Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1875-12-24

/ he fearful explosion Of dynamite anu
lonseq uent loss IT life. at BremeTheveE, viii
remind many u q similar disaster which
took place 1t Aspinwall some nine years
since. The dynamite on the pier OF Bremen
haven. Al il said, Wa IA the personal bag
gage OF 3 passenger. The nitro-glycerine
which exploded on board the steamship
European, at A-pinwall. in ls6o, was IN
voiced So "0lI' It's powerful properties
were quite unknown at that time IN this
country. There were about seventy cIsss
Of the stuff in the hold Of the ship. which
had been transported from Hamburg 10 Hull
England. and thence to Liverpool by rail
1t Will never be known whether the explo-
-ige quality OF the compound had bean
heightened By partial decomposition ia the
tropical heat Of that low latitude, or
whether the careless handling BY the labor
ers in the vessels hold brought about the
disaster The steamer was blown up,
many people were killed, and much ship
ping and wharf property and buildings
were wrecked Great indignation was eG
pressed against the shippers who had dis
puised their consignment 10 order 10 insure
it. TRANSPORTATION. In the shape IN which
1t was carried, At completely deceived the
very people who should have been aware OF
the dangerous properties OF the cargo which
they were obliged 10 handle. The shipment
was consigned 10 San Francisco, and, by a
curious incidence, a similar disaster &C.
cured in that city about the same time,
l,dings OF the two explosions reached New
York almost simultaneously. An expires.
company in san Francisco had received, II
course oil business, a cases containing sever
/ al packages Of nitro-glycerine, the outer
/ wooden covering OF which YVES saturated
with the perilous stuff leaking from the IN
side cases Nobody called for 1t, and some
/ man was instructed to open 1t, IN order 10
/ see what the contents OF il might be lie
! first blow OF his mailet caused an explosion
which Killed eight or ten people, wrecked
the warehouse, wounded many persons, and
/ DESTROYED property to the value OF two hun
/ died thousand dollars
Both these disasters occurred when the
manufacture OF nitro-glycerine was yet new
and while the art of packing 1t safely foI
transportation was comparatively unknown
! OF the various serious accidents which have
happened from a careless use OF this ex
plosive, that by which eight men were kali
ed and several were wounded, al Bergen
/ n. j IN 1867. was most notable In thi'
! instance, q laboreT attempted 10 dry car
| Of nitro-glyeerine by thrusting eG-hoi
poker INTO it We now know enough OF lht
I most powerful explosives 10 handle them
at least, WITH great care. and 10 transport
them nom place TO place without mourning
( any such awful penalties of ignorance a
thoss hich followed its ignorant DISPOSE
I ton less than ten years ago. Indeed. thi
article ul commerce known a. dynamite
| which caused the explosion at Bremen
haven, Nas the result OF Alfred Nobel's e.
periment. to discover form in which nitro
! L. - t.4K kura Had plt.l
"A Swedish chemist at hamburg, after study
ing the composition and properties OF suet
explosives as the wood powder" o
Schultze. and the compressed gun-cotton o
Abel, introduced nitroleum, or trinhrlne
10 the world on a large scale. 1t was no
until 1855 that 1t be came well know
in the arts. and the series of shocking dis
nster which followed its introduction
brought It al once into great disiavor
those WHO saw its immense value as an e1
plosiye dreaded its hidden forces
OF each Of these compounds it may b
laid a. Of tire, that ''lt Is a good seTyan
bat bad master" Railroad building. ant
all enterprises requiring blasting .tunnelins
nr excavation. have been vastly cheapene,
hy the introduction of these tremendous e1
plosives. Ii was estimated at one time tina
the Hoosac Tunnel would require less thai
one-half the time and money TO finish it BY
using niiro-glyceriIe than any ordinar,
process would involve Ia blasting, tn
bore-holes may be smaller and further apar
with nitro-glycerine or dynamite than will
gunpowier Although an explosion will
these Ii, dern compounds is extraordinarily
sudden. the mass to be detached is no
thown Out with the violence OF gun
powder blast, bat is shattered aud fssuret
without much projection. The increased
volume u an exploded charge OF nitro-gly
cerine, " dynamite. is enormous as com
pared " ia gunpowder. baing. about thir
teen uae- larger than thar Of powder
There haze been many Sc called "perfecti
safe" zyiysive preparations, OF which dy
namit, an1 dusline are the newest 1t
evident ia.i, ike the non-explosive burn
ing fla.d, iediei about i'll the country
these a.o not 10 be trusted implicitly
There d, 10 such thing a. sale expiosise
The In Isl nearly ie, under certain eDudi
tiour not yet c.early understood. ma.
be iusiiiJusly, BY The opsratiou VI tte la"
VI chemistry uansf9ra.ed iuto uuc3Issoiia
Gle element