Manual for submarine mining

by United States. War Department

Trotol is a fine crystalline yellow powder, much resembling brown sugar. It is manufactured by nitrating toluol. It is very insensitive to shock or friction, insoluble in water, very stable in storage, and very powerful when detonated. Its melting point is about 81° C., its ignition point is about 197° C., its specific gravity in powdered form is about 1.55; it has no dangerous chemical action on metals.

The priming charge is a fuse can full of crystalline trotol.

Trotol is supplied in wooden boxes doubly lined with wax paper, each box containing about 50 pounds of explosive. The date of receipt at the post and the name of the explosive shall be painted on each box. The boxes should be stored in tiers with the marked end out, the bottom tier resting on skids. The explosive is not dangerous to handle, but the same care should be observed in storing and handling as with other high explosives. It should be stored in a perfectly dry place, preferably in a magazine. If it is impracticable to store in a magazine, the explosive may be stored in the driest place available where it is protected thoroughly from all fire risks. If from any cause the boxes of explosive are wet and there is reasonable assurance that the interior has become wet, a box should be selected and opened. If the interior is wet, a full report of the circumstances shall be made to the War Department. Boxes should be opened and the contents dried in open air out of the direct rays of the sun.

Trotol may be stored with wet guncotton, explosive D, and dynamite.

Inspection at posts will be limited to seeing that the rules for storage and care are strictly observed. Technical inspections will be made, when required, by the Ordnance Department.

Wet guncotton in the form of compressed cakes is supplied in boxes lined with zinc, the lid being screwed down upon a rubber gasket so as to prevent the loss of water by evaporation. Each box contains 100 pounds of dry guncotton. In the lid is a small flush cap which screws down upon a rubber washer and closes a tube communicating with the interior of the box. Upon each box there is painted by the manufacturer the net and total weights. Shipping regulations require that guncotton should be wet with water so that the water is 20 per cent of the weight of guncotton and water. This is too much water for full detonation, and the guncotton upon receipt at a post should be dried out so that the weight of water is from 12 to 15 per cent of that of the dry guncotton. The guncotton is dried by opening the box and pyramiding the guncotton on the lid and in the box so that there will be free circulation of air between the cakes. The use of an electric fan in this connection will ordinarily materially facilitate the operation. By weighing pilot cakes it may be determined when the proper amount of water has evaporated. The guncotton is then repacked, lid screwed down, and the weight chalked upon the end of the box. The guncotton should be placed while drying so that it is not in the sunlight and should be handled with clean cotton or rubber gloves.

In addition to the regular monthly inspection the boxes are reweighed quarterly under the supervision of the officer responsible for submarine mine explosive, and the gross weight so found chalked upon the end. Should any box show any decided decrease in weight the screw cap in the lid is removed, enough fresh water, preferably distilled or rain water, added to bring it up to its original weight, and the screw cap replaced.

Magazines in which guncotton is stored should not be allowed to attain a temperature as high as 100° F. for any length of time.

Guncotton which is kept wet may deteriorate after long storage, but will not become dangerous.

Wet guncotton can not be ignited by a flame, but gradually smoulders away as the outer portions in contact with the flame become dried.