November 



1920 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



115 



can avail himself of its aid because of its low cost. India rubber 

 has much to do with that, although this fact is seldom realized. 

 The use of rubber in the manufacture of high explosives has 

 lessened the attendant dangers to the point where their manu- 

 facture is' no more costly than that of commodities with no 

 potentialities of destruction. Personal danger has been reduced 

 to a minimum and the lives of the workmen guarded by the use 

 of india rubber. Not an explosive itself, and not even a com- 

 ponent ingredient of one, it is safe to say that without the assist- 

 ance of rubber no explosive could be manufactured. 



Dynamite was invented in 1866 by Nobel, a Swedish engineer, 

 and has proven men's greatest ally in his fight to conquer the 

 earth. It wages ceaseless warfare against the forces of Nature, 

 blasting out channels for commerce and transportation, breaking 

 down natural barriers that check commercial intercourse, laying 

 bare hidden stores of precious metals, minerals and oil, and re- 

 claiming for agricultural use desert and swamp land alike. 



-Many persons who habitually employ dynamite in their daily 

 activities are but hazily aware of its content and totally unin- 

 formed as to the proccs.ses of its manufacture. They know that 

 nitroglycerine, which it contains, is very dangerous to handle but 

 that dynamite is comparatively safe. Nobel's process was to in- 

 corporate nitroglycerine with a kind of infusorial earth. Modern 

 practise has substituted active absorbents containing nitrates of 

 soda, nitrate of ammonia, wood pulp, etc., which assist in the 

 explosion instead of he'ins absorbents only. 



Nitroglycerine is made by adding slowly a comparatively pure 

 glycerine to a mixture of nitric and sulphuric acids in a steel 

 tank with a brine coil around its outer edge to remove the heat 

 generated. This is called a nitrator, and the contents are slowly 

 agitated by means of mechanically driven paddles. After all the 

 glycerine is added the mixture is let into a lead tank and allowed 

 to stand until the nitroglycerine rises to the top. This is drawn 

 off to a tank of warm water where it is washed free from acid, 

 afterwards receiving a final wash with soda ash solution to re- 

 move the last trace of acid. During all these operations the 



Hercules Powder Co. 



RlKHKR-TlRKP BrCGlES CoNVEV XlTROOI.VCERl.Xt J KO.M STOREHOUSE 



TO Mixer 



hands and feet of the workmen are protected from acid burns 

 and toxic absorptions by rubber gloves and boots, and rubber 

 hose is used extensively. The pure nitroglycerine is then con- 

 veyed to the storehouses in gutters which are lined with rubber 

 to facilitate gentle handling. 



The absorbent material, technically known as dope, is prepared 

 by every manufacturer of explosives according to formulas 



worked out by his chemists. It is taken to the mixing house in 

 fiber barrels, and the greatest care is required in handling nitro- 

 glycerine on its way to the mixing house. The nitroglycerine 

 wheeler uses a copper-lined, rubber-tired buggy for his precious 

 charge. He owes not only his own safety but that of the entire 

 plant to the resilient qualities of india rubber. No one disputes 

 his right of way. A smooth plank walk is constructed especially 



Herattes Powder Co. 



The He.wy Wheels of the Mixer Are Shod with Hard Rubber 



for his use. At one end he fills the buggy from the storehouse. 

 At the other end he transfers the nitroglycerine to the mixing 

 machine by means of long rubber tubes attached to the buggy. 



The mixing machine is a wooden bowl in which large wooden 

 wheels revolve. Here again rubber safeguards the workinen, for 

 the wheels are shod with hard rubber, thus allowing no metal in 

 contact with the dynamite during the mixing process. Even the 

 pulleys that drive the mill are made of wood, lest a bit of rub- 

 bing metal produce a disastrous spark. Five minutes' mixing by 

 the rubber-tired wheels is sufficient. The loose dynamite is re- 

 moved by wooden shovels into wooden tubs, thence to the pack- 

 ing machine, where it is packed into paraffined paper shells by 

 means of wooden tamps tipped with rubber, a great improvement 

 over the dangerous old-time hand operation of filling each shell 

 through a funnel. 



The dynamite cartridges are placed in paraffine-paper lined 

 boxes containing a small amount of sawdust to lessen shocks 

 and the covers nailed on. This is the final step in the manu- 

 facture of the explosive, which is then stored in an isolated 

 magazine until shipped. 



Gelatine dyn.imite was invented to fill the demand for an ex- 

 plosive that would resist the action of water. It is a jelly-like 

 substance and is produced by the addition of small amounts of 

 nitro cotton to the mi.xture of nitroglycerine and absorbents. 

 Rubber contributes to safety in gelatine dynamite manufacture in 

 the same manner as in making ordinary dynamite. Rubber 

 gloves, boots and aprons are worn by the workmen and rubber 

 hose and tubing are largely used. 



The extent to which tires are used west of the Rockif.s ts 

 fairly reflected in the registration of automobiles in eleven West- 

 ern States for the year 1920 up to July 1. The figures show that 

 California had 421,327, Washington 143,561, Colorado 111,907, 

 Oregon 89,933, Montana 52,100, Idaho 46,360, Utah 37,261, Ari- 

 zona 29.803, Wyoming 21,250, New Mexico 20,300. Nevada 9,383. 



