Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1897-06-26
Drmfon


tory and the glycerine man pointed out
the big boxes full of loaded cartridges,
explaining that the dynamite made
here was merely wood-pulp saturated
with nitro-glycerine, I hardly heard
what be said, but watched him with
hawk.like vigilance.
He picked up slender, brown-paper
tube that looked like a Roman candle
and which he said was a dynamite
cartridge. held my breath until the
tube was safely deposited upon the
table again. He poured some Of the
dynamite, which closely resembled
sawdust, into a shell, and rammed it
down with a round stick as one would
load a musket.
Nothing of an alarming character
happened, but the same horrible feel.
ing of sufocation and coldness came
over me again as we approached the
more dangerous nitro.glycerine manu-.
factory.
This building contained several huge
wooden vats, a few pals and barrels,
and great iron kettle-like receptacle.
The iron receptacle was called an
"agitator," and, simply described, con-
sisted of small kettle within large
one. The space between the two was
constantly filled with stream of cold
water from a tank on the hillside.
The inner kettle was fitted with sever
al paddles, which were turned by a
crank.
About 1900 pounds of acids, sulphu-
ric and nitric mixed, were poured into
the smaller kettle. A thin but contin-
uous stream of glycerine slowly fol-
lowed the engine began to pant, the
crank revolved, the paddles churned
the glycerine and acids, and the manu-
facture of nitro-glycerine was going on
before my eyes.
NV host controlled the flow of gly-
cerine by means of a stopcock, and
watched the agitator and thermometer
which registered the heat of the peril
GUS mixture with unremitting vigi-
lance.
"Nitro- -glycerine," my friend said,
sis formed by the action of nitric and
sulphuric acids upon glycerine. When
those red fumes come up the greatest
caution must be observed. They indi.
cate that the oil is on fire, and if the
mixture gets warm enough an explo-
sion will follow.
"Do you see that thermometer? The
mercury registered IS degrees centri-
grade minute ago, but it is 70 degrees
now and still climbing higher. We
must stop this at once. Halo! More
steam there ~
He shut off the oil as he spoke, and
minute later the paddles in the agita-
tor were churning the mixture much
more rapidly. I began to edge toward
the door, but the glycerine man called
me back.
"I've got it under control now," he
said. "The paddles have whipped
the oil under the acids and extinguish-
ed the fire. The mercury is falling,
and can turn on the glycerine again
now with safety. Buff had not shut
it off at once, and if the paddles had
not developed more speed, you and l
would have enjoyed race together
down the valley. When the mercury
gets up to about 80 degrees cent?
grade, it is much safer to be some
where else than in this vicinity. This
stream of cold water constantly cir
culating about the base of the agita-
tor keeps the mixture cool. When the
weather becomes warmer we are oblig-
ed to use iee."
When about 225 or 230 pounds of
glycerine had been put in the agitator
and stirred a long time, the entire
mixture was emptied into the "drown-
ing tank"
Then it was transferred to other
tanks and carefully washed, and at
the end of about four hours the milky,
amber-tinted nitro-glycerine was pour
ed into rectangular tin cans.
The manufacture of nitro. .glycerine
does not involve a heavy expenditure,
and the price oft gives large margin
of profit but without this large
profit, no one would engage in the
dangerous business of making.