DYNAMITE 177 



sent to the other side of the world. Shipowners, equally with railway companies, still 

 k boggle ' at, and express great fear of, dynamite, otherwise considerable quantities of 

 it might already have found their way to the antipodes. 



' Besides being used in pit-sinking and coal-getting, in slate-quarrying and lime- 

 stone-quarrying, in the ironstone mines and the metalliferous mines generally, in 

 railway cutting, tunnelling, &c., dynamite is proving itself to be eminently serviceable 

 in breaking up and removing the immense masses of mixed iron and slag which form 

 the bottoms, or ' salamanders, ' of blown-out blast furnaces. It is also about to be 

 used extensively in subaqueous blasting on the Clyde for the removal of a large quan- 

 tity of a whinstone dyke that occupies the bed of the river near Erskine Ferry ; and 

 wo have recently learned that half a ton of it is to be employed in connection with the 

 torpedo experiments that the naval authorities have at present in progress.' 



The following particulars respecting the storing of dynamite cannot but prove 

 interesting to those who are using this useful explosive agent : 



The district store magazines are constructed in accordance with plans approved 

 of by the Inspector of Gunpowder Factories and Magazines. At first they were 

 intended to contain a maximum quantity of five tons, but there is some expectation 

 that the license may be extended to twice that amount. The internal dimensions of 

 these magazines are 12 feet 6 inches square, by 8 feet high from floor to top of side 

 walls. In structure they are so simple that they may easily be erected by the ordi- 

 nary tradesmen found in the mining districts. The walls may be of 9-inch brick and 

 mortar work ; but where stone walls, of hammer-dressed rubble set in mortar, can be 

 more conveniently or economically used, it is recommended that they should be 15 

 inches thick. 



They are arranged on what is technically known as the ' shelf system, ' the internal 

 fittings consisting simply of joists or battens set on edge, resting on the floor, and let 

 half-way into the end walls for further security. Upon these as bearers, cross-spars, 

 3-inch by 1-inch, cut out of flooring boards, or similar materials, and kept an inch or 

 so apart, are pegged down on the joist with wood tree-nails, and the vertical, 3-inch 

 by- inch, wood strips are fastened on the walls in a similar manner; the latter being 

 put four inches apart, so as to prevent the packing-boxes chafing on the rough walls. 

 On the shelves thus described the boxes of dynamite are placed in rows, and the floor 

 space within the doorway may be of earth, clay, or sand, and should be raised six or 

 eight inches above the level of the ground outside. By this simple arrangement the 

 use of special magazine shoes or slippers is dispensed with. The door in each case 

 consists of red pine frame, 1 inch thick, covered back and front with ^-inch flooring 

 boards, grooved and feathered; the outside boards being put on vertically, the inside 

 boards horizontally, and the spaces between being packed with dry sawdust or sifted 

 engine ashes. It is fitted with strong double-tail hinges, and provided with a good, 

 safe, and strong lock and key, all of brass by preference. It is insisted that the 

 doors always open outwards, and that when closed they shall shut against a hardwood 

 kerbstep. The roof, main, or corner principals are formed of sound red pine battens, 

 9-inch by 3-inch, having spars 6-inch by 2^-inch, spaced two-feet centres, and well 

 secured to the principals and wall -plates in the usual manner ; the spars being covered 

 on the lower side with f-inch close-jointed lining-boards, and the spaces between the 

 spars being packed similarly to the doors, and then sacked over and slated. A square 

 box ventilator, with cowl, is placed in the apex of the roof, and the whole is finished 

 off with lead or zinc ridge-plates on skews and lead or zinc cover on the top of the 

 ventilator, the air spaces for ventilation on the lower side of the cowl being covered 

 with perforated zinc. A district store magazine of a different design, but of the same 

 size, has been approved of by Major Majendie. It consists entirely of wood, the 

 framework having a covering of 3-inch planking, which is carefully coated with tar 

 outside and inside, to preserve the timber, and then felted over externally to render 

 it watertight. Suitable provision is made for the ventilation, and then the magazine 

 is covered over with sand or earth, to the depth of H yard on the top, by 2^ to 3 

 yards at the sides, finished with turf sods, and provided with requisite drainage, &c. 



* All exposed ironwork in the interior of these magazines is distinctly prohibited by 

 Her Majesty's Inspector of Gunpowder Factories and Magazines, so that wood-pegs or 

 tree-nails or zinc nails are preferred for all fastenings. If iron nails are anywhere 

 used they must be punched in and puttied over. Where it is practicable, Major 

 Majendie urges the desirability of a high fence being placed round the magazine with 

 a locked door ; such a fence as may be made with old railway sleepers has been 

 strongly recommended. 



' Consumers ' store-magazines are arranged for, which are capable of containing one 

 ton of dynamite. They are also arranged on the shelf system, ' and are 6 feet 6 

 inches square internally, and 6 feet 6 inches from the floor line to the top of the side 

 walls. 



