Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1878-12-26
ExPIOsIVE FLOUR.
The Deadly Energies that are
Latent i'm the Family Flour
Barrel.
From the New York World.


The recent flour mill explosion at
Minneapolis has revived the discussion
begun in July, 1872, at the time OF the
explosion nf the TradestOn Mills, at
Glasgow, and since revived ut each
succeeding accident Of similar charac-
ter. The insurance companies paid
their losses, though at first inclined TO
contend that the causes leading to the
explosion were within the control of
the owners. DR.. Smith, of Manches-
ter, examined several cases recorded in
Germany, and Concluded that "flOur
and bran Intimately mixed and in q
fine state Of division give off at 450 de-
grees Fahrenheit a gas which, when
mixed with nine volumes Of air, forms
an explosive mixture liable at any
time to be fired by spark or fame"
and recommended that the use OF ex-
posed portable light ia mills should be
prohibited. Wiebe's theory was that
-four in the form Of impal pable powder
undergoes rapid combustion when ig-
nited, highly explosive hydrO-carbon
gas being generated during the process
of combustion that is dangerous when
mixed with air.
Prof. Stevenson Macadam and Prof.
Rankine inquired into the rrsdestOn
affair, and the opinion advanced by
the former gentleman has been very
generally received. All the chemical
cUmpOnents OF -four, he says, are COM
bu.lible when burned in the ordinary
way, and are consumed with greater
rapidity when diffused as a cloud
through the air. Flour showered from
seive placed some distance above
gas fame burns with explosive rap
idity; still better experiment is to
place -One flour In n box lying invert-
ed in its lid, introduce light and then
with II bellows blow the -four into q
cloud, when instantly the box will be
blown from off is lid and much flame
rush out. The flour resolves itself into
gases whose volume is much increased
by their high temperatures at the mo-
ment of combustion, and the condi-
tons required to bring about fire ex =
plosiOn are somewhat similar to those
which cause gas explosion. 1t is al
so necessary that the fiour-air mixture
be confined within given space. In
Prof. Macddam's experiments with
boxes closed and weighed down, the
lids and weights were blown off and
the sides split up with much force and
loud noise. AT Minneapolis, where
in May last nineteen men were killed
by such an explosion, Profs. Peckham
and Peck agreed that sparks from the
mill stones running empty had ignited
the dust, which instantaneOusly gener-
ated powerfully expansive gas. The
jury practically agreed with this view,
and condemned open purifiers as crea-
ting an unusual amount of the danger
Gus dust, though no opinion was ex-
pressed as to what precaution might
be lawfully required of millers.
Among other recent instances recor-
ded is that of Mr.. Kehl, of Chippewa
Falls, Wis, who was examining q
clogged spot with a lantern, when the
flour sifted down, and ignltIng, ex-
plOded, knocking down aud burning
himself and an assistant, though as
there was no opening tn the superior
stories to conduct the fiaino, there was
comparatively little damage done. At
the Empire Mills, In Des Moines, Il
workman carrying lamp stirred with
his hand box full of the dust, which
instantly blazed like powder, and at
Van Meter, Ia, where man carried u
light into the dust rooms, the gas lgni-
ted and flashed up the elevator, burn
ing hole through the roof. So uni
fornly haye explosions resulted under
these circumstances that while It may
not be possible to prevent accidents
like that of last May at the Wnshburn
Mill, Minneapolis, it does seem as il
mill hands should be prohibited from
carrying uncovered lights into places
little less dangerous than coal mines or
powder magazines.