The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1883-04-27
DEADLY DYNAMITE.
ITS VERY EXPLOSIVE CHARACTER.
what 1t Is, aor Ills z.d,. rA.a 1t WAS Dl,eor.
cred. what It Csa Do. aud How It Is Carried.
AAtins NItro.GIyesrIas and DyaAnits as
Rny Is BolilaE onA Log, Bat Risky.

cred. what II Csa Do. Asd How Il Is Carried.
AAiins NItro.oIyesrIas shd DyaAnlts ls
Iny ss BolilaE ora Log, Bat Risky.
PHILADELPHIA, April 26-Now that the
question Of the use OF dynamite has become
vital one in the ranks Of the Irish party
in this country, a history Of this most pow.
eriul Of all explosives may prove oi interes,
to the thousands who read with horror oi
the deeds that are accomplished abroad by
its agency. .-.. =
Dynamite is one Of the many products or
combinations Of nitro:glycerine, and is
about thirteen times as powerful as gun
powder. The discovery Of this dangerous
and potent explosive was made in lS46 by
Ascague sobrcro, then pupil in the lab.
oratory OF Pelouzt, the eminent French
chemist, who devoted twenty years Of his
life to the investigation Of the chemistry
OF oils and fats. Sobrsro, having tried q
series OF experiments, eventually made
explosive preparations from dextrine,
mannite, cane sugar aud glycerine. The
announcement Of the discovery was sen.
sation in the scientific world, but for
some years, SO dangerous and 80
treacherous was the new explosive,
that few attempted in any way
to utilize Il. The force and power
were there to do almost anything, but then
the material was liable TO explode prema.
turely and without any apparent proyoca.
ton, and for long time scientific men
alone knew bits existence. Some timeabou
1858 or 1854 Henry and Alfred, Noble prac-
tical engineers began to experiment with
nitro.glycerine as blasting agent, and
found Il 80 effective and so economical
that they at once took out patentsi in various
countries claiming that they were the in.
yentors OF the compound. Their claim 10
the invention is clearly unfounded, al. So
brero had demonstrated the existence OF
nitro.sugar, nitro.dextrin and nitroglycer-
inc nearly score OF years before, but
there can be no question that the Mobiles
first applied the patent explosive to Its le.
gitimate uses. Z,
THE CLAIM OF TILE MOBILES.
The Mobiles were not successful in their
earliest efforts, owing TO the large number
oi grave accidents caused by nitro.glycer-
inc in Norway and in Germany, where
hundreds OF blasters lost their lives through
ignorance or carelessness, so finally they
gave up the use OF the explosive in its orig.
inal form. They now confined their trade
to mixture OF rotten stone and glycerine, !,
which forms the compound 30 widely
known as dynamite.
Dynamite was patented in the United
States May %, 1865, the patent being grant
ed to Alfred Noble, OF Hamburg, Germa.
ny, assignor to John Brandmann, OF San
Francisco. 1t consists Of combination Of
nitro glycerine with substance OF great
absorbent power, such, for instance, as
iullers' earth or rotten stone. By this COM
position the explosiTeness OF the nitro.
glycerine is controlled, as it were, and the
compound is capable Of wi,hstanding all
the ordinary dangers OF transportation,
while at TIE same time its explosive power
is not lessened.
A reporter who called upon Powers &
Weightman, the great manufacturing
chemists, yesterday, was assured that that
firm had never manufactured nitro.glycer.
inc or any Of its compounds. "We were
applied to several years ago," said mem.
Der OF the firm, "for large quantity OF
nitric and eulphuric acid, which waste be
used in New York for the manufacture of
the explosive, but for some reason, prob
ably question Of price or money, we did
not close the bargain. We have no desire
to extend our. business into the manufac.
ture Of nitro glycerine or any Of its COM
pounds. remember, now that you men,
ton the subject, that when the demand for
nitre.glycerine first began, we were on one
occasion put to deal Of trouble.
A RAILROADS PRECAUTIONS.
"At that time We had contract to supply
a soap and perfumery manufacturer in the
East with considerable glycerine, some.
times as much as 1000 barrels in lot.
One day we sent number Of barrels OF
glycerine to the Pennsylvania depot, and
were somewhat astonished'at acall from
one OF the officials. He had evidently
been reading the newspapers, which were
filled at that time with nitro glycerine ex-
plOoiuupt AOi iu EhNu un hobiSV khbt thC ioaA
would not risk the carrying Of our goods
without o satisfactory guarantee that they
were not explosive. It took no time to
convince him that glycerine Is not explos.
i've, and that 1T Is only the, basis for the
great explosive"
f"Do you know oi any manufacturers Of
dynamite in this city?" n,A
"There are none nearer than Camden;
that is, unless some individuals are making
small quantities for their own use, and that
1 do not consider probable. The process
OF manufacture is very simple. You take
certain proportion OF uitric and sulphuric
acid and nix them with certain other pro-
portions Of glycerine, which is the essence
Of fat, 10 make the nitro'glycerine. l won't
guarantee that In case you try this expert
ment you won't be blown intosmithereens,
because some Of the processes are very dan
gerohs, but l tell you that making nitro.
glycerine is as easy as rolling off log, il
you know how. to doit. To make dynamite
you only need to mix nitro.glycerine with
some absorbent material-fuller's earth is
the best-to have dynamite. It's easy
enough, is itnot? y n
vICToRY FOR BREWERS.
Attemptto impose n Huldred Per Cent
Duty ON Broken Rice Defeated.