The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-06-04
AN AMERICAN PANORAMA OF WAR.

go of. We use lots of it for blasting
purposes, but we never have had an acct :.
dent. Of course it produces frightful
effects when exploded in conjunction
with some other high explosive. Nitro
glycerine in the other hand, is to be
feared at all times. have heard of a
blacksmith who placed one drop of it on
an anvil and then struck it hard blow
with hammer. It must have been a
hard blow. 1t blew out the side of the
shop and made big hole under where
the anvil had stood, and the blacksmith
did not even need burial. But even this
is not to be compared to iodide of nj
trogen. Its explosive power is equal to
4O00 feet second. That u.s. If you laid
train of it 1000 feet long the explosion
would be transmitted to the other end of
the train in one second. That speed is
greater than the accredited velocity of
sound, which travels at the rate of 1900
feet second.
DYNAMITE SAFEST EXPLOSIVE.
Dynamite is the safest of all the high
explosives. 1t will stand a very high
temperature, and at a low temperature
1t IL not dangerous at all. Neither light
electricity, nor ordinary shocks, contrary
to the popular fallacy, cause it to decom-
pose or explode. The principal dangers
connected with its use are those arising
form the strong Illuminating powders
useo IN the percussion fuses to explode it.
IL Is also possible that If dynamite is
careiessly made it may contain an excess
OF nltroglycerin, which overcoming the
capillary force of the mineral PARTICLES,
may collect In drops and settle from the
mass, becoming source of serious acct
dents Moreover, it may be that freezing
OF thswing after freezing has tendency
TO segregate the oil.
CONTRARY to general belief, dynamite is
ior sale In hundreds of retail stores
throughout the nitre country. No special
care is observed in handling it, as none
u necessary. 1t is used so generally for
olastlng In open quarry work that it has
become staple article of trade. In I'M
foreground mines, however, it is not in
general use inasmuch as the fumes are
nauseating and poisonous. 1t is worth
from thirty to fifty cents a pound, de-
pending principally upon the power,
which depends upon the percentage of
nltro glycerin it contains.
POWER OF GUN COTTON.
Mention is occasionally made of gun
cotton, another explosive with great de-
structive properties, This is simple
preparation made by subjecting ordinary
raw cotton to the action of nitric acid.
In appearance it differs but little from
crude cotton, butin power-well, there's
mighty difference, as you will speedily
uiscover to your cost if you fool with
the explosive.
dun cotton when wet may be Kept in
oennitely and with perfect safety. So
many accidents have resulted from its
use That none but the mos5 sangul ne
looks upon it in favorable way. 1t
can be ignited by hot coal or flame of
low intensity, when it burns harmlessly;
put If exploded by a illuminate like the
caps used for dynamite. the result is an
explosion of terrible power"
EXPLOSIVES OF DELICATE BAL
ANCE.
Inere are explosions of such tremen-
aous power that they are never made nor
seen outside a laboratory. Of such Edi.
son said:
have made them, drop at time.
But, o, how unstable they are. Actually
nave made explosives of this nat ure
which have gone off when yelled at
them. l simply placed small drop on
table and shouted at it. 1t exploded
instantly. You see the thing is in q state
OF very delicate equilibrium. 1t is a
question depending on surrounding con-
dltlons as to which it will do-remain a
liquid or turn into a gas. When, as in
the case just mentioned, this bala nee is
about equal, it takes very little to incline
10 toward II gaseous form, so that even
the sound of the voice will cause the
change. A violent tit of coughing will
produce the effect, and SO would heavy
weight dropped on the floor"