The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-07-09
DYNAMITE IS CAPRICIOUs.
No One Can Ever BE Sure Of What 1t
Will Do Next.
Chicago Chronicle.

chicago chronicle.
"A cartridge of dynamite is PRETTY much
like a woman-you can never tell what Ii is
going to do next, because 1t doesn't know
ITSELF" said a boss blaster II have seen
& nto snroT FaoK Of
horse boiler and the stuff just burned like
lard. Next day saw q cart boy repeat the
pill of dynamite no larger than pea-and
there will be wholesome fear and soft coal
in that boy oa as iong as he lives have seen
down a shaft and never wink, and I've seen
an italian drop a half cartridge from his
hand to his boot and not grease spot did
the poor fellow leave behind
"At that the poor fellow deserved a bet
ter fate, for he made miserable fight for
1t before he scattered. He was loading a
blockhole at the time and had just broken
a cartridge in half. when he dropped one of
the pieces. Before IL touched the ground he
sort of half caught ii and then began a des-
he half caught the deadly thing. Then he
missed Ii. He made one last effort and stuck
out his foot to break the fall against the
a bang and 1t was lucky no one stood near
him. Which shows that dynamite Is like a
woman woman; because in my time have dropped
mite and still am here with good diges-
ton.
But it is in winter, when dynamite
freezes, that Ii is most capricious. Then If
you want 1t to go off 1t simply refuses. or
burns with dull roar, like boiler blow
Ing OF steam 1t is in thawing dynamite
that most of the accidents happen about
which you read. There are two ways of
thawing dynamite-one, by placing the cart
ridges on steam boiler or within safe dis
them in pals of hot water. AS the latter
method draws out considerable of the nitro
glycerin from them 1t is often discarded
In favor of the more risky thawing by an
open fire. / once saw an inexperienced
powder man thaw a dozen cartridges by an
open fire, though. as the sequel will show,
hc lot al Lost hf- -6a,1
confronted with an unusual emergency. He
had placed the cartridges within a foot of
an open wood fire and had seated himself
nearby TO await developments when one of
the cartridges caught fire. Had he left ii
to burn itself out the chances are a thou
sand to one that nothing very startling
and not fire that explodes dynamite. In
stead, he rushed forward, picked up the
burning stick by one end and holding it
upward like candle began to blow and
blow until he was black in the face. He
never let go until the flame began to nip
his fingers, and, then in his excitement he
threw the cartridge to the ground and be-
gan to stamp on ii with his heels as If he
were killing a snake; and. by thunder, he
stamped out the burning cartridge and lived
to tell about it. The cart boys called him
Angel after that because by rights he
ought to be an angel now.
'One day professor from Stevens's Insti-
asked me TO perform a certain experiment
for him. We printed with dynamite direct
from newspaper on to block of iron. The
professor said the experiment proved most
interesting, as he had discovered among
other things that dynamite works down.
ward and not upward, like black powder.
Our way OF proving that in quarry Is 10
lay a stick of dynamite on top of bowlder.
After the shot the bowlder Is smashed to
bits. But the professor had his own no.
tons. He carried three round blocks of iron
six inches in diameter and three inches
thick. Then he took newspaper from his
pocket and spread one sheet over the face
OF the block. / placed half stick of dyna-
mite on top and covered IL with a little
heap of sand and touched her Off You
would hardly believe the result, but you can
see the block on exhibition in glass case
in the Stevens Institute library. and you
can read on il distinctly--of course, the type
appears backward-the printing of that part
OF the paper which covered the block at
the time of the explosion. But the profess
sor had another wrinkle up his sleeve. He
picked an ordinary oak leaf and spread 1t
over the face OF second block. l pre-
pared a charge similar to the first. and this
time the ribs of the leaf and even Its out
lines appeared distinctly pressed into the
iron surface. According 10 the professor,
the action of the dynamite was so quick
that the ribs of the leaf had not time 10
burst apart before they were impressed on
the iron. In the case of the newspaper the
printed letters were harder than the sur
rounding white of the paper, therefore the
impression.
The professors third block is not on ex-
hibition for the reason that we never found
piece OF IL larger than clove-amd that
reminds me. what do you say!' Inc re-
porter said Yes"