r^ i i r=i i i i -= nr= 
 
 CEE PAGES 21, 22. 23 AND 24 FOR 
 DESCRIPTION OF TROJAN 
 POWDER COMPANY'S WAR 
 ACTIVITIES. 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 
 in 2011 with funding from 
 
 Boston Library Consortium IVIember Libraries 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/historyofmanufacOOwill 
 
SEE PAGES 21, 22, 23 AND 24 FOR 
 DESCRIPTION OF TROJAN POWDER 
 COMPANY'S WAR ACTIVITIES. 
 
HISTORY OF THE MANUFACTURE 
 
 OF EXPLOSIVES FOR THE 
 
 GREAT WAR 
 
 1917-1918 
 
'^P^SI- 
 
 "Close up" view of Kelp Harvester at work off San Diego, California. The sea weed is shown here on its way (after cutting, or gathering) to the macerating 
 process on deck. Upper left-hand view shows another barge alongside, pumping the macerated kelp into its own tanks. This barge carries the kelp to shore^ 
 
 where it is piped to the plant, half a mile inland (see page 33) . O NEILL LIBRARY t / 
 
 MHY 2 8 1996 2 
 
 O'NEILL LIBRARY 
 BOSTON COLLEGE 
 
Major General C. C. Williams, U. S. A. May 12, 1919. 
 
 Chief of Ordnance, 
 
 Washington, D. C. 
 Sir: 
 
 I have the honor to submit a history, in narrative and pictorial form, of the achievements of the Army Ordnance 
 Department in the Philadelphia Ordnance District, in the manufacture of Explosives . 
 
 The principal headquarters of Explosives manufacture in the United States are, unquestionably, at Wilmington, Dela- 
 ware, where are located the general offices of the greatest Explosives manufacturers, and it was thru the Philadelphia 
 District Ordnance Office that most of the output under Government contracts has been supervised and cleared. 
 
 The history covers in some part, more than the Philadelphia District ; this because of the fact that plants of the 
 great manufacturers are scattered thru many districts, and it occurred that parts of many contracts were manufactured 
 in different plants. 
 
 Aside from cold facts, as expressed in figures, this story is intended to point out the stupendous achievements of 
 American Industry (rather than the achievement of any particular contractor); the difficulties, seemingly insurmountable, 
 overcome ; the colossal task of plant building ; the extremely important achievements along the line of chemical research, 
 all at a time when we were cut off from certain raw material supplies, obtained before the War from countries which 
 later became our enemies. 
 
 For instance, as is shown on page 33 from a certain variety of giant sea-weed known as " Kelp," potash salt was 
 obtained ( an essential in the manufacture of black powder ) which, upon chemical transformation, resulted in Nitrate of 
 Potash, and it will be seen by the figures, that from the ocean itself came enough potash to make sufficient black powder 
 to supply all our armies. 
 
 Not as a memento of the Great 'War is this submitted, but as an after-war review of scenes, the passing of -which was 
 so swift at a time when our thoughts were so centralized in our respective duties, as to preclude a possibility of keeping 
 in close touch with them. 
 
 Even now, in reading this story of Explosives, we can but liken the scene to that of the wake of a departing 
 ship — The Great War. 
 
 Respectfully, 
 
 \A^ILLIAM B. WILLIAMS 
 
General view of Dynamite Plant, Bacchus, Utah, where the Hercules Powder Company produced Nitrate of Ammonia (see page 32) 
 
 4 
 
Introduction 
 
 "^HE purpose of this book is to show some of the remarkable achievements of American ingenuity and industry when put 
 to the test. Ingenuity coupled with resourcefulness and backed up by industry. 
 
 Surely never before in the history of our country has such an opportunity presented itself to show the world, aye our- 
 selves, our ability to rise to any emergency no matter how colossal in size, no matter how seemingly insurmountable! 
 
 Dry statistical data as to quantities of explosives produced has little meaning here. That the figures, were they men- 
 tioned, would prove astounding, no one can doubt. In this connection, however, the story of duPont is shown in a manner 
 calculated to give the reader an idea as to the physical growth of plants under the emergency and in order to picture the "climb" 
 of production, it was thought wise to go back to 1914 and follow the ever ascending scale of capacity while that company, like 
 others, was supplying the demands of the Allies. Thus we arrive at the date April 6, 1917, when the United States went to 
 the rescue, and it is interesting to note in figures the tremendous jump in production from that date. As with the duPonts, so 
 with the other major explosives interests, capacities were strained to the utmost and the extremely low percentage of explosions 
 and casualties in explosives plants in the United States (which at first thought seems marvelous) was but another proof of the 
 efficiency of those directing the work, coupled with the word "carefulness," for it should be known that explosions are nearly 
 always the result of someone's carelessness and not the fault of the explosive! 
 
 The Ammonium Nitrate Plant of the Atlas Powder Co. is shown at length, giving figures, as an example of plant construc- 
 tion under peculiar difficulties. Photographic views have been arranged with a view of showing at "close up" buildings 
 which, while not necessarily standard, typify construction for like purposes, as a rule, throughout the country. 
 
 In contemplating the views of some of our major explosives plants as, for instance. Old Hickory, Hopewell and Carney's 
 Point; in attaining a mental focus of the achievements of a little more than one year of time; in comparing America's work 
 of a few months with that of Germany's thirty-eight years of cunningly designed and strategically applied preparedness, we 
 can but declare that Alladin, with his wonderful lamp, was a mere tyro. 
 
 Obstacles arose and, almost as fast as they presented themselves, were overcome. 
 
 Such is the story of Army Ordnance. Credit for its achievements belongs, not to any one department nor any one in- 
 dustrial organization, but to the countless thousands of workers, from the official executives who planned, to the water-boys 
 with their buckets and dippers, and it was "team-work," mental and physical team-work, backed up by the scream of the 
 eagle in his flight to the rescue of liberty, that made these things possible. 
 
 The Author. 
 
It has been officially declared that there never was a time when the production of smokeless powder 
 
 and high explosives did not only equal the American requirements, but in addition 
 
 provided large quantities for France and England 
 
History of the Manufacture of Explosives for the Great War 
 
 Showing the Achievements, from Year to Year, of the E. I. duPont de Nemours & Co.; Their Production 
 
 IN April. 1917, when the United States Entered the Conflict; and the "Climb" of Production 
 
 from that Date Until the Signing of Armistice, November 11th, 1918 
 
 The story of the duPont Company's production of munitions during the European War naturally divides itself 
 into three periods: first, pre-war; second, from the start of the war to April, 1917, when the United States 
 joined the Allies; and third, from April, 1917, to the close of hostilities. These are treated in the order named. 
 
 The E. I. dii Pont de Nemours and Company 
 
 First Period 
 
 N 1914, after an existence of 112 years in the United States, 
 duPont occupied the position of being the largest manufacturer 
 of explosives in the world. Their main products, however, were 
 commercial djTiamites and black powder. As far as strictly mili- 
 tar}' explosives were concerned, the United States government was, 
 practically speaking, the Company's only customer. Its demands 
 were small and consequendy the Company's capacity and production 
 were likewise. 
 
 ^Tiile there was an efficient organization on which to build for 
 expansion, conditions in this respect were less favorable than they 
 had been. The duPont Company was dissolved by Court decree in 
 1912 into the Atlas, Hercules and duPont Companies. Operating, 
 chemical and odier officials were divided by the terms of dissolution 
 and the re-organization of die personnel of the duPont Company had 
 not yet been completed. 
 
 The outbreak of war found the explosives companies of England, 
 Russia and France ill prepared to meet the requirements of their 
 respective governments and the latter naturally turned to duPont to 
 help make up the deficiency. The greatest demand was for smoke- 
 
 less powder. The Company's capacity for the manufacture of this 
 commodity, together with other munitions, treated approximately in 
 the order of their importance, is given below. 
 
 Smokeless Powder 
 
 Three plants — Carney's Point, Haskell and Parlin, all in New 
 Jersey — widi a combined theoretical capacity of 12,000,000 pounds 
 of cannon and rifle powder per year. 
 
 Trinitrotoluol or Triton 
 
 Two plants, Repanuo, N. J., and Barksdale, Wis., capacity 
 660,000 pounds per month. Actual production approximately 
 1,000,000 pounds total since 1912, half of which was for use in 
 commercial dynamite. The main capacity was for the manufacture 
 of crude T. N. T. There was but little capacity for the manufacture 
 of refined. 
 
 Black Powder 
 
 Plants at Wayne, N. J., Montchanin, Del., and elsewhere which, 
 mainly employed in the manufacture of sodium nitrate blasting 
 
powder, could readily be used for the production of military black 
 powder for ignition and base charges. 
 
 There was ample capacity to meet all requirements except insofar 
 as the manufacture of pellets for shrapnel was concerned. A suit- 
 able powder for pellets had not been developed and that Company 
 had never attempted to manufacture pellets. 
 
 Tetryl 
 
 The duPont Company had no plant, and material had only been 
 manufactured in an experimental way. 
 
 Fulminate of Mercury 
 
 Plant at Pompton Lakes, N. J., with capacity of 60,000 pounds 
 per month. Actual production about 30,000 pounds per month. 
 
 Ammonium Nitrate 
 
 Plants at duPont, Wash., Louviers, Col., Barksdale, Wis., and 
 Repauno, N. J. Capacity 1,350,000 pounds per month above com- 
 mercial requirements. 
 
 As regards the items listed below the Company had no capacity 
 or experience in production: 
 
 Trinitroxylol or T. N. X. 
 
 Ammonal. 
 
 Demolition Blocks T. N. T. 
 
 Ammonium Picrate. 
 
 Picric Acid. 
 
 Table No. 1 shows capacities as of July, 1914. 
 
 Table No. 1 — Monthly Capacity duPont Explosives Plants 
 
 Material Prior July, 1914 
 Smokeless Powder _. 1,000.000 
 
 Trinitrotoluol — T. N. T. 
 
 Black Powder 
 
 Tetryl 
 
 Fulminate of Mercury .... 
 Trinitroxylol — ^T. N. X. . 
 
 660,000 
 550,000 
 
 
 60,000 
 
 
 
 Material Prior July, 1914 
 
 Ammonium Nitrate 1,350,000 
 
 Ammonium Picrate 
 
 Picric Acid - 
 
 Ammonal 
 
 T. N. T. Demolition Blocks 
 
 Second Period 
 
 ~|^RIOR to the war the duPont Company developed in connec- 
 j- tion with the United States Government a satisfactory nitro- 
 -d_ cellulose cannon powder, a nitrocellulose rifle powder and a 
 nitroglycerin pistol powder. They had just completed the develop- 
 ment of the progressive burning I. M. R. rifle powder when the war 
 broke out. They had also developed a nitrocellulose pistol powder 
 and sold a few thousand pounds per year to the sporting trade. 
 
 The British Government standardized on nitroglycerin rifle and 
 cannon powder and when they opened negotiations in 1914 for the 
 purchase of smokeless powder they wanted to specify nitroglycerin 
 grades. The duPont Company insisted they would supply nothing 
 but nitrocellulose powder to be manufactured with their current 
 standards. The fact that the Company could offer immediate pro- 
 duction caused England to accept the proposition. It is of interest 
 and a source of satisfaction to know that England and Italy, who had 
 
 previously been committed to nitroglycerin powder, continued to 
 purchase the duPont nitrocellulose rifle and cannon powders to the 
 end of the war and that England turned to duPont I. M. R. powders 
 exclusively for small arms. 
 
 The duPonts signed a contract on October 12, 1914, to deliver 
 8,000,000 pounds of smokeless powder to France. Before April, 
 1917, they sold approximately 400,000,000 pounds of Smokeless 
 Powder to the various allied governments, together with 27,000,000 
 pounds of guncotton. A plant was built at Hopewell, Va., for the 
 manufacture of acid and the nitration of cotton. The Carney's Point, 
 Haskell and Parlin Plants were enlarged and by April, 1917, the 
 combined capacity amounted to 33,000,000 pounds per month. 
 
 There was a large demand for T. N. T. and between October, 1914, 
 and April, 1917, about 50,000,000 pounds were sold to allied gov- 
 ernments. The plant at Repauno was abandoned and that at Barks- 
 
 {Continued on page 10) 
 
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 OJ 
 
 i. ' ' 
 
 
 
 
 
 il^^ 
 
 
 ■fa^^g^r 
 
 r^^Ktl 
 
 ^^ 
 
 !l 
 
 Hl»i%^ 
 
 !^^ ■'^■l 
 
"^HIS panoramic view shows the great guncotton plant of the 
 duPont Company located at Hopewell, Va. It was built to 
 supply the demands of the European War and from the early 
 part of 1915, when operations were begun, until the armistice was 
 signed, it produced 1,158,477,921 pounds of guncotton. It was 
 looked upon as the greatest guncotton plant in the world. It em- 
 ployed at the peak 28,513 persons. Its community village had 
 accommodations for 1,850 families. Its construction was a" marvel 
 of engineering skill and speed, the plant being completed in nineteen 
 months! 
 
 On looking at this picture from left to right one sees to the left 
 and prominently in the foreground "A" plant power house. To the 
 left of the power house are the main office buildings and to the 
 extreme left in the distance are the Norfolk & Western Railway 
 station and the town of Hopewell. A short distance from the railway 
 station is die main entrance to the plant. In the background, behind 
 the stacks of the power house, are the cotton purification and dry 
 house buildings of "A" plant. 
 
 At the right of the power house is the acid area. Immediately in 
 the foreground to the right of the power house are nitrating houses 
 and in the background and slightly to the right may be seen the 
 
 Parlin, 
 
 y ~^HIS is a panoramic view of the smokeless powder plant of the 
 I duPont Company located at Parlin, N. J. It was one of the 
 -S- important duPont plants engaged in supplying munitions for 
 the Allies and the United States Government. Previous to its great 
 expansion to supply die needs of the Allies just after the outbreak of 
 the European War, this plant had a capacity of approximately 7,500 
 pounds of cannon powder per day. Its output was built up from this 
 figure to that of 375,000 pounds of military smokeless powder per 
 day, and 30,000 pounds of guncotton per day. The remainder of 
 the guncotton needed for its smokeless powder was brought from 
 Hopewell, Va. 
 
 At the peak this plant employed 4,900 persons. It had housing 
 accommodations for 1,100 bachelors, 400 single women, and dwell- 
 ing houses for seventy families. 
 
 This picture shows among other things, ether houses, power plants, 
 solvent recoveries and blending towers. 
 
 Hopewell, Virginia 
 
 stacks and buildings of nitric acid and acid recovery houses and 
 sulphuric acid houses. About in the center of the picture and in the 
 foreground the guncotton area begins. The large, low building in 
 the foreground is a boiling tub house and to the right of it are 
 beater, poacher, and blocking houses. To the right of the guncotton 
 line is a three-story barn-like structure with a tank on the roof. This 
 is the soda ash recovery plant and to the right of it is a group of 
 buildings comprising the caustic soda plant and the acid water 
 neutralization plant. 
 
 On the right of the picture are seen boiling tub houses with great 
 quantities of steam coming from the stacks. Immediately in the 
 rear of these houses is the stack of "C" plant power house and the 
 large building in the background to the left of the power house stack 
 is a raw sulphur storage house. To the left of this and also in the far 
 background is the "C" sulphuric acid plant. At the extreme right 
 of the picture and in the background are seen buildings of the "B" 
 plant guncotton lines. 
 
 The river seen in the background to the extreme left of the picture 
 is the Appomatox while farther to the right and in the background is 
 the James River. On this latter stream were the wharves of the 
 Hopewell plant and most of the guncotton was shipped from there. 
 
 New Jersey 
 
 On the extreme left are ether houses of what was known as Plant 
 No. 2; the three stacks towards the left of the picture are those of 
 the new power house. Further to the right are sho\vn the three 
 stacks of the old power house. Immediately in front of these stacks 
 are located the buildings of the guncotton line and between the old 
 power plant and the new power plant are some of the buildings of 
 the chemical plant. 
 
 To the right of the old power house the buildings in the center 
 background are mechanical shops, and farther in the background 
 are dwelling houses located outside the plant. A little to the right of 
 the center of the picture is seen a large water tank used as part of 
 the fire protection and immediately to the right of it are ether houses 
 of plant No. 1. In the foreground to the right of the picture are 
 seen two mixing houses and immediately to the right of them are 
 five finishing press houses. Farther to the right is seen a line of 
 solvent recoveries. In the rear of the solvent recoveries, prominently 
 located on a slight hill, is a new type water dryer. The buildings 
 immediately in front of this are old type water dryers. 
 
dale enlarged so that in April, 1917, it had a capacity of 4,000,000 
 pounds per month. 
 
 duPont furnished 2,000,000 pounds of black powder for bursting 
 charge in shrapnel and 700,000 pounds of fuse powder for time 
 trains. It was reported by the British Government that results 
 obtained by their inspectors with duPont fuse powder, indicated it 
 to be superior to all others. 
 
 There was also a large demand for black powder pellets for time 
 fuse and shrapnel. Experimental work was started late in 1914 as 
 a result of which a suitable powder was developed and the manu- 
 facture of pellets developed. One hundred and thirty million pellets 
 
 of possibly eighteen different sizes and styles were sold prior to our 
 entrance into the war. 
 
 A plant was constructed at Deepwater Point, N. J., for the produc- 
 tion of Tetryl. By April, 1917, this plant was able to produce 
 60,000 pounds per month. 
 
 The Pompton Lakes Fulminate of Mercury Plant proved ample 
 to meet all needs. 
 
 The manufacture of Picric Acid and Ammonium Picrate was 
 started at Deepwater Point and plants built with capacity to make 
 125,000 pounds per month of the former and 250,000 pounds per 
 month of the latter commodity. 
 
 Table No. 2 shows capacities as of April, 1917. 
 Table No. 2 — Monthly Capacity duPont Explosives Plants 
 
 Material 
 
 Prior July, 1914 April, 1917 
 
 Smokeless Powder 1,000,000 
 
 Trinitrotoluol— T. N. T 
 
 Black Powder 
 
 Tetryl 
 
 Fulminate of Mercury '. 
 
 Trinitroxylol— T. N. X 
 
 ,000,000 
 
 33,000,000 
 
 660,000 
 
 4,000,000 
 
 550,000 
 
 550,000 
 
 
 
 60,000 
 
 60,000 
 
 60,000 
 
 
 
 
 
 Material Prior July, 1914 
 
 Ammonium Nitrate 1,350,000 
 
 Ammonium Picrate 
 
 Picric Acid 
 
 Ammonal 
 
 T. N. T. Demolition Blocks 
 
 April, 1917 
 
 1,350,000 
 
 250,000 
 
 125,000 
 
 
 
 25,000 
 
 Third Period 
 
 HILE the Allies' demands had been enormous, they were 
 not nearly as large as the requirements of our Govern- 
 ment when she entered the war in April, 1917. duPont 
 was, however, able to offer sufficient capacity to meet the entire first 
 program for cannon and small arms powder, but it later became 
 evident this would not be sufficient and that there was not enough 
 smokeless powder capacity in the entire country to meet the en- 
 larged program. 
 
 The Government decided to build two plants, each with a capacity 
 of 500,000 pounds per day and duPont was asked to assist them in 
 selecting the sites and also to design the plants. Sites were selected 
 at Charleston, W. Va., and Nashville, Tenn., and the plant at the 
 latter place was built by the duPont Engineering Company. The 
 speed at which this last plant was erected established a record for 
 surpassing anything previously done — ground was broken on March 
 8th, and in June operation of an acid unit was started. Since that 
 time 30,000,000 pounds of smokeless powder have been produced 
 at Old Hickory (near Nashville). 
 
 At the close of the war the company's capacity for the manufacture 
 of smokeless powder amounted to 1,700,000 pounds per day and 
 was being rapidly increased by additions to the Old Hickory plant 
 which would give the latter a capacity of 900,000 pounds per day. 
 Incidentally all powder manufactured was packed in boxes built in 
 duPont shops to a large extent from wood obtained from the Com- 
 pany's mills and land. 
 
 In the latter part of 1917 an extension was built to the Barksdale 
 Plant so as to run its capacity for the manufacture of T. N. T. up to 
 6,000,000 pounds per month. In spite of this increase the produc- 
 tion of T. N. T. was still inadequate and the Company was asked in 
 the middle of 1918 to contract and operate a duplicate plant at 
 Racine, Wis. Construction work had started when the Armistice 
 came. 
 
 The capacity for the manufacture of Tetryl was increased so that 
 by the end of the war, production amounted to 150,000 pounds per 
 month. 
 
 10 
 
There was a demand from the Engineer Corps for a special class 
 of explosives for engineering and sapping work and the Company 
 started in 1916 at Carney's Point to make compressed rectangular 
 and cylindrical blocks of Triton approximately one-half pound in 
 weight. The work was later transferred to Barksdale. Production 
 amounted to 25,000 pounds per month. Blocks so made did not 
 stand up as well as desired in transportation and handling and in 
 July, 1917, the Company was asked to consider the copper plating 
 of such blocks. The Engineer Department had done some experi- 
 mental work along these lines and with the help of their experience 
 the duPont Company installed a copper plating equipment and started 
 production late in 1917. Production reached 65,000 pounds per 
 month by the middle of 1918. This met their program. 
 
 It was found that the ordinary type of detonator was not strong 
 enough to properly explode the blocks so the duPont Company 
 designed and manufactured at their Detonator Plant, Pompton Lakes, 
 New Jersey, a detonator considerably stronger than any previously 
 made commercially, which gave complete satisfaction and it has 
 been adopted as the standard. 
 
 For sapping work they wanted an explosive of the Ammonal type. 
 The Chemical Department developed such an explosive, known as 
 duPont Ammonal, and in field tests at Camp Dix and elsewhere, it 
 proved the equal, if not the superior, of T. N. T. as a sapping 
 explosive. 
 
 The duPonts supplied the Government with their total require- 
 ments, 1,300,000 pounds, between May, 1918, and the close of the 
 war. The English had used compressed guncotton as a primer. The 
 duPonts suggested compressed Triton Blocks as a better and safer 
 booster and this plan was adopted. 
 
 The Engineers required an explosive for quarry operations in 
 
 France. A 40 per cent low freezing gelatin was recommended; over 
 1,000,000 pounds of this explosive were manufactured. 
 
 The duPonts also held contracts covering an immense loading 
 program and they loaded the majority of the aeroplane drop bombs 
 loaded in this country. Approximately 40,000 were turned out at 
 Repauno. These were loaded with Lyconite, an explosive developed 
 by duPont chemists at their Eastern Laboratory, Gibbstown, N. J., 
 especially for drop bombs; 1,200,000 pounds of Lyconite were used. 
 
 Early in June, 1918, German submarines appeared off the Eastern 
 Coast and sank a number of ships. Ordnance Department officials 
 appealed to duPonts, by telephone, to load 300 bombs. A special 
 messenger brought the necessary primers from New Haven, Conn., 
 and by everyone pitching in and working day and night they managed 
 to ship half of the quantity of bombs by truck in twenty-four hours 
 and the remainder in forty-eight hours! 
 
 For the Livens Projector, a nitrocellulose container for the pro- 
 pellant charge was developed which was given the name of nitro- 
 tite. This was adopted by the Ordnance Department to replace the 
 English arrangement of cotton bags separated by a tin segmental 
 contrivance. These containers were being loaded at the rate of 1,000 
 per day on an order for 137,000. Just before the War ended the 
 Company accepted an additional order for 900,000 to be supplied 
 by June, 1919, and a new plant at Brandywine, Del., with a capacity 
 of from 4,000 to 6,000 charges per day had almost been completed. 
 
 Nitrotite was developed mainly as a substitute for silk propellant 
 containers used in unfixed ammunition and 50,000 were furnished 
 for the 155 m.m. gun. The English had been experimenting with a 
 somewhat similar material, but without success, so Nitrotite was 
 distinctly an American creation which was not only the equal of silk 
 in important respects, but superior in many. 
 
 Table No. 3 — Monthly Capacity duPont Explosives Plants 
 
 Prior 
 July, 1914 
 
 Smokeless Powder 1,000.000 
 
 Trinitrotoluol— T. N. T 660,000 
 
 Black Powder* 550,000 
 
 Tetryl 
 
 Fulminate of Mercury 60,000 
 
 Trinitroxulol— T. N. X 
 
 Ammonium Nitrate* 1,350,000 
 
 Armistice 
 Month 
 April, 1917 Nov., 1918 
 
 33.000.000 52,000,000 
 4.000.000 6.000,000 
 
 550.000 
 
 60,000 
 
 60,000 
 
 
 
 1.350,000 
 
 550,000 
 
 150,000 
 
 60,000 
 
 2.500,000 
 
 1.350,000 
 
 Ammonium Picrate 
 
 Picric Acid 
 
 Ammonal** 
 
 T. N. T. Demolition Blocks . 
 
 Prior 
 July, 1914 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 *Above commercial requirements. 
 **Had facilities to increase if necessary. 
 
 April, 1917 
 
 250,000 
 
 125,000 
 
 
 
 25,000 
 
 Armistice 
 
 Month 
 Nov.. 1918 
 
 250,000 
 
 125,000 
 
 700,000 
 
 65,000 
 
 11 
 
The foregoing tells the main story of quantity production, but 
 this Company handled many projects of a special or experimental 
 nature which are not covered. 
 
 At their Eastern Laboratory, Gibbstown, N. J., their chemists, in 
 co-operation with Ordnance Department officers, carried on experi- 
 mental work to determine proper bursting, booster and detonating 
 charges for various shells and bombs, and loading specifications 
 were ordinarily drawn as a result of this work. 
 
 Lyconite, an explosive for bombs, and Grenite, an explosive for 
 grenades, were developed by the Chemical Department and sold to 
 the United States. 
 
 The manufacture of diphenylamine, the necessary stabilizing agent 
 for smokeless powder, was developed. Previous to the war, this 
 material was not manufactured in this country and its successful 
 manufacture constitutes one of the greatest single achievements in 
 this line, during the war. 
 
 Pistol Powder, No. 3, a nitrocellulose powder, was adopted by the 
 Ordnance Department, and was manufactured at the rate of 2,000 
 pounds per day, which met the requirements. 
 
 The duPont No. 3 blasting machine was decided upon as the 
 standard for the engineers and 300 were manufactured in two 
 months' time on a rush order. This was a large order for this class 
 of material. 
 
 On request from the Engineers, the duPonts assisted in the design 
 of demolition outfits, to be carried by the men in the field, and 
 assembled 87,000 at their Pompton Lakes Plant. 
 
 Other divisions of that company supplied large quantities of their 
 products either directly or indirectly to the Government, as, for 
 
 instance, Pyralin for gas-mask eye-pieces and battery jars, coated 
 fabrics for clothing, dugout curtains, etc., as a protection against 
 poisonous gases and fire, various special chemicals and acids, large 
 quantities of paint for camouflage of ships, etc., and dopes for aero- 
 planes. 
 
 With but one or two exceptions, production proceeded according 
 to schedule and in many instances was better than commitments. 
 Considering the volume of business, the amount of new construction 
 necessary, the labor turnover, etc., the results obtained were truly 
 remarkable. 
 
 We have all heard much of the rapid strides made by various 
 American industries during the war, notably shipbuilding and steel 
 manufacture, with its associated branches, but there has been little 
 said or written about the explosives industry. The average citizen 
 does not realize that the explosives companies were no more pre- 
 pared at the start of this war to meet the demands which they later 
 did meet than the shipbuilders were to build ships and not as well 
 prepared perhaps as the steel manufacturers to take care of the in- 
 creased demands for steel plates, rails, locomotives, shells, etc. The 
 way in which the duPont organization was enlarged, new plants built, 
 methods of manufacture improved and production increased, con- 
 stitutes one of the greatest achievements in American industrial 
 history. Incidentally (as an outgrowth of the war) it might be added 
 that E. L duPont de Nemours & Company also found time to put 
 their peace-time activities on a more substantial basis and to develop 
 the manufacture of dye-stuffs to such an extent as to make this coun- 
 try largely independent of Germany. 
 
 12 
 
"Old Hickory" 
 
 The Greatest Smokeless Powder Plant in the World Near Nashville, Tennessee 
 
 I HE stupendous achievement of the duPont Engineering Co. 
 an offshot of the great explosives firm of E. I. DuPont de 
 Nemours & Co., in creating this plant for the Government dur- 
 ing the first months of the second year of the great war, has been 
 acknowledged by the Chief of Ordnance himself in a letter from 
 which we quote herewith as follows: 
 
 "Since the signing of the armistice and with the cessation of muni- 
 tion production there has been brought to my attention a review of 
 your work on the Old Hickory Smokeless Powder Plant at Nash- 
 ville, Tenn. 
 
 "To have built up and put into operation the first units of such a 
 plant in less than five months from the date of breaking ground, 
 under the stressful conditions existing, involving, as it did, the con- 
 struction not only of the major plant, but of a number of sub- 
 process plants, each of which in itself might be regarded as an 
 undertaking of no little magnitude, must always be regarded as a 
 remarkable achievement. 
 
 "The fact that this initiation of operation was accomplished some 
 two months prior to contract promises and that production has been 
 since maintained at all times in excess of contract requirements, 
 still further embellishes the very perfect construction record. 
 
 "The history of what you have done at Nashville is paralleled by 
 the very satisfactory and uniform fulfillment of your expectations on 
 practically all other work you have undertaken for the Government. 
 All of this on materials that were most vital to the successful issue 
 of the war. 
 
 "It is, therefore, a distinct pleasure to express to you the very 
 sincere appreciation of the Ordnance Department for the highly 
 efficient and fruitful part your Company has played in the develop- 
 ment of the munition supply." 
 
 As is indicated in General Williams' letter, operations in the man- 
 ufacture of Smokeless Powder started five months after breaking 
 groimd. This means that instead of delays (which naturally could 
 be looked for under such conditions as prevailed throughout the 
 countr}') finished powder was turned out for our armies ahead of 
 scheduled time. Thirty millions of pounds of smokeless powder 
 
 13 
 
 had been produced at Old Hickory up to the time the whistles were 
 blowing to quit on November 11th, 1918. 
 
 Construction proceeded from the start in leaps and bounds. Again 
 and again top notches were cut in speed records. As we proceed in 
 the review of Old Hickory, and as we consider such factors as time, 
 labor and materials, the term "magic" seems more and more 
 appropriate. 
 
 The fairy wand in this case (metaphorically speaking) being the 
 Eagle, who, from the heights saw the menace. Spreading the alarm 
 from horizon to horizon, the forces of a nation responded one hun- 
 dred per cent. AU the ingenuity; all the energy; all the resources; 
 all the determination. All — one hundred per cent All — responded, 
 and when the Eagle successfully rid his domain, aye, all humanity, 
 let us hope, of the menace which threatened, back to his eyrie he 
 flew. His duty accomplished. We have the secret. Old Hickory 
 was one of the very many stupendous developments. 
 
 Look upon the panorama of the workshops of the victors. Behold, 
 in full relief, marvels of construction ; walk about — not among ruins, 
 but a vast completed work. "What," you say, "Walk over a reserva- 
 tion the area of which is 4,706 acres, and go in and out of more than 
 a thousand buildings?" We answer: "Why not? The roads are 
 ample; more than seven miles of concrete and four miles of 
 macadam; thirty-three miles of board-walks!" You say that such a 
 trip is out of the question. Well, then, stand with us up here in a 
 tower 160 feet high and look do^vn upon the scene. Over here, 
 (page 16) at top, are the Nitric Acid and Sulphuric Acid Plants. 
 This plant had started on the production of sulphuric acid nine weeks 
 after ground was broken for the acid lines. Terra cotta and brick 
 constituted the type of buildings in the acid manufacturing zone. In 
 such buildings colossal vats and tanks were installed. Nitrate of 
 soda and sulphur were stored in their respective store-houses erected 
 with a view of being conveniently near the units which would require 
 these materials. Millions upon millions of pounds of nitrate of soda 
 and of sulphur were kept on hand in these buildings. On the same 
 page at bottom is the gun cotton belt. Millions of pounds of cotton 
 were stored in immense warehouses. These warehouses were sheathed 
 with corrugated iron. 
 
On page 15 is shown at top the Smokeless Powder Lines. Ground 
 was broken March 4tli and on July 2nd powder was manufactured 
 and yet another world's record for speed established. This was 116 
 days after breaking ground. At the bottom of same page is shown 
 the village. The magic city. To house and feed and care for the 
 30,000 persons whose homes must needs be near the plant was a 
 gigantic problem in itself. 
 
 But another rub of the "Wonderful Lamp" and AUadin-like, 
 where but a few months before was heard the lowing of the kine; 
 where quietude was broken only by the whiz of the threshing ma- 
 chine, or the voice of the farmer speaking to his plow horses, there 
 grew, magic-like, a city. 
 
 A city with its hospitals, its police and fire departments, its hotels, 
 churches, schools and amusement places. A modem city, if you 
 please, with improved sewage system — miles of it — incinerating 
 plants and a really wonderful reservoir and filter plant. There was 
 a Mexican village of forty-one buildings where 3,000 Mexicans were 
 quartered. 
 
 Schools for white and colored children were erected, and again 
 speed records scored when an immense school house was completed 
 and ready for use in ten days. These schools were 250 feet by 
 350 feet. 
 
 Construction of the village took the sky-rocket phase when a six- 
 room bungalow was completed in nine hours, including the plumb- 
 ing, screening and all other details. In another case a two-story 
 block apartment building containing six houses, began at 7.30 in the 
 morning, when excavation was started for the foundations, and was 
 
 ready for occupancy twenty-nine and a half hours later. Just think 
 of it! A block of six houses in twenty-nine and a half hours! And 
 this with the fact that during this time the work was hampered by 
 reason of men who were at work on it being required to leave for a 
 time, in squads of ten and fifteen, to go to headquarters and register 
 under the Selective Service Act. 
 
 The "Village" at Old Hickory contained all the phases of a modem 
 city. There were nearly fifty miles of terra cotta sewers, thirty-three 
 miles of board-walks, forty-four miles of water lines, 3,867 build- 
 ings requiring in all 65,000,000 board feet of lumber, or enough to 
 lay a plank along the borders and seacoasts of the United States, with 
 enough lumber left over to erect large watch-towers at each of the 
 four corners. As many as 1,125,945 meals were served in one 
 month. 
 
 A bridge was erected across the Cumberland River, made neces- 
 sary by the fact that trains carrying thousands of operatives who 
 lived at Nashville and other places, discharged their passengers on 
 the opposite side of the river from the plant. 
 
 The bridge is a single steel span suspension, 540 feet span with 
 trestle approaches carrying 1,260 feet or 1,800 feet in all. The 
 floor of the bridge is ninety-one feet above the actual water level. 
 Not one accident to any of the construction workers was reported. 
 
 Thus, when we arrive at the memorable eleventh hour, of the 
 eleventh day, of the eleventh month, we behold the progress of the 
 human race, for surely it was required to deliver the best it had and 
 one of the developments of the great war was, without doubt, the 
 development of the human race. 
 
 14 
 

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Old Hickory, Nashville, Tennessee 
 
 ^HIS is a panoramic view of many of the most striking features 
 of the Old Hickory powder plant, constructed for the United 
 States Government by tlie duPont Company, near Nashville, 
 Tennessee. The plans, experience and skill necessary for the con- 
 struction of this, the largest and best smokeless powder plant in the 
 world, were supplied by the duPont Company to the United States 
 Government for a consideration of one dollar. 
 
 The plant was built to have a capacity of 900,000 pounds of 
 finished smokeless powder per day. It is complete in itself. The 
 total area of the reservation, including the plant and the village for 
 the employees adjoining, is 4,706 acres. All speed records were 
 broken in constructing the plant. Powder was produced in five 
 months after beginning the work, instead of the eight as specified in 
 the contract. At the signing of the armistice, manufacture of powder 
 
 was 13,000,000 pounds ahead of contract requirements and construc- 
 tion work 96 days ahead of schedule time. This panoramic view 
 gives an idea of the enormity of the work. 
 
 To the far right of the picture is the main power house, sedimenta- 
 tion basins and filter buildings, with the finished stage powder area 
 in the distance. Towards the left and in the foreground are batteries 
 of solvent recovery buildings. In the rear center are the air dry 
 buildings. To the right of the solvent recovery buildings lies the 
 first stage powder lay-out, covering the press buildings, ether houses 
 and alcohol units. To the center of the picture in the foreground 
 may be seen various buildings of the cotton purification area. Stacks 
 of burner houses of the sulphuric acid line are seen in the distance 
 in the center. 
 
 Old Hickory, Nashville, Tennessee 
 
 N this panorama of Old Hickory smokeless powder plant, con- 
 structed by the duPont Company for the U. S. Government, near 
 Nashville, Tenn., are shown the central power house, acid mix- 
 ing and weigh, nitrating and cotton purification houses, boiling tub 
 houses, pulping lines and part of the first stage powder area. The 
 enormous power plant shown in the center of the picture is in many 
 respects the greatest in the world. It was built to generate at full 
 production of powder, 60,000,000 pounds of steam every twenty- 
 four hours! If used to generate electricity this amount would exceed 
 that necessary to supply the city of New York. Its coal storage has 
 a capacity of 100,000 pounds. There are sixty-eight boilers, each 
 -with a rated capacity of 823 H. P. Its filter plant consists of eight 
 units of twelve filter tubs each, with a total capacity of 6.5,000,000 
 gallons ever}- twenty-four hours. Electricity is generated in seven 
 steam turbo-generators, with a total capacity of 17,500 K. W. The 
 refrigerating plant is the largest in the world. It has a total capacity 
 of 3,250 tons of refrigerating effect every twenty-four hours. There 
 
 are thirteen ammonia compressors, driven by specially constructed 
 engines. 
 
 Near the power house is shown the shop area, with the water dry 
 district of the powder area in the background. 
 
 The large buildings shown to the left of the picture are the cotton 
 purification houses, with the stacks of the sulphuric acid and nitric 
 acid houses shown in the background. The main concrete road to 
 the lower plant is shown passing through this area. In the left of the 
 picture near the center are boiling tub and poacher houses of the 
 cotton purification area and the tall narrow buildings in the middle 
 distance are blending towers. The continuous dryers of the finished 
 powder area form the background. 
 
 To the right of the power house is the first stage powder area with 
 alcohol rectifying units in the foreground. The poacher units of 
 the gun cotton purification area can also be seen in the immediate 
 foreground. 
 
 15 
 
Old Hickory, Nashville, Tennessee 
 
 r 
 
 "^HIS is another interesting view of Old Hickory, the largest 
 powder plant in the world, constructed near Nashville, Tenn., 
 for the United States Government, by the duPont Company 
 
 In this picture is shown much of the area devoted to the manufacture 
 of guncotton. The capacity of the plant for manufacturing gun- 
 cotton is 1,000,000 pounds per day. It has a total crude fibre 
 storage capacity of 42,000,000 pounds. There are complete plants 
 for the making of sulphuric and nitric acids. The sulphuric acid 
 plant has a capacity of 2,400,000 pounds per day. A total of 1,112 
 buildings and 32.12 miles of tram tracks were constructed on the 
 plant. Before the construction could be started seven miles of rail- 
 road had to be built and this was completed in 29 days. 
 
 This panorama shows the nitric acid plant, blending towers, a 
 cotton purification building under construction, a completed purifi- 
 cation building and other structures of the guncotton area. 
 
 To the extreme left in the foreground is a retort house of the nitric 
 acid unit. In the background towards the left are shown blending 
 towers and continuous dryers located in the finished powder area. 
 At the left center in the background can be seen the stacks of the 
 main power house and in the foreground stands the steel work of an 
 uncompleted purification unit; slightly more to the right are com- 
 pleted purification units. 
 
 In the foreground of the center are the pre-heater houses of the 
 sulphuric acid area. (These may be recognized by their black steel 
 stacks). Towards the right may be seen the roof of the sulphur burn- 
 ers of the sulphuric acid area. At the extreme right may be seen 
 the main office with pay booths to the left. The Mexican camp is in 
 the background. A partially completed nitric acid retort house with 
 acid storage tanks completes the extreme right of the picture. 
 
 Old Hickory, Nashville, Tennessee 
 
 r 
 
 "^HIS panorama shows the community village, large enough to 
 be called a city, adjoining the Old Hickory smokeless powder 
 
 - plant, near Nashville, Tenn. Both the village and the plant 
 were constructed by the duPont Company for the United States 
 Government. 
 
 In this village were constructed accommodations for 30,000 per- 
 sons. Besides tlie dwellings for families there were mess halls, 
 camps and barracks for bachelors, dormitories, comfortably fitted up, 
 for women employees, a great commissary store at which food was 
 sold at cost, and a central heating plant for the camps and barracks. 
 
 The village had all the facilities of tlie most up-to-date city. There 
 were recreational and social centers, a staff of welfare workers, and 
 the most thorough sanitary and police protection. 
 
 Some of the dwellings were of temporary construction; some were 
 splendidly built permanent houses; all were comfortable and 
 equipped with the most modern sanitary facilities. There were ample 
 school facilities for the children and opportunities for evening study 
 
 16 
 
 for adults. In the village were two hotels, each with accommodations 
 for 200 persons. Modem concrete roads ran through every part of 
 the development. 
 
 To the extreme left of this panorama can be seen one-story six- 
 room bungalows. To the right of these bungalows are one-story 
 apartment houses and still further to the right are numbers of two- 
 story apartment houses. To the left of the center are seen the main 
 stores and receiving rooms for the village construction supplies. In 
 the center to the right of the concrete road and in the background 
 may be seen the houses of the permanent village. In the extreme 
 background is the outline of the duPont hotel and the dormitories 
 for women. 
 
 At the right of the picture in the foreground, along the concrete 
 road, may be seen additional six-room bungalows, with the village 
 Y. M. C. A. in the center of the foreground. 
 
 Rubberoid six-room bungalows form the background at the right, 
 and in the background at the right may be seen also the iron stack of 
 one of the large village schools. 
 
Carney's Point, New Jersey 
 
 HEN the United States entered the war against the Central 
 Powers in the spring of 1917, the smokeless powder plant 
 of the duPont Company, at Carney's Point, N. J., was per- 
 haps die most famous establishment of its kind in the world. It 
 had probably done more than any other single powder plant to help 
 win the war for tlie Allies. Continually in operation, on an enlarged 
 scale, since the early part of 1915, its output then had reached a 
 quantity never before achieved in this country' by any works devoted 
 to smokeless powder making. Its capacity before the war was 
 approximately 12,000 pounds per day. From this point it was built 
 up to an output of 900,000 pounds per day. In order to meet the 
 demands of die Allies, and also the demands of the United States 
 after we entered the war, die plant was run day and night, rush orders 
 and overtime being the rule. From the early part of 1915 until the 
 signing of the armistice, it furnished approximately 758,000,000 
 pounds of smokeless powder. 
 
 The comparatively small capacity of the Carney's Point plant 
 when the European demands began necessitated immediate construc- 
 tion on a large scale. Roads were laid out, vast quantities of mate- 
 rial assembled, new power houses built and construction carried on 
 so rapidly that finished powder was delivered ahead of time. At the 
 peak, widi both the engineering and operating forces counted, this 
 plant employed approximately 25,000 persons. When it was in 
 operation the power houses of the factories at full capacity required 
 tlie continuous development of 25,000 boiler horse power; the pump- 
 ing stations had a capacity of 41,000 gallons per day; the average 
 K. \^ . of electricity developed was 1700; the filtration plants filtered 
 and purified 9,000,000 gallons of water per day; and the refriger- 
 atmg apparatus had a capacity of 3,000,000 pounds of ice per day. 
 The total yearly coal consumption amounted to 377,000 tons. 
 
 Prior to the war the duPont Company had made comparatively 
 little powder for foreign nations. The sudden call of the Allied 
 governments required the fitting of the duPont form of powder, then 
 almost unknown abroad, to guns designed to use other ammunition. 
 This necessitated development by this company of forty different 
 powders for as many guns. These powders function under exacting 
 specifications — though some of them average 42,000 pieces to the 
 pound, each of these pieces is a perfectly formed cylinder with one 
 
 or seven longitudinal perforations whose important dimensions re- 
 quire an accuracy of not more than 1/1000-inch variation from die 
 mean. 
 
 In addition to the foreign powder, the United States government 
 needed, for Army and Navy use, ninety different powders, all pro- 
 duced under strict specifications. Many changes in the ballistic 
 requirements of the guns made it necessary to re-establish the char- 
 acteristics of the powder, a change that was equivalent to the fitting 
 of entirely new guns. 
 
 The production of this great amount of work was carried on at 
 the various duPont plants and Cameys Point had its full share. It 
 will be appreciated that the production of military propellant 
 powders is an exact science and that the wonderful achievement in 
 enormous production brought about is increased in value when the 
 minute care that is necessary to produce accurate results is con- 
 sidered. The measure of success attained lies in the fact that all 
 specifications were met while not a single lot of powder failed of 
 final acceptance and no powder was returned as unsatisfactory. 
 
 Coincident with the expansion of the works, steps were taken to 
 provide housing accommodations for employees. Large camps were 
 established, capable of housing thousands of men. These were com- 
 posed of bunk houses, the majority of them being of the type that 
 sheltered four men each. All were steam heated from a central point. 
 Bath houses were placed at convenient places, streets were laid out. 
 a system of lights installed and large mess halls were established 
 where food was sold at cost. The conditions in the camps were 
 always healthful and no epidemics took place, with the exception of 
 the Spanish influenza, of course, and this swept through the entire 
 country, sparing no community. 
 
 The company also began at once the establishment of a comfort- 
 able village for families. Large numbers of temporary houses were 
 constructed, each with its plot of ground. Streets were laid out, a 
 street cleaning system installed and every convenience of a large city 
 put at the disposal of the employees. There was a number of types 
 of these temporary houses, some of them being six-room bungalows, 
 other six-room apartment houses, while still others were four-room 
 dwellings. All of them were equipped with electric lights and baths. 
 AU were comfortable and sanitary. 
 
 17 
 
In the village was also a number of permanent houses. These 
 were larger than the temporary dwellings, were substantially built, 
 with all modern conveniences and with ample lawn space. 
 
 After the United States entered the war several hundred women 
 were employed at the powder works at Carney's Point and special 
 club houses were built for them. These houses had large reception 
 rooms and were comfortably furnished. Each club house also had 
 all facilities for ironing, sewing, and washing and these were placed 
 at the disposal of the women without charge. Matrons and welfare 
 workers did everything possible to help create the best kind of social 
 and recreational life for them. 
 
 Besides the thorough sanitary and upkeep work in the village great 
 attention was given to welfare service. There were visiting nurses 
 who helped out with the sick. Physicians were available. Com- 
 munity houses were established, club houses were opened and play- 
 grounds laid out and operated. These playgrounds for children were 
 in charge of trained play supervisors and were highly successful. 
 There were ample school facilities and the attendance was very 
 gratifying. The Young Men's Christian and the Young Women's 
 Christian Association had headquarters in the village. The boys and 
 girls were organized, schools for adults were established, and every 
 effort made to interest the workers in their own betterment. 
 
 In all, the village at Carney's Point had a population of about 
 10,000 men, women and children. Everything possible was done to 
 assist them in beautifying their homes and prizes were offered to 
 those who had the best gardens. Land was also placed at the disposal 
 of families, for a nominal sum, on which to plant vegetables. 
 
 In effect the so-called village was a small city and it was run by a 
 corps of competent quartermasters. During the time when the 
 powder plant was working night and day supplying the demands of 
 the Allies and the United States, no serious accident or catastrophe 
 marred the village life. The rental of the houses was extremely low. 
 While rentals were soaring in the munitions districts, the 
 employees at the Carney's Point village were able to rent the smaller 
 houses at $6.50 per month, the six rooms and bath bungalow at $8.50 
 per month, and the substantial, modern houses in the permanent 
 section up to $2.5 a month. 
 
 These facts are incorporated in this story for the purpose of show- 
 ing the very commendable spirit of the War Contractor (giving this 
 as an example) in doing absolutely everything possible to make the 
 environment of his employees comfortable, cheerful and wholesome, 
 adding wonderfully to the efficiency of the employee, and at little or 
 no profit to the contractor. Indeed we know that in many instances 
 it was at a loss rather than a gain that such surroundings were 
 provided. 
 
 18 
 
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Hopewell, Virginia 
 
 ^HIS is another panoramic view of part of the guncotton plant 
 of die duPont Company, located at Hopewell, Va. Some idea 
 of the enormity of the work required to construct and operate 
 this great establishment can be gathered from a study of tliis scene. 
 To construct the plant there were used approximately 175,000,000 
 board feet of lumber, approximately 13,000,000 bricks, 210,000 
 barrels of cement, 4,500,000 square feet of composition roofing 
 material. 6,500,000 square feet of flat and corrugated sheet iron and 
 600 miles of wrought iron and steel pipe! There were 65 miles of 
 cast iron pipe, 45 miles of terra cotta and 13y2 miles of wood stave 
 pipe employed. Broad gauge tracks totalling 23 miles and narrow 
 gauge tram lines totalling 32 miles were laid down within the plant. 
 The rapid construction and efficient management of the Hopewell 
 plant constituted one of the essential factors in the great work of the 
 duPont Company during the European War, when all ammunition 
 was supplied on time and not one pound of powder was ever finally 
 rejected. 
 
 This panoramic view shows portions of the power, acid, cotton 
 purification and guncotton areas. To the extreme left are the stacks 
 of the nitric acid plants and the acid recovery plants. The large 
 building in the immediate foreground at the extreme left is one of 
 the acid mix and weigh houses and immediately adjoining it on the 
 right are three acid storage tanks. The large building immediately 
 adjoining these tanks on the right and in the foreground is a boiling 
 tub house and the buildings in tlie background in the rear of it are 
 beater, poacher and blocking houses. In the center are the stacks of 
 "B" plant power house and the large structure in the background to 
 the left is a cotton purification house. The small buildings in the 
 foreground to the left of the power house were used as headquarters 
 for minor executives. Looking to the right from the power house are 
 four large buildings. These are cotton purification houses and the 
 low structures near them are cotton dry houses. 
 
 Carney's Point, New Jersey 
 
 ~^HIS is a panoramic picture of part of what is perhaps the most 
 famous smokeless powder plant in the world. It is located at 
 Carney's Point, N. J., and is the property of the duPont Com- 
 pany. It was a vital factor in the great European War, furnishing a 
 total of 7.58,000,000 pounds of smokeless powder to the Allies. At 
 the peak it employed approximately 2.5,000 persons. It covers 3,300 
 acres and consists of nearly 1,000 buildings. In cormection with the 
 making of smokeless powder during the European War approximately 
 600.000.000 pounds of ether were manufactured on this plant! If 
 properly administered this amount would etherize the population of 
 the world four times! The total length of the strings of powder 
 manufactured at Carney's Point would reach from the earth to the 
 moon and back 173 times, a distance of approximately 83,000,000 
 miles! On the plant were 143 shipping houses with a storage capac- 
 ity of approximately 70,000,000 pounds. Adjoining the plant was a 
 
 community village with a population of 10,000 persons, with social 
 centers, Y. M. C. A. and Y. W. C. A. houses, hotels ,for bachelors, 
 dormitories for women workers, playgrounds for children and a 
 corps of welfare workers. The great acreage covered by this plant 
 can be fully realized from this panorama. 
 
 At the extreme left in the foreground may be seen the finished 
 powder buildings with the stack of No. 1 plant power-house in the 
 background. Towards the left center are the water dryers, of the 
 finished powder area, with the stacks of the power house of Plant 
 No. 2 in the immediate background. At the right near the center, 
 in the immediate foreground, are solvent recovery sections with the 
 stacks of the power house of Plant No. 3 in the background. 
 Towards the right of the picture in the foreground may be seen a 
 solvent recovery area, with press line and the stacks of the Deep- 
 water Point picric acid plant in the background. 
 
 19 
 
Shows, as an Instance, Resources and Scope of One of the Major Explosives Industries 
 
 E. I. duPont de Nemours & Company 
 
 The Power Houses of their factories at full capacity required the 
 continuous development of 200,000 boiler horse-power. 
 
 The pumping stations have a capacity of 305,000,000 gallons per 
 day, exceeding the combined daily water consumption of the cities 
 of Philadelphia and Boston. 
 
 The filtration plants filter and purify 175,000,000 gallons of 
 water per day, to a degree satisfactory for domestic as well as for 
 manufacturing use. 
 
 The refrigeration apparatus has a capacity of 9,350,000 pounds 
 of ice per day, equal to the consumption of the city of Chicago. 
 
 Railroad classification yards, capable of handling 1,600 cars at 
 one time, have been laid out and are in operation. 
 
 One hundred miles of standard railroad and 208 miles of narrow 
 gauge railroad have been constructed. 
 
 The enclosing of the plants required over 150 miles of fencing. 
 
 Arrangements have been made for storage of 500,000 tons of coal, 
 a provision deemed advisable for a daily consumption of 10,700 
 tons. 
 
 Their factories have handled 1,330,000,000 pounds of cotton or 
 2,660,000 bales. 
 
 Production of nitric acid, 1,930,000,000 pounds, required the 
 handling of 2,812,000,000 pounds of nitrate of soda. 
 
 Their sulphuric acid plants have produced 2,500,000,000 pounds 
 of acid, requiring 922,000,000 pounds of sulphur. 
 
 Their factories have handled 216,500,000 gallons of alcohol, of 
 which 86,600,000 gallons have been consumed and the balance re- 
 covered for re-use. 
 
 Individual dwellings to the mmiber of 10,790 have been built. 
 These, together with the accompanying hotels, boarding houses, 
 women's dormitories, and bunk houses are capable of housing 
 65,000 persons. All of these dwellings are lighted, and furnished 
 with purified water, from the company's plants, and are connected 
 to modem sewage systems. In addition to these dwellings, their 
 Engineering Department has built 570 community buildings, such 
 as those to house the Young Men's Christian Association and Young 
 Women's Christian Association, cafeterias, school houses, lodge halls. 
 
 20 
 
 post offices, drug stores, banks and railroad stations, a total of 11,360 
 buildings, costing with the necessary streets, sidewalks, fire protec- 
 tion, etc., about $37,000,000. 
 
 The military powder factories constructed by E. I. duPont de 
 Nemours & Co. and its subsidiary Dupont Engineering Company, 
 cover 9,025 acres (14 square miles), equal to twice the built-up 
 area of the city of Wilmington, Del. Incidentally their cost is about 
 double the assessed value of Wilmington. Their annual capacity is 
 893,000,000 pounds of explosives or in carloads sufficient to extend 
 from Baltimore to New York in continuous line. 
 
 At the height of their work the rate of yearly expenditures was 
 three times as great as that of the construction of the Panama Canal. 
 
 The operation of the factories of this company has resulted in 
 production of 1,466,761,219 pounds of military explosives of all 
 kinds furnished to the United States and the Allied Nations. The 
 importance of this work is better realized from the fact that this 
 output is estimated at 40 per cent of the amount of explosives made 
 throughout the world for the Allies during the war. During the four 
 years of these operations the manufacturing departments have been 
 continually ahead of deliveries required under contracts. The num- 
 ber of men employed in the military factories alone reached a maxi- 
 mum of 47,914, and organization built up from a total of 5,300 men 
 employed in all departments of the company before the war. 
 
 Prior to the war the company had made comparatively little powder 
 for foreign nations. The sudden call of the Allied Governments 
 required the fitting of our form of powder, then almost unknown 
 abroad, to guns designed to use other ammunition. This necessitated 
 development of forty different powders for as many guns. These 
 powders function under exacting specifications, though some of them 
 average 42,000 pieces to the pound, each of these pieces is a per- 
 fectly formed cylinder with one or seven longitudinal perforations 
 whose important dimensions require an accuracy of not more than 
 1/1,000-inch variation from the mean. 
 
 The ratio of the number of killed and injured and property loss 
 to total men employed was far less than in preceding years, indeed 
 was much less than in many reputed safer industries. 
 
Haskell, New Jersey 
 
 ~^HE left portion of the upper picture on opposite page shows a 
 panoramic view of part of the smokeless powder plant of the 
 
 - duPont Company at Haskell, N. J. This plant was one of the 
 important factors in the European War. It employed at the peak 
 about 3,000 operators. It had a capacity of 210,000 pounds of 
 smokeless powder and 40,000 pounds of guncotton per day. Other 
 guncotton required in the operation was brought from Hopewell, Va. 
 The plant had a community village adjoining it which was looked 
 upon as an ideal industrial housing development. It had accommo- 
 dations for 450 families, dormitories for 250 women, and club 
 houses for 800 bachelors. There were modem and well-appointed 
 service centers such as community houses, Y. M. C. A., gymnasium, 
 and hospital. Welfare work was of the highest type. 
 
 The building on the extreme left of the picture and in the back- 
 ground is the B line ether house. To the right of this and in the 
 background is seen the diphenylamine mixing house and the large 
 building standing prominently further to the right is the alcohol 
 rectifying house. Almost immediately adjoining this and in the 
 center of the picture is seen a long, two-story building. This is the 
 miscellaneous stores building and immediately behind it with the 
 upper part showing, is the original water dry building. There were 
 five water dry buildings on the plant. To the right of the miscel- 
 laneous stores building and a little in the background is the building 
 used as fire department headquarters. Next to this and slightly in 
 the foreground is the alcohol denaturing plant. The next building 
 to tlie right and more in the background, being almost immediately 
 in the rear of the small alcohol denaturing plant is the B line 
 refrigerating plant and pumping stations. In the background towards 
 the right of the picture is a new type water dry house. The building 
 located on an elevation in the background towards the extreme right 
 of the picture is the B line blending house. The large building in 
 the foreground on the right, from which steam is coming, is the 
 
 guncotton boiling tub-house, and the building in the foreground 
 slightly to the left of it is the raw cotton dry house. In the back- 
 ground, center of the picture, are parts of B line first stage powder 
 operating units. 
 
 The right portion of the upper picture on the opposite page is 
 another panoramic view of the power area of the smokeless powder 
 plant of the duPont Company at Haskell, N. J. Power for all pur- 
 poses was generated at the plant. In its different forms it included 
 live and exhaust steam, raw and filtered water, high and low pressure 
 hydraulic water, compressed air, electricity and refrigeration. 
 
 The total water consumption amounted to about 3,000,000 gallons 
 per day, of which about 1,000,000 gallons was used for cooling pur- 
 poses. Approximately 1,500,000 gallons was purified by gravity 
 sand filtration system. All plant service water was taken from the 
 Wanaque River, while water for drinking and special purposes, 
 amounting to about 500,000 gallons per day, was taken from dug 
 and driven wells and purified. 
 
 The boiler plant had a rated capacity of 6500 boiler H. P., and 
 was operated normally at about 145 per cent of rating. The electric 
 generating plant had a capacity of 1600 K. W. in direct current and 
 700 K. W. in alternating current. The refrigeration plant had a 
 total capacity of approximately 375 tons per day. Hydraulic power 
 was furnished at 3500 pounds pressure and at a rate of 300 gallons 
 per minute, also at 300 pounds pressure and 450 gallons per 
 minute. 
 
 The two buildings shown in the picture on the right of the stack 
 are the boiler houses erected after the outbreak of the war. The 
 building at the rear of the stack is the original boiler house. In the 
 foreground, center of the view, is shown the electric power houses, 
 pumping stations and filter plants. In the background, at the center, 
 are the guncotton, beater and poacher houses. Towards the left are 
 seen change houses and miscellaneous shops. 
 
 Seiple, Pennsylvania 
 
 The lower panoramic engraving on the opposite page shows general 
 view of plant at Seiple (near Allentovm), Pa., of the Pennsylvania 
 Trojan Powder Co. and the Trojan Chemical Co. 
 
 21 
 
121 m 
 
 TROJAN 
 
 kSS'si* 
 
 TROJ^N 
 
 #• 
 
 
 Pennsylvania Trojan Powder Company 
 22 
 
Pennsylvania Trojan Powder Company 
 
 Note: It is a fact worthy of mention that the Penn- 
 sylvania Trojan Powder Company manufactured all 
 of the grenade powder used in American grenades. 
 
 "^HE war activities of the associated Trojan companies (Penn- 
 sylvania Trojan Powder Co., California Trojan Powder Co., 
 and die Trojan Chemical Co.) began with studies in connec- 
 tion widi the manufacture of suitable bursting charge for hand 
 grenades a few mondis after this country entered the world war. 
 The necessity for an adequate supply of a powerful explosive suit- 
 able for use in the enormous number of hand grenades which were 
 being planned for the use of the American forces abroad was evident, 
 and research work was promptly undertaken along this line. 
 
 A supply of the malleable iron grenade bodies was obtained for 
 preliminary tests, and intensive work was undertaken, for the pur- 
 pose of determining the fragmentation characteristics of the 
 explosives used up to this time as filling charges in hand grenades. 
 The purpose of the work was to obtain, if possible, an explosive 
 which would produce as satisfactory a fragmentation as crystalline 
 T. N. T. In view of the enormous number of hand grenades which 
 it was planned to supply for the use of the American forces, the 
 available quantity of T. N. T. was seen to be insufficient for this use 
 in addition to the many other fields for which it was to be used. At 
 this stage in the work, the principal interests of the Ordnance Depart- 
 ment in encouraging work on other explosives was to find an explosive 
 which might be nearly, if not quite as satisfactory in fragmentation 
 characteristics as T. N. T., and it is most doubtful if at the time 
 there was the slightest thought that die work would lead to tlie 
 development of a new explosive, surpassing T. N. T. in safety, avail- 
 ability- and strength. 
 
 In all the preliminary tests the goal aimed at was to obtain as 
 satisfactory a fragmentation as was produced by T. N. T. and the 
 fragmentation produced by this material was everywhere recognized 
 as the standard with which all other materials were to be compared. 
 At this time T. N. T. represented the most perfect explosive which 
 modem warfare had developed, but the problem was to obtain a 
 material which would avoid diverting to hand grenades any consid- 
 erable portion of the available supply of T. N. T., for, although the 
 results obtained from T. N. T. were perfectly satisfactory-, and rep- 
 resented the ideal to be aimed at, yet the other demands for this 
 
 23 
 
 material would be such as to make it necessary to use in hand 
 grenades some other explosive, provided a material could be devel- 
 oped which would be in any considerable measure as strong. 
 
 The necessary fragmentation pits, to enable hand grenades to be 
 fired within a closed chamber and the fragments to be retained and 
 counted, and also penetration boxes, to enable the velocity of the 
 fragments produced to be determined by noting the distance which 
 they would penetrate through spruce lumber, were quickly arranged, 
 at Seiple, Pa., and a commencement was made for the many hun- 
 dreds of tests which were made in the course of the following two 
 months. 
 
 After having fired a sufficiently large number of grenades, using 
 the standard charge T. N. T., and having carefully determined both 
 the manner in which the tough metal of the malleable iron hand 
 grenades was broken up and the velocity with which the particles 
 were projected, the work began of developing an explosive which 
 should be capable of giving results as nearly as possible equal to 
 those given by T. N. T. As the work progressed, interest was excited 
 from time to time by test shots with the new Trojan Explosive which 
 appeared to be fully equal, not only to the average results produced 
 by T. N. T., but even to the best results which that explosive showed. 
 It was soon evident that the new product being formulated was not 
 merely going to represent a substitute for T. N. T., but actually had 
 such properties as made it superior to T. N. T. This result was one 
 which could not be too readily accepted, in the absence of tests of a 
 most convincing character, but as the work progressed this evidence 
 accumulated in ever-increasing amount. On December 3, 1917, the 
 accumulated data from the large number of tests made was brought 
 together in the form of a report, under the title "Relative Efficiency 
 of Trinitrotoluene, 80-20 Amatol and Trojan Grenade Powder, as 
 Grenade Filling Charges." 
 
 In this report the results of a large number of comparative frag- 
 mentations produced by crystalline T. N. T., 80-20 Amatol, 50-50 
 Amatol and Trojan Grenade Powder were compared, and tlie results 
 showed conclusively the superiority of the new Trojan explosive for 
 grenades. 
 
Formal tests were made soon after, and the results were so con- 
 vincing that when shortly after, a contract for a considerable quan- 
 tity of the new explosive was made with the Pennsylvania Trojan 
 Powder Co., it was made a part of this contract that every lot of the 
 new explosive, before acceptance, should he tested in hand grenades 
 in comparison with other similar hand grenades loaded with T. N. T., 
 and that no lot should be accepted which did not, by this most severe 
 test, show superior results to these produced by the T. N. T. 
 
 It is interesting to note at this point during the entire life of this 
 contract, covering suflRcient Trojan Grenade Powder for the loading 
 of many millions of grenades, no lot of the powder ever failed to 
 show its superiority in this comparative test in comparison with 
 grenades loaded with crystalline T. N. T., which up to then repre- 
 sented the most perfect explosive which military science had 
 developed. 
 
 With the appreciation that a new explosive equal and even superior 
 to T. N. T. had been developed, came the instant recognition of its 
 importance, and steps were taken to arrange for increased capacity 
 to meet the military needs. The Engineering Department of the 
 Pennsylvania Trojan Powder Company then entered upon the work 
 of developing in both their plants in California and in Pennsylvania 
 the necessary daily capacity of the new explosive. Extension of exist- 
 ing capacity and new construction for additional capacity was soon 
 under way, but the increased requirements of the new explosive as 
 its usefulness in other lines than as a grenade explosive became 
 recognized, kept pace with the increased building program. 
 
 With the progress of the war, the use of trench mortar shells for 
 offensive and defensive purposes, saw an enormous extension. For 
 many miles the front line trenches were sufficiently close to each 
 other to make the use of three-inch and six-inch trench mortar shells 
 decidedly effective, while the efficiency of these shells in destroying 
 barbed wire entanglements, and in defense against oncoming troops 
 was thoroughly understood with the progress of the conflict. Part of 
 the military program of this country involved the sending to the 
 seat of war a vast number of three-inch, six-inch and larger trench 
 mortar shells. To satisfactorily fragment a trench mortar shell, with 
 the production of fragments of maximum efficiency requires an 
 explosive both of high power and of great brisance; research work 
 was commenced to determine the possibility of adapting the grenade 
 powder formula to this new line of work. Comparative tests made 
 on the testing field of the company soon showed that here, as in the 
 hand grenade, the newly developed Trojan Explosive gave superior 
 
 results to those obtained with the fused T. N. T. which was at that 
 time the standard loading charge. The informal tests thus made were 
 followed by official tests at Aberdeen made on March 16th, 1918, at 
 which the new Trojan Trench Mortar Shell explosive was tested in 
 comparison with similar shells loaded with the standard charge of 
 fused T. N. T. The test was a complete triumph for the new explo- 
 sive, the behavior of which was officially rated at 100 per cent, and 
 comment was made of the fact that while showing all of the good 
 features of T. N. T., it gave in addition decidedly better fragmenta- 
 tion results in the fragmentation test, and noticeably larger craters 
 in the crater test. 
 
 Shortly after these tests arrangements were made for suitable 
 extensions with the trench mortar shell program, and Trojan Trench 
 Mortar Shell Explosive became the authorized explosive for trench 
 mortar shell, and until the cessation of hostilities the loading of the 
 three-inch trench mortar shell with the new Trojan Explosive went 
 forward with great rapidity. 
 
 The research and laboratory facilities of the Trojan Powder Com- 
 pany were put at the disposal of the Ordnance Department for a con- 
 siderable number of miscellaneous lines of study, and this work was 
 conducted in co-operation with officers from the Engineering, Trench 
 Warfare, and Aerial Bomb Divisions of the Ordnance Department. 
 Among the many interesting lines of work which were thus taken up 
 in co-operation with different divisions of the Ordnance Department 
 were studies on the cause of prematures in rifle grenades, studies as 
 to the functioning of fuse for high explosive shell and for trench 
 mortar shells, studies of the booster and detonator assemblies of 
 drop-bombs, and many other similar lines. 
 
 At the signing of the armistice the plants of the Trojan Powder 
 Company had a capacity of more than 50,000,000 pounds per year 
 of Trojan Grenade Powder and of Trojan Trench Mortar Shell Ex- 
 plosive, and plans were under way to still further increase produc- 
 tion of both of these explosives, and of new explosives still under 
 development for use as bursting charges in aerial drop-bombs and 
 for other purposes. These new explosives, representing increased 
 strength, efficiency and safety as compared with the explosives for- 
 merly used as the standard bursting charges for hand grenades, 
 mortar shell and like military supplies, represent a part of the fruits 
 of America's entry into the war. The Trojan Powder Company did 
 its "bit," just as thousands of other American companies, and 
 millions of America's boys did theirs, and the net result of all of 
 these efforts was to bring the world's greatest war to an end. 
 
 24 
 
Nitro, West Virginia 
 
 General view of Snlukeless Powilcr IMaiil al Nilro, West Virginia, showing operating area and employees' Ijnngalows. The right-hand portion of the 
 
Nitio, West Virginia 
 
 The liglil-liiiiul portion of llip upper picture shows tlie employees' liimgalows to llie lell. and to the right ihe homes of Superintendents and olTioials. 
 
The Hercules Powder Company 
 
 r 
 
 "^HE war called upon American industry to accomplish the 
 impossible. Possibilities must be gauged by past perform- 
 ances to a large extent, and if we apply this scale to our 
 
 industrial accomplishment, we find that under the spur of the coun- 
 try's necessity, impossibilities were almost daily turned into realities. 
 We are still, at diis writing, too near to the scene of the industrial 
 battle to give a correct estimate of it. There is no dearth of material, 
 but it is difficult to get the proper perspective as it passes in review. 
 When confronted by such an array of achievements, each of which 
 seems to merit recording for all time, writers of today must inevi- 
 tably be misled as to the true importance of some of them. 
 
 Now we are overwhelmed with tactics. The future historian will 
 be concerned only with the strategy employed and the generals who 
 devised it. 
 
 In the present instance the tendency to over-emphasize details has 
 been hard to avoid, but an earnest effort to do so has been made. 
 Figures of production claim a prominent place in the study of the 
 war activities of the Hercules Powder Company. They are, of course, 
 the final measure of the assistance rendered to the country and the 
 cause. But taken by themselves, or even when coupled with the facts 
 about construction and operations that made them possible, they do 
 not give the whole story. 
 
 \^'Tien all is said and done, and when due acknowledgment has 
 been made to the men who carried out the manufacturing operations, 
 there remains the most important factor of all, which cannot be 
 expressed by facts and figures — the executive factor. This is what 
 we do not see as we go through the records. Perhaps its influence is 
 most plainly indicated when we study the organization problem 
 which confronted the Company in mention, and the way in which it 
 was met. Before the war 1,500 people were employed by the 
 Hercules Powder Co. This had increased to 6,000 when the United 
 States entered the conflict, and before it was over 15,000 were on 
 their rolls. Certainly nothing contributed more effectively to that 
 Company's success than the skill which mUst have been exercised to 
 bring about cohesion in this rapidly expanding force. There must 
 have been some quality in the skeleton organization about which the 
 great new machine was built that was unusual; that does not often 
 exist to anything like the same degree in large companies. In spite 
 
 25 
 
 of great dilution through the influx of technical men from many 
 divergent fields of chemical and engineering endeavor, and workmen 
 from almost every walk of life, these pivotal men quickly imbued 
 the new organization with their energy, and with a fine spirit of co- 
 operation. 
 
 Production on such a prodigious scale as that with which we are 
 dealing requires an infinite amount of labor quite aside from that 
 which wiU be considered in connection with plant operations. No 
 figures can serve to express it. The final result, the finished product, 
 the victory itself, would have been impossible without it. 
 
 Neither can figures and statistics explain why it was that during 
 the winter of 1917-18 when the inability of the railroads to handle 
 the enormous quantities of freight in the eastern part of the country 
 owing to the heavy snow-falls and the ice, caused plants to shut down 
 right and left, not one of the Hercules Powder Company's operations 
 was stopped for want of coal or any of the raw materials entering 
 into explosives. The materials necessary to make powder were 
 always on hand. In connection with Government work, approxi- 
 mately 40,000 carloads of material were handled in and out of the 
 plants. A detailed study of the material which it devolved upon the 
 Purchasing Department to secure, would soon become tedious. Tak- 
 ing only the important raw materials, the figure in pounds used runs 
 into billions! This probably means little to most readers, but the 
 story has already been told. The material was there, and the plants 
 never had to shut down for want of it. 
 
 There is another important phase of the work, possibly the most 
 important, which cannot be adequately presented. Reference will 
 be made to new methods devised by The Hercules Co. These were 
 presented to the Government for its use and passed along to other 
 manufacturers engaged in similar work. 
 
 The principal war materials supplied by the Hercules Powder 
 Company to the United States Government were Smokeless Powder, 
 T. N. T., Nitrate of Ammonia and Black Powder. The potash re- 
 quired to produce the latter was also manufactured by the Company 
 in a unique way, which will be described later. Before the European 
 War started, the Hercules Company was engaged in manufacturing 
 commercial explosives only. Since then its Smokeless Powder plants 
 have been enlarged from a capacity of 1,500 pounds per day to 
 

 A portion of one of the Smokeless Powder lines at the Kenvil Plant of the Hercules Powder Companv 
 
 26 
 
215.000 pounds per day! It has supplied enormous quantities to 
 the United States, as well as to die AUies. The Company started 
 manufacturing T.N.T. with one plant capable of turning out 20,000 
 pounds daily, and at die signing of the armistice it had fourteen 
 plants in operation, with a total capacity of 280,000 pounds per day. 
 The manufacture of Nitrate of Ammonia and Black Powder was 
 also greatly increased. In normal times its capacity is two and one- 
 half million pounds yearly. During tlie war it was raised to six 
 million pounds! 
 
 In 1914 we were dependent on Germany for potash suitable for 
 conyersion into pure saltpetre which is absolutely necessary for the 
 production of Black Military Powder. Long before September, 
 1918, this Company was extracting potash from kelp at the rate of 
 fiye hundred tons per month, a quantity sufficient to supply all United 
 States Army needs for Black Powder. Chemicals which were used 
 medicinally and also some which contributed to the fulfillment of 
 other parts of the military program were secured from the same 
 source as by-products. 
 
 Before the war, die United States could not produce over 500,000 
 pounds of acetone monthly, and this was increased by 1,400,000 
 pounds per month through the efforts of the Hercules Powder Com- 
 pany alone. 
 
 Smokeless Powder 
 
 The Hercules Powder Company's Smokeless Powder plants are 
 located at Kenyil, N. J., and Gillespie, N. J. From a small plant for 
 the production of Smokeless Sporting Powders, Kenvil had been en- 
 larged in 1916 to produce 3,000,000 pounds of Cordite monthly for 
 the British Goyemment. As this is not used by the military or naval 
 forces of the United States, the facilities for making it, and the skill 
 in its manipulation which the organization had developed, could not 
 be put completely at the service of the Country. 
 
 Cordite is kno^vn as a double base powder, because it is composed 
 of two explosive ingredients, gun-cotton and nitroglycerin. The Pyro 
 powders used by the United States derive their propellant force from 
 gun-cotton alone. For this reason all their nitroglycerin equipment 
 became useless. The Cordite presses had to be remodeled or replaced, 
 the mixing equipment had to be altered, and the cutting, blending 
 and packing arrangements entirely replaced. Besides utilizing and 
 transforming the Cordite machinery, this Company designed and 
 
 constructed new equipment which had a greater unit capacity than 
 any existing types, and which made possible increased output with 
 a minimum outlay in time and labor. Methods of solvent recoverj', 
 water-dry, air-dry and blending have been greatly facilitated and 
 simplified by improvements made by the Hercules Company. 
 
 Finishing presses were remodeled to increase safety as well as 
 speed of operation. Important changes were made in the solvent 
 recovery cars which reduced the time required for recovering resid- 
 ual edier and alcohol from 120 hours to 60 hours for each carload 
 weighing 2200 pounds. This alteration affected existing equipment 
 only. An even more important innovation was introduced in connec- 
 tion with additions to the plants that involved entirely new construc- 
 tions, instead of adaptation and remodeling. This eliminates the 
 solvent recovery cars entirely. It is a combined solvent recovery 
 and water-dry system, through which die time required between the 
 beginning of solvent recovery and the end of water-drj- is reduced to 
 144 hours as against 264 hours, under the old method, and 204 
 hours with the improved solvent recovery cars. 
 
 The old method of air-dry in which the powder was placed on 
 racks in a long building and which was one of the most prolific 
 sources of fire, was superseded by a continuous air-dry system. This 
 makes use of the principle used in grain dryers and while the old 
 mediod took a maximum of forty-eight hours for the process, the new 
 one requires only six hours. 
 
 One of the greatest departures from previous practice is shown in 
 the new design of blending house. Two methods of blending had 
 been used, both of which were somewhat laborious and one of W'hich 
 was attended with a certain amoimt of danger. The new device is a 
 twelve-sided bin with partitions dividing it into twelve equal trian- 
 gular sections, holding a total of 125,000 pounds of powder. These 
 compartments have sloping bottoms, drawing all to a point at the 
 center where twelve gates are controlled by ropes to a lever-bank 
 like a chime-ringer's "keyboard." Beneath the gates a conical 
 hopper is swung on a scale, so that by pulling a handle and watching 
 the dial of the scale, the operator may draw and weigh from any bin 
 a quantity of powder from one pound to 1200 pounds. By drawing 
 a small amount from each bin in turn, a mixture is dropped into the 
 hopper, which further blends its contents by discharging through its 
 bottom into the powder cart waiting beneath. This worked yeiry well, 
 and gave the required blends with a much less expensive structure 
 and less danger. 
 
 27 
 
Building used for the continuous Air Dry System. One of the improved processes developed by the Hercules Powder Company, Kenvil, New Jersey. 
 
 Note the chutes for rapid exit m case of fire. 
 
 28 
 
Girls Sorting Out Imperfect Grains of Smokeless Powder. Hercules Powder Company's Plant, Kenvil, N. J. Upper right-hand view, shows Smokeless Powder 
 manufacture under difficulties— during the severe winter of 1917-18; great banks of snow are seen toward the approach to the building in backgromid. 
 
 29 
 
One of the Box Packing Houses, Kenvil, New Jersey, T. N. T. Plant— illustrating type of barricade used to confine the damage in case of accidents. 
 
 30 
 
At the Hercules Union plant, near Gillespie, N. J., additional 
 apparatus and equipment were provided. Changes here were similar 
 to those at the Kenvil plant. These affected the finishing presses and 
 the solvent recovery cars. On new construction the continuous air- 
 dry and improved blending house were installed. 
 
 Government Smokeless Powder Plant 
 NiTRO, West Virginia 
 
 In May, 1918, when the activities which have just been described, 
 and both construction and operation were in full swing, the Govern- 
 ment requested die Hercules Powder Co. to assume control and 
 operation of the great plant then in process of construction at Nitro, 
 ^\ Va. The problem presented by this request was one which might 
 well cause hesitation on the part of any company that had already 
 expanded to a degree that would ordinarily be considered dangerous. 
 This plant was being designed to produce in the neighborhood of 
 625,000 pounds of Smokeless Powder daily. To operate it would 
 require a staff of five or six hundred technical men, and from ten to 
 twelve thousand laborers. Not the least difficult part of the under- 
 taking w'ould be the management of a town of from 25,000 
 to 30.000 inhabitants, including the administration of schools, 
 stores, hotels, restaurants, places of amusement, and all the civic 
 activities found in any city of equal population. This was a stagger- 
 ing proposition to put before a company of this size, but when the 
 Ordnance Department represented that however ill-equipped in point 
 of numbers the Hercules people were to undertake the task, they 
 were in a better position to do so than any other company in the 
 country, the officials of that Company did not hesitate long about 
 assuming this immense responsibility. 
 
 Steps were immediately taken to build a new organization around 
 a little band of experienced men drawn from all branches of the 
 business. That these men could not well be spared, is easily under- 
 stood. They were sorely needed on the work from which they had 
 to be taken, and their removal placed a severe strain on the remain- 
 ing forces which were already taxed to the utmost. 
 
 Fortunately, the situation called for a gradual upbuilding of the 
 personnel at Nitro. The first acid unit was completed for operation 
 in July. By this time the nucleus of a well co-ordinated body of 
 
 31 
 
 operatives was on the ground, and this was enlarged to keep pace 
 with the progress of construction. The plans for this plant contem- 
 plated five powder lines, each with a capacity of 125,000 pounds a 
 day, which if it had been completed, would have meant an output of 
 15,625,000 pounds in a month of twenty-five working days! How- 
 ever, at the time the armistice was signed, no completed lines had 
 been turned over for operation, and such units as were producing 
 were still in the preliminary try-out stages. The total production 
 during an operating period of about a month was 4,500,000 pounds, 
 but during this time new units were gradually being taken over, and 
 it was not until near the end that operations became of any impor- 
 tance from the standpoint of production. At this time the Hercules 
 organization at Nitro consisted of about four hundred technically 
 trained men and women and six thousand laborers. 
 
 Manufacture of T. N. T. 
 
 Shortly after the United States entered the war the Government 
 approached the Hercules Company with a suggestion for making 
 T. N. T. at Kenvil, N. J.; prompted in this' largely by the highly 
 succeessful operations of this character which had been conducted 
 at their Hercules, Cal., plants. T.N.T., or Trinitrotoluol, is made by 
 the nitration, in three steps, of toluol, a coal tar derivitive, and thus 
 gets its name. It is used as a bursting charge for high explosive 
 shells. Agreements were soon reached, and work was started on 
 two plants in October, 1917. These were completed early in 1918, 
 and have a capacity of 1,000,000 pounds of crude, or 900,000 
 pounds of refined T. N. T. per month. 
 
 All the operations of the Hercules Powder Company both before 
 and after the entrance of our country into the war, have been remark- 
 able for the small amount of damage to life and property by 
 explosions, and with which they have been carried out. On one of 
 the T. N. T. lines at Kenvil, an explosion resulted from a fire which 
 started in a nitrator, and practically the whole line was destroyed. 
 This happened in July, 1918, when production was badly needed, 
 but it caused a minimum of delay. The plant was rebuilt, and put 
 into operation in thirty working days, which is probably a record for 
 construction of this character. 
 
 In April, 1917, there were four T. N. T. plants at Hercules, Cal. 
 Another was finished in January, 1918, bringing the monthly capac- 
 
ity up to 2,500,000 pounds. This immediately became available 
 for the country's needs. However, this was not sufficient, and in 
 1918 work was started on seven new lines, which were in partial 
 operation three months later, and all of which were running in 
 September. These additional lines increased the output at Hercules 
 to 6,000,000 pounds of crude T. N. T. per month. 
 
 To put these new plants in operation, it was necessary to develop 
 additional water supply, which was done by running six miles of 
 eight-inch pipe to connect with the mains of a local water company. 
 Storage had to be provided for toluol, acids, nitrate of soda, sidphur 
 and for finished products. A contact type sulphuric acid plant was 
 built to produce 6,600,000 pounds of fuming sulphuric acid per 
 month, and a nitric acid plant having twenty-two acid stills and a 
 capacity of 5,310,000 pounds monthly. In connection with this, 
 new features for unloading and handling nitrate of soda were in- 
 stalled. The experience gained on seven other lines — five at 
 Hercules and two at Kenvil — resulted in a design which made this 
 one of the most efficient T. N. T. works in the world. It is also one 
 of the largest. 
 
 Black Powder 
 
 The Hercules Company has numerous plants for the manufacture 
 of so-called "B" Blasting Powder, but only one for Rifle Powder, 
 suitable for military purposes. This is used as a bursting charge for 
 shrapnel shells, for making primers and fuses, and as an ignition 
 charge. The processes for manufacturing these powders do not differ 
 greatly, nor does the required equipment. The principal difference 
 is that nitrate of soda is combined with charcoal and sulphur to 
 produce "B" Powder, while potassium nitrate is used in the Rifle 
 Powder. 
 
 Nitrate of soda absorbs moisture much more readily from the air 
 than potassium nitrate. On account of this characteristic, the 
 powders containg the latter are more stable and can be handled and 
 stored successfully for longer periods and under less advantageous 
 conditions, but they are much more dangerous to manufacture. Even 
 with all the safeguards that modern engineering skill has devised, it 
 has never been possible to eliminate fires and explosions. However, 
 the plants are so laid out that when these occur a relatively small 
 amount of material and equipment is affected, and the lives of very 
 few people are endangered at any one time. Nevertheless, workers 
 
 32 
 
 accustomed to the production of "B" Powder are usually afraid of 
 the Rifle Powder Process. There is a certain amount of superstition 
 connected with this fear, which greatly exaggerates it. 
 
 When an ouput of Black Military Powder was called for, con- 
 siderably in excess of the capacity of the Hercules plant at Valley 
 Falls, N. Y., the chief difficulty involved in changing the "B" powder 
 plants at Ferndale, Pa., Youngstown, 0., and Hercules, Cal., over to 
 the manufacture of this product, arose from this fear on the part of 
 their operatives. Ihe whole situation was complicated by rumors of 
 spies, and some accidents which were actually traced to incendiaries, 
 took on exaggerated significance in the minds of the workers. How- 
 ever, by transferring as many experienced men from the Valley 
 Falls plant as could possibly be spared, and by employing the utmost 
 tact with the men, and care with the operations, it was possible to 
 hold their operating forces together and keep the plants running with 
 very few interruptions. A capacity of 850,000 pounds per month 
 was reached, against a normal capacity of 167,000 pounds. 
 
 The shortage of potash which has been acute in this country since 
 the beginning of the European War might have seriously interfered 
 with Black Powder production, had it not been that the Hercules 
 Company was in position to supply its own needs through the extrac- 
 tion of this material from kelp, of which a description will be given. 
 
 Nitrate of Ammonia 
 
 Modern warfare calls for such a prodigious expenditure of high 
 explosive shells that in spite of all that was done to increase produc- 
 tion of T.N.T., which is probably the best explosive for this purpose, 
 it was necessary to employ substitute in order to meet the munitions 
 program. The best known and most satisfactory of these is 
 Ammonium Nitrate, which, mixed with T. N. T., proved very effect- 
 ive, the mixture being known as Amatol. Ammonium Nitrate is 
 produced from the ammonia liquors that are secured as a by-product 
 from gas works and other operations involving the distillation of coal. 
 
 The utilization of these liquors for the manufacture of this product 
 is a part of the normal operations of the Hercules Powder Company, 
 as ammonium nitrate is used in many of the commercial grades of 
 dynamite. However, production for this purpose had never exceeded 
 the Company's own needs, and this could not be interrupted, because 
 
This plant was designed, primarily, to 
 right is the converter building of tiie acetone 
 
 procure acetone 
 group, with the ca 
 
 rpe 
 
 the manufacture of B 
 nter shop and laborali 
 
 ritish cordite, prior to 
 ry on the left. Back 
 
 The San Diego Kelp Plant 
 
 the entry of the United Stales into the war. This panoramic view of the great Kelp Reducing Plant of the Hercules Powder Co., at Potasli {near San Diego, California), shows in the I 
 of these are the steam dryer, heat transfer, centrifugal crystallizer and evaporation buildings. On the right of the picture in the foreground is the generator division of the acetone gr 
 
 eft back; 
 p, bad 
 
 round the 156 
 k of which are 
 
 kelp digestion tanks, each 
 the power and warehouses 
 
 with a capacity of 50,000 gallons. In the 
 and in the background the direct heal dryer. 
 
 center of the picture al 
 
 r 
 
tlie war activities of die country were as much dependent on the 
 minerals mined with dynamite as-on military high explosives. 
 
 Because its energies were fully engaged in large Smokeless 
 Powder and T. N. T. operations, the Hercules Company could not 
 midertake to build new plants for the manufacture of Nitrate of 
 Ammonia on a large scale. However, in April, 1918, that Company 
 agreed, at the suggestion of the Government, to increase its output 
 from existing facilities to the utmost. As a result, very considerable 
 quantities were produced, in addition to normal output. 
 
 Chemicals from Kelp 
 
 In connection widi Cordite, manufactured for the British Govern- 
 ment, which has been previously mentioned, the Hercules Powder 
 Company designed and built a plant near San Diego, Cal., between 
 Januarv and June, 1915, which is unique among the world's indus- 
 trial establishments. Its primary purpose was to supply acetone, a 
 solvent necessary to die production of Cordite. After the United 
 States entered the war, this plant proved very valuable to our Gov- 
 ernment, supplying needed materials that were not even thought of 
 at the time it was budt. 
 
 In past centuries kelp has frequently served both for potash and 
 iodine production. However, such utilization has been on a relatively 
 small scale. When compared with the plant in which the Hercules 
 Company extracted these and many other products from the giant 
 sea-weed, previous efforts have been relatively insignificant. 
 
 The novel conceptions involved in this enterprise make it worthy 
 of further description. The kelp, growing in long streamers in the 
 shallow rocky waters of the California coast, is cut and gathered by 
 diree great harvesters, which hoist it to macerators upon their decks 
 and transfer die liquid mass to storage tanks below. Seven large 
 barges are used to collect the cut from the harvesters, which stay con- 
 stantlv at sea and operate day and night. The macerated sea-weed is 
 pumped into the barges and transported to the wharf in the sheltered 
 waters of San Diego Bay. 
 
 Here pumps of special type suck it from the barges past strong 
 magnets which remove all steel and iron objects that would endanger 
 die machiners" through which it passes later. Through a half mile of 
 pipe the liquor finds its way to tanks where it is fermented. Under 
 carefuly regulated temperature conditions, bacterial action ensues, 
 
 33 
 
 resulting in the liberation of ascetic acid and potash salts. After 
 neutralization with lime to change the ascetic acid into acetate of 
 lime, or calcium acetate, settling, filtration, and evaporation bring 
 the product to a clear syrupy liquid, from which calcium acetate is 
 precipitated by boiling and potash by cooling. 
 
 The potash, in the form of potassium chloride, is shipped away 
 and converted into potassium nitrate, for use in the Black Powder 
 already mentioned. The calcium acetate yields acetone consequent 
 upon roasting in retorts, and rectifying the vapors. In this rectifica- 
 tion process, other solvents than acetone are separated. Some of 
 these were used in connection with cellulose nitrate or nitrated cotton, 
 for the manufacture of lacquers of various colors, which formed a 
 covering for shells and shell cases. This served the purpose of 
 identifying the various varieties by the colors, and formed a non- 
 fowling protective covering. Other solvents combined with cellulose 
 nitrate formed the coating for aeroplane wings, which is known as 
 aeroplane "dope." The ascetic anhydride mentioned below was also 
 used in manufacturing the non-inflammable "dope" for the wings of 
 battle planes. 
 
 Not all the products from this plant w-ere used with destructive 
 agents. Two, at least, were sent on healing errands. From some of 
 the acetic salts was made acetic anhydride, a water-white liquid used 
 in the manufacture of acid acetylo salicylic or of aspirin, which was 
 so greatly in demand by all our medical units during the epidemic 
 of Spanish influenza. Other medicinal products of the plant are 
 iodine and bromine, which have been produced in a state of high 
 purity. 
 
 Experimental Work 
 
 Coincident with construction and production a large amount of 
 experimental work was carried on. The practical results of most of 
 this have already been described in connection with new devices in- 
 stalled for the manufacture and handling of Smokeless Powder. 
 Some of the other work which was not brought to a complete fruition 
 in time to be of actual service in the emergency is nevertheless worthy 
 of mention. Perhaps the most important was the discovery of a 
 means of curing Smokeless Powder by which solvent recovery cars 
 and combined solvent recovery and water-dry houses could all be 
 eliminated. This method contemplated plunging the powder directly 
 from the cutting machine into a bath of alcohol properly treated with 
 
 {Continued on page 37} 
 
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Removing Potash Salt from Crystallizing Kettle. Kelp Reducing Plant, Hercules Powder Co., San Diego. Cal 
 
 .S5 
 
Employees celebrating the first step towards making us independent of Germany for Potash suitable for military powders. 
 
 36 
 
otlier ingredients to regulate its action. This withdrew the ether 
 portion of tlie residue solvent, and the alcohol portion was afterward 
 removed by a water bath. This new method would make possible a 
 great saving of time in drying, and was approved by the Ordnance 
 Department. This invention was presented to the Government and 
 tlirough it to otlier makers of Smokeless Powder who were preparing 
 to put it into execution, so that only the cessation of hostilities fore- 
 stalled a revolutionary change in this branch of Smokeless Powder 
 manufacture. 
 
 A new Pyro powder was developed for the army pistol which 
 proved superior to other Pyro pistol powders in a number of char- 
 acteristics. One of its most important advantages is that it burns 
 absolutely clean. 
 
 The trench mortar was one of the most effective weapons developed 
 during the war for throwing short-range shells and bombs. The pro- 
 jectile for the Stokes type is on the end of a stick, and the propelling 
 charge is strung on this. This powder charge was sewed in small 
 silk tubes joined at the ends to form a ring, the number of rings 
 determining the range. The charge is ignited by a shotgun shell 
 placed on tlie end of the stick, which strikes a firing pin at the bottom 
 when the shell is dropped down the muzzle of the gun. In endeavor- 
 ing to improve this ammunition, the Company developed a knitted 
 tube to. replace the stitched one previously used, thus greatly facil- 
 itating manufacture and loading. 
 
 In large calibre rifles, such as the ten and twelve-inch, a priming 
 charge is necessary in order to secure quick ignition on account of 
 the large amount and the large size of the powder. Black Powder 
 is usually used for this, but at the request of the Government, the 
 Hercules Experimental Station developed a smokeless ignition 
 
 powder which was pronounced, after tests at the Aberdeen Proving 
 Grounds, superior to other powders made for this purpose. 
 
 Making Dynamite Under Difficulties 
 
 There is a story that makes a fitting ending to a chapter full of 
 really great achievements. Corn meal and wheat flour are regularly 
 used in dynamite, and dynamite is just about as essential a com- 
 modity, in war or peace, as it is possible to find. Nevertheless, the 
 Food Administration, pursuing its policy of asking why, whenever 
 it found food products being used for other purposes than sustaining 
 life, suggested that it would be desirable to find a substitute. Under 
 the circumstances the Company might have pointed out with much 
 justification that research men were scarce and that all who were 
 available were occupied on Government work. Instead of this, how- 
 ever, they immediately set out to discover a new ingredient for 
 dynamite. 
 
 Soon a process for grinding cocoanut shells was perfected and 
 experimentation proved that meal from this source was satisfactory. 
 When the Government commandeered all the cocoanut shells in the 
 country for use in chemical warfare, and this had to be abandoned. 
 Next almond shells were tried, but by the time a method for using 
 them was found, the Government again stepped in and took the 
 almond shells. Peach pits were then tried and the same thing hap- 
 pened. Nothing daunted by these exasperating set-backs, work was 
 started on pecan shells in the east and walnut shells in the west. This 
 proved successful, and as a result nut shell meal has been replacing 
 that made from com and wheat for some time. The saving was not 
 large compared to the Food Administration's total program for 
 reduced consumption of cereals, but this incident is a final illustration 
 of the whole-hearted way in which this Company grasped every 
 opportunity to help win the war. 
 
 37 
 
. i-f% t^ifm^mt. ^m^^mi^^mdi 
 
 S'_i!«5^=^ 
 
 View of \ illage from Havre de Grace, Md. Ammonium Nitrate Plant. Perrvville. Md. 
 
Atlas Po^^der Company 
 
 "^HE Atlas Powder Company are manufacturers of explosives, 
 chemicals and detonators. Fifteen large plants, located at 
 important trade centers throughout the United States, are 
 
 engaged in die manufacture of these commodities, so necessary in 
 war. Four of the largest operations, located at Atlas, Mo., 
 Re\-nolds, Pa., Senter, Mich., and Hopatcong, N. J., are engaged 
 exclusively in the manufacture of high explosives and chemicals 
 (ammonium nitrate, acids, etc.). 
 
 At the beginning of the war the Adas Powder Company was the 
 largest manufacturer of Nitrate of Ammonium in the United States. 
 This chemical is employed in the manufacture of the so-called 
 Ammonia class of high explosives and is the principal ingredient of 
 Amatol — the well knoiMi charge for high explosive shells. 
 
 Before die United States entered the war, France and Italy turned 
 to America for great quantities of this all-important material and the 
 Atlas Powder Company supplied their requirements to the limit of 
 its capacitj". 
 
 During the year 1915, the Atlas Powder Company manufactured 
 for the war use of the allied governments over 13,000,000 pounds of 
 Ammonium Nitrate, 14,000,000 pounds of acids and 2,500,000 
 pounds of nitrocotton. The following year the demands for these 
 materials were greater, and during 1916 there was shipped for the 
 account of die Allies over 90.000,000 pounds of acid ( sulphuric 
 and nitric) and over 25.000,000 pounds of Ammonium Nitrate. 
 
 In 1917 the shipments were 75,000,000 pounds of acids and 
 37,000,000 pounds of Ammonium Nitrate; besides contracts were 
 awarded the Atlas Powder Company by the United States Govern- 
 ment in the year 1918 for 262,500,000 pounds of Ammonium 
 Nitrate and 105,000.000 pounds of acids. 
 
 T^ hen the United States entered the war, the demand for Ammo- 
 nium Nitrate was so great that the Ordnance Department found that 
 the then present production of this chemical must be increased by 
 many times, and because of the limited supply of raw materials from 
 which it was made (in the United States) the problem of how to do 
 so was a very serious one. 
 
 The British Government was and had been manufacturing 
 Ammonium Nitrate by a distinctive and newly developed process 
 which utilized certain raw materials hitherto considered unavailable. 
 
 39 
 
 The Atlas Powder Company, being the largest producers of 
 Ammonium Nitrate in America, were requested by the Ordnance 
 Department to send a representative to England to thoroughly inves- 
 tigate the British method, and to ascertain if it would be practical to 
 use this process in the United States. This request was made 
 November 10th, 1917, and immediately the Adas Powder Company 
 dispatched four representatives instead of one. These men — 
 Messrs. James T. Powers, G. C. Given, W. D. Craig and P. W. Parvis 
 — accompanied by Major C. T. Harris (since Colonel), of the U. S. 
 Ordnance Department, made a quick, but thorough, investigation of 
 the only British plant using the process, and returned to tlie United 
 States, December 23, 1917. They reported to the Ordnance Depart- 
 ment that the "direct process" of manufacture was extremely com- 
 plicated, being an application of what chemists term die "phase 
 rule." Unless the chemical control was maintained with the utmost 
 accuracy, any of seven different chemical compounds odier than 
 Ammonium Nitrate, and all unfit for war use, might result from the 
 ingredients used in the process. 
 
 The process worked admirably in England because of the ideal 
 climatic conditions, there being little variation in temperature. 
 Under climatic conditions which prevailed in the United States, how- 
 ever. Ammonium Nitrate could not be produced practically and 
 economically by the English method. The research laboratories of 
 die Atlas Powder Company determined that die process could only 
 be used if it were possible to "manufacture" a suitable climate, since 
 there was no location in the United States where proper atmospheric 
 conditions could be found. 
 
 The situation was that Ammonium Nitrate must be made to win 
 the war and the handicap of climatic inequalities must be overcome. 
 The Research Uaboratories of the Atlas Powder Company, in con- 
 junction with the Ordnance Department, therefore undertook the task 
 of duplicating the work of die English plant under what appeared 
 to be impossible conditions. They devised a system of air condition- 
 ing which would make the plant absolutely independent of all the 
 caprices of the weather. 
 
 Final decision to proceed was given by the Ordnance Department 
 March 1st, 1918. A contract was signed with the Adas Powder 
 Company for the construction of a plant to produce 100,000 tons 
 Ammonium Nitrate yearly. 
 
 [Continued on page 47) 
 
■■^~-"**'^»-^-S;ii3i2iSISB!fc 
 
 Village Under Construction. In the foreground are Guard Barracks, Guard House and Pay Booths. Ammonium Nitrate Plant, Perry ville, Md. 
 
 40 
 
.Main Office, Commissary, Part of Bunk Houses, Change House and Boarding Houses during construction. Ammonium Nitrate Plant, Perryville, Md. 
 
 41 
 
View of pai't of construction of Bunk Houses. Ammonium Nitrate Plant, Perryville, Md. 
 
 42 
 
A view of Air Conditioning Equipment and Crystalizing Rooms. There were five miles of crystalizing pans (if placed end to 
 end) in these rooms. Ammonium Nitrate Plant, Perryville, Md. 
 
 43 
 
Air Conditioning Equipment. Ammonium Nitrate Plant, Perryville, Md. 
 
 44 
 
Interior of Air Conditioning Building, Ammonium .\itrate Plant, Perryville, iVId 
 
 45 
 
Nearly completed Laboratory, where 90 to 100 chemists made analyses every 15 minutes. Ammonium Nitrate Plant, Perryville, Md. 
 
 46 
 
Abundance of fresh water, good railroad facilities and proximity 
 to shell loading plants, which would use the product determined the 
 selection a few days later of a site for the plant at the mouth of the 
 Susquehanna River, at Perryville, Md. The location chosen was a 
 farm of more tlian 500 acres. 
 
 A steam shovel started work on a railroad siding into the property 
 on March 3rd, and construction of bunk houses, commissaries and 
 temporary offices was begun. Frost was then leaving the ground and 
 the wet clay soil was so heavy that it was not unusual to see four to 
 six horses dragging a few railroad ties or a 30-foot steel rail. Even 
 -then the horses were mired frequently. 
 
 Wliile this preliminary work was in progress corps of engineers 
 and draftsmen were working night and day to prepare preliminary 
 plans for the operating buildings. As soon as any apparatus was 
 decided upon, it was ordered, and in spite of chemical equipment of 
 all kinds, remarkably quick deliveries were secured. 
 
 A Plant Which Made Artificial Weather 
 
 When it is considered that a 10,000 horse-power power house, 
 and installation of filters, the largest in the world, and the largest 
 air conditioning installation in the world had to be designed and 
 built, one can realize the tremendous job ahead. But about the 
 middle of March sufficient detail of buildings had been developed 
 so that the plans could be forwarded to the construction forces at 
 Perryville and work started on the foundations. 
 
 Work on the power-house was started on April 30, and steam was 
 developed in the first battery of boilers on June 19. The entire 
 building was completed in sixty-one working days. 
 
 On May 25th, 10,000,000 pounds of raw material had been loaded 
 into the store-houses. On July 3, the manufacture of Ammonium 
 Nitrate was started and on July 8th the first product was obtained. 
 The amount was small, due to the fact that all construction work had 
 not been completed. The production quickly reached the capacity 
 of 300 tons a day. And thus had the seemingly impossible been 
 achieved. In a plant which did not exist ninety days previously and 
 by the adoption of methods hitherto unknown and which were thought 
 impractical for conditions in this country, a daily production of 
 600,000 pounds of ammonium nitrate was obtained, or 18,000,000 
 pounds per month. 
 
 47 
 
 The inflammable nature of ammonium nitrate made fire-proof 
 construction necessary. And the size of equipment necessitated large 
 buildings. Sixteen cast-iron pots — the largest ever cast, with bottoms 
 integral with the sides — were used in handling the solution. These 
 pots weigh 22 tons (49,280 pounds) each. More than five and one- 
 half miles of crystallizing pans were installed in the crystallizing 
 buildings. These would make a pan four feet wide, extending from 
 the Battery to Central Park, New York. 
 
 To provide the 30,000,000 gallons of water used by the plant 
 every twenty-four hours, the largest centrifugal pumps in the world 
 were installed, connected with two 30-inch mains. The "artificial 
 weather" was regulated largely with the use of these 30,000,000 
 gallons of water, the methods of control being such that outdoor 
 temperature of 102 degrees or a minimum of below zero would not 
 interfere with the maximum daily production. 
 
 When the plant was started there were practically no housing 
 facilities for employees. It was necessary to build a village adjacent 
 to the plant. Three hundred houses, with five to seven rooms each, 
 were constructed, equipped with modern plumbing and heating 
 systems and supplied with filtered water, the quality of which is 
 under such accurate control of the laboratories that the bacterial 
 count was reduced from 2,000 per cubic centimeter to 50 per cubic 
 centimeter. Besides the dwelling places, there were two stores, six 
 boarding-houses, twenty permanent bunk houses, community kitchen 
 building, school-house and community club-house. Ample protec- 
 tion against fire also was provided. The houses were rented to 
 employees at a very nominal charge. 
 
 Sixty-five hundred men were employed in the construction of the 
 plant and were housed in the most modern of dormitories and bunk 
 houses. Eighty-five bunk houses were constructed, one being com- 
 pleted in five and one-half hours. The average cost per square foot 
 was 65 cents, the lowest price of any in the country. 
 
 The total number of paid meals served in the modem commissary 
 that was provided, from March 15 to July 31, was 861,454. 
 
 In order to appreciate the magnitude of the Perryville operation, 
 a few figures are given here showing size of site, length of railroad 
 tracks, roads, tunnels, materials used in the construction (exclusive 
 of the village) etc. 
 
 {Continued on page 53i 
 
One ol the partly cunipleted Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Rooms. The air conditioning equipment is probably the largest in the United States. 
 
 Ammonium Nitrate Plant, Perryville, Md. 
 48 
 
View of Commissary during construction. 14,000 meals were served daily. Ammonium Nitrate Plant, Perryville, Md. 
 
 49 
 
Interior of Power House, with feed water heater under construction. Ammonium Nitrate Plant, Perryville, Md. 
 
 50 
 
One of tlie 823 H. P. Boilers under construction. Ammonium Nitrate Plant, Perryville, Md. 
 
 51 
 
Turbine Generators. 1,000 K. W. capacity each. Ammonium Nitrate Plant, Perryville, Md. 
 
 52 
 
ATLAS POWDER COMPANY'S NITRATE OF AMiMONIUM PLANT, PERR\TILLE, MD. 
 
 Description 
 
 Area of property 516 acres 
 
 Length 134 miles 
 
 Breadtli - % miles 
 
 Area of plant site 35.8 acres 
 
 TRACK— PLANT 
 Miles of Track Laid 
 
 (a) Standard gauge, permanent 6.36 
 
 Standard gauge, temporary 1.32 
 
 (b) Industrial gauge, temporary 1.42 
 
 Length and Size of Tunnels Outside Buildings 
 
 (a) Steam tunnel 10' wide x 8' high inside 1118' 0" 
 
 (b) Steam tunnel 5' wide x 8' high inside 66' 5" 
 
 (c) Steam tunnel 5' wide x 10' high inside 11' 0" 
 
 (d) Conveyor's tunnel 5' wide x 6' 6" high inside 242' 5" 
 
 (e) Conveyor's tunnel 5' wide x 6' 6" high inside 34' 0" 
 
 (f) Conveyor's tunnel 16' wide x 6' 6" high inside 20' 0" 
 
 (g) Water pipe 7' wide x 3' 6" high inside 185' 0" 
 
 Number of Miles of Road Built and Miles of Pipe 
 
 Laid for Both Water and Sewerage 
 
 Miles of Road 
 
 ( a I Village, permanent 2.273 
 
 (b) Village, permanent 70 
 
 I c I Plant, permanent 71 
 
 Id) Plant, temporary 40 
 
 Fencing — plant and piunp house 2.32 
 
 Water Supply 
 Plant and village, 20,000,000 gals, per day 
 
 Miles of Water Pipe 
 
 (a) Village - 3.00 
 
 (b) Plant - 3.06 
 
 (cl Temporary 1.25 
 
 Miles of Sewers and Dr.4Ins 
 
 (a) Village, main lines 3.51 
 
 (bl Village, house connections 1.62 
 
 (c) Plant .■ ; 4.209 
 
 Excavation 40,159 cu. yards 
 
 Cement 52,483 barrels 
 
 Sand _ 21.108 tons 
 
 Stone 33,569 tons 
 
 Re-inforcing Steel 638 tons 
 
 Brick 2,356,000 M 
 
 MATERIAL— PLANT 
 
 Note: This is an approximate estimate and does not include 
 any allowance for breakage, wasteage or alterations 
 
 Fire Brick 321,000 M 
 
 Paving Brick 93.400 M 
 
 Hollow Tile 770.388 sq. feet 
 
 Paving Tile 100.412 sq. feet 
 
 Structural Steel 3,920 tons 
 
 Steel Sash 42,912 sq. feet 
 
 B. M. Feet Lumber 754,952 B. M. feet 
 
 Lime...- 871 barrels 
 
 Cinders 6,198 cu. yards 
 
 Roofing 287,743 sq. feet 
 
 Concrete Walls and Piers... 29,274 cu. yards 
 
 Concrete Floors 248,936 sq. feet 
 
 Forms 1,078,370 sq. feet 
 
 (Continued on page 59) 
 53 
 
Interior of Machine Shop. Ammonium Nitrate Plant. Perryville, Md. 
 
 .54 
 
Cast Iron Digesters — the largest flat-bottom castings ever cast in this country. So large are thes;e pots that the building was erected after the pots were installed. 
 
 Ammonium Nitrate Plant, Perryville, Md. 
 55 
 
View of Yard when plant was practically completed. Ammonium Nitrate Plant, Perry ville, Md. 
 
 56 
 
Dredge digging channel into intake for Pump House. This channel was dug out through the flat some 1,800 feet. It also shows rip-rap work at intake; also 
 
 coffer-dam built to allow blasting of rock. Ammonium Nitrate Plant, Perryville, Md. 
 
 57 
 
Pumping Station, nearly completed. This pump house has a capacity of 30,000,000 gallons per 24 hours. Ammonium Nitrate Plant, Perryville. Md. 
 
 58 
 
Heating 
 
 Radiation in the plant, 15,000 sq. ft.; without the plant, 55,960 
 sq. ft. This is connected to power house through 3,300 feet of over- 
 head and underground steam main. 
 
 All heating is from 200 horse-power steam mains, reduced to 100 
 and again to 3 and 5. 
 
 Steam Piping — There were used through the plant for steam pur- 
 poses 256,500 feet of assorted pipe, from 20-inch down (481/^ 
 miles). 
 
 There were used in the power house 3,500 feet of fabricated 
 pipe (Van Stone). 
 
 In addition to the acids and ammonium nitrate manufactured for 
 war use, the Atlas Powder Company held contracts for other high 
 explosives as follows: 
 
 Nitro-Cotton. 
 Fulminate of Mercury. 
 Trinitrotoluene (T. N. T.). 
 Tetranitromethylanilin (Tetryl) . 
 
 The Perryville Nitrate of Ammonia plant remains a monument to 
 American ingenuity and is but another demonstration that American 
 resourcefulness overcame handicaps which at first seemed to be 
 insurmountable. 
 
 59 
 
BSiUf'B^-^l 
 
 Pumping Station, nearly completed. Ammonium Nitrate Plant, Perryville, Md. 
 
 60 
 
Pump House and Soda Store Houses. 
 
 Capacity of soda storehouses, 45,000,000 pounds each. 
 Ammonium Nitrate Plant, Perryville, Md. 
 
 Power house rated capacity, 10,000 H. P. 
 
 61 
 
Plant about half completed. Ammonium Nitrate Plant, Perryville, Md. 
 
 62 
 
Steel frame-work for the big Nitrate of Ammonium Storehouse. Ammonium Nitrate Plant, Perryville, Md. 
 
 63 
 
■- aj: 
 
 
 Nearly completed Ammonium Xitiate Storehouse. In this building later was stored probably the greatest quantity of Ammonium Nitrate ever stored in bulk 
 
 in one building — 14,000,000 pounds. Ammonium Nitrate Plant, Perryville, Maryland. 
 
 64 
 
The Bethlehem Loading Co., New Castle, Del. 
 
 Tetryl 
 
 n 
 
 "^HE manufacture of Tetryl by the Bethlehem Loading Com- 
 pany was begun in the latter part of 1915, because it was 
 found to be impossible to purchase in the United States, Tetryl 
 
 of a quality which would meet the requirements of their clients in 
 connection with various contracts for complete rounds of 
 ammunition. 
 
 Experiments were conducted in the New Castle plant of the Beth- 
 lehem Loading Company to ascertain the possibilities of making 
 Tetn,4 which would pass the specifications of various European 
 Governments calling for high melting points combined with severe 
 stability and heat tests. 
 
 Laboratory results indicated that these desired results could be 
 obtained, and it remained to be proved whether these results obtained 
 in the manufacture of small quantities could be duplicated on a pro- 
 duction basis running into several hundred pounds per day. Several 
 attempts, which invariably resulted in explosions and fires, con- 
 vinced Chemical Engineers that it was almost impossible under the 
 then existing conditions, to obtain the necessary quality of equip- 
 ment combined wth the quality of labor necessary to produce Tetryl 
 in economic quantities, without considerable risk to both plant and 
 operators. 
 
 It was then decided to operate numerous small units with conse- 
 quent multiplication of labor and equipment, involving greatly 
 increased costs and with this procedure excellent results were 
 obtained, a very high quality of tetryl produced, and a capacity of 
 25,000 pounds per month was reached in May, 1916. 
 
 At the time the U. S. Government entered the war, in April, 1917, 
 the capacity of the New Castle Tetryl Plant was 25,000 pounds per 
 month. This figure was limited merely by the requirements of the 
 Bethlehem Steel Company, in connection with their complete rounds 
 contract. 
 
 As soon as the Bethlehem Steel Company had fulfilled its obliga- 
 tions to the Allied Governments, it placed the New Castle plant at 
 the disposal of the U. S. Government and in March, 1918, the entire 
 plant was rented by the Ordnance Department, U. S. A., the Bethle- 
 hem Loading Company acting as their agent to operate the plant for 
 the manufacture of tetryl. 
 
 The capacity, with practically no change in the plant, was increased 
 to 50,000 pounds per month and eventually reached 100,000 pounds 
 per month in September, 1918. During the months of September, 
 October and November approximately 280,000 pounds of tetryl was 
 accepted by the U. S. Government inspectors. 
 
 All the Tetryl supplied was of the same high quality as that sup- 
 plied by the Bethlehem Company to their European clients and the 
 best obtainable in the United States. Evidence of the entire satis- 
 faction of the Government representatives with the material may be 
 obtained from the fact that a very large order for additional Tetryl 
 had been placed for manufacture in the New Castle plant just prior 
 to the signing of the armistice. This order was, however, not pro- 
 ceeded with. 
 
 65 
 
T. N. T. 
 
 Fulminate of Mercury 
 
 Two immense T. N. T. plants were being constructed when the 
 armistice was signed; these were at Giant, Cal., whose capacity was 
 planned for 2,000,000 pounds per month, and Racine, Wis., the 
 capacity of which was to be 4,000,000 pounds per month. 
 
 T. N. T. production records show, throughout the country, a total 
 of 16,025,000 pounds per month; this from a monthly production 
 of approximately 1,000,000 pounds when we entered the conflict. 
 
 Picric Acid 
 
 Contracts were placed for large quantities of Picric Acid; at the 
 tirtie of the signing of the armistice some 250,000,000 pounds of it 
 were on schedule among the following concerns: Butterworth-Judson 
 Corporation, 72,000,000 pounds; E. M. Davis, 42,000,000 pounds; 
 Goodrich-Lockhart, 10,000,000 pounds; Hooker Electric Chemical 
 Company, 2,000,000 pounds ; Lansing Chemical Company, 4,434,000 
 pounds; O'Brien Sun Dye Company, 4,000,000 pounds; Nitro 
 Chemical Co., 6,900,000 pounds; Semet Solvay Co., 72,000,000 
 pounds; Union Dye and Chemical Co., 10,000,000 pounds; the 
 Lloyd Company, 400,000 pounds; and the Aetna Explosives Co., 
 27,600,000 pounds. 
 
 Fulminate of Mercury was produced by the Aetna Company at 
 Kingston, N. Y. ; the duPont Company, at their extensive plant at 
 Pompton Lakes, N. J., and the Atlas Powder Company at their plant 
 at Webster, Pa. (near Tamaqua). 
 
 The production of Fulminate of Mercury (used in detonating 
 fuses, boosters and primers) was about 50,000 pounds per month, 
 sufficient for the work in hand. 
 
 Ammonium Picrate 
 
 Explosive D 
 
 Ammonium Picrate is used as the bursting charge for armor 
 piercing projectiles. It is produced by an ammonia process which 
 makes it less sensitive than the parent compound and lessens thereby 
 the probability of its being affected by metals with which it must 
 come in contact. When the United States entered the war, produc- 
 tion of Ammonium Picrate was 53,000 pounds per month; when 
 armistice was signed, close to a million pounds per month was being 
 produced in the United States. 
 
 66 
 
INDEX 
 
 PACE 
 
 Acetone 27, 33 
 
 Almond Shells 37 
 
 Amatol (50-50) 23, 32, 39 
 
 Amatol (80-20) 23 
 
 Ammonal 11 
 
 Artificial Weather 47 
 
 Aspirin 33 
 
 Atlas Powder Company 39 to 64 
 
 Ammonium Nitrate 4, 27, 32, 39 
 
 Ammonium Picrate 10, 66 
 
 Bacchus (Utah I Dynamite Plant 4, 32, 37 
 
 Barkesdale (Wisconsin) duPont Co 10 
 
 Bethlehem Loading Company 65 
 
 Black Po^s-der 7, 10, 25, 27, 32 
 
 Blending Pyro Cotton 27, 34 
 
 Carney's Point. New Jersey 17, 19 
 
 Centrifugal Pump, Largest in World 47 
 
 Cocoanut Shells 37 
 
 Cordite 27, 33 
 
 Com Meal for Dynamite 37 
 
 Cotton, Nitration of 33 
 
 Demolition Blocks 11 
 
 Demolition Outfits 12 
 
 Diphenylamine 12, 21 
 
 Dope, Aeroplane 33 
 
 duPont de Nemours & Co., E. 1 7 
 
 DjTiamite 4, 32, 37 
 
 Eastern Laboratory (Gibbstown, N.J.) duPont's 11, 12 
 
 Ferndale I Pennsylvania) Hercules Powder Co 32 
 
 Fulminate of Mercury 8, 10, 66 
 
 Grenade, Hand ; 22, 23 
 
 Grenite ... . 12 
 
 Grenade Powder 22, 23 
 
 Gun Cotton 9, 11, 16, 19, 21 
 
 Haskell. New Jersey 21 
 
 Hercules Powder Co 4, 25 
 
 Hercules, California 32 
 
 Hopatcong (New Jersey) Atlas Powder Co 39 
 
 Hopewell, Virginia 9, 19 
 
 Iodine 33 
 
 Kelp (Sea Weed) 2, 33, 
 
 Kenvil (New Jersey) Hercules Powder Co. 26, 28, 
 
 Livens Projector 
 
 Lyconite 
 
 Mercury, Fulminate of 8, 
 
 Nashville (Tennessee) Old Hickory . ... 13, 
 
 Newton-Stokes Mortar 
 
 Nitrate of .A.mmonia 4, 27. 
 
 Nitrate of Potash 
 
 Nitrate of Soda 
 
 Nitro (West Virginia) Hercules Powder Co 
 
 Nitrotite Container for Propellents 
 
 Old Hickoi-y (Nashville, Tennessee) duPont's 13, 
 
 Parlin, New Jersey ... 
 
 Pecan Nut Shells 
 
 Pellets, Powder 
 
 Pennsylvania Trojan Powder Co 
 
 Periyville (Maryland) Atlas Powder Co 38 
 
 Picric Acid 10, 
 
 Potassium Nitrate 
 
 Pump, Centrifugal, Largest in World 
 
 Pyralin for Gas Mask Eye-pieces 
 
 Pyro Powder 
 
 Reynolds Plant, Atlas Powder Co 
 
 Rifle Powder 
 
 .San Diego (California) Hercules Powder Co 
 
 Sea Weed (Kelp) 
 
 Seiple, Pennsylvania 
 
 Senter (Michigan) Atlas Powder Co 
 
 Smokeless Powder 7, 8, 9, 10, 13, 14, 17, 19, 21, 25, 26, 
 
 Stoke's Trench Mortar Shells 
 
 Tetryl (Tetranitro Methylaniline) 8, 
 
 T.N.T. (Trinitrotoluol) 7,10,23,26, 
 
 Triton 
 
 T. N. X. (Trinitroxylol) 
 
 Trojan Chemical Company 
 
 Trojan Grenade Powder 22, 
 
 Valley Falls (New York) Hercules Powder Co 
 
 Walnut Shells 
 
 Youngstown (Ohio) Hercules Powder Co 
 
 PAGE 
 
 34, 35 
 
 29, 30 
 
 11 
 
 12 
 
 10, 66 
 
 15, 16 
 
 37 
 
 32, 39 
 
 25, 33 
 
 13, 32 
 
 31 
 
 11 
 
 15, 16 
 
 9 
 
 37 
 
 10 
 
 23, 24 
 
 to 64 
 
 19, 66 
 
 25, 33 
 
 47 
 
 12 
 
 27, 37 
 
 39 
 
 8, 32 
 
 4, 33 
 
 2 
 
 21 
 
 39 
 
 27, 31 
 
 22, 37 
 
 10, 65 
 
 31, 66 
 
 7, 11 
 
 23 
 23, 24 
 32 
 37 
 32 
 

 DATE DUE 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 JAH 2 
 
 2 2005 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 ?nQB 
 
 
 
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 L.yjv'j 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 UNIVERSITY PRODUCTS, INC. #859-5503 
 
BOSTON COLLEGE 
 
 3 9031 023 23310 9