Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1883-05-16
What Dynamite Can Do.

A plot TO Blow up London has
been announced; but London is more
difficult to blow up than 10 burn. y
couple of hundred weight of nitrO-gly-
cerine is fearful cargo, and would
cause tremendous damage. The noise
and confusion would strike terror into
thousands. and many buildings not actu
| ally launched into the air would be
thrown into heap of ruins. y box of
gunpowder would lie far less terrible
III lis effects. and yet large proportion
of the energy possessed by the nitro
glycerine would he practically thrown
away. That is to say, if all the force
lappertainingt the mtrO-glycerine were
presented in the form of gunpowder,
much greater ruin would he wrought
among surrounding buildings.
Considerable excitement was created
in the summer of 1881 10y the discovery
Iofsundry internal machines concealed
III the cargOeS which arrived at Liver
pool from America Each machine WAS
a metallic box fitted with a clock-work
arrangement, and containing about two
pounds of dynamite. Col. Maleudle
and Major Ford, in their last annual
report under the Explosives act of 1870,
state that the experiments which they
afterWard conducted with one of these
machines against masonry structure
showed that the machines were not
nearly so destructive as was popularity
supposed. " The experiments conduct
ed by Col. Majendie and his colleague,
as We'll as some of earlier date 10y the
ROydl Engineer Committee, were con-
sideTed to prove that the effect of
IsmalI charges of dynamite and similar
Explosives upon masonry structures Is
Essentially local The results would
necessarily vary according To the rela-
tion between the charge employed, the
strength of the building attacked, the
area presented by the structure, and the
position selected for the charge. But,
II was added, any general, or even
partial, destruction of a public building
lor of substantial dwelling house,
could not be accomplished except 10y the
use of very much larger charges OF dy-
lnamite and similar substances than
could usually lie brought to bear with
out attracting observation; and the ei-
feet of single internal machine CON
tanning Il few pounds of explosive, would
lie structuTaly insignificant. In the
leXplosiOn at the offices of the Local Go
vernment Board the local effect was III
, tense. the stOneWOrk close at hand be
ing pulyerized, while the general struc
ture OF the building stood firm.
Sir Frederick \. Abel observes that
the SCATTERING and splitting effect o
dynamite upon rock Is much greater
than that of gunpOWder; IN qUaTryIng
the rock Is not generally thrown OFF 10y
them to the same extent as by the les
, violent agent. Dynamite has sometime
been employed tO assure the rock, an,
, afterward large quantities OfgunpOWde
/ have been poured into the crevlceS. b,
; the explosion of which enormous masse
; OF rock have been removed. In sub
| marine demOlitiOns it has in like man
! ner been found that when irOn-bml
J lShips have to De destroyed, the hftin;
! effect of large charges of gUnpOWdeT
: advantageous in clearing the frame
p work and other parts which have bee
. shattered. but not actually removed, b
, the more violent class of explosives. /
I is a curious fact that even gtmpoWde
/ can be made to approximate III It's cha
I ,racteT to the nitrO-glycerine compounds
if il be fired by means of powerful dc
u donating fuse III tins plan be adupte
il becomes no longer necessary tOr th
u lgunpoWder to be closely confined. but
shares with the dynamite class the pre-
= lperty of displaying great force Vine
= placed merely in contact with the ma
il terial to be destroyed.
g 1t Is this quality of force, mdepeI
i dent of confinement. which makes HItr,
: glvcerme compounds So available ft
. levil purposes. The clOckwork arrang'
. iment Is also dispensed with 10y the III
IS of an acid which is set free To eat II
way through few thickneSSeS of paPe
Il luntil it reaches Il chemical cumpum
which detonates. and starts the eNpi'
y lsiVe in contact with 1t. Comparing III
r: Mantle and gm-cOttOn withpunpOwde
| We are told that I'm military operation
"a where great displacing action Is n
d Quired. gunpowdeT has the mdOubte
Is advantage This Is really what IL
- dynamite army" would desire in carr.
m ing out their designs for the deStrTctlo
Il lof London. But rs the conSprat0rs al
,t obliged to act furtively, they have n
al sorted To lieTceT and less cUmbroI
* agent than gjmpowder. Ii the nitn
glycerine seized 10y the police in Soutl
dmpton street was intended to form Il
basis of one explosion, and # 1t was a
ranged that similar quantities should
III fired in Southwark and elsewhere, Il
III effect must needs have been tremen'
~ Gus. surprising the tiendish programm
X to have been successfully carried on
re The deafening nature of explosion won
ii itself constitute moral effect of a We
At intense description. The smashing
1T brickwOrk and masonry, the crash
falling buildings, and the general u
e roar and confusion, would create
~ scene of the most fearful nature, !
TX evitably accompanied by an eNteusI
T. sacrifice of human life. Yet even 2
er weight of nitro-glycerine, despite
ne terrible energy. would fail to accom-
ht liSh all the desolatiOn which write
IN have generally predicted concerning