The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1914-04-03
THEY C0URTOEATH
Those Who Take Liberties With
. illuminate OF Mercury.
PERILS OF BLASTING CAPS.


toys" often Picked Up Around Quar-
rios, Are Responsible For Hundred,
Of Crippled Youngsters.
Over COO children have been hurt o.
perhaps crippled for life in the last five
years from playing with blasting caps
IL this had happened at one time wha
u bowl would have gone mp all over the
world. But because the accidents are
spread all over the country and happier
nj the rate of only about ten month
nothing is done by the authorities. In
deed. nothing can be done except to ed
ucnte the whole population to realize
how dangerous these exceedingly use
fu things are when they are out OF
their proper place. And what dread
fiil thing it 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 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 danger.
oIs aud that spark or blow will ex-
pIcde 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 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 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 a pin distributes I'M
told fingers; holding lighted match
under them or thrusting the flaming
end into the cap gets immediate ac-
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 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
his face in biting the cap on
the fuse, and others have filed them
selves with copper or have been killed
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
chem 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. tool made for the purpose.
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
q 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
Impnlsive explosive in common use.
caps contain anywhere from
6fteen to twenty grains Of 1t. Primers
for firearms cartridges usually contain
not more than one grain. That's what
The hammer or firing pin Of gun or
pistol hits to ignite the powder in the
shell, A blasting cap is meant to
work the other, way. The powder from
he fuse ignites the illuminate in the
cap. and It explodes with ter
rS6c 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 foot away. They will blow a
soie clean through a steel plate one
ssxfeenth Of an inch thick. A box Of
.aps will blow a beautiful square hole
right through two inch oak plank.
One cap will blow a child's hand of
with the utmost certainty and dis
patch. i.ingg. one of the Chicago an
srcbists. committed suicide by biting
4 blasting cap between his teeth.
Tie point to I've remembered Is that
when n blasting cap goes off 1t does
great damage i0caily. There is no es-
gaping il, elects. Among all the GOO
Or more acid'1 reported from playing
with blasl'u- caps there are only two
Dr. three e. b, 'irh somebody was not
hurt.
Elecirir ht,jins caps are Just as
strong as u,ti'ar! blasting caps. but as
the capsule ,hcll is scaled NJ with Il
sulphur liU. through which the wires
are carried ivsu 10 the illuminate, not
SO many arenCulS occur IN playing
with then, IHcy are gencrliy Dipped
In dark c0'rl", wax aud are not such
. attractive t,'',r, hugs a. the bright cop
Pr elastic, crns, but they get there
Just the Sau.. Amateur electricians
ave aanic,ii, di,iscd 10 bury the elcc-
tri6 cap "a fa,@ or two in the earth be
fore tryiuH be- pass electric currents
fbrvueh the " .c>. mud they had better
nSt 80 IL io'p Cont open II mp Ia see
WHAT'S II, a. tSplO>ive manufacturers
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