Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-05-11
BY CORLISS BULGER
CTNE9--......:.:.

on Sundays. and sometimes pick up stray
caps and start to investigate them. 1t is the
rarest thing that they ever do this without
getting hurt. They perhaps know they are
dangerous, and that a spark or blow will
explode them: but they do not realize how
sensitive they are, how violent the explosion,
or how the pieces of copper fly. Even the
name is misleading in this respect. The
word "caps' suggests the paper caps used
with toy pistols, and because the blasting
caps are called by this name it is natural to
think that the two articles belong to the
same family. They may; but they bear
about the same resemblance to each other
that hungry, man-eating tiger does to the
gentle pussycat.
Over six hundred children have been hurt
or perhaps crippled for life in the last five
years from playing with blasting caps. If
this had happened at one time. what howl
would have gone up all over the world! But
because the accidents are spread all over the
country and happen at the rate of only about
ten month"; nothing is done by the authori-
ties. Indeed, nothing can be done except to
educate the whole population to realize how
dangerous these exceedingly useful things
are when they are out of their proper place.
and what dreadful thing it is going through
life crippled or blinded for want of little
care and knowledge.
A BLASTING cap is copper shell about
a quarter of an inch in diameter and
an inch or two long, half full of illuminate
of mercury. This illuminate is the most
sensitive and about the most impulsive ex-
ploslve in common use. Blasting caps con-
tain anywhere from fifteen to twenty grains
of it; primers for firearms cartridges usually
contain not more than one grain. That's
what the hammer or firing pin OF a gun or
pistol hits to ignite the powder in the shell.
A blasting cap is meant to work the other
way. The powder from the fuse ignites the
illuminate in the blasting cap, and it ex-
plodes with terrific force and detonates the
dynamite. The explosion Of the illuminate
is 50 exceedingly quick that the flying par
ticles of copper will imbed themselves in
iron foot away. They will blow hole
clean through steel plate ne-sixteenth Of
an inch thick. A box of caps will blow
inch oak plank. One cap will blow child's
hand off with the utmost certainty and de-
spatch. Lingg, one Of the Chicago anarch-
lists, committed suicide by biting blasting
cap between his teeth.
The point to be remembered is that when
blasting cap goes off it does great damage
locally There is no escaping its effects
Among all the six hundred or more accidents
reported from playing with blasting caps,
there are only two or three in which some
body was not hurt.
Electric blasting caps are just as strong
as ordinary blasting caps; but as the capsule
or shell is sealed up with a sulphur plug
through which the wires are carried down to
the illuminate, not SO many accidents occur
in playing with them. They are generally
dipped in dark-colored wax, and are not
such attractive playthings as the bright
copper blasting caps; but they get there
just the same" Amateur electricians are
earnestly advised to bury the electric cap a
foot or two in the earth before trying to
pass electric currents through the wires, and
they had better not do it then. Don't open
it up to see what's in it! Explosive manu-
facturers are not given to imparting trade
secrets promiscuously; but they will gladly
tell what's in the caps and how they are
made rather than have you blow your hands
off trying to find out for yourself
Don't carry caps around in your pockets!
Don't take them home with you. Don't
leave them where children can get at them.
Don't monkey avith Them