1871.] The Recent Gun-Cotton Explosion. 499 



of dry and highly explosive gun-cotton within a few yards 

 of a populous factory, where, indeed, not one ounce of the 

 material need have been stored. Nothing but wet, and 

 therefore uninflammable, cotton should have been in 

 the factory, for the drying, as also the storing, might have 

 been carried on just as well many miles away from the 

 buildings. It is nothing but this silly overweening con- 

 fidence in the safety of gun-cotton that has caused such 

 widespread destruction ; for when it is remembered that 

 the simple infraction of a rule by a careless workman would 

 have been sufficient at any time to have caused ignition of 

 the mass, the callousness of the authorities at Stowmarket 

 is simply astounding. 



The accident, has, however, happened, and it remains 

 but to find the cause. In this task we have fortunately 

 some slight clue, and one which we doubt not will afford a 

 satisfactory explanation of the whole affair. The Gun- 

 cotton Company had recently entered into a contract to 

 supply Government with the material to the extent of 200 

 tons. Of this quantity two deliveries, each consisting of 

 10 tons had been made, the last supply singularly enough 

 having been delivered to the Government authorities on the 

 very day of the explosion at Stowmarket. The cotton had, 

 in fact, only quitted the Company's magazines but a short 

 time previously, and consisted of identically the same de- 

 scription of material that exploded with such disastrous 

 results. Under these circumstances, supposing the cause 

 of explosion to have been due to the gun-cotton itself, it 

 follows that an examination of the store now lying on 

 Government premises at Upnor Castle would furnish im- 

 portant evidence in the matter. 



By order of the Secretary of State for War an inspection 

 was accordingly instituted at Upnor, and to prevent in the 

 meantime any repetition of the disaster, the disks or cakes 

 were at once saturated with water. The boxes were opened 

 one by one, and the contents carefully examined : for some 

 time nothing of a suspicious nature was to be observed, but 

 presently a few of the packages were found (containing 

 material only just received from Stowmarket) which en- 

 closed disks here and there very strongly tainted with acid. 

 Not only did litmus paper readily proclaim an acid reaction, 

 but both eyes and nose at once bore evidence to the fact, 

 so marked was the presence of the free acid. 



Here, then, was no doubt the true solution of the difficulty, 

 for it is well known that impure and acidified gun-cotton 

 packed in close localities and heated continuously for some 



VOL. VIII. (O.S.)— VOL. I. (N.S.) 3 T 



