40 BURSTING OF TWO MTJSQVET BARRELS. 



VIIL 



Remarks ( on the burfiing of two Mufquet Barrels by a Charge of 

 Gun-powder confined by Sand. W. N. 



A thin mufquet A ART of ihe barrel of a mufquet of which the internal di-» 

 barrel burft. ameter was fix and a half tenths of an inch, was corked at 

 one end, and fine fand to the depth of twelve inches was 

 poured in: upon this was poured two inches of gunpowder 

 and a fmall tube (of glafs) was then ftuck in the gunpowder, 

 and the bore of the tube, which was about one twentieth of 

 an inch diameter, was filled alfo with gunpowder. The length 

 of the tube was fufficient to reach clearly above the top of the 

 gun-barrel, and all the reft of the fpace in the barrel, being 

 about thirteen inches above the charge, was filled with fand 

 lightly poured in. In this ftate the barrel was fet up in one 

 corner of a furnace chimney, and a match ftuck into the glafs 

 tube and lighted, afforded fufficient time for the affiftants to re- 

 move out of the diredt line of explofion before the efFecT; could 

 take place. 



The difcharge tore the barrel into feveral contorted pieces 

 in the part near the charge ; the upper part fell unaltered, and 

 its contents of fand ran out : the lower part alfo fell down, 

 but neither its fand nor cork were difturbed, nor was that por- 

 tion of the barrel afTe6led. 



As the thicknefs of the iron did not exceed one thirtieth of 



an inch, I was defirous of repeating the experiment with a 



ftronger piece. 



A thicker bar- A mufquet barrel, 2f feet long, diameter of bore five tenths 



rel charged with f an j nc |^ an( j thicknefs of metal at the breach full one quar- 



gunpowder and t r . , ..,<•,. . ,. , 



fand. ter or an inch, was charged with 278 grains, or a little more 



than half an ounce troy of gunpowder, which occupied the 

 fpace of four inches. Upon this charge was poured fine fand 

 to the depth of twelve inches, weighing 1151 grains, or about 

 2-J ounces troy, and upon this was lightly prefled down a foft 

 wadding of gauze paper, for the purpofe of allowing the bar- 

 rel to be placed horizontally without any fubfequent difturbance 

 of its charge. It was fafely placed in an horizontal pofition 

 and fired at the touch hole by means of a train. 



Effect of th ^ ie k arre ' was torn amn ^ er f° r tne length of eight inches, 



explofion. the part neareft the breach-pin being opened nearly to flatnefs. 



The 



