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SIMS EXPLAINS |
DYNAMITE PERIL
Gommunipaw Disaster Probably
Dee to Freezing. j
EXPLOSIVE IS VERY PECULIAR.
All Sorts of Pranks Can Be Played
With It Under Certain Conditions.
Hudson River and Its Mud Aoted as
Cushion For Railway Tubes, but Air
Did Not Prevent Broken Windows.
y?. Scott Sims, one of the most dis
tinguished experts In high explosives
in the world, inventor of the Sims dy
namite gun, the Sims wireless torpedo,
the Sims-Edlson dirigible torpedo and
many other methods of putting high
explosives to Use, believes the recent
$1,000,000 explosion nt“ Communipaw,
on the New Jersey shore opposite New
York city. In which thirty-four were
killed and hundreds Injured, occurred
because some of the dynamite on the
pier was possibly frozen. In this con
dition it is most dangerous, be claims,
explaining it by saying:
“Under ordinary conditions you can
break a stick of dynamite in two or
drop it on any surface from even a
great height and nothing will happen.
Fresh dynamite is as safe as safe can
be—except,’’ edited the inventor, .with
a smile, “when it isn’t. Once in nwhile
it will go off even under the best con
ditions from some little shock which
ordinnrily wouldn’t budge It, but usual
ly new dynamite at a temperature
aboVe freezing Is absolutely snfe to
handle in every way. Why, I’ve car
ried it around in my pocket, and so
have all of us who live with explosives.
I have even seen men touch a match
to the end of a sliver of the stuff and
light a cigar with it as it burns.”
Freezing Causes Danger.
Mr. Sims explains, however, that
freezing makes dyunmite most unsta
ble. The best grades, called gelatin,
are composed of about 90 per cent ni
troglycerin, 7 per cent guncotton and
3 per cent camphor. The dynamite
on the Communipaw dock, thought
Mr. Sims, was probably of a more
common grade, usually employed for
blasting.
“My idea of the explosion is that the
men who were shifting the boxes from
the car to the lighter grew a bit care
less perhaps, ns-those of us who han
dle explosives always seem to do. Sev
eral of the boxes of dynamite may
have been frozen, and if that is so a
good jar in sliding one of them down
to the lighter might have set it off.
If the men had already knocked off
work .for the noon hour it might have
been some other thing—a boiler explo
sion on one of the boats perhaps, but
with the frozen dynamite getting the
force of the shock, small as it may
have been."
"How about the other car of the ex
plosive on the pier that didn’t blow
up?” he wns asked. “Isn’t that pecul
iar?”
"Not at all,” was the inventor’s an
swer. "It is entirely normal and nat
ural. It is very possible that only a
few sticks of the stuff that did ex
plode were frozen. The other cnrload,
however, was probably at a normal
temperature, and therefore even the
force of ten or fifteen tons of it going
up at even a little distance away didn’t
disturb it”
“How nbout the force of a big ex
plosion?” the Inventor wns asked.
“Why did the blast break windows all
over Manhattan and still not disturb
any building foundations or even
shake the tubes under the Hudson.
Explosive’s Force Is Great.
“Let me explain,” he answered.
“The force of any explosion is In the
direction of lenst resistance. An ex
plosion on the surface of the groitud
therefore exerts its greatest force up
into the air, not down. Most people
think the force goes down because
they can see the hole in the earth.
What they cannot see is the far, far
grenter hole in the air.
“One can realize what this force is
by remembering that the pressure of
a seveuty-five mile an hour wind is
only about two pounds to the inch.
After this air wave comes a practical
vacuum, racing behind it through
space. This is wbat gets the windows,
and 'this vacuum explains why ^glass
■ falls out instead of In. The windows
can stand the first onslaught—in Man
hattan it might have amounted to five
pounds extra to the square inch—but
what they cannot stand is the sudden
backward snap as the low pressure
follows the first force of the blow.
“The tunnels under the Hudson did
not feel the explosion primarily be
cause its chief force was exerted up
and out into the surrounding nir; sec
ondarily, because water itself in great
masses is a good cushion, and, third
ly, because the tubes mu^t lie under
some fifteen or twenty feet of mud
and slime on the river bottom, which
Is the best sort of a cushion in itself.”
EATING LESS.
[Believing Americans suffer from
overeating, Mr. Do Cunha of Now
Jersey would limit by Btatute the
amount of food a person may swal
low at a meal.]
I ordered up a sirloin rare,
With mushrooms on the side—
It was the finest form of fare
That ever 1 had tried—
When, lo, a man In brass and blue
Said, "You must cut that Btcalc In
two,
And just one-hnlf of It must do
Or Into Jail you'll slide."
When on a sultry summer night
Tho youth and maiden fair
Would cat all the Ice cream in sight
Upon the bill of fare
The watcher says, with Iron will.
“Not one more spoonful of vanlll’,
Because, according to the bill,
You've had your legal share.”
O diners at the annual feed
Of Qotham's Old Guard troop.
What torture's of stomachic need
You’d suffer In n group
If as you gulped the oysters raw
The toastmnn rone, held up a paw
And groaned, "It’s specified by law
We finish with the soup!”
It seems a blow at pleasure, this,
Within the banquet hall,
And yet one economic bliss
We see In dinners small.
Tho beef trust's downfall will be
c viewed
If we offset the price of food
By making of ourselves a brood
Who do not eat at all.
—John O’Keefe in New York
World.
CHIEF’S GRANDDAUGHTER
NOW AN OFFICEHOLDER.
Watched Chippewa Relatives Fight
Uncle Sam—Now Works For Him.
From a life of hardship and danger
among the Indian tribes of South Da-’
kota to the position of adjuster of
claims id the office of the Indian af
fairs of the department of the interior
is the unique life history of Mrs. M. L.
Baldwin, gramldnughter of a chief of
the Chippewa Indians and relative of
many of the famous Indian warriors
of the west.
Until she wns fourteen years of age
Mrs. Baldwin slept only in an Indinn
tepee or in the open air. Many times
when she was a girl she saw members
of her family shot and scalped and
one of her own brothers tortured.
From the shelter of sand pits she, with
Other women and girls of her tribe,
often watched the braves fight In
dians of other tribes and soldiers of
the United States.
Mrs. Baldwin’s mother was a pure
Chippewa Indinn and her father a
French Huguenot. Her grandfather
formerly lived at Osseo, N. D. He also
served as scout for many excursions
for government troops. He was one
of the most famous chiefs < of the tribe.
Her father later moved to Minneap
olis, where he was made a judge ad
vocate. He is now attorney in Wash
ington for the Turtle Mountain band
of the Chlppewas. Mrs. Baldwin has
held her present position for fire years.
RICHEST SECTION IN COUNTRY
Virginia County Puts Out Boast of
Amounting to Something.
“One county In Virginia—Accomac—
is, I believe, the most prosperous coun
ty in the United States,” declares Wil
liam A. Anderson, former attorney
general of the Old Dominion. “I don’t
mean, of course, to say thut it is the
richest, but I do assert that there Is
probably no other county In this coun
try, or, for that matter, in the world,
where every man in the county—and
it is a county of 35,000 population—
can within twenty-four hours raise
$100 or more.
“Potatoes have made Accomac coun
ty.. Last yeai^thc potato production of
Accomac .county wns worth more than
$2,000,000. Forty years ago the entire
output of the county was not worth
$500,000.
“Persons may talk about the oppor
tunities presented in the western
states, but I tell you that in the east
and south there are hundreds of
chances that are being overlooked. Do
you know that in Virginia—in Suf
folk—there Is the second richest bank
in the United States? I doubt if even
the Chemical National of New York
pays greater dividends than the Suf
folk National of Suffolk, ya. The
shares of the Suffolk today are' worth
nearly $3,000.
“The development of the peanut in
dustry has been ltirgely responsible
for the prosperity of the country sur
rounding Suffolk.”
Town Improvement In Fanama.
A dispatch from Panama seems to
mean that we are to have at least two,
cases of comprehensive town planning
on this side of the Atlantic. It reads:
"The president of Panama, as an in
cident to a contract just made with
the United States regarding payment
for municipal improvements in Colon
and Panama, has issued a decree mak
ing it unlawful to erect any building
or structure in either city before the
municipal authorities have completely
laid out and mapped the section and
paved the streets.”
Are our cities to learn lessons from
little Panama?
AT HOME
' * ’ if .
can be found in
w W our old quarters
in the Farmers Union
warehouse with larg
est and best Sine of
Buggies and Wagons
We have ever handled. Our line in these goods
cannot be excelled by any make.
Hay, Grain and Feedstuffs.
We are headquarters fr the choicest feed
tuff and are better able to supply your needs
in this line than ever. We make our prices
Use good fertilizers in planting and you’ll
reap big crops at harvest time. Our brands
have been thoroughly tested in this section and
have given absolute satisfaction to every pur
chaser. Join the satisfied crowd. by buying
your fertilizers from us.
W. CL Baggett & Son,
Cairo, Reno, Cranford, Calvary.
GEORGIA—Grady County.
There as rs. Lena Curry, administrix
of W. J. Curry represents to the court in
her petition duly filed and entered on re
cord that she has fully administered W.
J. Currys estate, this therefore is to efte
all persons concerned, kindred and credi
tors, to show cause if any they can, why
said Administratrix should not be dis
charged from.her adminstration and re
ceive Letter of dismission on the first
onday in March, 1911. This February
8th, 1911. P. H. Hbhring.
Ordinary,
R. C. BELL
ATTORNEY* AND COUNSELLOR
IRA CARLISLE
Associate
General Practice: Office over Post of
fice. Five Year FARM LOANS prompt
ly negotiated at low rate of interest.
CAIRO, GA.
O ip experience trlv33 us oilvant age o' other
We have tho best machinery that experience can
elect or that money can buy. We will bo glad to
flguro with you on tlieprinting problem. Wo fee
sure thut wo can save you money. Wo handle nil
kinds of PRINTING. If you need anything
guro with us, QUALITY is our motto. '
THE PROGRESS, - Cairo, Ga.
W. J. Willie
Attorney-At-Law
Will practice in all Courts, State at
lederal. Collections a specialty.
Office in L. B. Powell building.
Phone 73. - - CAIRO, G
P* C. ANDREWS,
Attorney-at-law.
CAIRO, GA
. Office in Parker Bnilding.
n