The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1909-04-15

Nccygdrd
confidence at that time. shifting the
conversation at once to the object and
reason of Gerald's coming and gayly
expressing his belief that the time was
very near at hand when chasoite
would figure heavily in the worlds list
Of commercially valuable explosives.
II was early in August that Selwyn
! had come TO the conclusion that his
chaoslte was likely to prove a CONNER
his experiments had advanced so far
that he had ventured to invite Austin,
Gerald, Lansing and Edgerton Lawn
Of the Lawn Nitro Powder company to
witness a few tests at his cottage lab
oratory on Storm head. but at the
same time he informed them with
characteristic mOdesty that he was not
yet prepared TO guarantee the explo-
sive.
He froze chaosite and boiled IL and
baked II and melted IL and took all
sorts of hair raising liberties with 1t,
and after that he ground 1t to a pow
der. placed n few generous plnches in
a small hand grenade and affixed a
primer, the secret composition of which
he alone knew. That was the key to
the secret-the composition of the pri-
mer charge.
II used TO play baseball I'm college,"
he observed, smiling, "and used to be
pretty good shot with a SNOWFALL"
They followed him to the cliffs edge,
always with great respect for the
awful stuff he handled with such ap-
parent carelessuess. There was a black,
sea soaked rock juttlng out above the
waves. Selwyn pointed at It, poised
himself and, with the long, overland.
straight throw Of trained ball player,
sent the grenade like bullet at the
rock.
There came binding flash, a stun
ming, clean cut report-but what the
others took to be a vast column of
black smoke was really pillar OF dust
all that was left Of the rock. And
this slowly foated, settling like mist
over the waves, leaving nothing where
the rock had been.
81 think" said Edgerton Lawn. wip-
Ing the starting perspiration from his
forehead, that you have made good.
Captain Selwyn. Dense or bulk, your
chaosite and impact primer seem to do
the business, and think | may say
that the Lawn Nitro Powder company
is ready to do business too. Can you
come to town tomorrow? It's merely
a matter Of figures and signatures now
II you say so. 1t is entirely up to you"
But Selwyn only laughed. He looked
at Austin.
81 suppose" said Edgerton Lawn
good naturedly, "that you intend to
make us sit up and beg, or do you
mean TO absorb usT
But Selwyn said: 81 want more time
on this thing. | want to know what 1t
does to the interior Of loaded shells and
In fixed ammunition when 1t is stored
for year. want TO know whether
II is necessary to use a solvent after
firing II in big guns. AS a bursting
charge I'm practically satisfied with
1t, but time Ia required to know how
1t acts on steel In storage or on the
bores of guns when exploded as a pro-
pelling charge. Meanwhile" turning
to Lawn, "Pm tremendously obliged to
you for coming-and for your offer
You see how 1t is, don't you?
couldn't risk taking money for thing
which might at the end prove dear at
any price"
81 cheerfully accept that risk" In
sisted young Lawn. II am quite ready
to do all the worrying Captain Sell
wyn."
But Selwyn merely shook his head,
repeating "You see how 1t is, don't
your"
The matter OF business arrangements
apparently ended then and there.
Lawns company sent several men to
Selwyn and wrote him a great many
letters-unlike the government which
had not replied 10 his briefly tentative
suggestion that chaosite be condition
ally examined, tested and considered.
So the matter remained in allegiance,
and Selwyn employed two extra men
and continued storage tests and ex-
perimented with rified and smoothbore