The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1866-04-26
The NITRO eLycERiNE CASE.
Testimony for the Defence-The Article
Fully Described by Experts-Its Conn
petition and Properties, &C., 80.


UNITED STATES COMMISSIONERS COURT.
Before Commissioner Belts.
The United States Otto Barsenbnder. This case
was continued yesterday. Andrew Boardmsn appeared
for the defendant.
Alfred b. Nobel, being sworn, testified that be was
the inventor Of the application Of nitro-giycerne
to blasting purposes; il in 1853 that II was first
introduced in this way; nitro-slycerine is an expo-
sve fluid, but it is only explosive under GER
tain circumstances, and that Is the case with
great many substances which not considered expo
svc for instance water in the gycerne is not an ex-
plosve burning substance for if water is set 10 1t
does catch fire, like turpenne spirits of wine. but
the FIRE goes ont when the match is withdrawn its use
in blasting only possible through the si-coyery OF
the patent fuse which renders its explosion possible
and that be illustrated when necessary; II shower
ofsparks fall on it 1t will not explode fire will not explode
il; l. las been tried hundreds Of times; 1t requires 800
degrees OF heat in confined space before explodes
will explode at lower hcatthat Is 14S above the
heat of boiling water; nroglycerne when unconined
s not explosive at ALL experiments made before
the Cornwall Pyrotechnic Society ascertain this and
the testimonial of that society that it only explodes
when confined; 1t is not VOLATILE 1t is perfectly liked
oil; nitro glycerne will ordinarily be igned by
friction though still will be Redeemed by great friction;
If vessel containing nitro-gycerne were cast from
height of fifty feet from the ground would not ex-
pode in Hamburg lately rock was thrown up
with nitro ycerne in 1t and fell down one thousand
feet without exploding and the charge contained was
then exploded to prove that it was nitro glycerne
Explosions owing that are not yet explained
CrossexamIned by Mr. Bell am in the nitro giycerne
business have been in il little than year, am
connected with blasting in Sweden and Norway; am
chemist not by profession; am civil engineer oy
profession before it used for blasting 1t was used
for medicine it has been used in homeopathic
practice l saw torpedoes made at Cronstadt OF
gunpowder, and the idea came to me OF discovering
more powerful agency, and knew the power OF this
from the chemical composition of it; never knew OF
TO know all the conditions under which it will expode
have to believe that have warned the pubic
as much necessary about the dangers OF this SUB.
stance; my pamphlet, published at hamburg tens an
that know about it. Witness was shown an extract
from pamphlet which he said he did not think was
r rec eASt has been used on the four
continents, and most in Germany, Sweden and
Norway have known people to grease
wheels with it, and that being exploded by percussion
upset the cart and the ntrogycerine in tho was not
injured; knew of instances where people were killed in
the nitro gycerine until il exploded injured my
self by explosion, but not by nitro glycerine
my brother was killed. not by nitro. glyconne, but
killed on that OCCASION it at Stockholm; what he
used diluted nitric acid and ordinary giy-
cerinc and which Las particle Of nitrogly
cerine and in Paris lately there exrlo-
sion without any glycerine; ordinary elycerne
Is not explosive nitric acid explosive because have
known nitre explode; nitro sycerine Is formed OF
gycerne treated with nitric acid under the addition ,of
suphurc acid my advice is, that when blasting oil is
packed boxes ana saw dust will not explode by con-
cusson; it is packed in tin; If you strike oil with
hammer on an anvil IL will explode just where the ham
strikes heard oil an aCCluent OF TINS IN
Siberia; knew instance Of a miner boring and the
boring exploded small portion OF the oil, which threw
the drill; explosion of gunpowder sets fire to
thing but explosion Of nitrogyccrine will not; gun
powder 10 be soaked in nitrogyccrine before 1t will
explode; letter to the New York HERALD on the
causes of the accident Wyoming HOTEL the box in
that case was in a high flame before il exploded: the
cause the accident san Francisco has been that the
the box probably caught fire, and that caused
the nitro glycerne explode the Of the explosion
was careless packing sawdust and water will create
heat Of three hundred and sixty degrees, for cotton WILL
and IL hbrous matter, well az sawdust the accident
At Aspinwal was not by nitro glyoerne, my opinion
for percussion caps board and other explosive
Materials not over six thousand pounds has been ship
ed 10 America; bun its transit Europe acct.
dent has occurred regulations made by the Prnsan
police for the carrying OF nitro-syccrine It Is to be
marked IN G.. Nitro-Gycerne; these regulations
are quite recent and occasoned by an accident.
TO Ex-Judge Dean-Nro- glycerne Is poisonous
liquid which will not explode with hre to II is heated
tration Of power than gunpowder; il is composed Of
carbon hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen II blasting oil is
allowed saturate sawdust this would produce, in my
impression more dangerous article than the oil hypo-
nitric acid would BIO produced by this mixture; this
IL would explode 1t is about month Ave weeks since
the regulations we're made in reference 10 IL by
in laboratory; all in the establishment we're killed;
in Paris cxplos ion OF tall0w and nitric acid has
Gently occurred IL first discovered by Sombrero In
1913; the first application to blasting made in 1858;
nitro glycerne formerly more dangerous than the
article now manufactured It's abandoned
on account Of 1T danger; heard vague reports that IL
was used in France as blasting agent: Il would have
sunk the ship at Asplnwa II II had exploded board
OF IT, ''goncrnc' Is the technical name OF nitro-gycer
inc; that the name marked the substance that
exploded ut Aspnwall
Robert Nulty testified acknowledgement is
not burning fluid cannot BE- lighted by applying fire
TO IL; have not been able to explode 1t by throw
ing IL the ground from great height, by
breaking bottle filed with i in quarry with
l have filled small tin can with the OIL and surrounded
II with dry oak chips, saturated newspaper with spirits
of wine aud the explosion took place in about five
six ininuies the fame being six feet above IL
the containing the nitro glycerne was open.
day. have nsed the oil for blasting because there il
less danger than loading and from splinters; the
OF the explosion In greenwich street must have been by
the material in which packed becoming saturated
with oil and catching fire. made the experiment yes
to-day with Mr. Nobel; he was introduced 10 me by
Mr. Burstenonder; these experiments were made in the
Ninth avenue, at Eigbtieth street.
The case was then adjourned till twelve o'clock TO-.
day.
TO THE EDITOR or THE HERALD.
shall not speak here OF question OF the priority
of the discovery of nroglycerne by MI Nobel II has
already been discussed in other journals, and shall
therefore conne myself to the question of asceranng
If Mr. Nobel really prevent nitro glycerne from ex-
podng otherwise than by special means OF ignition Of
| his own invention.
The experiments OF N. Berthelot. Professor OF the
School OF Pharmacy and OF the College Of France at
Paris have demonstrated that the gases produced By the
explosion Of this substance not the the
Il
that It's constituent elements separate violently under
nuences less ndoterminaie and impossible to
forpsee that they belong that series Of unknown and
unoved actions OF things In science which has been pro-
| visionay defined by the title Of caialytcal force.
II Is in virtue Of this force, still unexplained that
chemists often witness in their Laboratories ransforma-
tons suddenly effected, either the result OF change
In the magnetic currents of the carhor there IRE
qucny observed at the moment Of sudden alteration
OF chemical composition disturbances In the inclination
OF the magnetic neede-or by the simple contact Of
| substance the molecules Of which undergo trans
4
| produced by the decomposition.
by catalytical force that paiina, in froth or In
delicate threads determines insiabtaneousy the com.
bination OF mixture OF which would have remained
for ages without combining that single drop Of sui
phurc acid determines the explosion OF certain conbna
tons OF organic azoc bodies with metals; that the
pie contact of copper wire Immediately causes the
dissolution in weak azoc acid OF piece Of iron rendered
| passive by being placed for only short time in
the same smoking acid. One must not confound the
sudden separation Of the elements Of composition de
tcrmincd by very feeble catayca influence with the
| combination Of elements OF mixture determined ny
the shock raised by the temperature in rendering the
contact closer This last is that OF chlorate Of po
~