The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1883-05-03
DEADLY DYNAMITE.
History Of This Greatest of all Explosives
simplicity of Its Process OF Preparation
Bow and where Il Is Manufactured.

Now that the question OF the use OF dypa
mite hiss become u vital one in the ranks o
tbe Irish party in this country, history Of
the most powerful of all explosives ma,
nroye OF interest to the thousands wio read
With horror of the deeds that are accom-.
plished abroad by its agency.
Dynamite is one of The many poducts or
com binstious of nitro-glycerire, and is
about thirteen times as powerful as gunpoy
der. The discovery OF this dangerous and|o-
tent explosive was made in ls6 by Asagne
sob-ero, then a pupil in tn, labortory Of
peouse, the eminent Fren'h cherist, who
devoted twenty years of his life tc,he inyes-
tieation OF the chemistry of oils and fats.
Sobrero, having trle l serie OF expert
ments, eventually madeexploSse prepara-
tons from dextrine, mannite cane sugar,
and glycerine. The announcement OF the
d scoyery caused asepation the scientific
world, but for some years sciahgerous and
40 treacherous was the new explosive that
fsv attempted in any WV to utilize il.
The force and power were there to 40 al
most ANYTHING, but then.he material was
Iabe TO explode permahrtl y, and without
any apparent provocatpn, and for q long
time scientific men aloe knew of lis exis-
tence. Some time abelt 1865 or 1864 Henry
and Alfred Nobel, pactical mining engi-
neerS, began TO experiment. with nitro.
rlycerine AS a blasting agent, and found it
80 effective and SO economical that they at
once took out patAts in various countries,
claiming that the. were the inventors OF
The compound. Their claim to the inven-
tion is clearly mfounded, AS Sobrero had
demonstrated ne existence Of nitro-sugar,
nitro.dex,rine and nitro-glycerine nearly
score of yesfs before, but there can be no
question tht the Mobiles first applied the
patent explosive to its legitimate uses.
The Noiies were not successful in their
earlier eforts, owing 10 the large number
OF accidents caused by nitro glycerine in
Norway and In Germany, where hundreds
Of basers lost their lives through igno.
rance Or carelessness; so finally they gave
up tie use of the explosive in its original
form. They now contine their trade TO
MIXTURE OF rotten stone and glycerine,
which forms the compound SO widely
Known as dynamite.
Dynamite was patented in the United
States May 26. 1865, the patent being grant.
ed to A fred Nobel of Hamburg, Germany.
assignor to John Bandmaun, of San Fran
cisco, 1t consists OF com bination of nitro
gyGerlne with substance of great absorb
ent power-such, for instance, as fullers'
earth or rotten stone By this com bina.
ton the explosiveness of the nitro-glycerine.
is controlled, as it were, and the compound
is capable of withsta'Slng all the ordinary
dangers transportation, while at the same
TINE It's explosive power is not lessened
.Areporter who called upon Powers &
Weightman, the great manufacturing chem
= M
manufactured nitro-glycerine or any of its
compounds. "We were applied to several
years ago. said member OF the firm, for
8 large quantity of nitric and sulphuric acid
which was to be used in New York for the
manufacture of the explosive, but for some
reason, probably a question of price or
money, We did not close the bargain. We
have no desire to extend our business into
tne manufacture OF nitro-glycerine or any
ofits compounds. remember, now that
you mention the subject, that when the de-
mand for nitro 'ycerine first began we were
on one occasion put to a deal of trouble.
AT that time we had contract to sup.
piya soap and perfumery manufacturer
10 the east with considerable glycerine,
sometimes as much as one thousand bar
refs IN lot. One day we sent a number
Of barrels OF glycerine to the Pennsylvania
depot ana were somewhat astonished at a
cali from one of the officials. He had evil
IDENTIFY been reading the newspapers, which
were hlled ut that time with nitro. glycerine
explosions for he gave us notice that the
road would not risk the carrying of our
goods without a satisfactory guarantee
that they were not explosive. 1t took no
time to convince him that glycerine is not
explosive, and that it is only the basis tor
the great explosive"
DO you know of any manufacturers of
dynamite in this city,"
, Ihere are none nearer than Camden:
that IS, unless some individuals are making
suaIl quantities for their own use, and that
lao not consider probable. The process of
manufacture is very simple. You take
certain proportion vf nitric and sulphuric
aclu ana NIX them with certain other pro-
portions OF glycerine, which is the essence
VI Ia', TO make the nitro-elycerine. l'wont
guarantee that IN case you try this exoerl-
nleht you won't be blown into smithereens,
because some of the processes are very
dangerous, but tell you that making nitro
sEeeflhe IS as easy as rolling OIL log, if
you know how to do it. To make dypa-
mite you only need to mix ntro-glycerine
WIN some absorbent materiai-tuller's
earth IS the best-to have dynamite. It's
easy enough, is it not2n
ine romance of Disinherited Mothers