Smyrna times., 1882-05-17
Is Flour Explosive?

The terrible mill explosions in different
parts of the world, particularly in Mime
apolis, have appeared mysterious in their
origin. Perhaps the theory Of Prof. r. W.
Tobin, advanced at the reception Of the
Mlllers' Association by the Polytechnic
Society of Louisville, en- Thursday last
M ny be sufficient to explain the causes If
some OF these explosions. Certainly moth
ing SO plausible has been advanced to
account for the sudden destruction of the
mills in Glasgow, Scotland, and in Mime
apolis, and millers may well heed the
warning that there is giant force locked
up in the familiar wheat berry which
when the right time arrives, can, withou,
moments warning, convert a scene of
thrift and industry into one of desolatiOp.
There are certain conditions in which
the simplest substances become the most
dangerous Hydrogen heated with air
evolves violent explosive force. Chic
rate OF potash will not ignite, and starch
eXtlngulshes taper that Is plunged into
it; but mixture of the two substances is
not only highly combustible, but explosive.
The fine dust from the wood ola furniture
factory III mass will not take fire readily
but If heap of it is charged with air from
a bellows flame will leap out of it when
Il lighted taper is applied; and the same is
true of fine patent flour
The minute spores Of the club moss
form an almost impalpapable powder. vet
it is highly inflammable, and is often used
in the manufacture Of fireworks and the
artificial representation OF lightning. It's
maintained by Prof. Tobin that the dust
on the outside of the grain contains SINH.
lar organic spores, which render the dust
shaft and dust rooms the NEST dangerous
places i'll Mills. 70 illustrate the explo.
siveness Of -four, the Professor has devised
a Hour gun, composed Of a pyramid;i'
shaft and barrel, with gas burner at ii.
base, air holes i'll its sides, and hopper al
the top. At the bottom Of the hopper is :
movable shoot operated by an outside
trigger. The hopper is loaded with flouI
or mill dust, and the mouth of the gun i
covered with stout newspaper. The
lighted gas creates an upward draugh
and heats tAe air WheM the trigger i
pulled and the dust or flour is charged
: with the heated air. tremendous explo
sion follows, the building trembles will
the shock, the paper IS blown to shreds
and takes fire by the great heat generate,
in this way.
Upon the day of the destruction of tn
: three Minneapolis mills, they had beei
running all day to the fullest capacity
| the machinery was heated and the air wa
5 charged with dust, for the wheat of tina
: year was exceptionally hard and dense
A workmen carried an open lantern t
the dust shoot to examine some machiner
that had become defective. A draught c
: air rushing in carried before it the fam
and the dust, and in few seconds, afte
: three tremendous detOnatioms, flame
leaped up from the mass of ruins of thre
t great structures.
: 1t is well known that the air Of a flou
!, mill is very dry, as is demonstrated by tn
r electricity generated by the belts, and tha
5 fine flour will rapidly deprive the atmos
: phere of its natural humidity. This fac
: taken with the others abduced, render
Y valuable the advice that the shafts of mill
e should be provided with wet bulb thel
mometers, and that when the air become
t abnOrmally dry, live steam should be il
y jected from the boilers into the mill anC
e as moist atmosphere is held by comp,
a tent millers to be conducive to making
i whitr and better kind of -four thel
p seems to be no objection to this remedy
S n. T. Sun