The weekly Panola star. [volume] (Panola, Miss.) 1857-1881, 1866-05-05
sIifo.tlIj Terrible fspIo.
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cured m The 10th n April, In of
near the Office II Wells. fargo a
Cos Espfess. In The city II Kan
Frame 80, killing instantly fifteen ia
twenty persons, and drcwIfully IN.
luring many others, destroying ncaf.
" whole block of buif,Iingu, and
resulting IN q damage of moro than
$500, 1000, Il. beyond any doubt, the
rtsuli Of The explosion Of nitro-gly-
cerinc, or blasting oil.
According 10 Information taken
here, IN New York, the n,Ierinicn-
dent of New York mining compa-
ny had sent, some weeks ago, to San
Francisco, by the Pacific Mail Com
pany, several boxes Of nitro-gly-
ccrinc, weighing, about two hundred
pounds, imported from the factory of
Mr.. Alfred Nobel of Hamburg, Ger
many.
II was intended 10 sell this oil 10
mining companies, the immense cx-
ploding power of the new chemical
compound, Offering great advantages,
not only IN the saving of labor Of
drill holes, but also in freight, because
one pound Of this blasting oil does
the same destructive work ms twelve
or fifteen pounds Of common blasting
gun-powder.
The blood stirs if We think that
the two hundred pounds sent by the
Pacific mail steamer had exploded
during the sea voyage, tearing 10
pieces and burying in the waves the
seven or eight hundred passengers
on board. And could not the acci-
dent which took place ut the freight
Office Of Wells q Fargo's company,
in San Francisco, without any appa-
rent cause, have happened quite as
well on board of the steamer which
carried the mysterious and dangerous
freight?
In the small city of Bochum, in
one Of the coal districts Of Wcstpha-
liza, Germany, storekecpcr kept for
sale 10 the miners some stock Of
Nobcls nitro-glycerine. One morn
ing a miner came to buy two pounds,
and brought with him a tin can %
carry il, the glass bottles in which Il
was sold being inconvenient for him.
The clerk opened the bottles and
poured the oil into the Tin can, but,
10, in the same moment il exploded,
tearing to pieces the poor clerk, kill
Ing the miner and destroying the
store. The Prissian Government
appointed commission to investigate
the matter, and il was found that The
tin can had contained turpcntinc oil,
and that turpcntinc oil in contaci
with nitro-glyccrine possibly would
OCCASION a sudden explosion. Singu-
larly enough the accident happened
on the same day that the Wyoming
hotel accident took place In this city
Near Glaiz, in the Prussian prov.
incc Of Silesia, a laborer who wa,
occupied in blasting away some roclo
on the railruad track came very carl,
in the morning (January O, 1861 /,
his work. lie was to pour oil in hi'
drill-holc, but found Il had frozcr
over nigbt--thc oil having the pccu.
liar quality Of freezing SIX degrees
above the water freezing point. Tn,
oil was 10 q guita pcrclla flask, ant
little being left, the unfortnnat,
working-man cut open the flask ant
took hatchct to cut or a piccc o
the frozen oil. The moment th'
hatchct touched the frozen lump |
exploded, killing instantly the poo
man, whose limbs were scattered il
fragments, and found two miles dis
tant from the place where the acci
dent happened.
We call, therefore, The attention 0
the competent authorities 10 lhcs
facts, and hope the law will intcrfer
to regulate the transport and stnrng
Of this powerful destructive com
pound. II would be the rurcst :
adopt simply the Prussian law rcg,l
lating the transportation of nitro
glyccrine oil on public roads, bccaus
this law Is the work Of some Of IN
best scientific authorities Of Europ'
the committee having been compose
Of three professors Of ehcmistr,
three directors Of insurance compa
mics and three freight superintendent
Of railroads.
Our busy Legislators nj Washing
ton, who passed some days ago a la
regulating, the transportation an
storage Of petroleum, will probabl
take The matter In hand without II
lay; the morr 20 a. it IL asccrtainc
that q negro was one Of the uiIsrcl
l,v the San Frauris<o disnaIcr.