Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1881-04-13

glass bombs 1t i, probable that on beius

glass bombs 1t il probable that on being
thrown it would have exploded.
Supposing the bombs were provided with
percussion capsr
Then the bombs would have to be thrown
accurately. A shell thrown from a gur
strikes accurately point on, so that the cap
is exploded, but glass balls thrown by
hand would not surely retain any given
position, and cap at any point would not
necessarily be touched or exploded. The
whole mass would have to be highly ex-
plosive for the certain success of such a
process. II the balls were filled with nitro
gly cerine, may say that would not like
to have one of them strike at my feet; still,
the chances are that it would not explode
How much more effective such a ball
would be if it were filled with the fulmi.
nate of mercury or the illuminate of silver.
The illuminate of mercury constitutes the
percussion in ordinary caps. The assasslns
having that had an agent more powerful
than nitro-glycerine, and it has been known
since the beginning of the century. Dyna-
mite, mtro-glycerine, glucodIne and gun
cotton, are ali forms of the same thing,
and the effort has been to make these
harmless under ordinary shock and fire.
Why should the conspirstors have used
these? They had known agent, effec-
tive and certain, and there was no need
to look for an internal novelty.
What Eliminates are common, and what
would have been their effect?
The illuminate of mercury would have
done. An ounce of ii exploded on this
desk would tear hole through IT. 1t
costs only $3.50 pound. A glass ball,
such as those the marksmen shoot at, about
the size of hens egg,If filled with fulmI-
nate of mercury and exploded as the bombs
were exploded which killed the Gar, would
rend the ground asunder and produce
effects identical with those which have been
reported. The effect of these Eliminates
is the same as that of dynamite. Dynamite
rs only weaker, less susceptible form of
them. They operate instantaneously.
Gunpowder works gradually and moves the
bullet fIom gun. illuminate of mercury
exploded In gun would act instantly and
before the inertia OF the bullet was over
come the gun would be shattered. If you
put your shoulder to d wagon and applied
force gradually you would move the wagon.
If you ran your shoulder full tilt against
wagon the wagon would not move and you
would hurt your shoulder. That is the
difference in the operations of gunpowder
and illuminate
The is no reason why the assassins
shouldn't have been contented with the
illuminate of mercury. 1t is cheap and
common. When it is wet il can be trans
ported with impunity, and when 1t is dry
it can be exploded by slight conclusion,
and its effects are disastrous. A supply
for those glass bombs could have been got
from number Of percussion caps or cart
ridges. The bigger the bomb the more
disastrous the explosion, of course; but a
ball the size of a hens egg, as have said,
woxld have contained enough of this sub
stance to produce the effect reported Full
inmate of silver might have been used. 1t
is more highly explosive than the fulmi-
i2ats q mercury. illuminate of gold is
fnQ fxo IN l;p3ahly they did
'noe 8 : - ] NJ - dehie-
Inc chloride OF nitrogen is another facile
high explosive; they could not have
handled it.