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The Missouri disaster. To the Editor of the Scientific American: In your issue of April $3, page 322, column 2, line 52, I note in the description of the Missouri disaster, that our navy still uses pure wool or serge cartridge bags. In my opinion this was the cause of the accident. The English, German, Japanese, and probably other navies use raw silk for a variety of reasons, and among others that it leaves no burning residue. The fragments of it go out of their own accord in an extremely short space of time, which is not the case with serge fragments. If the United States navy is to win in future battles, it must fire more aimed shots per minute than the enemy, and there should be no danger limit to any rate of speed that can be reached by human hands. The ignition point of smokeless powder is too high for the heat of the gun (diminished by water cooling) to set it off. The faster you fire, the quicker you get it out of danger of the heat gradually penetrating the mass, and consequent detonation when fired, which would burst the gun. T. W. Barber, Commander U. S. Navy, Retired. 14 Rue Cimarosa, Paris, May 6, 1904. Narrow-Gage Railroads. To the Editor of the Scientific American: I have read with much interest your article in the last issue of your excellent paper on the "Economy of Narrow-Gage Railroads." While I agree with your ideas of the advantages of roads of the standard width, you fail to mention the saving of cost of the narrow tracks in mountainous countries sparsely settled. About thirty years ago I was obliged to visit Colorado on some mining business, and was surprised with the facility and speed of the Denver and Rio Grande's narrow-gage road through the Rocky Mountains. We whirled around the short curves so rapidly that it was necessary for me to hold to the seats to maintain an equilibrium; especially through the Grand Canon of the Arkansas River, which winds around like a snake, with only one short tunnel. No standard gage road could follow these routes, with their long curves, without a much greater expense for stone cuttings, fills, and tunnels, also lower grades than two hundred and ninety feet to the mile. The D. & R. G. RR. then used some of the most powerful engines in the United States to pull seven little freight cars over the mountains. Hannibal, Mo., May 21, 1904. S. E. Worrell. Exposition Stamp Issue. Postage stamps of the special issue to commemorate the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, and known as the Commemorative Series of 1904, have been placed on sale at post offices throughout the country. These stamps are issued because of the St. Louis Exposition, and the series is one that stamp collectors will want to secure. Stamps of the special issue will not be sold after December 1 next, and while on sale will not take the place of the ordinary issues, which will be sold to customers unless the commemorative stamps are especially asked for. The denominations and colors of the new stamps are as follows: One cent, green; subject, Robert R. Livingston, United States Minister to France, who conducted the negotiations for the Louisiana Purchase. Two cent, red; Thomas Jefferson, President of the United.States at the time of the Louisiana Purchase. Three cent, purple; James Monroe, special ambassador to France in the matter of the purchase, who, with' Livingston, closed the negotiations. Five cent, blue; William McKinley, who, as President of the United States, approved the acts of Congress officially connecting the government with the St. Louis Exposition. Ten cent, brown; United States map, showing the territory of the Louisiana Purchase. There is no special issue of postal cards, wrappers, or envelopes. Silkworm Culture. The Department of Agriculture at Washington, D. C. is investigating the possibilities of silkworm culture in the United States. It is hoped that it may in time be developed to such an extent as to prove of benefit to those members of families whose time is not altogether occupied in other ways, and also to other persons in a small way as a side issue. To persons wishing to experiment, and who can furnish proper food for the worms, the department is distributing free of charge a small quantity of silkworm eggs and also a manual of instructions. The proper food for silkworms consists of leaves from the different varieties of white mulberry tree and the Osage orange. , The paper mulberry (with the fuzzy leaves) is not suitable, nor is the common red mulberry. As the season is now open, applications for the eggs should be made at once, and must be accompanied by a statement as to the number and kind of mulberry trees or the amount of Osage orange which the applicant possesses; otherwise the eggs will not be sent. If the variety of the mulberry is not known to the applicant, a sample of large leaves should be sent to the department. The Department of Agriculture buys the cocoons which the worms spin, paying for them (after they have been dried) 75 cents to $1 a pound, according to their quality. The work will prove an interesting pastime for women and children who can devote to it odd minutes during the day.
