The river press., 1914-12-09
BIG Gun CHARGES
Handling Shells and Powder at a
Naval Ammunition Base.
SAFETY FIRST IS THE RULE.

All Wortmsn on Iona island, Uncle
Sans Station In the Hudson River.
Wear White Serge Suits and Moe.
easins, and Copper Tools Are ussd.
Iona island. the United Suites naval
ammunition base In the Hudson river,
covers ll6 acres. Within its limits are
stored about 3.0OO.OOO pounds of
smokeless powder and over 1000 600
pounds Ut black powder. besides many
thousands Of shells. This war ma.
tertal Is kept iD large brick and stone
powder magazines and shell houses.
The powder magazines all have four
separate fireproof walls and are divid.
ed up into compartments in order to
prevent a Ore or an explosion from
reaching or destroying the entire con.
tents. The loaded shells are kept sep.
arately from the empty projectiles and
are stored In two fixed ammunition
magazines. Each shell Is weighed and
numbered before being put away. The
weight Is recorded in chalk on the
SHE'LL
Magazine attendants inspect the shell
houses and powder magazines many
times during the day and night At
night each visit is recorded on the disk
OF the magnetic clock in the admins.
tration building. The temperature in
the shell! houses and powder magazines
is kept between IS and 30 degrees.
Just how many shells for the big
battleships are stored away at Iona
island is secret, but there are lots Of
them. They are expensive Thus the
fourteen inch shells. weighing 1000
pounds and requiring Il charge Of near.
~ 400 pounds Of powder. cost about
5000 each.
One Of the principal activities at
Iona island Is the manipulation Of
smokeless powder for charges for the
large and small guns of the navy and
Of black powder for bursting charges
for the shells. The powder filing
houses are situated at widely separat.
ed points. They are small one story
wooden structures. isolated owing to
the possibility of an explosion. The
men working In them are required to
wear white serge suits and moccasins;
no metal or other articles are allowed
in their pockets which might in any
, way cause spark.
All the tools. tunnels. measuring
cups. scales and other appliances used
are made Of copper. Here the delicate
and somewhat dangerous business Of
weighing out the various smokeless
| powder charges Is carried on The
weighing has to be done very carefully.
At the Indian Head proving grounds
the naval ordnance experts by tests
, determine the powder charges best
! adapted for the various guns. and at
the annual target practice the results
as to range and velocities of the vari.
GUS charges are recorded. Then slight
changes in the composition of the pow.
, der lead to changes in the weight Of
the charges.
Each morning the days supply of
powder is brought from the magazine
to the filling houses in lead colored
wooden boxes. These are zinc lined
, and air tight. The boxes of powder
, are emptied into long wooden trough
and with copper scoop the powder is
dipped out, accurately weighed and
tied up in quarter. half and full charges
in bags Of white muslin.
! These bags have several wide stream.
ers for fastening them, and each Is
tagged with the date Of filing and the
amount Of powder 1t contains. A small
ignition charge Of quick burning black
powder. to set of the smokeless. Is
slowed in the bottom of each bag. The
bags are then placed in large copper
cans and returned to the magazines.
where they are held in readiness to 60
aboard the ships.
The big charges of 400 pounds for the
fourteen inch guns are arranged in
four charges of 100 pounds each. The
bags when piled on top of one another
reach to the top Of a mans head and
present formidable sight OF bottled
up destruction
j One Of the important operations per.
formed in the magazine houses is load.
ing the projectiles with their bursting
charge. For the fourteen inch shells
fifty pounds Of black powder is used
and about thirty pounds for twelve
inch shells. TO hold the shell steady
and to get at the base OF these huge
steel missiles-some of them weighing
l.6OO pounds-they are roped in sling
and hoisted clear Of the floor by a pull
ley and chain. The point Is then low
cred foot or SO into a stout wooden
frame with an opening trife larger
than the shell. Then a long mar.
row bag is inserted In the shell cavity
and the measured amount OF black
powder Is poured through funnel into