The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-09-20
How Bombs Are Prepared 10y
Anarchists.
THEY ARE OF VARIOUS FORMS.
How the Explosive Was Invented, and the
Methods by Which Its Use Has Been
Brought To Perfection.

Dynamite is nothing but nitro-glycerine in
another form. The latter is one of the most
terrific explosives known, and was discovered
in the sixties by Professor Nobel, a great
Swedish chemist. Unlike gunpowder, which
is safe until fired, it explodes from percussion
rather than ignition. The slightest percus-
sion or conclusion is often sufficient to ex-
plode the liquid. Among these slight shocks
are such actions as jarring the tin in which
it is contained, striking it with small stone
or even pebble, exploding a toy torpedo in
its neighborhood, or even the shaking of
railroad
In some instances nitro-glycerine has been
known to blow up without any perceptible
reason. Despite the terrible dangers attached
to its use, it has long been a favorite explosive
with miner, diver and quarrymau, and is used
IN large quantities at the present time. In
his studies on the subject Nobel found that
all of these dangers were removed by mixing
nitro-glycerine with some absorbing powder
of passive character. He and his successors
have thus utilized sawdust, clay, lime, infu-
serial earth, charcoal, magnesia, vegetable
mold and other substances. According to
the material used has some name been in
vented to express theresult. Dynamite, rend
rock, rack a rock, lithofractor carbite cellu-
lite and nitro-carbon are instances in point.
SOME HISTORICAL FACTS.
The dynamite bomb is more correctly a
hand grenade, and made its appearance
among the Russian Nihilists 1t was shaped
like the ordinary percussion bombshell and
was ignited by the explosion of Illuminating
powder or the use of fuse. Its distinctive
ness and efficiency made it forthwith the ia
vorite weapon of the Muscovite revolution
lists. Shortly after this it was adopted for
similar reasons by the ODonovan Rosa
Irish agitators.
at is hard to realize the power, = said John
B. King to the writer, that dynamite gives
10 the individual Gunpowder destroyed the
superiority of physical strength by making
the smallest dwarf the equal of the largest
giant. Dynamite goes much further and
makes one man the equal of hundreds One
wen made bomb would destroy any public
building in the United States tear to pieces
the largest steamship aflOat, and discharged
in a great crowd might kill thousand peo-
pie"
The success Of the early bomb throwers
called public attention to the manufacture of
the grenades, and caused so many legal, mil
itary and police restrictions TO be thrown
around every process of the trade as to make
It almost impossible for any one to produce
the missiles in their early forms Circum.
vented by the authorities, the Anarchist and
Invincible went to work and by degrees in
vented and discovered system whereby dy-
Mantle bombs could be made cheaply, safely
and, above ALL secretly.
HOW BOMBS ARE MADE
The former school issues little book writ
ten by John Most on the subject which, from
a scientific standpoint, is admirable.
The latter school have remained content
with the work and workmanship of King.
In neither instance is there any use OF the re-
tOrts and apparatus of the chemical cabinet.
The first stage, the making of nitro-glycerine
is carried on as follows: According to the
amount of dynamite required is the number
OF bowls used. These are the plain stoneware
affairs seen in every kitchen and dining
room. Into each pint bowl is poured five
ounces Of strong oil of vitriol, to which is
slowly added the same quantity of nitric
acid. To prevent any heating of the china
or the liquid it contains, the bowls are placed
in a tin wash basin, half immersed in water,
or, what is more highly recommended by
both Most aud King, in box full of cracked
ice, Into the mixed 9cjds is slowly poured
: six ounces Of glycerine.
The acids attack the glycerine, which, as lie
known TO most readers, is swedish, insipid
inert and white, converting it into nitro
giyceTine, which is sourish. pungeDt, poison
OILS and greenish yellow. In six hours the
transformation has almost occurred, but in
practice it is well to wait twenty-four, when
every possible moecule of the explosive has
been created.
The nitro-glycerine and the residual mixed
acids are now separated by careful pouring
and the nitro-glycerine finally washed with
cold water to remove all traces of the acids
Were this not done they would he present in
the future dynamite. and by corroding
everything they touched produce premature
explosions.
The second stage is the conversion of nitro
glycerine into dynamite and is effected by
pouring any absorbent powder into the for
mer in quantities just sufficient TO remain
dry. The resulting product is a coarse,
dampish and sticky powder. If charcoal be
used as the base the color is black; if flour,
yellowish white; If earth, dark brown. /
King has experimental with not only Ill the /
articles named, but with such grotesque sub /
stances as bread crumbs pulverized sugar,
stale bread crrsts, dried cake, oat meal, corn (
starch, plaster Of paris, Portland cement, (
Stacked lime, broken mortar and brick dust, |
Each made a very serviceable dynamite. /
Most has made similar experiments. In one .
address he said: 1T is possible for a rev olu-
zionist to carry, under the very eyes of his /.
enemies. what seems to be a sandwich, slice
Of bread and butter, piece of cake, a cheap .
plaster image of the Madonna, a couple Of .
pounds of brown sugar, a flower pot in which 1
blooms rosebud or pail Of coal dust for |
paupers fire, but in reality is an explosive .
more destructive than the largest shell /
turned out in Woolwich or Essen"
The dynamite made, the third and last
process is the manufacture of the grenade, or
the bomb, az it is better known. The shells
of iron, steel, brass and copper are never used
by Anarchist or Invincible, In the first place
they are too costly. The bombs used by Or
Uni in his attempt to assassinate Napoleon
III we're of English make, and said to have
cost GO As. apiece.
Those with which the Nihilists made an un-
successful attempt on the life of the late car
were very cheap and poorly made by Ger
man machinists, and yet cost five marks
each. In the second place they are easily
traced by the police, are inconvenient to
carry and always suspicious In appearance
THE GAS PIPE BOMB.
Most's favorite bomb is the familiar gas
pipe. A piece as large as a policeman's club
Is sufficient for almost every possible purpose
Each end is closed with the ordinary cap, into
which nipple is fitted and through which
fuse hole is bored. In charging it fuses are
inserted in the caps, one of which is fitted on,
the pipe is then filed with dynamite, the sec