400 Domestic Intelligence. 
4. Singular Explosion. 
Extract of a letter from Mr. Samuel Howard to the Editor, 
dated 
Savannah, Dec. 13th, 1821. 
Sir, I have lately been induced to suppose that I had met 
with a detonating mixture with which I was not acquainted ; 
about equal parts of wood ashes sifted ; of common Liver- 
pool salt, and of clay, apparently of the argillaceous kind, 
were mixed together with water, forming a kind of mortar ; 
and a layer of this was put between two copper plates, ex- 
posed to a strong heat, with a view to stopping a leak in the 
copper ; but an explosion of considerable violence took 
e 
Cc . 
Please oblige me with your opinion, whether this was 
owing to the mixture, or arose from other unknown causes. 
Answer. 
It is well known that the fixed alkalies at a red heat have 
ted rather suddenly with the potash of the wood ashes, 
and with the soda of the salt, disengaging from the first car- 
bonic acid gas and from the second muriatic acid gas. 
These aerial agents, thus suddenly liberated, aided also by 
the steam arising from the water in the composition, would 
afford a mechanical power of sufficient energy to produce 
the effect above related. 
ea te 
