Show n IL IW lg Euy y W tr W How i the Government fee Keeps s in hi Leash th the Powder er That Menaces h the c Meet r Copyright 1911 1311 by Exam American iner tho the French warship La W WHEN Liberte blew up the other day reducing the tho vessel to sera scrap iron and sending hundreds of or tho the crow crew to eternity the thought which oc occurred occurred occurred oc- oc to everyone here no doubt was wa s ma may may not tho the samo same catastrophe catl occur In our own navy The The French disaster was caus caused d by the tho decomposition o of smokeless pow pow- der In our naval al service smokeless powder Is used now almost exclusive exclusively ly Wherein W then does our security lie On ono one of or our modern Dreadnoughts 2 j 5 tons of ot smokeless powder Is stored store enough to blow up our entire navy if tr all the ships were concentrated atthe at tho the point of ot explosion But a n disaster of or this kind lelnd is Impossible because atthe of at the rigid system o of inspection prevailing prevail prevail- In ing- ing ingIn InIn In our navy To understand the efficacy of or this system some Idea o of what smokeless powder Is Is s necessary po powder der Is Js ordinary cotton cotton cotton cot cot- ton soaked in nitric and sulphuric acids The nitric acid makes the cotton cotton cot cot- ton explosive e the tho sulphuric helps the nitric acid to combine with the cotton When this has been accomplished hed tho the cotton Is squeezed under rollers and washed to get rid of or the acids emerging emerging ing from tram the process as a soft white pulp resembling paper pulp This Is guncotton It Il is dissolved in ether and on b being dried takes tho the form of or ofa ora a hard paste which is Js kneaded lute like dough and finally forced through perforated perforated per per- metal pates plates thus assuming the shape of long rods The rods are I chopped up Into short lengths which are the grains of smokeless pow POW- der tier Smokeless less powder Is made In lots of at to pounds To each cach lot when finished an index Inde number Is given given for for example S P. P After being dried for tor six months and chemically chemically chem chern tested It Is sent to a naval nl mag mas- azine There are arc a number of these magazines at various seaports One Ono of the biggest is near Norfolk Such a magazine consists of ot a a. number of ot small buildings scattered over a considerable area in which the powder poder is either made up ul Into charges for guns of ot various varl vari ous ous sizes or 01 else simply stored If It an explosion occurs It can hardly In Involve In- In solve volve more than one o of tho the buildings When the powder is issued to a ship a small sample ample of or it is kept at the magazine and another sample is re retained retained retained re- re at the powder factor factory There is if at Indian Head Head a a. a well equipped ele chemical laboratory ly for tor the tho stud study and inspection of at smokeless ss powder The Tho samples thus retained arc are kept under observation When the powder is Js made up into charges and Issued to the tho ship an observation sample Is Issued with It It in a glass bottle bot bot- bottle tle bearing the Index number of the lotof lot lotof lotof of powder which it represents The sample IB is exposed to view in a rack Inthe in inthe n the ships ship's s magazine where it Is subjected subjected sub sub- to the tho same conditions as the tho bulk of the same powder It is 18 examined examined exam exam- ined every day In this wa way nay a a. watch atch is kept on every ounce of smokeless powder in the possession possession pos pas session of the tho nav navy whether on board of ships or in the magazines on shore One young officer of or the navy department department department depart depart- ment In Washington is Js responsible forthe for forthe forthe the condition of ot the powder on every overy vessel essel In the navy If Ie an explosion oc occurred occurred oc- oc occurred in consequence of tho the decomposition decomposition decomposition position of any of or it t he would b be held accountable But he ho says that anxiety on tho the subject never costs him an nn hours hour's sl sleep ep If It as sometimes happens one of or tho the index samples shows signs of decomposition decomposition position Immediate notification is s 3 sent nt to o er every ship or other place where powder of or the same batch is In storage storage stor stor- age in order that special attention maybe may maybe maybe be paid to It The symptoms are manifest manIfest manifest man man- enough When smokeless powder t decomposes it gives gl out pun pungent ent acrid fumes red in color so that one maysee may maysee see as well weB as smell them On board of every warship there Is a a. fortnightly In inspection of the po powder der M c 4 4 s s1 p C T S Kr t s u lx s The Tho Nitrating Hours Houi Where Cotton Becomes Become Explosive t r 3 j rt rt I After Cotton I Ii Ia Nitrated It It Steamed for Two Days Daya 1 at which one otle or more char charges es of or each Index number are opened up and ex ox- examined the tho tho stuff that Is to sa say which has been packed In bags bas for or the guns In addition there Is la a a. monthly test at which sample charges being broken open a small quantity from each ench Is s taken out and put Into a bottle that h has b been n chemically cleaned In this bottle Is suspended a strip of ot blue litmus litmus lit lit- mus paper that has hns been dipped Into distilled water If It nitric acid fumes are present they will Ul turn the paper red Should such a thing happen as It sometimes does dOos the powder of at that batch 16 Js put under a a. surveillance sul test That Is jg to say a small quantity of It Is placed In an oven and heated to a a. certain temperature If It endures this treatment for tor sixty days without giving ing out an any fumes It Is in perfect condition con con- If It stands for tort forty days das It It Is good powder If It It Is all right for twenty days It Is safe sate to keep and use But J If In less than twenty days It gives Kives out fumes It Is put ashore and shipped to the neatest nearest naval magazine where It Is Js kept for or a a. while and watched Meanwhile samples of or It are tested In a chemical labora laboratory tory on onshore shore and if IC the powder Is Js found to bo be really had bad It is sent to th the factory factor at Indian Head and reworked In other words It Is ground up td d reduced to tho the shape of fresh tresh ra raw rail material a material a new batch of or guncotton for tor conversion Into smokeless powder I 1 T w ii 1 3 j A. A e err P r rT f T r i. i rJ CUTTING POWDER INTO |