Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-12-18
Nitro GIycePinc.

other subjects, this is Invested of most OF its
terrOrs by a careful examination. The trl-mlro-
glvcerine manufactured by Prof Mowbray, and
which, as its name indicates, is composed oil
three atoms of nitric acid to one of glvcerine,
should not be COMPOUNDED with Nohels nitro.
elvcerine, made in Germany, and which caused
the terrible explosions at the wyoming hotel
i'm New York on board the steamer European at
Aspipwall and in the office OF Wells, Fargo &
Co., at San Francisco in 1868 and 66. The COM
binuo proportions are entirely different, the
Nobel glycerine expands One-tweilth IN freezing,
while frost contracts Mowbray's to the same
amount and last and most important OF all,
the tri nitro glycerine is free from those impuri-
ties which are believed to have caused nine
tenth7 of the disasters in which this terrible
fluid has hurled hundreds of human beings into
eternity
the west shaft, in a plot OF ten acres, surround
ed by high board fence Over the gateway
are 10 be seen the ominOus words, "Nltro@ly
cerine works. All persons are warned TO Keep
away from the grounds-dan9erous Ihere Is
little need of the last statement, Tor visitors are
so thoroughly afraid of the very name that they
keep as far away as possible, and the workmen
say they are never troubled with company. En-
tering the ground, with Prof. Mowbray for our
guide we pass between row OF irregular wood
en- buildings where ten men are employed in
making this most powerful explosive ever
known On the left is the acid house, where IL
stills are located, each of which could ii desired,
manufacture 600 pounds OF the mixed nitric and
sulphurc acid used in the manufacture, every
"a hours. After the mixture is prepared-and
this is done b. process of the professors own
inVention-it is carried TO the converting room.
The acid is weighed, II pounds are put into each
of 116 stone pitchers, and these are placed IN
troughs filed with icecold wafer which rises
within four inches of the top of the jars. On
shelves above are arranged row oil glass Jars,
one to each pitcher, and in every one of these is
put two pounds of pure glycerine, which Is
allowed to run, drop by drop, through syphon
into the mixed acids below. This mixture is
nilro-gycerine.
So great is the heat produced by the union of
| these substances that the ice cold water is not
sufficient to prevent the mixture from taking
| fire. and current of air which has been forced
| through an ice chest by steam power, is passed
| into each jar through a rubber tube. If the
mixture takes fire here 1t will not explode, but
will produce oxalic acid and noXious vapors at
a fearful rate. In about two hours, when the
gycerine has all run down through the Syphon
into the jars below, the compound, which con
tains only three and three-fOurths pounds of
nitro glycerne to each jar 1.-THE remainder OF the
10 pounds being acid and water), is poured into
a vat which looks exactly like a huge soap
kettle such as may be seen at any Of our large
| soap manufactures Indeed, the stuff itself
| now looks very like soft soap. This vat con
| taius water at q temperature of 70 degrees, and
| 450 pounds of ntro-elycerine are poured in at
| once to be worked. After remaining in this vat
| for Is minutes, the water is drawn off and the
| nitrO-glycerine runs out at the bottom. 1t IS
| then washed six times more to remove all traces
| of the acid. This washing must be performed
very cautiously as if particle of the oil should
| get on the floor and be stepped on, the unortu
nate wOr6men who are near would never know
| what hurt them. Yet the professor has eXer-
| cised such great care in the manufacture and in
| selecting his men that no accident has ever
| happened at the factory proper.
As we stand bV the door OF the WdSlrOOm
| with Just the least ~ wish that we were some
| where else, man comes leisurely along carry
| ing what looks like a sap-yoke aud buckets
across his shoulders. Each of these innocent
| looking buckets contains about 100 pounds of
nitro.gycerine, which he is carrying to the re-
| fining room in the magazine, a few hundred
feet to the south down a little hill. 1t is curious
| 10 think that there is enough of that colorleSS
| fluid which he carries along in his buckets, like
| so much water, 10 annihilate brigade. Follow
| ing him to the magazine, we find a small build
| ing containing in the centre a shallow vat set
| full Of stone lars GER cks" they are calledl,
| each containing 60 pounds of nitro-9lycerine.
| This vat is nearly full of warm water, which is
| kept heated to 20 degrees by a steam pipe from
| the boiler at the factory. After the nitro
| gyceriue has remained in this II hours, all
| the impurities have arisen TO the top and been
| skinned off, and it is ready for packing. It's
| now pure, transparent and looks exactly like
| refined lard Oil Ii is packed in tin cans lined
| This filing operation requires the greatest care.
| After it is completed the cans are put in ice
water to CONCEAL the oil, and then stored in little
| wooden magazines holding about 10 cans each.
| The only accidents that have ever happened
| anywhere about the works have been III the
| magazine. The bursting Of steam pipe once
| caused an explosion in which no one was in
| ured, and another time the foreman ia charge
| went down 10 the magazine to take bath 10
| the vat there, and from some cause, no one ever
.,4l,, ,s4de f,fTe holt
| country for miles, obteraling all traces of the
| building and blowing the poor MAD to atoms,
| strangely enough, the only part OF his body
| ever found was his chin, which was blown on
TO the threshold Of his own door,
| The gutta perrha covered wires used for firing
nitro glvcerine are also prepared here, and large
quantities of raw gutta percha are now on the
| way from Singapore, India, Prof Mowbray hav-
| ing decided TO import his own material. The
| printing and the exploderS are made at the office
on Bank street, North Adams,
1t is very pleasant to notice the kindly feel
| ings that exist between the professor and the
| wOrkmen. He always has kind word for every
one, and as hisipleasaut face and bear skin coat
| appears az the door of a workrOom, the hands
greet him as If he was their father Just returned
from a ten years voyage. The men commence
work in the morni g, and always have their
| days work done by noon and often before. Prof.
| MOwbrav says that his men will do better and
are more valuable employees if he gives them
| afternoons to themselves.
| NtrO-glYcerine freezes at iOfty.iYe degrees,
| Farenheit, and cannot possibly be exploded til
| It is thawed. This fact was discovered by
| mere accident in the winter Of 156T-S Mr..
| Granger, the engineer in charge Of the east eud,
| came over to North Adams aud procured ten
| cartridges Of nitro-glycerne OF Prof. MowDrag,
which the professor warmed up to 80 degrees
| and packed in saWdust and blankets. Mr.. Gran
ger then started for the east side across the
mountains The box containing the cartridges
was strapped on behind sleigh and covered
with buffalo robes. In making the Journey tue
team became entangled in one of those tremen-
| dOUs snow drifts for which HOOsac mountain is
| famous, aud horse, man, cartridges and sleigh
were soon lying in one promscOus heap. Mr..
| Granger gave himself up for lost, but NJ eXplo-
| sion took place, and gathering his scattered
treasures he resumed his journey.
When be reached the east side, and, putting
| in bis cartridges, attempted 10 fire them, the
| fuse and illuminate exploded, but nothing more.
| Here was a mystery. The cartridges had been
loaded and primed by Prof Mowbray himself,
and yet they would not 20 off. After repeated
| unsuccessful trials, Mr. Granger heated them
till tire oil would run, and then applying the
eXplOder, produced the most satisfactory results.
| This gave Prof. Mowbray the idea, which be.
| came an established fact By subsequent investi-
| CATION, thst nitro glycerine would not explode
| when frozen, and this little incident has doubt
| less saved the lives Of thousands. In frozen
| state the oil is now carried all over the CONT
| nent, 100000 pounds having been transported
| by teams TO different sections Of the United
| States and Canada during the past four years,
| and during this time not single accident has
| occurred while the cans were in the hands Of
| Prof Mowbray's carriers. Three fine two-horse
| teams are constantly employed in deliver
| ing, and as the railroads refuse TO touch
| the stuff, these teams make long trips, some
| times being gone for weeks. In addition to these
| many North Adams teams are hired by the trip
| but messenger always accompanies the hired
| teams as the driver would not know how to
| handle their loads ia case Of accident. During
the whole Of my visit to the works. the proles.
sor was talking in the most CHEEKY manner and
often made me forget the possibility Of danger
yet, after all, II was with no little satisfaction
that found myself outside the gate, and on the
way back to the west shaft. After all, this feel
ing Of timidity is far greater than there is any
reason for, when it is remembered that more
accidents take place at a powder mill in one
month than have occurred at Prof. MowbraY's
works in four years, and that there is ten fold
more danger from handling common blasting
powder than nitro glyccrine, when packed Tor
transportation.
PAINTING VS.. CooKiNG.-I find high rates
ruling IN the Paris market for pictures, and no
wonder, il they tell a true story IN regard TO