FUZES, OLD PATTERN. The wooden cases for holding the Fuze composition are made of well-seasoned beech. The interior diameter of the cup is equal to three times that of the bore, and its depth is equal to 1 of the said diameter. The thickness of wood at the bottom of the bore is equal to two diameters. Fuzes, being bored for Field guns, or cut to the length required for the range of Garrison guns, are made to fit the Shell correctly by means of a rasp and cutter, after which they are carefully driven into the Shell with a mallet and setter, leaving only the cup of the Fuze out of it. The Fuze is uncapped when placed in the piece. 13 inch Fuze burns 40 Seconds. | 5 inch Fuze burns 20 Seconds. 10 do. do. 35 do. do. do. 15 do. 8 do. do. 30 do. 4 All natures of Fuzes, when driven with the above composition, burn one inch in five seconds; but when driven with mealed powder, they burn two inches in the same time. BOXER'S FUZE. The composition bore is made excentric with regard to the exterior, and two powder channels are bored upon that side in which there is the greatest thickness of wood.. A hole is bored through the mealed powder at the top, and into the fuze composition; to insure the ignition of the fuze composition from the priming. Two rows of holes, two inches apart, are made into the powder channels, and the bottom hole in each row is continued to the axis of the composition bore. The small side holes, with the exception of the bottom ones, are filled with pressed powder, and a small portion of putty. The powder channels contain rifle powder, and the bottom side holes have a piece of quickmatch placed in them. Beyond this quick match, the powder channels in the fuze for common shells are filled with putty, but in the Shrapnell fuze_the_corresponding portion contains quick match, which is continued from one channel to the other through a groove made in the bottom. A piece of quick match is tied into the cup, and it is recommended that this quick match is laid over the side before the shell is set home. The bursting powder is contained in a tin cylinder, and is admitted through a hole at the bottom of the socket. There is a small hole in the side of the shell, through which the balls, and composition, which is run between them, are admitted. It is recommended that the bursting powder be placed in the tin cylinder before going into action, and the plug covered with serge, inserted in the fuze hole. The bursting powder can be speedily removed from the shell, if necessary; and, from its being separated from the balls, it will not be liable to injury, even when subjected to the action of travelling. A simple boring bit is supplied to each gun, in case the borer, specially made for the fuze, is lost, or damaged. Captain Boxer's 5 inch fuzes are to be adopted for all natures of guns and howitzers, one inch in length for Shrapnell shells, and two inches in length for common shells. FUZES, METAL. Fuzes, for the Naval service specially, are formed of gun metal, and are screwed into a gun metal bouched screw hole in the shell. Metal fuzes are of three natures, viz., 3-inch, 4-inch, and short-range Fuzes. The first is driven with mealed powder, and will burn seven seconds; the second is driven with fuze composition, and will burn twenty seconds; and the short-range fuze is also driven with the composition, and will burn two seconds. These fuzes are driven and primed precisely the same as wooden fuzes; but, instead of being capped with canvas, have a screw metal cap. The fuzes are screwed into the shells, the holes of which are bouched with metal to receive them; they are screwed in to the left hand, so that unscrewing the cap in the same direction prevents the possibility of the fuze being loosened by that operation. The diameter of the fuze holes for all natures of shells, fitted to receive metal fuzes, is exactly the same. A 3 inch metal fuze will burn seven seconds, and is calculated for ranges not exceeding 1900 yards. A 4 inch metal fuze will burn ten seconds, and is not to be used at a greater distance than 2400 yards. GREASE. The composition used for greasing wheels is composed of equal parts of tallow and coarse sweet oil melted together, and it is made up in kegs of 28 lb. each. In warm weather the proportion of tallow must be increased. GRENADES, HAND. A Land service Hand grenade weighs 1lb. 13oz., and may be thrown from 40 to 60 feet. The diameter of the Fuze composition is 2 of an inch, length 2-25 inches, and weight 3 drams. Fuze Composition. Saltpetre, 3 lb. 4 oz. ; Sulphur, 1 lb.; Mealed powder, 2 lb. 12 oz. On service the Grenades are charged with 1 oz. of powder. GUN COTTON. Although there appears no prospect of Gun cotton being used in the British service as a substitute for Gunpowder, it is advisable that every Artillerist should be cognizant of its merits and demerits; for circumstances may arise when this new impulsive power may be advantageously employed. The exploding cotton is thus prepared :-Common well-cleaned cotton is dipped for about half a minute in highly-concentrated nitric acid (made by the distillation of ten parts of dried saltpetre, and six of oil of vitriol), and then instantly placed in water, which must be often renewed, in order to free the cotton from the acid with which it is impregnated. Care must then be taken that all the knotty particles of the cotton are properly disentangled, and that it is thoroughly dried. After the explosive preparation is ready for use, the smallest portion explodes when struck on an anvil with a hammer, like fulminating-powder; when kindled with a glowing body, it takes fire just like gunpowder; and, when used in a gun, its operation, though in a far greater proportion to its weight, is similar to that of gunpowder. Gun cotton is employed in the same manner as gunpowder: a piece of it is rammed down the barrel, then a bit of wadding, and after that a ball; a copper cap ignites and explodes the cotton. To Dr. Otto, professor of chemistry in Brunswick, we are indebted for the foregoing description of the preparation of the explosive cotton; and the intrinsic value of this impulsive agent has been ascertained by Major Mordecai, at Washington, in 1845, 1847, 1848. The following are the results of this scientific officer's experiments for the purpose of determining the fitness of Gun cotton, as a substitute for gunpowder in the military ser vice : : 1. Explosive cotton burns at 380° Fahrenheit, therefore it will not set fire to gunpowder when burnt in a loose state over it. 2. The projectile force of explosive cotton, with moderate charges, in a musket or cannon, is equal to that of about twice its weight of the best gunpowder. 3. When compressed by hard ramming, as in filling a fuze, it burns slowly. 4. By the absorption of moisture, its force is rapidly diminished, but the force is restored by drying. 5. Its bursting effect is much greater than that of gunpowder, on which account it is well adapted for mining ope rations. 6. The principal residua of its combustion are water and nitrous acid; therefore the barrel of a gun would be soon corroded, if not cleaned after firing. 7. In consequence of the quickness and intensity of its action when ignited, it cannot be used with safety in the present fire-arms. 8. An accident on service, such as the insertion of two charges before firing, would cause the bursting of the barrel; and it is probable that the like effect would take place with the regular service charges, if several times repeated. GUNPOWDER. The component parts of Powder are 75 parts of nitre, 10 of sulphur, and 15 of charcoal." Cylinder powder is made from charcoal that has been burnt in iron cylinders; and Pit powder from charcoal burnt in common pits. Gunpowder, when ignited, expands with a velocity of about 5000 feet per second, and the pressure of the fluid is about 2000 times that of common air. One pound of Powder measures 32 solid inches. A cubic foot of Government powder weighs about 58 pounds. Gunpowder is manufactured by reducing the nitre, sulphur, and charcoal to powder; they are then mixed, moistened with water, and again mixed in a mill for five or six hours, or until the mixture is as intimate as possible, for upon this the strength of the powder chiefly depends. When taken from the mill, the composition is put in a press, and formed into hard cakes about a quarter of an inch thick; these, when dry, or nearly so, are broken by wooden mallets into small pieces, and reduced into grains by being put into sieves, and forced by means of a wooden roller through circular holes of the proper diameter. Good powder should be devoid of smell, and of uniform colour, approaching to that of a slate. The particles should be perfectly granulated, and free from cohesion. It should admit of being readily poured from one vessel to another. In powder that has become damp, large lumps are formed: should the damage, however, not be very considerable, these concretions may be reduced by drying the powder in a hot air stove, rubbing and loosening the grains; but powder thus affected never thoroughly regains its lost strength. To test the purity of powder.-Lay a dram of it on a piece of clean writing-paper, and fire the heap by means of a red-hot iron wire: if the flame ascend quickly with a good report, leaving the paper free from white specks, and without burning holes in it, the goodness of the ingredients and proper manufacture of the powder may be safely inferred. Good powder blasted upon a clean plate of copper, should leave no track or mark of foulness. Powder exposed for 17 or 18 days to the influence of the atmosphere ought not to increase materially in weight. One hun dred pounds of powder should not absorb more than twelve ounces if it increase in weight more than one per cent., the powder should be condemned. Proof of Gunpowder. To prove the strength of large grain or common powder, 2 ounces are fired from 8-inch Gomer mortars (at an angle of 45°), placed on stone beds, and so fixed as not to recoil. These mortars are loaded with shot weighing 68 pounds, and the average of the ranges, with government powder of Waltham Abbey, is 250 feet. Powder made of common pit charcoal will only project such a ball, under the same circumstances, about 220 feet; and powder that has been re-stoved will only produce a range of from 107 to 117 feet. A musket, charged with two drams of fine grained or musket powder, should drive a steel bullet through 15 or 16 halfinch elm boards, placed of an inch from each other, the first board being set at 40 inches from the muzzle of the musket: with re-stoved powder, the bullet will only perforate from 9 to 12 of the boards. The quality of large grain powder is ascertained by its general appearance, its firmness, glazing, uniformity of grain, and density. POWDER MARKS. The various sorts of Powder are distinguished by the following marks on the heads of the barrels: Red L G, or F G, denotes Powder of the best quality. White L G, or F G, is an inferior Powder for salutes, &c. POWDER BARRELS. Whole Barrels contain 100 lb., and Half Barrels 50lb. of powder, whether fine or coarse. |