Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1902-10-17
WHAT Is THERMITE?
A SUBSTANCE WHICH MAKES
IRON RUN LIKE WATER.

tection-It Developes a S.400 Degree oil
Temperature Which Fuses Rock. tSteel OF
Any Known Substance InstantIy-lt Would
Melt Mountains into Rivers Of Liquid Fire
II Enough Was Used to Develop Its Pelee.
Like Capabilities Mysteries Of Their
mite.
A few months ago people were start
led by statement going the rounds OF
the press, that an electric flame had
been discovered which would Instant
ly fuse iron and steel, and that the
current could be obtained by tapping
any trolley wire and conveying it to
the transformer which developed the
mysterious power. BY its use the
best Of iron or steel safes became as
frail as pine box for preservation Of
valuables, and it was related that a
crook" who saw the process OF melt.
ing Jumps of steel at fair appropriate
ed the idea for his burglarious voca-
tion, but before finding an opportunity
for trial of its powers was landed be-
hind prison bars for term which prac.
tically amounted to q life sentence.
When a vault lock became out of
order, his services, it is said, were
called into requisition and by simply
attaching wires to the storage battery
OF . bicycle lie was enable 10 cut out q
piece Of steel which held the combina.
tion lock, and within fifteen minutes
swung the door open.
That story was, Of course, unsupport-
ed by official recognition, like ther.
mite, and is given for what it is worth,
but it does not seem improbable now,
that the latter has demonstrated such
possibilities, that the electric current
may possess the same hidden quail
ties, which are by no means as sur
prising as what has already been de-
veloped.
A New York letter says that United
States Treasury experts, after investi-
eating thsrmite lately reported to As.
sistant Secretary Taylor in Washing.
ton that there is no such thing as .
burglar proof safe or vault. The best
tempered steel, no matter how thick,
is not proof against the new chemical
compound. The report was made
after testing thermite on the great
steel vaults in Chicago and other
cities. They advised the government
to adopt the latest burglar alarm de-
vice that gives instant warning Of
burglars.
Melting iron and stone instantly is
the power claimed for the new heating
force jnst discovered. Under its aw-
full lightning blaze granite flows like
water and big steel rails are welded in
the twinkling Of an eye. It can be
made to explode with tremendous
power or 10 work almost silently with
appalling results.
With the invention burglar puts
q cigarette light to q handful Of metal
filings with primer. and bank vaults
melt and combination locks vanish.
Thermite 10 it, name. Distinguished
chemists say it needs only the touch
OF match to this new compound to
produce . temperature OF $500 de-
grees Fahrenheit.
"The human mind" ssys . New
York chemist, "can form no apprec.
iative conception of what such =
temperature means. It would melt
the most refractory rocks and cause
them TO flow like water"
The interior OF Mount Pelee, whose
frey blast destroyed st. Pierre in .
moment and crumbled its buildings
into dust, would be cool compared
with this temperature of 5, 400 degrees.
It would melt the mountains into
rivers of liquid fire. Nothing could
Withstand it's consuming power.
"Yet this heat cannot only be pro-
dnced at few moments notice." said
the scientist yesterday, "but it can
be controlled-regulated for use in
commercial work, in factories, foun-
dries and machine shops, for melting,
welding and shaping masses OF iron
and steel. It is equally valuable for
producing hitherto rare and costly
metals in q state of almost absolute
purity"
And what makes this stupendous
forcei The answer seems incredible
as the claims for the force itself. It ia
produced by simply putting . match
to . mixture of aluminium filings and
oxide of chromium, both metallic, and
yet, ~ by magic, mighty force is in
stantly created. Here is the story oi
how the wonderful invention was dis
covered:
"The first demonstration of this
new agent in America was made early
in May, when certain processes were
exhibited before the Columbia Uni.
versity Chemical Society. The in.
vention. like many Others for which
we are indebted to the chemist, origi.
mated in Germany. Some time ago
the Krupps, the celebrated gun and
armor plate manufacturers of Essen.
required considerable quantity oi
pure metallic chromium, the metal
much employed to give extra hardness
to steel.