Gretna, Hm Factory, Eastriggs Explosives Factory, Nitrocotton Production Area

NITROCOTTON DRYING SECTION

NY26NE 140.12 Nitrocotton Screening House

NY26NE 140.13 Dehydration Plant, Alcohol Dump

NY26NE 140.14 Press House

NY26NE 140.15 Hydraulic Pump House

NY26NE 146 Nitrocotton Drying Houses

The Nitrocotton Drying Section comprised a Nitrocotton Screening House (NY26NE 140.12), a Dehydration plant with an alcohol dump, an alcohol storage Press House (NY26NE 140.13) and hydraulic Pump House (NY26NE 140.14), Wet Nitrocotton Magazines (NY26NE 140.15) and the Nitrocotton Drying Houses (NY26NE 146) (MMW 1919, 136- 141).

The object of the Nitrocotton Screening House was to loosen up the pulped nitrocotton before it was sent to the Dehydration plant. This comprised the Press House and the Pump House, which lay to the SSW, while the Alcohol Still was situated to the S of its electricity Substation No.1. The semi-dried nitrocotton was then sent on in rubber bags either to the Wet Magazines or to the Nitrocotton Drying Houses. The Wet Magazines held a reserve supply of nitrocotton in the event of breakdown. The ‘Quinan’ Nitrocotton Drying Houses were located in the central part of the First World War National Factory, Gretna (Site 3: Eastriggs), immediately to the E of the Saughhope Burn (MMW 1919, 135, 138-141). There were 45 paired Drying Houses, carefully spaced and arranged in five parallel rows with an Apparatus House centrally positioned and shared between each pair. The latter provided hot or cold air, which was blown into the drying pans to complete the drying process. Each Drying House was divided into four compartments comprising a wet porch at one end, a drying room (containing the drying pans), a weighing room and a dry porch at the other end. A carefully designed narrow gauge railway layout (NY26NW 46.23) served the complex. This network delivered to these buildings the wet nitrocotton from the Wet Nitrocotton stores (NY26NE 140.15) located to the W of the Saughhope Burn, where a batch would pass from one compartment to another. The dried Nitrocotton would then be conveyed in bags to the Nitroglycerine Hills (NY26SE 16.01-16.05) further to the ESE.

The Save All (NY26NE 146.2) to the S of the Drying Houses was where the wastewater was skimmed to extract nitrocotton fibres before these were sent for re-pulping. The Bag Examination House (NY26NE 146.3), where the bags were inspected for damage, was situated between the Drying Houses and the Nitroglycerine Hills. If the bags were found to be in need of repair they were sent to the Sewing Room which was situated immediately E of the Saughhope Burn amongst a range of workshops (NY26NE 146.1) and other ancillary buildings. These included a Carpenters’ Shop, a Paint Shop, a Fitting Shop, a Mechanics’ Office, a screen Cleaning House, an Electric Locomotive Charging Station, a Storehouse and a Rest Room.

Information from HES Heritage Recording (MMD, ATW), 18 May 2023.