The Arkansaw traveler., 1883-04-21

than any other substance. One pound of the infusorial silica will absorb three pounds Of nitro-glyrerine, and make . solid substance which can be dried, and is then dynamite or giant powder. Al Drakesville, N. l., there IS bed of this
 silica, which is used in the powder man. ufactory there. It is the bottom of dried up lake, and singularly enough. the electro-silicon that is sold in the shops for polishing silverware is nothing but fine kind of the iEfusorial silica brought from the west
 "Dyuamise, therefore. is nitro-glycer-
 inc, with just enough of the silica added to convert 1t into powder that can De handled with comparative safety. Noble obtained patent for his discovery. and. in order to evade H. various manufac- turers have substituted other substances for the irfusorial silica. and this accounts for the variety of names for what IS es- sentizlly the same thing, such as Jupiter powder. rendroek, etc. Among the sub stisutes are mica. gun-poGder and mag nesia. The Ditmar Powder company mixed sugar with the glycerine before nitrating It. and thus obtained A mixture of ni,ro-sugar and nitro-glycerine, which was called glukodine. This, mixed with an absorbent. gave powder possessing all the explosive power of dynamite. One of |, c most recent improvements fl Il IS an mprovement-in this class IS an explosive gela;ine or gum. which IS made by dissoiving soluble gun-cotton m nitro-glyoerine and adding a small percentage of camphor.
 By niirating carbolie acid. pieric acid is produced, which, by itself, Is not par iiCularly explosive; but by combining II with potash or bayia. most explosive products result bu, they have not proved successful competitors of the ni;ro-glyeerine preparations. A totally different class of explosives are those in which the illuminate of mercury IS used. The illuminate is chiefly used in porous sion caps. though at one time they filled the heads of harpoons with it. and killed whales by it's explosion. instead of stab ping them 10 death laboriousiy. It is so dangerous to handle, however, that 1t is hardly available for any purpose except percussion caps. Then there are some substances which are too dangerous to handle at all. such as the liquid chloride of nitrogen, and the solid iodide of nitro gen ; they do not explode by combustion. but by Association. There are hundreds of different explosive preparations. Take any eombustible substance and max Ii with something neh in oxygen. and you have an explosive. Or. take any vegeta- ble substance which admits of being ni- trated. and make a ni,ro-eompoand by mixing il with sulphunc and nitric acids. and you have a terrible explosive.
 II IS the extreme simplicity of ihe pro- cess Of making dynamite. which adds 10 the danger frofa the desperate men across the water. It will be very difficult for England io control the manufacture. + can only be done by regulating the sale of the agents. as the sale oi poison Is regulated. or by taking in hand itself the exclusive right 10 manufacture all eNplo- siNes. The agents are so generally harm less in themselves that their sale could hardly be regulated. If you can get oil of vitriol and saltpetre you can make nitric acid. Nitric acid itself is used by builders, saltpetre for curing meat. glycerine is simple harmless substance when left alone. oil ofviiriol must be had for manufactures and SD i, is tha, 10 re- strict all these would be very difficult. No grea, chemical skill is necessary to the manufacture of enough dynamite to blow up all the government houses in Europe. It must be made in small quantities. and the whole process consists ci mixing sul- phuric and nitric acids. and adding slycerine slowly while the acid is .si- tatcIi. and ihC vessel in which the mlX- ture is made is kep, cold by surrounding ii with ice water. The chief danger comes from the necessity of having 1t thoroughly washed to get the acid ou, aftelward, ar i, IS liable 10 undergs spon- taneous decomposition. There Is no need of sending any of the agents to England. for they are as easily made there as here"
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 old f,anerS ,-S per hundred ,t th,c OG,Sa