The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1912-12-27
THE EARTH crust /
Its Density, Its Thickness and the
Pressure It Exerts-
4 BAR TO WORLD EXPLOSION.

The Reasons Why This Old Planet os
Ours, With All It's Pentup Fiery,
Volcanic or GASEOUS Forees at Work.
Could Never 30 Blown TO Fragments.
Some writer's hare accounted for the
asteroids on the theory that they are
the fragments OF a world that from
some unknown cause has been expi0d-
ed IN its orbit. Similarly. many have
thought that perhaps at some distant
time. when the seas shall have been
drunk up into the cracked and thick
ened crust OF the age shrunken earth
and the volcnnoes--th vents OF the
fiery interior-shaIl hare become ehok-
ed ana extinct, the pentnp gases geners
ated from the descending moisture by
the still great internal heat may ac-
tualIy explode the old earth like
veritable bombsheH.
But that can never happen.
In 1883 Krakatoa, a sleepy old vol
cano ON a small island IN the strait
OF Sunda. between Java and Sumatrn,
began to show marked signs Of uneasi-
ness. Round the Volcano the quaking
earth opened enormous assures IN the
bottom Of the sen. down which rushed
Niagaras Of water Then tho dssures
closed and confined the enguIfed food
in the hot subterranean depths. The
water was quickly converted into
steani. the sfeam into dissociated
gases. without room for expansion.
It exerted pressure equal to that
of the strongest dynamite.
The great chimney OF Krakatoa,
sealed since the memory Of man.
barred the normal path Of escape.
Higher and higher mounted the pres
sure under the huge mass Of the vol
cano: then. OF a sudden. came q blast
that actually shook the earth. Never
before In historic time had there been
such shock. The whole top OF the old
mountain was blown into the sky. The
recoil was distinctly felt clear through
the terrestrial ball.
This great cataclysm has been cited
as an indication Of the power Of the
pentup forces that may some day dis
rupt the earth itself, Let US examine
the underlying principles that must
guide US In passing Judgment on the
correctness Of this theory.
An explosive compound Is a comhust-
ible combined mechanically or chem-
ically either with oxygen or with an
[ oxidizing substance that viii burn With
out the help OF atmospheric oxygen.
/ Among the most powerful high ex-
pIoslves are nitrogelatin and picric
acid. each OF which has density more
than one and half times that oi
q water The products Of their combus
tion are nearly all gaseous. whereas tht
products Of the combustion of ordinary
black gunpowder are less than half
gaseous The larger part Ii the solid
| matter that mikes the smoke.
| The energy that d high explosive can
| exert depends on the volume Of the
gases liberated and the temperature to
which the heat OF the explosion can
raise them
lne exact temperature or the gusee
liberated By high explosive at the In.
stant Of detonatlon Is not absolutely
known, but may be approximately
learned through chemical experiment
Nor Is tho amount of pressure known
with absolute certainty. II IS probable
however, that nitroelycerin, nitrogela-
tin and picric acid, when detonnted In
confined space, exert a pressure some.
where between 100000 and 100000
pounds to the square inch