346 



EXPLOSIVES. 



charcoal, 8 of metallic antimony, 5 of potas- 

 sium chlorate, 4 of rye-flour, and a few centi- 

 grammes of potassium chromate. These in- 

 gredients are mixed in an equal volume of 

 boiling water, and the mass evaporated down 

 to a paste, dried, and powdered as wanted. 

 Himly has recently patented an explosive which 

 is prepared as follows: Potassium nitrate, po- 

 tassium chlorate, and hydrocarbon (for which 

 may be taken paraffin, asphaltum, pitch, caout- 

 chouc, gutta-percha, etc.), are mixed together 

 in pulverulent form by passing through sieves 

 or otherwise, and the mixture is then treated 

 with a liquid volatile hydrocarbon, which acts 

 as a solvent to the solid hydrocarbon. A plas- 

 tic mass is thus produced, which is then formed 

 into cakes or sheets by passing through rollers 

 or otherwise, and is rendered hard by evapo- 

 rating the liquid solvent used, the sheets or 

 cakes so produced being then converted into 

 grains or pieces of any desired size, in the same 

 manner as ordinary gunpowder. This new 

 compound is only an explosive when confined 

 in a close space. It possesses the same density 

 as gunpowder, and is very hard. It can be 

 made twice as strong as the latter, but the in- 

 tensity of the explosion can be regulated at 

 will by varying the proportions of the ingredi- 

 ents and the size of the granules. Itackarock, 

 invented by S.' R. Divine, consists first of a 

 solid, composed mainly of potassium chlorate 

 in fine powder, given a reddish tint by some 

 coloring-matter ; and, second, of an oily liquid 

 dinitro-benzol. These compounds, neither 

 of which is explosive by itself, are combined 

 before use by immersing the solid in the liquid 

 for a few seconds until an increase of about 

 one fifth is effected by absorption. The solid 

 is supplied in the form of loosely packed car- 

 tridges of different sizes, put up in bags closed 

 at each end. The combination of the ingredi- 

 ents is brought about by means of an open 

 basket of wire to receive the cartridges, which 

 is suspended from a spring balance and dipped 

 in a galvanized iron pail containing the fluid. 

 A little attention to the time of immersion 

 renders the absorption fairly uniform. The 

 explosive, when prepared in this manner, is a 

 compact red solid, having a specific gravity of 

 about 1-7. It decrepitates with difficulty when 

 hammered on an anvil, but hardly ignites on 

 wood. Ordinary friction seems to have little 

 tendency in causing its explosion. Special in- 

 terest attaches to this compound on account 

 of its use by the United States authorities 

 in exploding Flood Rock on Oct. 10, 1885. 

 The rackarock used was found to possess 109 

 per cent, of the strength of No. 1 dynamite. 

 Gen. Abbot says : " Rackarock possesses the 

 merits of high intensity of action, unusua.. den- 

 sity, absolute safety in handling and storage 

 (components unmixed), and little cost ; on the 

 other hand, an exceptionally strong detonat- 

 ing primer is essential to develop its full pow- 

 er." In addition to the foregoing, Divine has 

 patented several other formulas in which the 



potassium chlorate is finely powdered and 

 mixed with nitro-benzol and sulphur, or with 

 " dead oil " of tar and sulphur, or with " dead 

 oil " of tar, sulphur, and carbon disulphide in 

 varying proportions. Several of these mixt- 

 ures, that have been tested, gave results vary- 

 ing between 77 to 104 per cent, as compared 

 with dynamite. 



Pierie-Aeid Compounds. Diorrexine, invented 

 by Pancera, consists of picric acid, 1-65 per 

 cent.; charcoal, 7'49 ; beech sawdust, 10-97; 

 potassium nitrate, 42'78 ; sodium nitrate, 23-16; 

 sulphur, 13 '40. This compound is about 25 

 per cent, lighter than Austrian blasting-pow- 

 der, of about equal strength, and nearly one 

 fifth less expensive. 



Heracline is a blasting-powder composed of 

 picric acid, potassium nitrate, sodium nitrate, 

 sulphur, and sawdust. Heracline burns com- 

 paratively slowly, so that it only tears apart 

 the masses blasted, without hurling them vio- 

 lently about. Borlinettc?8 blasting-powder is 

 composed of 10 parts of picric acid, 10 of sodium 

 nitrate, and 8 of potassium chromate. This 

 mixture is said not to explode by friction or 

 blows. Brugiere picric powder consists of equal 

 parts of ammonium pi crate and potassium ni- 

 trate. Designolle powder is composed of equal 

 parts of potassium picrate and potassium nitrate. 



Paper Blasting-Powder. Dynamogen, invented 

 by Petry, similar to Hochstaedter's cartridges 

 and Reichard's rolls, is an explosive paper made 

 as follows: In an enameled pot containing 

 150 grammes of pure water are dissolved 17 

 grammes of potassium ferrocy anide ; when heat- 

 ed to boiling, 17 grammes of charcoal are added, 

 and the mixture stirred well together. When the 

 compound has cooled somewhat, there are add- 

 ed successively 35 grammes potassium hydrox- 

 ide, 70 grammes potassium chlorate, and 10 

 grammes starch triturated in 50 grammes of 

 water. The whole is stirred so as to consti- 

 tute a very thin paste, which is spread with a 

 brush over ordinary filtering-paper, and the 

 other side is varnished in like manner. After 

 three coats have been laid upon each side the 

 paper is dried. It can be cut without danger 

 and made into cartridges. 



Liquid Explosives. The explosive character of 

 mixtures of strong nitric acid with solid or 

 liquid hydrocarbons, or with other very read- 

 ily oxidizable liquids, was t pointed out by Her- 

 mann Sprengel as long ago as 1873. Turpin 

 has recently utilized this fact and invented a 

 liquid explosive which he calls Panclastite, 

 The mixture is made by combining nitrogen 

 tetroxide with combustible substances, such a c 

 the hydrocarbons ; vegetable, animal, and min- 

 eral oils ; fats and their derivatives, but pref- 

 erably with carbon disulphide. The two sub- 

 stances should be kept apart until needed for 

 use, when they are mixed in the proportion* 

 considered best for the work at hand. Th( 

 most sensitive mixture consists of two volume; 

 of carbon disulphide and three of nitroger 

 tetroxide. It is claimed that this explosive 



