Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1891-10-09
sMoKELEsa POWDER.
a chieago Man Tries ais HAND a, MAJ.
fno In

ing IL
eyes. this smokeless powder they
arc talking about in Europe said
Chicago druggist, is few evenings ago,
''is undoubtedly 4 great discovery.
but Know something about such
things myself. had little expert
ence with high explosives once which
nearly cost me my life. was a
Etudent then and my favorite study
was chemistry. ] had always he'd 4
penchant toward eSpefiiaentlng with
explosives gaseous, fluid, and solid,
and IN the course of my work in the
laboratory l finally evolved one Of
such terrific power that / don't think
any other to equal it has ever been
found. 1t was a illuminate, and when
i had succeeded IN producing the 1rst
few grains OF white powder ! decided
TO try II. A half grain was all I
used. | didn't know how powerful
The staf Was. put it in a big iron
mortar, suspended a pestle over st by
a thread, and fixed a cerd 1t Sy jerk
ing it corli let the pestle fan. /
retired to the other side Of the room,
pulled the string and-well, was
knocked down, two windows were
shattered and l had to pay $3.50 fol
delicate apparatus ruiued ~ The ex-
plosiph'
Knowing how frightfully danger.
Gus the stuff was, and yet unwilling
TO quit experimenting, / fitted up a
little laboratory of my own iu an
abandoned stable about a mile from
the college building. This was heces.
sary for the faculty notified me I'd
stor hiehkeying with my illuminate
on the college property. l worked
away in my own improvised shop,
however, and soon had an ounce or so
of the stuff made Theh invited a
friend ~ mine, a good rife shot, to
come out with me and try 1t. |
wasn't taking any more chances on
testing ii Indoors, Well, we went to
little lake, about a quarter Of a
mile wide, ! carrying the illuminate
very dalntily, you may be sure, and
he his rifle. We took a boat, went
out about hundred yards from shore;
buoyed tiett board and on it set
the can with the illuminate in it. ]
only used half an ounce. Returning
TO the shore We icah tip pbaitions or
q lille knoll, and | asked my friend
to shoot at the can. He missed It
the first time, but the second, coinci-
dentally with the crack OF his rifle,
came ripping crash like the heavens
were Wihr tdrb aSudcr. Both OF us
were thrown fiat to the ground and
half stunned 10y the conclusion. ]
saw just flash, a splitting Of the
waters to the bottom Of the lake, and
fell. When we arose an enormous
wave rolled shOreward aud We could
Eer the water fuf q hundred yards,
all muddy, though it was very deep.
We took the skin and pulled out
into the lake, and in a moment dead
fish began to rise on all sides Tine
water was fairly cotered With them
in half an hour, all sorts and sizes
tloatihg bu all parts Of the lake.
think We Killed every fish III the littls
body of water, for there were thou.
sands Of them, We were q mile from
the college buildings but When we re.
turned we found everything excite.
ment there. They thought it was an
earthquake, for the walls had trem.
bled, and dozens of panes Of glass
were broken. I've never given away
the FORMULA III my fjl1tihate tti
too dangerous to be in the possession
even Of scientists. Chicago Times.