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Story
November 18, 1926
The Monmouth Inquirer
Freehold, Monmouth County, New Jersey
What is this article about?
A scientist discusses the dangers of storing modern smokeless gunpowder, which can spontaneously combust and cause explosions, as seen in disasters on the French battleship Jena and USS Massachusetts at government dockyards.
Clipping
OCR Quality
98%
Excellent
Full Text
Decomposition of Gunpowder.
Modern smokeless gunpowder is dangerous stuff to store. A scientist remarks:
"In all probability the terrible disaster to the French battleship Jena will be found to have been due to the explosion of her after magazine as the result of spontaneous combustion of the powder. Such an accident at the close of the recent war tore out the side of the battleship Massachusetts, at a time when, like the Jena, she was at one of the Government dockyards. The best of modern powders are liable, under certain conditions, to decomposition, which, if it proceeds to a certain point and be accompanied by certain conditions of temperature, may result in the explosion of the magazine and the loss of the ship or arsenal, as the case may be. Our modern smokeless powders, when in storage, are the occasion of a degree of anxiety and watchfulness which was never felt in the days of the brown or black powders."
Modern smokeless gunpowder is dangerous stuff to store. A scientist remarks:
"In all probability the terrible disaster to the French battleship Jena will be found to have been due to the explosion of her after magazine as the result of spontaneous combustion of the powder. Such an accident at the close of the recent war tore out the side of the battleship Massachusetts, at a time when, like the Jena, she was at one of the Government dockyards. The best of modern powders are liable, under certain conditions, to decomposition, which, if it proceeds to a certain point and be accompanied by certain conditions of temperature, may result in the explosion of the magazine and the loss of the ship or arsenal, as the case may be. Our modern smokeless powders, when in storage, are the occasion of a degree of anxiety and watchfulness which was never felt in the days of the brown or black powders."
What sub-type of article is it?
Curiosity
Disaster
Historical Event
What themes does it cover?
Catastrophe
Misfortune
What keywords are associated?
Gunpowder Decomposition
Smokeless Powder
Ship Explosion
Jena Disaster
Massachusetts Incident
Spontaneous Combustion
What entities or persons were involved?
Scientist
Where did it happen?
Government Dockyards
Story Details
Key Persons
Scientist
Location
Government Dockyards
Event Date
At The Close Of The Recent War
Story Details
Scientist explains that spontaneous combustion of smokeless gunpowder likely caused explosions on French battleship Jena and USS Massachusetts while docked, highlighting storage risks compared to older powders.