Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1848-09-23
On. HARE ON CHEMICAL EXPLOSIONS.

Aniercn, Journal of Science and Arts (SiLEmals) -
The September number of this standard scientific periodical
contains sixteen principal essays and The variety of
papers systematically arranged under the several heads
of miscellaneous and scientific intelligence. Among the
latter is outline of communication from Dr. HARE the
Frapkn Institute the longmootel question Of the expo
sion which took place the great FIRE in New York ls45
His theory appears be that under ordinary circumstances
He when gned produces only that species of combustion
which called deagaon, without being capable of the
violent and reaction designated by the word
posion This is the general law but he demonstrates by
actual experiment that ne will explode under some contn
gencies We quote from the report
ssThe explosbiy ofncandescent nre with water was il
Illustrated in the small by heating portion in platinum
capsule by the flame Of hydrooxygen bowope and sudden
immersion in the liquid So active The explosion that
portion of the resulting hydrae flew out upon the operator
Yet when thrown the state upon moasses sugar
explosion ensued nevertheless when capsule, containing
ntre heated the point of volazion, struck with the
face of hammer coated with sugar melted upon and made
adhere by moisture, dconation took place. still
powerful defamation produced follows Upon anvil
disk of paper three inches diameter laid covered with
puvenzed sugar; the sugar placed another sima
disk covered with puverzed nitro. bar of iron, rather
wider than the disks, at welding heat then held ovs
henS and subjected to blow from sedge. An explosion
witt report like that Of ensued.
"Instructed by the facts and considerations above stated
il is inferred that the explosions which contributed to extend
the conhagaon in New York, from the reaction Of the
ntre with the combusble merchandise with which it
surrounded II is presumed that the fire leachSd
any of the gunny bags must have rapidly through The
whole pile by Of the nerstces necessarily existing be
hem the nitro with which they embued causing
them deagrae Much Of the salt being thus brought
the temperature Of fusion, must have about the floor
reached the combusbes and found its way to the
story through the scuttles which open. All the floor
have been rapidly destroyed by the consequent deaga
ton far exceeding in activity any ordinary combustion
Meanwhile, the nitro being all lquied and collected in the
cellar in state of ncandescence and the merchandise
gomeated by the fusion Of sugar and sheac aided by The
moasscs the weight the qudy and temperature must have
produced all the conditions requisite to intense detonaons
The floors having been consumed the store must have beer
equivalent crucible Of twenty feet by ninety
the bottom Of which nearly three bundled thousand
pounds of nre specifically heated far above the temperature
producble by any surface 10 convert the reagents int
serom matter, under pressure Of half million
pounds The intense reaction, however, would not permit
durable contact At each impact the whole must have
been thrown up expovey and hence the successive detona
tons. But the chemical reaction the heat and the height th
fall growing with their growth and Strengthening with the
strength the last elevation succeeded by the laundering
report and supendous explosion of which has been %
jeci TO afford satisfactory explanation"