The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1899-11-01
FREAKS or NITRoGlYCERIN.

Nitroglycerin and it's pecuiarities are
little known even in localities where IL
is made Probably in mo other place I'm
the United States is there such great
amount of the explosive used as in the
Indiana oil field. says the Indianapolis
| Journal Indiana has four nitroglycerin
| factories; two near Montpelier. Black
| ford county. one at Button, and one at
| Knightstown
| The explosive Is made from a compo-
! sition of acids and glycerin. II is gener-
| ally pale yellow i'm color. IL is OdOrless,
| and has sweet pungent, aromatic ma
\ VOr. If touched by ones tongue, or even
| brought into contact with the skin, IL
| viii produce a severe headache. A large
| tank. called an agtator. rs where the
| tluid is mixed, and the mixtura is COM
! pos of equal parts OF nitric ana sui
! phuric acid. lnsiee the tank are several
| paddles. like those of a churn. and IL ~
/ her. that the real danger I'm tha manu-
! facture exists. The paddles are put In
! operation and "a steady stream of sweet
| glyCcrin is turned into the vat until 200
| pounds are thoroughly mixed with the
! 1900 pounds of acid. The chemicals COM
| ing in contact produce an intense heat
| and in order 10 Obvhate the danger cola
| water Is run through pipes encirClinS
! ana running through the vat. Al 80 de-
| grecs Fahrenheit "A red VapOr. almost
| like fire. arises. III cutting off the supply
/ Of glycerin in the agitator does not low
| en- the temperature it is time 10 say
! farewell Before 80 degrees are reached
nothing but atoms of the structure ana
IFS conients are left.
In its manufacture water is used 10
food the wOrNroom, since drop falling
on the -loor might lead in an explosion
Not a nail is to be found IN the floor OF
t.sff frf
not 20 drag his feet. Those who make
tn dangerous fiuid say chat one may
pour barrel OF nitroglycerin from a
high building 20 a cement walk below,
and IL viii not explode. but small
quantity Of it dropped from the same
height in a can will blow the building
down. A sharp concussion instantly
touches il off. Factories become useless
after a few years operation. ana nave
TO he Destroyed. The timber becomes
saturated with nitroglycerin and an eN-
ploslon is iminent at any time.
The average production of giycerIh
from 1900 pounds OF acid and $50 pounds
Of glycerfn Is about 40 quarts. Ihe
glycerin concerns in Ohio ana Indiana
are in a trust, and the price Whhln the
past few weeks has been advanced from
50 cents TO 80 cents per quart. About
100 quarts constitute an average shot
for an Indiana oil well. While maga-
zine explosions are not rare, the real
cause of the blowing up never becomes
known. Those who are close enough
to see the cause always go up win the
building. The average time for shooter
or nitroglycerin maker to remain IN the
business does not exceed hve years
Death is instant. and no one has ever
recovered from a nitroglycerin accident
Bodies are torn TO atoms. TWO years
ago q magazine In the northern part OF
RlackfOrd county went up. and George
y
were practically annihilated The wages
OF employees of the factories rams from
1925 TO $3.50 month.
Strange as il may s.em. the man who
made and exploded the first pound or
nitroglycerin In an oil well is hale and
hearty at Y years OF age. He Us Colonel
William A. Myers. and his home is at
Bolivar. ~ Y. He built the first fac
tory i'm the United Stat,s. near Titus
Vile Pa in 1868. Up TO that time pow
! der had been used in torpedo oil wells:
! Ii was then that an explosive that could
| be discharged under water was round IN
| nitroglycerin Colonel Myers father was
| a Philadelphia chemist and taught his
| son how to make II. The first well tor
p,-loed was on Colonel Minis lease. near
TnusVlle. and the charge consisted OF
| only two pounds. Oil was worth 80 a
barrel then. and q. torpedo that would
double the production of well was
worth almost what the maker chose tc
! ask for IL. Colonel Myers built twelve
different factorL I'm different parts OF
she oil regions from 1863 TO 1885, when
/ ~ retired from the business. Only one
of the original factories stands inta I
today Myers made several fortunes and
! spent his money like prince, but, for
tunatey for him. he still has a snug
sum laid by.
Wen shooters spin great yarns OF
| their experiences and the stories are OF
| M .t.., ,fpft, ssrIa oh
| generally are fatalsts to n considera-
| Bile degree i'm their belief. and Vt is prob
! ably one reason why they do not fear
! the fluid They state that when one
| would think il was the most dangerous
! the explosive is the safest. The small
est drop can be placed on an anvil and
| struck by the heaviest sledge hammer
| and the hammer will bound back over
| the shoulder Of the striker. no matter
| how much he may try 20 hold IL. Some
| claim that II will tear the arm Off. but
| this is exaggerated. Transporting the
explosive from a magazine to a we'll is
| not as dangerous as umid people think.
according to the shooters IL is trans
| port "a I'm square cans such as are used
| for varnish In preparing for shooting
| we'll a long tin Is suspended i'm the tub
| ing and the shooter pours the fluid I'm
| as IL Il was water IL is not unusual for
| 200 quarts 10 be I'm a well-shOoter's wag-
! on on one trim. slight leak in can
| NAV he touched off by friction and eX-
! plod, the entire load II IL should ex-
| pl0d7 In the center OF town every
t 6UTT1Tng would be reduced instantly 10
| debris
! Considering tho danger no encounters.
| the shooter is poorly paid. The glycerin
companies pay him 10 cents a quart for
doing the work, which means h gets
from 50 to SIG for every charge he ham