The Lincoln County leader. [volume] (White Oaks, Lincoln County, N.M.) 1882-189?, 1883-04-28
Lincoln County Lender.
Saturday, April 20, 1888.
DYNAMITE.
VIVA. 1t Is, and Where and How It Il
Made.
Zion ID New York TrIhnne.

From the New York Tribune.
The discovery of n nitro-glyccr-
me factory in Birmingham, Eng
land, a few days ago, has excited
not a little curiosity touching the
manufacture Of the terrible cxplo-
sivcs which have come into proni-
nence as agents Of political agita-
ton among the laWlcss and reck-
less classes Of Russia and Ireland.
That dynamite can be made in
sufficient quantities to ovcrturn all
the government buildings IN Eur
ope, by a man OF inconsiderab!e
chemical knowledge, and by the
aid OF the simplest household uton-
sils-a few pitchers and %iars-it
it will surprise many to know.
And yet the process is Of the sim
plest imaginable kind. It's a
good deal easier and quicker than
to make griddle cakes, said Prof.
Doremus, Il day or two ago.
"The general principle that IN
dcrlies all explosives used for fire
arms and blasting, said DIR. +. G.
Chandler, to a Tribune reporter,
Yesterday, sis a combination Of
combustible matter with somthing
rich in oxygen, to support combus-
ton in such quantities that it can
burn without the immediate aid of
the atmosphere. Gun-powdcr,
which Is the oldest Of all, is Il mix
turc Of saltpetre, sulphur and char
coal and the most interesting fact
about it is that they say, now, that
it doesn't explode. The new q
gents, such as gun-cottou, nitro
glyccrine, and others like them,
explode so much more quickly
that it has become necessary either
to limit the definition OF 'eXplode'
or to substitute two words to indi-
cate the difference. Either gun
powder does not explode, or it de
H~agrates, while nitro-glycerine de
tonates. Why, Il man can walk
eighty times as fast as gun-powder
explodes. If You were to fire a
piece OF gun-powder eight feet in
diameter, ali over It's exterior, it
would lake it a minute to burn up.
This comparative slow combustion
is exactly that which adapts it to
use in fire arms. If it were to OK
plode instmtaneously, everything
would have to give way before it {;
but as it burns gradually, it pushes
the bullet faster and faster until it
attains its maximum speed. So
they can, and do, regulate the size
of the powder grains to the size
ofthe charge and the length OF the
gun. a large charge of rife-pow-
der il a cannon would blow it to
pieces. For blasting and torpedo
work, however, and the deyelish
results which the socialists and nj
hilists in Europe are aiming at,
the most powerful explosives are
wanted, 50 that maximum results {
may be attained with the minimum
quantities. From the time OF Fri
ar Bacon to the present there have
been a great many substitutes for
gun-powder invented for blasting
purposes, such as pyrolith, com
posed Of potasse and saltpetre, So
da saltpetre, sulphur and spent
tan bark {; saXifragin, composed Of.
nitrate of baryta, charcoal and pot
ash saltpetro ; Schultze's powder,
which attracted a great deal of at
tenticn when it appeared, com
posed of sawdust that had been
treated with a solution Of nitric
and sulphuric acids, so as to CON
vert il into a sort Of gun-powder
and then soaked III a saltpetre sol
vent; haloXylin, a mixture of char
coal, saltpetre and prussiate of pot
ash ; Augundre's white powder,
composed Of chlorate Of potash,
sugar and and prussiate Of potash;
Gallons powder, consisting OF chic
rate Of potash and yellow sulphur
ate Of arsenic Ehrhardt's powder,
made by combining chlorate Of
potash, nitre of potash, charcoal
aud tannin and IIahu's powder,
composed OF chlorate OF potash,
sulphide Of anthony, charcoal and
spermaceti. In these mixtures
the agents that support the com
bustion are saltpetrc, chlorate OF.
potash and nitrate of bary.a.
In g|un-cottou, nitro glyceriue
and similar bodies, these agents
are represented by the uitryl,
which +, derived from nitric acid,
and with which the cotton, glyccr-
inc, etc., are treated. A great va
r,ety Of substances can be nitrated
and mad. fNll,siva eupb MS c,tfYp