The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1881-04-30
are Eliminates which are much moro cer-

ulc iutuiIuhIcS WHICH arc mlCn moro Cer-
tam and forcible.
The explosion Is reported to have torn a
deep hole in tho pavement fonr feet in dia
meter. Mustn't 1t have required yer,
powerful agent TO accomplish such al
| effect3
Certainly, but not an unfamiliar one
what are known as the del elonatlng powders
Fhave been familiar for vt least fifty years
ana nothing could have been selected thai
would have been more certain In it's results
simple chlorate OF potash and sulphur
make terrific explosive. If it had beer
dynamite that had been contained in the
glass Nombs 1t is probable that on being
thrown it would have exploded.
Supposing the bombs were provided with
percussion caps?
Then the Lo.nbs would have to be thrown
accurately. ~ shell thrown from a gun
strikes accurately point ON, 10 that the cap
Is exploited, out glass balls thrown by
hand would not surely retain any given
position, and cap ut any point would not
necessarily be touched or exploded. The
whole mass would have to be highly ex-
ploslve Tor The certain success of such O
'ocess. If the balls were filed with nitro
glS ccr'ne, J may say that would not like
10 have one Of them strike at my feet; still
the chances arc that it would not explode.
How much more effective such u ball
would be If 1t were filled with The fulmi
nate OF mercury or the illuminate of silver.
lie illuminate of mercury constitutes the
percussion III ordinary caps. he assasslns
having that had an agent more powerful
than hltro-g glyccrino, and 1t has been known
since tho beginning Of the century. Dyna-
mite, mtro-glyccrinc, glucodlne aud gun
cotton, are ali forms of tho same thing,
and the effort has been to make these
harmless under ordinary shock and fire.
why Should the conspira. ors have used
thesrr They had a known agent, cffec-
uVe and certain, and thero was no need
70 look Tor IN internal novelty.
What Eliminates are common, and what
would have been their ELECT?
Ihc 1ulmlDaLe OF mercury would have
done. An ounce OF it exploded Oh this
desk would tear hole through 1t. 1t
costs only $500 pound. a glass ball,
Such as lloso the marksmcn shoot a, ,aboul
tDe size of hen 8 egg,lt filled with 1ulml-
nate or mercury and exploded as The bombs
were exploded which killed ,he Gar, would
reno tho ground usunder aud produce
enecls ldentIcal with those which have been
reported. The etfrcl of these Eliminates
ID the Same as that Of dynamite. Dyna llltc
b only weaker, less susco public form OF
them. They operate simultaneously.
dunpowdor works gradually and moves tue
bullet 1iom gun. illuminate of mercury
exploded III gun would act INSTANTLY y, anu
Dclore the inertia OF Tie bullet was over
come the gun would be shattered, If you
put your shoulder to Il wagon and applied
force gradually you would move Inc Wagon.
II you ran your shoulder tull tilt against a
wagon The wagon would not move and you
would hurt your shoulder. Thu. IL tn.
difference III the operations of gunpowuur
aud a 1ulmiuulu.
Tho is no reason why tho assassins
shouldn have been contented with The
tulnnbate Of mercury. 1t is chcup und
common. When it is wet it can Dc trans
ported with i'npunity, and when 1t is dry
1t can bc oxploded by slight concussion,
and its effects are disastrous. n supply
Tor those glass bombs could have been sOl
from number oi percussion caps or cart
ridges. The bigger tue bomb the more
disastrous the explosion, OF course; but u
ball The size OF hons egg, as have said,
woald have coGlaiued enough Of this sub
stance to produce tho effect reported Full
mipa!o OF silver might have boon used. 1,
is more highly explosive than tho fulmi-
nate OF mercury. Fuimmutc Of gold is
more explosive still. Probably thoy did
not use that; 1t is too dangerous, too Iickle.
The chloride Of nitrogen is another facile
high explosive; they could not have
handled 1t.