The San Antonio light. (San Antonio, Tex.) 1883-1886, 1883-04-25
DYNAMITE.
what is It, How I, It Made and What It
Does


Does.
Dynamite is niiro-glycerine with just
enough Of the silica added to convert it into
powder that can be handled with compare
tive safety. Nobel obtained patent for his
discovery, and, in order to evade it, various
manufacturershave substituted other substance
for the infusorial silica, and this accounts
for the variety Of names for what is essentially
the same thing such as Jupiter powder, rend-
rock, etc. Among the substitutes are mica,
gunpowder and magnesia. The Ditmar Pow
der company mixed sugar with the glycerine
before nitrating it, and thus obtained mix
ture Of nitro-sugar and nitro -glyceride, which
was called ginkodne. This mixed with an
absorbent gave FREDERICKSBURG all the
explosive power of dynamite. One Of the
most recent improvements-ifiti is an improve
ment-in this class is an explosive gelatine or
gum, which is made by dissolving soluble
gun-cotton in nitro-glycerine and adding a
small percentage of csmphor.
"By nitrating carbolic acid picric acid is
produced, which by itself is not particularly
explosive, but by combining it with potash or
baryta most explosive products result; but
Of the nitro glycerine preparations. A totally
different class OF explosives are those in
which the illuminate is chiefly used in percus-
sion caps, though at one time they filled the
heads of harpoons with it and killed whales
by its explosion instead of stabbing them to
death laboriously- 1t is so dangerous to han
die, however, that it is hardly available for
any purpose except percussion caps. Then
there are some substances which ara too dan
gerous to handle at all, such as the liquid
chloride Of nitrogen and the solid iodide Of
nitrogen; they do not explode by combustion
but by dissertation. There are hundreds OF
different explosive preparations. Take any
conbustible substance and mix it with some
thing rich in oxygen and you have an explo-
sve, or take any vegetable substance which
admits of being nitrated, and make a nitro
compound by mixing it with sulphuric and nj
trio acids, and you have terrible explosive.
1t is the extreme simplicity of the process Of
making dynamite which adds to the danger
from the desperate men across the water. 1t
will be very difficult for England to control
the manufacture. 1t can only be done by
regulating the sale of the agents, as the sale
OF poison is regulated, or by taking in hand
itself the exclusive right to manufacture all ex-
plosives. The agents are so generally harm
less in themselves that their sale could hardly
be regulated. Ifyou can get oil of vitriol
and saltpetre you can make nitric acid. Nj
trio acid itself is used by builders, saltpere
for curing meat, glycerine is a simple, harm
les, substance when left alone; oil of vitriol
must be had for manufactures; and so it is
that to restrict all these would be very diff
cult. No great chemical skill is necessary to
manufacture enough dynamite to blow up all
the Government houses in Europe. 1t must
be made in small quantities, and the whole
process consists of mixing sulphuric and nitric
acids and adding glycerine slowly while the
acid is agitated, and the vessel in which the
mixture IS made is kept cold by surrounding
it with ice-water. The chief danger comes
from the necessity of having it thoroughly
washed to get the acid out alterward, or 1t is
liable to undergo spontaneous decomposition.
There is no need Of sending any of the agents
to England, for they are as easily made there
as here"