The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1914-09-11
BIG Gun CHARGES
Handling Shells and Powder at a
Naval Ammunition Base.
SAFETY FIRST IS THE RULE.

Wear White Serge Suits INK Moe
easins, and Copper Tools Are Used.
Iona island. the United States naval
ammunition base In the Hudson river.
covers l16 acres. Within it's limits are
stored about 100000 pounds Of
smokeless powder and over 100000
pounds Of black powder, besides many
thousands of shells. This wal ma.
terial Ia kept in large brick and stone
powder magazines and shell houses.
The powder magazines all have four
separate tireproof walls and are divid.
ed up into compartments in order to
prevent u fire or an explosion from
reaching or destroying the entire con
tents. The loaded shells are kept sep
srately from the empty p%r0jectiles and
are stored in W. fixed ammunition
magazines. Each shell is weighed and
numbered before being put away. The
weight is recorded in chalk on the
shell.
Wo60AAAC 0lSCuO0u(S luSPCCl Tic SuCll
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 80 degrees.
Just how many shells for the big
battleships are stored away at Iona
island is a secret. but there are lots of
them. They are expensive. Thus the
fourteen inch shells. weighing 1900
pounds and requiring q charge of near
~ 400 pounds Of powder. cost about
$500 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 u 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 IL brought from the magazine
to he filling houses in lead colOred
wooden boxes These are zinc lined
and air tight. The boxes Of powder
are emptied into n long wooden trough
and with n copper scoop the powder il
dipped out. accurately weighed and
tied up In quarter. half and full charges
10 bags Of white muslin
These bags have several wide stream
ers for fastening them. and each Is
tagged with the date of filling 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 20
aboard the ships.
The big charges of D 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 a formidable sight Of bottled
up destruction.
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
stee! missiles-some Of them weighing
1000 pOunds-they are roped in a sling
and hoisted clear of the floor by q pull
ley and chain The point Is then low
cred a foot or 50 into q stout wooden
frame with al opening y tri]e larger
than the shell. Then q long mar.
row bag Is inserted In the shell cavity
and the measured amount of black
powder is poured through a funnel into
the shell. Some 6fty Of these huge
prOjectiles can be loaded In a day
Several Of the smaller filling houses
are nsed to assemble the cartridge
. and the bursting charges Of the
three-inch rapid fire shells New York
Sun
A Hardened Criminal. -
Mrs. GOtrOx- You have Swallowed my
husband for two weeks. Dtd ne d.
anything wrong: Society Detective
Wrong. madam! He ate peas with q
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