94 



Mtro- Glycerine. 



Hill was passing on horseback ; one of the express agents 

 called to him ; he dismounted, and the agent asked him to 

 just step in, and inform them, if he could, what this case 

 marked glonoin oil was, and advise them what to do with it. 

 Addressing a bystander, and requesting him to walk his 

 horse up and down the block as he was restive and would 

 not stand, he entered the building. Hardly had the man 

 in charge of the horse crossed California street proceeding 

 from Wells & Fargo's office in Montgomery street, when a 

 terrible explosion occurred, shattering the granite building 

 and blowing to fragments eight persons. 



Being in that mood which I have described, I deter- 

 mined for my recreation, and to recuperate from the vicissi- 

 tudes of the oil business, to investigate the properties of 

 this explosive, which I had, by that time, found was 

 nitro-glycerine. 



Eegarding the laws of nature as fixed and unchangeable, 

 and further regarding what in common parlance is termed 

 " an accident," as simply a disregard of the laws of force 

 or natural laws, in fact, their violation, I applied myself 

 to a close examination of the phenomena attending the 

 preparation of nitro-glycerine, with the very reasonable 

 expectation of discovering the cause or causes which 

 suddenly liberate, after months of inactivity, the gases into 

 which nitro-glycerine is converted, and, as it would seem 

 to the cursory observer, without apparent cause. First, 

 I set about discovering the causes which led to these 

 unexpected explosions, and thereafter to discover the sim- 

 plest mode possible of rendering this explosive, when so 

 desired, absolutely incapable of exploding under ordinary 

 conditions of transportation, handling, etc., and yet, rapidly 

 and economically returning it, when required for use, into 

 the condition of being readily exploded without danger, 

 or possibility of failure. In this attempt, I have been, as I 

 trust to convince you, completely successful. 



