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从地球到月球|From the Earth to the Moon

第九章　火药问题|Chapter IX The Question of the Powders

属类： 双语小说 【分类】魔幻小说 -[作者: 儒勒-凡尔纳] 阅读：[4033]
美国南北战争结束后，巴尔的摩城大炮俱乐部（这是大炮发明家的俱乐部）主席巴比康提议向月球发射一颗炮弹，建立地球与月球之间的联系。法国冒险家米歇尔·阿当获悉这一消息后，建议造一颗空心炮弹，他准备乘这颗炮弹到月球去探险。
《 字+字- 页+页- 字+字- 页+页- 》
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接下来需要解决的便是火药问题。公众都在焦急地等待着这最后一个问题的解决。炮弹的大小和大炮的长度都已经定下来了，那么制造推动力所必需的火药应该是多少呢？

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There remained for consideration merely the question of powders. The public awaited with interest its final decision.The size of the projectile, the length of the cannon being settled, what would be the quantity of powder necessary to produce impulsion?

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一般来说，大家都认为火药是十四世纪时由德国修道士施瓦兹[28]发明的，他甚至为这一伟大的发明付出了生命的代价。但是现在几乎已经证实，这一说法应该归入中世纪的传说中了。火药并不是哪一个人发明的，它是直接从希腊火硝衍生而来的；它同希腊火硝一样，都是由硫黄和硝石构成的。很少有人了解火药在力学方面的威力。而必须了解这点，才能明白委员会所讨论的这一问题有多么重要。

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It is generally asserted that gunpowder was invented in the fourteenth century by the monk Schwartz, who paid for his grand discovery with his life. It is, however, pretty well proved that this story ought to be ranked among the legends of the middle ages.Gunpowder was not invented by any one；it was the lineal successor of the Greek fire, which, like itself, was composed of sulfur and saltpeter.Few persons are acquainted with the mechanical power of gunpowder.Now this is precisely what is necessary to be understood in order to comprehend the importance of the question submitted to the committee.

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一升火药重约两磅，燃烧时会产生四百升气体；这些气体释放出来，在高达两千四百度的高温作用下膨胀开来，充盈着四千升的空间。因此，火药的体积与它爆炸时产生的气体体积之比是一比四千。我们由此可以想象，当这些气体被压缩在四千分之一的一个狭小空间里的时候，它们产生的推动力该是多么吓人。第二天，当委员会的成员们进行讨论时，他们对此已经有足够的了解了。

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A litre of gunpowder weighs about two pounds；during combustion it produces 400 litres of gas. This gas, on being liberated and acted upon by temperature raised to 2，400 degrees, occupies a space of 4，000 litres：consequently the volume of powder is to the volume of gas produced by its combustion as 1 to 4，000.One may judge, therefore, of the tremendous pressure on this gas when compressed within a space 4，000 times too confined.All this was, of course, well known to the members of the committee when they met on the following evening.

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埃尔菲斯通少校首先发言，因为他在战争期间曾经担任过火药厂厂长。

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The first speaker on this occasion was Major Elphinstone, who had been the director of the gunpowder factories during the war.

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“先生们，”这位著名的化学家说道，“我想先举出一些无可辩驳的数字作为我们讨论的基础。旧式的二十四磅炮弹仅用十六磅火药就能发射出去。”

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“Gentlemen，”said this distinguished chemist，“I begin with some figures which will serve as the basis of our calculation. The old 24-pounder shot required for its discharge sixteen pounds of powder.”

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“您对这个数据有把握吗？”巴比凯恩问道。

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“You are certain of this amount?”broke in Barbiacne.

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“绝对没错，”少校回答道，“阿姆斯特朗大炮只用七十五磅的火药便能发射一颗八百磅的炮弹，而罗德曼的哥伦比亚大炮只用一百六十磅的火药，就能将半吨重的炮弹射到六英里远的地方。这些都是事实，毋庸置疑，因为这些数据都是我亲自从大炮委员会的会议纪要中摘录的。”

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“Quite certain，”replied the major.“The Armstrong cannon employs only seventy-five pounds of powder for a projectile of eight hundred pounds, and the Rodman Columbiad uses only one hundred and sixty pounds of powder to send its half ton shot a distance of six miles. These facts cannot be called in question, for I myself raised the point during the depositions taken before the committee of artillery.”

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“好极了。”将军说道。

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“Quite true，”said the general.

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“那好！”少校接着说道，“从这些数据中要得出的结论就是，火药的用量并不随着炮弹重量的增加而增加。确实，发射一颗二十四磅的炮弹需用十六磅的火药；换句话说，对普通大炮而言，火药的用量是炮弹重量的三分之二，但这一比例并不是恒定的。你们计算一下就会发现，一颗半吨重的炮弹需用的火药并不是三百三十三磅，而是一百六十磅。”

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“Well，”replied the major，“these figures go to prove that the quantity of powder is not increased with the weight of the shot；that is to say, if a 24-pounder shot requires sixteen pounds of powder；—in other words, if in ordinary guns we employ a quantity of powder equal to two-thirds of the weight of the projectile, this proportion is not constant. Calculate, and you will see that in place of three hundred and thirty-three pounds of powder, the quantity is reduced to no more than one hundred and sixty pounds.”

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“您的意思是？”主席问道。

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“What are you aiming at?”asked the president.

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“亲爱的少校，”J.T.马斯顿说道，“如果您将您的理论推向极端的话，您会发现，当炮弹足够重时，您就不需要放任何火药了。”

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“If you push your theory to extremes, my dear major，”said J. T.Maston，“you will get to this, that as soon as your shot becomes sufficiently heavy you will not require any powder at all.”

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“我的朋友马斯顿即使是讨论严肃的问题，也这么乱开玩笑，”少校回敬道，“不过，敬请放心，我马上就提出一些有关火药的数据，完全能满足他那作为炮手的自尊心。我只根据统计事实说，战争期间，即使是最大的大炮，它的火药的用量也被减少了，经过试验，减少到了炮弹重量的十分之一。”

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“Our friend J. T.Maston is always at his jokes, even in serious matters，”cried the major；“but let him make his mind easy, I am going presently to propose gunpowder enough to satisfy his artillerist’s propensities.I only keep to statistical facts when I say that, during the war, and for the very largest guns, the weight of the powder was reduced, as the result of experience, to a tenth part of the weight of the shot.”

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“非常精确，”摩根说，“不过，在决定推动力所必需的火药数量之前，我觉得——”

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“Perfectly correct，”said Morgan；“but before deciding the quantity of powder necessary to give the impulse, I think it would be as well—”

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“我们将使用粗粒火药，”少校说道，“它比粉状火药能更快地引起爆炸。”

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“We shall have to employ a large-grained powder，”continued the major；“its combustion is more rapid than that of the small.”

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“那是肯定的，”摩根说道，“但是，它极具破坏性，会损伤炮膛的。”

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“No doubt about that，”replied Morgan；“but it is very destructive, and ends by enlarging the bore of the pieces.”

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“是的！对于一门旨在长期使用的大炮来说，这确实是一大缺陷，可是对于我们的哥伦比亚大炮来说，就无伤大雅了。我们不会有任何被炸飞的危险，为了使它的推动力发挥到极致，需要迅速点燃火药。”

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“Granted；but that which is injurious to a gun destined to perform long service is not so to our Columbiad. We shall run no danger of an explosion；and it is necessary that our powder should take fire instantaneously in order that its mechanical effect may be complete.”

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“我们可以，”J.T.马斯顿说道，“在炮弹上打几个孔，以便同时在多处点火。”

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“We must have，”said J. T.Maston，“several touch-holes, so as to fire it at different points at the same time.”

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“当然，”埃尔菲斯通回答道，“不过，这样操作起来更加困难。因此，我再回到我说的那种粗粒火药上，它能解决这些难题。罗德曼在给他的哥伦比亚大炮填充火药时，使用的是一种如栗子一般大的粗粒火药，它是用在铸铁锅炉里简单烘烤的柳木炭制成的。这种火药既坚硬又有光泽，摸了手上也没有印迹，并且富含氢气和氧气，一点就着；尽管容易爆裂，但却对炮口没有什么损伤。”

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“Certainly，”replied Elphinstone；“but that will render the working of the piece more difficult. I return then to my large-grained powder, which removes those difficulties.In his Columbiad charges Rodman employed a powder as large as chestnuts, made of willow charcoal, simply dried in cast-iron pans.This powder was hard and glittering, left no trace upon the hand, contained hydrogen and oxygen in large proportion, took fire instantaneously, and, though very destructive, did not sensibly injure the mouth-piece.”

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在这之前，巴比凯恩一直没有参加到讨论中来。他让大家说，自己只是在听。很明显，他已经有了一个主意，但他只是简简单单地说道：“现在，朋友们，你们的意见是用多少火药呢？”

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Up to this point Barbicane had kept aloof from the discussion；he left the others to speak while he himself listened；he had evidently got an idea. He now simply said，“Well, my friends, what quantity of powder do you propose?”

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大炮俱乐部的那三名成员彼此看了一会儿。

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The three members looked at one another.

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“二十万磅。”摩根最终开口说道。

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“Two hundred thousand pounds，”at last said Morgan.

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“五十万磅。”少校补充道。

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“Five hundred thousand，”added the major.

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“八十万磅！”J.T.马斯顿大声嚷道。

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“Eight hundred thousand，”screamed J. T.Maston.

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在这三位同事提出各自的建议之后，大家沉默了一会儿。最后，巴比凯恩主席打破了沉默。

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A moment of silence followed this triple proposal；it was at last broken by the president.

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“先生们，”他语气平缓地说道，“我考虑这一问题的原则是，我们在一些既定条件下制造的这门大炮的后坐力巨大。因此，我说的话要让尊敬的J.T.马斯顿感到惊讶了：我想告诉他，他的计算太保守了，而我建议把他提出的八十万磅火药的数字翻一番。”

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“Gentlemen，”he quietly said，“I start from this principle, that the resistance of a gun, constructed under the given conditions, is unlimited. I shall surprise our friend J.T.Maston, then, by stigmatizing his calculations as timid；and I propose to double his 800，000 pounds of powder.”

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“一百六十万磅？”J.T.马斯顿闻言，腾地从椅子上站了起来，说道。

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“Sixteen hundred thousand pounds?”shouted J. T.Maston, leaping from his seat.

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“正是。”

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“Just so.”

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“可是，那就得使用我那半英里长的大炮了。显而易见，一百六十万磅的火药将要占据一个将近两万二千立方英尺的空间；可是，您的大炮的容量只有五万四千立方英尺，一半都给火药填满了，而炮管又不够长，无法让气体膨胀到产生足够的推动力去推出炮弹。”

28
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“We shall have to come then to my ideal of a cannon half a mile long；for you see 1，600，000 pounds will occupy a space of about 22，000 cubic feet；and since the contents of your cannon do not exceed 54，000 cubic feet, it would be half full；and the bore will not be more than long enough for the gas to communicate to the projectile sufficient impulse.”

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“不过，”主席说道，“我坚持认为需要这一数量的火药。你们仔细想一想，一百六十万磅的火药将产生六十亿升气体。六十亿升呀！你们想想看呀！”

29
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“Nevertheless，”said the president，“I hold to that quantity of powder. Now，1，600，000 pounds of powder will create 6，000，000，000 litres of gas.Six thousand millions！You quite understand?”

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“那要怎么做呢？”将军问道。

30
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“What is to be done then?”said the general.

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“这很简单。必须把这么多火药的用量减少，同时还得保证这个推动力。”

31
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“The thing is very simple；we must reduce this enormous quantity of powder while preserving to it its mechanical power.”

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“对！可是，用什么方法呢？”

32
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“Good；but by what means?”

33
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“我来说给你们听吧。”巴比凯恩平静地回答道。

33
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“I am going to tell you，”replied Barbicane quietly.

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“这再容易不过了，把这么一大堆火药的体积缩减到原来的四分之一大就行了。你们都知道构成蔬菜基本组织的那种奇妙的物质吧？这种物质，可以从各种物体，尤其是棉花中获得，而且非常纯净。其实棉花只是棉籽上的绒毛而已。而棉花浸泡在冷硝酸中，就会转化成一种极难溶化，而又极易燃烧、极易爆炸的物质。一八三二年，一位名叫布拉科诺的法国化学家首次发现了这种物质，把它称为‘木炸药’。一八三八年，另一位法国人佩鲁兹研究了它的各种特性。最后，一八四六年，巴勒[29]的化学教授松班建议将它用于战争。这种炸药，就是棉火药或者叫硝化棉。这种物质很容易制成：把棉花浸入硝酸里十五分钟，然后用水冲洗，再晒干，就行了。”

34
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“Nothing is more easy than to reduce this mass to one quarter of its bulk. You know that curious cellular matter which constitutes the elementary tissues of vegetable?This substance is found quite pure in many bodies, especially in cotton, which is nothing more than the down of the seeds of the cotton plant.Now cotton, combined with cold nitric acid, become transformed into a substance eminently insoluble, combustible, and explosive.It was first discovered in 1832，by Braconnot, a French chemist, who called it xyloidine.In 1838 another Frenchman, Pelouze, investigated its different properties, and finally, in 1846，Schonbein, professor of chemistry at Bale, proposed its employment for purposes of war.This powder, now called pyroxyle, or fulminating cotton, is prepared with great facility by simply plunging cotton for fifteen minutes in nitric acid, then washing it in water, then drying it, and it is ready for use.”

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“这的确非常简单。”摩根说道。

35
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“Nothing could be more simple，”said Morgan.

36
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“再者，硝化棉耐潮，我们认为这一特质非常宝贵，因为给大炮装填火药得花费好几天工夫。它的燃点不是两百四十度，而是一百七十度；而且，它的燃烧速度极快，可以先点燃普通火药，然后再引燃它。”

36
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“Moreover, pyroxyle is unaltered by moisture—a valuable property to us, inasmuch as it would take several days to charge the cannon. It ignites at 170 degrees in place of 240，and its combustion is so rapid that one may set light to it on the top of the ordinary powder, without the latter having time to ignite.”

37
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“好极了！”少校说。

37
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“Perfect！”exclaimed the major.

38
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“只是它贵了点儿。”

38
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“Only it is more expensive.”

39
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“那有什么关系？”J.T.马斯顿反驳道。

39
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“What matter?”cried J. T.Maston.

40
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“最后一点，它可以给炮弹以四倍于普通火药所给予的速度。我还要补充一句，如果在其中掺进它的重量的十分之八的、加了硝酸盐的碳酸盐的话，它爆炸产生的力还会大幅度地增大。”

40
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“Finally, it imparts to projectiles a velocity four times superior to that of gunpowder. I will even add, that if we mix it with eight-tenths of its own weight of nitrate of potassium, its expansive force is again considerably augmented.”

41
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“这有必要吗？”少校问道。

41
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“Will that be necessary?”asked the major.

42
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“我认为没有必要，”巴比凯恩回答道，“因此，我们用不着一百六十万磅火药，只需四十万磅硝化棉就行了；而且因为我们可以毫无危险地把五百磅的棉花压缩成二十七立方英尺，所以这种物质在哥伦比亚大炮里只占据着一个三十托瓦兹高的空间。这么一来，炮弹在飞往月球之前，在六十亿升气体的推动下，还要在炮膛里穿越七百多英尺的距离！”

42
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“I think not，”replied Barbicane.“So, then, in place of 1，600，000 pounds of powder, we shall have but 400，000 pounds of fulminating cotton；and since we can, without danger, compress 500 pounds of cotton into twenty-seven cubic feet, the whole quantity will not occupy a height of more than 30 toises within the bore of the Columbiad. In this way the shot will have more than 700 feet of bore to traverse under a force of 6，000，000，000 litres of gas before taking its flight toward the moon.”

43
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听到这里，J.T.马斯顿激动得难以自抑了，他像一颗炮弹似的猛扑进他的朋友巴比凯恩的怀里；如果不是巴比凯恩身板硬朗，扛得住“炮弹”的冲击的话，可能就会被马斯顿顶穿了。

43
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At this juncture J. T.Maston could not repress his emotion；he flung himself into the arms of his friend with the violence of a projectile, and Barbicane would have been stove in if he had not been boom-proof.

44
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委员会的第三次会议在这一小插曲下结束了。

44
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This incident terminated the third meeting of the committee.

45
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巴比凯恩和他的那几位无所畏惧的同事刚刚解决了炮弹、大炮和火药等极其复杂的问题。他们的计划已经拟定，就等着实施了。

45
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Barbicane and his bold colleagues, to whom nothing seemed impossible, had succeeding in solving the complex problems of projectile, cannon, and powder. Their plan was drawn up, and it only remained to put it into execution.

46
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“小事一桩，小菜一碟。”J.T.马斯顿说道。

46
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“A mere matter of detail, a bagatelle，”said J. T.Maston.

序号 英文/音标 中文解释 更多操作

impulsion

[ɪm'pʌlʃn]

n.冲动;激励;原动力

comprehend

[ˌkɒmprɪ'hend]

vt.充分理解;领悟;包括

tremendous

[trə'mendəs]

adj.巨大的;惊人的

gunpowder

['ɡʌnpaʊdə(r)]

n.火药

pounder

['paʊndə(r)]

n.一磅重的东西

artillery

[ɑː'tɪləri]

n.(军)火炮;大炮;炮兵(部队)

projectile

[prə'dʒektaɪl]

a. (适合)抛射的，发射的;

propensity

[prə'pensəti]

n.倾向;习性

combustion

[kəm'bʌstʃən]

n.燃烧

enlarge

[ɪn'lɑːdʒ]

v.扩大;增大;详述

instantaneous

[ˌɪnstən'teɪniəs]

adj.瞬间的;即刻的

aloof

[ə'luːf]

adj.疏远的;冷淡的

triple

['trɪpl]

adj.三倍的

unlimited

[ʌn'lɪmɪtɪd]

adj.(数或量)极大的;无限的;不受限制的

litre

['liːtə(r)]

n.公升.

nitric

['naɪtrɪk]

adj.氮的;含氮的;硝石的

ignite

[ɪɡ'naɪt]

vi.着火;燃烧

augment

[ɔːɡ'ment]

vt.增加

terminate

['tɜːmɪneɪt]

v.结束;终止;满期;达到终点

cannon

['kænən]

n.大炮;机关炮

bagatelle

[ˌbæɡə'tel]

n.琐事;小曲;弹子游戏

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