On offer is a unique and interesting document from the history of war, weaponry, and the United States Navy. It is the “Report upon the Manufacture of Gun Cotton” produced by a seaman, B. C. Nielsen. The 16-page handwritten report, goes over a wide range of the creation, processing, and use of gun cotton. It begins by defining gun cotton as, “an explosive made from cotton; and is composed of Carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen, and is made by acting on cotton with nitric and sulphuric acids. It is only necessary to immerse pure dry cotton in a mixture of the purest and strongest nitric and ... View More...
