FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95  
96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   >>   >|  
at the same time elastic and resistant." Mr Guttmann has found that a partition wall 12 inches thick, made of 2-inch planks, and filled with ground cinders, gives very effective protection. A door in this partition enables the workman to get to the press, and a conical tube penetrates the wall, enabling the man to see the whole work from a safe standpoint. The roof, or one side of the building, should be of glass, so as to give the explosion a direction. ~Trench's Fire-extinguishing Compound~ is manufactured by the Cotton Powder Company at Faversham, and is the invention of Mr George Trench, F.C.S., the manager of the Company. The object of the invention is to surround the cartridges of tonite, when used in coal mines, with a fire- extinguishing compound. If a charge of tonite, dynamite, or gelatine dynamite is put inside a few ounces of this mixture, and then fired, not the least trace of flame can be observed, and experiments appear to show that there is no flame at all. The compound consists of sawdust impregnated with a mixture of alum and chlorides of sodium and ammonia. Fig. 22 shows the manner of placing the tonite cartridge in the paper bag, and surrounding it with the fire-extinguishing compound, _aa_. The attachment of the fuse and detonator is also shown. [Illustration: FIG. 22.--TRENCH'S FIRE-EXTINGUISHING CARTRIDGE.] The following report (taken from the _Faversham News_, 22nd Oct. 1887) of experiments conducted in the presence of several scientific and mining men will show its value:--"A large wrought-iron tank, of 45 cubic feet capacity, had been sunk level with the ground in the middle of the yard; to this tank the gas had been laid on, for a purpose that will be explained later on. The charges were fired by means of electricity, a small dynamo firing machine being placed from 30 to 40 yards away from the 'mine.'" Operations were commenced by the top of the tank being covered over and plastered down in order to make it air-tight; then a sufficient quantity of coal gas was placed in it to make it highly inflammable and explosive, the quantity being ascertained by a meter which had been fixed specially for the purpose. Whilst the gas was being injected the cartridge was prepared. The first experiment was to try whether a small charge of tonite--fired without the patent extinguisher--would ignite the gas. The gas having been turned on, a miner's lamp was placed in the "tank," but this was extinguished
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95  
96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

tonite

 

compound

 

extinguishing

 
invention
 
Faversham
 

ground

 

purpose

 
Company
 

partition

 

Trench


experiments

 

cartridge

 

charge

 
dynamite
 

mixture

 

quantity

 

extinguished

 
TRENCH
 

wrought

 
experiment

capacity

 
specially
 

injected

 

prepared

 
CARTRIDGE
 

report

 

mining

 

scientific

 

conducted

 

Whilst


presence

 

EXTINGUISHING

 

plastered

 

patent

 
machine
 

dynamo

 
firing
 
Operations
 
commenced
 

extinguisher


explosive

 

inflammable

 

turned

 
covered
 

ascertained

 

highly

 

ignite

 
electricity
 

sufficient

 
charges