The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1866-05-01

this style:
s.Tb.re :. . c,..s who have cQntrlbuted 20 your
success not less than the soldier or the 1900
sods almost going to say TO- .ess .sa" Thew, sir.
meanthe mechanics OIL TINS COUNT. to it's yicto
have helped YOU to carry on this war "
risus close.''
That il. the creditor and the white Soioier
have done very we'll; the mechanics nave
done very well; but none of either CLASS nus
done as much for the country as the heg'oes'
Substitutes for Gunpowder--Nitro-"iy
Tba vacant fearful explosion of blasting
oil" or nitro glycerine, at Aspinwsii anu oan
Francisco. lead us forcibly to the oonsidera'
tion whether serviceable and reasonably sate
suhst;,ntue for gunpowder. in any Of Its uses,
is vet known. Great hopes have been enter
same class as the "glonoin" or nltro-giyeefihe
being, like it, the product of the action OF
nitric acid upon an organic SUBSTANCE
would replace the old compound OF nitre, sui
phur and charcoal These hopes are not ADAM
doned, and more careful manufacture, gulo-
ed by a better knowledge OF the actuai ohem-
ical changes which cotton undergoes, onoef
different circumstances, when submitted 70
she action of nitric acid, together with "oo
ifcation obtained by spinning or twisting tne
fibre, analogous to the gralnlng OF guhpow
der, form some justification for them. uun
cotton as now prepared is much peter aoapt-
ed both for war and mining shsn tnae ioF
merly made, besides being safer TO nanoie'-
The principal obstacle, at present, TO us use
is In the cost of the raw material, ana eUorts
have been made in Germany, with some sue
cess to substitute saw dust, or sfahuia1eo
wood, for the cotton fibre. As both WOOD ana
cotton are, in regard to their chemical compo-
sition, substantially Identical, none out prac,
tical difficulties lie in the way OF tnls, ana
such may no doubt be overcome. Indeed
wooden powder has always yielded very
satisfactory results when tried before frus-
sian commission, and we shall doubtless soon
hear more Of it.
Reckoning by its force, which is several
times greater than that OF gunpowder IN equai
weights, the nitro glyoerlns Is cheaper than
that substance, as well as better adapted to
the purposes of the miner, and this has led TO
q somewhat rapid extension of It's use, par
ticularly, 1t seems, In California. We are not
aware, and We doubt whether chemists engaR-
cd in its manufacture have vet asoertalned
with certainty, if pitro-glycerine is a com.
pound having the same uniformity as regards
the temperature necessary for its explosion as
gunpowder. But We LnoW that that has not
been. the case heretofore with It's analogue.
gun-cotton, different samples of which have
been found to explode with very different de-
gress of heat. One manufacturer indsed los,
his life from an explosion resulting merely
from packing the substance in a barrel with
q wooden rammer. This occurred at time
when IL was not known that the action OF nj
trio aoid upon vegetable fibre produced more
than one explosive compound, one more east
~ ignited than another. Since then the sub
ject has been further Investigated, and man
ufactarers are now enabled 10 control the
processes as to secure uniform and known re
suits. 1t is possible that the same difficulty
may exist in regard to the more lately discoy
cred nitro glycerine.
The recent explosions, however, prove moth
ing in regard to the special dsngsrousness Of
blasting oil. Gdnpowder itself, exposed t.
the same risks, would have been quite as like
II to have exploded. The. Eeckleseness,-w,
can hardly forbear charactaFizing it by
much harsher term,-whieh led to the ship
ping of so explosive a compound as ordinsr,
freight, deserves rot only execration but pun
ishmens, and We rejoice to know that one o
the parties concerned in it is already In tn
hands of .Jnstics. A merchandise like nitro
glycerins or gun-cotton should be Transporter
with at least equal preeaution to that whicl
attends the transportation Of gunpowder.-
Every package should be distinctly marked
and no person engaged in handling it ough
to be lett moment in ignorance OF It's peril
GUS nature. These are rules which commsnt
themselves at once TO the common sense o
every one, and the public is in the highes
degree interested in their enforcement
One suggestion in regard to the manuiae
ture of nisro-glycerine, should the acticl
come into extensive aud permanent use, i
worthy of consideration. 1t is that the man
ufacture be conducted as near as possible {
the place of use, in order to save the necess
ty OF transportation over long distances. TIL
process of making 1t is simple, and, unlik
gunpowder, extensive machinery is not re
CURED. The constituents may be carrie
with safety uncombined, and at a cost nc
much greater than the manufactured article
especially when the risk is considered. L.
the New York company engaged in this bus
mess therefore DO advised to ship their chen
icals and their glycerine to California sepa
atsly, and set up their mandatory as nea
the mines as possible.