April 36, 1888.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



271 



once civilization sets in. Those who have an idea that 

 the great West is practically boundless, will find if they 

 trace the progress of clearing up and settling every year 

 that about the last thing the average settler thinks of is 

 how to secure the greatest amount of attractiveness along 

 with profit. A pioneer has generally no time to be 

 aesthetic. It is for the Government, and for the Govern- 

 ment alone, to preserve this beautiful domain in such 

 shape that no matter how many greedy eyes may be cast 

 upon it, it shall remain intact.— Auburn (JV. F.) Morning 

 Dispatch, 



The lawless trespassing that is going on continually in 

 the Yellowstone Park, resulting in great injury to this 

 splendid national pleasure ground, cannot be too strongly 

 condemned. Stringent measures should be adopted by 

 Congress providing for the severe punishment of the van- 

 dals who are waging a war of extermination against the 

 rare species of large game, now in their last places of 

 refuge. We heartily indorse the movement begun by the 

 Forest and Stream — the petitioning of Congress for the 

 enactment of a law protecting and preserving the. Yellow- 

 stone Park.— Greensburgli (Pa.) Evening Press. 



SCHULTZE POWDER EXPERIMENTS. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



Since the introduction of Schultze gunpowder to the 

 shooting public of the States, I have inquiries from several 

 correspondents as to the behavior of Schultze in the gun 

 barrel as compared with that of black gunpowder, the 

 points upon which information has been asked being, 

 how is it that with an acknowledged slower ignition with 

 the Schultze and a less pressure in powder chamber, the 

 velocity is yet superior to that given by black powder, 

 and alsb, is Schultze suitable for rifles? And I have been 

 asked to reply in your columns. This I propose to do 

 with your kind permission. The behavior of the two 

 kinds of powder in the gun barrels can be best exempli- 

 fied by the following experiments: 



A 12-bore barrel oOin. long is pierced with holes situated 

 at lin. and 2|in. from the breech, i. <?., just in front of 

 the powder charge and just in front of the shot charge. 

 In these holes are fitted movable plugs which are con- 

 nected electrically with a chronographic arrangement 

 for registering minute intervals of "time, the registering 

 taking place as soon as the plugs are moved outward by 

 the internal pressure of the gas in the barrel. Electrical 

 connection is also made at the primer, registering the 

 moment the primer is struck by the striker: also a similar 

 connection is made with the trigger, registering the 

 moment the impulse of discharge is given to the trigger. 

 Lastly, electrical connections are made at the muzzle of 

 the gun and at the target, distant 35yds. from the muzzle, 

 giving the moment of time when the shot arrives at the 

 muzzle of the gun, and again when (by specially con- 

 structed target) the body of the charge of shot reaches 

 the target. The different stages being (1) trigger to cap: 

 (2) cap to first development of pressure sufficient to start 

 the charge: (3) this again until the charge is fairly started 

 and the pressure is developed at the end of the chamber: 

 (i) the tiarel down the barrel; (5) flight of shot from 

 muzzle to target; (6) total from pull of trigger to arrival 

 of shot at target at 35yds. range. The experiments were 

 made with Curtis & Harvey's black diamond grain, and 

 Schultze, in shells with weaker and also with stronger 

 primers, the weaker being Eley's ordinary and the 

 stronger Eley's "large cap" shell. The results obtained 

 are tabulated as follows, charge 3drs. powder, l^oz No. 

 6 chilled shot, 270 to ounce: 



Kind of powder. 



1. Ni 



mi 



3 H4qt " 



• CD ffi d 



On-O 



2. ^ 



lt| 



3. 3 



&g$l 



If 



| lli 



4. 



Pf 



m ^ O 

 • 3 2 



||S 



" c" 



Total from pull 

 • of trigger to 

 target. 





Sec. 



Sec. 



Bsc. 



Sec. 



Sec. 



Sec. 



C. & H. black No. 2. 



.00320 



.00158 



.00063 



.60169 



.11110 



.1172 



C.&H.blackNo.4. 



.00220 



.00209 



.00137 



.00204 



.11800 



.1237 



C. & H. black No. 6. 



.00220 



.C0255 



.00160 



.00215 



,12160 



.1301 



Schultze weaker / 

 primer. \ 



Schultze stronger / 

 primer. j 



.00220 



.00306 

 .00214 



.00192 

 .00175 



.00202 

 .00199 



,11540 

 .11540 



.1352 

 .1235 



Remarks — 1. The time from trigger to cap is variable 

 under different circumstances with different guns and 

 different shooters, but in this series the circumstances 

 were constant and the time constant throughout. 



2. These times show very clearly the effect size of 

 grain has on the speed of ignition of black gunpowder, 

 also how much more slowly Schultze ignites with a 

 weaker primer than when used with a stronger primer. 



3. These times show the relative speed of the continued 

 combustion after the first ignition , and it is noticeable 

 how Schultze gives slower time, until clear of the gun 

 chamber. 



4. When fairly ignited however Schultze sends the 

 shot down the barrel rather more quick that No. 4 black, 

 producing at the muzzle therefore a better velocity. 



5. The mean velocity in feet per second correspond- 

 ing with these times is in the several instances : 

 Black No. 2. 945 : black No. 4, 905 ; black No. 6, 863 ; 

 Schultze, 910. 



(5, The total gives a fairly average time from the im- 

 pulse of the finger on the trigger until the range of 35 

 yards is reached by the bodj r of the charge. The slower 

 ignition of Schultze in the powder chamber naturally 

 produces a lower pressure strain on the gun chamber 

 than does black No. 2 or 4. The combustion is continued 

 further up the barrel and the strain is more equally dis- 

 tributed. My own experiments show these pressures to 

 stand at the highest point in the following ratio, taking 

 Schultze as standard: Schultze, 1. 000 : black No. 2, 

 1.71)5; black No. 4, 1.094; black No. 6, .855. 

 Messrs. Curtis & Harvey publish as the results obtained 

 bv their experiments : Schultze, 1.000 ; black No. 4, 

 1.113; black, No. 0, .90S. 



An average of these figures would give probably a 

 fairly accurate estimate of the actual relative pressures • 

 in a 12-bore gun with 3 drams powder and loz. No. 6 I 

 shot. How then, with a slower igniting powder like ! 



Schultze, and giving less pressure, is the excellent pen- 

 etration and velocity obtained? From two causes, 

 Schultze gives off considerably greater volume of gas 

 charge for charge than does black, roughly speaking in 

 tin? proportion of 3 to 2, This would in* itself, other 

 things being equal, give an abundantly greater velocity 

 than black, but it is modified by the fact that the tem- 

 perature of combustion of Schultze is considerably 

 lower than that of black, and by the laws regulating the 

 expansion of gases, the gas from Schultze being at a 

 lower temperature does not occupy the same volume that 

 it would were it at the temperature of combustion of 

 black. 



Tire gases from Schultze, therefore, not depending so 

 much upon heat for their volume, lose less volume in 

 comparison by expansion in the barrel of the gun, and 

 retain throughout a greater proportion of their original 

 force. In short, with Schultze the abundance of gases 

 •given off in combustion and the lower temperature at 

 which they are evolved, enable the work to be done with 

 a less imtial pressure, and a more equal pressure in the 

 barrel. 



Another cause helping to the same result is the amount 

 of solid residue given by Schultze as compared with black, 

 the latter having to project a large portion of its own 

 weight from the gam as solid matter, which virtually 

 adds to the weight of the projectile and diminishes 

 velocity, while Schultze, giving a residue of only 10, as 

 compared with black, 52, has less work to do and is able 

 the better to do what it has to do. 



To insure the best results with Schultze it must be used 

 with a fairly strong primer, and though not heavily 

 rammed, must have the first wad well and firmly seated 

 upon it; this wad should fit tightly to the shell, the 

 crimping should be sufficient to make a firm, compact 

 cartridge; and, finally, the gun should be held straight. 



Schultze in rifles is not recommended for large calibers, 

 it gives excellent shooting in all calibers up to .400, but 

 beyond these it has not done perfectly in Express rifles, 

 nor does it seem to answer so well in the bottle-neck 

 chamber as in the straight chamber. It is manufactured 

 with a view to meet the requirements of the sporting gun, 

 and is not generally recommended for the rifle, though 

 for smaller calibers it is very useftd, and the very slight 

 report produced by Schultze is a great advantage. The 

 only point to notice in loading for rifles is that the bullet 

 should be held by a tight crimp in the case so as to insure 

 the initial resistance necessary to the development of the 

 best qualities of Schultze gunpowder. 



R. W. L. Griffith, 

 Superintendent Schultze Gunpowder Co. 



EruwoiiTii Lodgk, Lyndhurst, Hants. 



DAYS AT CADDO LAKE. 



A WRITER in one of the back numbers of Forest 

 and Stream speaks of northern Louisiana as "a 

 hunter's paradise." Audubon considered it such in his 

 time, and such it remains to the present day. 



Not long since I. spent a winter among the lakes and 

 bayous of the Red River country in northwestern Louisi- 

 ana and northeastern Texas, and I have never found a 

 country more richly deserving the above title. I look 

 upon that winter as one of the red-letter seasons of my 

 life. Having Shreveport as headquarters, lakes Bodeau 

 and Bistineau were within easy reach on the east, and 

 lakes Soda and Caddo on the west. These, with innumer- 

 able other smaller lagoons and bayous, furnished all the 

 wildfowl the gunner could desire for winter's sport, 

 while the pine woods and bottom lands afforded deer, 

 turkeys, squirrels, quail, etc., whenever his taste turned 

 in that direction. During the two months following Nov. 

 15 there were only three days cold enough to inconveni- 

 ence the camper. There were several rainy days during 

 the latter part of the time. But other%vise the weather 

 was all that could be desired. 



With my partner, Jo W. , and accompanied by a trusty 

 gentleman of African descent, provided with boat, tent, 

 etc., I made my first camp for the winter on Caddo Lake. 

 Of the sport we had there I will give you a few incidents. 



On the north side of Caddo Lake there is an island con- 

 taining probably one hundred acres, covered with high 

 grass and dotted with clumps of pine timber, which we 

 lound to be a favorite hiding place for deer. The island 

 is separated on one side from the mainland by a narrow 

 strip of shallow water. One morning Jo and I went 

 to tliis island and Jo secreted himself on the mainland 

 where the water was narrowest, while I went round to 

 the opposite side of the island and began to beat up the 

 cover toward him. When about half way across the 

 island, I saw ahead of me the white tail of a deer going 

 toward the neck, and soon after two more broke cover on 

 the side of the island, and swam to the mainland without 

 going to the neck. Soon I heard the report of Jo's gun, 

 and when I reached the neck he had a fine deer ready for 

 the boat. Several mornings after we went back, Jo 

 doing the driving, while I took the stand. Four deer ran 

 off the island, and took the water some distance to my 

 right, but I succeeded in getting within shooting distance 

 just as the last one reached the bank, and stopped him. 



One morning we were on a long point of land running 

 out into the lake. The ducks in flying from one feeding- 

 ground to another were apt to pass over this point. Jo 

 had a blind under a clump of brush on one side of the 

 tongue of land, and I one on the other side, while Tom, 

 the darky, stirred up the ducks with the boat. Between 

 early dawn and sunrise we had been having fine shoot- 

 ing and had bagged fourteen ducks. Soon after sunrise, 

 as we were preparing to leave for the camp, we heard 

 shooting and the barking of a dog off to the south of us 

 upon the main land, and soon a flock of turkeys flew off 

 and alighted upon a long narrow island about half a mile 

 to the east of us. This island was probably three-fourths 

 of a mile long, and nowhere more than 200yds. wide and 

 in many places not more than fifty, and covered with 

 cypress and gum timber. The turkeys alighted near the 

 middle of it. We immediately got into our boat and 

 went to the nearer end of the island, where I got out, 

 while Jo kept on to the other end, taking a roundabout 

 way and keeping behind some cypress timber. Then we 

 began to advance toward each other, slowly, secreting 

 ourselves behind trees and bushes as much a? possible, 

 and keeping a sharp lookout ahead. I had advanced 

 nearly half the length of the island when, peeping around 

 the spreading roots of a large cypress, I saw the turkeys 

 coming toward me, running as though they had heard 

 or seen something behind them. I waited until they . 



came within range, and then selecting the largest gobbler 

 I fned and rolled him over, and as they rose to fly I cut 

 down another. Jo stopped a fine young gobbler that 

 turned in his direction as it rose. 



Ducks and geese were plentiful, and we cotdd get as 

 many as we cared for without decoys, so we used none. 

 Sometimes the ducks arrive in Southern waters before 

 the alligators hibernate. At such times the hunter must 

 do his own retrieving, as a nice fat dog suits an alliga- 

 tor's palate better than almost anything else, and if a dog 

 ventures into the water when they are around, it is a 

 doubtful case if he gets out again. * I have known valu- 

 able deerhounds to be lost by venturing into the water 

 after deer. But a deer can swim wherever he likes and 

 the alligators do not notice him. 



I had read of the anhinga, or snake bird or water tur- 

 key, but had never seen it until this winter. It is so shy 

 it is seldom that the hunter gets a shot at one. We saw 

 them at a distance several times, but one day we were on 

 a low island watching for ducks, when we saw a flock of 

 these birds coming toward us. They passed within 

 about 80yds. of us, and we each fired two shots at them 

 arid one fell. 



I had in my outfit a ,32cal. Frank Wesson rifle, which 

 I used whenever practicable. One day we started on foot 

 to explore along the shore. Jo, who was an ardent lover 

 of the shotgun, never used a rifle. Seeing me start out 

 with the rifle, he asked what I was going to do with that 

 pea-shooter. I told him that if he did not watch his cor- 

 ners I would bring to camp more game that night than he 

 did. We started several flocks of ducks, but most of 

 them got up too far away for Jo to get a shot. Soon we 

 saw a single duck swimming a good distance away. I 

 asked Jo why he did not shoot it. He replied that prob- 

 ably he could if it were about half as far off. I shot at it 

 with the rifle and killed it. We found several squirrels, 

 and I got five and Jo three. I shot two more ducks and 

 Jo got f our. 



As we were returning to camp we saw a white crane 

 standing on a point across a little bay from us. "All!" 

 said Jo, "bow I would like him for a specimen, but we 

 can't get any nearer without going round the bay, and 

 he will be gone before we get round." I replied, "Let us 

 see what the pea shooter will do in this case." The crane 

 was standing with his back directly toward us, with his 

 head and neck in a line above his body. I steadied the 

 little rifle against a tree and drew a bead upon the center 

 of his back, then raised the gun up along his neck to his 

 head and fired. The crane dropped, the bullet cutting 

 the backbone in two just helow where the neck joined 

 the body. It was a long shot, and about as good a one as 

 I ever made. 



We spent the time very pleasantly, hunting ducks and 

 geese early in the morning and late in the evening, and 

 roaming the woods for whatever off f red sport during the 

 da v , or lying around camp, cleaning guns, loading shells 

 and keeping things in order generally. Tom was an ex- 

 cellent camp cook, and we lived upon the fat of the land, 

 bread, coffee, game and canned fruit, with sweet pota- 

 toes, eggs and butter procured of the neighboring 

 planters. Lew Willow. 



THE GROUSE AND THE SQUIRRELS. 



n. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



We were awakened in the morning by the din made by 

 the little alarm clock; and, as there was sport ahead for us, 

 the first thing we were interested in of course was the 

 weather. Hastily dressing and going to the door we 

 found that there was not a cloud to be seen; the stars 

 were shining brightly, while over the mountain in the 

 west the moon was just bidding us good night — or rather 

 good morning. The gray streaks in the east were grow- 

 ing brighter, and old chanticleer was waking the echoes 

 of the surrounding hills, from his perch on the barnyard 

 gate. The brook, with its frost-trimmed banks, was 

 humming a merry tune as it rippled and gurgled its way 

 down through the old meadow, while from overhead 

 came the quack., quack, of a pair of dusky ducks that 

 were on their way to Long Pond, a mile away. Just 

 then the hired man came in with two large pails full of 

 foaming milk and gave us an invitation to help ourselves. 

 Oh you that spend all of your lives in the city; you that 

 think, when you pay seven or eight cents a quart for poor 

 spoiled water, that you have milk to use, if you could 

 have had one good long pull and a good strong pull at the 

 contents of those two pails, probably you would think as 

 I did and as I remarked then, God bless the country and 

 its products. The city is all well enough for business 

 purposes, but as a rule — eleven months in the year— give 

 me the old farm after all. 



Uncle John greeted us cheerily with a cordial good 

 morning and said that he was going over beyond the oak 

 lot after some cider apples, and if we wished we could 

 ride with him and interview the gray squirrels, and then 

 ride home with him on his return. Of course we were 

 only too glad to accept the invitation, so after a good 

 breakfast we started. 



"Boys," said Uncle John, "did you ever hunt where 

 birds were so plenty that you did not have to take any 

 aim, but just blaze away as fast as you could load?" "No, 

 of course not. Where and when did such an opportun- 

 ity ever offer itself?" we asked, knowing that something 

 was up by the twinkle in the old man's eye. 



"Well," said Uncle John, knocking his pipe against 

 the wagon tire, "it was a long time ago down on the 

 Cape, there came a fearful storm with high winds, and 

 all kinds of water birds were driven inland, and of course 

 took to the ponds for fresh water. Now, the story was 

 told by old Nickerson and I will" tell it to you as he told 

 it, the lesson I wish to teach is to shoot at some particu- 

 lar bird when shooting at a flock or flight of birds. Nick- 

 erson said: 'The air was so full of birds that it fairly dark- 

 ened the earth, and as there were so many of them I 

 loaded and fired without stopping to take _ aim ; then 

 rammed down another charge and fired again straight 

 up into the air; then again I loaded and fired, and loaded 

 and fired, and loaded and fired, and then loaded and 

 fired, and once more loaded and fired until my ammu- 

 nition was exhausted. After I had fired the old gun 

 until she was so hot that I could hardly hold her in my 

 hands and my head was ready to split open with the 

 deafening shock and report, I began to think I could 

 gather up my game and go home. And now, gentlemen.' 

 said he, 'how many birds of all kinds would you guess I 

 had killed?'" 



