Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1880-08-11

now OF SlyceTiue Is leSSeneu, anu ny
stirring with the glass tube the nitrous
vapors are dispelled Should the en-
gine stop working by any unforeseen
circumstance, the current of air, will,
of course, be stopped, when the mix
ture will take fire. In this case it is
necessary to stir the mixture, and at
once stop the flow of glycerine. When
the glycerine and the acid are all mix
ed, and the nitrous fumes cease to ap-
pear, the nitro-glycerine from each
pitcher is dumped into large tank Of
water, at temperature of 10 degrees,
about $50 pounds of nitro-glycerine be-
ing the amount of each batch manufac-
tured. The nitro-glycerine sinks to the
bottom, and is covered by about six
feet of water. Here it remains for ff-
teen minutes, to be subsequently wash
ed free from any impurities. This tank
projects through the floor into base
ment chamber, it's bottom being on a
slight incline, so that the nitro-glycer-
inc may run out easily. The water is
first drawn off from the top of the nitro
glycerine, and then the latter is run in
to a wooden swinging tub, in shape
somewhat like an old-fashioned butter
churn, but good deal larger in diam
eter In this it is washed five times,
three times with plain water and twice
with soda, current of air working
through it at the same time. The wa
ter from this tub is run off into wood
en- trough, which conveys it to barrel
buried in the earth, in the side of which
hole carries it to another barrel lit
tie lower down the hill, and this into
another barrel, whence it finds its way
to the dump of rocks which were re-
moved from the tunnel; any nitro-gly-
cerine that may have escaped in the
washing process being collected and re-
tanned in one or other of these three
barrels. The ni:ro-glycerine is by this
time thoroughly washed and ready to
store in the magazine, 900 feet distant,
to which it is carried in couple of
pals. In the magazine the nitro-gly-
cerine is poured into the "crocks," as
they are called, earthenware jars, hold
ing 60 pounds. These crooks are then
placed in wooden tank q feet deep,
which hold 30 of them, and immersed
to within six inches from the top of the
jars in water warmed by a small pipe
| from the boiler, to raise the tempera-
ture 70 deg, at which temperature it
is kept all the time, as nearly as possi-
BILE. They remain in this water about
70 hours, during which time any i'm
purities still remaining rise to the sur
face as scum and are skinned off with
spoon. The nitro-glycerine is then
chemically pure, transparent as water,
refracts light powerfully, and is ready
for packing. The tin cans, lined with
parafiine, and containing Sc pounds
each, are placed in shallow wooden
trough, and the nitro-glycerine, being
poured from the cracks into copper
cans, is again poured into the tin thro'
a gutta percha funnel, the bottom of
the trough being covered with thick
layer of plaster of paris, which absorbs
and renders harmless any drops of nj
tro-glycerine that may be spilled The
tins are then placed in a wooden trough
containing iced water, or ice and salt,
where the nitro-glycerine is slowly
crystallized or CONCEALED. In this con-
dition it is slowed away in small mag
azines, 800 feet distant, in amounts of
80 or 40 cans each, until required for
use. When the nitro-g -glycerine is to be
conveyed to any point by teams, the
cans are packed in open wooden boxes,
with two inches of sponge at the bot
tom and four rubber tubes underneath;
these are long enough to allow the
ends to come one inch over the top OF
the tin on opposite sides, thus interpos-
ing two elastic tubes between the out
side of the tin and the inside of the
wooden box, rendering it perfectly safe
to carry Each tin is cellular, i. e.,
from top of each tin to the bottom a
tube passes about 10 inches deep and
II inches in diameter, for the purpose
of throwing the CONCEALED nitro-glycer-
inc when the blast is ready to use it,
liquefaction being effected with water
of 10 to 80 degrees. The tins, being
closed with cork wrapped in bladder,
are put into sleigh or wagon, cover.
ed in summer with layer of ice and
blankets, and may thus be carried any
distance in this purified Crystalline state
as safely as so many tubs of butter.
GUARDING AGAINST DANGER
Perfect system pervades this factory,
and it is necessary to insure safety.
The steadiest men possible are selected
for the work; three are employed in
the acid house, working in three shifts
of eight hours each, but they do not
actually work more than seven hours
Every movement is like clockwork
every man has his place and special du.
ty, which he is expected to perform at
the proper time. In the morning at
or 1880, two men dump the carboys oi
acid into the soapstone tanks and mix
them, while third is filling the glass
jars with glycerine. This operation
takes about an hour One draws the
acid, another weighs it, and third
carries it to the troughs. After an in
terval, during which the acids cool,
three men attend closely to the con.
verting of the glycerine into tri-nitro.
glycerine. After the nitro-glycerine is
dumped into the water tank, two. men
are employed in washing it, while two
wash the stone pitchers with water
The floors are kept scrupulously clean
and perfectly free from atoms of nitro
glycerine, which, stepped upon while
the men are at work, might send them
to eternity and the building to smith
Green's The room is then prepared fol
next days operations, and, by about
one or two o'clock, after six, or at mos
seven hours work, the days work il
done Notwithstanding the extreme
care used to avoid accidents, the Now
bray works have been blown up three
times, and of the nine competent super