MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS OF 
124 
than E.L.G. for large charges, of which the defects were at that time, and 
have ever since been, distinctly recognised. What was required, was a 
powder at once less destructive, more uniform, and of at least equal efficiency. 
Thus, E.L.G. powder was not only not introduced specially for use with 
large guns, as stated by Captain von Doppelmair, but its employment was 
purely provisional, and for heavy charges it was provisionally superseded 
in 1866 by pellet powder, which in its turn has now been superseded 
by pebble powder. With regard to the alleged necessity which exists 
for the employment in the English guns of an “energetic” powder, 
it will be sufficient to quote some figures which are given in the Pre¬ 
liminary Eeport of the Committee on Explosives, 1 2 from which it appears 
that in the 8-inch gun not only pellet and pebble powders, but even the 
Eussian prismatic powder—the use of which is made by Captain von 
Doppelmair and others to appear as inseparably connected with the use of 
Krupp guns—give higher velocities than E.L.G., with greatly reduced 
maximum pressures. 
Nature of powder. 
Charges. 
Muzzle 
velocity. 
Maximum 
pressure. 
lbs. 
ft. 
tons. 
R.L.G..... 
30 
1324 
29-8 
Russian prismatic . 
32 
1366 
20-5 
Service pellet .*. 
30 
1338 
17*4 
Pebble, No. 5 ... 
35 
1374 
15*4 
With, the 10-inch gun, again, a slow, mild pebble powder has been 
found to give a velocity of 1474 ft. against 1321 ft* with E.L.G. 3 Further* 
when the 9-inch Woolwich gun (precisely the same gun, be it observed, as 
was used at Tegel), was fired with a charge of 46 lbs. of Eussian prismatic 
powder (precisely the same powder as was used by Krupp at Tegel, and 
which Captain von Doppelmair states cannot be employed effectively in a 
Woolwich gun), a velocity of 1365 ft. was obtained, as compared with 
1336 ft. with 43 lbs. of E.L.G. Finally, experiments have shown that 
by employing a suitable pebble powder instead of E;L.G., the velocities 
of all the service Woolwich guns may be increased as follows, and pebble 
powder has in consequence been adopted 
Gun; 
R.L.G. 
Feet per second; 
Pebble. 
Feet per second. 
7-inch. 
1430 
1543 
8-inch... 
1363 
1410 
9-inch. 
1336 
1410 
10-inch.. 
1298 
1400 
It follows from the above, that the natural development of the powder 
question in England has produced exactly the same beneficial results for 
1 Preliminary Report of Committee on Explosives, p. 9. 
2 Mem. of Committee on Explosives, July 12th, 1870, p. 2. 
