The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-01-28

SONS OF appalling energy. Even the "rock-
ribbed earth" has been made the plaything
OF these forces, and in mines, tunnels and
quarries, on scarp cliffs or under the deep
see, they have cleft q remorseless way at the
bidding Of the engineer. or these various
compounds the most powerful and destruc-
tive are those derived from itro-glycerine
or Illuminating oil, a substance which was
itself discovered in 1547, By 6ombrero, then
a student of chemistry in Paris. The ele-
ments OF this are merely charcoal, nitre and
yellow prussiate of potssss, and in appear
ance II is clear. oily, innocent
looking fluid, sweetish to the taste,
and insoluble in water. Strangely
enough 1t was used only as a medicine for
over fifteen years, being q specific for head
aches in the homeopathic pharmacy. By
the year 1864 its value had been realized as
an explosive for quarrying purposes, and at
that period one Alfred Noble, q Swede, of
Hamburg, began its manufacture on a large
scale, and though he sacrificed a brother to
the terrible agent, be has persevered until the
later and safer forms of nitro-glYcerine have
come into world wide application. In its
original form, however toe oil proved to
be as tickle and treacherous as il was power
f7l; and numerous explosions, disastrous to
life and property, arose from the careless
transportation or handling of it, or in at
tempting to thaw it from a wintry
congeslment. The chief object of
recent research has therefore bean
to reduce il to forms in which it might be
safely handled, and yet conserve all its
mighty energy. In one OF these forms, aud
the most dangerous because the most porta-
bic, We have the redoubtable substance
known as dynamite or giant powder.
Dynamite is composed of finely pulver-
lied slick, or silicious ashes, saturated with
about three times its weight of nitro-glycer-
inc, and constituting a mass resembling
damp graham -four. It's availability lies in
the fact that the pulverent form prevents
the transmission of ordinary sudden
shocks, except when under pressure in
confined space. The cohesion
OF the inert mineral matter also
serves TO absorb heat 50 that a
high temperature can not easily be impaired
to the mass. and, in fact, 1t will not explode,
but burn away quietly with nitrous fumes
when ignited in the open air. When COM
bustion attains, however, to the compressed
and confined substance. as by burning
fuse, the explosive effect is OF almost vol
canic intensity, rending aud bursting
through all material barriers, above and be-
meath as we'll as round about. Meanwhile
it is far from being safe either to manu-
facture or transport, as there is always
danger that IL carelessly made it may con-
tain an excess of the nitro glycerine, which
would collect in drops and settle from the
mass, thus becoming a pregnant source
of danger. Many similar compounds,
having the same basis, are now manufac-
tured by Nobel and other chemists, but their
composition is held secret for obvious
reasons.
While all that is brave and honorable in
human nature recoils from the very idea of
using these as weapons against public
enemy, it is narrowing TO think that there
are criminals so base as to employ them in
the manner We have seen in Russia and in
England. That this should even be done
with reckless disregard for innocent life
the almost certain slaughter of women and
cbildren-marss out the so-called dynami-
tiers to the execration OF the entire world.
Be they Nihilists or skIrmishers, or be they
what they may-whether OF personal hate
or national vengean ce-such a use of
explosives is treason against the
whole family Of mankind. In this
sense, It is to be hoped, the murderousset-
tempts OF Saturday last in London will
cause it to DE regarded. In this sense also
we may not doubt-will the humane sod
heightened legislators of America deal
with any measures that are calculated to
stamp out such a monstrous form CT crime
from, our own daors