The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1878-11-06
Wrestling with Giant Powder.

The accidents that occur from the use
of giant powder, writes a Downieville
miner to the Mountain Messenger, com
pared with those arising from the use
Of black powder, aIe in number alto
gether most favorable to the former.
Men that have used the black powder 6
lifetime, and the giant since it first came
into use, are most frequently the onet
that are injured or killed. They have
become too familiar, and consequently
more careless in handling. Either it il
question of doubt whether an accident
ever occurs from using powder in mines
at all if all the disasters we hear OF
read of could be traced up, nearly all
would be found to be carelessness OF
pure absence of mind of the persons
using them and those that have used
them longest may be the next victims.
Miners know that the giant caps are
more dangerous than the powder itself.
I will mention three cases. one my own.
We often read or hear who people lose
their fingers or their lives by investigat-
ing the illuminate in giant caps with a
pin, q nail, knife, or even carrying
them loose in their pockets, the mercury
getting warm and exploding with light
concussion, and portions of the copper
entering the vital parts and causing
death. The appearance Of miner on
our streets recently, minus two fingers
and thumb, through the explosion of
cap he was cleaning the sawdust from
with a wooden splinter, shows that great
care is needed in handling them. Tom
Callison & Co., at Alabama Hill, about
four years ago, were thawing out eight
cartridgesunde the stove one cold morn
ing before daylight, previous to going
to work. The paper wrappers are well
saturated with glycerine and easily take
fire. A cinder or spark came in contact
with one of the wrappers, and Instantly
each cartridge was shooting and kissing
out blaze that seemed of the Internal
regions they did not explode, but Tom
did. He shot out Of the window and
took the sash with him cut his feet
with the glass, and landed on the cold,
beautiful snow. He was lame for three
weeks. The cabin was in blaze, but
that they soon extinguished. I came
within an inch of my life within the
last fortnight. I had drilled twenty
inch hole in the bedrock, about $50
feet from the mouth of the tunnel. The
tunnel is very crooked. I fixed my giant
cap on the fuse. and about eight inches
of giant cartridge. With the cap and
fuse in one hand, and tamping and
tamping-stick in the other, and,. con-
trary to my previous cautiousness, !
carried the candlestick, with lighted
candle, in the same hand with the
powder. The candle had burned low
and hurried on to light another.
Walking quickly threw back the blaze
of the candle and ignited the powder.
I heard kissing noise, but we had
broken through into the old ground,
and fancied it might be the wind. I
turned my head to reach for new can
die, my other one at that instant lad
gone out. 7 saw then, with horror, my
giant cartridge was on fire, and in
total darkness, but by great good luck
the cartridge projected one inch farther
forward than the cap beside. I turned
it up, and looked right into it. They,
the cartridges, are about an inch in di-
ameter, but that one looked ct least q
foot. 7 would not swear, but it seemed
like three feet, with an Intense red
glowing heat in the bottom. started
to run in the darkness, and held on
for an instant to. the internal thing.
Quick as thought I threw it back from
me as far as I could, expecting the
shock would make it explode but it
did not. 1 heard it kissing in the dark
for some time, until I suppose it burned
out. I emerged from that tunnel in hot
haste, a frightened, but, I hope, G wiser
man. There are numbers Of narrow es-
capes we never hear OF, but the fatal
ones shock the whole community.