The Chemistry of Powder and Explosives - Sciencemadness Dot Org

BOMBSHELLS 103
is folded, rubbed, and twisted in paste until it is thoroughly impregnated.
It is then laid out on the bench and the shell is rolled
up in it. The cylinder is now stood upright, the fuse end at the
top, and the portion of the wet pasted kraft paper wrapper which
extends above the body of the shell is torn into strips about
% inch wide; these, one by one, are rubbed down carefully
and smoothly, one overlapping the other, upon the end of the shell
case. They extend up the fuse tube for about V2 inch and are
pressed down firmly against it. The shell is now turned over,
the fused end resting against a tapered hole in the bench, and
a corresponding operation is performed upon the other end.
The body of the shell is now about y± inch thick on the sides
of the cylinder, about % inch thick at the top end, and about
V£ inch at the base end. It is dried outdoors in the sun and
breeze, or in a well-ventilated dry-house at 100°F., and, when
thoroughly dry, is ready to be supplied with the propelling or
blowing charge.
A piece of piped match (black match in a paper tube) is laid
along the side of the bombshell; both are rolled up without paste
in 4 thicknesses of 30-pound kraft paper wide enough to extend
about 4 inches beyond the ends of the cylinder, and the outer
wrapper is tied lightly in place by two strings encircling the
cylinder near the ends of the shell case. The cylinder is turned
bottom end up. About 3 inches of the paper pipe of the quickmatch
is removed to expose the black match, a second piece of
black match is inserted into the end of the paper pipe, and the
pipe is tied with string to hold the match in place. The propelling
charge of 2F gunpowder is next introduced; the two inner layers
of the outer kraft paper wrapper are folded down upon it and
pressed firmly, then the two outer layers are pleated to the center
of the cylinder, tied, and trimmed close to the string. The cylinder
is then turned to bring the fuse end uppermost. The end of
the fuse is scraped clean if it has been touched with paste. Two
pieces of black match arc crossed over the end of the fuse, bent
down along the sides of the fuse tube, and tied in this position
with string. The piped match which leads to the blowing charge
is now laid down upon the end of the cylinder, up to the bottom
of the fuse tube, then bent up along the side of the fuse tube,
then bent across its end and down the other side, and then bent