Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1890-01-10
TIE CnNIING ENpLnSIN u


Speaking of the wonderful explosive
which it is thought may supercede all
others the Chicago Herald says: DIR.
Emmons. of the village of Emmens, Pa,
the inventor of the new explosive called
Emmensite having brought his invention
TO perfection gave an exhibition of its per
fornauces few days ago to n company of
gentlemen from Pittsburg He manufac-
tured the Emmensite used on the occasion
over an oil stove, III the presence of his
guests, and then showed 10y number of
experiments that it WAS not affected 10y
moisture, heat nor percussion that 1t
weighs less than gunpowder, and exerted
many times the explosive force of the
best dynamite by exploding 220
grains of it under an inverted
mortar weighing scventy-eight pounds
the mortar was thrown up
ward out of sight. by exploding three
ounces of it ON piece of sheet iron one
half en- inch in thickness, suspended in
mid-air, the iron was shivered TO piccs
and hurled IN ground When used In fire
arms it is said to he smokeleSs. to produce
no more recoi than the Swapping of a cap,
and to be accompanied with almost no
report If the accounts be true all the
works ON natural philosophy will have to
be rewritten. That the explosion Of En-
mensite should produce no visible or disa-
greeabe smoke is possible enough, but
that it should produce no recoil and no re
port is something that needs explanation,
to say the least. 1t is doctrine of phys
that action and Reaction are equal and in
contrary directions The recoi of gun
is exactly equal to the force with which the
ball is projected, only it is as much slower
than the ball as the gun is heavier than the
ball. No change in the character Of the
explosive can produce any other effect. uu-
less all that has hitherto been taught about
the laws of matter is to be uulearned. The
case is no better with regard to the claim
that Emmeusite makes no report. The re-
port made by an explosion Is due to the
sudden liberation of gases which produces
sound-waves in the air, especially when the
gases are forced through a tube. like the
barrel of a gun. As the projecting force
of the explosive is due to the same cause.
it is well nigh incredible that there should
be any more force exerted than there is
noise heard But this is an age of won
ders, and perhaps nr. Emmens can defend
himself against the charge of being new
edition Of Baron MunchauSen. The most
important as well as the most creditible
claims made for Emmensite are that it is
the most powerful explosive yet discovered
and that it is absolutely safe to handle
Except that in one or two of the expert
ments it is said to have been set off by
an electric spark, which could not b,
done in the case of firearms, the ac
counts do not explain how it is t,
be exploded. From the way it i
spoken of one would receive the impres
sion that nothing will explode it until It's
owner politely requests it to explode.
this. or anything like this. be true of it
ii is no wonder that joint stock compan,
with capital of SS,000,000 has beer
formed to manufacture it; that orders 70
it are pouring in from miners, and tina
the United States government has appro
priated $751; to defray the expense o
testing 1t at Willett's point for use i
shells and submarine torpettces. obvi
ously it is likely TO cut figure in the mex
great war, unless, indeed. it should pr,
vent war, which would not be an altogetl
er unreasonable expectation.