The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1908-08-16
NITROGLYCERNE CAN LEAKED
so BOWERS SHOT HIS W.AG0y
AS WE'LL AS THE OIL WELL.

It was the Only Thing 10 DO, in View ~
the queer ways Of the Explosive
quick thinking OF the lIen VIA
Handle NitrogIycerine as . Trad,
FRANKLm, Pa, Aug. 15.-An erplos,o.
near Oleopolis the other day caused tba
residents TO turn out to look for the remains
Of the oil we'll shooter they supposed
had been blown up by the nitroglyoerina
he was handling. Investigation showed thai
William Bowers, a shooter from RouseytlIs.
had gone to shoot a well on the Tra1 leass
with fifty quarts Of n~itroglycerine and bad
discovered that one Of the cans had sprung
q leak and part Of the contents had seeped
into the bottom Of his wagon.
After shooting the we'll Bowers removed
his horses Il safety and then attached a
wagon to atoms. II was the only thing
+ o do under the circumstances. !
Examined under a microscope, nitro.
glycerine has the appearance OF a mass
Of round globules. and these globules NAV
be safely shaken in the can so long az ons
Of them does not burst. When one does
burst the entire load is sure TO 60 of, taking
shooter, wagon and all.
Leaking cans have probably been ths
cause Of more nitroglyoerine explosions
than any other one thing and the shooters
use every ~precaution to prevent leaking and
Earring. The wagons are specially built
for the trade. They are lined with cushions
in which each can sets snugly, and the
springs are made especially to take up the
jar and concussions that must be met.
Bowers must have driven for miles with
death threatening him at every turn Of the
wheels, unconscious of his danger. and hs
life was only saved by one Of these pranks
Of n~itroglyoerine 30 familiar TO the oil
country shooter.
Through the presence OF mind of another
shooter, Joseph Schultz, the lives Of five
men were saved recently when at Reno
a well was shot with sixty quarts OF nitro
Rlyoerine. On the derrick floor as specta-
tors we're Andrew Moynihan. owner OF the
well; Lee Umpstead, M. Mcdonald and
James fHa
Schultz had lowered three shells into the
well. intending to explode all three at once.
A shell is about eight feet long and four
inches In circumference, n 10 the upper
end of it a handle Of copper wire is SOL
dered. A sand line passing over a pulley
at the top Of the derrick il fastened to the
shell with a hook, and In this way the gly-
oerine 10 lowered into the hole.
Several extra, yards OF the sand line were
run into the hole with the expectation that
the hook would be ehaken loose from the
torpedo. Then the engine was reversed
and the line started upward.
Schultz was guiding the line as 1t emerged
from the we'll with one hand and holding the
engine lever with the other when he made
the discovery that the hook had not been
detached and the torpedo or shell was beinG
dragged to the surface. There was only
one thing to do.
Schultz shut OF the engine. and as the
torpedo emerged from I e hole he grabbed
IL and hung on for dear life. The engine
came to a stop before the torpedo was
drawn entirely through his arms. and
death Just missed the five mel.
Schultz calmly rcadjusted the cap, low
cred the torpedo into the well and success
fully exploded all three shells, n later In
the afternoon shot a well at Sage Bun for
McCollum q Co.