Barrack-Office: the office at which all business relating to the Barrack department is transacted.
BARRELS, in military affairs, are of various kinds.
Fire-Barrels are of different sorts: some are mounted on wheels, filled with composition and intermixed with loaded grenades, and the outside full of sharp spikes: some are placed under ground, which have the effect of small mines: others are used to roll down a breach, to prevent the enemy’s entrance.—Composition, corned powder 30lb. Swedish pitch 12, saltpetre 6, and tallow 3. Not used now.
Thundering-Barrels are for the same purpose, filled with various kinds of combustibles, intermixed with small shells, grenades, and other fire-works. Not used now.
Powder-Barrels are about 16 inches diameter, and 30 or 32 inches long, holding 100 pounds of powder.
Barrels for powder—Their dimensions.
| Whole Barrels. | Half Barrels. | Quarter Barrels. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ft. | In. | Ft. | In. | Ft. | In. | |
| Depth | 1 | 9.61 | 1 | 5.13 | 1 | 2.25 |
| Diameter at top | 1 | 3.61 | 1 | 0.37 | 9.35 | |
| Diameter at bulge | 1 | 5.36 | 1 | 2. | 10.71 | |
| Diameter at bot’m | 1 | 3.51 | 1 | 0.31 | 9.41 | |
The whole barrels are made to contain 100 pounds, and the half barrels 50 pounds of powder; but of late only 90 pounds have been put into the barrels, and 45 into the half barrels; which, by leaving the powder room to be shifted, preserves it the better.
Budge Barrels, hold from 40 to 60 pounds of powder; at one end is fixed a leather bag with brass nails: they are used in actual service on the batteries, to keep the powder from firing by accident, for loading the guns and mortars.
Budge-Barrels contain 38 lbs.