Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1888-06-14

cred that not only could dry gun-cot-
ton be detonated by this means. but
that if small initial mass of dry
gun-cotton was detcnated in contact
with a mass of wet gun-co ton, the
latter would be also detonated, even
though it were completely saturated
with water.
Baron Won Lenk, of Austria. took up
the study of this material in 1858. and
his efforts to perfect the methods of
manufacture and to moderate the yio-
ience OF the gun charges were attend
ed with such apparent success that a
special battery of twelve-pounders was
instructed for use with it, and the
position of the explosive seemed as
sured. until 1855. when his magazines
blew up spontaneously. and the ar
ticle WAS interdicted by the govern
ment
Gnn-cotton constitutes the best mill
tary explosive known, for. while its
| explosive force vastly exceeds that of
gunpowder and approaches that OF
nitro glycerine, it is the safest and
most stable explosive we possess. since
it can be stored and transported wet;
and, while in this state. though it may
be detonated as described above, it
can not be exploded in any other way.
As much has 900 pounds Of wet
compressed gun-cotton have been
placed in fierce bonfire, where it has
gradually dried. layer by layer. and
been consumed without exploding.
Besides. gun. cotton is the only mil
itary explosive which can be detonated
with certainty when frozen. In call
ing it a military explosive. 1 mean. of
course, for use in torpedoes and for
military mining. and not rs a substi-
tute for gunpowder in guns; but it
may be, and has been, successfully
used as charge for shells fired from
gunpowder guns. both in this country
and abroad. Shells containing as
much as one hundred and ten pounds
of gun-cotton have been repeatedly
fired in Germany.
The most prominent rival of gun
cotton for military uses. and the best
explosive for industrial purposes, is
nitro-glycerine and the mixtures of
which it forms part. This substance
was discovered by Sobrero in 1917,
while carrying out a series of expert
ments under Pelouze. Its liquid form
makes it difficult to store and trans.
ort. and permits it TO find lis
way into unexpected places.
where it constitutes n source
of danger. Considerations such
l,I ,I1
vent dynamite. The name is now
applied to a great variety of nitro
glycerine mixtures. but they all consist
of porous solid absorbent which
sucks up the liq uid nitro glycerine by
capillarily and holds it in its pores or
interS tices.
The most important nitro-gly cerine
mixture is explosive gelatine. also
invented by Nobel. This is made by
heating nitro-glycerine on a water
bath and adding to it from seven to
ten per cent of soluble gun cotton.
The largest single charges ever fired
were employed in the blowing up of
Hallett's Reef and Flood Rock In
the latter, which occurred October 10.
1885. the charge consisted of 24O, 399
pounds of rack-a-rock and AZ 537
pounds of dynamite No. 1. yet so
nicely was this enormous charge cal
culated for the work it was to do, that
beyond breaking down the rock, toss
ing up an enormous body of water to
a height ESTIMATED for the tallest je)
of 16o feet. and generating an earth
wave which was observed as far east
as Cambridge. Mass. it produced no
visible effect -Scribners Magazine