The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1889-02-08
MODERN EXPLOSIVES.

MODERN EXPLOSIVES.
An Outline of Their Eject ON Progress and
Civilization.
Though gunpowder has exerted so
wide an influence, its adoption marks
a distinct advance in the progress OF
man, for, with the obvious exception Of
heat, it was the first 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 a pound Of gunpowder Is
theoretically capable Of doing 4S6 foot
tons Of work or exerting S2.6 horse
power, and that as modern high-power
gun requires for each charge $50 pounds
OF powder, the theoretical efficiency of
Its charge is N.710 horsepower. Only
q civilized people could construct and
properly employ so enormous and yet
nice q weapon; and it is not surprising
that the races who possess it should
maintain their supremacy. With the
present century there came 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 1915 Schon-
bein discovered gun-cotton. in 1916 So
bero discovered nitro-glycerine. in 1866
Nobel discovered dynamite. and since
then, especially during the last decade,
there have been discovered or devised
a great number of explosive compounds
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 gunpowder 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 amazement
when we learn that the enormous
blocks which form these structures
were quarried with lever and wedge.
Such simple tools, together with the
slow and laborious system OF Sire
setting" constituted the only means
in excavating, and in such
mining operations as were carried on
until 1913, when Martin Weigh. the
mine superintendent at Freiberg,
brought gunpowder into use for this
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 Of
we see what an improve
ment was wrought in the arts of min
ing and quarrying; and when We con-
slider what hardsbips the miner must
have endured under the barbarous sys-
tenn of ..fre-setting," the civilizing in
fuence of the introduction Of this store
house of energy becomes apparent
But the improvement must have
been as noticeable in another
for. the much greater ease
with which both the precious and the
useful metals could be won with this
agent, must have so cheapened their
cost and increased the available supply
as to have greatly fastened and ex-
tended their uses. As in mining so in
operations, gun-powder
has been of immense assistance, and it
is especially in these two fields that
the modern high explosives have been
employed. If, as is generally believed,
our modern civilization is largely de-
pendent for its existence on ready
means of communication and easy COM
mercial intercourse with all its parts,
then explosives and especially the high
explosives have contributed largely to
secure these results; for without them
the mountains that barred our passage
on land would never have been tunnel
ed and the Instructions which endan-
gered our passage on the water could
never have been removed. How large
a force has been drawn on for this work
is shown in the single example of He'll
Gate, where in the first shot the charge
possessed theoretical efficiency OF g.
1923. $50 horse power, and in the second,
1921, 275 horse power. Certainly
there must have been an immense adj
vance in civilization when man by a
touch of the finger can put into opera
tons forces as mighty as these.-Chau-
tauquan.
How to Construct Chimneys.