Abbeville press. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1860-1869, 1866-05-04
From tho Ne10 York Heaald.
Ro-GLICERINE-.-A TERRIBLE EXPLO-
SIVE AGENT.

From tho NeaO York Heaald.
NITR0-GLICERINE-.-A TERRIBLE EXPLO.
sIVE AGENT.
The frightful disaster which occurred on
the 18th of April, in or near the Office OF
Wells, Fargo q Co.'S Express, in the city
.ofSan Francisco, killing instantly fifteen or
twenty persons, dreadfully injuring many
others, destroying near ly a whole block OF
buildings, aud resulting in damage OF
more than 100000, Is, beyond any doubt,
the result of the explosion Of nitro-glyce-
.rine, or blasting oil.
According to information taken here, in
New York, the superintendent Of New
York mining company had sent, some
weeks ago, to San Francisco, by the Pacific
Mail Company, several boxes of nitro
glyceriue, weighing about 200 pounds, i'm.
ported from the factory of Mr.. Alfred
Nobel, Of Hamburg, Germany.
1t was intended to seiI this oil to mining
companies, the immense exploding power
of the new chemical COMPOUND Offering
great advantages, not only in the saving Of
labor. of ,drill holes, bgt ALSO in freight, be-
cause one pound Of this blasting oil does
the same destructive work as IL or Is
pounds Of common blasting powder.
The blood stirs if we think that the 200
pounds sent by tie Pacific mail steamer
had exploded during the sea voyage, tear
ing to pieces and burvingi ip the waves the
seveu or eight hundred passengers on
board. And could not the accident which
took place ut the freight office of Wells; s.
Fargo's company, in San Francisco, With
out any apparent cause, have happened
quite as we'll on board of the steamer
which carried the mysterious and dagger
pus .freight2
In the small city Of Bochum, in one OF
the coal districts Of Westphalia, Germany,
q store keeper kept for sale for the miners
some stock of Nobels nitro. elycerine.
One morning miner came to buy two
pounds, and brought with him q tin to
carry 1t, the glass bottles in which it was
'old being inconvenient for him. The
clerk oPenea the bottles and poared the oil
into the can: but, 10, in the same moment
It exploded, tearing to pieces the poor
olerk, killing the miner and destroy ing the
store. The Prussian Government appoint
ed commission to investigate the matter,
and it was found that the tin can had con.
tained turpentine oil, and that turpentine
oil in contact with nitro-glycerine possibly
would occasion sudden explosion. Sim
gularly enough, the accident happened on
the same day that the Wyoming hotel ac-
cident took place in this city.
Near Glatz, in the P,ussiau Province of
Silesia, laborer, who was occupied in
blasting away some rocks on the railroad
track, came very early in the morning
(January 6, 1869 to his work. He was
n oil in ~ Ill
had frozen over night-the oil having the
peculiar quality of freezing six degrees
above the water freezing point. The oil
was in a gutta percba flask, and little be-
ing left, the unfortunate working man cut
open the flask and took a hatchet to cut
ioef apiece Of the frozen oil. The moment
the hatchet touched the frozen lump It ex-
ploded, killing instantly the poor man.
whose limbs were scattered in fragments.
and were found two miles distant from
where the accident happened.
We cau, therefore, the attention of the
competent authorities to these facts. and
hope the law will interfere to regulate the
transport and other storage Of this des.
truc:ive compound. 1t would be tho surest
simply to adopt the Prussian law regula.
Iating the transportation of pitro.glyceriue
oil on public roads, because this law is The
work Of some of the best scientific author.
tiles Of Europe, the eonmittee having been
composed Of three professors of chemistry,
three director of insurance companies, and
three freight superintenden,s of railroads.
Our busy Legislators at Washington,
who passed aome days ago law resula-
ting the transportation and stora5e of Pc
troleum, will probably take the matter in
hand. without delay; the more so as it is
asce4 tained that negro was one of the
.autferers by the San Francisco disaster.
The apprehension Of a disaster of this
kind on shipboard has come to pass, the
steamer European having been exploded
at Aspinwall. Seventy persona were Killed
and 100000 of property destroyed.
NANUHaErupPa Yu oounr, o.-..