FOREST AND STREAM. 
343 
chaste and elegant character. The medallion is of gold, with a 
dog’s head retrieving a pigeon in silver, the head standing out 
in hold relief from the gold. Two crossed guns, with a ribbon, 
are below the brooch ; the guns are silver, the brooch gold. 
It is to be won by the individual making the best score iu 
match No. 6, which is a team shoot of two members from any 
organized club in the United States. The elegant design and 
execution of this medal are due to Mr. N. M. Shepard. 
Ships Making to Cover. — Folsom, Cal., May 22. — I see 
Capt. Bogardus in his book says that snipe never cover in 
trees. Three times in my sporting experience have I seen 
them so cover. Some two miles from this place is a large 
reservoir which has become filled with sediment from the 
mining operations above, which has become covered with a 
thick growth of tule, wire grass and other aquatic plants, and 
furnishes good cover and feed for snipe. On their first ap- 
pearance iu the fall, a friend and myself keep an eye on the 
place, and at the proper time are duly rewarded with a couple 
of dozen birds each. Three times we have pressed them so 
hard as to drive them into the scrub oak on the borders of the 
pond, from whence when flushed they would return to their 
first quarters, seeming loth to leave altogether, as, although 
there are a number of similar places within a few miles, this 
is the only one that snipe ever frequent. Season is very late ; 
have seen no young quail yet ; saw them last year about the 
1st of May. W. F. J. 
Liege.— A correspondent kindly sets us to rights as to Lut- 
tech. We knew of Liege in Brussels, but not of its German 
appellation. Our correspondent writes : 
“ Luttich, called Liege in English, is the leading gun manu- 
facturing city of Europe. A great many English guns have 
barrels manufactured in Liege. Many of the English gun- 
makers obtain their barrels from Liege, but, strange to say, 
although it is the leading manufacturing place of Europe, 
people in this country have not any confidence in the guns 
coming from Liege. A great many cheap guns are sold here 
for English guns, when they are actually manufactured in 
Liege. Liege is particularly noted for its manufacture of 
very fine Damascus, called flowered Damascus, a specimen of 
which I have seen lately in the store of Mr. Squires, of this 
city. Twenty-eight dollars will buy, in Liege, a very good 
breech-loader. Twenty years ago I purchased the best 
muzzle-loading gun made in that city, flowered Damascus bar- 
rels, for forty-eight dollars. Lubeck, a German city, is not 
noted for the manufacture of guns; in fact, I doubt if any 
are made there. English guns are so perfectly imitated in 
Liege that it requires an expert to distinguish one from the 
other. Most barrels of American shot-guns are manufactured 
in Liege and imported to this country in an unfinished state.” 
D. M. 
THE DITTMAR POWDER. 
AN INTERESTING SEBIES OF EXPERIMENTS. 
Binghamton is a charming city in Southern New York, 
just near the Pennsylvania borders, and to the Parlor City, as 
Binghamton is called (because, possibly, everything looked 
so neat and tidy) the Erie Rail Road takes the traveler in 
eo 2 ?. i seven hours. It is at Binghamton that, on Friday lost, 
a representative of the Forest and Stream and Rod and 
Gun went to see the new factory established by the Dittmar 
Powder Company, in order to witness a series of experiments 
with the Dittmar powder. 
In the briefest way, suppose we cite some of the character- 
istics of what is good gunpowder. Of course as the result 
of the decomposition of any solid or fluid substance into gase- 
ous form, an enormous power is generated. Such explosive 
force must, however, be kept under control. There are in- 
numerable substances having explosive properties, which are 
useless for fire-arms. The fulminates are all of this character. 
The reasons why they are useless for fire arms, is because 
their igDition and consequent decomposition are too rapid. If 
placed in a gun-barrel, the shock being instantaneous, the 
effects are felt, not only on the projectile, but on the breech 
and sides of the arm. With a sufficient charge of a fulmi- 
nate, not only would the ball be discharged, but at the same 
time the breech of the piece would be driven out. The first 
necessity then, of an explosive substance, should be a gradu- 
ated or moderate force. The effect to overcome the vis-inertia 
of the ball or load of shot should be rather a push than a sud- 
den blow. Then again, the powder should be of such a ma- 
terial, or so manufactured, that it should be unalterable, and 
not affected by time, by moisture, or by any chemical reac- 
tions possible within the substance itself. Another most im- 
portant point is that it should be safe from explosion, caused by 
friction or concussion. Again, the explosive material should 
be so compounded that it must not act on metal, whether in 
its solid or gaseous condition, nor should it have any residuum 
after explosion. 
With this slight preface, which may be considerably expanded, 
we will endeavor to describe the works of the Dittmar Powder 
Company, the process of manufacture and the experiments. 
A powder factory, from the character of the dangerous ma- 
terial, must never be in an extensive building — isolation of the 
material as it goes through various stage, Is a sine qua rum. 
If an accident takes place, one single factory may be destroyed, 
but the whole is not. The Dittmar Powder Company have 
three buildings quite a distance apart. In the first building 
the raw material, poplar pulp, is cleansed and disintegrated; 
in a second, the acid treatment takes place; and in a third, the 
pulp and the finished powder is sieved and dried. A fourth 
building is in erection for the manufacture of blasting powder. 
Now as to the details of the process. The basis of the com- 
position is cellulose. Cellulose is nothing more than pure 
wood fibre. Formerly Mr. Dittmar used paper as the base, 
but finds it more advantageous to purchase from paper 
manufacturers] poplar pulp. This pulp is taken and 
washed thoroughly, until it is nearly chemically pure. It is 
pressed, then dried, then ground into a uniformly floconous 
form, all the lengths of fibre being destroyed. It is now 
mixed with sugar and starch, then again dried. Now it goes 
through what is called “ the parchment process." When 
paper, under certain circumstances, is treated with sulphuric 
acid it takes a peculiar dense form resembling parchment. The 
material is now again washed and dried, and sieved. It is 
now subjected to a mixture of sulphuric and nitric acids, again 
washed and dried, to be treated further with an alkaline base, 
saltpetre being employed. Now, after again being cleansed 
and dried, the last process is to treat the grains of Dittmar 
powder with a coating of soluble glass. This last substance 
not only protects the powder from absorbing moisture, mak- 
ing it harder and denser, but dimishcs very much any rapid 
explosiveness. A fiual very gradual drying completes this pro- 
cess. Of course there are a good many bits of practical work 
in the manufacture of the powder, in order to make it perfect, 
which depend on the chemical skill of the superintendent, 
Mr. Dittmar. Now as to the experiments made with a breech- 
loader, we append the followiug : 
Greener B. L , No. 19,058; 12-gauge; weight, 7 lbs. ; charge, 
8 drachms powder, Dixou’s measure; 1^ oz. shot; No. 8 
Tatham Eley’s brown shell and P. E. wads ; 40 measured 
yards : 
1st round — Left bbl., Dittmar powder ; pattern, 274 ; pene- 
tration 12 sheets. 
2d round — Right bbl ; pattern, 230 ; penetration, 10 sheets. 
1st round— Left bbl., Orange Lightning powder No. 5 ; pat- 
tern, 183 ; penetration, 10 sheets. 
2d round Right bbl.; pattern, 164 ; penetration, 9 sheets. 
W. It. Schaeffer B. L; 12-gauge; weight, 8*. lbs.; charge, 
3 drachms; lioz. shot; No. 8 Tatham ; Dixon measure: c 
1st round— Left bbl., Dittmar powder : pattern, 241 ; pene- 
tration, 11 sheets. 
2d round— Right bbl.; pattern, 188; penetration, 11 sheets. 
1st round — Left bbl., Orange Lightning No. 5 powder ; pat- 
tern, 214 ; penetration, 11 sheets. 
2d round— Right bbl.; pattern, 157; penetration, 10 sheets. 
An O’Neil patent tester was used. 
With a Scott 12-bore, using the Dittmar and No. 8 shot 
Captain Bogardus made a target of 350 at 80 yards. It will 
be seen at once what a very good pattern is made with tbe 
Dittmar powder, and how the penetration was all that could 
be desired. As to the remarkable safety of the Dittmar pow- 
der, the following quite conclusive experiments were made : 
A pound of Dittmar sporting powder was put in a tin can, 
and to a fuse was placed a strong wcploder, such as are used 
for nitro-glycerine. The effect was to simply blow out the 
grains of the Dittmar unexploded at all, the ground for ten 
feet around being covered with the grains of unflred powdor. 
With a half pound of black powder, tried iu the same way, 
the can was burst iuto fragments. With the Dittmar blasting 
powder, under exactly the same circumstances, this powder 
being made purposely to produce the greatest rending effects, 
the explosion was of a deafening character, and two stones, in 
which the charge was placed, were ground into fine atoms. 
When the same blasting powder was fired with a fuse, only 
without an exploder, the effect of the ignition was simply 
like that made by a squib. These experiments were quite 
convincing to a number of railroad olficials present, that the 
blasting powder could be carried without danger, while under 
the precise circumstances necessary for its ignition the effects 
produced were of the most positive character. In fact, this 
Dittmar powder can be handled with less danger than ordi- 
nary explosive substances. 
It is, of course, with guns that we have most to do, and it is 
to the sportsman that the Dittmar powder will be of the great- 
est interest. Captain Bogardus, commencing to experiment 
with this powder in his exhibitions, its excellent effects as to 
strength commending it to his notice, now uses the Dittmar 
exclusively for all purposes. The smoke is very much di- 
minished, the recoil is lessened, and no fouling takes place. 
We have been at the trouble of asking Mr. Dittmar all the par- 
ticulars as to the load requisite and the method of tilling the 
cartridge. For a 10-bore he recommends from 31 to 4 
drachms, struck measure in a Dixon's charger; for a 12-bore, 
8 to 8£ drachms. It makes no difference whether the charge 
of powder be rammed hard or not. When Mr. Dittmur 
loaded his shells before us, he exerted about the same pres- 
sure as is used for black powder. In an 8-bore Mr. Dittmar 
has used as a test 9 drachms of his powder, and confesses that 
“although it didn’t hurt his gun, it almost knocked his head 
off.” The Company believe that with the new improvement 
the powder irnow perfect. Such imperfections as to manu- 
factures, which may have existed before, have been removed. 
With ample capital and special machinery there is no reason 
why the Dittmar powder cannot be made with uniformity. 
There is no chemical nor mechanical process which cannot be 
repeated. In Englund the Schultzo wood powder is coming 
rupidly into use. As the Dittmar is certainly a better explo - 
sive material, we see no reason why, if it be carefully and 
systematically produced, it should uot find favor with sports- 
men. The producing capacity of the company is at present 
some GOO pounds of sporting powder per diem, with two tons 
of blasting powder. Mr. H. C. Squires, of No. 1 Courtlandt 
street, New York, is the general agent for the Dittmar Pow- 
der Company, and it does not seem likely that this well- 
known furnisher of arms and sportsman's material would 
enter the market unless pretty well assured of both the excel- 
lence and safety of the powder he is now about selling. 
DITTMAR AND BLACK POWDER. 
As a good many questions arc asked of us as to the mixture 
of Dittmar and black powder, we think our Florida corres- 
pondent’s letter will give some needed information on this 
subject. He says : 
- “ For a long time I have taken a lively interest in the Ditt- 
mar powder, published iu the Forest and Steam, from the 
time it was brought out. Now comes the trial of the mixed 
black and Dittmar. The Dittmar alone could not be depended 
upon ; then, again, it would do some remarkable good shoot- 
ing. In all of the experiments and trial tests it was put through 
to find out where the difficulty was it failed to bring out that 
want of uniformity and to utilize the strength it certainly 
possesses to action. Just at this moment comes your cor- 
respondent “ Yell’s " trials of the mixed powders and their 
proportions. 1 have just got through finding out what my 
gun required. We came out nearly if not the same, only he 
has a 9 lb. gun and takes a 2£ shell, and would stand a large 
charge in the same proportion for whatever purpose he wi died 
to put it to. I have also given the C. Dittmar the same trials. 
It is nearly as good as the B. With the ritle, Dittmar F. and 
F. F., in the same gun, mixed in various proportions witli the 
black, I failed to get as good satisfaction as 1 did with the B. 
powder. In brief, I give you below the result. A Tolly No. 
10 breech-loader, laminated steel barrel, modified choke, first 
class gun : 8$ lb., 28 in. barrel ; Eley Bros., brown, 2£ shell ; 
1 drachm No. 0 Curtis & Harvey powder ; 3 drachms B Ditt- 
mar powder; 2 pink edge wads ; 1± oz. No. 7 chilled shot; 
1 Baldwin wad ; at 40 and 50 yards measurement. Target, 
penetration, pattern. Got all that could be desired— good 
uniformity in action, just enough recoil, less smoke, report 
and clean barrels. It is now out of season for game. Owls 
and hawks after chickens give a good test and distance, too, 
to bite the sand. At 00 yards, same charge, with No. 2 aud 4 
(mill Ol-l.l at 4t. . , 
— j ~ aw. « uuu *± 
snot, and at i0 yards, with buckshot, tin* same good result, 
still better with the St. Louis shell, with one pink edge 
’Ardhoiml AVOr T\mTi.ini* ada An.,r o l ... I — .1- I -IT ? * 
I got 
. J " uul ..mi uuc i u u u euge, 
one cardboard over powder, one Baldwin over shot, which is 
all the wads this 2 3 shell will take iuand allow for turniug in, 
less recoil aud still e'eaner barrels. The St. Louis shell is a 
shade smaller or a trille looser fit than the Eley shell ; they 
get sadly demoralized after oue firing, not fit to load over 
J® 8 " 1 *. * ll , L ' S0 ar i e some of the first shells the company made 
that 1 lmd ou hand. Since that, I understand, they have 
made improvements. In loading have a one drachm measure 
lor the black aud a three dracluu measure for the Dittmar ; 
mix in the shell ; that gives the exact proportions of each 
powder ; shake and stir with a stick. The black powder is so 
much heavier it is apt to separute and settle down too much 
in the shaking only Then the same objection iu mixing the 
powder together before loadiug and using only one measure 
you cannot get fair equal proportions. Thou the pink edge 
aud a fair ram, then the shot shnkcu to settle down even a 
Baldwin with pressure enough to put the wiul down snug to 
Us place anil turn iu. I have given up using the felt wads or 
auy other greased wild ; the fault is they do not hold the charge 
back long ouougli for the powder to get thoroughly ignited 
os near as possible to have its full effect upon the shot heforo 
t leaves the cartridge, excepting the pink edge, which must 
have some wax in its composition. 1 am not certain, but the 
dry wads are better ; when tbe barrels are cleaucd and oiled, 
should be sufficient for the wads going out. 1 have a 20-boro 
that 1 use the dry Dixou over powder aud black edge over 
shot ; it never fails to do its duty. N. P. W 
Palatka, Florida. 
iq£t HK £. mer10AN Co.— The. “Fox” Gun Model of 
1877. — YVc have hcou for a long time cognizant of that excel- 
lent ami .Shown to us iu 1871, it then contained a leading 
idea in the adjustment of the barrel, which had decided 
merit. Siuce Hint time, by diut of hard work and thought 
the box gnu has been so much improved that it may he sulci 
to be a representative American breech loader. We often rc- 
turn in one way or another to our first conceptions, but the 
differences which exist hetweeu the original Le Faucheux gun 
and the Fox gun nre immense, ns much as between a Hall 
patent breech-loading arm of 1815 and the modern brecch- 
muding ritles of 1878. The movement of the barrel in the 
box gun is the mo9t important and novel point. The up and 
down movement, the breaking of the lino of the gun, does not 
take place in the guns made by tho American Arms Co. 
There is no hinge movement, consequently that single pin, 
which must run through the hinge, finds uu longer a place. 
I hero are no bolls which set into the wood work or iron part 
of the stocking. A forward spring is pushed, a side motion 
is giveu to tho barrels, and these barrels move off laterally in 
the same plane. /Vs to the securing of tho barrels to stock, 
there are two good broad surfaces which are in contact. On 
the bevelled brccch face, by means of locks, the barrels, after 
being slid smoothly into place, are made thoroughly light aud 
secure. Now there are great advantages, other than tnoso of 
mechanism, in this side movemeut. In taking out the cart- 
ridges in the up and down breech-loading, either automatically 
or otherwise, there is always a certain proportion of powder 
crust, or dirt, which drops perpendicularly into the portiou 
of the mechanism below it. In the Fox gun, the barrels being 
on one side when cartridges arc withdrawn, no dirt or grit am 
find its way into the parts. The method of attaching and de- 
taching the barrels is most readily accomplished. As to the 
fastening of barrels, there are no less than four grips or locks 
between the barrel and breech piece, all having broad bear- 
ings. These guns seem to combine simplicity with durabil- 
ity, and we see no reason why in use they should ever he 
loose or shaky. With an extractor having a positive move- 
ment there can bo no dogging of cartridges. Now if special 
mechanism was all one wanted, the Fox gun would ho alone 
a marvel of good sense applied to gun-making, but iu addition 
to this peculiar claim, it is the general execution of the locks, 
the good muteriul used iu the barrels, and their finish which 
muke the work of the American Arms Co. so remarkable. 
This company manufacture many grades of arms, from very 
good $65 guns up to the very finest, worth $300. Two sizes 
are made of 10 and 12 gauge, tho teu weighing from 8) to 10 
lbs, the twelve from 7j to 9.j lbs. We can recommend these 
arms as among the best of American-made arms. 
PIGEON MATCHES. 
Connecticut — Stavyford, J lay 30.— Bogardus trap, 18 yards rlio : 
Weed, Jr....O 0 110 1111 1-7 Grain o 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1—8 
Ootliout, Jr..l 110010111-7 8 colloid l l u i i o l l i 1-8 
Sibley 0 1110 0 110 1 -u 
Ties on eight. 
Grain 1 1 1—3 Seolleld 1 1 0-3 
Second match : 
Weed 1 11100010 l-fl Gralo l l 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1—0 
Pht l 101111111-9 seolleld 1 111110101—9 
Oothont 1 111110 11 l-» 
Ties on nlno. 
Pitt - 10 11—3 Grain 1 0 1 0-3 
Ootbout 0 w 
New Yoruc State Convention.— The following ih the score or tho 
doable bird shoot, at ten double rises, open to m. wbers of clubs Oolong 
lug to State Association : 
C Russell 
00 
10 
01 
10 
11 
(11 
11 
1(1 
10—18 
E Wakemsn ... . 
10 
10 
10 
10 
111 
11 
11 
11 
10-10 
It P Flower 
...... 
10 
10 
10 
11 
10 
11) 
1(1 
111 
III 
11-18 
II Walzor 
10 
11 
01 
01 
11 
u 
01 
10 
01 -14 
VV Crouch 
10 
01 
11 
11 
10 
10 
10 
on 
10-11 
A F Compsoa... 
uO 
11 
11 
10 
11 
11 
11 
11 
10 
00—14 
A Kveraued 
11 
01 
01 
11 
II 
11 
10 
10 
11-10 
II Sllsby 
10 
11 
11 
10 
10 
11 
11 
11 
10 
11—10 
John Cook, Jr... 
II 
00 
10 
10 
11 
10 
11 
11 
11—14 
F J Johnson — 
Ol 
III 
II 
11 
11 
01 
10 
10 
10— IS 
W S Babcock.... 
10 
u 
(II 
III 
00 
10 
10 
11 
00-10 
11 
11 
11 
1(1 
11 
11) 
01 
111 
10—14 
W K While 
11 
10 
10 
11 
11 
11 
10 
01 
III 
00—18 
Jacob Fischer... 
11 
11 
ill 
11 
11 
11 
11 
10 
10—17 
Chas Snckow.... 
10 
11 
11 
11 
M 
UO 
111 
11 
10—14 
10 
01 
II 
III 
10 
III 
11 
10—11 
C J Helnold 
10 
00 
1(1 
no 
111 
(XI 
01 
00 
00— 5 
R V Fierce 
10 
11 
10 
1(1 
11 
10 
10 
11 
10—13 
W W Sloan 
10 
11 
no 
00 
11 
10 
11 
10 
10 
01 — a 
10 
10 
10 
11 
111 
11 
11 
(II 
10—13 
11 K GrlllUh 
11 
on 
III 
111 
111 
00 
00 
11 
10— 9 
.. . .01 
in 
11 
11 
111 
11 
01 
11 
10 
10—14 
11 
10 
11 
01 
11 
11 
10 
111 
10— IB 
11 
10 
11 
11 
11 
01 
11 
00-13 
10 
11 
11 
01 
11 
11 
10 
11 
11—17 
IU 
11 
10 
II 
11 
10 
ol 
10 
10—14 
11 
UO 
11 
10 
01 
10 
10 
ol 
11—11 
10 
00 
11 
10 
11 
11 
11 
11 
11-10 
11 
(II 
10 
10 
11 
10 
10 
It 
11-u 
10 
11 
11) 
11 
11 
10 
On 
11 
10—1* 
11 
11 
n 
10 
111 
10 
11 
10 
11 — 10 
11 
10 
11 
It 
10 
11 
10 
n 
10—10 
W Christian 
11 
11 
10 
11 
10 
11 
10 
11 
11—10 
J D Burroughs.. . 
10 
11 
11 
00 
11 
11 
11 
10 
10 
(11 
11 
10 
10 
ll — 13 
A USherldun.... 
11 
11 
11 
11 
01 
10 
01 
11 
11 — IT 
