The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-03-30
ACCIDENTAL EXPLOSION.
CREATES MUCH ALARM AMONG
SOME SCIENTISTS.
May, However, Be the Means Of
Making Known to the World a
Very Valuable Discovery.

New York, March 29.-Fffteen men
lawyers, bankers and merchandise
siding on the upper west side, who
are in the habit of meeting in the HaSl
tel Endicott at Eighty-first street and
Columbus avenue to discuss the scien-
tific problems, were the victims of a
peculiar explosion that occurred there
on Saturday night, during the pro-
gress of one of their experiments, the
details of which leaked out yesterday.
The object that exploded was a COM
mon tumbler, half filed with frozen
alcohol to which one of the gentle
men applied a match with the result
that three doctors in the immediate
neighborhood were called in and spent
three hours in extracting particles of
glass from the anatomies of the ex-
perimenters. three of whom were so
severely injured that they were con-
fined to their homes yesterday
A secret compound discovered by
Charles E. Tripler, a chemist and in
ventor. was the remote cause of the
strange disaster. Mr.. Tripler has been
experimenting for some years with the
object of obtaining an inexpensive and
satisfactory chemical-freezing mixture.
which, when exposed to the air, would
produce an exceedingly low tempera-
ture by rapid evaporation
Mr. Tripler has just succeeded in
finding what he has been so long
searching for. and learning of his sue
cess, the coterie of amateur scientists,
all of whom are his personal friends.
asked him to give an exhibition of its
powers. Mr.. Tripler accordingly
brought some of it to the Endicott on
Saturday. Some of the liquid was
poured upon bread. which Immediately
froze solid; then into a glass of whisky
which Immediately CONCEALED and
finally into a glass of pure alcohol
with the same result. The alcohol had
been frozen and Mr.. Tripler had step
ped to the other side of the cafe to
explain the action of the mixture to
several friends. Fifteen or twenty gen.
tlemen gathered around Mr.. r. J.
Dean, president of the Cold Storage
company, who was testing the frigid-
ity of the alcohol. All of the freezing
compound had evaporated, leaving the
alcohol a mass of ice in the bottom
of the glass. AS it began to melt. Mr..
Dean struck a match and held it to
the alcohol TO see if it still retained
its infiammable properties. Instantly
there was a vivid flash of white flame,
followed by a loud explosion that
sounded like the discharge of a small
cannon and the men around the table
staggered, blinded and dazed, in all di-
IeClIOIlS, DleeulHS from numerous
wounds on their bodies, hands and
faces, caused by the flying bits of
glass which were hurled with terrific
force all around the room. Mr.. Dean
narrowly escaped losing his sight. For
tunately, none of the glass entered his
eyes, but the muscles were strained
and his face was covered with small
cuts. Every one in the room received
some flying particles of glass, and were
cut and bruised.
In discussing the cause of the ex-
plosion last night, Mr. TrOpler said it
was puzzle to him, as the chemical
compound was perfectly harmless in
itself. Mr.. Tripler intends to follow up
the matter and find, if possible, Just
what caused the explosion, and per-
haps a discovery of great Importance
to science may result from the acct
dental explosion