Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1913-06-14
THEY COURT DEATH
Those Who Take Liberties With
illuminate OF Mercury.
PERILS OF BLASTING CAPS.

These Dangerous and Sensitive "Play-
toys" Often Picked Up Around Quar-
ries. Are Responsible For Hundreds
OF Crippled Youngsters.
Over COO children have been hurt or
perhaps crippled for life In the last tiye
years from playing with blasting caps
II this md 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 a month
nothing Is done by the authorities. In.
deed. nothing can be done except to ed.
ucate the whole population to realize
how dangerous these exceedingly use
fui things are when they are out OF
their proper place. And what dread
fuI thing II Is going through life Grip
pied or blinded for want of a 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 rarest thing that they
ever do this without getting hurt.
They perhaps know they are danger
Gus and that n 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 Dy this name II Is natural To
think that the two articles belong 10
the same family. They may. but they
bear about the same resemblance 10
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 hammer and
putting them In the tlre Extracting
the contents with pin distributes un
told fingers; holding n lighted match
under them or thrusting the flaming
END Into the cap gets immediate nc
ton In the mines and quarries even.
where the men who have to use blast
ing caps every day ought to know bet
ter. there are plenty OF mangled hands
and pnnctnred hides as the result of
crimping caps ON fuse with a jack
knife. pointed nail or any tool that's
handy.
Many a 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 caps Lots OF bastcrs continue
to bite the caps on the fuse and thins
that because they have never exploded
them they never will. but some day
they will bite the business end and
lose something besides teeth. II IL
much easier and lots safer TO use the
crimper tool made for the purpose
Accidentally stepping on a cap will
often spoil perfectly good foot
Sparks. flame. heat blows. friction
it's all the same to the cap TO which
they are applied.
blasting cap Is copper shell abour
a quarter of an inch in diameter aud
nate OF mercury This illuminate Is
the most sensitive and about the most
impusive explosive IN common use
Blasting caps contain anywhere from
fifteen 10 twenty grains OF IL. 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 blasting cap Is meant TO
work the other way The powder FROM
the fuse iguites the illuminate In HE
blasting cap. and II explodes with ter
rifle force and detonates the dynamite
The explosion OF the illuminate Is So
exceedingly quick that the dying par
ticles Of copper will imbed themselves
IN iron foot away They Will blow
hole clean through steel plate one
sixteenth OF an inch thick A box of
caps VIII blow q beautiful square hole
right through n two inch oak plank
One cap win blow child's hand on
with the utmost certainty and dis
patch. I.lngg. one OF the Chicago nm
archists. committed suicide by biting
a blasting cap between his teeth
The point 10 he remembered IL that
when blasting cap goes or II does
great damage locally. There Is no es
Gaping It's effects. Among all the coo
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 lust ~
strong as ordinary blasting caps. hut ~
the capsule or shell Il seated up with
sulphur plug through which the wires
are carried down 10 the illuminate. not
so many accidents occur IN playing
with them they are generally dinpec
In dark roiorrd WAX and are not snrh
attractive playthings rs the bright cop
per blasting caps. hut they get fhrr'
Just the same" Amateur electricians
are anru..sftx adVfSan n hurry the tsi,,ti