July.
THE WEST SHORE
215
SEBA8TIN A NEW SAFETY DYNAMITE.
An improved nitro glycerine compound has
teen invented by Mr. (lustaf Fahuelijolm, of
Stockholm, the chief uiodiHcation being that the
second main ingredient is charcoal produced
from a special wood, and selected and prepared
n such a manner as to be able to aWrb and
solidify the greatest possible quantity of nitro
glycerine. In order to render the eouiliiistiou
more complete, and to augment the rapidity of
the explosion, a small quantity of nitrate of (hi.
tas, or other suitable salt, is ad.led to the mix.
ture of the two ingredients above named. The
London Mining Journal avs Mr. Fahuehjelm is
aware of the existence of patents for explosive
compounds in which nitro-giyoerlnt and wood
charcoal are mixed with explosive salts, and
. specially with chlorate of potass, but in those
compounds the salts arc applied in large quan
tity, and serve as the chief base of the com
pound, while only a small proportion of nitro
glycerine is added, and only for the purpose of
igniting and exploding the compound. This
new compound thus differs from the ordinary
dynamite, in which the nitro-glyceriue is nb
.orhed by the InfaMrUl esrtli. in that the .n
iidilication of the oil is effected by the aid of an
active base charcoal of a special kind; and it
differs from other explosives, lirstly, by reason
of the application of the charcoal of a special
kind, which is able to absorb from live to six
times its weight of nitro-glyoerine; secondly, by
reason of the proportions of the substances
which will be explained further on.
In the ordinary dynamite, the infusorial
the oxygen goes away without being utilized,
but in the explosion of this new compound the
new scbastiii as he calls it) a part of tile absorb
ent charcoal is burnt by means of the liberated
oxygen. The quantity of gas is thus aug
mented, and also the development of heat,
whereby again the tension of this gas is aug
mented. As, however, the quantity of char
coal necessary for the complete absorption of
the nitro-glyceriue is in all cases much larger
than that which can reduce the excess oxvgen
produced at the explosion into carbonic acid,
he adds to the compound a salt, which also by
the combustion gives an excess amount of oxv
gen, winch may contribute to bum the rest of
the charcoal. For this purpose he uses by
preference nitrate of potass, which may Iw
added without any risk, and which gives the
explosive compound a very much greater rapid
ity or vehemence, and consequent force of ex
plosion. The composition of the new scbastiii depends
tpon the objects for which it is to lie used, and
the eltecta intended to lie produced The
strongest compound, and oven in this there is
stated to be no risk of the separation of the
nitro glycerine, is composed of 7S parts by
weight of nitro glycerine, 14 of the wood char
coal, anil 8 of nitrate of potMej and when less
power is required the proportion, are varied,
the second quality consisting of (is by weieht
of nitro-glycerine, 80 of the charcoal anil IS of
nitrate of potass. To show the relative
strength of the compounds, the inventor says
Let the dynamic force of pun nitro-glvceriiic
lie represented by the number 'ASS4,(M:l.(i, then
the dynamic force of scbastiii No. I, as above
will be indicated by 2,416,579, and of the
sebustin No. 9 by 1,983,07. 4, while that of
EXTENSIVK DEVKLOI'MKNT OF TUB
YOKKiiHlKK COALFIELD.
In no part of the kingdom have the mineral
deposits bow more extensively tanned and tie
veloped than in the West Hilling of Yorkshire,
mul this process is still going on ulmost as rap
idly as ever. In 1855 the entire quantity of
OOOl raised in Yorkshire was 7,747.470tons, and
in IS7." it had increased to lo,N,V,!iK) tons, hav
ing more than doubled in about 90 years. From
the number of new collieries recently opened
out, and those in course of sinking, it is evident
that the progress made during the p:ist "JO years
will now lie greatly exceeded. In 1$7L when
the price of coal advanced very much and eon
sinners bona to fear that there was alsnit (o bt
a famine, there were -HI collieries in Yorkshire,
but after that time, by private enterprise and
limited liability companies, the number rapidly
increased, so that in 1S74 there were B91, and
10 lS7ti, according to Mr. War-dell's report, just
issued, 589. In the intervals between the pe
rioils named, many small collieries were closed.
and the actual number of new ones commenced 1
would lie at least 140 or loU According to the 1
report for IS7l, when it was written there were I
uw ui.ui I i. i i.wn.iK8 in Ute course ol sink
ing, but since then several have been opened
out, and will be the most extensive in the en
tiro Midland Bold In the Itarnsley district
alone the Silkstone coal has been won by the
Harrow Hamutito company, ami the produce
liefore long will be 1,000 tons a day. The same
seam has also been reached in the llockingliani
colliery, and that at lloyland, w here the output
will be MMUt the same, to say the least. The I
l'KKMIUM JKItSKY COWS.
We tako pleasure in showing, on tins page, a
group of four thoroughbred Jerseys, which, to
gether with the bull "Ohehoo Duke," took the
herd premium for Jersey cattle at tlio Centen
nial exhibition. These animals are the property
of Charles L Sharpies, Hm)., of l'hiladelphia,
one of the oldest ami Ik'st-knowu breeders of
Jersey cattle in the country.
Perhaps the ipieeu ol the groan, in the way of
reputation, is "Milkmaid," the animal shown
at the lower left-hand corner. Of this animal
Mr. Shaipless writes as follows: "The engrav
ing of 'Milkmaid' is an exact copy of the photo
graph from life, taken in June, 1870, alwut a
mouth after calving. 'Milkmaid' was brought
up to calving in bony condition, and gradually
increased in yield until, on grass, she gave 140
quarts m seven days. Her largest yield in any
one day waa 91 quarta l pint, tn about two
weeks afterwards wo gave her a second trial, as
follows: First day, 'M quarts 1 pint; second
day, 10 quart I pint: third day, 80 quarts;
fourth day, 90 tpiarts 1 pint; "tilth day, 90
quarts I pint; sixth day, lW quarts 1 pint;
ov.cu.h day, 90 quarta I pint idSy quart
in seven days. 1 luring the trial she was
feil two qnuta per day of ground oats, be
sides the grass. This proves her to lie ono of
the largest yiehlers of milk among the Jersey
cows. She is a solid mouse color, running into
tawny; long ami low, w it 1. a large body; small,
ertunpled, waxy horn: with iquare udder, tail
like a U hip-hnh. full black points, black switch,
black tongue, etc., and is, there-lore, a good ox-
jc situ we?
obi srt; -
OBNTKNNIAL PREMIUM JBRSBY COW&
earth eannot keep ami retain the oil absorbed
under certain circumstances. When such a
dynamite is exposed to changes of temperature,
and csjiecially when it has become frozen, and
then passes into the pasty state again, a part of
the nitro-glycerine liecomes separated from the
mixture. The danger resulting therefrom is not
greatly to be feared if the nilro-glycerine is ah
hoHhm by a charcoal of the kind used in the
improved process here in question. In order to
produce a charcoal having the required quali
ties, the carlionization or coking must le done
in bucIi a manner as t" completely destroy the
organic substances, and to produce as orous a
charcoal as rossihle. For this he selects by
preference young trees or striplings, or branches
of poplar, 'lazcl wood or alder tree, and he
burns them !n au open lire. When the wood
has ban consumed lie docs not put out the lire
by means of water, but leaves it to go out of it
self. In this way he obtains a very inflam
mable and very porous charcoal, which can ab
sorb more than live, ami approaching six times
its weight of nitro-glycerine without any risk of
the separation of the oil. The charcoal is pul
verized in a wooden mortar, but it should not
bf reduced to too tine a powder, else it will not
so completely aluorh the nitro-glycerine. The
charcoal produced in the ordinary wy, or by
closed tire, is quite different an regards absorb
ing power. Charcoal of tir trees may, however,
he used, and may acquire nearly the same qual
ities, that is if charred a second time in a hi
cial oven.
By mixing the dub-rent kinds of charcoal a
material may lie -obtained rosaessing the re
quired alaorbmg qualities, and an explosive
compound may then Ie obtained of the required
iwer without loss of the necessary consistency
- that is, without being too dry, which is not
desirable. The'chareoal not only serves as the
best ahsorlient for the nitro-glycerine, but it
plays also an imjNirtant part in the combustion.
The nitro-glycerine iu exploding deconqmses
into steam, carbonic acid, nitrogen and oxygen.
In the explosion of dynamite with inert fuse
dynamite No. I (consisting of 75;' of nitro
glycerine and 95 of infusorial earth) will 1ms
represented by I,l.74,)iil4. For the above qual
ities of scbastiii the increased effect produced
by the greater rapidity of the explosion must be
taken into account also. Tim increase has not
yet lwcn measured, but it is estimated at 10.
The scliastiii may also lie coinHiuiided in other
proportions of the constituent parts, but the
object being to produce explosive conqioumls of
the greatest force which it is jHissihle to employ
without danger, he merely mentions that the
proportion by weight may vary from 50 to
BO of nitro-glyceriue, l.'i ' toSSj of the pre
pared charcoal, and 5 to 20 of the nitrate
of jMlt&SS.
It is to lie distinctly understood that Mr.
Fahnehjelin does not claim the combination of
nitro-glyceiine and wood charcoal iu general,
but the production of a solid couijmiuuiI of nitro
glycerine and a wotwl charcoal prcitared in the
special mode or modes set forth, tlio nitro
glycerine being the princiiial ingredient which
is absorbol by the wood charcoal to the extent
of more than five and reaching nearly six times
its weight without risk of this compound part
ing with any of its oil as set forth; and sec
ondly, the addition to such solidilicd nitro
glycerine of a quantity of nitrate of jsitaH, or
other suitable salt, not exceeding 90 of the
whole mass, for the purom of rendering the
combustion as complete as sissihlc.
OVUM! I'n mom eox or Hkat. M. J.
Olivier reiorts the following experiment: A
square lar of steel. aUmt fl millimeters thick,
and about 70 to HO mm. long, is grasped linnly
by the ojierator, one hand being placed at the
center of the lar and the other at the end.
The free extremity is pressed strongly against a
rapidly revolving emery wheel. In a few min
utes the rubtwd extremity becomes hot, the
hand at the center of the lar feels no heat, but
the hand at the remote extremity becomes so
hot that the operator is obliged to loosen it.
I nine feet bed has been reached at Carlton Main
Corton Wood, Mitchell's Main, while a five feet
; seam has ben tapped by Mr. Fosdick, near to
Banuworth, The productive power of all these
I wiuwm noiTii in mil openiuon, is estimated
t at not less than 'J.OOO.OOO tons a year. Iu ad
! dition to the above, there are several other col
lieries lwiug sunk to the thick coal in the same
locality. Iu the Itradfnrd district, where the
seams are rather tlun, 111 iH'ti there was in
I the course of sinking live new collieries; iu
Dewabiiry, eight; Halifax, seven; Huddersllvhl,
ten; Iyieds, S; I'ontefraet, live; Kotherham.
seven; Nheiheld, 'JO; Wakefield, 14; etc. The
j fact of so many large mines living opened out
11 1 i.rksiiin' a ; HUH will a. . . 1 iieees.-i.re
several millions of tons annually to the present
production, must do away with any ideas as to
then- lieing a dearth of coal for many years to
come, the question to Ik- solved lieing as to
where markets are to he found for what is being
raised. With such a nponbudaiMM of coal
there is no fear of prices advancing, the prob
ability lieing the other way, Sljfirhl Ttl-
Thk BriMT ok BaXr-fiaClUflOE The spirit
of self-sacri lice is 0110 of the great beauties nf ln.li
ness. Huabaod yialdisg to Wife, wife to husband;
brother to brother, sister to sister; friend to
friend; in great things; but in small aipeouUl,
First and toriOtti see that the spirit is with
you at home; then carry it abroad into the
world. It is a spirit that will sweeten happi
ness and lighten troubles; ami when thu soul is
ready m wing its flight to its eternal home, it
will have the unspeakable OOMOfelltaU of know
ing that it has not lived to lUelf; that it has
left the world happier and better in some
degree than it found it; that it has beau faith
ful to its earthly mission. So will it listen
with unutterable Uiu to the sentence: "Well
done, thou gotMl and faithful servant; enter
thou into the joy of thy lord! " Aryoty.
ample for UtOi
animals."
claiming merit for solid. colored
BoruiD Lkttitk. The London (innlm nays:
This is a delirious vegetable, resembling aspara
uus or sea kale, and yet not quite bku either,
lettuces may simply Ixiiluil and eaten as
other greens, or they can lie boiled and served
as Mlfrafliafi iu a variety of ways. Have roady
somo neatly cut pieces of toast of a palo brown
color, lay them on a dish, n one; let each
piaOB be Of a alaa tO hold the lettuce and one
pOaebed 'g; pour over the toast a little, of the
water and some good gravy; if the latter lsi not
handy, a little fresh butter should bo spread 011
the toast previous to muring the water from the
lettuce; place on each piece of toast enough of
the I mi led lettuce to form a Hat layer; neatly
trim the edges of the vegetable, and place a
poaebed egg on the top. To prepare the lettuce
lor boiling, they should lie well cleansed, and
the top of the leaves, if they have the slightest
appearanee of fading, should be cut ..il, loave m
much of the sUlk as jsissible, cutting off the
strong outer skin.
I'lrrriMi his Bom to Btt, The grooms
were baddblg up their Imrses. I walked up to
mine, and commenced by ttiug him 011 the
neek, ami talking to bun n soft, low Umei. He
bagafl pawing tint with one forefoot, then with
the other, and evidently knew me and my
voice. Taking a suallle bridle I put it on,
pulled him gently hack into thu stall, rubUd
my hand up and down 011 his knees, and then,
putting my mouth to his ear, whispered into it
as if talking to turn. He lKau immediately to
move, and, iMiiidiiii! his knuoa. -.!., W l. t l.,m.
srf down on his near side, I at the same timo
keeping well . b ar of him. while I Ht,lt i...tt..,l
him on the tm-M. When I UtV the bfidM off,
he settled for the night. "Now," said I, "he's
rale, ami will sleep all night Come away."
They were aaUni.lud.Vfn Major lirU$
plus's Hook.