River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1890-05-01
TESTS WITH EXPLOSIVES.
Emmensite and GeIbite the Most De
structive Agents Yet Invented.

Emmensite and Gelbite the Most De-
structive Agents Yet Invented.
There was good deal of noise in the
navy yard the other afternoon, the re-
suit of a series OF experimental tests
with the new explosive (emmensite)
and smokeless powder (gelbite), both
the invention of DIR. Stephen III. En-
mems. The tests were given by the
company handling the patents under
the personal supervision of DIR. En-
mems, and showed that the new mate
rails are quite as powerful as dynamite
and perfectly safe in handling. There
we're number of prominent officials
scattered through the large crowd, in
Guiding Secretary Tracy, Senators Man
ierson, Colquit, Hale, Chandler and
Blackburn, Representatives Cutcheon,
Carlisle and Wheeler and Commodore
Folger, Admiral Jouett and Captain
Meade. DIR. Emmens first manufactured
some of his explosives in the loft of the
boat-house to show the-e was no danger
in mixing the ingredients, which are
couple of unusual acids. The fumes of
the mixture have colored the doctors
beard and hair a bright orange yellow,
which is the prevailing hirsute tinge,
he says, around the factory.
Then a can containing sixty pounds of
emmensite was placed under a small
raft made up of about fifty heavy tim
bers lasted together. A steam launch
lowed the raft out about five hundred
feet from shore and anchored it. and
then proceeded some distance further,
paying out behind it a couple of cleo
trio wires. Suddenly the word fire"
was heard across the water, and there
came a rumbling crash, followed by the
upheaval of tons of water, in the midst
of which fragments of broken timbers
flew skyward. After they had gone up
a couple of hundred feet they came
down again, all torn and twisted out of
shape. Hundreds of fish lay dead on the
surface of the water.
The next experiments consisted of
testing the rending power of the en-
mensite above water, and three iron
plates, foot square and half an inch
thick, were consecutively broken in
pieces each by cartridge of the ter
rible stuff. The explosives were ar
ranged in three different ways, so as
to show the force of the shock was
equal in all directions. In order to con-
vince the spectators that the material
was harmless in handling the inventor
had his son fire bullet through a cart
ridge of il, the effect being a mere
breaking of the package as though it
were no more than chalk. The broken
cartridge was then exploded with ire
mendous effect. A cartridge OF dyna-
n,ita mos 4raa tod in no sauna nov aud
disappeared with great explosion as
soon as the bullet touched it. Four
emmensite cartridges were placed in a
can of gunpowder, which was exploded,
blowing the cartridges high in the air
and setting fire to them. They burned
briskly. but without exploding. A
small yacht cannon was charged with
gunpowder and loaded with can of en-
mensite as proiectile This was fired
at an iron plate and smashed TO pieces
without explosion, the same emmen-
site afterward being scraped together
and exploded. This was to show that
it can be used as charge for shell in
powder guns without danger of prema-
ture explosion.
Gelbite. which is a brown paper sat
urated with emmensite, was then fired
from rifle as a cartridge load. The
shot made almost no noise and practi-
cally no smoke. There was a momenta-
ry light mist, which was instantly dis
peeled. The penetration seemed to be
the same as that obtained by gunpowder
cartridges, which made a loud report
and great smoke.
1t is not only harmless to handle, but
it is said to be a radical cure for malaria
and catarfh when taken in regulated
doses or snuffed in the nostrils. DIR.
EmmOns wants guns and intends asking
the Navy Department for permission to
conduct a series of tests with some of
the abandoned cannon belonging to the
Washington Star.