The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1903-02-18
LIABLE TO EXPLODE.
HARMLESS HOUSEHOLD GOODS THAT
ARE REALLY DANGEROUS.

Sugar and Chiorntc Of Potash Is n
wicked combination, and Flour
+ Dust and Dry air Is Fraught with
nancer-Oddities OF GuncOtton.
At the premises of an English con-.
pany there occurred some time ago 9
4 disastrous fire which completely quite
IN enormous building and caused lossei
aggrceating Ss0QGO0. The fire was a
tributed to an explosion of malt.
Any fine innanmable dust who
mixed with certain proportion OF dr2
air will explode. There was previous
similar accident in Il New York candi
manufactory. \ terrific explosion
which wrecked the entire building wa
discovered to be duc 10 the faet tha'
particles of fine icing sugar had bee
allowed To invade the room where th2
furnaces were.
An eminent authority on explosive
declares that many of those accident
IN coal mines usually attributed to FIR
damp have been caused by dry COZ
lust suspended In tie galleries havin9
been accidentally fired. Even so appal
entity as innocent substance as hon
becomes fcarfnlly explosive whe7
mixed in suitable proportions with dr.
air.
Another substance that has proved T.
be extremely dangerous when stored +!
large quantities is chlorate oil potas
A disaster some years ago in big Lon
don factory proved the destructiv
covers Of this simple remedy for colds
Sugar and ehloratc of potash miNet
form an explosive which has been trlee
for blasting purposes but so dangerous
n compound is it that any explosive
containing these ingredients is not like
~ 10 pass the government tests In this
country
A good many years ago 1t was us
covered that cellulose soaked in strong
nitric acid changed from n substance
no more harmful than paper to a fierce
explosive. The number of materials on
which nitric acid will work n similar
transformation Is almost endless
Wood. paper. straw coal, peat, pitch,
starch, sugar, tea tan, phosphorus iron,
zine. copper and magnesium are only
few that could be named
one of the best known and most ter
ribIc Of these mixtures is nitroglycerin.
which Is simply nitric acid aud com
mon glycern mixed together and al
lowed 10 fall into stream of water.
Dynamite is nothing more than nitro
plyccrin absorbed by some spOngy sub
stance. Alum. asbestus, plaster of par
is. sawdust. bran. meal even dried and
Rounded potatoes. have been employed
for this purpose, but the substance
most commonly employed IS what Is
known as "kiescl guhr," or spongy
earth. This IS the kind of clay formed
of minute fossil shells. great beds Of
which are found in Germany and 9th
er parts of the world.
Guncotten which was first made In
1915. Is the form Of nitro compound
usually employed In var II IS mana-
featured from ordinary cotton waste
treated with mixture u nitric and
sulphuric acids.
There Is ore very curious po-at 2oogI
-unrutsau= r edauot b. uzae f-e1
raE cotton -z - Az vase -f--.2- =
T Necessary s7e = e zls1ez-fs- :. sse-'
- L tbs s-zl.a-e -
-Iry, er- + a'5s7 t'zs'- ~
something = - -ss WISE
- ae's aH 90 5'l-
wss-e "a. ''ie 's,'''
- zzH5 Ia. ssl 1
glzrie IS slrR.1s'as' u 2ae'- I ~ acne ri -
-
- t.r h}a-a .'H IA =
irolaa
srslea - - = ~ -iii'i.' Hl'is
isa .l is fsraf z1lt tlla tlLl,-19
esl. heea ESQ e'-.e- p ien--t'e vi 1
beng - z'5Eo" % b. As'l ida .i-.iHs -
ar IRE '1
Is@ -Taa fslfl1sf@a V-5.h EIlenc-
ION rass@sses - = 3ca'ar - tial : "a
taAs aaG51 aaea adf 2 - = -
lat, Wet E-eer-aa At1acGess VIZ Jar
"a goal a.esse "a - am "a &C
COARSE l.1a Eat.er ~ 80 -nr.R''-
Guentig II "a aae = TIE s4s@st efad'-
slves 70 carry. "a 10 ran le tGofo-SA7
wetted before packing ana Nsps re-
during transport For Alalns purpose
or Tor use in war eBncotton - ua4aI4y
compressed into bard cakes
frp PeFlltfe rA4eH la now used Ia