The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1873-02-12

y
ing to the refining room in the magazine, a
few hundred feet to the south, down little
hill. tits curious to think that there is enough
of that colorless fluid which he carries along
in his buckets, like so much water, to ami
hilate brigade. Following him to the maya
zine, we find small building containing in
the centre shallow vat set full of stone jars
('crocks - they are called, each containing
sixty pounds of glycerine. This vat is nearly
full of warm water, which is kept heated to
seventy degrees by a steam pipe from the
boiler at the factory. After the nitro-glycer-
inc has remained in this seventy-two hours,
all the impurities have arisen to the top and
been skinned of, and it is ready for packing.
1t is now pure, transparent, and looks exactly
like refined lard oil. 1t is packed in tin cans
lined with paraiiine and containing fifty pounds
each. This filling 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 hold
ing about forty cans each. The only accidents
that have ever happened anywhere about the
works have been at the magazine. The burst
ing of steam pipe once caused an explosion
in which no one was injured, and another
time the foreman in charge went down to the
magazine to take bath in the vat there. and.
from some cause, no one ever knew what, six
teen hundred pounds went of, shaking the
country for miles, celebrating all traces of
the building and blowing the poor man 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 percha covered wires used for
firing nitro-glycerine are also prepared here,
and large quantities of raw gutta percha are
now on the way from Singapore India, Prof.
Mowbray having 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
workingmen. He always has a kind word for
every one, and as his pleasant face and bear
skin coat appears at the door of a work-room
the hands greet him as if he was their father
just returned from a ten years. voyage. The
ways have their days work done by noon
and often before Prof. Mowbray says that
his men will do better and are more valuable
employees if he gives them the afternoon to
themselves.
Nitro-glycerinc freezes at forty-five degrees
Fahrenheit and cannot possibly be exploded
till it is thawed This fact was discovered by
mere accident in the winter of 1868. Mr..
Granger, the engineer in charge of the east
end, came over to North Adams and procured
ten cartridges of nitro lycerine of Prof Now
bray, which the Professor warmed up to ninety
degrees and packed in saw-dust and blankets.
Mr.. Granger 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 the team became entangled IN one
OF those tremendous snow drifts for which
Hoosac mountain is famous, and horse, man,
cartridges and sleigh were soon lying in one
promiscuous heap. Mr.. Granger gave himself
up for lost, but no explosion took place, and,
gathering his scattered treasures, he resumed
his journey.
When he reached the east side, and putting
in his cartridges, tried to fire them, the fuse
and illuminate exploded, but nothing more
Here was mystery. The cartridges had been
loaded and primed by Prof. Mowbray HIMSELF
and yet they would not go Off After repeat
ed unsuccessful trials, Mr.. Granger heated
them until the oil would run, and then apply
ing the exploder, produced the most satisfac-
tory results. This gave Prof Mowbray the
idea, which became an established fact by sub
scquent investigations that nitro-glycerine
would not explode when frozen, and this Incl
dent has doubtless saved the lives of thou
sands.
In frozen state the oil is now carried all
over the continent 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. Mowbmy S carriers.
Three fine two-horse teams are constantly en-
ployed in delivering, and as the railroads re-
fuse to touch the stuff, these teams make
long trips, sometimes being gone for weeks.
III dullbOH W tiese, many INoItil AudIlS IedDlS
are hired by the trip, but messenger always
accompanies the hired teams, as the drivers
would not know how to handle their loads in
case of accident. rHIr
During the whole of my visit to the works,
the Professor was talking in the most CHEEKY
MANNER and often made me forget the posi-
bility Of danger; yet, after all, it was with no
little satisfaction that found myself outside
the gate and on the way back to the west
shaft. After all, this feeling of thnidity is far
greater than there is any reason for when it
is remembered that more accidents occur in
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
glyceIine when packed for transportation.
The recent statement of Seth Green that
fish cannot hear seems to be verified by cores
pondent of a Rochester exchange, who, in a
letter from Lima, N. Y, few days since,
describes visit to the tro put ponds of a friend