334 Recent Changes in British Artillery Materiel. "July, 



pulped and compressed gun-cotton will result in a consider- 

 able saving of time and labour and in the employment of a 

 less extensive plant. 



On the 25th April, 1872, two Martello towers between 

 Hastings and Winchelsea were destroyed by the Royal 

 Engineer committee with gunpowder and gun-cotton in 

 order to compare their effect in hasty demolitions. Both 

 demolitions were considered perfectly successful, and showed 

 that the proportion of four to one in the weights of gun- 

 powder and gun-cotton to produce the same effect was 

 practically correct. On the results of this experiment the 

 committee arrive at the following conclusions : — 



1. As gun-cotton is not materially, if at all, injured by 

 being kept in a damp state, and as the operation of drying 

 can be easily carried out, it is unnecessary to store it in the 

 dry state, and the committee think it should not be stored 

 dry in larger quantities than are required for the current 

 wants of the service. Apparatus for drying should be 

 established at all stations where dry gun-cotton is required 

 for use. 



2. The present service pattern-box is objectionable for 

 packing dry gun-cotton ; its strength is an element of 

 danger, in the event of the accidental ignition of a store of 

 gun-cotton packed in such boxes ; and it is unnecessarily 

 strong for transport. 



3. In a store of any construction, the ignition of large 

 quantities of dry gun-cotton packed in strong boxes will be 

 followed by violent explosion ; but in lightly-made boxes, or 

 in boxes designed specially to facilitate the escape of the 

 heated gas before it has reached the exploding point, and in 

 magazines lightly constructed, ignition will probably not be 

 followed by an explosion ; but the Committee are of opinion 

 that the experiments recorded do not afford a sufficient 

 guarantee that ignition will not be followed by explosion if 

 the quantity, however stored, be very large, or the building 

 be exceptionally strong. 



4. Taking these points into consideration, the committee 

 think that dry gun-cotton, wherever stored, and in what- 

 ever quantity, should be treated as an explosive, and that 

 the precautions now observed with explosives generally, as 

 regards locality and description of building, should also 

 apply to gun-cotton. 



5. Gun-cotton in the wet state being perfectly uninflam- 

 mable, no special regulations are necessary for its trans- 

 port ; in the case of dry gun-cotton, which under ordinary 

 conditions is non-explosive, but readily inflammable, the 



