The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1913-06-13
THEY COURT DEATH
Those Who Take Liberties With
illuminate OF Mercury.
PERILS OF BLASTING CAPS.

perhaps crippled for life In the last 1--WE
years from playing with blasting caps
II this had happened at one time what
howl would ave 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 a month
nothing is done by the authorities. In
deed. nothing can be done except TO ed
ncate the whole population TO realize
how dangerais these exceedingly use
FIJI things ~. when they are out OF
their proper place. And what a dread
ful thing It IL going through life Grip
pied or blinded for want OF little care
and knowledge.
| Boys often play In and around quar-
hes on Sundays and sometimes pick
up stray caps and start TO investigate
them. II is the rarest thing that they
ever do this without getting hurt.
They perhaps know they are danger
Ous and that a spark or blow will ex-
plode them. but they do not realize
how sensitive they are. how violent
the explosion or how the pieces OF cop
per Hy. Even the name Is misleading
In this respect. The word 'caps" sug-
gests the paper caps used with toy pis-
tolls. and because the blasting caps are
called by this name II 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 a hungry man eating
tiger does to the gentle pussy cat.
There are lots of ways of getting
crippled by exploding blasting caps be-
sides hitting them with a hammer and
putting them In the fire. Extracting
the contents with a pin distributes un
told fingers; holding lighted match
under them or thrnsting the flaming
end into the cap gets immediate ac-
ton. In the mines and quarries even.
where the men who have To nse blast.
ing caps every day ought To know bet
ter. there are plenty OF mangled hands
and punctured hides as the result OF
crimping caps on fuse with Jack.
knife. pointed nail or any tool that's
handy.
Many miner has blown hole
through his face In biting the cap on
the fuse. and others have Oiled them
selves with copper or have been killed
outright by the sparks from their hat
lamps or pipes dropping in an open
box OF cnps Lots Of blasters continue
to bite the caps on the fuse and think
that because they have never exploded
them they never will but some day
they will bite the business end and
lose something besides teeth. IL In
much easier aud lots afer to use the
crimper. tool made for the purpose.
Accidentally stepping on cap will
often spoil perfectly good foot
SPARKS. fame. heat, blows. friction
It's all the same TO the cap to which
they are applied.
A blasting cap Is copper shell about
a quarter OF an inch I'm diameter and
an inch OF two long. half full OF fulmi-
nate OF mercury. This illuminate In
the most sensitive and about the most
impusive explosive I'm common use
Blasting caps contain anywhere from
fifteen TO twenty grains OF Il. Primers
for firearms cartridges usually contain
not more than one grain. That's what
the hammer OF firing pin OF gun or
pistol hits TO ignite the powder I'm the
shell. A blasting cap In meant to
work the other way. The powder from
the fuse ignites the illuminate I'm the
blasting cap. and II explodes with ter
rifle force and detonates the dynamite
The explosion OF the illuminate is so
exceedingly quick that the flying par
ticles of copper will imbed themselves
In iron a foot away They will blow a
hole clean through n steel plate one
sixteenth of an Inch thick. A box OF
caps will blow beautiful square hole
right through a two inch oak plank.
One cap will blow n child's hand OF
! with the utmost certainty and dis
patch. LIngg. one OF the Chicago an
archists. committed suicide by biting
n blasting cap between his teeth
The point to be remembered Is that
when blasting cap goes of u does
great damage locally. There Is no go
Gaping lts effects Among all the 600
or more accidents reported from playing
with blasting caps there are only two
or three In which somebody was not
hurt.
Electric blasting caps are Just as
strong as ordinary blasting caps hut M
the capsule or shell is sealed up with
sulphur plug through which the wires
1 are carried down to the illuminate. not
40 many accidents occur IN playing
with them They are generally dipped
I'm dark colured wax and ARE not such
attractive playthnrs as the bright cop
per bla astinp caps. hut they ret there
| just the same" Amateur electricians
are earnestly advised TO bury the eiec
trir cap foot OF two IN the earth he
fore trying To pass elertric currents
through the wires. and they had better
not do II then. Dout opcn M to see
what's In ". Explosive manufacturers
hre not given 10 impartinr trade sssr't'
promisruously. hut they will c'adls tell
what's In me caps and nov they are
made rath. than have yuu hlow vonr
hands OF trying to nnd out for your
1 All