SErTEMBEK 16, 1880.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



137 



THE BUKSTING OF DR. NASH'S QUN. 



Mount iLuBRON, Ala., Aiig. 30th. 

 Editor Forest and Stream : — 



'fhfi explosion of Dr. F.'s -gun, reported byE. W, H,, 

 "Was caused by an ovei'ciiargo of mud, and not by any 

 £ault of the powder or gun, and why he should report 

 such a case, 1 cannot see. If my gun had been lillod 

 with mud \v\v^n I ii'red il. ] svuiild have expected an ex- 

 plosion, and if I )iai.t leporled Mie case at all it would 

 have been to warn othiiro agiinat shiioting mud from 

 their guns. As the letter of E. L. H. proves aothing 

 more than that " For Meveral jvars it (the Dittmar pow- 

 der) was not uniform in quality " — a point in my favor — 

 I will pay no further notice to it. 



Another corrii-spondent. on ooTiraenting upon another 

 account with black powder, says: '' A.S far as could be 

 ascertained. t)ie g'ln was loaded with three draonms of 

 Hazard powder ,-ind ore.' ounce of shal?" Pray, how was 

 this fact aseercaiiH.'d? Did your C(trres]iondJnl'B friend 

 use gr.iiluated ineaiure.s in loading lirs gun ? and load it 

 in the presBiice of at least half a dozen gentlemen and 

 sportsmen, as I did mine? itwo facDs which 1 can estab- 

 lish) or was the jud^cing of the size of the load done by 

 the pot hunter'a method, of seeing how many fingers the 

 ramrod would stick above the mu/.zle of the gun, after 

 the load was in y or did he jiiilge by the amoimt of noise 

 the gun made when it was Jired ? 



It svas only the way in which I supported my gim, 

 that saved me from a more terrible acculent than betel I 

 me. Had. 1 extended my arnr to support the gun, a.s is 

 the usual custom, instead of supporting it, by resting my 

 left hand just under the guard, I firmly believe that it 

 woulil have torn my left arm entirely away. Still, one 

 of your corre.5poiideuts thinks the case should uot be 

 reported, buoause llie accident of bis ouiglibor with black 

 powder was not. 1 supposo vhat it tuero were a new 

 drug put upon tlie market, and I were to come near 

 losing my life from getting poisoned with it, 1 should 

 not report the case, beciuse some of your correspondent's 

 neighbors may liave been poisoned worse with arsenic 

 and tlie case not reported. There would be just as much 

 reaaoii in one case as the other. 



Through thi' kindness of Mr. T. J. Derryberry, of 

 G.tiiuesville (ihis State), 1 have had the privilege of exam- 

 ining the .\ii:<. .Till number of Forest and Stke.ui, and 

 I notice idr, \'oii Lengerke's report upon what he calls the 

 Nash piwder, viz, tlie. Dittmar powder tiiat exploded my 

 gun. 1 have not yet had time to examine this report enuugii 

 to thoroughly understand it. I see, however, that the 

 test of this powder lias shown it to be so far below iiie 

 strength of the standard Dictiuer powder that it is terri- 

 ble to think what the powder in full strength would do 

 Were it to get into one of its craz\' fits, as did the powder 

 wlien it burst my gun. Tliere is something very sti-ange 

 that this powder siiould show Buoh little strength, and 

 act so mildly at all times, Rxoept when it was used by 

 me, and then a small charge of the jiowder cause such a 

 terrilHc exploLSHin us to completely .tear to pieces a gun 

 that has sij suici-HsliiUy wiilistood many luuidreds ot 

 charges that contained a' great deal uiore of' black poivdt-r, 

 and that, too, when tlic black po.vder is sliown to be so 

 muoli the stronger, 1 am compelled to repeat the ques- 

 tion asked by the Dittmar .Powder Company, and ask 

 " what caused the accident ?'" is this powder liable to 

 get into crazy lits, or what can be the cause? I am not 

 prepared to believe that the faalt was in the gun. If so, 

 ■why could not a mucii greater quantity of black powdi 



tear it ti 

 bursting 

 which tl 

 would h; 

 craidted 

 the case. 

 were pi-i 

 could 



id bt 



idling more than a. 

 11, and tlic edges from 

 II blackening or rust, 1 



■k1 liad lieen previously 





ml I 



.•d ir. 



npc 



■ pi.^c^'w-as'Linmed 

 .\\eU tliiit, lliH biii-st 

 oviniis crack. The 

 un. from brtccU to 

 lid them considera- 

 t. sliows considera- 

 after examination 

 ildercd througliout, 



.... , „ -. 'eldWe'e^y by'^y 



close examination. TUe scattering of spriii-s, lock-plates, 

 lugs, fore end, barrels, nb, and, in fad, almost/^very part 

 of the gun, was done in such a manner, and indicates so 

 mucli force that it Ciuisi-d iriaiiv persons 10 express them- 

 selves as bclic-vin^ ti:at tliiLB itmi:.- the amount of black 

 powder could u.it have pioilueed the same results. Then, 

 what has caused the troiilili.'? How lis it that this weak 

 explosive did, at this particular time, [iroduce such a ter- 

 rible explosion, if it will at other times, and under dif- 



it lia\ 

 tearing apart of ilie barrels 

 muzzle, and with such to 

 bly and tlirow thjm fent^v 

 ble jiower, especially so,' 

 the barrels seem to have been wejl 

 except a very small spot about three i 

 zle of the gun, not enough to be i 



fereut circumstances, produce different re.suUs ? If this 

 ia the case, it is more dangerous than if it would show 

 this gigantic strength at all times, for then we would be 

 upon our guard, but as it is, we are liable to be torn to 

 pieces at a time we least expect it. I am forced to be- 

 lieve that the powder manufactured by the old Dittmar 

 Powder C(inipany is dangerous, and would be unwilling 

 to ever use it again. 



The Dittmar' Powder Manufacturing Company say : 

 " We jiositively declare that the Nash Powder was not of 

 our manufacture, was not sold by us, and was never in 

 our posses-sion." If this is the case it is wrong for me to 

 censure the present company for the damages which I 

 received from the powder put up by the old company. I 

 am anxious to learn the names of all the members of both 

 the old !»nd newDittmar Powder Companies, and whether 

 there was a complete change of hands when the old com- 

 pany sold out to the new company about a year ago, I 

 have in some way received the impression that both the 

 old andnew companies have been entu-ely under the di- 

 rection of Mr. Carl Dittmar. If this is the case, it seems 

 to me that the Dittmar Powder Company are bringing 

 about a contusion when they say that they are disiuter- 

 ested parties, for at least one of them is, or at one time 

 was, interested in the manufacture of this old powder. 



In bringing my sad experience with the " old Dittmar 

 powder" to the notice of my brother sporlsnieii, 1 did it 

 with the kindest feelings for them, hoping that 1 might, 

 by reporting the accident, prevent some of them iL.im 

 losing their lives, or having to bear the dreadful sullir- 

 ing which I have had to bear, and be niaile (.-npijles for 

 life as I have been. The many letters which I have re- 

 ceived from sportsmen throughout the United .States ex- 

 press the kindest sympathy for rne at a time that it was 

 most needed, and have shown their gratitude for mj^ good 

 inten tio ns. To such I wish, through FoRBST AND Stream. 

 to return many thanks. S. P. Nash. 



Forest and Stream Publishing Company : — 



I certainly feel myself under very many obliga- 

 tions to you for the kindness you have manifested to- 

 ward me in the Dittmar powder case, I think that 1 

 have noticed on the part ot the Dittmar Powder Com- 

 pany a desire to bias you in their favor, but to no pur- 

 pose, You have shown yourselves to be men that form 

 your opinions from the evidence produced, and willing 

 to give each one a fair and impartial hearing. \our 

 fairness will secure for Forest and Stream many friends, 

 for kind fair dealing is not without its reward. ' S. P. N. 

 ♦ 



Kail ynooTiso at Stratford. — The Largest flight of 

 rail known for years took place at Stratford, Conn.. 

 recently. Up to now 1 have killed 737. The largest 

 bags on any one tide wore 67, 1)3, 113, 130, 180. The 

 ground shot over is not extensive, but the high tides 

 enabled the pusher to drive them out of the cat-taUs. 

 The day I bagged 180 I scored but one miss. 



F. B. 

 ♦ 



SHERBT400K, P. Q., Sept. nth.—Oux party returned 

 li-um S,,ider Lake on the 6th inst. Shot one bear, about 

 ■lO'j [iounds weight, one deer, and caught plenty of bass. 

 Too early for trout, and streams very low. Bear, moose, 

 cariboo and deer tracks plentiful in the " burnt ground," 

 about four miles from Upper Spider, Shall try again 

 early in November. Raii from here to Lake Megantio, 

 about seventy miles. Boat twelve miles through the lake 

 and portage of one mile to Spider Lake. Team to carry 

 traps across ijortage. Good guides §3. 



^ D. Thomas. 



Bears Abundant.— JSonie, N. F., Sept. lOWi.— Bears 

 are reported to beat work at Point Rock, a place twelve 

 liles from Rome, and are doing coiisiiJerable damage to 

 ornfields in that vicinity. One man driving in the road 

 saw a bear come out of the woods and walk leisurely 

 along the road about twelve rods in front of tiie team, 

 and so continued to waUi about four or five rods. The 

 bear then turned into the woods, where he waited till the 

 team passed, and then came out, and went liack on the 

 road. A young cub was killed liy two dogs who were 

 hniiliiig on their own hook at Point Itock last week. 

 Their oe.'uers hearing a noise went into the woods the 

 next day and there laid the cub, torn to pieces, at the 

 (ij'ot of a tree. The tree was well scratched, which Mr. 

 Bear had tried to olimb, but was pulled down by the dogs 

 every time he started to go up. ' * 



tively iifine. The best gunners cwnot get half a dozen a 

 day, and 1 iievr-r saw the pr.airin in finer condition for 

 game, and 1 cannot accouiitfm-its scarcity. Have had one 

 or two very violent gales of wind, one of wliitli very 

 nearly submerged oi'ir little |,,)nni. and a great iimtiou of 

 the prairie, wdiich may probably be the cause. I'o make 

 up for the loss of gunning, a great quantity of flsh have 

 been caught, especially since the storm. U . A. 



Sportsmen Leatins by the C. and N. W. E. R.—CM- 

 cctgo, Sept. 13Wi.— The hunting car City of Worcester, of 

 Worcester, Mass., left Cliicago via Chicago antl North- 

 western Railroad, Thursday noon, 0th inat., with Mr, 

 Jerome Martile and party on board, bound for Ida, Iowa, 

 where they will remain three weeks, chicken shootiiio-, 

 and then ko to Wisma-, Northeast Nebra.'ska. on the Sioux 

 City and Pacific Railway. 



Mr, K. P. FKiwer, of New York city, with apariv of 

 eight friends, left Chicago by the Chicago ami North- 

 western Railroad in a special car for Northern Minnesota 

 for a Jiunting trip. Mr. 11. S. Turrill and son were among 

 the honored ones, and we trust all -the birds will be ahol 

 on the wine-. 



Mr. \Vm. Bliss, President of the Boston and Albany Rail- 

 road, and George Darling, Ceneral Manager of White Star 

 Line Transit Company, with six friends, left Chicago via 

 Chicago and Nortlivvestern Railroad, in a special car, on ' 

 Friday evening, tith inst,, for Sleepy-eye Lake, on ahunt- 



Ldgaf H. Keilijgg, Superintendent of Agents of Home 

 Lite lusiuvmce Company, with A. W. Kellogg, of Naples, 

 Iowa, and H. D, Fisher, of Mauasho, Wis., left by the 

 same road on Monday, l3th inst.. for chicken shooting. 

 The shooting in the Northwest is splendid this season, 

 and hundreds of sportsmen from the East arc enjoying a 

 feast of game. 



TiiXAS—Tndianola, Sept. 2rf.— Gai 

 in this immediate vicinity this seasi 

 time of year you can kill all the ■■ i 

 about carrying home, but this year' 



::IIi scarce 

 at this 



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