A Decennial Recokd 57 



base for the inaiiufacture of nitrocellulose, one of the most important 

 high explosives. In spite of the fact that special machinery for cut- 

 ting the linters from the cotton seeds had been installed at most cot- 

 ton seed crushing plants, the demand grew much faster than the 

 supply. Finally, the laboratory undertook to find ways and means 

 for producing suitable cellulose from wood. Several grades of wood 

 pulp were given a series of after-treatments to remove the impurities, 

 and the treated samples sent to an arsenal for nitration. It was found 

 that at least two of the after-treatments produced entirely satisfactory 

 material, and ])lans for the daily production of several hundred tons 

 of this pulp had l)een made when the cessation of hostilities ended the 

 immediate need for such tremendous quantities of high explosives. 



MificcUancouH War Time Activities 



Among the many little things typical of the minor activities of 

 the lal)orat()ry was the development of several types of sln-apnel nose 

 plugs. These plugs were used, early in the war, to replace the tune 

 fuses on shrapnel shells during shipment from the munitions plant to 

 the front, and were intended to keep out moisture as well as to pro- 

 tect the machined face and thread forming the shrapnel nose. The 

 threaded and paraffined wooden plugs formerly used, quite frecpiently 

 swelled during transportation and broke down during attempted re- 

 moval. In one type perfected at the laboratory, use was made of the 

 fact that wood shrinks very little along the end grain. Therefore, by 

 so disposing the wood that the threaded portion was all end-grain, it 

 was possible to prevent its swelling and sticking in the hole. 



Another type was moidded from a mixture of paper pulp and 

 asphaltic pitcli. Still a third, intended to ])e (}uick-detachal)le and 

 (piick-attachaljle as well, was built up of wood with a flexible tongue 

 which caught in the threads and held the plug in place. A cpiick pull 

 served to lireak the tongue and release the i)lug. Just about this time 

 the Ordnance Department decided to put the fuses into the shells at 

 the loading station, and tluis dispense with the use of the nose plugs 

 altogether. 



The skill and knowledge gained through many years' study of 

 wood under tlie microscope, and the collection of authentic wood sam- 

 ples and microscopic wood sections proved to be of very great value 



