Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-08-20
ON THE BRINK OF DOOM.
How the Dynamite Makers Face Death
Every Hour.

How the Dynamite Makers Face Death
Every Hour.
From the San Francisco Call
Under the most favorable conditions dyna-
mite will at times develop q htful, e1citable
temperament and q desire to rove that makes it
very unpopular in thickly populated districts.
And yet, when brought in contact with any
grade of society it is treated with q Difference
due the exalted eminence it may attain ON
short notice.
Great care is observed in its manufacture to
prevent an outbreak. and also to preserve the
anatomical details of the mon who do the work.
The workmen and their families. who generally
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
before morning
Asa rule manufacturing plant is one large
building, in which the work is done, but with
dynamite it is different The process is con-
Quoted in a number of small cheap buildings
scattered over wide expanse of territory.
Sometimes one or more of them are scattered
over the adjacent township. Dynamite is mi
gratory as well as clannish in its habits. and il
one building starts the others are liable to be
overcome with an irresistible desire to accom-
pany it,
Unusual care is exercised in the selection Of
workmen. A man with palpitation of tine heart
could not get job, as the jolts of his futtering
organ might lead to sensational catastrophe
And yet their pay il 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 il
is composed mainly of ingredients This will
be cheerful intelligence to those who thought it
was made Of something more complex and
therefore harder to grasp. 1t is comparatively
easy to understand the making Of the stuff,
but the trouble has been and ALWAYS will be TO
divine its subsequent intentions in time to make
ones self rs remote as possible.
Inc ingredients are nitrate of soda wood
pulp, sulphuric and nitric acid and glycerine
oil. mixture Of the acids and oil forms nitro
glycerine-the explosive-the soda and wood
pulp making an absorbent to contain the iouid
earthquake. Nitro-glycerine in the form Of
dynamite retains its explosive powers in full.
while the absorbent facilitates handling and
lessons the liability Of premature death.
Dynamite Is not near 80 feverish as nitro
glycerine, and for this reason the workmen are
intensely polite in their demeanor toward the
last named quality.
The nitrate of soda and wood pulp are first
prepared. Equal quantities of both are thor
oughly mixed in a machine like the pugmill
used in brickyards. There is no danger in this
department, 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 en-
CINE as far away as it is possible to locate it 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 tie pulp is taken to the mixing
house.
1t is in the mixing OF the nitro-glycerine
that the greatest danger is incurred. and it re-
quires man with a cool head and thorough
knowledge OF his business. The mixture of
acids is two-thirds sulphuric and one-third
nitric, and its action takes place in an under
ground iead-lined tank as far removed from
the busy haunts of man as possible. 1t is then
conducted to the glycerine house. where a mix
ture OF so per cent oil and 20 per cent acid il
made in tank. Cold water is kept moving in
the lead coils in the tank during the mixing
process, and the utmost care is exercised to
prevent disaster.
While this is going on the man in charge slips
away a mile or SO to breathe lest he precipita:e
trouble for himself. At the proper time the
mixture Is drawn on into another tank where
the innate cussedness of the acids ia chemically
impaired to the heretofore harmless glvcerine.
The sulphuric acid initiates the process. and is
recovered in bulk with its system somewhat en-
ervated. The nitric, in expelling the oxygen
and hydrogen and contributing the deadly
nitrogen Is decompOsed and lost forever but
its works will live in the memory Of man, a.
per West Berkeley.
When ready for the trip the now nitro-glyce-
rine Is respectfully escorted to the separating
room, where the acid is recovered from the
mixture. In the separating room the stuff
stands in cool tanks, where the explosive rises
to the top, after the manner of oil. and is run
of through rubber pipes. imbedded in downy
sawdust, to the mixing department. while the
acid is conducted to the regaining works.
By some chemical process the sulphuric ia
separated from the refuse Of the nitric acid
and can be used again There is no particular
danger attached to this department. but the
noxious vapors evolved are something long to
be remembered.
dumped into large wooden pan, the nitro
glyceyiTe is poured in and the stuff stirred
with long handled wooden rake. The guam
tity OF giycerine used depends on the grade of
the dynamite turned out. When thoroug hly
mixed the dynamite is taken to the pack ing
room and IN tde into cartridges, known as the
giant powder Of commerce.
The packers sit At u table. each with a wooden
hod III front Of him. into which the yellowish
greasy mixture is ahoveled vitha wooden SCOOP.
A tin funnel Ats under the mouth of the nod,
the horn of the funnel running through hole,
in the tubes The packer takes paper car
fridge in his left hand and draws it oYer the
horn Of the funnel from below Then he fills
the flannel with dyn unite and. taking wooden
hammer in his right hand he punches the stuff
into the she'd until il is firm and solid. after
which he folds in the open end OF the cartridge
and losses il into box.
The cartridge in size and shape resemble, the
ordinary Paloon sausage and weighs half a
pound. When finished the dynamite il packed
in boxes and stored away in magazine houses
for shipment. Sometimes. however. it grows
imra;ient and doesn't wait to be shipped.
But dynamite is not so easily exploded as
some people think. 1t can be placed on an
anvil and pounded wi h r sledge thrown into
the fire and burned or dumped over q cliff and
1t will not explode. sometimes. If struck by
ligh ning il will go off. and 20 will oths. things
less nervous. Friction neat is the means EN-
ployed to touch off dynamite for blasting revo-
lutionary purposes and fuse and percussion
cap are used.
The cartridge is opened at one end and a
small hole made in the dynamite, into which is
placed piece of common tarred fuse with a
copper cap on the end of it. Then you leave
word with an expert astronomer to locate your
possible remains, light the other end Of the fuse
compose a neat d;ing exclamation and run in
any desired direction.
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