Charlotte messenger. [volume] (Charlotte, Mecklenburg Co., N.C.) 1882-18??, 1886-11-20
NITRO-GLYCERINE.
AN EXPLOSIVE WHICH ANNIHL
LATES ITS VICTIMS.
Perils Of Transporting tho Deadly
Stuff in the Oil Regions-some
Carrying Nitro-Gly-
cerine by Wagon and Boat.

A Warren PENN letter to the New
York Times says: Since the expira ion
Of the Roberts oil well torpedo patent.
which was the only torpedo W tn which
oil wells could be legally shot, and ont
IF the patent on which DR.. Roberts n AIDE
= fortune Of several millions of dollarA
manufactures of nitro glycerine havs
come into existence in great numbers il
the olregions, AMI are now scattered in
anything but reassuring proximity to
many towns an villages One of the
most extensive nitro-glycerine factories
in the world is located between Warren
and Kin :us. At this factory hey make
10000 pounds OF the deadly explosive
every day, and a score of magazines are
distributed about the country for the
vt, rage of the stuff, which is ready
canned for use in the wells. The
wagons in which these cans Of nitro-gly.
serinc are carrie to the magazines, and
In turn TO the W lis that are to be tor
pedoed, are made especially for the pur-
pose. The cans are fitted in softly up.
holstered apartments in the wagon body
10 prevent sudden conclusion that the
passage over the rough roads of the re-
gion would otherwi e make liable at any
moment and which might explode can
and annihilate all within sound of it.
Under the cans a zinc tray 10 fitted so
that any leakage cannot reach the axles.
In the early days of nitro glycerine
transportation this precaution was not
taken and it was a common occurrence
for the acid to leak from the cans, drop
On the axles, and there become exploded,
killing team and driver. Scores of per-
IONS were blown to atoms in that way
before the zinc tray was introduced.
The Lower Pennsylvania and Ohio oil
districts are supplied with nitro glycer-
the by means of boats run down the Al
legheny and Ohio Rivers. The boats are
;tiletto-shaped c aft, thirty feet in length
aud four feet wide. They are loaded
with 10000 pounds of nitro-glycerine
each and manned by two men. A col
lision between one of these boats and
other craft on the river would be fol-
lowed by horrible consequences and they
are given wide berth. The men who
run the nltro-glycerine boats are in
,tructed to tie up wherever night over
takes them, and not to run q minute
after it gets dark. The men, as may
well be imagined, are without fear, and
manage their dangerous craft with
uonchalance and independence that is
source of perpetual terror to the crews Of
ordinary boats, and to the citizens of
towns by which the deadly cargoes are
run.
Attending the frightful deaths that
SO frequently follow the handling of
uitro-glvcerino in the oil regions" says
an old oil operator of the Bradford field,
''thcre is one feature the mysterious ma
lure of which is startling It has puz-
sled scientific observation and study. and
[ do not believe to-day that any salts
factory explanation can be given of it.
This singular feature is the almost COM
plete humiliation of matter, especially
Of the human body, which in majority
Of cases results from fatal explosion of
this deadly compound. have noticed
that in many instances. l had team
ster once in my employ named Henry
France. Like all men of his kind in the
oil country, there was nothing, either
above, below, or o. the earth that h.
feared. He was in the habit of carting
aitro-glycerine to any we'll where I want
I'd to use It, and he and his partner, War
rem Jack, actually got so reckless in
acndling the deadly stuf that no help I
had would remain at work when they
knew France and Jack were COM
ing in with a load of glycerine.
These two men were so callous
to fear that they used TO I'M
load the stuff the same as they
would lot of brick, Fran standing IN
the wagon and throwing can to Jack,
who stood some feet away, and Jack
catching it and placing it on the ground
in time TO catch the next one his compan-
ion tossed him As it takes man with
q good set of nerves to even ride in q
wagon when he knows there is nitro
glycerine under the seat, this manner Of
handling compound that the slightest
jar frequently explodes, will give an idea
Of the sort of nerves those two men had.
One day in 1882 France was coming in
with load of glycerne, and when he
was within quartz. Of a mile of the well
we heard an explosion No one ever
knew how it happened, but it was one Of
the most complete en- es Of nitro glycer-
inc humiliation ever saw. We found
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