The suburban citizen., 1900-12-22

Near Ardwick Station, ten miles out
on the p. w. & B. r. r.. the Cerberite
Manufacturing Company is finishing
up a series of buildings where they
win soon commence the manufacture
of new and powerful explosive
known as ceTberite that promises TO
supplant several other explosives OF
high potential energy.
The company has purchased tract
Of land comprising seVenty-elght acres
lying along the railroad and extendlns
trOm the Queen AIMS road at Ard
wick, lover which the British troops
marched in 1912 to fight the battle OF
Bladensburg) westward some elshI
hundred yards in the direction OF Lam
dover. 1t is rectangular in shape ana
is rolling land we'll watered by the
famous Beaver Dam Creek that wlnus
its way through the tract on its Jour
ney to the Eastern branch OF the Poto-
mac.
Several buildings have already been
erected and others are in the course OF
construction. An office building for
nse Of the company stands on a knoll
near the railway while back Of it Is the
paper-shell house where millions OF
shells will be made to encase the new
product. After being made, but before
being filed, each one will be treated
with a coat of paraffine wax to render
them impervious to moisture.
Ground was broken last Friday in
the presence Of Citizen reporter for
the nitro-glycerine house, which Is to
he 25x35 feet in dimensions and three
story and cellar in height In this
building commercial nitro glycerine
will be manufactured on a large scale
as II is one of the most extensive COM
moments of the new product. Some OF
the machinery for this building Is now
on the ground ready to be installed
Commercial glycerine and sulphurlc
and nitric acids are united in power
full mixing machine and then drawn
eff and filtered through water IN the
making Of nitrO-glycerine. From TINS
house the product will be run by gray
ity to the mixing house, soon to be
erected on lower ground, where tho
finished product will be turned out
ready to go to the packing house that
was lust finished. This new packing
house is a building 20x40 feet around
the sides of which strong tables have
been built for the use of workmen in
packing the cerberite in paper
cartridges. These cartridges Will
range in size from 7-8 of an inch to
two inches in diameter and from six
inches to twelve inches in length.
Larger sizes, Of course, can be made
On demand.
On the back part of the tract of land
a magazine will be built into the hill
aide so as to be nearly covered with
earth, for the storage Of lcerberite be-
fore shipment. The foundation for an
engine house larger than the one at
arst erected has been laid near the
creek and a dam is to be formed for
the storage of water, large quantities
Of which will be required in the vari-
Gus buildings and in the various pro-
cesses.
Samples of cerberte were made at
the plant Of the Dittmar Powder and
Chemical Company at Farringdale,
New Jersey where tests were made,
and it was found to be eminently sat
isfactory in every respect.
Government chemists and others
have submitted 1t to every known test
and pronounced it a wonderful explo-
sive
The erection of the plant at Ardwick
Is under the immediate supervision OF
Mr.. r. ]. Martin, who severed his con-
nection with the Dittmar Powder
Chemical Company with which he has
been for the past ten years, TO take
charge Of the manufacture OF cerDerlte
for this new concern, the CerDerlle
Manufacturing Company, incorporated
which will have its new product on the
market in about six weeks
The incorporators Of the company
are all hustling business men, deter
mined to make a "go" Of this new pro-
duet for which several large orders
have been already booked. Mr. Frank
Hume, the Wholesale grocer on the
avenue, has an unbrOken record for
progress and honorable dealing extend
ing away back to the year 1868 when
he drst began business in Washin gton.
Mr. James L. Norris is at the head Of
one of the oldest and most successful
patent firms in the United States. He