The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1910-06-25


at the contributing This is explained by the
fnct that so few who have been Immediately e1-
posed to explosions have lived to tell the tale De-
composition however. and impaired agitation with
respect nroglycerin two main reasons for the
explosions that occurred In these mills though
two ont six earthshnkng disasters are credited TO
the mixing houses Everything considered. however.
the nrequency accidents is astonishing, and even
more astonishing is the small number of lives LOST
when an explosion does occur.
And After All, Safe.
Seeking reason for this you note the various safety
appliances such hose houses hasty exit doors and
so on which characterize every big dynamite and
powder mill You observe men in the machine and
carpenter shops using extraordinary care In making
sure that every inch of wood metal Is letter perfect
since the slightest defect might mean tho price Of
human life You observe that the whole shebang,
as your guide is pleased to describe the works. Is
lighted By electricity wiring whatever being in the
danger buildings around which the lights are so ar
ranged as llumne the interiors from the outside
In short your survey brings You to conclusion so
extraordinary to appear almost incredlbe-namely'
that despite the tons deadly explosives daily manu-
factured you almost safe here as in 1eather
bed In the whole period of is existence, since the
early eighties the entire number OF deaths due to acc
dents has been less than twoscore. which compared
with the number OF employees. Is lower than the death
any cotton mill shoe factory foundry packing
house or other large mandatory
SbmtterIne another Illusion YOU learn that nitro
glycerln itself far being dangerous as "a
generally supposed the danger element being one OF
sinister possibility rather than continuous perform
ance Dynamite itself, YOU assured never ex-
plodes by being thrown on the ground, however vo'
ently the giant gelatine powders used for sub
marine blasting arc not only tho strongest but the
ntIc l.1r ayin mn
offer from the guide TO demonstrate these statements
practically YOU next that in series OF recent
experiments a heavy cube of iron was hoisted above
Gn ordinary fifty pound box of dynamite, the box
resting firmly the ground The rope holding the
cube was cut by exploding cartridge against IT. the
weight falling and smashing the box, completely pull
verzIpg some of the cartridges. But there was
explosion Nor was there any when the experiment
Sas repeated with fifty pounds of giant geatine.
A one pound can OF gunpowder was placed In an
open five pound box OF dynamite and exploded The
DYNAMITE caught fire and burned up, but did not ex-
Mode Nor did I'VE pound box of gelatlne under the
same conditions
A quantity of nyaite hammered ON an anvil.
penetrated by rife bullet and pierced with white
hot iron, but never exploded.
Finally a one pound dynamite cartridge was ignlted
by fuse burned quickly and steadily without ex-
poding until the lnme reached detonator placed 10
the middle of the cartridge ordinarily I'LL uynau'lto
is exploded by means of detonating cap.
ON another occasion lightning struck magazine,
cousing four hundred kegs of guncotton to explode
without getting any response from twelve hundred
mounds of dynamite stored by. On the other hand
vou can rely on II no than you trust sleep
ING cobra though under ordinary conditions and with
ordinary in keeping dynamite and the detonators
apart premature explosions rarely occur.
Obviously the more that Is known OF dynamite the
more il respected and not destructive but ss
constructive force. Ninety per cent of industrial de-
yelopment In the United States is due directly to IT.
Cease making it and mining. railroad and skyscraper
construction tunnelling canal digging, bridge build
ing-eyery arm of industry and progress in fact
would be instantly parnly2ed Also you mny be sur
prsed to learn that dynamite is covered by no patents
and that any one who actually and dares to dc
so can engage in its manufacture Not many have the
tcmerlty. however, according TO record
AS you go board the tug preparatory to leaving
the premises your suspicious, which were allaycd by
the recital of It's really doce nature rc-aroused
by the sight OF hundreds and thousands of pine boxes
being loaded bargeS and cars destined for various
OF the world.
Here is n big shipment booked for Panama. With
out high explosives the great canal would remain
merely n ohimerlcal vision Over there Is train OF
dynamite going to the Pennsylvania coal mining re.
gions- Yonder are dozen great tanks awaiting
transportation down the river. where smokcless pow
der is made for the army and navy aud many thou
sand crack American sporsmen. Another consgn-
ment is destined for Mexico and another Is bound for
a remote South American mining region Enough dyDa-
mte Is there to blow absolutely all the navies OF
the
Incidentally bit OF fluffy white material is sticking
to YOUR coat You viewing it suspciously.
Finally nerviug yourself for the ordeal, hastily
brush 1t on The captain generously pretends not to
notice One Of the sagey comments on the diff
ference between cotton aud suncotton Then, as the
vessel swings brskly forth into the river, you gaze
backward toward the gray peninsula, and listen, listen