Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1915-06-25
WHEN DUST GOES BANG.
Some Domestic Commodities As Ex'
pIosive as Gunpowder.

pIosive 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, II
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 have 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 their researches has
been always the same-dust.
How many cooks for example, real
ize that 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 sack of flour mix
ed with 1000 cubic feet Of air, will,
IL ignited, throw mass Of iron weigh
ing one ton As miles through the air.
Indeed, many disastrous explosions
have occurred in big flour mills from
this cause, wrecking huge buildings
and causing heavy loss Of life.
Unhappily flour is not the only do
mestic commodity that is as danger
Gus in it's destructive effects as gum
powder. and hourly threatens our
homes with red ruin. Every now and
then a sweet factory gets blown up
in spite Of the vigilance Of the govern
ment inspectors, the watchfulness OF
the insurance companies, and the zeal
Of it's foreman. Such an explosion oc-
Cured not long ago in Boston. 1t origi-
mated in a room where marshmallows
were being made. These sweets are
coated with finely pulverized sugar,
and the hot and dry air on a summers
day, laden with sugar 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 innocent-looking commodities.
and not to the malice or carelessness
Of the employees. Oatmeal, too, has
been known to go off with dire re-
suits, and a great breakfast commod-
ity mill not long ago was sent en- bloc
heavenwards owing to some maize
dust mixed with air.
Spice dust in spice mills has also
wrought similar damage, and all lino-
leum is now manufactured under spe-
cial precautions against fire because
sad experience has shown how easily
cork dust and the cement used in limo
leum manufacture will ignite, or even
take fire Of their own accord.
Soap is another domestic suspect.
1t has set fire to a ship in the mouth
of the Thames. Only few years ago
there was a great explosion in q soap
factory engaged in the production Of
finely powdered soap. Some enemy
hath done this thing" muttered the
proprietor. but as a 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 it got freely distributed
through the air when it exploded with
more violence and greater heat than
flour or starch"
Zinc has been known to cause eXplo-
sions. The 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 a terrific
explosion. The blade Of his shovel
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
nowadays. when they are faced with
explosions, the origin Of which they
cannot fathom, are always instructed
by their superiors to remember human
agency may not be the cause. but
dust-Pearson's Weekly.