Septemmb SC. 1680,] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



J47 



ture ot the means uC flrlnjar, eran within the limita of such varia- 

 tloriB as mlgM occur la the use of an ordinary fowling piece. 



Tfe thU3 see that with the aeaond class of explosives there ia an 

 element oC unoertalnty and pomble risk, resulting from their 

 oooBtltutlon. 



Considering-, now, the Dittmar Powder in this connection, I And 

 it to consist essentially o£ two varieties of nitro-cellulose, one 

 boiDif the nona-nltro-cellulose. essentially identical with ordinary 

 explosive gun-cotton, and the otherihe iiepta and odo-nilro-collu- 

 lose,* essentially iduntioul with the so-called " neg-atlre cotton, ■■ 

 uoed to make collodion for photojrraphers. There are also pres- 

 ent some portions of other varieties ot nitro-compoimds, in some 

 (wses, as nitro-starch, nltro-sugar, etc., but these do not essen- 

 tially effect the general character of the material. 



rt also contains a portion ot niter. Its mode of manufacture ia 

 essentially that used in the preparation of the ordinary gun-cot- 

 ton. 



From this it will appear that it belongs to both the above- 

 named classes ot e.xplo3ivos, or rather possesses many of the char- 

 BOteristira of both. In so far as it ia a mtrture of two nitro-oel- 

 hilosesand niter, it tends to explode with moderate rapidity when 

 properly ignited ; and insomuch as it oonfalna a large amount of 

 Dona-nitro-cellulose it iaUable under certain oondldons to undergo 

 a detonating explosion. 



The problem of manufacturing gun-cotton of uniform qual- 

 ity, and not liable to change by keeping, and of the use of 

 the same In gunnery, has engaged the attention of Baron 

 Lencke, in Austria, and Prof. Abell, in England, as all know, for 

 more than a dozen years, and yet, as a practical outcome, I be- 

 lieve that except for dostraetive explosions, such as In mines, 

 shells and torijodoes, it is not to-day oven recommended. 



Thi-t indicates that extraordinary difHonltles have been encoun- 

 t-ered and ihaigreiit care is required in its manufacture. 



In the Dittmar powder we have, in the first place, a mixture of 

 two kinds oC nitro-cellulose, one of which is identical wil;h explo- 

 sive gun-cotton, and this, if used alone, would bo evidently open 

 to all the oWections which have restricted the use of ordinary 

 gun-cotton, but the process of manutaoturo ia so conducted as to 

 produce not only this highly explosive nitro-cellulose, but also a 

 portion of the non-explosive variety. This will, ot course, dilute 

 or restrain the violence oC the other, but as it would also by itself 

 fall to burn up outirely. sonic niter t? added to supply the needed 

 oxygen. This is essentially the theory of its action. Now, of 

 course. It Itis dimcult to make with certainty a definite nitro-cel- 

 luiose like ordinary ?un-cotton, it must be yet more difllcult to 

 produce a definite mixirure of two or more varieties of nltro- 

 ceilulo=e which shall be uniform in successive batches, and 

 hence the greatest care Is required, and each lot should be care- 

 fully tested and other precautions taken to secure tills end. 



That a powder sate under all ordinary conditions can be and is 

 now made in this way, f by no means intend to deny ; hat only to 

 point out the fact that the burdenofproof lieson the sideo those 

 who maintain the alHrmative, since the"iipr£or'i " considerations 

 lean the other way. 



In comparison with ordinary gunpowder this oocsideration is 

 worthy of attention. Tn ordinary powder no accident in manu- 

 facture or subsequent change can make It more explosive than it 

 is Intended to bo, while in any such material as the Dittmar pow- 

 der It is quite possible that in its first production it should be 

 made much more violently explosive than is intended, and by 

 keepingitmiylit undergo a change tending to increase its sensi- 

 tiveness or even to cause spontaneous explosion. The latter, I 

 admit, is not probable, but yet has occurred in the case of gun- 

 ootton on many occasions. 



In conclusion, I would say that where there was an advantage 

 in the use of such a powder as the Dittmar, warranting the accep- 

 tance of a little risk, its use would bejudicious, butthatabundant 

 evidenceof its safety should be adduced before we could fairly 

 regard it as Involving no more risk than the ordinary gun powder- 

 Hesry Morton. 

 Fourth Proof. — Inference from the Directions. 

 We Bliall permit the reader to draw his own inferences 

 from these sentences from the directions. The italics 

 and capitals are not ours, but theirs, and the directions 

 are those wliich came to us with a can of sealed powder 

 from the Dittmar Powder Manufacturing Company 

 (No. 2), Sept. Ist, 1880 :— 



" DIRTLCTJOiNS FOR LOADING DITTMAB POWDER. 



" BilKECE -LOADING Shot Gdns.— Grain: B (coarse) C (fine) :— 



"Dsefta(/m weiflht of black powder, or the same quantity (i;/ 

 meaau-re. TaiUhe powder measure a few times to pack and set- 

 tle powder down evenly. Put on 3 pink or black edge wads, for 

 pa|)«rrfic!/son« size larger than bore, and tor metaUlc shells twn 

 9i/,es larger, ovi'i ram the same well down with either hand or light 

 mallet, ir not contlned by large wads and well rammed, the 

 ppwdcr acts 'oo slow. Tae more it is pressed and confined by 

 wada, the atrongei- the results will Iks, and recoil and report In- 

 crease eiirrespijndingly. It pounded (oo hard it will produce wild 

 sbots. 



" MozztjE-LOAUiNa Shot GtJNS.— Grains : FFF (very fine) :— 



"tJae same ijU'mtUii by measure as black jiowder. Put on a couple 



ot large pink or black edge wads, or some large pasteboard wads, 



and ram thosame well down. If paper wadding be used, take 



some more than is used for black powder and ram down hard. 



The bead of ramrod should bo broad, and fit the bore as i 



possible, to be able to put the wads down evenly and solidly. 



tibdd the shot as Uiual. ITse ontu FFf for muzzle-tnwler. 



"BaE.ECH-i.OADtNQ HIFLES.— Grain: F (medium); — 



" In loading riUe-shells, care must be taken that each charge is 



evenly packed, which can easily be done by tapping the powder 



• measure alike at each load. Use precisely the same measure, or 



i to 1 In weight of black powder. Use as large and tight- titling 



bullets as possible. Should your bullets not fit tightly, or the 



shell expand too much after shooting, ao that the bullet goes in 



loosely, use a large woaI. or several thin wads, but always so that 



the powder Is not pressed, though it should be shaken and set- 

 tled down. If pressed, tile powder will not work accurately, as it 

 needs confinement, BUT NOT PRESSURE, in breech-loading 



rifles. 



" NOTICE ! All Cajiisters are sealed, and only 



warranted when the seal is unbroken." 

 Is that "Notice!" simply ridiculous, or, in -view of 



what we have now learned, is it not significant as well ? 



Fifth Proof— Mr. Carl Dittmar's Own Sworn State- 

 ments. 

 We shall now show from his own statements, made 



» ihese terms mean that in several oases nine, el^ht and seven 

 molecules of oitryla, the base of lUtrlc acid, are combined with 

 ho ceil ul ose. 



under oath, not only the fact that the so-called "Dittmar 

 Sporting Powder" is, as we have said, analagous to gim- 

 cotton and nitro-glycerine, but al.so the fact that Mr. Ditt- 

 mar was, and is. fuUy informed of the true and exceed- 

 ingly dangerous character of his powder. 



If we may credit his declaration, Mr. Dit1;mar has been 

 engaged in the manufacture of explosive compounds al- 

 mo.st tweitty years. 



ClHCUlT COBRT OF THF UNITED STATES.— ifew York, Feb. lUh, 

 1880.— Before John A. Shields, United States Commissioner for the 

 Southern District of New York. Deposition of Carl Dittmar, 

 who, being first duly sworn, deposes and states, in reply to 



Direct Question 13. And from there [the army] where? 



Answer. From there I went to Spandau, and became techni- 

 cal director of the Royal Prussian Powder Manufactory. 



Q. U. In what year was that ? 



A. 1881. 



Q. 19. State at large what species of powder you were there oc- 

 cupied in making. 



A. It was the common gunpowder. Besides that, I had charge 

 of the gun-cotton manufucture. 



Q. 23. What was the method of preparing gun-cotton at that 

 time by you? 



A. That was purified cotton immersed in a bath of nitric and 

 sulphuric acids. 



A. 28. I stayed there till about 1863. A. 28. Then I became a di- 

 rector of the alum works in Harburg. 



Q. 'M. State your occupatiou there in respect to explosive pow- 

 ders, or any experiments you may have made at that time In re- 

 spect thereto. 



A. I manufactured powder made out of sawdust and adds. 



Q. 29. State your preparations and methods of manufacture. 



A. That was in the same waij ihoA uun-entton wax made, onlii I 

 used sawd^ust instead of enllon. 



A. 32. 1 cleaned the sawdust— purified it. A. 33. Itreated It with 

 diluted acids and alkalies to get the impurities out. 



Q. 3t. Then subjooted it to what? 



A. 'to a hath of the mixed acids. 



Q. 33. In the same manner as gun-cotton ? 



A. In the same miinner as gun-cotton. 



But thi.s wiis powder alleged to have been made by him 

 in Europe. The te.stimony is introduced here only to 

 show that Mr. Dittmar claims to have been long engaged 

 in his work ; an.l also to show that according to his own 

 testimony he has been working at the manitfacture long 

 enough to have made his nitro-cellulose product uniform, 

 if it could be made uniform. 



Mr. Dittmar thinks that he knows more about the sub- 

 ject of high explosives than anyone else. In the same 

 deposition we find this : — 



Oross Q. 90V. Do you consider yourself an expert as to the 

 oharactoristios, manufacture and use of high explosives ? 



A. Yea, sir. I consider myself an expert. I think I know more 

 than anyone else about high explosives. My knowledge In high 

 explosives was known by the Prussian Government and foreign 

 governments, and I had offers from the Turkish and Kouiuanian 

 governments as early as 1883. t have made the best examinations 

 in chemistry that ever have been made in the Boyal Prussian 

 Artillery and Engineer School. I have manufactured liigh ex- 

 plosives since about the year 1851, and have continued and in- 

 vented a great many powders up to the latest date. 



Coming now to the "sporting powder" made by him 

 in this country, lie says, same deposition, Feb. 19th : — 



Cross Q. 789. Whatis Titan powder? 



A. 1 made different kinds of Titan powder ; some was my sport- 

 ing powder, which is composed ot, or at that time was composed 

 of cellulose, sugar and starch, treated with acids, and this com- 

 pound was mixed with nitro-glycerine. 



And the following day, in the same deposition, in an- 

 swer to Cross Q. 1,388. he says : — 



Sometimes I made a iiuro-glycerine powder that was nitro- 

 glycerine mi.xed with my sporting powder. That powder is not 

 the common black powder; it is [Feb. 20th, 1880] one ot my 

 inventions, consisting ot cellulose, starch and sugar treated with 

 acids. 



Cross-Q. 897. Is nitro-cellulo3e,"made as directed in the dualin 

 patent. Itself an explosive ? 



A. Yes. 



Gross-Q. 898. Is it strictly analagous to gUn-oottou ? 



A. Nitro-cellulose described in process No. 3 is analogous to 

 gun-cotton before it is mixed with nitroglycerine. 



So much to show that Mr. Dittmar himself, on his oath, 

 declares that his sporting powder is (Feb. 20th, 1880) 

 made as we liave said it is made, and that he knows it 

 to be analagous to gun-cotton, as we have said it is. 

 Let u;^ now see how he confirms us in regard to our 

 statement of his views of the relative explosive power of 

 nitro-celltdose, nitro-starch and nitro-sugar, etc. • — 



Re-direct Q. 1,812. What is nitro-ceiiuioso as to its explosive 

 qualities? 



A. It is a compound worked in the same way as uitro-glyoerlae. 

 It is detonated by a percussion Cip. It is not necessary to use a 

 percussion cap. 

 Be- direct Q. 1,«13. But tn the use of the percussion cap ? 

 A. It will detonate* the same as nitro-glycerine. 



ClBCDIT COCRT OF TBJ! UNITEIi STATES, DlSTRtCT OF CAU- 



Fon.NiA. In EQOiTr.— Before N.Austin Parks, Notary Public and 

 Special Examiner, Boston, Deo. lUrh, 1871. Deposition of Carl 

 Dittmar, who having been duly sworn, doth depose and soy as 

 follows, in answer to 



Direot Q. 131. You mention in your cross-examination gun-cot^ 

 ton : are or are not most nitro-conjpounds, such as nitro-mannitc, 

 nitro-sugar and dextrine and gum treated with nitric acid, as well 

 as gun-cotton, in their nature similar to nitro-glycerine? WUl 

 they, as a rule, explode by tJie same means and under the same 

 oondltiouB as nitro-glyoerino ? 



A. Thry are, and will so explode. 



Crois Q. 550. What is detonation ? 



A. Detonation as now generally understood with reference to 

 blasting materials is substantidUy the instantaneous and simul- 

 taneous decomposition of the explosive. 



Crota Q. 550. How is it produced 7 



A . By a shook, a strong percussion cap or striking on an anvil ; 

 also by setting the high explosive on fire under strong and close 

 oonfiiiemenu 



• Mr. Dittmarundoratandswhat detonation means. Deposition 

 Feb. IBth, ISiiO. 



es produced 

 •o-glycorlne f 



Direct Q. 135. Is the explosion of these substai 

 substantially thesame way as the explosion of niit 

 A. Yes. 



PEPOStTION BEFOKE SHIELDS. 



Re-crota Q. 1,810. (repetition of Ho-oross Q. 1,610). Is not the ex- 

 plosion of pure nitro-glycerine much quicker than the explosion 

 of ordinary nitrated compounds ? 



A No; it Is not. 1 think some nitrated compounds are atlU 

 quicker than nitro-glycerine. 



Be-ernsx Q. 1.015. Do you mean by quicker, more easy to ex- 

 plode, or more quick in explosion when made to explode? 



A. More quick in explosion, and easier, so far as they would ex- 

 plode by both means, fuse and cup. 



Re-crnss Q. l.Bld. In wliut respect, according to your theory, are 

 nitrated compounds more quick in their explosion than nitro- 

 glycerine? 



A. They have a quicker detonation and a quicker decomposi- 

 tion in the elements. 



A. to He-cross Q. 1,680. For Instance, I consider nitrate-sugar* a 

 quiclrer explosive than nitro-glycoi'lne. 



A. (o Rc-eross 1,687. Nitro-c llulose exploded by means of a 

 strong percussion cap may be just as quick as nitro-glycerine ; 1 

 consider that the slowest; it may be just the same ; it may he no 

 much different; the nitro-cellulose may be slower, but it would 

 not be ranch ; it would be nearly the same, because I consider ni- 

 trate sugar quicker. 



Be-dlreet Q. 1,715. Y^ou have stated that nitrate sugar was 

 quicker than nitro-glyot rine. Is nitrate starch quicker than 

 nitro-glycerine ? 



A. I am not so sure as to nitrate starch. 



Be-direct Q. 1,716. If not quicker, is it of the same quickness 7 



.4. About the same. 



Re-direct Q. 1,717. Is the nitrate starch mentioned in yoar du- 

 alin patent, of the same quieknesa of explosion as nllro-gly- 

 cerine? 



A. It Is either quicker, or just the same, 



A. to Oross-Q. 2,896. It [the strength ot the blasting po'^der] 

 does not deoend on the nitro-glycerine ; but I can make it just as 

 strong, if I Introduce more or less of the nitro-cellulose, or niiro- 

 starch, which are about as strong as nitro-glycerine itself if ex- 

 ploded with a strong cap. 



Mr. Dittmar may stickle on the duttlin patent starch, 

 sugar and cellulose ; but how will he stickle on this? 

 UsiTED States CJiecuit Court. 



New York, Feb. IfHh, 1880.— Before John A, Shields, 

 United States Commissioner Southern District of New 

 York. Deposition of Carl Dittmar, of Binghamton, 

 N. Y., who, being first duly sworn, deposes and states, 

 in answer to Cross Question 836 : — 



"■My gunpowder, when I first made it, had the same 

 tendency as nitroglycerine powder. It hnrst most all 

 the guns at.first, ivfien I began to introduce it. It was 



,TOST THE SAME AS IF I WOULD USE NITRO-GLYGERIKE 



POWDER, I have it noiv so thaiit is tamed down, and 

 don't burst any more guns." 



We hardly think that Mr. Carl Dittmar, or the Ditt 

 mar Powder Maittifacturing Company (No. 2), wiU try 

 to dodge that. 



There it is bare and bald. Comment could not make it 

 mean more than it says. It says all. 



Mr, Dittmar thinks that he can write the English lan- 

 guage better than he can speak it. We will compare 

 some of his written language with this verbal declaration. 

 CARL DITTMAR SAYS. 

 Writiw to Sportsmen. 



"I pledge mv word ot honor 

 that I have never sent, and 

 never will send, powder for 

 sporting purposes which should 

 have thesligh lest trace of nitro- 

 giveerine in its composition."— 

 Letter in Rod aud Gun, Aug. 

 11th, 1875, Vol. VI., page 289. 



"If some gentlemen have 

 damaged their iruns it would 

 only be by negligence, and by 

 not following my directions. It 

 is absolutely impossible to dam- 

 age a gun, we«k or strong, 

 breech or muzzle-loading, if my 

 powder is used according to my 

 in<trui;tions."— better in Kori 

 .VND GCN, Aug. 7th. 1875, Vol. 

 VI., No. 18. 



"When I first- pomraenced 

 making this new powder 1 had 





1 



j.iugh 

 iienty 

 2ty of 



Being first duly sworn. 

 "My gunpowder, when I first 

 made it, had the same tendency 

 as nitro-glycerine powder. It 

 burst moat all the guns at first, 

 when I began to introduce it. 

 It was just the same as If I 

 would use nitro-glyoerine pow- 

 der." 



correspond! 

 had a single a 

 [have filed m 

 thousnild tioie 

 guns."— Lettei 



"In conclusion 1 would say 

 that Biiortsmeri and riBemeu 

 are and have Leen experiment- 

 ing with my new powder all 

 over the eimntry, and 1 be testi- 

 monials thus tar received are in 

 the highest degree satlstao- 

 t,irr "—Uetter in Forest and 

 Stream, .Tune 2ith, 1876, Vol. 

 IV., page 315. 



Mr. Dittmar's written statements, already quoted in 

 the first part of this article, are also interesting reading 

 just here. Next week we shall publish a further exhibit 

 of like affirmations, when we come to show how Jlr. 

 Dittmar evaded the charge that his powder might det- 

 onate. 



This will be of the past. A word as to the present, 

 The " Dittmar Sporting Powder " was never a fit mate- 

 rial to put into the hands of sportsmen ignorant of ite 

 true nature. It is not now. It never wOl be. The 

 manufacturers of it may "tame it down " for a century. 

 We believe that they cannot make it, according to the 

 patent specifications, so that when used in a gtm it wi 

 give uniform results. To remove from it the ever- 

 present pot«ntiaUty of working disaster, maircing 

 and death, they must abolish the laws of nature, and re- 

 move from the universe the molecule and the atom. 



Tlie Dittmar Powder Manufacturing Company (No. 2) 

 cannot change the laws of nature. 



♦Nitrate sugar is only another expression for nitro-sugar. 



