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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 22, 1911)
X A. The Omaha Sunday Bee Magazine Page Copyright. 1911, by artcan-TCa:ner Great Britain Uljhts Reitrrod. I -v -.. " i Vt J llul!dll 1, v. " '.- f v.; ' .. .4 ... (." v ,; :. ' - . ? f ' 2 ,.1 j . ft s . i i i A Front r ( , v -VAX i u ' ' ' i ' i View v 4A ; i i ' - ,1 - f "The f V ; ' ' J Byxanllne- , f . , ! 1 i 1 r ;V iV'tr ' i-V' . 3 Newest ir 4 1 ;i .Tea Gown r f'J'U .... uModeU $ "VVU - ' ;: Below, 1 ? v a Side S , J-: "ii T ,;- - 5tMi-; View ; t"! : . ''- : - Same : .. v $ ' - ' 9 i .: Gown - :" '. " ' V n iricfliii ti IP5 mil A - UA7 fl - . u . - . ... . ... j J r r . -V ' T ; -v... : a. .) M.' - .,v j.: .... i .fvi",,aKr.---'.".. .,:t::.'"-. jRv r. - x v-- 4 k '4 Av- c V- -i) ' 'MIVM'MV.., .w. Jnii-Tr-m, M What the Smokeless Powder Did to the "Liber te" the French Warship After Being Blown Up by Its Own Ammunition. , How the U. S. Government Keeps in Leash the Deadly Smokeless Powder That Menaces the Fleets. WIEN tho Frencn arshtp La IJberte blew up the other day reducing the vessel to crap Iron and sending; hundreds of the crew to eternity, the thought which oc curred to everyone here, no doubt, was may not the same catastrophe occur In our own navy? The French disaster was caused by the decomposition of smokeless powder. In our naval service, smoke less powder is. used now almost ex clusively. Wherein "Ihen does our security He? On one of our modern Dread noughts two hundred and seventy five tons of smokeless powder is stored enough to blow up our en tire navy if all our ships were con centrated at the point of explosion. Bat a disaster of this kind is im possible because of the rigid system of inspection prevailing in our navy. To understand the efficacy of this system, some idea of what smoke less powder is is necessary. Smokeless powder is ordinary cotton soaked in nitric and sul- E 'ADY DUFF-GORDON, the fa mous "J.ucile" of London, and foremost creator of fashions in tht world, writes each week the fashion article for this neivsfapcr, presenting all that is newest and best in styles for well dressed women. Lady Duff-Cordon's new Paris estab lishment brings her into close touch xvith that centre of fashion. Lady Duff-Gordon's American estab lishment is at No. 17 West Thirty-sixth $trect, Nciv York. By Lady Duff Gordon ("Lucile.") HERE is my ideal tea-go wn. I call it the "ByianUne" because it reminds me of the col rful conception of that ancient inspire. It cocslls of, a clinging softness or white chlOon Ju.t faintly flushed with the fleeh pink of the nlnon underrobe, and ar ranged with a breastplate of silver and a eky-blue girdle wrought with traceries of sil ver and massed with pearls, both the pearla aud the silver being brought together again in the bordering fringe. At the beiu of the skirt the sllver-mesh lace is used as a border, and then, over all, comes a coat of aea-gren ninon brocaded with silver and wiill an edging, too, of silver tissue and more deeply rreen velvet to follow and ac centuate its lines of grace. Leaf-shaped silver ornaments serve as fas tening for the sleeve draperies, and catch the coat together, too, in front, beneath the gir dle fringe, and, finally, to give form, as well a finish, to the slight square train, the semi transparent shimmering fabric is deeply dged with velvet. There is something in the combination of colors represented in this gown which to me Hives It the "Bysantlne" effect It Is a crea tion which will lend charm to almost any woman, although, of course, its cost would auike it prohibitive to many. phuric acids. The nitric acid makes chiefly for the study and inspection the cotton explosive; the sulphurio helps the nitric acid to combine with the cotton. When this has been accomplished, the cotton is squeezed under rollers and washed to get rid of the acids, emerging from the process as a soft white pulp resembling paper pulp. This Is "guncotton." It is then dissolved in ether, and, on being dried, takes the form of a hard paste which Is kneaded like dough and finally forced through perforated metal plates, thus assuming the shape of long rods. The rods are chopped up Into short lengths, which are the "grains" of smokelees powder. Smokeless powder is made in lots of 25,000 to . 100.000 pounds. To each lot, when finished, an index number is given for example, S. P. 7S8. After being dried for eix months and chemically tested, it is sent to a naval magazine. There are a number of these- magazines at vari ous seaports. One of the biggest is near Norfolk. Such a magazine consists of a number of small build ings scattered over a considerable area. In which the powder is either made up into charges for guns of various sizes or else simply stored. If an explosion oc curs, it can hardly Involve more than one of the build ings. When the powd er is issued to a ship, a small sam ple of it is kept at the magazine, and another sample is retained at the powder factory. There is at Indian Head a well- equipped chemi cal laboratory. maj tained chiefly for the study and inspection of smokeless powder. The samples thus retained are kept un der observation. When the powder is made up into charges and issued ' to the ahlp, an "observation' sample" is Issued with it, in a glass stoppered bottle bearing the index number of the lot of powder which it rep resents. The sample Is exposed to view in a rack in the ship's magazine, where it la subjected to the same conditions as the bulk of the same powder. It is ex. amined every day. In this way a watch is kept on every ounce- of smokeless powder la the possession of the navy, whether ou board of Bhlps or in the maga zines on shore. One y6ung officer at the Navy Department In Wash ington Is responsible for the con dition of the powder on every vessel in the navy. If an explosion oc curred in consequence of the decom position of any of it, he would be held accountable. But he says that anxiety on the subject never costs him an hour's sleep. If (as sometimes happens) one of the index samples shows slgnB of decomposition, immediate notifica tion is sent to every ship or other placet where powder of the same batch Is In storage, in order that special attention may be paid to it. The symptoms are manifest enough. When . smokeless powder decom poses, it gives out pungent, acrid fumes, red In color, so that one may see as well as smell them. On board of every warship there is a fortnightly inspection of the powder, at which one or more charges of each index number are opened upand examined the stuff, that is to say, which has been packed in bags for the guns. In ad dition, there is a monthly test, at which, sample charges being broken open, a small quantity from each is taken out and put Into a bottle that has been chemically cleaned. In this bottle is suspended a strip of blue litmus papsr that has been dipped Into distilled water. If nltrlo acid fumes are present, they will turn the paper red. Should such a thing happen (as it sometimes does), the powder of that batch Is put under a "surveill ance test." That is to say, a small quantity of it Is placed in an oven and heated to a certain tempera ture. It it endures this treatment for sixty days without giving out any fumes, it is in perfect condition. If it stands tor forty days, it is good 'L' "t I f Hi t I V .! ' '3 1 St III! " J i u t i 1 'U . , . J .r 1 II -r; f 11 r T ai Fim il fJSSJ tt The Nitrating House, Where Cotton Becomes Explosive. L l J - V s --C 'V7.m study and inspection i r" 1 ' I"" ''i' Wm.J ll of smokeless powder. " - izz- . jP' J f "V ill- The samples thus i xj P "L I. Z-iJL i 1 . ' retained are kept un- . . iV I. .f ' . .'A'.t .ln IK' ' r observation. . y l , S) A ' V t I IT"--- I When the powder is j . r.- ' v h ' r t - made up into charges , 'Cr- Ml fL- iV-: M ' t 4 and issued1 to the 4- . ,F. ' S V "v . ysSl ship, an "observaUon' '. ' . t A t Y i 1 1" : V sample- is Issued . ? U .? I) J with It. In a glass- ... -4 - j . if .?, x.V'l' ,t .J stoppered bottle . , f,t , -vt 4 ., - . . . Vjl ii bearing the index . ' ' ""TT.?" ' " : ' i t number of the. lot oi Mil j I RV S , m i -i u I r resents, m hi . i , ,; - il " 'V ! t U exposed to view in 'j jl VSK 3 A a rack in the ship's j'. jj JV. i : i i ) magazine, where it la ' T"r""" . . i "I i ' subjected to the same .,,.. f fv , - condiUons as the l . , f V , $ -'; j bulk of the same M.. f 1 V v- , 4 ! 1 ' Powder. It is ex. . t .'-'. :r. amined every day. t . -:V f-'- In this way a . . - Jw'r-'' i I v 1 Hverr ounce of Mil i i - .-. . T. V ' : XW. smokele" powder ln ' Ui: 4 :A v ' : ..Y l-r - V . Uim-.W: -L u f ' ? .. i i .-..."'I ! i I I t c- si .--Jr. -- - 1 1 . :v f .! t! After Cotton Is Nitrated It Is Steamed for Two Days. powder. If it Is all right for twenty hSM days, ll is saie to Keep ana use. But, if ln less than twenty days it gives out fumes, it is put ashore and shipped to the nearest naval maga zine, where it la kept for a whilo and watched. Meanwhile samples of it are test ed in a chemical laboratory on shore, and. It the powder is fonnd to be really bad, it is sent to the factory at Indian Head and "re worked." In other words, it Is ground up and reduced to the shape of fresh raw material a new batch of guncotton for conversion into smokeless powder. Cutting Powder Into Strip. ' lUltf 3 i - v - t V -I 1 'it- " v.;5 I-1H 1 1 ." " IV :. i.: f - v.v Jii ; -1 I I mi r ..ill J i ? J a r lit y I i - -4? .-. 4a wma . .v. X The Fin Uhed Preduet Ready for the Cum. Drying the Lait Stage. Where the Smokaieaa Powder I Pressed Into Duct. 55 SJW A ... II I 1 a V