The morning times., 1896-01-12

question of sucffyitainterest as the strength
and quality az explosives.
This history says Dr.. Munroe, forms
an interesting chapter in popular science.
OF course, everyone knows that by an
explosive is meant a substance which con-
tains within Itself the materials for its
own combustion and that the discharge is
the result of this combustion.
GUN COTTON AND NTRo-GLYCERINE
"Frem a military standpoint gunpowder
is naturally the rloss effeetive cxplesiye
7 known for certain purposes The fact that
! cotton when fmmcrscd- id nitric aHkS<si-
phuric acids became a, most >powerful ex-
pldSNe was a startling discovery TO tie
j chemists of the early forties. Peiouze, IN
| eminent French chemist, together with
his pupil Sohrero, tried n number of ex-
| periments of nitric acid on glycerine, and,
| as a consequence, the latter discovered
| nitro-glycerine. 1t announced lis birth by
| vieieDt explosion which shattered the
windows of hislabora tory, wrecked his ma
| chine and almost ended the career of its dis
| coverer.
THE great power which this explosive
| exhibited ard the apparent readiness with
which it issi.ed=made chemists somewhat
reluctant to pursue an Investigation of its
lI,rnpeesttcs.-fh6ng Sohrru rDsaeAhis dis
covery in 1916, little was done with nitro
glycerne until the Crmean war. AT this
time Prof. jacob, in the employ OF the
Russian government manufactured guam
titles of this deadly explosive and by its
presence prevented the English from en-
terng the Harbor of Cronstadt-
The practical use of this substance is
due to a Norwegian, Alfred Nobel, who
invented process for its RAPID manufac-
ture, and in 1863 factories were estab-
lished on the European continent, under
his supervision.
Great expectations were aroused by
the fact that Nobel had placed The eDor-
nous force stored in nitro-Siycerine com
pletely under coutrol and that ii could be
used at will in doing useful work. Scarcely
a year had elapsed after Nobel had secured
his patents in Norway before this explosive
made its appearance on this continent in
startling aud dramatic manner.
USED AS A POLISHING POWDER.
Zone of the guests In the Wyoming
Hotel, in New York city, wishing to polish
his boots, drew from under the counter
a box which had been used for this pur-
pose for some months back. While busy at |
his work he noticed q reddish vapor issuing |
from the side, ard, becoming alarmed, |
threw the box into, the open street.
"It instantly exploded, and SO violently |
that the pavement was torn up, the pass
ersby were hurled against the houses, and |
WiuuOWS VI tNeiy h"eSS fOO
yards were completely shattered.
CAUSED GREAT EXCITEMENT.
.'As the war of the rebellion was then In
full progress, the greatest excitement pre-
vailed concerning the explosion. After
dilgent inquiry / was ascertained that
the box had been left at the hotel by a
German, who was unable To pay his board.
He stated that 1t contained glonoin OLA |
material used in Germany for blasting.
Glonoin oil is but another name for nitro
glycerine. As an explosive this substance
needed no further test in New York to insure
belief in its properties.
"But as war weapons, the most Interesting |
IS that of nitro-snBsti tuition explosives
hoseused to cha rye shells. Itisnot generally
known that almost every great nation
has its own particular kind OF explosive.
rhe process is The same in all the powders; t
hat is, chlorate is substituted for inter, but I
hey vary in destructive power.
1.-THE Germans pin their faith to hell 7
loffite, a comparatively new explosive in-
rented by Cruiser and HelihOff, and first ,
ested at st. Petersburg in 1885. In COM a
,arison with gunpowder and nitro-rlyc- I
,rine helhoffite showed wonderful su- q
,eriority. Three bottles were used, one a
illed with gunpowder, one with nitro / /
,lycerine and the third with helihorfite. n
In exploding the gunpowder the block on Y
which the bottle was fixed was torn into
our pieces, as If split with hatchet. I
md he pieces were Ii. rfed eighteen, twelve. =
leven and ten feet away. In exploding O
he nitro-giycerine tile upper portion of the n
lock, as far as the bottle was let into IL i,
vas torn transversely in such manner that r
smooth cut was formed. The explosion