290 
MODERN GUNPOWDER AND CORDITE. 
Captain ARdy—T here is a question. Sir, which has been sent to me by an 
officer who is unable to attend which, with your permission, I will now put on 
his behalf:—(1) Allowing* that cordite supersedes gunpowder for cartridges of 
12-pr. guns, what would the gain be in space saved in an ammunition box? 
(Naturally any space saved would be a gain, as likely to admit of more rounds 
being carried per box); and (2) will cordite, if used with the 12-pr., be likely to 
lessen the recoil sufficiently to enable the present gun-carriage to be lightened, or 
rather lighter in make? i.e., will it do away with breaks, or reduce their weight, 
or that of any part of the gun-carriage ? 
Colonel Barker —The question, I understand, is by Colonel Brough. The 
first question is with regard to the capacity of limbers—what gain in space there 
is. That is very easily answered. There is not a great difference between the 
specific gravity, the density of cordite and gunpowder, so that you can see the 
space would be as 1 to 4. It is not quite so much for reasons which come in 
during the manufacture, such as the arrangement of the cartridge; but there 
would be an enormous saving of space if the present cartridge is finally adopted; 
and it is for those who manufacture the limbers and the limber-boxes and who 
have the arrangement of the cartridges to say whether the space will be gained. 
With regard to the recoil, 1 it is a very difficult question and one that I should 
like to have had notice about; because it does not do to answer straight off a 
question that is put on the moment. One’s inclination is to do so ; but I think 
a lecturer is more discreet upon a large question of that kind if he waits until he 
can give something that is thoroughly authentic. 
The Director-General —I am afraid I shall be travelling outside the subject 
of the paper in talking of the possible recoil of the new carriages, but there is no 
doubt, for the reason which has been already stated, I think by Captain Orde 
Browne, that as there is less to expel out of the gun, because there is nothing 
else in cordite, naturally the re-action is less and the recoil of the same velocity is 
less with cordite considerably than it is with black powder. And with regard to 
the capacity, we are hoping very shortly to produce an equipment for the Horse 
Artillery with a wire gun and pole draught and a limber to hold 42 rounds, 
which will be just 30 cwt. behind the team. That has mot been attained yet 
anywhere. In that case there will be no brakes ; there will be simply drag-shoes 
for stopping the recoil—that is found to be the simplest thing of all. And, by 
the way they are suspended, they do not require to be put under the wheels— 
they put themselves under the wheels and give no trouble whatever in working. 
With repect to the effect of heat upon cordite, there is no doubt that cordite 
suffers from change of temperature more than black powder. Black powder on the 
other hand suffers a great deal more from change of moisture; but if the gravi¬ 
metric density of cordite is not made too high, if it is kept below 50 cubic inches 
to the lb., the effect of temperature is not so great. But if the density is high, as 
in the 4* 7-incli gun that Colonel Trench alluded to, and you take an extreme 
temperature of 110°, the pressure rises considerably. That raises the question 
whether we have got hold of the right size of cordite for the gun ; just as with 
black powder, a great deal depends upon making the size of the explosive suitable 
for the nature of the gun. That matter, and many others connected with cordite, 
are still under discussion and experiment, and will no doubt be brought right. 
It is only this year that we have produced what may be called a service cordite— 
a cordite that does not vary in its quality; and the experiments now being carried 
on by the Ordnance Committee will show more and more what are the necessary 
precautions to be adopted in it. But the temperature is certainly one. And this 
lias a very important bearing on the ship’s magazines. For some reason, best 
Vide foot-note, p. 288, 
