The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1892-11-30
ON rHE BRINK oE DOOM.
How the Dynamite Makers Face Death
Every Hour.

ular in thickly-populated districts.
And yet, t,when brought in contact with
any grade of society it is treated with
Difference due the exalted eminence
it may attain on short notice.
Great care is observed in it's manu-
facture to prevent an outbreak, and
also to preserve the anatomical de-
tails of the men who do the work. The
workmen and their families, who gen.
orally live close by, carry their lives
in their hands, and so adept do they
become that they can carry it in either
hand desired. During the day the
men work in the mill and put in the
night wondering what will happen be-
fore morning.
As a rule a manufacturing plant is
one large building in which the work
is done, but with dynamite it is differ
ent. The process is conducted in
number of small, cheap buildings scat
tered over a wide expanse of territory.
Sometimes one or more of them are
scattered over the adjacent township.
Dynamite is migratory as well as clam
nish in its habits, and if one building
starts the others are liable to be over
come with an irresistible desire to ac-
company it.
Unusual care is exercised in the Sc
lection of workmen. A man with pal
pitation of the heart could not get a
| job. as the jolts of his fluttering organ
might lead to a sensational catastro-
phe. And yet their pay is no more
than they would get for making plows.
Housewives living near the works
| also use great caution and put up
their winter fruit in tin pals, as the
smallest jar might cause frightful
disaster. One-half the world doesn't
know how the other half lives.
A careful analysis of dynamite shows
that it is composed mainly of ingre-
dients. This will be cheering intelli-
gence to those who thought it was
made of something more complex and
therefore harder to grasp. 1t is COM
paratively easy to understand the
making of the stuff, but the trouble
has been, and always will be, to divine
it's subsequent intentions in time to
make ones self as remote as possible.
The ingredients are nitrate of soda,
wood pulp, sulphuric and nitric acid.
and glycerine oil. A mixture of the
ACIDS and oil forms nitro-glycerine-
the explosive-the soda and wood pulp
/ making an absorbent to contain the
liquid earthquake. Nitro-glycerine in
the form of dynamite retains it's explo-
sive powers in full, while the absorb
ent facilitates handling and lessons
the liability of premature death.
Dynamite is not near SO feverish as
nitro-glycerine, and, for this reason,
the workmen are intensely polite in
their demeanor toward the last-named
quality.
g \ L.,
are first prepared. Equal quantities
of both are thoroughly mixed in ma
chine like the pugmiIl used in brick
partment, and the man who does the
work can think of something else at
the time. This machine is run by
power which comes from an engine as
far away as it is possible to locate il
from the works. The engine house is
placed near the frontier, otherwise the
engineer could not get an insurance
policy on his life. When in proper
condition the pulp is taken to the mix
ing house.
It is in the mixing of the nitro-gly.
cerine that the greatest danger is in
Cured, and it requires man with 9
cool head and a thorough knowledge
of his business. The mixture of acids
is two-thirds sulphuric and one-third
nitric, and its action takes place in ar
underground lead-lined tank as far re
moved from the busy haunts of mar
as possible. 1t is then conducted tt
. the glycerine house, where mixture
!, of so per cent oil and 20 per cent acids
is made in tank. Cold water is KEEP
) moving in the lead coils in the tanl
|
utmost care is exercised to preven
disaster.
While this is going on the man il
charge slips away a mile or so t
breathe lest he precipitate trouble fo
himself. At the proper time the mix
ture is drawn off into another tank
: where the innate cussedness of tn
:, acids is chemically impaired to th
heretofore harmless glycerine. Th
: sulphuric acid initiates the process
and is recovered in bulk with its sys
tenn somewhat enervated. The nitric
in expelling the oxygen and hydroge
and contributing the deadly nitrogen
| is decomposed and lost forever, bu
. .. its works will live in the memory G
man, as per West Berkeley.
= When ready for the trip the no,
nitro-glycerine is respectfully escorte
to the separating room, where the aci
a q is recovered from the mixture. In tn
= separating room the stuff stands i
= = cool tanks, where the explosive rise
!. = to the top after the manner of oil, an
= is run off through rubber pipes, en-
= = bedded in downy sawdust, to the mix
- ing department, while the acid is cor
= Quoted to the regaining works.
- By some chemical process the su
!. phuric is separated from the refuse c
. the nitric acid and can be used agair
e There is no particular danger attache
!. !. to this department., but the noxiou
= yapors evolved are something long
be remembered.
In the mixing department the pull
is dumped into a large wooden par
the nitro-glycerine is poured in, an
y the stuff stirred with a long-handle
wooden rake. The quantity of glycel
inc used depends on the grade of tn
IS dynamite turned out. When tho1
}, oughly mixed the dynamite is take
is to the packing room and made int
l. cartridges known as the giant powde
e of commerce.
r The packers sit at a table, each wit
If a wooden hod in front of him, int
;e which the yellowish, greasy mixtul
5, is shoyeled with wooden scoop.
1T tin funnel fits under the mouth of th
n hod, the horn of the funnel runnin
t. through a hole in the tubes. Tt
i packer takes a paper cartridge in h
n left hand and draws it over the hor
e. of the funnel from below. Then h
le fills the funnel with dynamite, ant
r taking a wooden rammer in his rigl
s. hand, he punches the stuff into tt
4, shell until it is firm and solid, aftt
le which he folds in the open end of tt
ot cartridge axd tosses it into box.
t, The cartridge in size and shape r
e. sembles the ordinary saloon sausag
TX and weighs half pound. When fl
e. ished the dynamite is packed in box
er and stored away in magazine hous'
5y for shipment. Sometimes, howeve
it it grows impatient and doesn't wait
e. be shipped.
#, But dynamite is not so easily e
n ploded as some people think. 1t ca
1e be placed on an anvil and pounde
a. with sledge, thrown into the fire ar