The Paducah sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1898-1906, 1901-12-19
KEGS THAT BLOW UP
LOOK HARMLESS, BUT ARE FULL OF
DANGER.
An Aged Expert In nigh Explosives
Tells of Ills Experiences with Dyna-
mite and blasting Powder - Hair
Breadth Escapes aud Adventures.

Anton Colman. a veteran dynamite
man. is perhaps one OF the Oldest OF
all the old-timers and has been look
ing after high explosives for the past
twenty-five or thirty years. says the
Boston Daily Globe. lie has been on
most Of the big Jobs ia Massachusetts
and In many parts OF New England
and has had many hair-breadth es-
eapes and exciting adventures. Mr..
Colman Il about 40 years old. and was
born In Maine Dynamite and the
blasting powder which we have today
Is much different from what It used
TO be In the days when I first started
in the business said Mr. Colman.
land am not as well posted on every
thing as | might like 10 be. but there
are some things about handling powder
that when a man learns them once. he
never forgets as long as he lives. and
no matter what kind OF powder is used
or how much the style changes II Is
all the same; they will stu he careful
and watch their business nightly
close. OF course. OF all the explosives
nitroglycerine Is the most dangerous
and the hardest TO get along with. II
has as many moods and Is as hard TO
manage sometime as the spoiled child
or woman who wants her own way.
! never got over my great respect for
this explosive. and even today / tree,
II with every Difference. and viii Re as
ee..tle and peaceful in It's presence as
any tyro. A man can never get any
experience In handling nitroglycerine:
the moro he handles II the less he is
liable to know about II. For he real
izes more and more how uncertain IL
Is. Why, even the keys that nitro
slyocrlne comes IN are white elephants
en- mans hands. for they arc mighty
hard to get rid OF. 1 tell you. Tho
wood has been so thoroughly saturated
with the stun that n cannot be
burned and cannot be broken up. ana
thcy can't be len lying around loose.
for some one ia sure 10 come along
who does not know anything about
them and bang something into them
and on goes tho roof J remember a
fellow ont IN the western part OF the
state. several years ago. who came
along with a hammer in bis hand He
sat down on an empty nitroglycerine
kCg and nlayfully amused himself by
tapping the slaves with his hammer.
! saw him and ran to a safe place and
tried my best 10 warn him by shout
ing, but Il was no use: the keg finally
blew up with a loud report and the
poor fellow fingered IN the hospital
about two weeks before he died. l am
even more afraid Of these empty nitro
siycorino kegs than ! am OF the ex-
plosive itself or OF any other kind Of
powder OF dynamite. You can always
tell when 20 be careful when the real
stun Is around. but II some one hap
pens TO leave an empty eg or barrel
in the way you might not know It
until you had dropped a crowhar or
sledgehammer into II or tipped It over
and then. after you found It out, you
would be In no condition to tell any
one Of your discovery. The only way
TO get rid OF those empty kegs or bar
rels lie 70 take them out into an open
nsld and ERE a pistol at them fron
safe distance. ald even that some
times Is not an undertaking that |
would advise person TO try, for | re-
member a case of fellow who went
out with three kegs. and instead OF
placing them side By side and letting
one shot do the business. | guess he
was anxious TO see them blow up one
by one. for he placed tIs nrst kes and
left the other two on the team. He
fred his gun and the bullet did what
was expected OF II. but the kes ex-
ploded with such terrific force that the
man was horrined whom the coneus- .
sion caused the two remaining kegs
on his team 10 follow suit Immediately. ]
killing his horses. wrecki his wagon
completely, while he himself received
a splinter in his face that ruined the
sight OF one eye. After that II he ever
went out I am sure he was more care
full. / have known OF q fellow who /
lost his foot by the explosion Of drop .
OF the terrible stun. and another man I
who lost his hand by suddenly hittisg
a board on which a can OF nitro had
rested and a drop or two Of the liquid
oozed out. II lie mighty bad stun, and
| am afraid OF Il. and II live 10 be
200 / viii be more afraid Of II than
...rs