El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1917-06-30

pulp factory is blown up in this way
A cake of soap will not explode I'M
/ der any circumstances. The bathtuh
need suggest no danger on this &C
count nor the shaving mug to the
man who uses razor But soap pow
der is different 1t is a very violent
explosive-quite as much so as gun
powder-if mixed in quantity with air.
Soap is fat. and therefore combusti-
BILE A while ago there was a fright
full explosion of soap powder in a
Providence factory.
Oxygen Causes Burning.
It IS oxygen that supports burning.
II the thing that burns (such as flour
or soap POWDER be brought into con-
tact with the oxygen of the air in such
intimate fashion as by the distribu-
ton Of minute particles through the
atmosphere of a room. the substance
when ignited will undergo an instan-
taneous combustion All at once it is
transformed into gas. the expansion
OF which demOlShes all obstacles.
Ordinary dust would explode in the
same way if 1t were composed of
ignitible material But. fortunately,
such dust consists mainly of mineral
matter. and will not burn. On the 9th
er hand. coal dust, being combustible
Is very dangerous explosive Many
OF the most dreadful disasters in
mines have been attributable to the
ignition of coal dust-doubtless in
most cases incidental to blasting
operations.
What could be more innocent than
coal burning in an open CRATE? But
take CRATE full of coal. pulverize IL.
and mix ii with plenty of air; il will
then explode like gunpoWder if ig-
nlted- There is power enough in that
CRATE full of coal powder to hurl a
1O00-pound shell from a I2-inch gun
through three feet of solid steel
Explosion is simply instantaneous
burning in a confined space. GunpoW-
DER IN the open air will not explode;
II merely burns rapidly. The same idea
appieS to wheat flour. soap powder
powdered sugar. OF any other com
bustible material in a finely divided
STATE All the flour in the world could
not De made to explode out of doors
Rice and Spice Explode.
SUI INDOORS It is different Maize
aust Is very explosive Most people
VIII remember the disaster that befel
the great corn products mills at Gran
lite city. Ill, few years ago. Only
too frequent are explosions of starch
mills. Of rice in rice mills, and of
spice in spice mills Ignition of vege-
table dust does the mischief every
time A very serious affair was an
explosion OF oatmeal. at the Oliver
mill in Chicago Cork dust in limo
leum factories has exploded with dis
astrous results so often that nova
establishments.
Ordinary gunpowder is a mixture OF
saitpeter nitrate OF potash. charcoal I
and sulphur The sulphur is merely
TO furnish ignitiOn-the same purpose I
tnat II serves on the head of a SULPHUR
match. The charcoal is the stuff that I
purns- The saltpeter contains the
oxygen requisite to support the burn |
lng All three are reduced to small |
, pssrne,es and mixed together. When |
me sulphur is ignited, the heat causes I
me saltpeter to give up its oxygen to /
me parucles OF charcoal with which /
II is intimately mingled. The charcoal /
is converted instantly into hot gas, /
winch expands-with a resulting ex-
plosion, II the space be confined.
The old fashioned black gunpow-
ger. 70 which this description applies, /
- now regarded as a back number /
because only 43 percent of il is con-
Nerted into gas when 1t burns. II Is /
% percent inefficient. Smokeless DOW
der, on the other hand. Is Zoe percent
efficient; in the process of burning
II resolves itself wholly into gas