The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1874-04-02
Marvels Of NItrO.GIycerIne.

cOutu ndVe DccH 80 cstreleSS WlCn ina
receipt.
Marvels Of NitrO.GIycerine.
| Within few years our community
have become familiar with the name
and terrible effects of new explosive
agent, called nitrO-glycerine, and
feel that you will be glad to be made
acquainted with the remarkable quail
tiles and relations of this truly won.
derful substance. Every one knows
that clear, oily, and sweet-tastine
liquid glycerine, and probably most
of you have eaten 1t for honey. But
it has great many valuable uses,
which may reconcile you to its abuse
for adulterating honey, and it is OBJ
tanned in large quantities as a second
ary product of tho manufacture OF
soap and candles from our common
fats. Now, nitrO-glycerine bears the
same relation to glycerine that salt
petre bears to caustic potash. Com
mon saltpetre which Is the oxygen
ated Ingredient of gunpOwder, is
called in chemistry pOtassic nitrate,
and, although the commercial supply
comes wholly from natural sources,
1t can easily be made by the action of
nitric acid OH caustic potash. My as
sistant will pour some nitric acid in
to solution of caustic potash, and
you will soon see crystals of saltpetre
appear, shooting out from the sides
of the dish, whose image we have
projected upon the screen. In SIM
liar way we can prepare nitrO-glycer-
inc by pouring glycerine in a fine
stream into very strong nitric acid,
rendered more active by being mix
ed with sulphuric acid-Oil of VitriOl.
We could easily make the expert
ment, but you could see nothing.
There Is no apparent change, and it is
a remarkable fact that, when pure nj
trO-glycerine resembles, externally,
very closely glycerine itself, and, like
il, is a colorless, oily fluid-the red
dish yellow color Of the commercial
article being due to impurities. AS
soon as the chemical change is ended,
the nitrO-glycerine must be very care
fully washed with water, until all all
herring acid has been removed. The
material thus obtained has most sim
gular qualities, and not the least un-
expected OF these is its stability un-
der ordinary conditions. After the
terrible accidents that have happen
ed, it would, perhaps, be rash to say
that 1t did not readily explode; but
/ can assure you that It is not an easy
matter to explode pure glycerine. 1t
is not nearly so explosive as gunpOw-
der, and 1 am told that the flame of
an ordinary match can be quenched
i'm it without danger, although / con-
fess I should be unwilling to try the
experiment. Still, there. can be no
doubt that, under ordinary circum-
stances, a small flame will not ignite
it. My knowledge of the matter is
derived from Professor Hill, of the
Torpedo Station at Newport, who has
studied very carefully the preparation
and application of the material. He
is of opinion that most of the acci-
dents which have given nitro-glycer-
inc such an unfortunate nOtOriety
have been caused by the use of an
impure article, and that proper care
in its preparation would greatly less
en- the danger attending its use. Nj
trO-glycerine is usually exploded, not
by the direct application of heat, but
by sudden and violent conclusion,
which is obtained by firing i'm contact
with fuse of some Illuminating DOW
der. The effects OF this explosion are
as peculiar as the method by which
1t Is obtained, and i can best illustrate
the subject by describing an expert
ment with nitrO-glycerine which /
witnessed myself at the Torpedo Sta
tiOn few months since.
1t Is so incOnvenient to handle
nitro-glycerine that it Is now usual to
mix it with some inert and palpable
powder, and the names dualine and
dynamite have been given to differ
ent mixtures OF this kind; but i'm
both of these powder merely acts as
sponge. In the experiment referred
to, a canister holding less than a
pound of dynamite, and only a few
ounces Of nitrO-glycerine, was placed
on the top of large bOwlder-rOck,
weighing two or three tons. In order
that you may fully appreciate the
conditions, / repeat that this tin case
was simply laid on the top of the
bOwlder, and not confined in one way.
The nitro-glycerine was then explod-
ed by an appropriate fuse fired from
a distance by electricity. The report
was not louder than that of a heavy
gun, but the rock on which the can
lister lay was broken into thousand
fragments.
This experiment strikingly illus.
trates the peculiar action of nitro.
glycerine. In using gunpOWder for
blasting Il is necessary to conflne 1t,
by what Is called tamping, in the hole
prepared for it in the rock. Not Sc
with nitro-glycerine. This, though
Il may be put up I'm small tin cart
ridges for convenience, is placed in
the drill-hOles without tamping o1
any kind. Sometimes the liquid itsel
has been poured into tho hole, anC
then little water poured on the tOl
Is the only means used tn confine 1t
As an agent for blasting, nitrO-glycer
Inc Is so vastly superior to gun
powder that il must be regarded ~
one Of the most valuable discOverie'
OF our age. Already IL is enabling
men to open tracks for their iroi
roads through mountain-barriers
which few years ago, it would hav,
been thought impracticable to pierce
-Apptefor's Journal.
| 1t Is n curious fact, illustratin,
the necessity of cleanliness. and a