Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1885-02-12
Mgistellaneuns &eaaiug.
HOW TO MAKE DYNAMITE.

HOW TO MAKE DYNAMITE.
Everybody just now is talking of dynam-
ite, and all sorts of wild stories of the pow
ers and properties of the explosive used at
the parliament buildings in London are
floating around in connection with the pres
ent talk on the subject. The fact is that dy-
Mantle enough to do great deal of damage
may be turned out with the simplest appli-
ances at a very moderate cost from mate
rials most readily obtainedan in the small
est possible bit of a workshop. The recipe
for the making of this great explosive may
be told in a haIf-dozen lines of print and told
so plainly that any one who can read ought
to be able to follow the instructions and
produce the finished material. The story of
dynamite is an interesting one, from the
time Of the discovery Of nitro-g glycerine, by
an Italian chemist, in 1S47, up to the present
day. For nearly twenty years the eXplo-
sive oil which came from the mixture of
nitro-sulphuric acid with plain glycerine,
remained as a laboratory curiosity. Any
book chemist knew of the compound,
but few cared to make it, for it was a very
unstable substance, and was likely to demol-
ish workshop at very short notice. Along
in the sixties comes the application Of the
decorating oil as an article of commerce,
and then it rapidly found its way, under
various names and pretended secret COM
pounds, into very extended use.
The ro-glycerine itself was practically
useless, for it was in a shape not convenient
for the purposes Of blasting, the main appli-
cation of the article where substitute for
black powder was much needed. The diff
Guilty was overcome when it was discovered
| that by saturating some inert substance with
the nitro-g glycerine, and in this way so di-
viding it that it could be handled readily
and with far greater degree of safety than
the ordinary oil. This inert substance is
| found in an infusorial earth which was first
used from extensive deposits in North Ger
many, but which is now found at brakes
vile, New Jersey, and at many other points
This substance is nothing more than the
skeletons of minute plants living in water
and which, at death, settle in layers at the
bottom. Under the glass itlooks like a mass
of small cells, and such it is, and as an alb.
sorbent of nitro-glycerine it is capable O1
holding about three times its weight of the
real explosive In this form it is dynamite
and looks like greasy, Whitish mass, which
suggests dirty, gritty lard. 1t is packed in
cartridges, a percussion cap attached, and ii
is then ready for its Legitimate work in the
drill hole of rock, or in the coal mine. Its
simplicity of manufacture is remarkable
New Jersey is a manufacturing centre OF
prominence, while other factories are to be
found in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Col
orado, California and other States. 1t is
shipped here and there over the railroads OF
the country, and last spring schooner-load
Of over fifty tons, started from the Repanno
chemical company's works, at Thompson IS
Point, for Aspinwall, to be used on the Pan
anna canal works.
Ordinarily it is not made of the maximum
strength, and in place of the IS per cent.
of absorbent material, that in general use
would have about 40per cent. of nitro-glyce-
rine. In this Shape it can be sold at 80 cents
per pound, and Just now there is some cut
| ting going on between the rival makers,
and even lower rates can be had. At the
ordinary strength it is about four and one
half times as powerful as gun powder ap-
piled in a drilhole. Its sharp decorating
qualities make it applicable in places where
gun powder would be useless. fla quanti-
ty of gun powder were ignited upon the
ground it would burn up, making much
smoke, but doing no special damage. Dy--
Mantle under the same conditions, would
leave great hole in the pavement 1t has
many curious properties and as yet the
chemistry Of explosives is in growing
state, and every year sees new chapters
Mantle freezes at 45 degrees Fahrenheit,
and is then comparatively safe to handle,
vet sharp quick blow has been known to
set off solid block Of it. At 126 degrees
Fahrenheit it is at it's best for real work:
At 23O degrees it becomes very unstable and
above 300 is liable to start itself off.
TO make it, the first step is to get nitric
acid and sulp phuric acid of great purity and
strength and to make mixture of the two
in the proportion of one pound OF nitric to
two pounds of sulphuric acid. The mixture
may be purchased at any chemical works,
and should cost at current market rates
about 3! cents per pound. Seven pounds
of this mixture are placed in an earthen
lar or pitcher and into it is poured, drop
by drop, pound of ordinary crude glycer-
inc costing y cents per pound. A glass
rod should be used in stirring the COM
pound, and it should be kept in ice, or in
vat or box surrounded by ice water,
or, better still, salt and ice. The object
of the ice is to keep down the temperature,
for the strong chemical action evolves great
heat. The sulphuric acid does not 60 into
the final compound, and seems to exert no
usefulness beyond an absorber of the water
which is one product of the chemical
changes. When the mixture is complete,
two pounds of nitro-glycerine will be found
at the bottom of the earthernWare vessel,
while the water, or rather very dilute sui
phuric acid, generally known by the name
of oil of vitriol, will be floating on top.
This is poured off, and the nitro-glycerine
subjected to very thorough washing, until
it is entirely freed Of free acid, or acid not
taken up in combination by the glycerine.
A little nitrate of soda, or Chill saltpetre,
may be added as an alkali to take up any of
the free acid The explosive is now made,
and in the form of the yelloWish, oily nitro
glycerine would be the most effective for
destructive purposes, but it is a very tickle
substance, and the least jar is apt to bring
on an explosion. In this form it is largely
used in shooting" oil wells, and is sent
about the country very carefully packed in
felt-lned cases. Even then when transport
ed in wagons over rough roads of the oil
regions it has not unfrequently left only a
rough place in the road to tell the story of
a horse, man and wagon passing that way.
The mixture with the inert substance is
purely a mechanical one. Anything will
do as an absorbent; sawdust, if well dried,
old tanbark powdered and black gun pow
der, any vegetable fibre or cellulose will
answer, and thus in twenty-four hours or
less the entire process of manufacture will
have been completed from the simple ma
terials of aquafortis, oil Of vitriol, glycerine
and sawdust. The mixing and cooling may
be gone through with and the rash manu-
facturer is ready with the strongest eXplo-
sive known to modern science.