Q. Why should shell always be coated carefully with a lacquer or varnish before being filled?
A. Because some of the explosives now used to fill shell, though perfectly stable and harmless in themselves, become very sensitive explosives when exposed to steel or iron. The slightest friction will sometimes detonate them.
Q. Why is red lead or white lead prohibited on fuse-threads?
A. Because, as with iron, some shell-fillers change into extremely sensitive explosives on contact with lead.
Q. Why should all fixed ammunition and primers be stored separately from magazines containing powder?
A. Because they are liable to explode by dropping or breaking, etc., and the shock of one primer or charge exploding might explode the whole magazine.
Q. Should rubber shoes be worn in magazines?
A. Yes.
Q. Why?