Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-03-11
AS FREIGHT
Congress Proposes to Regulate the Carriage
Of Dynamite and Nitroglycerin.
How 1t In Proposed to Make the Shin
ment Of These Dangerous Articles
Comparatively Safe.

An investigation has been undertaken,
Department in regard to the shipment of
high and low explosives as freight on
| steamers plying between the United States
and foreign countries
There is legislation on the statute books
now. but 1t Is rtdiculousIy obsolete 1t ap-
plies to explosives not now in use, and has
no application to many which have been
invented since the law was passed-lSuG
A section OF the present law makes 1t man.
slaughter to import high explosives in
passenger conveyances; but as the high
explosives designated in the law have been
obsolete for many years. the conviction OF
an offender under 1t would be difficult, II
not impossible. One section provides that
these obsolete explosives shall be packed
In metallic vessels, surrounded by plaster
Of paris. and marked ''Nitroglycerin, dan
gerous." Now modern science has discoy-
cred that there Is no more dangerous meth
cd of packing any high explosive than that
described in this law. At the time this law
was passed the exHding Of nitroglycerin
from the package was thought to be the
source of the greatest danger. But 1t has
been shown that the greatest danger is
from the liability Of the explosive to freeze;
and as 1t freezes at about 81 degrees FAN
renheit. 1t could not be more dangerously
incased than in meal cylinders.
In Place of Steam.
The great need for some legislation on
the subject of the transportation OF explo-
sives lies in the fact that a new use is be-
ing developed for them-1a commercial use,
which may be quite as important as the
use now made Of them in mining. 1t is
proposed to use them in place OF steam;
and all that has been needed was the dis
covery of some way Of bridling their great
fhof ,of Iapf rNt
rather than serve. This has been accom-
plished in a crude way in England, and a
ram has been worked there with explosives
TO furnish the power.
The legislation proposed by the Treasury
Department to be enacted by Congress is
based on the English law, and follows the
English classification in almost every par
ucular. Explosives are to be classed as
gCnpowder, nitrate mixtures, nitro-com-
pounds, chlorate mixtures. Eliminates, am
munition and fireworks. No one who Is not
familiar with the manufacture and sale of
explosives could have any idea Of the great
variety in which they are to be found.
Many of them are named after their in
ventorS; others have names derived from
the Greek or Latin, from words descriptive
of their properties. Some OF those which
are to be designated in the proposed law
are colonia, westialike, orlssite, glukodine,
scranire, diaspon. mataziette. sebastine,
rhesite, porifera, paleine, plera, nitasons.
dia-fyamur. ronlit, tounite, titan, victorite,
viel, schnetbalite, caiiow, xyIogiodine.
bronolithe. xyloidine. meganite and dualine.
The Proposed Legislation.
1t is to be provided in the proposed law
that no explosive shall be imported by any
onefnot having an importation license. to
be issued by the Secretary of the Treasury.
No vehicle or wagon in which explosives
are imported Is to contain more than 1900
pounds, and If in trains, the vehicles are
n he tod nv of oSf I'VE r,a
feet. Each is to carry q black flag three
feet square. All inland vessels carrying ex-
plosfves are to carry black flags and all
sea going vessels red flags, to indicate that
they have explosives on board. No boat is
to carry more than $1,000 pounds Of ex-
plosfves and no railroad car more than
10000 pounds; and all railroad cars con-
tanning explosives are to be separated from
other cars similarly loaded by three other
cars. empty or filled with non-combustible
merchandise There are to be regulation
to control the packing Of explosives OF
different classes. These regulations are
to apply to all packages containing more
than five pounds but any traveller is to be
permitted TO carry five pounds with him
for private use.
The Importation of nitroglycerin on a
railway car Is prohibited under penalty of
5000 fine in the proposed act. Any viola
ton OF the regulations Is to be punished by
fine Of 800 or less. and further fine of
so cents for eacn pound of explosive, to be
assessed against the master of the vessel
carrying the importation and the licensee
These provisions are much like those of the
English law. The French regulations are
somewhat similar, but they go into details
concerning the identity of the importer
&C.. which are characteristic of French
law. The importer is to tell, for instance
how much explosive he wishes to import
the use he desires to make of 1t, the precise
spot where 1t is to be used. the exact route
by which 1t is to reach that spot. After
these and many other things are stated the
q rad tn f1,a chi af
of mines or the chief engineer of bridges
and he determines whether a license shall
issue. In Germany the regulations are a
matter Of local determination. Austria has
very stringent regulations, and so have
Norway and Sweden.