NATURE 



505 



THURSDAY, APRIL 2, 1896. 



THE HISTORY AND MANUFACTURE OP' 



EXPLOSIVES. 



Geschichte der Explosivstqffe. Von S. J. von Romocki. 



Two parts, pp. 394 and 324. (Berlin : Robert Oppen- 



heim, 1895, 1896.) 

 The Manufacture of Explosives. By Oscar Guttmann, 



A.M.I. C.E., F.I.C. Two volumes, pp. 348 and 444. 



(London : Whittaker and Co., 1895.) 



THE first part of the first of these two works is a most 

 curious compilation; drawn from all sources, of his- 

 torical matter connected with the manufacture anddififerent 

 uses of explosives. The author appears to have spared 

 no trouble in hunting up old documents and engravings 

 illustrating the different engines of war, which have de- 

 pended on villainous saltpetre for part, at least, of their 

 destructive attributes. These engravings are extremely 

 quaint, and give one a good idea of the state of mediaeval 

 art as applied to printing ; that shown on pp. 288-289 

 (" Verteidigung eines Engpasses mit Landtorpedos ") 

 depicts a most theatrical ambuscade in which the 

 " special artist " has surpassed himself, and the enemy 

 thoroughly deserve the destruction which has overtaken 

 them. Naturally most of the text is German, but there 

 is also a large amount of French and Latin inter- 

 mixed, here and there, with a little Greek and Arabic, 

 or even Chinese, and one can only regret that the 

 exigencies of modern life prevent most people from 

 acquiring even a very superficial knowledge of the 

 numerous and varied tongues with which the gifted 

 author appears to possess so great a familiarity. 



In part ii. the author continues the narrative in dealing 

 with the various natures of ordinary and the more 

 modern descriptions of gunpowder, and includes much 

 interesting matter relating to the production of chlorates, 

 nitrates and picrates, and to the history of the discovery 

 of guncotton by Schonbein, as well as of the subsequent 

 prolonged attempts in Austria to utilise it in guns as a 

 smokeless propellant. These attempts proved futile, and 

 ended finally in the idea being abandoned, though not 

 before several accidents had taken place. The manu- 

 facture of the several explosives is dealt with to some 

 extent, but apparently simply with a view to including 

 them in the historical records of the various patents 

 which covered their invention. 



As an interesting statement of historical facts con- 

 nected with gunpowder, these volumes leave little to be 

 desired ; but the reader will find no new data regarding 

 the results, ballistic or chemical, of the new powders, 

 nor are the given results of the older powders so 

 complete as to render the work really valuable to 

 the student. 



Mr. Oscar Guttmann's work on explosives is of quite a 

 different type, and makes no pretence whatever to dilet- 

 tanteism ; on the contrary, everything is described in an 

 eminently practical way, with the intention of interesting 

 only those who are concerned in the manufacture or use 

 of explosives. To the military and to civilians the work 

 is strongly recommended, as it is practically the only 

 NO. 1379, VOL. 53] 



trustworthy one on the manufacture of modern explosives 

 in the English language, and as it consists of a most 

 careful and extensive selection of the experience gathered 

 by manufacturers of explosive material, or of the allied 

 substances necessary in the manufacture of explosives. 



The historical prelude, which has now become an in- 

 separable portion of all technical works, is brought within 

 reasonable limits and occupies about 22 pages, of which 

 17 are employed on speculations regarding the origin of 

 gunpowder ; but no very convincing conclusions are 

 arrived at, e^ccept that, perhaps, the honour of the in- 

 vention of guns — not gunpowder —belongs to Berthold 

 Schwarz, a Freiburg monk. In England it is our conceit 

 to consider Roger Bacon, also a monk, as the inventor of 

 gunpowder. This, however, is very problematical, but 

 the curious fact remains that the clerical profession have 

 always taken a deep interest in the improvement of 

 engines for the destruction of human life ; we may 

 instance the two monks aforesaid — without mentioning 

 the many bishops who, in mediaeval times, themselves 

 wielded the mace on the battle-field ; then we have the 

 inventor of percussion-caps ; and more lately we have 

 two clergymen, each distinguished as the inventor of a 

 ballistic instrument, and to one of whom the art of 

 gunnery owes a deep debt of gratitude. 



The preparation of the prime materials are dealt with 

 mostly in volume i., and include the more important 

 substances necessary in the production of ordinary black 

 powder, and, what is far more interesting, of the new 

 smokeless powders. The production of glycerine and 

 nitric acid are fully dealt with ; but for sulphuric acid the 

 author modestly refers the reader to Lunge's work. The 

 preparation of charcoal is treated exhaustively, with the 

 exception of that particular variety used in the manufac- 

 ture of brown powder, the exact treatment of which is 

 kept a secret ; and it may be for the same reason that 

 brown powder itself is not dealt with. This is, however, 

 of small moment, as the use of ordinary gunpowder, of 

 both black and brown varieties, is becoming very re- 

 stricted as propellants, and even in mining operations 

 black powder is being gradually ousted in favour of the 

 so-called flameless explosives. 



The important point of blending is deaU with only so 

 far as this operation is performed by mechanical means — 

 i.e. for small grain powders ; but in the manufacture of 

 prismatic powders, slight variations of density are un- 

 avoidable in different batches of prisms, and blending 

 by hand has to be resorted to. Similarly with smokeless 

 powders, it is found that different lots of cotton give rise 

 to some slight variations in the guncotton produced, 

 which, although of a trifling nature, are quite sufficient 

 to affect the ballistics of the resulting powder ; so that 

 such powders as cordite or ballistite in sticks or tubes 

 require to be hand-blended. 



Volume ii. is a most interesting and valuable addition 

 to the literature on explosives : the manufacture of nitro- 

 cellulose—both the true guncotton and collodion-cotton 

 varieties — is described fairly completely, and, although 

 apparently so simple, there are certain difficulties of an 

 economical nature in connection with the production of 

 collodion-cotton having a definite degree of nitration. 

 The production of nitro-glycerine receives the attention 



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