The use of gunpowder as a charge for guns and cannons prompted the inventors to think whether this substance could be used to destroy fortifications. The introduction of such devices was initially hampered by the lack of a device for remote detonation. A way out was found with the invention of the fuse-cord.
How did the fuse cord appear?
Initially, primitive methods were used to remotely detonate explosives, for example, powder tracks were laid to the charge. But this method was not effective, since it largely depended on external conditions. And it was almost impossible to calculate the time it took to detonate, because open powder burned at a variable speed.
This problem was solved by the English tanner William Bickford, a man who had nothing to do with military affairs. In the places where he lived and traded in leather, there were ore mines in abundance. Bickford more than once had to listen to complaints from miners about unreliable wicks, which were used in mines to undermine rock. Accidents caused by the misuse of explosives were common in mining.
One day Bickford was visiting a friend who was making rope. The tanner drew attention to the fact that strong ropes are composed of many individual fibers intertwined with each other. And then the thought came to him: to create a safe and reliable wick for blasting, it is necessary to pour gunpowder into a hollow sheath of ropes.
Bickford set to work. As a result of many experiments, a double-braided cord was created. The layers were wound in different directions. To protect the contents of the cord from moisture, the inventor used varnish and a special resin. Bickford replaced the traditional cannon powder with another that had a longer burning time. This is how the first fuse-type cord appeared, which found application not only in the mining industry, but also in the military.
Second life of the fuse cord
Subsequently, the fuse cord has been improved more than once. Instead of lighting the end of the cord with matches, they began to use special safe ignitors. To light the wick, it was now enough to pull the draw cord or pull the pin. In this way, it was possible to ignite the cord in rainy weather and in strong winds. But under the water of the fuses the cord could not burn, alas, yet.
During the Second World War, military engineers solved this problem as well, at the same time achieving a more stable burning rate. Now blasting work could be carried out under water, without fear that at the most crucial moment the fuse would go out. Sealing the cord was a strong move, although in order to do so, the inventors had to abandon the use of black powder and try many designs of the braid.
In modern military affairs and in industrial blasting work of bickfords, the cord, called fire-conducting, is used relatively rarely. It is used in cases where the more perfect electric method of firing is not suitable. You can now see the traditional fuse-cord at work most often in historical films.
