Bozeman avant courier. [volume] (Bozeman, Mont.) 1872-1882, 1878-05-16
FLOUR MILL EXPLOSIONS.
To the Editor of the Avant Courier;

:, After reading the article. in the COURIER
Of the great explosion Of flour mills il:
: Minneapolis, MIMI. which is the greatest
: and most destructive Of the kind on record,
we have concluded a few items in regard
to flour mill explosions would be of inter-
est to many Of your readers, as we'll as to
. many millers who I'D very imperfect and
erroneous ideas in regard to mill explo-
sions. Flour mill explosions are no new
thing to most millers, butare comparative
ly new and strange to the public masses,
and it may seem more strange to tell them
that almost any flour mill at full work Ia
liable to explode at any time, under COM
bination of certain circumstances.
Theories had been previously construct
ed to account for the phenomena Of flour
Ill explosions. but the subject was first
b. light into prominence in 1872, by the
explosion Of the Tradeston Mills, at Glas-
gov, Scotland. Destructive fires had, be-
tore that date, happened in different parts
of Germany, but the appalling magnitude
OF the disaster that overlook the Tradeston
Mills, in July, 1872, at once elected gen.
eral discussion and attracted the notice of
scientists.
A similar explosion occurred at the City
Mills, Port Dundas, Scotland, September
Is, 1874, attended with less disaster, but
served to keep fresh in the minds of the
millers the possibility of explosions taking
place any time, under combination Of GER
tain circumstances.
The first opinion as to the cause OF these
phenomena which We shall notice, is that
of DIR. w. Smith, of Manchester, England,
who gave considerable attention to the
subject. He relates how an explosion was
produced in steam mill at Budapest,
Hungary, which blew the roof of the
building Off and caused other damages, by
workmen mixing some fine varieties of =,
flour. The door Of the mixing room was ,
left open and thick cloud of flour dust be- :
came ignited from light. A similar ex-
plosion took place at Predict, Germany.
DIR. Smith states his opinion as fellows:
ut has been demonstrated that flour and
bran intimately mixed and in a fine state ..
of division gives off gas at 1902 Fahren- u
heit, which, when mixed with nine volumes '
Of air, # ms an explosive mixture, liable 4
at any time to be fired by a spark or
fame" a
WILDE, German chemist, has advanced q
the theory that -four in the form of impal- !.
pable powder undergoes rapid combustion y
when ignited. and that during the process -
If combustion, highly explosive hydro =:
'arbon gas is generated, which, when mix IS
ID with air. becomes highly explosive. III
Perhaps the most generally received =:
opinion is that advanced by Prof. Mac u,
Adam, who says: ''1'he chemistry of az
rain and flour may assist us in arriving at ~
n understanding regarding these fire ex- ~
lOsions. The chemical components are al
rinciply starch and gluten, with small ~,
roportions of gum, sugar, oil, woody a.. az
Der and ash. The starch and woody fiber ' v"
re composed of carbon, hydrogen and r,
xygen, so are also the gum, sugar and
i. and the gluten contains these elements ~
by nitrogen, sulphur and 90, %
hosphorus. All these proximate con- nv
itucnts are combustible when burned in Gu, GU
&c ordinary way, and are consumed with ''l'
eater rapidity when diffIused as a cloud "!!
rough the air. When the flour is "" ".'
covered from seive placed some distance ~. n'
owe gas flame, rapid combustion takes 81:
ace; indeed, the flour burns with explo- s'"'
'e rapidity, and the flame ticks up the 10. rs.
ur showers somewhat in the same way W..
ut it flashes through mixture of gas om .s
d air, or that it travels along train of op p
npowder. Similarly, the flour blown o,.
o cloud by a pair of bellows, at once na
les fire and burns with a sudden and ''V q
id flash. The smut taken from the y
lin during cleansing. and the shorts sep J Eas
ted from the flour, burn with equal - ,
diness.' "a
,,oh :. +,, .. the
49, o.,;.. N Ia, u"' base
ign consideration. ~. ~,
M, ov,>,,,, shall
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