Democratic Sentinel, Volume 10, Number 35, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 October 1886 — The Safest of All Explosives. [ARTICLE]

The Safest of All Explosives.

It is now claimed that means have been discovered which make blasting gelatine the safest of all explosives to handle after it is manufactured, and which render it entirely suitable for use in shell projectiles. Blasting gelatine explodes with nearly twice the force of dynamite. It is the material to be used in the projeotiles for the new Maxim gun and the new experimental war vessel Destroyer, which have bo lately attracted attention in New York. So sanguine are some people that this explosive is to revolutionize national warfare that the National Gazette says: “On the completion of the Destroyer, the ironclads of the world will be rendered worthless hulks, and the strongest system of coast defense will be as chaff before the onslaught of this terrific engine of destruction.” This would seem to come wonderfully near realizing the idea of rendering war impossible. Secretary Whitney would do well to be cautious about recommending contracts for any more ships. Pittsburg Post. The tensile strength of ice at 23 degrees Fahrenheit has been found by Herr Fruhling, of Konigsberg, to be between 143 and 233 pounds per square inch; and the compressive strength, shown by cubes of more than two inches, between 61 and 205 pounds per square inch.