The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1915-08-03
WHEN DUST GOES BANG.
Some Domestic Commodities AS Ex-
plOsiYe as GunpOWder.

Many mysterious explosives which
at one time baffled the ingenuity Of
our keenest detectives, have been re-
Gently explained by the cold, methodi-
cal researches of our chemists, who, it
will be remembered, also warned the
government not to let Germany have
cotton to manufacture gun-cotton.
The men of science have not been
able to wipe out the miseries that have
been caused to the thousands of per-
sons who 1ave been convicted or con-
demned of arson, and other similar
crimes, without a cause, but they
have certainly succeeded in teaching
the police to be very careful before
they blame any householder or manu-
facturer or servant for an explosion
and the key to tceir researches has
been always the same-dust.
How many cooks, for example, real
ize tnat the ordinary everyday -four
they use in their kitchens is one of
the most dangerous of explosives? Re
cent calculations show that the con-
tents of a 25-pound sick of -four mixed
with 1000 cubic feet Of air, will, if
ignited, throw mass of iron weighing
one ton As miles through the air. In
deed, many disastrous explosions have
occurred in big flour mills from this
cause, wrecking huge buildings and
causing Iteavy loss of life.
Unhappily -four is not the only do
mestic commodity that is as danger
Gus in its destructive effects as gun
powder, and hourly threatens our
hcmes with red ruin. Every now and
then a sweet factory get blown up
in spite of the vigilance of the govern
ment inspectors, the wateIfulness of
the insurance companies, and tie zeal
Of it's foreman. Such an explosion oc-
Cured not long ago in Boston. 1t
originated in a room where marshmal-
lows were being made. These sweets
are coated with fne!S rulverized sugar
and the hot and dry al: on summers
day laden with sugdr dust, with the
result that the mixture ignited, lot
Of workers were injured, and many of
the buildings were set on fire.
1t is nothing new to hear also of
EXPLOSIONS Of starch in starch mills,
and of rice in rice mills, and in each
instance the blame is to be attributed
to the ;nnocent-lookng commodities,
and rot to TIE malice or carelessness
of the employees. Oatmeal, too, has
been known to &c off with dire re-
suits, and G great breakfast commod-
ity mill no. long SO was sent en- bloc
heaveGwards owing to some maize
dust mixed with air.
Spice dust in spice mills has also
wrought similar damage, and all limo
laum is now manufactured under spe-
cial precautions against fire because
sad experience has shown how easily
cork dust and the cement used in limo
lelm manufacture will ignite, or even
take fire of /: cir own accord.
Soap is another domestic suspect.
1t has set fire to ship in the mouth
of the Thames Only a few years ago
there was a great explosion in a soap
factory engaged n the production of
finely powdered soap. Some enemy
ha,h done t:is talng:" muttered the
proprietor, hut as g matter of fact he
and The detectives who hunted for
criminals were for months on the
wrong scent. Soap is fat, and there
fore combustible," the chemists re-
minded him, Your soap powder was
dry, and il got freely distributed
through the air wnen it exploded with
more vioIeLce and greater heat than
-four or starch
Zinc has been known to cause explo-
sions. TIE story is often told how a
workman once handling a quantity OF
finely powdered metallic zinc when he
got a spell Of laziness, and TO save fur
ther trouble, threw shovelful into a
flaming furnace. There was terrific
explosion. The blade of his sI:ovel
was driven into the roof of the build
ing, and he got half killed
Malt mills are also not immune from
perils of explosion. In fact, detectives
Douodovc whom fl pv arn fo oopd Wit h