SMOKE 



5417 



SMUGGLING 



the titles of the Northumberlands and the 

 Percies are extinct and forgotten." G.B.D. 



Consult Rhees' The Smithsonian Institution: 

 Documents Relative to Its Origin and History. 



SMOKE, the visible vapor that arises from a 

 burning substance, especially wood, coal, peat 

 or petroleum. Smoke contains water vapor, 

 carbon dioxide or some other gases, but the 

 visible portion consists of minute particles of 

 unburned carbon that form the soot. When 

 combustion is perfect the smoke is nearly in- 

 visible. A great volume of black smoke indi- 

 cates imperfect combustion and a consequent 

 waste of fuel. Soft coal and crude petroleum 

 produce the largest quantities of soot of any 

 fuels, and in large cities where soft coal is the 

 principal fuel the smoke becomes a nuisance. 

 A scientific investigation of the air about Chi- 

 cago in 1915 showed that the chimneys of that 

 city threw out 179,511 tons of solid matter in 

 a year. By far the greater part of this matter 

 was soot. Several American cities are making 

 systematic efforts to control the smoke evil, a 

 greater part of which is caused by careless stok- 

 ing and imperfect draft. Automatic stokers, 

 which feed the fire no faster than fuel is con- 

 sumed, and properly constructed chimneys and 

 flues are among the best means for preventing 

 smoke. City authorities are now insisting upon 

 these devices. See SOOT. 



SMOKE 'LESS POWDER, a powerful ex- 

 plosive made by combining some form of cel- 

 lulose with a mixture of sulphuric and nitric 

 acids and then with acetic acid or acetone. The 

 smokeless powder most extensively used is pre- 

 pared by kneading guncotton (which see) into 

 a paste with acetic acid. It exerts about twice 

 the force of ordinary gunpowder. The powder 

 is smokeless because the products of the explo- 

 sion are all gaseous, whereas those of gunpow- 

 der are fully fifty per cent solid matter. 



While the most extensive use of smokeless 

 powder is in the big guns of the artillery and 

 navy, where it has wholly displaced gunpowder, 

 it is also used in smaller firearms, and for blast- 

 ing under certain conditions. Various grades are 

 manufactured, each being adapted to its pur- 

 pose. When strong acid is used in its prepara- 

 tion, an explosive of great strength is produced, 

 and a powder of any desired strength can be 

 made by regulating the strength of the acid 

 used in its manufacture. 



The history of smokeless powder begins with 

 the discovery of mercuric fulminate in 1800, 

 and of guncotton in 1845. In 1875 the Swedish 

 engineer, Alfred Nobel, made the first prepara- 



tion, now known as ballistite. This is used by 

 the Italian navy. Other preparations in com- 

 mon use are cordite, used by the British, in- 

 durite, used by the United States, and B. N., 

 used by the French. 



Related Subjects. For a more extended view 

 of this subject the reader is referred to the fol- 

 lowing articles in these volumes : 

 Acetic Acid Explosives 



Ammunition Guncotton 



Cellulose Gunpowder 



Cordite 



SMOLLETT, smol' et, TOBIAS GEORGE (1721- 

 1771), a British novelist born near Dumbarton, 

 Scotland. After receiving a grammar school 

 education he was sent to the University of 

 Glasgow to study medicine and was later ap- 

 prenticed to a surgeon of Glasgow. However, 

 he was more interested in the profession of 

 literature than in that of surgery, and by 1739 

 had produced a tragedy, The Regicide. Hav- 

 ing tried unsuccessfully in London to secure 

 the acceptance of this play, he embarked as 

 surgeon's mate on the Cumberland, which was 

 about to join Admiral Vernon's expedition 

 against Cartagena (1740). After his return to 

 London he left the navy and again attempted 

 literary production. In 1748 appeared the first 

 of his noted works, the novel Roderick Ran- 

 dom, which is a story based largely upon his 

 experiences at sea. It became immediately popu- 

 lar. Of his later works the most noteworthy 

 are Peregrine Pickle and Humphrey Clinker. 

 These novels, as well as Roderick Random, 

 depend for attractiveness upon amusing and 

 thrilling incidents; they are not carefully con- 

 structed and the character portrayal attempted 

 is somewhat superficial. Smollett was for a 

 time editor of the Critical Review and later 

 of the Briton, both of which were Tory peri- 

 odicals. 



SMUGGLING, smug 'ling, the practice of tak- 

 ing into a country dutiable merchandise with- 

 out paying the customs duties. All countries 

 which impose customs duties have stationed at 

 their ports of entry and at points on the bor- 

 ders of countries adjoining them certain officers 

 whose duty it is to examine both personal bag- 

 gage and shipments of merchandise, to see that 

 the goods are not undervalued and that the 

 regular duties are paid. Violators of the laws 

 respecting customs are punished by fine, impris- 

 onment or forfeiture of goods, according to the 

 magnitude of the offense. The term refers also 

 to the practice of bringing into a country an 

 article whose importation is prohibited by law. 



