Of high explosives an important class is used for charging shells and bombs. As a rule, but not necessarily, these are not the same as the explosives used for mining operations and other general blasting purposes. Another important class is that of the coal-mine explosives, which are designed to give only a short and comparatively cool flame so as to diminish the danger of igniting fire-damp and coal-dust. Nearly half the explosives in this dictionary are coal-mine explosives. The reason for this large number is that no finality has yet been reached as to the best and safest explosives to use in coal mines. When more experience has been gained it is probable that the number of these explosives on the market will be reduced. In England the Permitted List has recently been cut down considerably.
In Great Britain these coal-mine explosives have to be submitted to the Inspectors of Explosives, and are subjected to tests for safety and strength. If they pass they are placed on the list of “Permitted Explosives,” and the compositions are published in the Explosives in Coal Mines Orders. In these Orders the upper and lower limits of the percentage of each constituent are given, but in this dictionary intermediate percentages are given so that the sum for any explosive amounts to 100. In the Explosives in Coal Mines Orders the percentage of such a substance as wood, meal or starch, is given in the dried condition, but here it is given in the air-dry state on the assumption that it then contains about 10 per cent. of moisture.
In France and Belgium also the compositions of the coal-mine explosives are published, but in Germany, as a rule, only a list of the constituents is given, and sometimes an upper or lower limit for one or more of the principal constituents. Moreover, it is not stated explicitly whether the explosives are intended for use in coal mines or for general blasting purposes. In the United States of America, explosives intended for use in coal mines are examined by the Bureau of Mines, which, however, has no power to prevent the use of others because regulations on this matter are made by the individual states. If they pass they are placed on the list of “Permissible Explosives.” The compositions are not published, but the class of composition is stated.
Until the second half of the nineteenth century, gunpowder was practically the only explosive used on a considerable scale, and it was employed for all purposes. Consequently it does not fall into any of the classes mentioned, or rather it could be placed in several of them.
Another class of explosives that has not yet been mentioned is that of the primary igniters, of which fulminate of mercury may be taken as typical. The characteristic of these is that they can be exploded or ignited by a spark or moderate friction, and consequently they can be employed to fire other, less sensitive explosives. There are, however, practically no explosives of this class which possess special or proprietary names, and consequently they are not dealt with in this dictionary.
Naini Tal, India.
1920.
CLASSIFICATION
| COAL-MINE EXPLOSIVES |
American Permissible Explosives. |
| Aetna Coal Mine Powder. | Guardian. |
| Bental Coal Powder. | Hecla No. 2. |
| Bituminite. | Hygrade Coal Powder. |
| Black Diamond. | Kanite. |
| Cameron Mine Powder. | Lomite. |
| Carbonite. | Lowinite. |
| Coalite. | Meteor. |
| Coal Special. | Miners’ Friend. |
| Collier Powder. | Min-ite. |
| Cronite. | Monobel. |
| Detonite. | Nitro Low-Flame. |
| Du Pont Permissible. | Red H. |
| Eureka. | Trojan Coal Powder. |
| Fort Pitt Mine Powder. | Tunnelite. |
| Fuel-ite. | Vigorite. |
| Giant Coal Mine Powder. | Xpdite. |
Austrian and Hungarian. |
| Chloratit. | Progressit. |
| Dynammon. | Titanit. |
Belgian Explosifs S.G.P. |
| Alsilite. | Grisoutite. |
| Antigel de Sûreté. | Ingélite. |
| Baelenite. | Minerite. |
| Colinite antigrisouteuse. | Minite. |
| Cornil. | Minolite. |
| Densite. | Pulvérite. |
| Dynamite antigrisouteuse. | Sabulite antigrisouteuse. |
| Favier Explosives. | Securophore. |
| Flammivore. | Wallonite. |
| Forcite antigrisouteuse. | Yonckite. |
| Fractorite. | (There were also several |
| Grisoutine II. | explosives made in Germany.) |
British. |
| *Abbcite. | *Herculite. |
| *Abelite. | *Kent Powder. |
| *Ajax Powder. | Kentite. |
| *Albionite. | *Kolax. |
| *Amasite. | *Kolax (Super-). |
| *Ammonal. | *Kynarkite. |
| Ammonite. | *Kynite. |
| *Amvis. | *Melling Powder. |
| *Anchorite. | *Mersey Powder. |
| *Aphosite. | *Minite. |
| *Arkite. | Monarkite. |
| *Barking Powder. | Monobel. |
| Bellite. | *Monobel Powder. |
| Bobbinite. | *Nationalite. |
| *Britonite. | Negro Powder. |
| *Bull Dog. | *Neonal. |
| Cambrite. | *Nitro-Densite. |
| *Carbonite. | *Nobel Ammonia Powder. |
| *Celtite. | *Normanite. |
| *Cliffite. | *Oaklite. |
| Cliffite (Super-). | *Odite. |
| *Clydite. | *Permon Powder. |
| *Cornish Powder. | *Permonite. |
| *Coronite. | *Phœnix Powder. |
| *Curtisite. | *Pit-ite. |
| *Curtisite (Super-). | *Pitsea Powder. |
| Denaby Powder. | Rex Powder. |
| *Dominite. | *Rexite. |
| *Dragonite. | *Rippite. |
| *Dreadnought Powder. | Rippite (Super-). |
| Du Pont Permissible. | Roburite. |
| *Duxite. | *Russelite. |
| Dynobel. | Samsonite. |
| *Electronite. | *Saxonite. |
| Essex Powder. | Seamex. |
| *Excellite. | *Sheppey Powder. |
| Excellite (Super-). | *Stanford Powder. |
| Expedite. | *Steelite (Colliery). |
| *Faversham Powder. | *St. Helen’s Powder. |
| Fortex (New). | Stomonal. |
| *Fracturite. | *Stow-ite. |
| *Gathurst Powder. | *Sunderite. |
| *Good Luck. | *Superite. |
| Haylite. | *Swale Powder. |
*Swalite. |
*Victorite. |
| *Syndite. | Viking Powder. |
| Thames Powder. | *Virite. |
| *Tutol. | *Westfalite. |
| *Uplees Powder. | *Withnell Powder. |
| *Victor Powder. | |
| (Those marked * are not now on the Permitted List.) |
French. |
| Favier explosives. | N. |
| Grisounite. | Naphthalite (Grisou-). |
| Grisoutine. | |
German. |
| Albit (Wetter-). | Lignosit. |
| Astralit (Wetter-). | Monachit. |
| Bautzener Sicherheits-pulver. | Naphthalit. |
| Bavarit. | Nobelit. |
| Cahuecit (Ammon-). | Orkanit. |
| Carbonite. | Pastanit. |
| Chloratzit. | Permonit. |
| Chromamonit. | Perrumpit. |
| Cosilit. | Persalit (Wetter-). |
| Dahmenit. | Plastomenit. |
| Detonit. | Rhenanit (Wetter-). |
| Donarit. | Roburite. |
| Dorfit. | Romperit (Wetter-). |
| Dynamit (Wettersicheres). | Salit. |
| Elsagit (Ammon-). | Schlesit. |
| Foerder Sicherheitssprengstoff. | Securite. |
| Foerdit. | Siegenit. |
| Fulmenit (Wetter-). | Teutonit. |
| Gehlingerit. | Tremonit. |
| Gesilit. | Tunnelit. |
| Glueckauf. | Walsrode (Wetter-). |
| Kohlenkarbonit. | Westfalit. |
| Koronit (Kohlen-). | Wetter-Dynamit. |
| Lenit (Neu-). | |
BLASTING EXPLOSIVES |
| Aerolit. | Alkalsit. |
| Aetna. | Amasite. |
| Albit. | Ammonal. |
| | |
| Ammoniakkrut. | Koronit. |
| Anagon. | L.C. Pulver. |
| Anilit. | Leonit. |
| Astralit. | Ligdyn. |
| Atlas Powder. | Lignosit. |
| Barbarit. | Lithofracteur. |
| Blastine. | Loewenpulver. |
| Blasting Gelatine. | Luxit. |
| Bomlit. | M.B. Powder. |
| C. | Marsit. |
| Cahuecit. | Meganit. |
| Carbite d’Ablon. | Melanite. |
| Carbo-Dynamite. | Mercurit. |
| Carlsonite. | Miedziankit. |
| Cheddite. | Minolite. |
| Chloratzite. | Mitchellite. |
| Cugnite. | Monachit. |
| Dahmenite. | Naphthalit. |
| Denaby Powder. | Nitrolit. |
| Densite. | O. |
| Dominit. | Oakley Quarry Powder. |
| Donarit. | Oxyliquit. |
| Dynamite. | Pastanil. |
| Electronite. | Peragon. |
| Ergite. | Perchlorit. |
| Erin Gelignite. | Perdit. |
| Extra Dynamite. | Perilit. |
| Forcite. | Persalit. |
| Fumenit. | Petroklastit. |
| Gehlingerit. | Petrolit. |
| Gelatinée a l’Ammoniaque. | Pfalzit. |
| Gelatine Dynamite. | Pierrite. |
| Gelignite. | Plastammon. |
| Giant Powder. | Plessit. |
| Halalite. | Pniowit. |
| Hammonit. | Polarite. |
| Helagon. | Praeposit. |
| Helit. | Prométhée. |
| Hercules Powder. | Prosperit. |
| Imperialite. | Rack-a-Rock. |
| Judson Powder. | Raschit. |
| Kausolit. | Red Cross. |
| Kinetit. | Rendrock. |
| Kiwit. | Rexol. |
| | |
| Rhenanit. | Stonax. |
| Rhexit. | Telsit. |
| Rivalit. | Territ. |
| Rockite. | Teutonit. |
| Romperit. | Thornit. |
| Roslin Giant Blasting Powder. | Titanite. |
| Sabulite. | Tonite. |
| Saxonite. | Tremonit. |
| Sebomite | Velox Gelatine. |
| Sengite. | Vender. |
| Siegenit. | Vigorite. |
| Silesia. | Vulcan Powder. |
| Sprengel Explosives. | Wilhelmit. |
| Sprengsalpeter. | Yonckite. |
HIGH EXPLOSIVES |
| (For Shells and Bombs.) |
| Alumatol. | Himalayite. |
| Amatol. | Hudson’s Explosive. |
| Amatoxol. | Lyddite. |
| Anilite. | Macarite. |
| Astralit. | Mélinite. |
| Baratol. | Nitrolit. |
| Cilferite. | Panclastite. |
| Crésylite. | Perdit. |
| Dunnite. | Plastrotyl. |
| Echo. | Schneiderite. |
| Ecrasite. | Shellite. |
| Fuellpulver. | Stabilite. |
| Fumyl. | T.N.T. |
| Granatfuellung. | Toxol. |
| H.E. | Triplastit. |
| Hellhofite. | |
MISCELLANEOUS EXPLOSIVES |
| Black Powder. | Ophorite. |
| C.P. | Pulvérin. |
| Centralite. | Pyrocollodion. |
| Cheesa Sticks. | Pyroxyline. |
| Collodion Cotton. | Stabilite. |
| Flobert Ammunition. | Tetryl. |
| Glonoine. | White Gunpowder. |
| Halakite. | |
PROPELLANTS |
| (For Shot-guns.) |
| Amberite. | Neonite. |
| Cannonite. | New Explosives Co.’s |
| Clermonite. | Smokeless Powder. |
| Cooppal’s Powder. | Normal Powder. |
| Crystal. | Plastomenit. |
| Du Pont Smokeless Powder. | Primrose Smokeless. |
| E.C. Powder. | Red Star. |
| Economic. | Rifleite (Shot Gun). |
| Eley Smokeless Powder. | Rottweil Smokeless Powder. |
| Empire. | Ruby Powder. |
| Felixite. | S. |
| Fulmen Powder. | S.S. |
| Henrite. | Schultze Powder. |
| Ideal Powder. | Smokeless Diamond. |
| J. | Stowmarket Smokeless. |
| K.S. | T. |
| M. | Troisdorf Smokeless Powder. |
| Mischpulver. | Walsrode Shot Gun Powder. |
| Mullerite. | |
(For Rifled Fire-arms.) |
| Amide Powder. | N.C.T. |
| Ammonpulver. | Neonite. |
| Apyrite. | Nitrokol. |
| Axite. | Normal Powder. |
| B. | P.C./88. |
| Ballistite. | R.F.G. |
| Brugère’s Powder. | R.L.G. |
| Cocao Powder. | Rifleite. |
| Cordite. | Rottweil Smokeless Powder. |
| C.S.P. | S.K. |
| Filite. | S.R. |
| Hebler Powder. | S.V. |
| Indurite. | Solenite. |
| Lafflin and Rand. | Troisdorf Smokeless Powder. |
| Moddite. | Wetteren. |