The Chemistry of Powder and Explosives - Sciencemadness Dot Org

212 NITRIC ESTERS
explosives. Blasting caps were used first for the safe and certain
explosion of the dangerous liquid nitroglycerin, but presently
they were found to be exactly what was needed for the explosion
of the safer and less sensitive dynamites which Nobel also
invented.
The first establishment for the manufacture of nitroglycerin in
industrial quantities was a laboratory set up by Alfred Nobel
and his father, Immanuel Nobel, probably in the autumn of
1863, near the latter's home at Heleneborg near Stockholm. An
explosion which occurred there in September, 1864, cost the life
of Alfred's younger brother, Emil, and of four other persons.
The manufacture of nitroglycerin was prohibited within the city
area, but the explosive was already in practical use for the tunnelling
operations of the State Railway, and it was desirable to
continue its manufacture. The manufacture was removed to a
pontoon moored in Malar Lake and was continued there during
the late autumn of 1864 and during the following winter until
March, 1865, when it was transferred to a new factory, the first
real nitroglycerin factory in the world, at Winterwik near Stockholm.
Later in the same year the Nobel company commenced
manufacturing nitroglycerin in Germany, at a plant near Hamburg,
and within a few years was operating explosives factories
in the United States and in all the principal countries of Europe. 27
The first considerable engineering operation in the United
States to be accomplished by means of nitroglycerin was the
blasting out of the Hoosac tunnel in Massachusetts. The work
had been progressing slowly until George M. Mowbray, 28 an
"operative chemist" of North Adams, was engaged to manufacture
nitroglycerin at the site of the work and to supervise its use.
Twenty-six feet of tunnel was driven during May, 1868, 21 during
June, 47 during July when the use of nitroglycerin commenced,
44 during August, and 51 feet during September. Mowbray
profited by the observation of W. P. Granger that frozen nitroglycerin
could not be detonated, and accordingly transported his
27 Cf. Schiick and Sohlman, "The Life of Alfred Nobel," London, William
Heinemann, Ltd., 1929.
28 His experiences and methods are told in a very interesting manner in
his book, "Tri-Nitro-Glycerine, as Applied in the Hoosac Tunnel," third
edition, rewritten, New York and North Adams, 1874.