The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1885-04-08
LIVING GUNS.
Vegetable Bombs That Explode Sometimes
With a Good Deal of Force.

Come around to my place tonight"
said a scientist to the writer, =" and I'll show
you the latest thing in dynamite. The latter
was on hand at the time appointed and
found around table dozen or more faces
more or less familiar in the world of biology.
In the centre of the table were number Of
boxes of various sizes, a dish containing a
substance that looked suspiciously like water
and several other articles OF an innocent and
unexplosiye character.
Don't sit in that chair" exclaimed some
one as the writer was about to pull up.
There's a current of electricity going into
it strong and powerful enough to kill an
OK.
Take the lounge" said the host, " that
is If sou don't mind snakes" The writer
did, especially as the one upon the lounge
was python, about ten feet in length,
brought in to be experimental upon.
:" He's harmless" said the first speaker
81 chloroformed him half an hour ago."
A chair was finally found and the meeting
was called to order and the members pro-
ceeded to business.
Speaking about dynamite" said nat
uralist, Il have, brought few specimens
to illustrate that feature in low life-as there
are dynamiters in thelower animal kingdom
as well as in the higher, and curiously
enough, We might say the same of the vege.
table kingdom. / remember q few Year,
ago was travelling on small vessel be
tween some of the West India Islands and
ut one place had purchased a number OF
curious seeds, placing them under my berth
for safe keeping. l was sitting at the small
table, hanging on with both hands, in COM
pany with negro passenger, when there
came an explosion that sounded as if a bar
rel of powder had gone of. Something
whizzed by my face so closely that / felt
the wind and another projectile struck me
full in the breast. The negro WINS not SO
fortunate He uttered loud yell as the
the blood squirting from his face he went
over backwards with crash that brought
the skipper and crew down the hatch in 6
hurry. We picked him up and FIRST he swo.e
that had shot him and then that had hit
him with club, but in a moment no re-
covered from his fright aud we began to in.
! veatipate.
" The man had been struck fairly in the
nose-a blow SO powerful that it WIS several
hours before the hemorrhage could be stop
| ped. When rose from my seat something
| dropped upon the cabin floor and I after,
wards picked It up-and what do you sup.
pose it was Nothing but section of one
of the seeds, and they were the explosives.
The heat of the cabin had in some way at
fected them so that they went off like cart
ridges and MS each was made up of several
pieces it had somewhat the effect of grape
| shot. One struck the negro as related
another missed my head and shattered 0
looking glass behind me, another struck me
in the chest, while still another, curiously
enough, took off the handle of n pitcher OF
monkey cooler that stood on the table. -Four
Of the seeds didn't go off, and you may be
sure put them in strong box. number
of Seeds" continued the speaker, " have o
similar habit of exploding, and it is gener
ally provision connected with the dispei-
sol of seeds. In the West have seen trees
explode with report that could be hear !
nearly mile in this case the frost was tho
cause. There certain insects bore great
holes in the bark of trees, rain finds its way
in and freezes and away goes the tree as il
you had placed torpedo in it, showing
what the expansive power of water will dc
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