder. 20 per cent; navy gun cot
ton 675 per cent; dynamite No. 1,
62.6 per cent; illuminate of mer-
curry, 47.5 per cent; mortar powder, 80
per cent, and so on down the line until
the ordinary black powder is reached
near the bottom.
The most powerful substance used by
military men is said to be explosive
gelatin, which explodes with II per cent
| s..4l traff a taA
produces 80 per cent more power. At
the same time 1t is less sensitive than
| dynamite. Explosive gelatin is manu-
| factured In the form of cables and cut
off in lengths for loading cartridges.
An explosion of gun cotton produces
300 degrees of heat. Centigrade, and
the rate of speed which it's force repre-
sents is 5000 meters per second. Smoke
| less powder or nitro ceilulose, as 1t is
I technically called, gives military pro-
jectile velocity of 5000 feet per second
at the muzzle of gun fifty calibers
| long. From military standpoint ex-
plosives are divided into two classes,
progressive and detonating. The diff
ference between these two classes may
be indicated by stating that train OF
| gunpowder quarter of q mile long, II
! ignited at one end would require a
comparatively long time to burn, while
a train of dynamite of equal length
could be detonated almost instantane-
ously by blow struck upon 1t at one
end. The one explodes by contact with
fire, the other by shock.
Dynamite has eight times the explo-
| sive force of gunpowder. Gun cotton
when exploded produces gas having a
volume 750 times greater than that OF
| the original substance. Nitroglycerine
made through the action OF nitric acid
on glycerine is probably the most pow
| erful and eccentric explosive that is
used to any extent in the Industrial
world. A drop of 1t on copper cent,
If struck, will explode with such force
as to make the coin disappear COM
pletely. A lighted match touched to
nitroglycerine in liquid state will be
extinguished as though dipped in water,
| But if the same liquid is Jared by
being struck or dropped terrific ex-
ploson will result. 1t is safer when
| frozen and is used in blasting IN that
| form.
! Dynamite is much safer. 1t will do
| little harm unless confined when the
explosion takes place. Its greatest
force goes upward, while the greatest
| force of low explosives, like gunpoWder,
| is expended In a lateral direction.
| Therefore. when there is an explosion
of dynamite, the persons nearby
| should, If they have tir.Ae to do any
| thing, seek hole in the ground. III
| gunpowder explodes they should climb
a tree. The great danger about dyna-
mite is that it explodes easily when In
| a rtially decomposed state. When
! fresh and new, a stick of dynamite
may be whitfield with impunity; but
| IL the stick Whitfield should happen not
| to be freshly made, little OF the
whittier is likely to be found after
| ward.
To explode dynamite or similar ex-
| plosives, illuminate of mercury cap
is generally used. Dynamiters who
handle giant powder carelessly are
much more particular about these lit
tie caps, for the slightest shock OF
| heat will cause an explosion of S2O
pounds pressure to the square inch
There are other decorating agents,
| however, which are much more sensi-
| tive than illuminate of mercury For
| instance, the diazo benzine compounds
may be exploded by little current OF
warm air; nitrogen-chloride will de-
tomato from the football of a fiy5 and
| iodide of nitrogen will explode with
terrific force in response to one OF
three or four low notes of violon-
cello played at several yards distance,
but to no other notes.
l
= Smokeless powder, which is used in
the American army and navy gun
merry with telling effect, is perfectly
innocent and harmless except under
| certain conditions. A stick of 1t can
| be held in the hand when lit and II
will burn slowly without an explosion
| At the Indian Head naval proving
ground. near Washington, where
| smokeless powder is made by the gov
| ernment and stored In large quanti-
ties, there is a workman who daily
smokes pipe whose stem is made OF
| smokeless powder. A former chief OF
| the bureau of ordnance OF the navy
department used to carry cane which
was nothing but a stick of smokeless
! powder Occasionally he would set the
end on fire to light cigars.
The making of explosives has de-
veloped into a fine art and great in
1 dustry since the use of Greek fire.
and burning liquids by the ancient
Chinese and Hindoo warriors. and since
the reputed discovery of gunpowder by
Roger Bacon in 1867 or Berthold
Schwartz in $780, This industry began
about half a century ago. Guncotton,
which is cotton waste soaked with
| tro-glycerine, was invented In 184t
by a German named Schonbein, but the
process OF its manufacture was not
i perfected until nearly twenty years
! later. Dynamite was invented In 1867
by Adfred Nobel, a Swedish civil en-
gineer, who originated the plan of
| e,ix,tpa animal prizes for the advance