The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1906-06-15
TROUBLES OF RUSSIAN
POSTAL AUTHORITIES
One is The Sending Of Explo-
sives Through Mails
in Letters.
FREQUENT OCCURRENCE
illuminate of Mercury Is Used, and
Only Very Small Quantity Is
Needed to Develop Enor.
nous Force.
From the Dundee Advertiser.


The Russian postal authorities not
long ago discovered amid the letters
addressed to three Russian ministers,
and On the same day, three explosive
letter!i--one for each. One of the prin-
cipal members of the Paris municipal
laboratory has recently given an in
curing representative OF the Grand
lllustre some details of the manufac-
ture Of these internal machines which,
looking harmless enough. can be
treacherously slipped in among papers
and letters and intiict frightful injuries
OF death. One of the most convenient
of explosives for the preparation of
these criminal attempts is illuminate
of mercury, the employment of which,
however compared with the more gen.
orally used explosives, such as dyna-
mite and elaborated powders, is re-
stricted. The reason is that illuminate
of mercury is dangerous in the hands
Of those who are not accustomed to
handle chemical preparations, and it is
not easy to obtain.
Illuminate of mercury is a salt which
has been known since 1900, and it is
the most powerful of all explosives,
developing an enormous force. 1t is
sensitive to heat, to even a slight
shock, and to the action of concen-
trated sulphuric acid. Notwithstand-
ing the danger of handling it, this ex-
plosive has sometimes been employed
for criminal purposes, notably by Or
SIM in the bomb which was intended
to murder Napoleon Ill, and quite re-
Gently in the attempt made at Paris
on the life of Alfonso XIII. In 1894
explosive books We're sent to Madame
Constans. whose husband was at the
time minister of the Interior and also
to M. Treble, chief physician Of the
colonies, and to M. Etienne, assistant
colonial secretary of state. In these
cases the middle part of the book was
followed out to receive box contain
other projectiles. The pages were
gummed together, and the book could
be opened on one side only. A Co
saque' (cracker), that species of fire
work containing a vessel of illuminate
of silver, exploding by friction, and
fixed in the bottom Of the box. was
arranged so as to explode the charge
when an attempt was made to open
the book.
1t would seem at first sight to be
somewhat difficult to make an ex-
plosive letter which should be capable
of producing such serious effects from
the fact that there is so little room in
such a letter for sufficient Quantity
Of the explosive. But, on the other
hand, very small quantities, few
grains only, of illuminate are enough
to cause terrible results. The letters,
according to the Paris scientists, were
made as follows: A piece of cor
rugated packing paper was prepared,
four square holes being cut in the
smooth surface. and the corrugations
filled with illuminate of mercury, over
which thin paper was fastened by gum
ming around the edges Then deton-
ators from bonbon crackers were
gummed to the little Internal machine
and also to the flap of the envelope in
which it was placed, so that if the en-
velope were opened with a paper knife
or torn open the charge would be ex-
ploded. illuminate of mercury, al
though, as has been said, is difficult
to buy, can be made with the few
materials and chemical reagents re-
quired to produce the salt, provided
that certain precautions are taken at
the time when it is dried. When only
a few grains are required, a little Of
the mercury of nitric acid and alcohol,
easily obtainable suffice. The man.
ner of its manufacture is no secret,
and. indeed. is described in treatises on
chemiStry