Forthconiing Sales of British Timber. 873 



This was charged with a case, or five lbs., of dynamite. Ou the fuse being 

 liglited the visitors retired behind the neighbouring trees to watch the 

 effect. The charge exploded, blowing the whole mass with the root and 

 at least eight or ten tons of earth into the air some dozen feet or so, break- 

 ing it into about a score of pieces. A few auger hol-6s, and the job was com- 

 pleted in the short space of forty-five minutes. The remainder of them 

 were similarly treated, with the exception of one which was lying out of 

 the ground within forty .yards of the conservatory, which was broken by 

 inserting a small cartridge in a deop auger hole, thus preventing the 

 slightest injury to the glass. At the conclusion of the experiments Lord 

 Lyttelton said they had given every satisfaction, and were a thorough 

 success. - Perhaps it may not be out of place here to give a short account 

 of the history of the powerful explosive, which will doubtless be interest- 

 ing to some of our readers. 



' Dynamite is an explosive compound, the constituent parts of which are 

 nitro-glycerilie and a silica called " Kieselguhr," which is mostly brought 

 from Germany. Nitro-glycerine was discovered in the year 18iG by 

 Sobrero, but for a considerable number of years was known only as a 

 chemical curiosity. Mr. Alfred Nobel, a Swedish mining engineer, and 

 the subsequent patentee of dynamite, having made it the subject of a 

 number of experiments, discovered a method by which it could be made 

 available for blasting purposes, and patented also a very powerful percus- 

 sion c ap for use with it. Mr. Nobel was first engaged with the manufac- 

 ture of nitro-glycerine at Hamburg, but he experienced great difficulty in 

 getting the stuff carried, owing to the nature of the compound, and the 

 accidents to which it was liable in shipment and carriage. The great 

 drawback seems to have been in obtaining a proper vessel in which nitro- 

 glycerine (with a specific gravity of l.G) could be packed and carried 

 across the country with safety, but at last the patentee hit upon the plan 

 which had its issue in the invention of dynamite. He absorbed this 

 highly dangerous liquid (nitro-glycerine) in a soft porous substance to neu- 

 tralize its explosive properties, and this new compound he called dynamite.* 

 The substance which he chose as the absorbent was " Kieselguhr," 

 immense beds of which may be found at Hamburg. Dynamite is manufac- 

 tured at Ardeer, in Ayi'shire, Scotland, and nofwithstanding the immense 

 output, and the large number of workpeoj^le employed in the manufacture 

 of it, there has not been a single accidental explosion since operations were 

 commenced at the works in February, 1873. 



FOETHCOMING SALES OF BRITISH TIMBER. 

 Tjie Timber Trades Journal of March 30th contains the following 

 announcements of timber sales. Following the name of the county is the 

 name and address of the auctioneer, who will in every case forward a cata- 

 logue on application : — Berks. — A. Davis (Newbury), 5th April, at 



* The proportion of the two ingredients is seventy-five parts of nitro-glycerine to 

 iwenty-five parts of "Kieselguhr," aad when the two have been well mixed together 

 the new compound — dyuaiuite — is ready to be shaped into cartridges. 



