PORTABLE DYNAMITE STORAGE MAGAZINES 
J. W. FLUDE! 

The proper storage of a seismograph crew’s supply of dynamite 
is a problem that has confronted many a shooter but, I am afraid, 
one which, too often, has been of small concern to his superiors. Here 
are the potential makings of a major accident, and yet in the past, 
rather than solve the problem, the easiest way was chosen. Destruc- 
tion of property, accidents to the public, accidents to employees were 
possibilities, yet for years no one to my knowledge would spend the 
small amount of money necessary for protection. 
There are several possible sources of danger from poor storage. 
Fire is one of these. If stacked in the open fire might only destroy the 
dynamite. On the other hand, dynamite in cases might explode if 
ignited, and if the quantity were large, bills would be promptly pre- 
sented for all the windows in the county plus the value of all eggs 
which failed to hatch. There would be doctor bills for prospective 
mothers and others, and then, to help swell the total, there would be 
assorted bills for house foundations, roofs, broken dishes, and so forth. 
The danger from theft is two-fold. We know of accidents to chil- 
dren who have found blasting caps and thrown them in bonfires or hit 
them with hammers, and similar accidents to the public could easily 
result. Last year a quantity of dynamite was found under a wharf at 
the port of Houston. The local papers claimed that this dynamite 
had been stolen from a seismograph crew at Victoria, Texas. Ac- 
cording to the Atlas Powder Company, the dynamite, as shown by the 
size and strength did not come from a seismograph crew, although it 
had been stolen. The quantity of explosives a crew usually has in 
storage could be the cause of a calamity if it fell into the hands of an 
insane person or a fanatic of some sort. This is a responsibility we 
should not assume too lightly. 
Lightning could easily detonate poorly stored explosives with the 
effects noted above. 
Unless kept under a roof, rain also furnishes a hazard since water 
causes the explosive particles to separate from the filler and collect 
in larger grains, and then the powder becomes nearly as dangerous to 
handle as nitroglycerin. 
1 Independent Exploration Company, Houston, Texas. 
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