Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1866-04-26
What is Nitro-Glycerine

What is Nitro-Glycerine:
| The terrible catastrophe at Aspinwi,ll, resulting
from the presence of nitro 2lycerine as we'll as the
previous explosion i'll San Francisco, chronicled il
the Jon9~N attributed to the same cause, and the
explosion OF boarding house i'll Greenwich street
in New York, about two months since, also occa
stoned by this same dangerous compound, has led
to the inquiry which heads this article Ctaigna-
mis- Messenger furnishes the following answer to
the question:
Glycerine is tie sweet principle of oil, and is
extensively used for purposes Of the toilet but it
has received III application Of rather ull-
expected nature. In 1S47 pupil OF NJ. Pelouzes,
NJ Sobrcro, discovered that glycerine when treat
ed with nitric acid converted into highly
explosive substance, which he called nitroglycer
inc. 1t is oily, heavier than water, soluble i'll al
coilol and ether, and acts powerfully Oh the
nervous system that single drop placed on the
top of the tongue will Il violent headache,
which will last fO1 several hours.
This liquid seems to have been almost forgotten
by chemists, and it is only now that H. Nable, a
Swedish engineer, has succeeded III applying it
to very important branch of his art-namely,
blasting From paper addressed by him to the
Academy Of Sciences, We learn that the chief adj
vantage which this substance, composed of one
part Of gycerine and three parts Of nitric acid,
possesses, is that it requires much smaller hole
or chamber than gunpOWder does, the strength OF
the latter being scarcely tenth of the former
Hence the miners work, which, according to the
hardness Of the rock represents five to TWEEN
tv times the power Of the gunpowler used is so
short that the cost Of Blasting is often reduced to
fifty per cent.
The process is very easy. If the chamber Of
the mine presents risures, it must be lined with
clay to mako it water tight; this done, the
nitro Glycerine is poured III, the water after it.
which, being the lighter liquid, remained at
the top A slow match, with we'll charged
percussion cap at one end, is then
introduced into the nitro glycerine. The mine
may then be sprung by lighting the match, there
being no need of tamping. On the 9TH June last
three experiments were made with this new COM
pound in the open part of the tin mines of Alien
berg, i'll SaxOny. In of these a chamber of
thirtv-four millemetres in diamater was made per-
pendicuarly in dolomitic rock, sixty feet in
length and at Il distance Of fourteen feet from its
extremity, which was vertical At depth of
eight feet a vault filed with clay was found, il
consequence of which the bottom of the hole was
tamped, having depth Of seven feet. One litre
and half Of nitro lycerine was then poured in ;
it occupied five feet; match and stopper were
then applied, as stated and the mine sprung The
effect was so enormous as to make fssure fifty
feet in length, and another twenty feet.
The three evidences given us thin SO short
time of the dangerous character of this substance
WILL doubtless lead to the enactment of a law pre-
venting its transportation by water routes, where
an explosion perils the safety of every on
board the vessel containing tro-glycerine
part of its cargo.