The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1885-03-06
DYNAMITE.


Mr.. M. Bennett, q man who has
probably handled more dynamite than
any other man in the country, tells a
reporter some interesting facts con-
corning the manufacture and use OF
this destructive compound:
dynamite IS made of glycerine-oil
and nitric aid mixed in sawdust. A
boy can mike it and there is no law to
prevent it nor is there law restrict
ing the sale of it, You may send your
office-boI or servant-girl for few
pounds and no questions will be asked.
The sale of opium and poisons are re-
stricted, but dynamite, the greatest
and most terrible destructive engine of
the mir eteenth century, may be bought
| by any one at thirty-six cents per
pound TIL, wet sawdust on saloon
floor is so precisely like dynamite that
even could not tell the difference un-
til tasted 1.-THE glycerine imparts a
sweet flavor to it. Dynamite may be
made out of hundred and one differ
ent things. such as sulphur, saltpeter
and brimstone. Generally, however,
glycsrine and nitric acid, which we call
nitro-glyccrine, are mixed with such an
absorbent as wood-pulp or sawdust;
this is done to enable its safe handling
and transportation. The color of dy-
Mantle is the color of sawdust, and that
of course depends upon the color and
nature of the wood.
The word dynamite covers the
whole category of explosives. such as
giant-powder and nitro -glycerine. Gun
cotton is similar. except that cotton is
used as the absorbent instead of saw
dust or pulp.
"If placed in water it will sink al
most as rapidly as lead. / should say,
however, that giant-powder is much
darker than the other dynamites, for
the reason that instead of saw-dust we
use pulverized candle-coaf dust i'm
ported from France and very gassy.
Dynamite is worth from thirty-six cents
to seventy-five cents pound. That
which is very destructive is worth sixty
cents to seventy-five cents, and is used
for submarine blasting and heading
tunnels. For what we cali fifty per
cent powder. we take fifty pounds of
sawdust and add fifty pounds of nitro
glycerine oil; and for what we call gela-
tine, which is very destructive, we take
ninety pounds of oil to ten pounds of
absorbent, generally sawdust. There
is very little, if any, dynamite imported
from or exported to Europe for the
reason that an idiot can compound it.
We do send few schoouers to old
| Mexico aid to the Republics of South
| NM hrrt lS n
| England, as a man can make it in his
bedroom in few m nutes. For Ordi-
nary purposes dynamite is put up in
cartridges eight inches long and from
three-quarters of an inch to four inches
In diameter These cartridges are
made of heavy brown paper, and when
| filed che ends are fold ID and the car
fridge dipped in paraifine oil to keep it
air and water tight. You may place a
few gra ms upon an anvil and exploded
| it by a blow from hammer. l have
known premature blasts to occur
where pick or sleige has struck it
Inadvertently. 1t is not used in col
ticries. because it would shatter the
coal and pulverize it. In stone quar-
ries, iron mines. and in tunneling it is
men manufacturing it and tens of
thousands hourly handling it. | tried
20 get my life insured two years ago.
! but no company would take the risk,
and | don't know a single man in my
| line who is insured. Less than half an
ounce will throw siXty-pound bomb
shellovcr | 900 feet aud twOpounds will
blow ten-ton rock to atoms. The
heaviest blast | ever saw was in a
limestone quarry in Gleudon. Pa. when
$4,000 pounds were touched of. a
friend OF mine experimental with sew
eral things very successfully. On his
Job of work he had very refractory
mule which was SO stupid that he was
about to give it away, when he thought
he would try a few grains of dynamite
on the animal. He must have used too
much, for nothing more was ever seen
of the mule. He used thrcc-quarter-
pound cartridge, which rctalls at about
sixty-five cents. AXIS cartridge con-
tains about five and one-quarter
pounds, but the medium size is l-4xS,
| and oonta ms about eight ounces.
Il might place pound of common
gunpowder on this carpet, apply fuse,
and there would only be a flash :cld
puff. but if placed the same quantity
of dynamite there and touched it off it
would shatter this room and the entire
basement and foundation. for dynamite
strikes downward Unlike gunpowder,
which TO forcibly explode must be con-
tined. dynamite may be placed on the
surface of the sidewalk or in any I'M
-, I,-f,
There is one compound, however, that
is more terrible than dynamite, because
YOU can imprison more explosive force
given quantities. This is illuminate
of mercury, and | tn nix that it WAS this
agent that was used to blow up the
English Houses of Parliament 1t looks
very much like fine, white flour. and is
worth one dollar an ounce SO explo-
sive is it that Il flip of the iinger or 4 tap
of YOUR pencil will do the business.
Have you ever been approached pro-
fessionally by profesSed dynamitersP"
mo, and it wouldn't do them any
good if / were | don't believe that
ODonovan Rosa himself had anything
TO do with the recent explosions. He
is a blowhard seeking notoriety. | was
once shown an internal mach ne that
WAS made here n Chicago. and a dread
full contriyanca 1t was. For these ma
chimes they use corrosive ne DIS instead
OF fuses. as the latter make tell-tale
smoke while the former do not. saw
the mach ne that the Publ c Library
thief Talbut, or Funk. constructed. and
am sat SIZED that he is a noy ce in the
line. because he mad removed the pow
der and ball from the cartridge, which