Dr. R. Hare on the Eosplosiveness of Nitre. 533 



with which the inner bag must have been imbued, would give 

 the greatest deflagrating intensity to the consequent combus- 

 tion ; while the interstices between the bags, like those be- 

 tween grains of gunpowder, would enable the flame to pervade 

 the whole heap of bags. As nitre fuses at a low red heat, 

 very soon a great quantity, in a state of liquefaction, must 

 have run down upon the wooden floor, which would imme- 

 diately burst into an intense state of reaction with the oxygen 

 of the salt. To this combustion the merchandise adjoining 

 would add fuel, causing a still more extensive liquefaction of 

 the nitre. The deflagrating mass thus created, on burning 

 its way through the floor, or falling through the scuttles, 

 which were all open agreeably to the evidence, must have re- 

 ceived an enormous reinforcement from the subjacent nitre or 

 combustible merchandise. On the giving way of each floor 

 in succession, the conflagration must have received a rein- 

 forcement of deflagrating fuel, so as to have grown rapidly 

 with its growth, and strengthened with its strength. Under 

 these circumstances, the whole of the nitre, becoming liquefied, 

 must have found its way to the cellar. Meanwhile the mer- 

 chandise and the charcoal of the wood- work must have been 

 conglomerated by the fusibility of the sugar, shell-lac and bi- 

 tumen, aided by the molasses, and formed thus an antagonistic 

 mass of more than half a million of pounds in weight, defla- 

 grating intensely with the nitre. But whenever, by these 

 means, a portion of the deflagrating congeries attained the 

 fulminating temperature, a detonation must have ensued, 

 causing a temporary lifting of the combustible mass; only, 

 however, to be followed by a more active collision, resulting 

 from the subsequent falling back of the conglomerated com- 

 bustible mass upon the melted nitre. After every such colli- 

 sion, the combustible congeries must have been blown up to 

 a height augmenting with the temperature, the force of the 

 fall, and extent of reciprocal penetration. The force of the 

 fall would, of course, be as the height. Hence the twelve or 

 thirteen successive detonations indicate as many explosive 

 collisions ; while the successive augmentation of the loudness 

 of the reports indicates a proportionable growth of their vio- 

 lence, arising from successively greater elevation and descent. 



16. If I am right in supposing that in fulminating power 

 the intensely heated nitre and the combustible merchandise 

 were for equal weights equivalent to gunpowder, if only a 

 sixth of the 300,000 pounds of nitre held in the store was 

 engaged in the final explosion, it would be equivalent to 

 60,000 pounds of gunpowder. 



17. No better way of estimating the force with which the 



