Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1866-05-12
what Is nitro cIyo.r,n.,

The hoid known as nitro glycerine Ii the
same that exploded 10 Greenwich 81. New
York, last November, wounding several
persons and blowing out the trout of the
Wyoming Hotel, and also another in San
Francisco lately causing the death OF eight
or ten persons, and the damage OF property
to the vaGe of 5000, O--Glycerine is
the sweet principle of oil, and is extensive
y used for the purposes of the toilet; bnt
1t has now received on application of rath.
or an unexpected nature.-ID 1S47 pu.
pll OF M. Pelouze, M. Sobrero, discovered
mat glycerine, when treated with nitric
acid. was converted into a highly explo.
sl7e substance which he called nitro glycer-
ine. 1t is oily, heavier than water, soluble
10 alcohol or ether, and acts 90 powerfully
on the nervous system that o single drop
placed on the tip of the tongue will cause
violent headache which will last several
hours.-The liquid seems to have been al.
most forgotten by chemists, and it is only
now that M Nable, Swedish engineer,
ha succeeded 10 applying it to very i'm
porteut branch of his art-namely, blast,
ing
From paper addressed by him to the
Academy of Science, we hear that the chis
advantage that this substance, composed Of
one part of glyeeriDe aud three parts of
nitric acid, possesses, is, that it requires a
much smalle' hole or chamber than gunpow.
der does, the strength of tbe latter being
only one te@h Of the former. Hence the
miners work, which, according to the hard
ness Of the rock, represents five TO twenty
times the power Of the guppowder used; in
short the cost of b lasting is often re-
duced by SO per cent.--The process is very
easy. If the chamber OF the mine presents
assures, it must be lined with clay to make
it water tight; this being done, the nitro.
gycefiae 10 poured in, the water after it,
which being the lighter liquid remained at
the top.-A Glow ma CD with q well
charged percussion cop at one end is then
into the nitro glyceriGe. The
mine may then be sprung by lighting the
match, as there is no need Of tamping. On
the 7th of June last, experiments were
made with this new compound iu the open
part Of the tin mines of Altenburg in Sax
ony.--in one ofthese chamber of "a mill.
meters in diameter was made perpen-
dicularly in doomitc rock go feet long,
long, aud at distance Of IA fees from its
extremity which vas vertical At depth
of eight feet vault filed with clay was
found, 10 consequence of which the bottom
of the hole was tamped, having depth of
seven feet One litre and one half Of nj.
tro gycerine vas thea poured in; it occu.
pied FIVE feet; match and stopper were
then applied, as stated, and the niue then
sprung. The effect was so enormous as to
fssuTe fifty feet long, and another twenty
feet
The blasting oil Of NJ Mabel is chem
ical compound of six equivalents Of carbon,
Eve equivalents of hydrogen, three equiv.
alents of oxygen, and three Of nitric acid,
expressed scientifically by the formula:
C6 H5 O3 IN Ol3
Practically it is composition Of Is per.
cent. of nitric acid and 25 per cen.um of
glycerine oil.
A scientific calculation of the volume Of
gases developed by the combustion Of this
compound, and the combustion of good
gunpowder. proves that nitro-glycerins
compared with gunpowder possesses thir,
teen times its power, when volumes are
compared, and eight tmcs its powe: for
equal weight. Therefore, where ere used
s pounds of guupowder one pound Of nitro.
gIycerins will be sufficient to produce The