Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 51, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 March 1910 — DANGEROUS THINGS TO HANDLE. [ARTICLE]

DANGEROUS THINGS TO HANDLE.

Article* or Dally Vae Which May Bo a Peril to Human Life. , . ..Thousands of. people are handling certain articles dally without any Idea of their dangerous nature. The ordinary soda water siphon, for instance, Is a bomb, and an exceedingly powerful one to boot, charged, as It frequently Is, up to a pressure of between 130 and 160 pounds. A child who dropped one of these dangerous ; contrivances in the street the other day was almost as shockingly mangled by the resultant explosion as was M. von Plehve, the assassinated Russian Minister of the Interior, by the dynamite bomb thrown by the Anarchist Porzonef. The large celluloid combs, again, which ladies are so fond nowadays of wearing in their hair, will, if accidentally brought into contact with a naked light, burst into flame of explosive violence. Nor is this tb be greatly wondered at, seeing that one of the ingredients to celluloid is guncotton, while another is camphor, than which is no more Inflammable substance known te chemists. lodide of nitrogen, for instance, which is frequently prescribed in combination. with other drugs, is a highly explosive chemical, and accidents have happened over and over again through its incautious handling by persons ignorant of its dangerous properties. Ticture of iron and diluted aqua regia, again, a mixture often prescribed as a tonic, gives oft an explosive gas’ which has been known to shatter the Wrongest vessels. Chloride of potash lozenges are highly dangerous if accidentally brought into contact with an unlighted phosphorus match. Chloral hydrate and sal volatile, the favorite nerve tonic, become, under certain conditions, as deadly as dynamite. The spontaneous explosive combustion of a box of oxide of silver pills has ere now caused fatal injury to their unfortunate possessor. Bicarbonate of potash, a common remedy for flatulence, will cause a dangerous explosion if accidentally mixed with subnitrate of bismuth. Ordinary spirits of wine is a substance possessing tremendous perils. A pint of it if suddenly ignited will produce the very same destructive effects as three or four pounds’ weight of gunpowder. This has been proved on many different occasions. Once at the Royal Surrey County Hospital a clergyman rashly threw a small quantity on to a “snapdragon” dish, around which a number of choir boys were gathered. The resultant explosion killed one unfortunate lad and severely injured several others. — Pearson’s Weekly.