Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1876-05-31
EXPLOSIVES.
Gmn.cOstom, NfsrO -giy c-rine, DynaMl
lite or Giant Pow der. q

uuH-COtioi1, us lnNeHted ny SGHull-
bein, was made in this manner He
took one part nitric acid of high
specific gravity (say 4S deg. Raume) !;
two parts sulphuric acid (66 deg.
Baume) and these being mixed, he
submerged common cotton into the
acids. After thus placed q short time
the cotton was taken out, and for a
few hours kept in jars, and then
washed in WATER The cotton thus
treated, when dried, was highly ex-
plosive. The nitre OF, the nitric acid
united with the cotton fiber, and the
water of the acid united with the sui
phuric acid. The improvements
since that day, invented BY Lenk, of
Austria; Shaflner, Of America, and
Abel, of England, are mere, devices
for adjusting the charge to a gradu-
ated explosion, and for the better
manufacture of the compound known
as nitrated fiber, pulp or gun cotton.
Nitro-glycerme was discovered by
Sobtero about lS45. and, being a
liquid, it was found to be- practically
useless. Military men OF the differ
ent Governments of Europe exercised
their talents to devise means to use it,
but it was reserved to Nobel, OF
Sweden, to make the discovery or in
yention in 1868. He found that it re-
quired a concus:ion, or suddenly ap-
piled force, to explode it, and from
this he proceeded to place the nitro
glycerine In a vessel, or bore-hole,
for blasting, and exploded III or near
it large percussion cap, or a charge
of gun-powder, or other explosive
substance. This was the climax of
the Invention. a'''
Nitfo-glycerine is made by the
same acid mixture required for ma
king gun-cotton.l Suppose Fou have
the acids mixed in glass jar holding
a gallon. Surround it with ice, as is
used around freezing tnb for making
ice-cream then agitate the acids with
o glass rod until they become cold,
say 30 deg. Fab. then pour some
ordinary glycerine, as found in the
drug stores, gradually into the acids,
the mixture being stirred all the time.
In that quantity of acids you may
use pound of glycerine. When
thus mixed, pour the whole into ten
times its quantity Of pure water. The
nitro-glycerine will be found at the
bottom of the vessel of water. The
product will be about two pounds. 1t
is six-tenths heavier than water. II
the nitro-glycerine is well washed,
you will have . pure article.
Dynamite is a compound that has
come intosu within a few years.
Some ten years ago, in 1856, Colonel
Shaffher discovered that for general
purposes of blasting the nitro glycer-
inc was too much concentrated in the
bore c-hole of the rock, and in order to
spread II throughout the dfili-hole he
mixed with il fine sand; the finer the
sand the greater would be the absorp-
ton. After this, Noble found that
when nitro-glycerine was thus mixed
it could be safely transported, and
that the finest silicipiis matter that
could be found would be the most
advantageous, With this view he
selected the earth known as infnsoria,
found In large quantities in Holland.
This infusoria is composed of small
miscroscpic silicious shells, which
have lost their living creatures in the
i uuhnOM - uEGr VI tilS past. hV WA
nlar parts receive the nitro-glycerine
and holds II by capillary attraction,
both inside and outside. This earth
is very light. The water is expelled
from it by a furnace, aud then, in the
form of q POWDER it. ID mixed with
nitro-glycerine, twenty-five parts Of
the latter, by weight. This compound
lis known In Europe as dynamite, and
in America il is called giant powder
Since the success ny TO safety in the
transportation and use of the above
compound, various substitutes have
been introduced by rivals dealing in
that class of explosives. Among
them NAV be mentioned rcnd-roci
powder, being a mixture of nitro
4 tglycerine and gunpowder pulvcrized
d1alin, a mixture Of 'nitratdd tibfe o.
lgun-cotten WITH nitro-glycerine
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