The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-08-22
ny DYNAMITE EXPL0DEs
Not Conclusion, Is Nee
essary to Bring About That
Result
vnanito Factories Located In tho
Woods OF Southern New
Jersey, q. s. A.
= the Constituents Arc Mixed and the
Cartridges Fillsd-Wages ana
Prices Low.

INV Yoax, Aug. M.-Recently repre-
Ltatiye Of the Times Of this city was de-
led to write up the process OF MAKING
hamite and also learn the causes which
La il explode. Bent on this mission he
= to the woods of Southern New Jersy,
from any human habitation, where
kre are several dynamite factories.
|rmless looking places they are, with
Uttered frame buildings mostly one story
kh. seldom more than one or two visible
(m any one point Of view; showing few,
eny, signs of industry, save streak Of
oke rising over the pine tops or q deecy
It Of steam; with no sound to break the
|notous and sometimes mournful sough-
of the wind through the pines. except, at
ID intervals, the dull rumbling of mill
the low consumptive coughing Of high
assure engine, or, perhaps, snatch OF
be- that seems to come from nowhere in
tticular, but. on the contrary. "some-
hes overhead and sometimes under
bund.''
Sight years ago the volney Chemical
hpany established one of these factories
kr Toms river. Three years Of expert
nts sufficed to wind the company up.
Feral lives and, about $4,000 paid for
Ise experiments. In 1885 it was leased by
United States Dynamite company of
city, which afterward purchased 1t and
been operating it ever since. All OF the
[ldings, and there are from fifteen to
bnty of them, are within two hundred
Ids of the Toms River branch of the
w-Jersey Central railroad, but not one
senQer in hundred would over notice
re than one beside the rude station
nse. That one is q neat two-story cot
70 with a bit of flower garden IN front
II. The luxuriance of the dahllas ana
nations is in strong contrast with the ap-
rent sterility of the soil, and these,
in rushes by. move him to wonder why
Rbody should have chosen go lonely and
olate spot for habitation.
The building behind the flower garden ls
Office of the factory. Its only tenant by
is the superintendent, Mr.. Yates, and
night q solitary watchman. Sometimes
ellow-workman remains over Night To
bp the Waterman company. but other
e he is all alone in the silent wilder
s, for nobody lives there. The surround
q are not homelike, and in q thunder
rm they are uncomfortable.
Jp to last April there was another build
within a hundred feet of this. Now its
is marked by half a dozen low bricl
lars and mass of charred embers. II
storehouse for gun cotton used in the
nufacture of dynamite. One night II
ril in the course of a thunder storm tn
Flding was struck by lightning: One sid
the root was found some distance ava,
It morning. Eight hundred pounds o.
cotton went off at the touch of tn
nderbolt, and what was left of the build
was burned up. What will seen
Rnge to the average reader is that a
st 800 pounds more of the gun cottol
red in the building neither burned no
ploded. It was wet and packed in bar
}. When wet it will not burn or ex
de. The section of roof that was foun'
of the burned building, and beneatl
several broad, shallow, iron pans con
ming gun cotton spread out to dry. !!
ks like soiled cotton waste with slightl
lowish hue. Gun cotton is cotton vast
eped in strong nitric acid or COMPOUND
nitric and sulphuric acid. After beinl
eped it is ground to pieces between roll
in a trough filled with water. Th
ter is employed for the double purpos
washing out the free acid and prevent
the cotton from heating in the grind
Gun cotton is highly explosive com
Ind and peculiarly liable to explosion b.
It. If not carefully prepared, it is ais
bic to explosion by the action of light
Times reporter who visited this factor
day last week was very courteousl
wn around by SUPERINTENDENT Yates
Yates is an Englishman, about lift
rs old, who has spent his life since boy
I'D in the manufacture OF dynamite
Mantle is a compound of nitro glycerln
Il Ill ,,1. 81 10 hn vnor1Yok
ious forms, in sticks that somewhat n
hble hard molasses candy in appearance
black lustreless powder put up In car
ges, and in q brownish powder similarl
up. Nitric and sulphurio acid are mike
ID glycerine to produce nitro-glycerin
nitro glycerine is mixed with cellulos
pted with nitrate of soda, to produce d.
mite. Cellulose, it may be mentione
general name for variety of sul
noes containing q large proportion of ca
J. as cotton waste, charcoal. peat-mo
savdust.
The engine house contains stationel
zine of eight or ten horse power, tv
lers. tank for preparing a solution
Ia which is used in the preparation
b cotton, and mill for grinding mira
soda. One Of the boilers supplies stea
he engine, the other to the pans
ch the nitro-glycerine is mixed with Il
ulose (Which is in house about i
ds distant) and hot water to the tar
we referred to. In front of the enail
hse and without any shed over it is Il
ugh mill in which the gun-cotton
und. Over a succession of elevate
leys wire cable runs from the engil
lse to building more than 100 feet d.
L, where the nitro-glycerine is mad
Is pulley turns the mixer in which t
ds and glycerine are compounded. At
IT distance from the western gable
engine house is a small building col
hing a furnace and broad iron pans
oh the nitrate of soda is dried. T.
ing is necessary to take the moistu
Of it, as in its ordinary condition
tains q large percentage of water. VIII
ed it is pulverized to fine powder in
j hafora anokan of and ia then ready 1