The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1889-01-10
.anitomof pilot.
THURSDAY, JANUARY 10.
THE WAY THEY MAKE DYNAMITE.
II is Very Dangerous, but Easily and Ef.
fsctively Done.

lobe Jackson's dynamite made but
a feeble explosion at Gainesville three
years ago, in comparison with that
which would occur now if an earth
quake should shake the dynamite FAC
tory Just below that town, while the
two operatives are running off a ton
of nitro-glycerine.
six months ago. said Mr. Volney
Dunning, MIR. Clark Robinson came
tc Gainesville from Pittsburg to look
about with a view to establishing dyna-
mite factory there. The result is that
the factory is complete and in opera
ton.
where is the factory and how large
is it?"
at is frame building about fifty
five feet square, with watts. mixers, and
drawing baths, located on the East &
West railroad, at Mr.. Ladd's lime kiln,
about three miles below Gainesville"
What is its capacity?'
about 5000 pounds of dynamite
day."
"And what will that do?"
at will blow Stone mountain to
atoms"
"What are you making so much
for?"
"For the trade; there is a great de-
mand for dynamite in mining, railroad
work, excavating, shooting oil wells,
and the like"
what is dynamite made OFF"
1.-The cartridges in ordinary use are
about 40 per cent nitro-glycerine, diff
fused through about 60 per cent of
some porous substance like clay or
sawdust."
"What is nitro-glycerine?"
at is composed of hogs fat, nitric
acid, and sulphuric acid. The pure
hogs fat may be used, but the glycer-
inc in the fat is all that is needed, and
to save waste, that is extracted, and
the rest of the fat is left for some other
purpose"
"How much glycerine is there in
hog?"
II can't tell you exactly, but in
hog large enough to furnish 200 pounds
of fat, / should think there would be
something like twenty pounds of
glycerine."
'.How much acid do you put with
that?'
1--WE take two parts of glycerine,
five parts of nitric acid, and five parts
of sulphuric acid and mix them to
make the nitro-glycerine. In that
way we will make, with the fat of one
hog, sixty to 100 pounds of nitro-gly
cerine.'
"What will that much nitro-glycer-
inc do?"
at will blow up the capital and scat
ter it all over Atlanta"
''But you must Observe" continued
Mr.. Dunning, ''that the explosion of
nitro-glycerine is SO instantaneous and
the expansion so tremendous that
there is not time enough to pack the
air above and make room for the great
expansions; SO nitro-glycerine works
downward as we'll as upward"
''How does it exploded"
"With very slight JAR"
''And you make dynamite out of this
dangerous explosive?"
Eyes, we mix it with sawdust or
clay"
"How do you ever get nitro-glycer-
inc to your factory"
1--WE take, the ingredients and mix
them. Irwould be extremely hazard
Gus to attempt to ship nitro-glycerine."
How do you manage to mix it with
out getting blown up?"
''Well, we put the ingredients into a
vat which has been reduced to a nom
explosive temperature of 35 degrees.
In the vat is mixer, made something
like a revolving fan, and the acids
| and the glycerine are thoroughly
mixed. Then the nitro-glycerine is
put into drowning bath Of clear
water, which purifies the mixture, and
it is run off in the form of a yellowish
substance about the consistency of the
white of an egg"
How much do you make at one
timer"
Something over ton"
as dynamite very easy to explode?'
mo. nothing like as easy to explode
as nitro-glycerine. Having in its ordi-
nary form about 40 per cent of nitro
glycerine diffused through a porous
substance, dynamite is not easily ex-
ploded. We make dynamite, when it
is desired, as high as so per cent nitro
glycerine, and that is more dangerous
to handle"
"What is dynamite worth pound?"
''From 16 to 40 cents a pound, &C
cording as it has 40 per cent or more
of nitro-glycerine. "-Atlanta Constitu-
ton.
General Grant on Guard.