The daily enterprise. [volume] (Livingston, Mont.) 1883-1884, 1883-08-27
DYNAMITE STORIES.
A Can Of the Explosive Used AS Foot
stool-Kts Proposed Use at Petersburg.

stool-Zts Proposed Use at Petersburg.
In 1865 prisoner who was con-
demned to hard labor in German m;no
"a fate that befalls many evildoers III the
Rhineland) managed to effect his
little confidence IN the mine, and when
he decamped he succeeded in takirg
with him small tin can, containing
about three pounds of nitro-glycerine
Profoundly ignorant of the nature and
fell destructly"liess Of the explosive,
and believing from the care with which
he had always seen it served out IL
the mines that it was Of considerable
value, he clung to his treasure with
tenacity, and eventually embarked for
the United States, carrying the can
with him, and using it on his long sea
voyage as q pillow. Arrived in New
York, he s. .ght accommodations in y
Greenwich sailors boardng-housc.
There, pending his scarc:, for prr-
chaser, he put the can in the publ;
bOarupry us rvtv-rrr>v-a
blacked their boots. This went on To-
fully two weeks, and probably the l1tsie
can was knocked about al tlat time by
careless marines, who little knew tina
danger they were incurr ng. One day
there was fight in the bar-room, and
the can was kicked by q staiwart Ger
man in his efforts to reach one Of his
opponents. That fight ended INSTANTLY.
simultaneously with the kick there wss
a general scattering of all the inmates
of the room, and crashing OF falling
bricks and splintering timbers. ard %
report like seventy-four's broadsid-.
A horse that was passing in the stree
was struck by some of the bricks hurled
from the building and pieces OF an iron
pillar that had been shattered, AID in
stantly killed; but, strangely enough.
the men in the bar-room escaped wisl,
slight bruises, the kicker, even, bsiA3
only stunned by the shock.
In 1866 there was destructive e;;-
plosion on board the West India mai
packet European, which was then lying
at her dock in Aspinwall, on the At.s.tl,,
side of the Isthmus of Panama. Eo"tv-
seven persons lost their lives by tins
disaster, and it's origin was q profound
mystery for some time. Subsequ. 'ntlF'
it was discovered that O part OF til
freight Of the vessel was nitro glYcslii,o
disguised under the apparently inuo-
cent name Of "glonvene" Or "gioao,.,
oil"-which was on its way to the g,ii
mining region of the North America1i
Pacific mining States. The vessel wass
destroyed, and the loss was 81 .0Un,00O.
| Just after this Pacific mali ,;eanslii., ;,
was blown up by nitro-glycerine il tn,
| harbor of San Francisco, and eight per-
sons were killed.
During the siege of Petersburg, Va,
! by Gen. Grant, not long before tho
brows of that hero were adorned with
the laurels of Appcmattox, the chances
or the capture OF the city looked ex-
renely gloomy. At that time Col.
Taliaferro p. Schafner, who had serv. Il
in many European countries as eng.
neer, and was in some way connect 1
with the manufacture of nitro-glyce
rine, suggested to Gen. Grant the es-
/ pediency of blowing up the beleaguer, 4
city with the explosive His propos.-
tion was favorably received, and tho
General and his engineers began to
make the necessary preparations. Il
was the purpose Of the General to mine
as near the city as possible, and t.,
place $4,000 pounds Of nitro-yiycerlue
in a mass at point where the explosi' Ii
could not fail to be effective. Indeed.
it was the opinion Of Col ssscl,afner that
the explosion Of that v.st mas, won.,.
4 have utterly destroyed every b,lildie;s 4
in the city. While the nego.sa!ioas
we're pending, and just before tie con-
tracts were to have been signed Peter
burg was evacuated, and tllus the M ST
stupendous scheme Of modern We s.-s
! was tlfwartod.