THE GUN COTTON ACCIDENT.
Sir, —With reference to the late accident at the fort, ray opinion is that the sad explosion was caused by the gun cotton suffering a percussion in being forced into the shell or tube into which it was being placed. The proximity to the fire of the forge is not a source of any immediate danger of explosion, sinoe gun cotton when lighted by a flame will burn freely, but without explosion, whereas the same gun cotton would explode if struck sharply so as to cause a “percussion,” the result being many times greater than the force of gunpowder. The great safeguard in manipulating gun cotton is to keep it in a wet state. It is then not liable to burn when a flame is applied to it, although it still retaius its intense explosive forco when ignited by “percussion,” and also its uso as an engine of war.—l am, &c., I. IsHERWOOD, Late student for Royal Engineers, Woolwich. Palmerston North, March 6th.
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New Zealand Mail, Issue 993, 13 March 1891, Page 17
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167THE GUN COTTON ACCIDENT. New Zealand Mail, Issue 993, 13 March 1891, Page 17
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