Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1884-06-04
Terrible NitrO.Glycerlne.

it. This singular feature is the almost
complete annihilation of matter, es-
pecially of the results from fatal
explosion of this deadly compound.
81 had a teamster once in my en-
ploy-poor Hank France. Like all
men of his kind in the oil country,
there was nothing either above, be-
low, or on the earth that he feared.
He was in the habit of carrying nitro
glycerine to any well where wanted
to use it, and he and his companion,
Warren Jack, actually got so reckless
in handling the stuff that the other
help / had would not stay at work
when they knew Hank was coming in
with glycerine, but went to safe
distance until he had deposited the
explosive they required, and had gone
away.
Hank and Warren actuallyused to
unload the stuff the same as they
would lot Of bricks, Hank standing
in the wagon and throwing can to
Warren some feet away, and Warren
catching it and placing it on the
ground in time to catch the next one
that Hank tossed to him. AS il takes
a man with good set Of nerves to
even ride in wagon when he knows
there is nitro-glycerine under the seat,
this manner of handling compound
that the slightest jar frequently ex-
plodes, will give you an idea of the
sort of nerve these two men had.
Each one knew that if Warren hap
pened to miss catching a can, there
would not be enough left of them to
cover the bottom of a snuff box, but
they had the daring to take the
chances.
mo one ever knew what caused it,,
and no one would ever have known
who it was that was wiped out, except
from the fact that they knew who it
was that would be coming that way
with nitro-glycerine just about that
time, and from one or two things we
found but when we heard the explo-
sion that day we said That's
Hanks last trip! The glycerine had
exploded about quarter of Il mile
from the well. We walked down
there. There was the usual cellar
that few cans of the stuff always
digs when it goes off, and the usual
lot of timber felled. Three hundred
feet off to the right of the road, M
the woods, we found wagon tire.
We found the tail of one horse, and
portions of the body of another. In
another part of the woods mans
knee was picked up, and, although we
searched over an area that it would
have been impossible for any of the
wreck to have been thrown, that was
all we found except Hanks's greasy
old cap lying by the side of a stump,
and his watch hanging OH the limb
of n tree.
GAS thoroughly as that does nitro
glycerine do its work. All who have
had anything to do with it in the oil
regions have had illustration after il
lustration of its annihilative power.
The iron frames of wagons, and
even nitro-glycerine safes, have been
removed from human vision by an ex-
plosion as effectually as if they had
never been formed. Look at that
poor reckless devil, George Doran,
who disappeared at Red Rock few
years ago. He was walking along
with three cans Of glycerine slung
over his shoulder in bag. To rest
himself he shifted the bag to the other
shoulder. In doing so he Jared the
cans together and disappeared, with
goodly portion Of Red Rock. That
man weighed all of 200 pounds. All
that the most thorough search ever
recovered of that 200 pounds of flesh
and bone was part Of one foot-less
than one pound.
"Some savants have attempted to ex-
plain the mystery of this characters
tic of nitro-glycerine by the theory of
instantaneous vaporization of matter.
That might be true as to flesh, but
could the great masses of bone in the
human body be vaporized in the
twinkling of an eye? Could iron be
reduced to vapor in an instant? 1t
doesn't seem so to me.
"Others offer the theory of atomiza-
ton of matter. This theory was dis
proved by another most melancholy
occurrence in Allegany county, N. Y,
two or three years ago. This case
was not characterized by such utter
annihilation as others. Charles Ber-
ridge, a well-known oil man, was
blown up by nitro-glyccrine. The
ground around was covered with spot
less. new-fallen snow. On either side