536 MM. Pelouzc and Maurcy on the New Methods 



was admitted into the factory at Ilirtcnberg, where General von 

 Lenk's method was carried out. The Commandant d'Andlau 

 added that, after most satisfactory trials, the Emperor of Austria 

 had decided on the adoption of a new material for the employ- 

 ment of gun-cotton in all the field artillery. 



Two main objections have in France hindered the replacement 

 of gunpowder by gun-cotton : one is based on its bursting ac- 

 tion on the fire-arms, the other on the accidental decompositions 

 and spontaneous explosions which have been noticed, first in 

 France and then abroad. We meet with these objections in the 

 documents communicated by General von Lenk, which, although 

 edited favourably towards his views, show, in combating them, 

 contrary opinions in the body of the Committee of the Austrian 

 Artillery. These opinions appear latterly to have acquired 

 such an ascendency, that the idea of having a form of artillery 

 specially created for the use of gun-cotton has been given up. 

 If the manufacture of this substance in Austria is not yet 

 abandoned, it is considerably reduced, especially since an explo- 

 sion in July 1862. 



The cause of this accident, like the explosions at Vincennes and 

 at Bouchet fourteen years before, could only be a spontaneous 

 explosion. It would be superfluous to revert to facts confirmed 

 in France; but we may quote the following passage from an 

 official report relative to the Austrian explosion : — " The deposi- 

 tion which was made on the 31st July 1862 relative to the explo- 

 sion which took place the night before in the magazine No. 9 

 near Simmering, supposes, as the cause could not be ascertained, 

 that this explosion was due to the spontaneous decomposition of 

 gun-cotton/' 



We have not been able to obtain from General von Lenk a copy 

 of this deposition. In answer to our inquiries, he stated that 

 as the inquest did not ascertain the cause of the accident, it 

 might as well have been due to gunpowder as to gun-cotton. 

 We cannot admit this, since for centuries no case of spontaneous 

 combustion has been met with either in magazines for powder 

 for ammunition, or in those for sporting or mining powder, 

 while gun-cotton, which is still on its trial, has furnished nume- 

 rous cases in laboratories under the very eyes of chemists, and 

 in magazines where the explosion could not be otherwise ex- 

 plained. Regarding this, we may observe that one of the docu- 

 ments from Austria compares with these spontaneous explosions 

 the explosions which may be produced while powder is being 

 made. This comparison does not hold good. Explosions simply 

 due to accidents in manufacture, such as a blow, a piece of grit, 

 imprudence of the workmen, or a disturbance of the mechanism, 

 cannot be compared with those produced subsequently to the 



