MODERN GUNPOWDER AND CORDITE, 
289 
which is difficult to overcome. But this is a means of overcoming it by lectures, 
by which I think we ought to be able to keep pace with the times'. 
Colonel Scott —I should like to say with regard to the keeping qualities 
that in India I saw cordite which was in the limbers at Meean Meer. They had 
the two limbers—the service limber and the experimental limber; the service 
limber was the ordinary limber, and the experimental limber was white colour 
with holes for ventilation; and they found in the experimental limber they had a 
temperature of about 122°, and in the service limber they went up to 182°. 
The boxes were opened and I saw them, and there was really no difference what¬ 
ever in the cordite—there was just a mere faint odour of acetone. This cordite 
has now been sent down to Calcutta and Kirkee, and has been tried every month, 
and the results have been sent home to the Ordnance Committee, and they are 
most satisfactory so far. This is cordite that has been in boxes heated up to 122° 
and 132°. It was’not fired at that temperature, but it was heated to that tem¬ 
perature, and the cordite did uot suffer in any way. I took that same cordite 
with me three years ago to Burmah and every place I went to, and I brought it 
back, and it is just as good as ever. The cordite from India has not been 
analyzed, but it is going to be very shortly; but I do not think anything is likely 
to be found deteriorated. However, the great point for gunners of course is 
whether this stuff will shoot in India, and so far it has been shown that it does 
shoot. 
Colonel Barker —May I thank Colonel Scott for answering in so practical a 
manner a large and important portion of the question that has been put by 
General Good enough; and might I suggest in addition that if the experiments are 
to be carried out, which I have no doubt will be made, that gunpowder should at the 
same time be subjected to the same firing conditions ? I am quite sure that 
cordite will come out very satisfactorily under the trial. 
General Goodenough —I should like to explain that at practice (and I am 
sure a great many gentlemen will confirm me) we always used to think that as 
you went on firing you generally got a longer range—that is to say, a higher 
velocity with the old black powder; and I always believed that that arose from 
the heating of the powder in the bore after the bore had been heated. If that 
was true, that the cordite would give a greater velocity when it was heated, I can 
only say that it is very likely to be heated, because, if you kept the gun loaded 
for a few moments after the firing was going on, the temperature in the bore 
would be very high and the pressure would be greatly increased. Black powder 
has often been subjected to that test and the increase has not been considerable ; 
but if the increase is likely to be what Colonel Scott suggested just now, that 
ought to be considered. That point ought to be worked out. The point was not 
the keeping. 
Colonel Barker — I meant merely the keeping. But with regard to the other 
point the experiments have not been concluded yet. 
As regards General Goodenough’s questions relative to the composition of 
acetone and also of mineral jelly— 
Acetone is a colorless fragrant liquid Sp. gr. 0.81 and boiling at 56 , 8°C. Its 
chemical title is “ Di-mithyl-ketone,” and its formula CH 3 , COCH 3 . It is also 
called “pyro-acetic spirit” and is obtained among the products of distillation of 
wood. 
Mineral jelly (vaselin) is the liquid which distils over from petroleum at a 
temperature above 200 C. It is a hydro-carbon richer in carbon than petroleum, 
and its formula C 16 II 34 . It boils at 278°. 
