The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-08-25

large quantity OF water lie
glycerine sinks TO the bottom OF sne water.
eooling and loosing its free acid as it does
50. All the proper time tits drawn on ana
carried to smother house and Kept unoes
water in covered pans ready for mixing.
Tn to the making of the nitro-giycerlne
the process is not particularly dangerous
The danger lies in the subsequent. sePs
There are several houses IN wnicn snese
are carried on-where the nltfo-sis
lose for the production OF the uine'els
kinds of dynamite. All OF these are rongns
one-story buildings. built partly peio" INC
surface OF the ground, rs before oescriceu-
Not more than two men WORK IN any one
OF these houses for should An e4pios1on
occur the fate OF every man IN ne
building is sealed. Inc mos !. the
teresting OF the maj SEP nco..
mixing of the nifro-glycerine WITH gun-eos-
ton TO make the gelatinous form OF dy ma
mite The process requires great care Inc
cans in which the components are iniAso
are surrounded by steam pipes, ano Ine
mass must be kept Within . certain naa 1ry
range OF temperature all the while Ine
nitro-giycerine. also. is Kept unoef GET
of temperature. as well as the proportions
OF nitro glvcerine and celIuiose naked .o-
gefher, are among the secrets OF tne slAoe,
especially the latter, on which the eHcacy
OF the dynamite is supposed 70 oepenu anu
which varies. therefore, with diHclens iaS
tories
II the temperature is allowed TO rise 700
high or the water, or the hi.los NJ
fail too low, the mass VIII expioOs.
Yates saws. however, that with due cass
the work can be carried on with PEREZ
safety. Nevertheless, three times III nic
history OF this factory this particular no 's's
has been blown up. and on each ocS1s a.
two men have been killed and tneir Ooulss
scattered TO the winds The latest eApaos
ion occurred last December: liners -,
a horse race of local interest hxed ior luas
day. and the two men working IN me
house had asked PERMISSION -
90 10 ii. Permission Was glanteu
on condition CT their hrst nnisn.ns
the work in hand. One OF Inc
men was afterward said to have remalASSi,
to one of his feIiow-workmen that ne Norl :.
go to the horse race or blow me fooI :. 49, -
the building Il is supposed that IN bnen
haste they neglected the proper prec.u-
tons, for at 8 o'clock in the morning snS
roof went 'of5'' and the men with IL
After combination with nitro-giycerine
the gun-cotton disappears and the mass as
sumes an appearance closely resrmpilng
apple Jelly, and. says Mr.. Yates. on San
almost ear IT," The effect OF handing tins
substance Is peculiar. According to MI
Yates 1t produced violent headache and 10
some instances distressing nausea Wnicn
lasts for hours. Only alter the men De-
come innr-d TO il can they handle IL with
our suffering. Some persons seem 20 re
more susceptible 10 IT'S effects than DINERS,
tor not long ago visitor 10 the factory
va, attacked with active vomiting sitter go
ing the 70 ,nds and remained Ill Tor more
than day. Nevertheless, the men VINO
have become accustomed to IL seem 70 en-
ioy excellent health.
For use dynamite is generally put mp In
cartridges varying from eight TO ten incnes
In length and from one and one-quarIeT 10
one and one-half inches in thickness Toe
cases are made of paper first rolled on Tin
cylinders to insure uniformity IN size, then
pasted, and subsequently dipped IN parai-
fine 10 protect their con ents from moist
ure. The cases are made by women IN q
house far removed from the other build
lngs, and ared:pped in another containing
a furnace and pans for melting the parai-
fine. When the paraffine Is Cry the cases
are taken TO the packing house,
where they are flied. In this house
SIX or seven men are employed, nEe
or six in Fl ling the cartridge cases
and one packing the cartridges IN boxes
The cases are filIed from tin tunnels set ID
frames arranged along tench against the
wall The dynamite. except the gelatine
variety, is in the form of powder. ano IS
placed IN tubs alongside the workmen. IL
Is shoveled into the tunnels by TN scoops,
and then packet IN the cartridges Dy
pounding down the neck of the funnel Win
q stout stick about two feet long win a
heavy cap OF lead on its upper end Inc
gelatinous form is simply poured into the
cases and allowed to harden, becoming
eventually as hard as stick of glue.
To the average reader who has heard so
much about the liability of dynamite TO ex-
piode from a jar the pounding process
above described must seem IKE an urgent
invitation to sudden death. But this Is
not all The man who packs the cartridges
in boxes tor shipment. after placing layer
of sawdust on the bottom of the box, ar
ranges fftv pounds of the explosive there
upon, shovels q scoopfui CT sawdust on top,
gives the box a rude shake, and
proceeds TO nail down the top with
ringing blows, all as unconcernedly
as If he were handling CONNECTIONS.
The writer stood for more than an hour in
the packing building. where there was
more than 1900 pounds of dynamite, while
this pounding and hammering was going
on necessarily. Yet no one seemed TO
think there was any danger IN Earring dyn-
amiIe, for the men were joking and laugh
ing with each other, and occasionally one
would break out with popular song and
the others would join in the chorus.
Speaking OF the liabl 81 OF dynamite to
explode, Mr.. Yates said: I'm England
they are not allowed TO nail down the cover
of q oox containing dynamite. Brass screws
must be used instead of nails. II they move
box or car Of dynamite 1t must De &C
c0mpanied by red Tag. The same pre-
cautions are taken in France. where not
pound is allowed 10 be sold without spe-
cial permit from the government, which
must go through succession OF
hands from the minister of war TO
the perfect OF police, first up and
then down. Both in England and France
there are regulariy-commissioned inspec-
tors of dynamite factories, who are charged
with the rigorous enforcement OF the laws.
In this country the only general law re-
quires the stamping on each box or pack
age of the words, Explosive, dangerous
The railroad companies also require 8
placard with the word Powder in large
letters TO be placed on cars used for
the transportation of dynamiIe.
1.-THE popular idea thatoynamite is easily
exploded by jar is unfounded. / have
known box containing fifty pounds to fall
from a mans hands and smash so that the
cartridges were ell scattered without the
dynamite exploding. Not long ago q can
loaded with dynamite was smashed in
railroad accident. The end of the car was
wrecked and many of the boxes were
broken, yet there was no explosion. The
company which had made the dynamite
had the wreck photographed for advertis-
ing purposes. The fact of the matter is
that not conclusion, but percussion is
needed to explode dynamite. There must
be Illuminating cap used TO set it of.
The accidents that happen attend the
manufacturing, and are due 10 carelessness
on the part of the worSmen. The most
stringent precautions are necessary in
making the article. and the risk is grea- es,
in the spring OF the year. when the weather
is generally unsettled and tempestuous.
That the weather has something 10 do
with the matter | am not prepared to say.
h,t uavar work bora