Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1913-06-14
THEY COURT DEATH
inOse Who Take Liberties With
illuminate of Mercury.
PERILS OF BLASTING CAPS.

'Sl WV CnlIuten nave been hurt or
perhaps crippled for life in the last five
years from playing with blasting cans
III this had happened at one time what
d 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 authorities. In
deed nothing can be done except to ed.
hcate the whole population to realize
now dangerous these exceedingly use.
Iul things are when they are out Of
dnelr proper place. And what a dread
Iul thing 1t is going through life Grip
pied or blinded for want Of little care
and knowledge
Boys often play in and around quar-
ries ON Sundays and sometimes fpick
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 danger
Gus and that 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 fly. 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 1t 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 hammer and
putting them in the fire. Extracting
the contents with pin distributes un-
told fingers; holding lighted match
under them or thrustlng the flaming
end into the cap gets immediate ac-
tion. In the mines and quarrles 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 punctured hides as the result Of
crlmping caps on fuse with jack
knife, pointed nail or any tool that's
handy.
Many a miner has blown a hole
through his face in biting the cap on
the fuse, and others have filled 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 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. 1t is
much easier and lots safer to use the
.crimper, a tool made for the purpose.
Accidentally stepping on 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.
A blasting cap is a copper shell about
a quarter of an inch in diameter and
an inch or two long, half full Of fulmi-
nate of mercury. This illuminate Is
the most sensitive and about the most
Impulsive explosive in common use.
Blasting caps contain 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 ignltes the illuminate in the
blasting cap. and It eXplodes with ter
rife force and detonates the dynamite.
The explosion Of the illuminate ls so
exceedingly quick that the flying 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 will blow beautiful square hole
right through two inch oak plank.
One can will blow a chid's hand on
with the utmost certainty and dis
match. Llngg. one Of the Chicago an
.archlsts, committed suicide by biting
a blasting cap between his teeth.
The point to be remembered is that
when blasting cap goes of 1t does
great damage locally. There is no es-
gaming Its effects. Among all the dOo
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 but as
the cansule or shell X sealed up with a
sulphur plug through which the wires
are carried down to the illuminate, not
.so nopy accidents occur In playing
with them. They are generally dipped
in dark colored wax and are not sueh
attractive playthlngs as the bright cop
nor blasting caps. but they get there
inst the same" Amateur electrician
are earnestly advised TO bury the elec
,ric can a foot or two in the earth be-
fore trying TO pass electric currents
through the wires. and they had better
nat do Il then. Don't open II up to see
what's I'm II! Explosive manufacturers
are not given to imparting trade secrets
nromiscuously. but they will gladly tel
what's I'm the caps and how they are
made rather than have you blow youI
hands or trying to find out for your
self
Don't carry caps around In your pock
o,s, Don't take them home with you
. . .t,,,,, ,,,hpra children car