The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1911-01-21
PLAY WITH DEATH
Men Who Are Reckless In Han
ding High Explosives.
STORIES BY HUDSON MAXIM.

ing Firc and Nitroglycerin.
"It is practically impossible" writes
Hudson Maxim in Adventure, "to
make the Ordinary laboring man ap-
preciate the necessity of care. in the
safe handling of explosives, and tho
life Of the careful man is always en-
dangered by the actions of the care
less one
After l had sold the works at Max
i'm and had invented motorite / needed
Il place in which TO make the material
and hired II branch of the works there
for that purpose. 1t was winter. My
wife had accompanied me as pre-
cautionary measure. She was sitting
In the laboratory to keep warm. near
n big barrel stove charged with btu
minous coal
ION entering the laboratory for
something my wife asked me what
was I'm those two tin pals sitting near
the stove. She said that she had
suspicion It might be nitrogylycerin,
and she Informed me that one of my
|
and that the sparks flew out in all di-
rections, some of them lighting in the
buckets to he quenched on top of the
oily liquid.
"'Horrorsp l said. 1T is nitroglyc-
erinr
II called the man who had placed It
there and told him to take it away. As
It was necessary to keep the material
from freezing he took it into the boil
cr house near by. A little later on. go.
ing into the boiler house, saw one of
tie men stirring the fire while the 9th.
or was standing with his conttais out
stretched In either hand, forming n
shield to keep the sparks from flying
into the nitroglycern.
"In the manufacture of high explo
slves and in experimenting with them
Il little Observation-Disclosures. very
slight lack Of exact caution n seem
ingly insignificant inadvertence for n
moment, may cost one limb or his
Ire. The accident that cost me my
left hand is n case In point.
"On the day preceding that accident
had had gold cap put on tooth.
In consequence the tooth ached
throughout the night and kept me
awake greater part of the time. In
the morning | rose early and went
down to my factory Mt Maxim. n. ]
In order to test the dryncss of some
illuminate compound | took Il little
piece OF II. about the size of an Eng.
llsh penny. broke Off n small particle.
laced IL on stand outside the labo-
rntory and. lighting n match. touched
It Off.
"Owirg TO my loss of sleep the night
le'Ore my mind was not so alert as
usual. ana forgot to lay aside the
remaining piece Of illuminate com.
pound. but instead held It I'm my left
hand. A spark from the ignited piece
of illuminate compound entered my
left hand between my fingers. ignitlng
he piece there. with the result that
my hand was blown Off TO the wrist.
"Once when entering my storage
magazine at Maxim. in which were
yeveral carloads of dynamite along
with $1,000 pounds of nitrogelatin. !
|
YES. calmly but emphatically opening
a case Of dynamite with n hammer
and chlsel, I promptly discharged
him
"Not long nfterwnrd the lnnkeeper
1t Farmlngdnlc called on me 10 buy
some dynamite and snid he had engag.
rd Bender to blow the stumps out OF
| To H. LOT FOL a
was courting death for himself and
everybody around when handling dy
Mantle, hut Boniface still wanted
Bendey 10 do the work.
"Well.' snid l. the dynamite y0u
want is 10 cents pound but IL John
Bender does not succeed I'm blowin"
himself up and killing himself with
the dynamite you can have It for moth
ing. On the other hand. If he does
blow himself up you must pay for the
dynamite
"a few days later there was some
hitch in Bender's exceptional luck. A
particularly refractory old stump had
resisted n couple of Bender's dynamic
/ attacks. The failure to diSlodge the
stump Bender took as personal af
front because It reflected upon his skill
as a stump blaster.
"'Next time said he, something Is
going to happen He placed about
twenty pounds of dynamite under the
deep rooted veteran, touched It Off, and
several things happened in very quick
succession. The huge stump let go it,
hold on earth and proceeded to hunt
Bender.
at was level race, but the stump
won. Striking Bender on the north
quarter, It stove in four ribs, dlslocat
ed several joints and damaged him IN
several other respects and particulars
Boniface came to settle for the dyna
mite.
"'SlXteen cents a pound | said
Bender hasn't a chance in n hundred
Wait till the doctors are through with
him.
"'What do you say to compro
mise suggested Boniface. of cents Il
pound? For, really, l do not believ,
that Bender Is more than half dead
And the account was settled on thai
| Aaa