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Show How Mae Molds Nature's Gifts ' L J Into Engines of Destruction "' f J It will probably never be satisfactorily satis-factorily proved who first invented gunpowder; there really Is not sufficient suf-ficient solid evldenco on which to pin down its invention to ono man, just as it is still a debatablo point which nation first used -it, Ono thing, however, is indisputable,-and indisputable,-and that is that until a comparative-' ly few years ago gunpowder was the only propelling agent in use for arms of all kinds. Various one might say numerous Inventors tried to add other ingredients to gunpowder, but for long no substitute substi-tute which gavo satisfaction from any point of view could bo found. A considerable impetus to tho development de-velopment of explosives was given by tho invention of tho so-called ni-tro ni-tro compounds. Probably tho pioneer pio-neer In this direction was Bracoonot of Nancy, who in 1S32 discovored that starch, woody fiber and similar substances could bo converted Into highly combustlblo bodies by tho action of concentrated nitric acid; a few years later Pelouzo extended this discovery to cotton and other organio substances. But no practical prac-tical result followed these discoveries discov-eries until in 1815, a German chemist chem-ist named Schoubein, having hit upon a better method of treating cotton with nitric and sulphuric acids, announced tho discovery of gun cotton, which he proposed as a substitute for gunpowder. Uo claimed for It that the advantage it had over gunpowder was that it, burned without leaving any residue, and consequently without smoke. Cordite Is much moro powerful than gun cotton, and is composed of nitroglycerin, gun cotton and vaseline, vas-eline, which aro dissolved by so many parts of acetone. Theso aro mixed together until they form a soft, puttyllko paste. It is then forced through holes in a metal plato and emerges in long strings, whence its namo "cordlto" comes. A smokeless powder, cordlto Is commonly used In firing big guns. How tho hugo shells, weighing in somo cases nearly a ton, aro thrown distances varying fiom seven to twenty odd miles is ono of the marvels of modern munitions. Tho shell, which is filled with a high explosive, ex-plosive, is loaded Into tho gun, and behind it is placed a big charge of cordlto. The breech of the gun -is' then locked, tho cordite Is explod- ed, and tho power generated bytht , i H explosion thrusts the shell forth H from tho gun at terrific speed to its H mark. The shell itself is filled witn I H lyddite so called because it wai M first tested at Lydd, a littlo place in jH Kent, England. H If tho names of Nobel and dyna- M mito are not synonymous terms M they certainly Ought to be, for we seldom speak of tho ono without jH suggesting the other. It was th( I l great Swedish inventor who toot the first practical stop toward tht ' H dynamite of tho prosent day and ! ' M gavo it the name by which it is ev I ' M erywhero known. Mr. Nobel dlscov- I ' H ered that by mixing nitroglycerin H with a certain kind of earth called H kicselguhr ho could make a solid H substance which possessed terrible H explosive powers and which was H yet quite safe to handle. He called H his discovery dynamite. H In spite of all that has been said , jH and written to tho contrary, many " y ' i ' H people still havo the idea that dyna- '9 H mlto is exceedingly dangerous I H stuff to tako any liberties with, and ' H that it will explode at the least ' , ' H shock. This is a mistake. Nothing ' M less than a tremendous shock v.-ill ' ' H mako dynamito explode, and thisi , H shock is obtained by exploding a ! H mixture of nitric acid, mercury and, ' H alcohol, which in turn explodes the ' H dynamite. , H Fulminato of mercury" is tho name' ,' H of this mixture, and by its aid many , H of the high-powered explosives aro ' I H detonated. Tho wet gun cotton in ; ( JH tho warhead of tho torpedo is ex- T j H plodcd by a litllo or this fulminate, ' which goes off upon striking any-' j I H thing that the nose of the torpedo- ( jH happens to hit. When fulminate j H goes off it develops a tremendous1 H heat and exerts a terrifflc prcssur. . H If it is placed in the middle of a- i '. H quantity of gun cotton it is this. jH great heat which makes tho gun cotton instantly explode. It act3 jH with dynamite in precisely the same ' IH fashion. IH Qne man gavo up hls.llfo in the- jH search for a now explosive a few jH years' ago. H;e was a scientist nam- H ed Wartcnberger. He had spent jH years of his lifo 'in tho midst of aw-' JH ful perils in search of a new explo-' H slve. He found ono at last which F H tho experiments of tho United' States government exports satisfied them H was oven more powerful than dyna- j jH mite. Tho government offered j 1 Wartcnberger ?1,000,000 for his in-j j H vention, providing he could perfect j H a method of firing tho fearful stuff J H by means of electricity instead of a j 1 fuse. Whilo ho was engaged in; H these experiments an explosion oc-' H curred which 'killdd tho unfortunate j H inventor. H dm |
