The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1870-09-02

Nitro-Glycerine.


Nitro-glycerine Is q combination Of
glycerino (the sweet principle Of animal
fat) and nitric and sulphuric acids. The
process OF manufacture Il very simple.
Take, for instance, one pound ofglyccrino
and ten pounds of the acids and place
them In . proper vessel. Tho sulphuric
acid operates on the rest OF tho mass, or.
tracts all aqueous matter. while the nitro
sinks to the bottom Of tho vessel, and Joins
with the glycerinc whose destiny carries
It there ut once. Tho result Is an oleagi-
nous substance, not unlike castor oil In
color. hut rather, more thick. which. on
being washed and thoroughly clcansed
from such particles Of sulphuric acid rs
may have remained. Is nitro -glycerine.
Nitro-glycerino strikes In all directions
when It explodcs; but the greatest forcc
Is always turned toward that point offer-
ing the greatest resistance. Thus, II you
Is "short" for nitro-glyccrine) In tho con.
ter Of an empty room, the great force OF
the explosion world be downward, In tho
direction of the floor. A cartridge sub
merged, and having for Its base . rock,
would act most forcibly on the rock. nj.
though 1t would also displace tho water. )
In removing the Instructions at He'll
Gate, II was intended to use nitro-glycer-
Inc, In the form Of what Is known rs Sill
cious powder; but rs Il was lowered In .
frozen condition, the experiment was 4
failure. At snmc future day, there Is no
doubt that this explosive, which Is thirteen
times more powerful than gunpowder,
and Is. moreover, capable Of bcing ex-
ploded at the bottom of the sea, II need
be. will be used IN this great work. ii
Although nitro-glycerine has been In
use for so short q time. 1t has already been
used with great success In war. In 1864,
during tho war Of the Austrians and Prus-
SLAMS against the Danes, detachment Of
three hundred Danish troops rctreated to
Alsen, atown near which great battle
had just boom fought and were bcsicged
by 10000 of the allied troops. But the
Danish engineers had undermined all Of
the approaches to the town with nitro
glyccrinc. tho town and the mines being
connected by electric wires. and tho I'm.
mensc force was kept Mt bay for three
days. In the Russian war, the nitro-gly.
ccrine torpcdoes kept the French and
English ships out Of the harbor Of Cron-
stadt. These torpedoes wero 30 construct
cd rs to explode either by conclusion or
electricity. and 1t would have been bold
sailor who would dare to approach har-
Dor SO guarded. ExI eriments have fro
quently been made to see II nitro-glycer.
Inc could not no made available rs the ex.
plosive power for shells, but little success
has been attained. It has been found that
the heat and conclusion caused tho scnsi-
tive oil to explode before the shell had left
tho mouth Of tho cannon. Experiments
were tried with cushioned" shells-those
containing sonie soft substance between
the nitro-glyccrine and the iron-but this
also failed. lt'IE., .s'fr-H esrai.l
Notwithstanding tho dlscouragem ents
which have bcset the Introduction Of the
now explosive. II hns persistcntly worked
Its way into favor with practical men, and
there Is now scarcely large public work
In this country where II Is not used. As
time progresses, inventive minds will de-
wise even more ingenious methods Of use
ing It than those now In vogue, and It Is
safe to predict that within short period,
gunpowder will be forced to give way to
this more potent rival.-Erchange.