Woodville Republican. (Woodville, Miss.) 185?-current, 1889-02-16
MODERN EXPLOSIVES.
An outline Of Rheir Eject on Progress ane
filVilizatidHs

GivllizdtidHi
Though guiipowder has exefted 80
wide an Influence, its adoption marks
a distinct advance In the progress OF
man, for; with the obvious exception o.
heat, It was the fist instance in which
man bent subtle and Invisible force TO
do his work, and he thereby greatly
enhanced his own power How great
this gain is may best be realized when
we learn that pound of gunpowder Is
theoretically capable Of doing 4S0 foot
tons of work or exerting $40 horse
power, and that as modern high-power
gun requires for each charge 5Opounds
of powder, the theoretical efficiency OF
its charge is 81, ,71o horsepower Only
civilized people could construct ana
properly employ 50 enormous ana YET
nice d weapon; and 1t is not surprising
that the races who possess 1t should
maintain their supremacy. Vita the
present century there came d fresh de-
velopment in explosives, and this time
the discoveries resulted during the
study of the science of chemistry. one
of the sciences which had grown up
under the freedom which gunpowder
had brought. In 1900 Howard discov-
cred mercury illuminate, in 1845 Schon-
bein discovered gun-cotton, in 1886 So
bero discovered nitrosglygerine, in 1866
Nobel discovered dynamite, and since
then, especially during the last decade,
there have been discovered or devised
a great number OF explosive c0hp'unds
or mixtures. Each of those mentioned
is vastly more powerful than gun-pow-
der, but thus far they have played little
or no part in war However,
the knowledge which has been
gained of their properties had the
progress which has been made in ap-
plying them, especially as charges for
shell, lead to the belief that they Will
be used with great effect in future wars
and will cause. a revolution in the pre-
vailing systems Of Notifications and
methods of warfare. But it is not IN
war only that guhpowder has played
an important part, for it has been OF
immense assistance to man in the arts
and industries. No one can gaze with
out surprise on those stupendous works,
the temples and tombs, the aqueducts
and viaducts, which exist in the East;
. and this surprise becomes amazetnent
r when we learn that the enormous
blocks which form these STRUCTURES
: were quarried with lever and wedge
, Such simple tools, together with the
Q slow and laborious system OF "fire'
: setting" constituted the only means
e employed in excavating, and in sucf
d mining operations as were carried OF
Q until 1918, when Martin Weigil, thu
: mine superintendent at Freiberg
n brought gunpowder into use for tili'
purpose. AS it has been found, from
large number of observations on va
rious materials, that one pound OF pow
. der will displace 32,S32 pounds o
material, we see what an improve
. ment was wrought in the arts of min
y y ing and quarrying; and when We con
~ slider what hardships the miner mus
have endured Under the barbarots sys
80 tenn of "fre-setting," the ciViliziug in
1t fuence of the introduction OF this store
house of energy becomes apparent
~ But the improvement must hav
81 been as fioticeabls IN anothe
= direction, for, the much greater cas-
with which both the precious and tn
rs useful metals could be won with thi
as agent, must have so cheapened thei
e, cost and increased the available suppl
at as to have greatly hastened and e.
tended their tises As in mining so
ut engineering operations, gun-powdt
at has been of immense assistance, and
40 is especially in these two fields thi
tn the modern high explosives have bee
s. employed. If, as is generally believes
r. our modern civilization is largely d
Mt pendent for its existence on reao
SO means of communication and easy cor
at mercial intercourse with all its part
lr- then explosives and especially the hie
explosives have contributed largely
on secure these results; for without the
nd the mountains that barred our passa'
mt en land would never have been tunnt
of ed and the distractions which enda
L. gered our passage on the water cou
never have been removed. How lar
of a force has been drawn on for this wo
of is shown in the single example Of H'
re Gate, where in the first shot the char
va possessed theoretical efficiency OF
rs. 1928, ,750 horse power and in the secon
1881, ,275 horse power. Certain
nv there must have been an immense q
M vance in civilization when man by
ats touch of the finger can put into opel
mo tions forces as mighty as these. Che
4o,,o,,oy,