The daily journal. (Salem, Or.) 1899-1903, 1903-04-23
LIABLE TO Explode.
HARMLESS HOUSEHOLD GOODS THAT
ARE REALLY DANGEROUS.
sugar ami ChIorate OF Potash Il =
Wicked Combination, aud Flour
Dust aud Dry Air II FrRuaht with
DanEer--Odditics Of GuucottOn.


DanEer-Odditics Of Guucotton.
At the premises of an English com.
pany there occurred some time ago .
disastrous iire which completely gutted
an enormous building and caused losses
aggregating 100000. The fire was at
uhbuted TO an explosion Of malt
Any fine inaammable dust wher
mixed with a certain proportion of dry
air will explode There was previous
similar accident in New York candy
manufactory. \ terrific explosion
which wrecked the entire building was
discovered to be due TO the fact that
particles of tine icing sugar had been
allowed to invade the room where the
furnaces were.
An eminent authority on explosives
declares that many OF those accidents
In coal mines usually attributed to fire
damp have been caused by dry coal
dust suspended IN the galleries having
been accidentally fired. Even so appar'
entity as innocent n substance as flour
becomes fearfully explosive when
mixed in suitable proportions with DIR.
air
Another substance that has proved &c
be extremely dangerous when stored In
large quantities Is chlorate of potash.
| A disaster some years ago In n big Lon
don factory proved the destructive
powers OF this simple remedy for colds.
Sugar and chlorate OF potash mixed
| form an explosive which has been tried
for blasting purposes, but so dangerous
a compound is II that any explosive
containing these ingredients Is not like
~ to pass the government tests In this
country.
A good many years ago Il was dis
covered that ccllulose soaked In strong
nitric acid changed from substance
no more harmful than paper to a fierce
explosive. The number Of materials on
which nitric acid viii work simllnr
transformation Is almost endless
Wood. paper. straw. conl. peat pitch.
starch. sugar, tea tan. phosphorus iron,
zine copper and magnesium are only u
few that could be named
one of the best known and most ter
riblc Of these mixtures Is nitroglyccrln.
which Is simply nitric acid and com.
mon glycerin mixed together aud al.
lowed TO frll into stream of water.
Dynamite Is nothing more than nitro
glyccrin absorbed by some spungy sub
stance. Alum. asbcstus. plaster of par
II. snwdust. bran. meal. even dried aud
pounded potatoes have been employed
Tor this purpose, but the substance
most commonly employed II what Ia
known as "klcsel cuhr." or spongy
earth. This IL the kind of clay formed
OF minute fossil shells, great beds Of
which ARE found In Germany aud 9th
or parts OF the world.
Guncotton. which was first made IN
1Si9. L. the form OF nitro compound
usually employed In war, II is manu-.
fnotured from ordinary cotton waste
treated with mixture OF nitric ana
sulphuric acids.
There Is one very curious point about
guucotiOn. II cannot be made from
raw cotton In tie bale; waste cotton is
necessary for i,s manufacture. IL seems
as II the bleaching tO which mnnufnc
urcd cotton has been subjected has
something 10 lo with fitting the waste
FOR becoming explosive material. Oils
waste Is. however. completely useless
for making guncotton. aud II even a
little is carelcs,ly used whole batch
Of the mnnuf' ctured product may bo
spoiled.
Guncotton l. so extraordinarily sud |
den Ia its action that a small quantity /
has been exp. Ided la contact with n |
heap Of gunp0wder and has failed 10 /
set lire 10 H..
The grent advantage which guncot /
ton POSSESSES over all other explosives
Is that damp d0cs not inJure H. Ia /
fact. wet guucotton eXplodes with just /
as great violence as dry. but II OF /
course much harder 60 fire. Conse
Cuently Il Is ote OF the safest eXpiO.
slyes 10 carry. as Il can be. thoroughly
wetted before packing aud kept wet
during transport. For mining purposes
or for use Ia war guncotton il usually
compressed into hard cakes.
The cOrdite which is now USED la
British military rides n rather more
compound substance. being composed
OF thirty parts OF guneotton
mixed with nfty-eight OF nitrogyeerin
and five parts ~ mineral Jelly. II IL
formed into llttle cords each three
elghths OF an Inch IA diameter. These
are made up iuto little fagots which
are placed In the cartridges.
What seems a very odd substance
from which Ia make an explosive Is 1
gutta percha. Hut by the action % nj
irlc acid Il can Dc turned into a fotmi' ,
liable detOnatOt.
Each country has its pet powder. The
United States ures picrate of ammonia, ;
The French ha ge beautiful, semi
transparent chestnut eOlored powder {
made OF the nltmtes OF potassium and
larlum Besides these there are dozens
II explosives With fancy names such
Is ballistite. can nonlte. rifelie, randite,
These vary In size and
lhupe OF grain, color and power, but
hey all depend on the action Of nitric I
Ieid for their 90 plosive fOrce.-Atlanta
Faucffsuff.u .