The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-11-13
the Stuff
is Made.
PERiL0US WORK
But Girls and Men Make
Good Wages at it.

| (Convriobt 1909 ~ rr =
| or IN, VI ave o. 0teN eIls')
GU 'iie Hlsh explosives known, nj
/ tfo-glyeerine is the one in most rem
| eral use, in the form Of d,-,,o,,.3...
which ie notbino 49,, NS 'e
o"I Hilro-Slycerine
9odheu up pS saW-dust, infusOrial earth
/ or some other material of great abso,.,-.
Ient capacitv mo sr,,,i.s1,..
-. '.''iVh7i e99 PoWoeis
~" III seHelal use Tor naval and mill
ltaly operations are based upon DIV
mantle in MANY oasas Nri+,o,,,,,, g..
I in tt,a .,+,,,o..,,.-.- 80 ~ "a !"
-. oS''iisie' oiIulihs Inc oxygen
| "nleh we breathe, is an inert gas. It's
chemical characteristics are mainly, Of
a negative nature. and the pas is ro+e5
/ for it's instability II tonne cla,11t,,,i
| compounds readily. bur most Of tben1
/ are Of a nature easily senarabla Nj
/ mite, cordite, dynamite. nifro-gelatine
/ gun-cotton and practicall0 an of ~
| high explosives are based upon nitroean
compounds. Some of the nitr.0geneo,,e
compounds are SO unstable mar tbey,
| are exploded by the touch of a feat1a,.
| the jar of a foot fall on. the h,,atio,'
of loud noise. Such. of course are
| never seen outside of chemical Iabora :
tories, where they are occasionally nre-
pared in minute quantities for exneri-
mental or demonstrative Drrnoses
| Nitro glycerine was invented almost
thirty years ago by a Swedish Scientist
named Nobel Its explosive power far
lsurpasses gunpowder for two reasons
| the volume of gas generated nv com
bustion is greater and the combustion
| is practically instantaneous. whereas
| in gunpoWder. the explosion of which
seems instantaneous to the eve. there
/ is an appreciate fraction of a second
between ignition and the complete com
! bustion A key of eunpowder laid ~,
a rock will explode with a loud noise
without affecting the rock below. Int
a single gill of nitro-glycerine would
rend a big rock in fragments if laid I'M
on it and exploded.
! One of the greatest manufacturers of
| dynamite in the world is at Dollar Raw.
Mich, only four miles from Houghton,
and in the heart of the Lake Superior
copper district. The consumption of
dynamite In the mines is slrrprisineIv
large. The Calumet & Hecla alone uses
every month some 1000 boxes Of giant .
as the dynamite is conhnonly called bv
the miners. each box containing fftv
pounds-a total OF 100000 pounds per
month. or 1900 900 pounds annually.
The consumption in the entire copper
district is about three million pounds
per annum and the iron mines of the
lltl
more every wear. a total of about 8OOC
lions of acknowledgements to sink every
war vessel and merchantmen in the
world and rase every building in LON
don. New York and Paris TO boot
The Dollar Raw works were located
in a situation apparently designed b1
mature for the usc 10 which if has beer
put. two steep ravines. parallel anC
lout two hundred feet anart are 11tilizef
IL -. -. 1....s17
mos used in the making Of dynamite
Manufactories of high explosives are
aI1,-, We a1.,,anoe1 +o have MANY sera "a tf
lbniIdings. thus lessenine. the danger tc
life and ,,ronartv- through accidents
isnch as will and do happen in every
! factory which makes The deadly -Sttlff,
EVERY comnonen4 mart of the finished
lexnI0sive is brought TO the works in
the crude form and manufactured on
fhe premises.
with SO MANY buildings and such a
variety of processes. it is difficult tc
teIi 1vbara Ia beo-ir IN describing the
work b1+ q starf had nerhaps best he
made at the acid house. which is usual
lly fhe last building seen by visitors
whose PRESENCE. by the way, is not in
l,i+ed la,oal,, Tor their own good for
or lls It, viii llannen in ne best rep-
,,1s.tad 1ro,,I[s
nm o"id b6,,ea ie n largo buiIdine,
-
4 partiv open at the sides to allow the
- ~ x AZ ,,iiIoi,3n,1s f,11as piled
/ obont 81 arc e,,o.v1C beaDs of salt cake
waste nrodnct from fine nanufacture of
rit,ic ectd fo1. even fine acid is made on
49,, Insie The h,1iIdine tbere
.lie no,
+o.ts =, r,b;ch are nlaced charges al
o0o - 7,o ~ of s1llnbnric acid and an
~ s,-aie,,,t ~ ,,itrsta Of soda The
- 49, o,,sae f.,o,17 tba faroous nitrate
s $3.50 ~ ocoe+ ~ chill and is con
s $3.50, u, i,1,,d,ele Of IONS annually bv
Ar 1S-o,ifs Irnder each of the great
-, ,efnTts which are SET in brick
,1o,l1 III, etaoi,, boilers are lets OF
H 80 f,,,, 1,,S,, ,,sine netroleum far
81 me- Nc co1te1lte Of the retorts boil
80 ~, f,,,,'ss a1ieine from, the slll-
Gu a,1d nitTata Of soda are car
I'll tl,ToI,ol9 tils mines to big crockery
,,tt[,,,ts, tbe,1ce through other tile pipes
W -, o,.ilS. IF class tubes. set like
80, ,,ino radiators there. being is
t,,Ites ee,tb ~ inch in diameter and
~ 49, e. Inc, ct in each bank The
$50, 81 49, ~ tbese tubes and eventual
~ t1,scl,lino stream of nitric
y 5ae INV, i,,fo wooden troughs which
49, 49, Rio e1.oelyerv receiver. From
iSet ~ - o,1g +he nitric acid is
.hi9 ;,,fo cylindrical iron drums
WSi So 49, taif t1,,s orantity Of pure sui
60 IN ie addea
pi NJ d Inn Of mixed acid are then
,.i- n ~ tia elvcerine house. II is
, tahei ~ tba nifro-glvcerine is made,
mere .ii'i' ,, sla tnrned ont has expio-
anu eslCii s,lfficient 10 level 4 dozen
siVe ~, - I-i5t, ana Stone linldines.
Gity Dl oeiN9 p - ~ eav tbat The ,ltl,lost
~ y 1899 =, tbis huiIdine and that
care - us a'.al " need cautioning tw,ce.
HIsleoi ai.,aa,ira bo1lse blows M at 2
WIleIl q = sao+c,.,1 tbe tirst sffn in re-
dynamite ldStVt - = = -