198 Lieut. Schmidt on some Kinds of Fulminating Powder 



In some guns the stroke of the cock, which is in the shape 

 of a hammer, falls immediately on the fulminating powder 

 strewed in the above recess. In order to protect the powder 

 from wet, small balls of it were covered over with wax, and 

 placed sometimes in the conical recess, and at others fixed to 

 the cock itself. In both instances the ball was kindled in the 

 recess just mentioned, by means of the percussion. 



Besides these, other contrivances have been used for the 

 purpose of igniting this kind of powder ; yet they have all 

 their defects, and oiFer so many difficulties in practice as to 

 have prevented their general introduction. 



Latterly they have contrived in Ger- 

 many to fix the powder in a small case Fig. 1. 

 of very thin copper foil (fig. 1 ), for the pur- fj 

 pose of keeping it dry ; and for that pur- ^ 

 pose made the gun as shown in fig. 2 : viz. 

 the cylinder A is screwed into the body 

 of the gun instead of the touch-hole, and 

 rests for the sake of greater support on 

 the plate of die lock, instead of resting 

 on the pan. The inner space of the 

 cylinder is filled in loading with the same 

 powder as that of the shot. The igni- 

 ting-box, at the bottom of which is the 

 detonating powder, is, previous to firing, 



upturned on the cylinder B. In this cylinder is a small round 

 apertui'e leading to the inner space of the cylinder A. On 

 the trigger being pulled, the cock strikes the igniting-box, 

 and the fulminating powder is kindled by the blow, flows 

 through the aperture, inflames the shot, and breaks the ig- 

 niting-box. 



Mr. Wright seems to have taken great pains with the sub- 

 ject*. He recommends, for the firing-cases, to use fulminating 

 mercury, saying that sportsmen had justly complained of the 

 powder made of chlorate of potash, since it soon produces the 

 oxidation of die barrel and touch-hole, and the charcoal which 

 remains after the firing rendering them unfit for use. The 

 advantages of his new powder he enumerates as follows : — It 

 does not make the gun rusty so soon as the other; it produces 

 neither dirt nor moisture ; it is not so liable to explode as the 

 other powder, and if it does explode, its effects are less de- 

 structive, inasmuch as its power does not extend so far. 



The following is his mode of preparation : 



" I place two drachms of quicksilver in a Florence flask, 



• Mr. Wright's jiapcr will be found in Pliii. M:ig. vol. Ixii. p. 203. 



and 



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