GUNPOWDER PLOT 



GUN RUNNING 



Gunpowder. Vertical section of edge-runner mill for the 

 incorporation of gunpowder. A A, rollers mounted on 

 axles E E. B, pan in which the gunpowder is ground 

 and mixed. C, vertical shaft revolved by bevel gearing F. 

 D, cross frame fixed to C, from which are hung the 

 roller axles E E 



to : saltpetre, 75 p.c. ; charcoal, 

 15 p.c. ; and sulphur, 10 p.c. ; but 

 for blasting the variations of com- 

 position are considerable. The in- 

 gredients are separately weighed 

 out and roughly ground It is 

 usual to add some of the saltpetre 

 to the sulphur to prevent the latter 



becoming electri- 

 fied and igniting, 

 the remainder be- 

 ing ground \vith 

 the charcoal to 

 prevent clogging. 



After prelimin- 

 ary mixing by 

 hand or in rotat- 

 ing drums, the in- 

 gredients are in- 

 corporated. The 

 rollers are sus- 

 pended so that 

 they cannot ap- 

 proach within \ 

 inch of the bed, 

 minimising the 

 risk of friction on 

 a thin layer of 

 powder. Ploughs 

 constantly push 

 the mass under 

 the rollers, result- 

 ing in very 

 thorough grinding 

 and mixing of the 

 ingredients, which 

 are moistened with 

 water, 80 Ib. be- 

 ing milled at a 

 time for 3 to 8 

 hours, lengthy in- 

 corporation yield- 

 ing a faster 

 burning powder. 

 One shaft drives 

 six mills, which are 

 separated by 

 strong walls, water 

 tanks being ar- 



ranged so that an 

 explosion in any 

 mill results in all 

 being flooded. The 

 caked powder is 

 next broken up, 

 the fragments ar- 

 ranged in layers 



between plates and pressed to a 

 high density. 



The mass is broken down by 

 passing between toothed bronze 

 rollers, and automatic sieves grade 

 the powder as to size, large frag- 

 ments being recrushed and dust re- 

 jected. Gunpowder has been largely 

 displaced as a sporting and mili- 

 tary propellant by smokeless pow- 

 der (q.v.), but finds considerable use 

 for blasting, in certain types of shell 

 and cheap sporting cartridges, and 

 as an igniter for smokeless powder 

 in cannon. See Explosives. 



Gunpowder Plot. Plot to blow 

 up the Houses of Parliament on 

 Nov. 5, 1605, on which day Parlia- 

 ment was to be opened by King 

 James I. A search under the build- 

 ings was made, and Guy Fawkes, 

 one of the conspirators, was found 

 there. The ceremony of searching 

 the vaults of Parliament at its 

 annual opening is a legacy of the 

 Gunpowder Plot. See Fawkes, Guy 



Bibliography. What was the Gun- 

 powder Plot ? The Gunpowder Plot 

 and the Gunpowder Plotters, J. 

 Gerard, 1897; What Gunpowder 

 Plot Was, S. R. Gardiner, 1897 ; The 

 Gunpowder Plot, M. W. Jones, 1909. 



Gun-room. Room in warships 

 so called because it was formerly 

 situated at the end of the gun- 

 deck. It was used in large ships by 

 the gunner, in small ones by the 

 lieutenants as a common living- 

 room. The modern gun-room is a 

 mess shared by sub-lieutenants, 

 engineer sub-lieutenants, officers 



Gunpowder Plot. An old print depicting the execution of the conspirators. 

 Top, right, contemporary print of the conspirators: left to right, Bates, Robert 

 Winter, Chris. Wright, John Wright, Percy, Guy Fawkes, Catesby, Thos. Winter 



of the accountant branch, junior 

 to assistant paymasters of four 

 years' seniority., and midshipmen. 

 See Battleship. 



Gun Running. Term applied 

 to the smuggling of arms into 

 places where their importation is 

 forbidden or strictly controlled, 

 especially for political purposes. 

 Governments which have reason 

 to fear the armed resistance of 

 subject races have to keep a close 

 look-out for gun running, which 

 is often a lucrative undertaking 

 for unscrupulous traders ; e.g. in 

 the Persian Gulf, the Malay 

 Archipelago, and formerly in the 

 W. Mediterranean in connexion 

 with the Carlist intrigues in Spain. 



