HAVING REFERENCE TO EXPLOSIVE
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Carl Friedrich Wilhelm Ernst Dittmar, of the
State of Massachusetts, of the Republic of the United States of
America, for the Invention of "HAVING REFERENCE TO EXPLOSIVE
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Carl Friedrich Wilhelm
Ernst Dittmar, at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with his Petition and Declaration, on the 3rd September 1875,
pursuant to the 9th Section of the Patent Law Amendment
Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CARL
FRIEDRICH WILHELM ERNST DITTMAR, of the State of Massachusetts,
of the Republic of the United States of America, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention "HAVING REFERENCE
TO EXPLOSIVE COMPOUNDS, AND THE MANUFACTURING THEBEOP," and have
petitioned Her Majesty to grant unto me, my executors, administrators,

page_text: and assigns, Her Royal Letters Patent for the same, and have made
solemn Declaration that I am the true and first Inventor thereof.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Carl Friedrich Wilhelm Ernst
Dittmar, do hereby declare that the following Complete Specification,
under my hand and seal, fully describes and ascertains the nature of
the said Invention and in what manner the same it is to be performed, in
and by the following statement:—
My. Invention is a new or improved article of manufacture, or
explosive compound or compounds made of vegetable fibre, converted to
pulp and treated with acids or such, and one or more other matters, as
herein-after set forth. It further consists in the art, mode, or process
herein-after explained of treating vegetable fiber for the purpose of
rendering it explosive, such consisting in reducing the fiber] to pulp,
desiccating and reducing such pulp to grains or powder or compact forms,
and treating such with acids, and one or more other materials as and
in manner as hèrein-after mentioned.
In carrying out my Invention I make use of any suitable. kind of
vegetable fibre, whether it be in the raw or natural condition, or in a
manufactured state (as old linen or cotton rags for instance), and reduce
such by any well known and suitable process to a fine pulp.
...
Mechanism usually adopted for making paper pulp, will generally suf-
fice for the purpose of producing the pulp, which in order to operate to
the best advantage, should be produced in a way to render the vegetable
fibre chemically pure or free from extraneous or foreign matter.
After the pulp has been made it is to be desiccated and cut up or
reduced-to-grains or powder, to accomplish-which-it-may-be-pressed-into
a sheet or sheets of suitable thickness, which are to be properly dried
and afterwards subjected to the action of a punching, cutting, or grinding
machine capable of reducing the dry pulp to pieces, grains, or fine
powder, as may be required. After this has been done, the pulp in such
a reduced. state is to be treated with an acid, or mixture of nitric and
sulphuric acids, in the same way in which cotton is usually treated for
converting it into the substance known as gun cotton.
During the drying process the pulp may be stirred to prevent it from
forming in too largo lumne

page_text: Prior to the acidulation and the desiccating processes the pulp is to.
be soaked in a solution of sugar, mannite, amylum or inuline, care being
taken to clear it of superfluous acid, which may be effected by applying
to it or soaking it in a solution of alkali or soda. It may also be soaked
in a solution of nitrate or chlorate of potash, it being carefully dried
after the application of the solution or solutions. After the subjection
of the pulp to the action of the nitric and sulphuric acids, and its
subsequent desiccation, it will be ready for use. For improving the
manufacture for blasting purposes, it may be soaked in, or have poured
upon or applied to it, a quantity of nitro-glycerine, or soda and saltpetro
may be added in a fine state after the drying process.
The combination or mixture of the vegetable fiber with the sugar,
mannite, amylum or inuline, before being [treated with the mixture of
sulphuric and nitric acids, produces a very powerful explosive compound,
and overcomes the difficulty which results in preparing without the
pulp either of such matters, with acid or acids, for conversion of it into
an explosive material.
If desirable the explosive powder or grains of pulp thus produced
may be pressed into a mould or moulds for being converted into charges
or cartridges, which may be coated with waterproof varnish.
In order to produce a better explosive compound, take the pulp.
(mixed or not with starch or sugar) and reduce it to grains or compact
forms, desiccate, it, and next dip it in a bath of sulphuric acid (of ten
pounds acid to one pound water), and next wash out the acid. In this
way the material will have imparted to it a character like parchment.
Next dry it and subject it to a bath of nitric and sulphuric acids.
All the within mentioned compounds, formed without the use of nitro-
glycerine, can be used for the manufacture of fireworks, chiefly saloon
and theatre fireworks, as being better adapted for these purposes than
common powder in giving out neither smoke nor smell, and also for
gunning or artillery purposes in leaving no residuum and requiring no
cleansing while in use. All these compounds can be kept wet for any
length of time, and therefore be stored and transported with safety in
the largest quantities, like common merchandise, or even better than
that being impossible to be set on fire or exploded by concussion.
Before use it may be dried by spreading the compound out in the sun,
or in a warm room, or by any other drying process. The grains remain

page_text: whole, if kept under water, which is not the case when gun cotton is
pulped and grained. Grains made by my process have also a greater
resistance against any mechanical treatment, by handling, transporting,
&c., no dust resulting therefrom.
The different explosive compounds manufactured in the different ways
above described, may be mixed together in different proportions, so as to
give different strength as may be required. The different compounds
may be mixed with prepared or unprepared charcoal.
In preparing the vegetable fiber in the manner above described, I
make a very powerful explosive, combined with the greatest safety,
as the fineness to which the vegetable fibre is reduced by the destruction
of the vegetable texture before the treatment with chemicals allows a
more thorough action of the chemicals, giving therefore more strength
and uniformity, and owing to the great elasticity of the material, it is
safer than any other similar explosive. Being made up in grains,
cylinders or cartridges, of any size or form, either coated or not coated
with a waterproof material, ready for use, it is very convenient in
practice.
Each of the above described compounds can be fired by means of a
percussion cap, or like common powder, with a fuse when well confined.
The vegetable fiber prepared as herein described is the best adapted
substance to be combined with nitro-glycerine, as it takes and holds as
much nitro-glycerine as the infusorial earth, having the preference of
not leaving from twenty to twenty-five per cent. residuum, and adding
to the strength of the compound, being resolved in gases by the
explosion.

page_text: duced to grains or compact forms and dried) by dipping it into a bath
of sulphuric acid as explained, and next washing and drying it, and
afterwards subjecting it to a bath of nitric and sulphuric acids, all
essentially as specified.
I claim as a new or improved article of manufacture an explosive
compound, made from vegetable fibre converted to pulp and treated with
acids, or such, or one or more other matters in manner substantially as
herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Carl Friedrich Wilhelm Ernst
Dittmar, have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Eighth day
of July, 1875.
CARL FRIEDRICH WILHELM ERNST DITTMAR. (L.S.)