The New York herald., 1921-10-08
FLASHLESS POWDER
YIELDS ONLY GLOW
Advantages in Concealing Lo-
cation in Night Firing
Shown to Public.

BIZ Staff Correspondent OF THE NEW YoRK
HERALD.
ABERDEEN. Md. oct. o. Flashless
development in ordnance. was demon-
strated tonight as the climax OF day
devoted to the display OF the. latest and
most deadly devices for making war. 1t
was the first time any one outside the
military service had been permitted to
get glimpse of this invention. the facts
concerning which still are guarded with
the utmost secrecy.
On the main front of this vast proving
grounds where heavy guns Of all tyres
and calibres are arrayed as If for battle,
ten rounds were fired to show that flash
less powder actually has been developed.
The firing was done from a IS nm.
gun. which Is the standard for the field
artillery.
succession, there was nothing visible
but deep red glow Ordinarily when
such gun is fired the powder causes a
belch Of flame fully five feet long
sometimes much longer.
The advantages Of fleshless powder
are easily recognized. Its value is in
night firing. without it the flame that
comes with the ordinary powder charge
reveals the position Of the gun. thereby
making 1t the object Of specific attack
by the enemy. When smokeless powder
is used the location of the battery is not
betrayed.
The demonstration was a part Of the
third annual show of the Army Ord
nance Association, cooperating with the
American Society of Mechanical Engi-
neers and the Society of Automotive En-
gineers. The purpose was to continue
interest In ordnance development as an
aid to the national defence. Special
trains brought some Of the foremost en-
gineers of the country from New York,
Philadelphia. Baltimore and Washing
ton.
One of the features Of the day. which
was devoted entirely to ordnance dis
play. was the dropping of bombs. Capt.
N. r. Carolin, In Eandley Page air.
plane, dropped bomb Of 1000 pounds,
which dug hole in the ground 40 feet
deep and developed n crater rs feet
across. 1t had been intended to drop a
1000 pound bomb. but the wind was
not right to make a safe taking off
with such heavy piece of ammunition
on the small aviation field.
There was firing, also for the first
time in public, from two sixteen inch
guns built by the army for the coast
defence. One of these. which is to be
part of the fortifications of New York
city. was Of disappearing type. The
other had barbette, or stationary car
riage. The guns have a range of thirty
FIVE miles and the projectiles weigh
2,340 pounds. This range and projectile
exceeds anything any navy has in the
way OF ordnance. which is In point since
the guns are intended for use against
possible attack by an enemy feet The
guns, which cost almost half million
dollars each to build, are the last word
in ordnance.
In view of the recent development
OF bombing by airplanes the demon
stration of anti-air-craft guns attracted
much attention. While the display prl-
marily was to show types of guns. the
element Of craftsmanship entered when
small balloons were let loose as targets
About half of these balloons. travelling
swiftly in n sharp autumn wind, were
destroyed by the machine guns.
The largest machine gun ever built,
of fifty calibre, or one half inch in
bore. sent forth a literal rain of shell
at a heavily armored tank 5000 yards
away. The show came to an end to-
night with a display of flashless pow
der and various other developments. in
the way of flares and the like, as an
aid to night firing