The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1912-09-26
PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING
DYNAMITE is INTERESTING
Little Apparent Danger Connected
With Mixing and Handling
Powerful Explosives.

To the casual visitor to q dynamite
factory there is little indication that
tremendous explosives are in course of
manufacture for the general appear
ance of the place is peaceful enough,
says writer in International Invest :
ments. One sees in the mixing build
ing nitroglycerine being mixed in
thousands of gallons and running down
leaden cutters into great tanks. This
product is driven by means of cold air
through a series of lead coils, is piped
off, drawn Off poured off, and agitated
through one stage of preparation to
another; yet but one teacupful of this
harmless looking liquid would be quite
sufficient to destroy not only the fac
tory but pretty much everything else
for considerable distance. There may
be seen other work houses, separated
by uniform distances and connected by
narrow gauge tracks, wherein men
work nitroglycerine and pulp cotton
into dynamite and blasting gelatine.
Under a nitrating process the pulp be-
comes giant powder Red Cross Her
cules, Judson, carbonite, forcite, and
other high explosives. For the perfec-
ton of nitroglycerine the greatest care
must be exercised. During the process
Of fusion with nitric and sulphuric
acids in big cadrons holding hundreds
of gallons an expert keeps sending a
cooling steam through the coils in or
der to maintain the proper tempera-
ture. 1t must also be kept constantly
agitated while it is undergoing this
mixing process. Should the tempera-
tuer rise or should the liquid cease to
stir, most destructive explosion might
Immediately occur. For the most part,
1t is said, explosions in mixing houses
are due to overheating and insufficient
stirring-thopgh it may be added, few
persons close enough to an explosion
to acquire information as to its cause
have ever lived to tell. 1t follows that
even the most expert workers are in no
position to state with definiteness when
an explosion is about to occur. When
1t has occurred the survivors can only
guess at the cause. AS general thing
accidents in dynamite and powder mills
are exceedingly infrequent Indeed,
they are out of all proportion to the
risk. Many safety appliances are en-
ployed-safety walls and embank-
ments, hose houses hasty exit doors,
and similar devices. The buildings are
lighted electrically. There is no wiring
at all in the dangerous houses, which
are lighted from outside. Then, too.
every article used in and about the
machinery is made with peculiar care
Every person entering the grounds of
dynamite plant Is thoroughly search
ed--matches. knives, and all metallic
substances that could produce a spark
being rigidiy excluded. No danger
whatever offers in the acid houses.
Here the acids are extracted from ores.
In one house sulphuric acid is mixed
with nitric. The acids are then applied
to glycerine in the big watts in the mix
ing. building already mentioned. In
the mixing process the glycerine liber-
ates the nitrogen from the acid, the
sulphuric element taking up the water
set free in the operation. The mixture,
watched with the utmost care and
carefully tested with the Thermometer