Omaha daily bee., 1907-03-24

ind some new and startling trait. AS this
discovery is generally made at the cost
of an explosion that wrecks the building,
Its value is a problem that is left for the
investigator who follows.
one of tho earlier Du Points while show
ing some army officers through the plant
In Delaware was killed in one of tho retort
rooms. A man who had been In the room
but a few minutes before the explosion
Said that the mass Of nitroglycerine was
boiling and bubbllng the way that ac-
cording to all presidents, It should. But
something happened in a minute, or per-
haps a second that brought instant death
and destruction.
While a fire which destroyed a pier in
Hoboken in May, 1901. was in progress
carload of dynamite was pulled out,
mass of flames. II was rushed, blazing
fercely back into the yards, water was
turned on, and flames were extinguished.
There was no explosion.
Yet a spark from passing locomotive
falling into a brush heap against a
magazine at the Laguna DAM Ariz., caused
an explosion in which 1000 pounds Of
powder and dynamite were exploded, caus-
ing great damage to property and serious
injury to many persons.
powder wagon containing 1900 pounds
Of dynamite struck by a passenger
train at a crossing near ST. Louis, Mo.
The wagon was demolished, the mule at
tached to It was killed and dynamite was
scattered all over the right-of-way. But
there was no explosion.
At Jellico, Tenn. fifteen persons were
said to have been killed and many injured
by the explosion of a car of dynamite.
An investigation showed that the car had
hna CHI lot,
the powder cards as a target.
Shooting into dynamite seems TO be ono
of the sure and certain ways OF causing
an explosion. The records are full OF ac-
counts of catastrOphes caused by ignorant
people shooting at the magazines.
The explosion of three cars of dynamite
at johannesburg, South Africa, In which
a score Of people were killed. was laid to
a stray bullet. Boys shooting into old
buildings that were formerly used for
storing explosives have on several occa-
sions been credited with lessening the
tramp population.
The desire OF all experimenters in high
explosives is to make one that shall have
, great power and also be safe for those
, who must handle It. Some compounds of
nitroglycerine are said to withstand even
the shooting test and also the test Of hav-
ing redhot iron pushed through It,
J Winter is the open season foH dynamite
explosions" said one Of the men who had
, charge OF a thawing house at the Pennsyl-
vania tunnel excavation. Dynamite freezes
Z at a temperature between As and so degrees
o. Fahrenheit. and IL you want TO do any
I thing with It you must get It back to It's
summer temperature.
0 This is not easy as It sounds. for Il
Z Is no small matter 20 get the tricky stuff
o just warm enough and not too warm. II
o must be just warm enough in order to gair
!, its full efficiency, while II it gets too warn
. It will become efficient in entirely too shor
r order.
Y I'VE read in the papers that somewher,
Q out I'm the coal mining districts OF Pennsyl
vania miners hut has been blown up.
y is ten to one that fellow had put
stick Of dynamite on the kitchen stove t,
s thaw It out, and had gone away and for
e gotten IL; or else he had left it underneath
r the stove and the baby had got il and mad
n a plaything Of IT,
= "Out in the West in constructing road
T. and building tunnels the woTkmen ofteI
set the sticks up along roadside to DR.!
in the sun The method is good enough
: II the sticks do not fall against each otheE
: or il some one does not FIRE on gun nea
]. by. II either Of these things should happe
= the chances are there will be a big hol
> in the ground and an opening for anothe
. powder monkey.
e IF the sun is not hot enough they gene
> rally build fine near by and expect IN
warmth OF the flames 10 put life into IN
10 dynamite. But II a spark happens TO shoe
h, over into the bunch il not infrequently ha
y, a sudden and startling result.
10 Il remember one case where an Italia
n was left 70 watch some dynamite dryin
pr thus and the boss had told him that II
T. spark ignited one OF the sticks 20 pick
It up and hurl Il away as far as posslbl,