Dec. 16, 1893.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



828 



Game Near Asheville. 



ASHEVILLB, N. C, Dec. 1. — The hunting season in Ashe- 

 ville has opened in great shape, and those who have been 

 in the field say that quail are ijlentiful. They also report 

 a large flight of woodcock, and in the lowlands just south 

 of Asheville, on the French Broad Eiver, woodcock and 

 snipe shooting has already commenced. The largest indi- 

 vidual bag yet made in one day was sixty-five birds by a 

 well-known hunter here. Last week a party was organ- 

 ized for a deer hunt, in which the week was consumed. 

 The party went out into the Smoky Mountaia range 

 within sight of Asheville. The result of the week's hunt- 

 ing was four bucks and three does. They had very httle 

 trouble in finding the deer, and besides this rather large 

 bag, members of the party killed in all twenty-six wild 

 turkeys, one wild__hog and numerous pheasants and quail. 

 The Battery Park'Hotel has become headquarters for a lot 

 of sportsmen and the Hunt Club is the feature of the day 

 at present in Asheville. The section immediately sur- 

 rounding Asheville is without doubt the best huating sec- 

 tion in North Carolina. Almost any sort of game can be 

 found easily, and this is accounted for by the fact that 

 nearly all of the land around Asheville is posted and the 

 shooting privileges are in possession of some members of 

 the Hunt Club. There is no difficulty for the visitors to 

 secure shooting privileges. 



The game preserve which is being completed by Mr. 

 Greo. W. Vanaerbilt, in connection with his magnificent 

 mansion, will be the finest game preserve tn the world. 

 It comprises about 60,000 acres of magnificent forest and 

 good vantage ground for game. It is said that he wiU im- 

 port almost every kind of game that can flourish in this 

 climate, and it is expected that within the next two or 

 three years the evtensive preserve will be completed. The 

 preserve, of course, is within sight of Asheville, and will 

 comprise a large portion of the Mt. PLsgah range of moun- 

 tains. ^ 



Illinois Game. 



Neponset, 111., Dec. 3. — The game season has prac- 

 tically closed m this section of the State. For some un - 

 known cause prairie chicken and quail, and even the cot- 

 ton tail rabbit have been scarce. Owing to the scarcity 

 of game, trap-shooting has been carried on to more than 

 the usual extent. But to me the sport at the trap falls 

 far short of a day in the stubble or in the marsh or the 

 forest. Regardless of the favorable spring and summer, 

 there was a great shortage in the prairie chicken crop. 

 A bag of half a dozen birds for a man with his dog would 

 have been considered an exceedingly good day's shoot. 

 The quail season closed Nov. '60 with but little game 

 bagged. We have as good a waterfowl marsh as can be 

 found in this part of the State, but owing to the lack of 

 fall rains haven't had the water to make shooting as good 

 as usual. Thousands of ducks find their way into Chicago 

 markets from the Winnebago and St. Peter marshes 

 annually. 



1 have a letter from George S. Wells, an old friend of 

 mine, of Lewlston, Mon., who, in company with anotber, 

 had just returned from a deer hunting trip among the 

 foot-hilLs of the Rockies. He says that heavy snows ren- 

 dered it impossible for them to procure feed for their 

 saddle horses and pack animals, and owing to this fact 

 their trip was greatly shortened. But Wells did not re- 

 turn with empty i)ack saddles; that is not his nature. He 

 will stay on the trail as long as any man 1 ever knew. 

 On this trip Wells and his companion brought back for 

 the result of a seven-day trip the carcasses of eigh t black 

 tail deer, besides an abundance of small game. Mr. 

 Wells reports a goodly quantity of both large and small 

 game throughout the country they traversed. R. E. M. 



Back from the Maine Woods. 



Dr. George McAleer and friends have returned from 

 their winter hunting trip. On their way from the head- 

 waters of the Dead River to their camp in the Moose River 

 Valley, which is only a blazed ti'ail through the wilder- 

 ness, two miles of which is along the summit of the boun- 

 dary mountains, they encountered the fresh footprints of 

 an enormous bear, which measured 7 by Sin. It was de- 

 cided to go in pursuit the next morning, but Gin. of snow 

 fell during the night and destroyed all chance of success, 

 so this was abandoned. But what spoiled the bear hunt 

 was just what was needed for still-hunting, and so the 

 party turned its attention to other gatue. They saw 

 forty-four deer while in camp and killed two does, four 

 bucks and a very lai-ge bull caribou. They made several 

 efforts to locate moose in the many mountain gorges and 

 notches and over into Kibby Valley, but the trail picked 

 up and followed one day would be entirely obliterated the 

 next by the heavy snowfall that occurred every day while 

 in camp, and so they were unable to get a. shot. They 

 speak in terms of highest praise of their cook, Hei'b Heal, 

 and the extensive and elaborate menu prepared for their 

 Thanksgiving dinner. When they left there was a depth 

 of 15in. of snow on a level, and they describe the forest in 

 its heavy mantle of snow as a wealth of beauty and love- 

 liness, and tlie glistening of the mountain tops in the ris- 

 ing and setting sun a marvel of richness and splendor 

 worth making the journey to see. — Worcester {Mass.) Spy. 



Deer in Connecticut. 



West Winsted, Conn., Dec. 4.— Thinking that it might 

 interest you to know that we still have deer in Connecti- 

 cut, 1 inclose slip taken from the Winsted Citizen, Nov. 29: 

 "The first deer seen in this locality in years was seen be- 

 tween Winsted and New Hartford in the town of Bark- 

 hamsted this morning. A number of farmers and rail- 

 road hands witnessed the rare object, as it disappeared in 

 the woods. Shortly after i) o'clock this morning near the 

 old dam of Barkhamsted, bordered by the highway and 

 Philadelphia, Reading & New England tracks on one side 

 and woods on the opposite side, the deer was discovered 

 near the old -wrecked shanty situated near the dam, by 

 farm hands. Section Boss Heaney of Winsted was a wit- 

 ness and says the deer was a good sized one. The farmers 

 immediately gave chase, but the deer was too fleet footed 

 and escaped by taking to the woods. W. B. P. 



[Connecticut farmers would do just as well not immedi- 

 ately to give chase, for the law protects deer in that State 

 for ten yeai's to come.] 



Genesee Valley. 



Rochester, N. Y., Dec. 5. — The annual meeting of the 

 Genesee Valley Fish and Game Protective and Propagat- 

 ing Association occurs on the evening of Jan. 10, at 

 Rochester. F. J, Amsden. 



MODERN SPORTING GUNPOWDERS 



In the Light of the Public Powder and 

 Primer Tests Carried out at Chi- 

 cago and Carney's Point, 

 New Jersey. 



BY ARMIN TENNER, 

 Expert tn Gunpowder, Gims and Ammunition. 



[Continued from page li98.] 



With reference to the figures quoted in Table G atten- 

 tion must be called to the fact that the DuPont, the Wals- 

 rode leaf and Schultze powders (Pompton) were fired in 

 the several shells while the weather was clear and com- 

 paratively dry, and that rain set in at the time when the 

 ignition test had reached the Schultze powder, whereby 

 the hmnidity in the air was considerably increased, the 

 effect of which is noticeable with this and the other 

 powders, which aU show a decrease in bursting strain and 

 velocities as compared with the corresponding figures ob- 

 tained under normal conditions. The velocities dropped, 

 even with the No. 3 primer, frequently below the limit 

 representing a sufficient killing force, considering that a 

 velocity below 750 can no longer be regarded an equiva- 

 lent for a satisfactory penetration, 



The effect of the moistm-e as here illustrated is very in- 

 structive for the gunner. By examining these figures, he 

 will find the explanation for the question, why occasion- 

 ally, in rainy weather, the bu-ds appear to be more tough 

 than in dry weather? Why he will not succeed in bring- 

 ing them down in the usual style? It is because the hair 

 of an animal or the feathers of a bird are wet that the 

 pellets do not seem to do as effective work, the gtmner is 

 told. Not a bit of it. The wet hair or feathers are not re- 

 sponsible for such a phenomenon. It is the powder, as a 

 rule, which, owing to its susceptibility to moisture, fails 

 to develop a sufficient penetrative power. 



It is claimed for the gun cotton powders that they are 

 not susceptible to the influence of moisture, or at least in 

 a less degree than other powders. • To ascertain how far 

 such a claim is justified, it was concluded, after the effect 

 of moisture had been felt even with the E. C. powder, to 

 settle this question at this point of the experiments. 

 Consequently a nmnber of shells were loaded with the 

 standard charges of DuPont's and the two Walsrode 

 smokeless powders and fired, and this experiment proved, 

 as will be seen by the figures quoted, that indeed the gun 

 cotton powders are very little affected by an ordinary de- 

 gree of moisture tn the air. 



Resuming the theme at issue, it is shown by the figures 

 that the best results for the DuPont's Smokeless powder 

 were obtained w^^h the Eley and Smokeless shell, which 

 gave about the same values, and, if we take the bursting 

 strain in consideration, that the Smokeless shell takes the 

 first place. The Winchester Rival shell produced quite 

 sufficient velocities, with comparative moderate bursting 

 strains, but occasionally hang-fires were noticeable, 

 which, by the way, were experienced with all common 

 primers, and even in some cases with the Winchester 

 No. 3 j)rimer, a phenomenon explained by the result of 

 the ignition test as shown in Table L. Even the Nitro 

 Club shell did not quite hold its own in all cases, although 

 the velocities obtained with this primer may still be re- 

 garded as satisfactory. The U. S. Rapid shell pi-oved to 

 be somewhat weak for the DuPont's Smokeless which, 

 like all gun cotton powders, rejquires a strong primer. 

 The Walsrode powder can only be used in special shells 

 or exploded with a No. 3 primer such as that of the 

 Smokeless shell, unless the ordinary shells are primed 

 with black powder. The most dilficult powder to ignite 

 is the leaf powder, but even this was regularly and satis- 

 factorily exploded by the Smokeless shell. 



The primer test with Schultze powder — Pompton — 

 proves that this powder ignites comparatively easy, a 

 quality it possesses in common with the regular Schultze 

 powder. The velocities obtained with the Eley, Smoke- 

 less, Nitro Club, Rival, Rival No. 3 and Kynoch shells 

 are all satisfactory, but those obtained with the other com- 

 mon shells are hardly of sufficient height. 



When the Schultze powder was reached, a heavy rain 

 set in, and on this account the velocities are throughout 

 lower than they would have been if taken in dry weather. 

 They reach the requisite figures only with the Smokeless, 

 Eley, Nitro Club, Rival No. 3 and Rapid shells. The 

 highest mean velocity was obtained with the Smokeless 

 shell. 



The velocities obtained with the E. C. powder likewise 

 show plainly the effect of moisture, only those produced 

 by the Eley and Smokeless shells are up to the standard; 

 the Smokeless shell gave the best velocities of the two. 



Toward evening of Oct. 37 a few experiments were 

 made for determining the question to what extent the 

 several powders react to moderately increased charges, 

 and the result of this test is embodied in the foregoing 

 table. The primer test was postponed tili the following 

 day. 



Although the rain had ceased on the next day and all 

 powders which were kept under roof and in a dry place 

 over night were loaded fresh from the cans, the effect of 

 the humidity prevailing on the previous day was still 

 plainly noticeable, as this will be seen from the velocity 

 figures contained in Table G. 



S. S. powder developed throughout very low figures, 

 which in no instance reached the requisite limit. The 

 primer test with this powder proves that it can only be 

 regularly exploded with No. 3 primer unless the common 

 shells are primed with black powder. 



American wood showed a similar behavior; it developed 

 comparatively low velocities. By comparing the burst- 

 ing strains of the several powders with one another it 

 will be seen that the No. 3 primer, as a rule, produces a 

 higher mean gas pressure than the common primers. 

 This phenomenon corresponds closely with the conditions 

 under which, with the two primers, the ignition and 

 combustion of the powder charges take place. The 

 stronger primer simply causes a quicker ignition and 

 combustion of the powder, and thus by it the gases are 

 more suddenly developed than with the common primer, 

 which produces a slower ignition and combustion. The 

 strain upon the gun barrel therefore is higher from the 

 No. 3 primer than from the common primer. 



This increase of strain to the gun, however, is by no 

 means alarmmg, and is hardly important enough to 



induce the gunner to prefer on this account the weaker 

 primer. As long as the nitro powders retain their 

 present properties in the way of the requirements for a 

 reliable and thorough ignition, the No. 3 primer cannot 

 well be dispensed with. 



The last-named explanation might be construed that the 

 No. 3 primer, as such, used in conjunction with a nitro 

 powder, constitutes an element of danger. In fact, it is 

 frequently asserted that the common shells primed with 

 black powder were much more safe, for nitro powders, 

 would be less liable to bulge or burst guns, than No. 3 

 primers. 



This assertion, like many others made every day in the 

 year by persons believing or even claiming to have gone 

 deep into the study of the theory of shot shooting, 

 whei-eas they have, as a rule, barely touched its surface, is, 

 of course, not based on facts. But to shed some light 

 also on this particular sphere, tests at Carney's Point 

 were likewise made in this direction, and the result 

 of these experiments is shown in Table I. It has been 

 said before that the moisture test at Chicago has been a 

 comparatively mild one. The powders were in this case 

 subjected to the influence of 75 per cent, humidity only. 

 The strange behavior of some of the powders at Carney's 

 Point during rainy weather induced us to subject all 

 powders to a second moisture test under strictly similar 

 conditions. 



All powders were put in open earthen dishes and placed 

 in a cellar in which the humidity measured 85 per cent., 

 and having no ventilation whatsoever. After having re- 

 mained there 24 hours they were taken out, loaded in the 

 usual manner, and fired. 



The result of this interesting test is laid down in 

 Table H. 



Table H. 



Carney's Point, Oct. 28, 189S. 

 MOISTURE TEST. 

 Schultze powder, 3drs., l%oz. shot No. 7: 



Bursting Strain. Velocity. 

 4,410.0 lbs. equal 800 atm. below 650 ft. 



4.410.0 " " 300 " " " " 



4.454.1 " " 303 " " " " 

 S. S. powder, 3drs., l^oz. shot No. 7: 



4.498.2 lbs. equal 306 atm. below 650 ft. 

 4,586.4 " " 313 " 674.9 ft. equal 204 meters. 

 5,027.4 " " 342 " 723.9 " " 230 



American wood powder, 3drs., l^oz. shot No. 7: 



4,586.4 lbs. equal 312 atm. below 650 ft. 



4,586.4 •• 312 " •' " " 



4,511.7 " 311 " " " " 



DuPont's smokeless powder, 3drs., IJ^z. shot No. 7: 



below 4,410 lbs. below 650 ft. 



E. C. powder, 3drs., l%oz. shot No. 7: 



below 4,410 IDs. 

 4,498.2 lbs, equal 306 atm. 



below 4,410 lbs. 

 Schultze powder (Pompton), 3 drs., IJ^oz. shot No. 7: 



below 4,410 lbs. below 650 ft. 



below 650 ft. 

 687.9 ft. equal 208 meters, 

 below 650 ft. 



Walsrode leaf powder, -Slgrs. IJ^oz, shot No. 7: 



6 570 9 lbs. equal 447 atm. 813.3 ft. equal 246 meters. 

 6,394.5 '• 4.35 ■' 818.10 " 248 



6;780 4 " " 462 " 792.5 " " 240 



Walsrode powder in grains, 29grs., l^oz- shot No. 7: 



7,270.5 lbs. equal 495 atm. 802.4 ft. equal 243 meters. 



7 452.9 " '• 507 " 812.3 '• •■ 246 

 7,452,9 " " 507 " 805.el" 244 



DuPont's powder, FFF., l^oz. shot No. 7: 



5.071.5 lbs. equal 345 atm. 812.3 ft. equal 246 meters. 



5,037.4 - •• 334 779.8 " - 2i6 



5.071.4 " " 345 " 772.7 " " 2.34 



As will be seen from the figures quoted in Table H the 

 majority of powders will not stand the influence of a 

 moisture in the air of tioyi under the conditions before 

 mentioned, and that even the DuPont's smokeless and the 

 E. C. powders, which are less hygroscopic than some of 

 the others, after having absorbed 2 and 2}% moisture res- 

 pectively, lose considerably in propelling energy. 



It was found that the several powders subjected to the 

 influence of moisture had absorbed the latter in the fol- 

 lowing proportions : 



DuPont's smokeless pdr. .2f^ Schultze powder . 



Walsrode leaf powder. . .2% Schultze (Pom.) powder.3.4^ 



Walsrode grain powder.. 2i,^ S. S. powder 4^ 



DuPont's black powder. .2% American wood powder. 7^ 

 E. C. powder, 2^% 



A portion of the Walsrode leaf powder was placed in 

 an oven and there tried under a temperature of 205° F, 

 =80° C, and then tested for bursting strain and velocity. 

 Walsrode leaf powder, 31grs., IJ^oz. shot No. 7: 



Bursting strain. Velocity. 



8 070.3 lbs. equal 549 atm. 785.10 ft. equal 238 meters. 

 sis-g.O " " 570 " 858.8 '• 260 " 

 8,820.0 " " 600 " 825.2 " " 250 



iVIean bursting strain, 8,423 lbs. Mean velocity, 822 ft. 



Variation, 750 lbs. Variation, 73 ft. 



Table I. 



Comparative Test Between No. 3 Primers and Common Primers, 



Primed with Sgrs. fine grain Black Powder. 

 Walsrode leaf powder, 31grs., I^oz. shot in special shells: 

 Bursting Strain. Velocity. 

 7,893.9 lbs. equal 537 atm. 852.0 ft. equal 258 meters. 



The same load in Climax shells with black powder priming: 



9 173 8 lbs. equal 624 atm. 799.0 It. equal 242 meters. 

 8;996.4 " " 612 " 855.4 '■ " 259 " 



Schultze powder (Pompton), 3drs., in Smokeless shells, IJ^z. shot 



' 8,240 7 lbs. equal 561 atm. 835.6 ft. equal 253 meters. 



The same load In Climax shells with black powder priming: 



4 6-30 .1 lbs. equal 315 atm. below 650 ft. 



4^498.3 " " 306 atm. " 650 " 



DuPont's smokeless powder, 2%dvs., IJ^oz. shot No. 7 In Smokeless 



^^9^788.2 lbs. equal 666 atm. 818.10 ft. equal 248 meters. 



The same load in Climax shells with black powder primmg: 



8 202 6 lbs. equal 558 atm. 792.5 ft. equal 240 meters. 



8'643.6 " " 588 " 855.4 " " 259 



E 0 powder, 3drs., IJ^oz. shot No. 7 in Smokeless shells: 



' 5,865.3 lbs, equal 399 atm. 815.7 ft. equal 247 meters. 



The same load in Climax shells with black powder priming: 



4 718.7 lbs. equal 321 atm. 746.0 ft. equal 233 meters. 



4,m.i " " 312 " 730.0 " " 219 " 



Walsrode powder in grains, 29gr8., IJ^oz. shot No. 7, in special shells: 



6,615.0 lbs. equal 450 atm. 799.0 ft. equal 242 meters. 



The same load in Climax shells with black powder priming: 



4 497 0 lbs. equal 510 atm. 783.6 ft. equal 3 7 meters. 



7',408.8 c04 " 766.0 '■ " 232 



Schultze powder, 3drs., IJ^oz. shot No. 7, in Smokeless shells: 



7,893.0 Ib.s. equal 5:37 atm. 825.5 ft. equal 250 meters. 



The same load in Climax shells with black powder priming: 



4 586 4 lbs. equal 312 atm. 687.9 ft. equal 208 meters. 



4i586.4 " •■ 312 " 684.6 " " 207 



American wood powder, -Sdrs., i%nz. shot No 7, in Smokeless shells: 



4,806.9 lbs. equal 337 atm. 752 10 ft. equal 238 meters. 



The same load in Climax shells with black powder priming: 



4,851.0 lbs. equal H-iO atm. below 650 ft. 



4,718.7 " •' 3.1 J " ' 



