Vietnam or Thailand ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
Updated: May 2, 2025
"It won't do any harm to have the machinery of the new boat looked over with a most critical eye." "Any gun-cotton, rack-a-rock wool or dynamite silk stored on board the new craft?" inquired Williamson, with a look of mock anxiety. "Nothing more dangerous than gasoline," Captain Jack smiled. "Oh, I don't mind that stuff,". chuckled the machinist. "I want a smoke.
To these must be added two small detachments of artillery and engineers, taking with them charges of gun-cotton. The whole command numbered no more than 469, and they were going for one of the strongest Boer positions by which our force is ringed about. Captain Gough's company was detached to lead the right assault, and Major Thesiger's the left, each having with it a section of C Company.
We have passed the point at which the projectile would have stopped if its speed had only been 12,000 yards at starting. We are still going up." "That is evident," replied Nicholl; "and we must conclude that our initial speed, under the power of the 400,000 pounds of gun-cotton, must have exceeded the required 12,000 yards.
An officer stood up with a little ball of gun-cotton in his hand, smaller than an orange, to which was attached a thin line of what is called lightning cotton, the other end being fastened to a pistol. As the launch glided on he threw the ball into the cask. The boat moved away as rapidly as possible, when the pistol being fired, in an instant the cask was blown to atoms.
"Eighteen minutes to eleven," said Nicholl. "Only five minutes more," answered Barbicane. "Yes, five short minutes!" replied Michel Ardan. "And we are shut up in a bullet at the bottom of a cannon 900 feet long! and under this bullet there are 400,000 lbs. of gun-cotton, worth more than 1,600,000 lbs. of ordinary powder!
Had that torpedo contained the fighting service charge of two hundred pounds of gun-cotton it would have shattered and sunk the biggest, staunchest, proudest battleship afloat. "It's uncanny isn't it?" gasped Jack Benson, feeling an odd shudder run over him. "Yep!" agreed Eph Somers, blaster of day-dreams. "But say?" "Well?" demanded Captain Jack.
Collodion, which is a solution of gun-cotton in alcohol and ether, mingled with a solution of iodide and bromide of potassium, is used to form a thin coating over the glass. Before the plate is dry, it is dipped into a solution of nitrate of silver, where it remains from one to three or four minutes.
The ladies of the aristocracy were busy in the Casa Borromeo melting lead and making cannon-balls. All the druggists and chemists manufactured powder and gun-cotton, and the gunsmiths gave up their stocks of firearms. In spite of the brave resistance of the Austrians, the Borletto Palace had been conquered again by the patriots. Radetzky demanded an armistice, but his proposition was declined.
It was also thought that gun-cotton of a high degree of nitration when made into colloidal form would even then burn too quickly to be suitable for use in firearms. Consequently, the first experiments were with low grade gun-cotton, what is called collodion cotton, such as is employed in the manufacture of celluloid.
Sometimes gun-cotton is used, but this 100 pounds charge of powder is quite sufficient to send the vessel in which we stand to the bottom in five or ten minutes. Come this way we shall see the operations better from this point. Now, don't be alarmed, there is not the slightest danger, I assure you.
Word Of The Day
Others Looking