The Pioche record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1908-1925, 1913-08-09

years from playing with blasting caps
II this had happened at one time what
Il howl would have gone up all over the
| world. liut because the accidents are
| spread Ill over the country aud happen
at the rate OF only about ten Il month
nothing Is done by the authorities. In
| deed, nothing can be done except to ed
| ueate the whole population 10 realize
how dangerous these exceedingly use.
f,il things are when they are out OF
| their proper place, Aud what dread.
FIJI thing II Is going through life Grip.
| Piled or blinded for want OF Il little care
and knowledge,
Boys often play in and around quar-
| ries on Sundays and sometimes pick
up stray caps and start to investigate
them. II is the lNrest thing that they
ever do this without getting hurt.
They perhaps know they are danger.
his and that Il spark or blow win ex-
llode them, but they do not realize
aow sensitive they are. how violent
he explosion or how the pieces of cop
per fly. Even the name Is misleading
III this respect. The word caps" sug.
sests the paper caps used with toy pIs-
tolls. and because the blasting caps are
allied by this name II is natural to
blink TINT the two articles belong to
he same family. They may. but they
bear about the same resemblance tn
each other that a hungry man eating
Tiger dnes to the gentle pussy cnt
There are lots of ways of getting
ripped by exploding blasting caps be-.
sideS hitting them With n hammer and
quitting them in the fire Extracting
he contents With il pin distributes I'M
odd fingers: holding Il lighted match
under them or thr1lstng the banning
and INTO the cap gets immediate nc.
ion, In the mines ana qttirries even.
where the men who have to use blast
ng caps every day ought Ia know bet
Ter, there are plenty of mnngled hands
md punclnred hides MS the result of
rimping caps Oh fuse with juck.
inife, pointed mil or any tool that's
anndy.
May Il miner has blown a hole
Trough his face in biting the cap on
the fuse. aud others have flied them
elves with copper or have been killed
outright by the sparks from their hat
amps or pipes dropping in IN open
box OF caps, Lots of blasters continue
o bite the caps on the fuse and think
That because they have never exploded
hem they never will, hut some day
hey will bite the business end and
ose something besides teeth Ii il
much easier aud lots sn fer to use the
'rimper, tool made for the purpose
Accidentally stepping on a cap will
'ften spoil a perfectly good foot
sparks. flame. heat. blows. friction
is all the same to the cap to which
hey are applied
A blasting cap Is copper shell about
! quarter of an inch in diameter and
IN inch or two long. half fun of fulni-
ate of mercury. This illuminate is
he most sensitive AMI about the most
mnuisive explosive In common use
iasting caps contain anywhere from
fteen IA twenty grains Of it, Primers
nr firearms cartridges usually contain
iot more than one grain That's what
he hammer or flring pin Of a gun or
istol hits to ignite the powder IN he
aell, A blasting cap Is meant to
FORK the other way. The powder from
ne fuse ienites the illuminate In the
lasting cap, and Ii expluies with ter
ne farce and detanates the dynamite.
tnsa 4.
Sceedngly quick that the dying par
.cles Of copper will iaihed themselves
. iron a foot away. They will blow
ole clean through u steel plate one.
Steenth OF an inch thick. A box of
iss will blow . beautiful square ha,e
'ght through u two inch oak plank.
ne cap will blow n child's hand of
18th the utmost certainty and dis
ateh, l.ingg. one of the Chicago an,
rrhiS;S. committed suicide hy biting
blaStin. cap between his teeth.
flie point to be remembered is that
hen blasting cap goes off 1t does
reat damage locally There is no es-
iping its effects. Among all the GOO
more accidents reported from playing
it'll blasting caps there are only two
{ three in which somebody was not
art.
Electric blasting caps are Just as
trong aS ordinary blasting caps. but as
he capsule or shell is sealed up with
ulphur plug through which the wires
re carried down to the illuminate. not
. many accidents occur In playing
With them. They are generally dipped
dark eolorel wax and are not such
ftractive playthings rs the bright cop
.er blasting caps, but they get there
INST the same" Amateur electricians
re earnestly advised 10 bury the elec-
rie cap Il foot or two In the earth be-
ore trying to pass electric currents
through the wires. and they had better
lot do II then. Don't open 1t up to see
that's In It. Explosive manufacturers
IRE not given TO imnarting trade secrets
promiseipusly. hut they will gladly tell
what's IN the caps aud how they are
made rather than have you blow Your
iands on trying to find out for yonr
.atf