The Penn's Grove record., 1914-07-03
SMOKELESS POWDER SECRETS
The duP0nts Gave Their Discoveries
Free to the Government

In the last issue of Harper's Weekly
Col. E. q. Buckner, yics president OF
DUPONT Powder Company, had a
lengthy article explaining the relation
the DUPONT Company has had in sup
ply the Government with smOkeless
powder and the different stages of its
invention. The following is the part
supplemental to the article in last
weeks Penns Grove RECORD.
1t is charged that the DUPONT Com
paDy, in selling to foreign governments
the identical powder used by u W
Government" betrayed government
powder secrets aud was thereby ''guilty
of criminal Offense.
The utter nonsense Of this will be
apparent when the fact is known that
the dupont Powder Company has never
sold IA pound of smokeless powder abroad
without first consulting with govern
ment officials, and, in each instance, the
powder sold has been tested by govern
ment officers at the Government Prov
ing Ground.
There are no ''powder secrets" The
identical specifications on which the
present Government powder is made
are printed in a book published by
Major Erasmus M. Weaver, Of the
Army, and OH sale at bookstores.
Likewise, the speculations ON which
cordite, Great Britian's powder, is
made are printed and sold by author
ity or "His Majesty's Government"
Almost any chemist could take the
publications referred to and make
smokeless powder, but / doubt if, it
would be mace with economy.
Every European nation that manu-
features powder sells the identical
powder used 10y such government
wherever it can, as it sells arlnOr
~battleships, guns and all other ord
nance material European nations even
go so far as to detail their Army and
Naval officers to go TO other countries
and assist their manufactures in land
ing these contracts.
The development of the smokeless
powder which we now manufacture
for our Government covers a period of
about thirty yeara. It originated in
France in 1883 when M. Vielle pro-
duced %guncOtton adopted to the manu-
facture of smokeless powder. At once
the worlds inventors directed every
effort toward devising some method by
which this explosive could be utilized
in guns. Mendeleef, a Russian, solved
this problem and in a magazine article
told how this %guncotton might be COL
loided, that is, mixed into a plastic
mass suitable to be pressed thru a die,
Lieutenant Bernadou, of the Navy, who
was at that time abroad, returned home
with this information and in conjuEc-
ton with Admiral Converse took out
patents on these processes in the
in the United States. No powder was
ever manufactured, however, success
fully under these patents, nor under
the patent of Charles E. Monroe whose
work is mentioned in Harper's Weekly.
Admiral Converse himself in printed
Government reports has testified that
the Government never bought any
powder manufactured under the Ber-
nadu patents.
1t was recognized that the then
known methods of manufacture were
hazardous. Then it was that Francis G,
dupont invented and patented a process
and machine for the d%ehydration OF
guncotton, that is, handling it in a wei
state, that eliminated all danger, and
and as Admiral Strauss, of u Navy
says, ''made the manufacture OF
smokeless powder a safe industry"
The next problem wa the adaptation
of this powder to guns of different cali
Der. This problem was solved by
Hudson Maxim, an employee of thu
DUPONT Company, who invented thu
multi-perforated grain; and the duPonr
Company was given credit for it BY
Mr.. Tracy, Secretary of the Navy, il
his annual report to Congress.
Harper's Weekly observes that dur
ing these early days private manufac.
lures chad not been showing up yer,
we'll" Let us see:
(First) Vielle had produced guncot-
ton in France.
(Second) Mendeleef, of Russia, ha(
told us how to colloid it.
(Third) Francis G. dupont had TOLD
us how to eliminate danger in the man.
ufacture.
(Fourth) Hudson Maxim, all EN-
plOyee of the DUPONT Company, hat
invented the multi-perforated grail
that gave absolute control over tn,
burning.
1t will thus be seen that of the fou
great steps in the development O
smokeless powder, two stand to tn
credit Of the dupont Company. Il
rapid succession there followed valu.
able inventions which not only resulte,
in improving the powder but in reduc.
ing the cost methods and devices TO
recovering alcohol. reworking powder
stabiliZing the powder and more thai
doubling its life, nitrating g~uncotton
etc., which were worked out in duPon
laboratories and experimental plant
and credit for which has time an
again been given to the DUPONT Com
pany by Army and Navy officers.
The dupont Company invented
SmaN Arms Powder and q mach;no fo