Smyrna times., 1870-02-16
-Glycerine.

Nitro-glycerine is u combination Of glycerine
(the sweet principle of animal fat and nitric
and sulphuric acids. The process OF manufac-
ture is very simple Take, for instance, one
pound of glycerine and ten pounds Of the acids
and place them in proper vessel. The sui
phuric acid operates on the rest OF the mass,
extracts all aqueous matter while the nltrc sinks
to the bottom of the vessel and joins with the
glycerne whose destiny carries it there at once.
The result is an oleaginOus substance, not un-
like castor oil in color, but rather more thick,
which, on being washed and thoroughly cleans
ed from such particles of sui lphuric acid as may
have remained, is nitrO-glycerine. NltrO-glyc-
crime strikes in all directions when it explOdes !;
but the greatest force is always turned toward
that point offering the greatest resistance:
Thus, you should explode mass OF the 'Oll
(which is I" short" for nitrO-g glycerinc) in the
center of an empty room, the great force of the
explosion would be downward, in the direction
of the floor A cartridge submerged, and hav-
ing for its base rock, would act most fOrcibly
on the rock, although it would also displace the
water.
In removing the distractions at He'll Gate,
it was intended to use nitrO-glycerine, in the
form of what is known as sillcious powder
but as it was lowered in frozen condition, the
experiment was failure. At some future day,
there is no doubt that this explosive, which Is
thirteen times more powerful than gunpOwder,
and is, moreover, capable of being exploded at
the bottom Of the sea, ii need be, will be used
in this great work.
Although nitro-glycerine has been in use fol
so short time it has already been used with
great success in war. In 1864, during the wal
Of the Austrians and Prussians against the
Danes, detachment Of three hundred Danisl
troops retreated to Alsen, a town near which ;
great battle had just been fought, and were be
sieged by &c, 900 Of the allied troops. But thu
: DANISH engineers had undermined all Of th
) approaches to the town with nitro-gycerine
the town and the mines being connected b.
electric wires, and the immense force was KEEP
: at bay for three days. In the Russian wal
the nitro-gycerine tOrpedOes kept the Frenc
3 and English ships out of the harbOr Of CIOn
stadt. These tOrpedOes were so constructed a
Y to explode either by cOnOussion or electricity
D and it would have been bold sailor who woul
: dare to. approach a harbOl so guarded. Exper
: ments have frequently been made to see
nitrO-glycerne could not be made available a
the explosive power for shells, but little success
d has been attained. 1t has been found that tn
e heat and concussion caused the sensitive oil t
explode before the shell had left the mouth {
J the cannon. Experiments were tried wit
e " cushioned shells-thOse containing some so
Il substance between the nitro glycerine and th
iron-but this also failed.
J. Notwithstanding the discouragements vhic
J. have beSct the introduction of the new explC
sive, it has persistently worked its way int
favor with practical men, and there is no
s scarcely large public work in this countl
where it is not used. AS time progresses, il
ventive minds will devise even more ingeniol
10 methods of using ii than these now in vogu
c. and it is safe to predict that within a short p
in riod, gunpowder will be forced to give way
e this more potent rival.-Ecchange.
i