Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-03-03
Tons oF DYNAMITE.

TONS OF DYNAMITE.
| found the dynamite and nitroglycerin
factories a opposite ends of a picturesque
little VALLEY, several miles from the town
Both structures were of very crude archi-
lecture and resembled ordinary sheds or
barns. But from the moment we rode
down into The narrow gulch the air seemed
filled with whispers of death.
When we entered the dynamite factory
and the glycerin man pointed out the big
boxes full Of loaded cartridges, explaining
that the dynamite made here was merely
wood pulp saturated with uitroglycerin, l
hardly heard what he said, but watched
him with hawklike vigilance.
He picked up slender brown papertu
that looked like a Roman candle, and
which he said was dynamite cartridge
held my breath until the tube was safely
deposited upon the table again. He poured
some of the dynamite. which closely re
sembled awdust, into a shell and rammed
it down with round stick rs one would
load musket.
Nothing O an alarming character hap
pened, and l began to breathe with more
regularity. | was more at ease as we left
the seven tons of dynamite behind, bat the
same horrible feeling of suffOcation and
GOODNESS cane over me again as we ap-
preached the more dangerous uitrogly-
cerin manufa ctory.
This building contained several huge
wooden watts, a few paile and barrels, an en-
CINE and q great iron, kettlelike re-
ceptacle.
The iron receptacle was called an "agi-
tator," and, simply described, consisted of
a small kett within a large one The
space between the two was constantly filled
l. l.
on the hillside. The inner kettle was fitted
with several paddles, which were turned
by crank.
About 800 pounds of acids, sulphuric
and nitric mixed, We're poured into the
smaller Kettle. \ thin but continuous
stream of glycerin slowly followed; the
engine began to pant, the crank revolved,
the paddles Churned the glycerin and
acids. and the manufacture of uitroglyc-
erin WAS going on before my eyes.
MAKING THE DEADLY LIQUID.
My host controlled the flow of gIycerin
by means of a stopcock, and watched the
agitator and the thermometer which reg
istered the heat Of the perilous mixture
with unremitting vigilance.
'Nitroglycer H." my friend said, "is
formed by the action of nitric and sui
phuric acids upon glycerin. When those
red fumes come up, the greatest caution
must be observed. They Indicate that the
oil is on fire, AMI if the mixture gets warm
enough an explosion will follow
do you see that thermometer? The
mercury registered % dogs centigrade a
minute ago, but it is 30 dogs. now and still
climbing highe-. We must stop this at
once. Hailoo! More steam there!'
He shut off thu oil as he spoke, and a sec
ond later the paddles in the agitator were
churning the mixture more rapidly. |
began to edge coward the door, but the
glycerin man called me back.
i've got it unier control now" he said.
| THE paddles have whipped the oil under
, the acids and ex5inguished the fire The
mercury is falling, and | can turn on the
oil again now with safety. But if | had
not shut it off az once, and if the paddles
had not developed more speed, you and /
would have enjoyed a foot race together
down the valley. When the mercury gets
up to about 30 dogs centigrlde it is much
safer to he somew here else than in its vicin-
ity This stream of cold water constantly
circulating about the base of the agitator
keeps the mixture cool When the weather
becomes warmer we are Obliged to use ice"
After 225 or 230 pounds of glycerin had
been put i'll the a2itator and stirred long
time, the mixture was emptied into the
drowning tank" Then il was transferred
TO the other tanks and carefully washed,
and at the end OF about four hours the
milky amber tin ted nitroglycerin was
poured into rectangular tin cans. These
cans were deposited in huge iron safe, and
the explosive was ready.-Earle II. Eaton
in Youths CompaI ion.