The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1870-11-10


private houses, and the effect was similar in
Geneva. Thompson, Mentor, and many
other places within radius ofytwenty
miles. In Buffalo and Erie, 100 and 70
miles distant respectively, the effect of the
explosion was plainly perceptible--the peo-
pie thinking that they had bee1 visited by
another earthquakes the following7will
show. The Erie Dispatch says: ,.t<
"There was another touch Of ground
swell here yesterday AFTERNOON at about 4:j5
o'clock. A rumbling noise was, followed by
q tremor which many OF the larger build.
ings felt SO palpably that the denizens ran
out into the street. The Noble Block
sustained quite o severe shock! Doors
Jared, window sashes ratified, and tall
smoke-stacks w1ggled. No damage was
done that we heard Of, and the earthquake
may be set down as "no great shakes after
ALL" ...,. .. -. : -,
The Buffalo Courier says, s.,
About 4:54 O'Clock Yesterday afternoon q
shock of earthquake was felt in all parts of
the city. Buildings were shaken, window
blinds and shutters announced the shock,
and in portions of the city widely, apart
people thought that a violent explosion had
taken place. The trembling lasted two or
three seconds, and in some places caused
considerable fright. IT,. ra.,rs.. ...,f
THE SUFFERERS. .'
The workmen employed by the company
! all had families depending upon their daily
| labor for bread, and their sudden taking off
has left them in pitiable condition. The
younger Malone leaves q wife and six chil
dren. Scribner was. a Widower, and his
sudden taking off has left his four children
orphans and Duncan was lately married,
| leaving a widow to mourn his loss. One of
the most wonderful illustrations of the force
of the explosion was its effect. upon these
men. They were not simply killed, but
were literally blown to atoms-so small as
to defy discovery except as to small art
Of them. Several persons on the east side
of the river were injured by the hurting of
pieces of wood and other substances against
them. ..- ~,
THE CAUSE OF THE EXPLOSION
will probably never be known, as the dread
secret is buried with those who perished in
the magazine. 1t is supposed, however,
that in carrying the jars--whlch are large
and heavy, weighing nearly one, hundred
! pounds each-the men accidentally drop
ped one, and the concussion was sufficient
to produce the explosion. Whatever the
cause, the event has iearfully proven the
mighty force of this mysterious compound.
We can gather an adequate idea of its ter
rife power when we consider that one
pound Of nitro-glycerine is equal in its eX-
| plosire power to sixteen pounds OF gum
powder, and that the amount. stored in the
| magazines was equal to 12S, 600 pounds OF
! powder. ..'.--.,-.-. /. &
i ANOTHER EXPLOSION .-.t
| took place at this factory about two months
| before. One magazine only exploded. con-
| tanning 1000 pounds OF nltro-glycerlne.
The cause Of this was also unknown.
THE EXCITEMENT
during the evening of Tuesday was intense.
| The people of Fairport have made continual
complaints since the establishment of the
were taken to have its manufacture stopped;
! but the excitement of that time gradually
! subsidized, and the work was allowed to go
on. Efforts were made last winter to get a
| law passed by the Legislature to place the
manufacture Of the article under certain
| restrictions, and II bill was drawn up for
that purpose and placed in the hands of
our representative, but for somc unac-
countable reason it was never presented by
him. Many suppose he was brought under
the influence of the members of the Glyce-
rine company. The inimcal feeling against
! the company eliminated Tuesday night.
/ The excited people gathered in the vicinity
! of the works. Threatening to razc them to the
! grounds, aud to do violence to any one con-
nccted with the establishment. MIR.
! Wheeler, one of the firm, started to 60 to
FairDort Tuesday night, but was advised
! by his friends to return. No act of violence
was committed, and on the following day
the people were in calmer state Of mind.
They are determined, however, that no
more nitro-glycerine shall be manufactured
there. The company, it is understood,
! VIII remove their works to some more re-
tiredsite.
/ THE COMPANY -. ...r..
have lost about $40, 900, but the damage to
; the surrounding property cannot now be
estimated. 1t is but just to say that the
company have done everything in their
! mower to relieve the suffering families OF
the persons killed, and are now settling up
the damages sustained by the property own
erS.
ElTRo-GLYCERINE
! is comparatively q new substitute for pow
der, it having only been in use in Germany
and Sweden, where it was invented, since
1864. 1t was discovered in 1847 by Sobrem,
u Swedish chemist, but was only used in q
laboratory, being made drop by drop up to
the former date, 1864, when Nobel succeeded
I in making it in large quantities, and used it
: for blasting purposes, Some made by No
, bel was shipped to this country in 1866 from
Germany, which was the first ever brought
here. AZ twas impertectly packed in glass
/ bottles, however, in crossing TO this coun-
: try through the tropical latitude it gene
rated gases, broke the bottles, and, mixing
with the saW-dust in which it was packed,
produced heat enough to cause an eXplo-
sion. Since that time it 1.-cs been manufac-
tured to a greater or less extent in this
country.
! The ingredients used in the manufacture
! Of nitro-g lycerine are nitric acid, sulphuric
acid, and oil of glycerine. The nitric acid
! used by this company has all been made by
them, and large portion of one of the
buildings is DEVOTED to the retorts and other
apparatus necessary to the production of
this ingredient. The sulphuric acid has all
been purchased in Cleveland, whence it has
been shipped to this point.
THE MANUFACTURE.
The process Of uniting these substances
is very simple. a long row of stone receiv-
! ers or Jars is set upon q firm frame work,
| and in each one of the jars is placed the
aciduous mixture in the proportions nearly
of twenty-sX pounds of nitric to four
pounds of sulphuric acid. An iron pipe
! extends over the jars through which air is
constantly forced by means of steam en-
! CINE. A small tube, the lower part being
! Of glass, is connected with this pipe, and
extends down into each jar, and the
constant stream of air keeps the acids con-
tinually agitated. The oil Of glycerine is
! placed in metallic tunnel--about three
pounds to each jar-and is allowed to drip
Slowly into the mixture below. In about
an hour the jar eontains six pounds Of nj
tro- glycerine in fluid state. 1t Is then put
through series of washngs,. to cleanse it
from all impurities, and is put into earthen
jars and carried to the magazines to await
shipment. When taken from the magazines
!. = L. .,,,t or, hnnrd the veCSeI Ii il trans