A Handbook on Modern Explosives: A Practical Treatise on the Manufacture and Use of Dynamite, Gun-Cotton, Nitro-Glycerine, and other Explosive Compounds, including Collodion-Cotton

Manuel Eissler

Contents

I-Characteristics of Modern Explosives

II-Attempts at Substitutes for Gunpowder

III-Preparation of Nitro-glycerine

IV-Properties of Nitro-glycerine

V-Varieties of Dynamite

VI-Applications of Gun Cotton

VII-Manufacture of Gun-cotton

VIII-Properties of Gun-cotton

IX-Varieties of Gun-cotton and other Nitro-compounds

X-Collodion-cotton

XI-Various other Explosives

XII-Determination of the Relative Strength of Explosives

XIII-Conditions to which Modern Explosives should Respond

XIV-General Directions for Using Dynamite

XV-Explosives in Practical Application

XVI-Nitro-gelatine and Gelatine-dynamite in Practical Application

XVII-Application of Electricity in Firing Mines

XVIII-Use of Explosives in Fiery Mines

XIX-Application of Explosives in Submarine Engineering

XX-Application of Explosives for Military Purposes

Preface

For over four hundred years the science of Explosives remained in status quo. Chroniclers record the name of a Franciscan friar-one Berthold Schwartz, of Freiberg -as the inventor, in or about the year 1328, of what has since been known as Gunpowder; although many records are in existence which indicate that prior to that date the Arabs knew the use of an explosive mixture which they called Medfaa.To whom the credit really belongs of inventing gunpowder is so far not cleared up, but there is no doubt that explosive mixtures existed and were utilised by the Chinese as far back as the beginning of the Christian era.

The first advance leading to the introduction of the modern High Explosives was made in 1832 by the French chemist Barconnot, of Nancy, who discovered that "when starch, fibres, and analogous substances are acted upon by concentrated nitric acid, they are changed into highly combustible materials." In 1838 Pelouze continued these researches, and he ascertained that this new inflammable material-which he called Xyloidine- took fire at 1800 C. when submitted to strong pressure, such as a rapid blow. He also found that cotton, paper, and indeed all vegetable matters, could be employed in the preparation of similar substances. All these researches, however, were without any practical value until Schonbein, of...

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