Milford chronicle., 1903-07-17
high EXPLOSIVES.
Used to KindIe Fires, Cook Meals
and Even to Drive Nails.


and Even to Drive Nails.
Nitrogelatin and maximlte are the
children of dynamite-well trained chill.
dren, who Know how to do the hardest
kind Of work, yet so we'll balanced that
they can be admitted to polite society
without causing the slightest apprehen-
sion.
/ Maximite, the most deadly of all
modern high explosives, to most of us
instantly suggests mammoth guns.
shattered fortresses, wounded and dy-
ing men-a synonym for destruction
yet but few days ago in Mr.. Hudson
MaXim's laboratory in Brooklyn l cook
ed neat little luncheon over maxim
ite. finding it as safe and manageable
a kitchen fuel as u stick of driftwood
and far more convenient and eXpedi-
tiOus. One match is always enough to
start maXimite or smokeless powder.
There is no danger Of them not lighting
at once, and when you are first play
ing house with these deadly high ex-
plOsives you are very apt to wish there
were. Not that Mr. Maxim wishes to
make maXimite a speciality as a fuel
tor light housekeeping; he merely per-
mitted me to do all these cooking
stunts to prove how utterly harmless
we'll trained maXimite can be.
Fealing very nSuch as though l had
received an invitation to an ''at hons"
in the cage of an African lion. recent
" visited Mr.. MaXim's laboratory ard.
with bated breath and trembling hands,
poached eggs and prepared coffee over
smOkeless powder, hammered nails
with nitrogelHtiu. made tea in Mrs
MaXims drawing room over a cake of
yellow maXimite assisted my host in
hanging out gun cotton to dry and aid
ed in the capping Of fuses that had
been filed with illuminate Of mercury.
Mr.. Maxim enjoyed it all. but it did
not seem very harmless to me that par
ticular day. After cooking our meal
we did our laundry work in the way of
hanging out wet gun cotton to dry We
kept 1t away from the matchbox and
the flash light, however, and, hanging
out over the bright green grass plot. 1t
looked as innocent as a baby's elder
down cloak, yet we knew that a spark
in its mesh would cost US our lives.
Our most interesting as we'll as dan
gerous experiment was filling fuses for |
maXlmite cartridges, forcing the ful. !
inmate into the fuses with a 1900 |
pound pressure and screwing in the
caps. In this latter occupation l re-
signed as assistant in favor Of Mr. |
AiaXim's wife, and from the doorway /
watched the screwing in /
If the caps. The danger in this work |
S not In pressing In the illuminate. for .
40 pressure can set of this explosive, /
)ut friction is most disastrous. A sin
yle grain of the powder overlooked and
eft in the mouth of the fuse, so that
he end of the cap could CRATE against
t. would have blown up everything in
light.
As we started back to the house. in
he grass plot bright with the new
,reen Of spring, l noticed ends Of
powder candles and rags Of
.un cotton. Mrs. Maxim caught my
dance Of astonishment. "Yes." she
aid and laughed; they're everywhere
found a piece OF smokeless powder
Il my dressing table this morning. and
am sure there is dish of maXimiJa
II the dining room mnntel, though
eopardy insists on keeping it out Of
be kitchen. She does not like 1t, in
pite Of all Mr. Maxim's assurances" =
'ublic Opinion.