38 
Should it be found that the preparation is, or can be made, impervious to 
moisture, and that (as alleged by the inventor) the fumes are innocuous, a boon of the 
greatest value will be conferred on the mining community, especially as it is asserted 
the new explosive Anil not be more costly than the much-dreaded dynamite. 
Concerning this latter explosive, I make the folloAving extracts from British 
Mining :— 
Dynamite was patented by Nobel, in May, 1867. It is divided by the Rhenish Dynamite Company 
into three classes—No. Ia., containing 75 to 77 per cent, of nitro-glycerine, and 25 to 23 per cent, of 
an infusorial eartli known as hieselguhr. No. I., containing 70 to 71 percent, of nitro-glycerine, and 30 to 
29 per cent, kieselguhr. No. II., containing 60 to G1 per cent, nitro-glycerine, and 40 to 39 per cent, 
kieselgulir. 
No. Ia. is applicable to the hardest and most resisting rocks, such as quartz, porphyry, and basalt, as 
also to the removal of ground in small headings. 
No. I. may be used for similar classes of rock when less resistant, and in levels of large sections ; 
also in blasting limestone, gneiss, and granite. 
No. II. is adapted for all sorts of soft rocks, and is well suited for assisting No. Ia. quality dynamite, 
by placing the latter at the bottom, and the former upon it in very deep holes, or for the removal of u side- 
cuts” after the “ centre-cuF* is blown out. 
The safety of dynamite is alleged to lie in its soft mealy consistency, constituting, as it were, 
a cushion, a physical condition of great importance in lessening the chance of its exploding when somewhat 
roughly handled. 
At a temperature of 46° Fahr. dynamite hardens into a mottled whitish substance. When frozen it 
cannot be readily fired. Iu a pulverulent condition it can be more easily exploded, although with diminished 
violence than when fired in a pasty state. The firing point of dynamite is 356° Fahr. If ignited it burns 
slowly, evolving fumes of a deleterious character. When instant and complete combustion is affected by 
detonatiou the gases evolved are innocuous ; but if the dynamite should bo only partially detonated, hypo- 
nitric fumes will be given off, offensive to the miner and deleterious to his health. 
In reference to dynamite, Drinker observes—“It is unquestionably a safer material to transport, 
handle, use, or store, than black powder. To explode it, heat and strong percussion are necessary;” 
while Nobel in effect states—“ There are no accidents on record due to its spontaneous combustion 
in mines. Local accidents are almost exclusively to be attributed to injudicious thawing of nitro-glycerine 
preparations, to reckless removing of the tamping in bore-holes after a mis-fire, and to the careless handling 
of detonators. That comparative immunity from accidents is duo to safety from lire whore small quantities 
are dealt with, and to the absence of danger in loading bore-holes, since it is useless to ram the tamping.” 
Accidents frequently occur through improperly thaAving dynamite. In 1883 
nineteen accidents of this description occurred in England. “ Each of these cases,” says 
Iron , u is said to have been preventable by the commonest prudence, or rather to have 
been due to the deliberate disregard of the most ordinary and obvious precautions.” 
Accident No. 82, in the attached Statement, page 77, is a further illustration of this 
lamentable want of caution, and it cannot be too strongly or too frequently impressed 
upon miners and others using dynamite that it should not, under any circumstances, 
be thawed over fires, whether in the open air or otherwise. If kept beloAv in a mine 
dynamite will not freeze; and if frozen when purchased, it will thaw after the lapse of 
a day or so if taken below. 
The relative poAver of various explosive substances, when compared, bulk for 
bulk, is given by Nobel, as folloAvs:— 
Nitro-glyceriue ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 100 
Dynamite (No. 1) ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 74 
Litliofracteur ... ... ... ... ... ... 53 
Gun-cotton ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 45 
Curtis and Harvey’s blasting powder, fired by detonators ... ... ... 17*5 
Amongst the Appendices will be found the Report of the Inspector of Explo¬ 
sives for Victoria (Appendix F), and a Report by Col. Vivian Majendie, Her Majesty’s 
Chief Inspector of Explosives, on the circumstances attending an explosion of dynamite 
at Dunfermline (Appendix J). 
CHARGING AND BLASTING. 
Inspector Stewart (Ballarat) reports that all charging of holes in the Ballarat 
district is done by baud. He is not aware of any mine in which an apparatus is used. 
The Senior Inspector at Castlemaine states that no charging apparatus is required with 
the nitro-glycerine explosives. The first cartridge of dynamite is, by gentle pressure, 
placed at the bottom of the hole, and each additional length of the charge is brought 
into contact with that preceding it, also by gentle pressure. The fuse, armed with a 
