The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-06-13
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wooden tacks, for there must be no metal
that will strike "A spark as he works. He
can not carry watch chain for this might
fall and cause an explosion. He can MOI
have even a shirt stud or a metal button
on his trousers. He must be dressed with
-inilammable materials and were he
to have a match In his pocket, he would
be instantly dismissed.
THEIR HOUSES.
The little colony of houses In which
these heroes live are situated apart from
the works. 1t would not be wise to leopard
lie the powder of a whole war BY the
presence of dwellings that might catch fire
The houses are half mile away aud
should they be burned down, no spark
could reach the powder works.
When the workman sets out in the morn
ing he carries with him a tin rail and a
pipe, for he is an incessant smoker. When
he reaches the borders of the powder works
he finds place for his tin pail and hts
pipe and secrete both where he will know
where to find them. He then enters the
building and takes his place along with
the other workmen.
All day long he handles materials, the
secrets of which he scarcely knows, while
he must treat all as though made of wax,
yes and even more tenderly for wax will
endure some heat, but powder will not.
There are men who work among the
chemicals where Il c formula for making
gunpowder is carried out day after day.
These men stir together the ingredi ents
and carefully form the powder. They work
with wood, AMI no matter how great the
hurry they must be careful never to stir
too vigorously or to drop a particle Of
anything upon the floor where it could BE-
stepped upon.
Then there are others of these heroes
who work in the preservative department
where the gunpowder is packed into cans
An even more dangerous occupation than
any of these is the process of heating the
cans and boxes so that they can be sealed
and shipped across the country Here hot
metal is brought almost in contact with
the powder, yet SO skillfully that it will.
not ignite.
The dynamite and nitro glycerine works
are managed by men who do so at the con-
slant risk of their lives. Frequently the
owners themselves are blown up in the
attempt to make difficult combination;
and FOR every new explosive which Is sent
out to the warning world a life has been
sacrifced in the main powder works.
DANGEROUS GASES.
No one can have any idea of the ev-
posiveness of these materials. Heat cold,
force and friction equally ignite them and
there is scarcely any choice in this respe t
between high and low explosives.
There are two kinds of explosives-low
and high. The term explosive is one ap-
Piled to those substances, solid or LIQUID,
which upon application of heat or shock
are converted either by combustion or de-
composition into gases having many tfm5s
me volume of the original substance. A
low explosive, like gunpowder is one which
can be exploded by ignition. Further
tne rate OF this combustion can be reg
uiated by mechanical treatment. Thus.
oiack gunpowder goes off quickly, like a
Hash, whereas brown gunpowGer burns as
Slowly as punk. Gunpowder is a mechanical
mixture. as are all low explosives; but
nish explosives, with which this article
mas to deal. are chemical compounds.
Gunpowder is the best known represen-
'aeoh OF the former, nitro glycerine of the