36 REPORT—1863. 
Gases of Combustion, asia Repel 
Volume per cent. Qs : I 
Sporting) Rifle Ordnance! + 
powder. powder. | powder. ees: 
Nitrogen N....| 41-1 | 353 | 376 |] 12-7 
*| Carbonic acid oe | 82-7 48°9 42:7 20°8 
Carbonic oxide co. 39 5:2 10-2 29:0 
Hydrogen H.. 12 6:9 59 3-2 
Sulphuretted hydrogen HS . 0-6 0°67 0-86 |Carbon 1° 
Oxyg Bis ‘52 -—— — |Water 25:37 
Fiat oiGarbtiaa ne So ae 3°02 | 2:7 7:2 
‘If we compare the gases of gunpowder with those of gun-cotton, we easily ~ 
see that the chemical action of the product of combustion of gun-cotton on 
the sides of the barrel, if there exists any action at all, must be smaller than 
with the use of gunpowder, because they are less oxidizing gases than those 
of gunpowder. Should, therefore, bronze barrels be ‘‘ burnt out” by the use 
of gun-cotton, cast steel may be then used instead of bronze, which, in fact, 
has been successfully dong. Moreover bronze gun-barrels have withstood a 
sufficient number of rounds by using an adequate charge of gun-cotton with 
elongated cartridges. In this way no alteration of the bore prejudicial to 
the correctness of aim has taken place. From the steel barrel of a rifle, 
forty rounds have been fired with gun-cotton cartridges, which have hit the 
target 300 yards distant in an unexceptionable manner. After the said 
number of rounds, the barrel was internally as clean and polished as a mirror. 
It appears, then, that this problem is solved in a general and satisfactory 
manner.” 
(8) ‘ Application of Gun-cotton to Mining Warfare.—Gun-cotton is also 
used for mining-purposes and mining warfare. On this subject nothing but 
what is favourable has been reported by the Imperial Engineers (vide Commu- 
nications of the R. I. Engineers’ Committee, 1861, vol. i., by Moritz Baron 
von Ebner, Colonel of the Engineers), However, it is said that the gases of 
gun-cotton were more poisonous in mines than those of gunpowder, and there- 
fore the use of gun-cotton for mining warfare is not to be recommended. If 
we compare the result of Lieutenant Karolyi’s analysis of the combustion-gases 
of gun-cotton with those of gunpowder as above given, we observe that both of 
them contain irrespirabie gases; further, that they contain qualitatively the 
same sort of irrespirable gases ; and although the relative quantities of some of 
the gases from powder and gun-cotton are different, the effect of those gases 
leads to the same practical result, viz. that, after blowing up a mine, one cannot 
without danger approach the spot of the explosion before renewing the air 
by ventilation. In this respect, we may say that the gases of gun-cotton will 
be more quickly removed by ventilation than those of gunpowder, because 
the first-named contain a greater quantity of gases easily dissipated, since 
100 pounds of gunpowder contains 68 pounds of fixed solid matter, which 
alone suffices to make respiration almost impossible. It is not probable that 
an explosive compound will be found which will produce any other but irre- 
spirable gases. It is one and the same in practice, whether a cellar contains 
40 per cent. of carbonic acid and 10 per cent. carbonic oxide, or 30 per cent. 
carbonic oxide and 20 per cent. carbonic acid, inasmuch as no one could, 
without danger of suffocation, enter such a cellar. Both the gases of gun- 
cotton and of gunpowder, according to Karolyi, may be ignited by a match.” 
