The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-12-06
DYNAMITE

something OF feeling OF horror that many
of the terrible means in vogue for the
slaughter of the human race have
their origin in Investigations undertaken
by scientific men with the view of increasing
the knowledge or ameliorating the condition
of mankind in general. This is essentially
the case with the substance whose name
heads this ARTICLE. Invented originally for
the purpose of assisting the peaceful labors
of the miner and the engineer. it is now en-
ployed as the explosive agent of the torpedoes
which defend the rivers and harbors of Ger
many against the aggressions of the French
fleet.
Every one knows what glycerine is-a clear
syrupy liquid, sweet to the taste, and some
what greasy to the touch. Its scope of en-
ployment ranges from the surgeons dispen-
sary to the ladys boudoir. Chemists term it
triatomic alcohol, and it may be derived
from fat or tallow by the action Of lime and
sulphuric acid. Its properties are many and
various but as they have no bearing upon
the present subject, we shall abstain from
noticing them. If quantity of nitric acid
be added to twice its weight of sulphuric
acid, and giycerine be poured into this,
and carefully stirred--the whole being
surrounded by freezing miXture--we obtain
that wonderful substance known as nitro
glycerine which has more than ten times the
explosive force of gunpowder. 1t forms on
the surface as an oily-looking liquid of pale
yellow color, is perfectly inodorous, and has
a sweet aromatic taste. 1t is poisonous, whe-
ther taken internally or absorbed through the
skin, and small doses of it produce distressing
headachea. Although practically insoluble in
water, 1t dissolves readily in either alcohol or
wood-spirit
Nitro -glycerine was discovered in the year
1S47, by an Italian, named Ascogne Sobero;
but its practical application is entirely due
to the researches of Alfred Nobel Swedish
pft1er ranfo LODI nxyioa
brought into contact with fire, and remains
unchanged even when raised to the tenn
perature of boiling water; but at about
forty degrees Fahrenheit it becomes con-
verted into an icy mass which merely re-
quires friction to develop ali its explosive
qualities. This popularity had been the
cause of many lamentable accidents, when
NJ Nobel commenced series of expert
ments with the view of rendering its en-
ployment comparatively safe. After some
time, he found that mixing it with about ten
per cent. of wood-spirit rendered it practi-
cally harmless, and this method is now gene
rally adopted. When required for use the
wood-spirit can be removed, and all the pro-
perties of the nitro-glycerine restored by the
simple addition of water, which, mixing
with the spirit, sets free, as it were the
nitro-glycerine. The only drawback to this
plan is that when the nitro-gycerne is re-
converted into its original sta Q, it is of
course quite as dangerous as ever.
To obviate this, NJ. Nobel has Invented a
new mixture which he terms dynamite"
1t consists of seventy five per cent. of nj
tro-glycerine and twenty-five per cent. of
very fine sand, kaud is a brownish-looking
powder, something like sawdust. only greasy
to the touch. 1t burns without explosion
when placed in a fire or brought into con-
tact with lighted match. If struck with
a hammer on an anvil, the portion struck
IL = "a, "a,
around it. As proof of the perfect security
with which it may be handled, we may
mention that M. Nobel has placed case con-
tanning about eight pounds of it equal to
nearly eighty pounds of ordinary POWDER on
a brisk fire, and that the dynamite was con-
sumed without noise or shock; while a similar
case was fluug from height of sixty five feet
on hard rock without producing the slight
est explosion. A weight of over two hundred
pounds was then let fall from height of
twenty feet upon box of dynamite; the box
was smashed, but again there was no explo-
sion.
The usual method of firing dynamite is by
means of a copper capsule con tanning fulmi-
nate of silver, the latter being inaamed either
by the ordinary slow match, or by the electric
spark. The employment of this capsule and
detonating composition is absolutely essen
tial to the explosion of dynamite. In order
to give some idea of the force developed by
such an explosion, it may be mentioned that
a spoonful of it placed upon a block of
quartz, covered with bricks, and fired, caused
the quartz to be broken up into pieces about the
size of pea, and reduced the bricks to pow
der. Like nitro glycerine, dynamite con-
geals at a comparatively high temperature
but to restore 1t To its proper condition, it is
only necessary to put 1t in place, ol
if it is contained in closed cartridges, tc
plunge it into warm water.
In mining operations, dynamite possesses
MANY advantages over -glycerine, be
sides those already mentioned. IT has beer
usual, for instance, to pour the nitro-glyce
rine in liquid state into the holes bored il
the rock for its reception; and running from
these into some unknown crevice, it has fre
quently, when fired, produced an explosion
under the very feet of the miners, causing
of course. a disastrous loss of life. To OBJ
viate this it has been necessary to emplo,
cartridges which do not completely fill up thu
bere-holes, so that portion of the explosiv,
force is wasted. Dynamite, the othe
hand, being of pasty consistence, yields e.
the least pressure, and completely fills VI
the holes, so that given weight of this sub
stance is almost as effective as a given weigh
of glyceripe, while at the same time it is safe
even than eunpowder
1t remains to be seen whether the antic
pated advantages will be derived from it's EN-
ployment as ammunition of war.
MARK TwAIN's ADVICE TO LITTLE GIRLS
Good little girls ought not to make mouths q