Evening star., 1923-05-13
FINDING WAYS TO USE
LEFTOVER EXPLOSIVES
Surplus Stocks on Hand at End of War
Being Made to Serve the
Purposes of Peace.

satisfaction. Engineers engaged in
blasting now say IL is the most salts
| factory blasting agent they ever had.
Large Quantities Retained.
OF course, the military authorities
have declared surplus only that
amount of war explosives which they
considered unnecessary for any mill
, tary uses. They have retained, how
ever, very large quantities of these
explosives, and this brought UP a
grave problem, How can these mill
tary explosives for national defens"
| best be stored and protected?
For example, there are on hand
| exceedingly large supplies of shells
already loaded with high explosives.
Huge magazines have been erected
| In which to store these loaded shells.
But among the problems is how may
| they be stored SO that. in the event
| OF an explosion-say. by stroke Of
lightning, one one of these shells is
exploded general explosion of the
whole mass OF shells may not result.
Consequently large scale experiments
are being carried out at the proving
grounds, in which large piles "t
shells containing as much as 40,6"n
pounds of high explosives have been
involved in single experiment.
But as result 1t has been found that
by placing secondary piles of shells
around the large primary pile there
are reasonable intervening distances
which prevent the secondary piles
from being exploded when the first
pile goes off. 1t has been found. also
that these intervening distances may
be reduced by placing in the aisles
barricades of small boxes filled
with sand.
So that. as result of the investi
cation, the military authorities and
the scientists are learning for the
first time relatively safe methods Of
storing these very dangerous supplies.
study of Explosion Waves.
In connection with these large scale
experiments it is possible to make
scientific observations on such mat
ters as the rate at which the expl"
sion waves are projected through III"
air. or through the earth. and on the
existence and causes and extent OF
those zones of silence" which have
been observed repeatedly in connec-.
tion with explosions.
At the experiment station in Pitts
burgh eXpl losives are tested for manu-
facturers to determine their suit
ability for use. especially in mines.
From the beginning the emphasis has
been placed on the use Of explosives
for mining coat, because this has been
a particularly hazardous work and
the government sought to insure the
safety of the coal miners.
| Some of the explosives submitted
have to be tested in many ways and
as there is sometimes doubt in regard
! to the making of a test which neces-
states its being repeated the bureau
of mines asked that the manufacture
ers send larger samples of their
! products to be tested than would be
| required for carrying out all the
! tests if all should go we'll Therefore.
| there is surplus left behind. and
| this includes several hundred brands
| of explosives submitted for test An
! other great surplus has accrued from
this source.
! So. from the start. the bureau OF
| mines planned to make use of these
| surplus explosives in carrying out sci
entiftc Investigations, among which
is the safest method of destroying
explosives This is considered eX-
| tremely important. because it is q
! we'll known fact that the police OF
! all OF our large cities make seizures
I of explosives found in the hands OF
! dynamiters who intend to use them
! for committing outrages These
| studies are made for the purpose of
| teaching how such explosives may
| pC ueHti ostu.
"Fingerprints" of Explosives.
| Again, a very important and inter
esting investigation carried on at the
bureau of mines experiment station
with surplus explosives is to deter
| mine the effect when explosives are
, detonated on metal structures II
| has been found that when iron or
steel are exposed to the explosion
they have acquired a certain micro
scopic structure known as "Neumamu
| bands which are really the finger
prints of the explosives upon the
metals.
In connection with accidents or
outrages where explosions have been
involved, many questions arise in liti-
CATION as 10 the appearance of the
| smoke. gas. flame. etc. Therefore
records of this kind are being accu-
mulated from observation of these
! surplus explosives when detonated
1t is believed by DIR. Munroe and
other noted scientists who have spe-
cialized on explosives that these in
vestigations can be carried much
further in the factories where ex-
plosives are made. There. as in all
factories. waste of all kinds occurs
and must be destroyed. 1t is advised
that when these cleanings and sweep
| iHSS are 10 De taken out III accord
ance with sound practice and de-
| stroyed carefully worked-out plans
for observation should be followed
! DR.. .Munroe emphasizes that these
| would be of great benefit TO the fac
tory. to the public and to the sum
total of scientific knowledge.
These are a few of the possibili-
ties for human betterment that lie
behind intensive study by govern
ment officials and scientists of the
detsnation of surplus explosives un
der carefully observed conditions, as
explained by DR.. Munroe. one of the
greatest authorities on this subject
| in the whole world.