274 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1914. 
laws and local police regulations governing such matters. At the 
instigation of the bureau of explosives of the American Railway 
Association, a committee was appointed by the manufacturers of 
explosives to make an exhaustive study of all the data that could 
be collected the world over to show the damage that had resulted 
from explosions. Data were thus collected relating to over 130 ex- 
plosions. From these data a table was prepared to show the dis- 
tances that, according to the quantity of explosives involved, should 
separate storage magazines from inhabited dwellings and railways. 
It was assumed that such magazines would be provided with an arti- 
ficial barricade, or would have the advantage of a natural obstacle 
screening the property to be protected, otherwise the distances given 
in the table should be doubled. 
The following extracts from that table show the distances recom- 
mended for certain quantities of explosives: 
Proposed A meri- 
can distances. 
Quantity of one 
explosives 
stored. Tnhabited) Public 
buildings.| railway. 
{ 
Pounds. Feet. Feet. 
100 180 110 
500 400 240 
1, 000 530 320 
5, 000 780 470 
10, 000 890 535 
50, 000 1, 460 875 
100, 000 1,83 1,100 
500, 000 2, 755 1, 655 
1,000, 000 3, 455 2,075 
It will be noted that a barricaded magazine is considered safe with 
respect to inhabited buildings at a distance of 180 feet for 100 pounds 
of explosive and at 3,455 feet, or about 0.6 of a mile for 1,000,000 
pounds. The distance here indicated as safe means that at which 
no serious structural damage will be done to buildings, although glass 
may be broken and plaster shaken down. 
The recommendations of the committee have not yet been sanc- 
tioned by law, but it seems probable that they will be given great 
weight in any judicial procedure involving questions as to safety of 
location for storage magazines. 
SHIPMENT OF EXPLOSIVES. 
Under authority granted by Congress, the Interstate Commerce 
Commission has made regulations, binding upon shippers and common 
carriers, for the transportation of explosives in interstate commerce. 
The penalty of a possible fine of $2,000 and 18 months’ imprisonment 
is prescribed by law for a violation of these regulations. The shipper 
