Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1914-10-06
BIG Gun CHARGES
Handling Shells and Powder at a
Naval Ammunition Base.
SAFETY FIRST IS THE RULE.

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Same Station In the Hudson River.
Wsar White Serge Suits and Moo.
easins, and Copper Tools Are Used.
Iona island. the United States naval
ammunition base In the Hudson river.
covers ll6 acres. Within its limits are
stored about 3.OOO!OOO pounds Of
ymokeless powder and over l.00O.OOO
pounds Of black powder. besides many
thousands Of shells. This war ma.
terial Ii kept IN large brick and stone
powder magazines and shell houses.
The powder magazines all have four
separate freproof walls and are divid.
ed up into compartments In order to
prevent fire 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
shell.
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 80 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 1900
pounds and requiring charge Of near
" 400 pounds Ut powder. cost about
5000 each.
One Of the principal activities al
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 dllinl
houses are situated at widely separat
ed points. They are small one story
wooden structures. isolated owing t.
the possibility of an explosion. The
men working in them are required t
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 al
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 filing houses in lead coloreC
wooden boxes. These are zinc linet
and air tight. The boxes Of powder
are emptied into Il long wooden trough
and with a copper scoop the powder Il
dipped out, accurately weighed an(
tied up in quarter. half and full charge:
III bags OF white muslin.
These bags have several wide stream
ers for fastening them. and each |:
tagged with the date of filing and thu
amount of powder it contains. small
ignition charge of quick burning blacl
powder. to set off the smokeless. i.
slowed in the bottom Of each bag. TIT
bags are then placed in large copper
1 cans and returned to the magazines
where they are held in readiness to 81