Vashon Island news-record. [volume] (Vashon, Wash.) 1919-1954, 1924-10-31
Peace Time Explosive
Needs Rivals War Use

The pence time activities of this
country are the greatest consumers
Of explosives the world has ever
known. Last year there were more
than 5OO,00O,OOO pounds of explosives
Of all kinds produced in the United
States and used for coal and metal
mining, quarry, drainage, agriculture
and contracting purposes. More than
20V, 900, 900 pounds Of blasting powder
alone were used, most of 1t in getting
out GOAL. although large quantities
were also used in quarry work, writes
George King, president Of the Insti-
tute Of Makers of Explosives.
Many people link up explosives and
war In the same breath, but as mat
ter of fact, the explosives being man
ufactured today in the United States,
such as blasting powder and dyna-
mite, have no place in war. Many
years ago black powder as distin.
yuished from dynamite, was used in
large quantities for war, but its place
as propellant has been taken by
snokeless powder. Blasting powder
has now been turned to peace time
work and 1t is one OF the key products
on which many lines Of industry rest.
Dynamite is essentially peace time
product and has no place in war, ex-
cept for demolition work and, as
matter of fact 1t was very little used
for that purpose in the recent Great
War.
American industry is using explo-
siveG in ways undreamed of few
years ago. Blasting powder in GER
tain respects, is an agent Of such econ
omy and efficiency that it could not be
displaced in the mining of coal. 1t
also does extremely good work in
getting out stone and other products.
American engineers with the use of
modern explosives are doing greater
work today than was ever done be-
fore. They are breaking records in
drilling tunnels, for it appears that
the modern high explosives can be
used to force a way through any OBJ
stacles nature has erected. The Shan
daken Tunnel In New York, the Moi
fatt Tunnel in the West, the Hetch
Hetchy Tunnels in California are in
stances Of the enormous efficiency of
modern explosives. These explosives
such as dynamite which can detonate
under water have also made 1t pos
sible to do submarine blasting and
deepen harbors by SCATTERING reefs;
as a consequence work of this kind
which could never have been done
before because of the lack of proper
explosives, is being accomplished to-
day.
But these are only some of the uses.
Modern explosives are being widely
employed in agriculture; about 20 mil
lion pounds of dynamite are being
used each year on farms. They are
digging bitches with it in the South
to control malaria and the mosquito
pest. Towers, old buildings and
structures which have to be replaced
are being RACED with dynamite, which
demolishes the walls economically and
does away with the laborious and
costly method of taking them down
with hand or machinery.
Moreover, modern explosives are
safe, if they are handled according to
rule 1t is an easy thing to become
acquainted with their use and to OBJ
serve the safety rules. The great i'm
provement made in their composition
and employment has opened up new
avenue of quick an deficient work.
They are the basis of the good roads
movement now being extended in this
country; for instance, each mile OF
good roads represents approximately
1000 pounds of explosives. Because
of their efficiency and adaptability to
modern industrial conditions, it isl
safe to predict that their use will be
greatly extended during the next few
years.