SMOKELESS POWDERS.

Grey River Argus, Volume XXXII, Issue 7316, 10 March 1892, Page 4

SMOKELESS POWDERS.

A Time 3 correspondent writes : — "The new French smokeless powder is considerably less powerful, bulk for bulk, than oar own, which possesses the advantage of storing up its energy in a form so concentrated that a pound of It is mere than equal to three pounds of ordinary powder. This fact had a curious influence upon the results of some competitive tria'a that were recently held in France between Els wick and Canet gune. The chambers of the latter were, of course, made of a size sufficient to take the suitable charge of French powder ; the chambers of the former seem to hare been made upon the assumption that the French powder waa no more balky than the English. As French powder was used, and a3 the English guii3 had no accommodation for a full charge of it, they naturally appeared at a disadvantage. Cano quick-fit ing guns have since, in preference to all others, been adopted for the French navy. Tha first ship to be armed with them will be the Bouvines, and armoured coast defence vessel of the eea-going type and of 6,800 tons displacement and 8,000 horse power. She is being built by contract at. La Seyne, and, when completed, will carry two 11 Bin. and probably eight quickfl.iog guns. J&Tearly two and a half years have now elapsed since The Times, < n September 21, 1889, first directed attention to the growing importance of the Societe des Forges et Chantiers de la Mediterranee as riva's of Krupp and of Armstrong.. The company is now not only building ships bat also making guns for the French Gove'nment, and has already executed large orders for Greece, Chili, and Japan. The Chilians say, nowever, that they will not place any fmttier contracts in France. The Blanco Bncalada, Almirante Cochrane, Huaßcar, Almirante Lynch, Almirante Condell, Esmeralda, and Imperial, all of British build, have given, upon the whole, bo mach satisfaction that Great Britain is tolerably Bure of aeenring all Chili's future orders for some time to come."