Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1870-05-06
A NEW

Since the first discovery of the Com
stock. and the new impetus given
thereby 10 quartz mining, and the
sinking Of deep shafts and running
long tunnels through hard rock, vast
progress has been made in the art of
blasting. 1t is no missioner to call
blasting an art, for it is-much more
so than the uninitiated generally sup
pose. 1t consists in considerable more
than the mere filling of q drill hole
with powder and touching it of. The
hole must be judiciouSly drilled in the
direction and place where the blast
can do the most execution, yet quite
as important is it that the powder itself
should be properly placed and on
fined by tamping, etc. The most i'm
portant point of all, however, consists
in the quality, not quantity altogether
of the explosive used. The. common
blasting powder, so long and univer-
sally used, possesses not only vast
strength, but also 4 peculiar "lifting"
power. so termed, rendering it more
effective than fine rifle powder, or
other more sudden and violent explo-
siyes. Nitro-glycerine, for instance,
although possessing far more strength,
is too quick and violent in its action,
extending its force Immediately in its
own vicinity, and not doing the guam
tlty of execution that blasting powder
does. For instance, at the Sierra
Nevada mine, last fall, in blasting
heavy banks of decomposed ore, n two
inch drill-hole was put down to the
depth of II or Is feet, and a cartridge
of giant powder, which operates after
the style of nitro-glycerine, was driven
down to the bottom. When 1t was eX-
ploded it did not even crack the bank,
but simply made 4 chamber ut the bot
tom of the hole, large enough to con-
tain two kegs of common blasting
powder, which. when exploded, tore
the bank open. throwing out or loosen
ing immense quantities Of ore. by its
tremendous lifting powder. Giant
powder being considered o conVe-
nient and safe, is generally preferred
to nitro-glycerine, but we notice that
the san Francisco Scientific Press, OF
April sd, makes special mention OF a
new explosive. of the nitro-glycerine
order, which bids fair to supercede all
other blasting explosives. 1t Is termed
Hercules powder" and is already in
effective practical use in several OF the
mines of California. rs well i'll TINS
State. ,
The object aimed at and considered
attained in its composition, Is the pro-
duction of a powder which combines
the ouickness Of any of the recently
invented explosives and the lifting
force Of the best blasting powder. 1t
is n mixture of carbon. sulphur anu
nitre. reduced to 4 fine powder and
Incorporated with nitro-glycerine so
rs to form 4 stiff paste, in which con-
dition it is safe to handle and trans
port. IL will not explode on contact
with fire. but burns quietly. and 1t
NAV be hammered OH hard wood with
out danger of explosion. II will ex,
Mode, however. on being hammered
on an anvil, or on being ignited in a
strong vessel with no aperture for the
escape Of the gases. In use II Is eS'
ploded by means OF \ copper cap,
heavily charged with tulmihate Oh
mercury or other quick explosive
placed on the end of the fuse n m
serted into the powder. The holes
NAV he loaded with cartridges or will
the haste therein in pieces, and tamped
with a wooden rod. In blasting under
water, great care should be taken tC
keen the cap dry, rs OIL this depends
the success of the blast. Like other
nitro-"lycerine compounds, Hercules
nowder freezes at about IL degree;
Fahrenheit. and above 200 degrees de-
composes and gives out noxious fumes
If frozen 1t should be thawed out grad
ually in 4 warm room.