S 679 .S9 Copy 1 ESS,) HOUSE OF REPIIESENTATIVES. (Document «• f 1 No. 720. rsK OF r. v. T., A \VAK-sALVA(;i<:i) ioxflosim:. fok FM^LU'E-TrMF FCKI'OSES. ARTICLE ON USE OF T. N. T., A WAR-SALVAGED EXPLOSIVE, FOR PEACE-TIME PURPOSES. BY JOHN SWENEHART, UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN. Aprii. 10. l-rjd Onl.'r.'.l tr, I. f printed. A J(>\v-|)ri((«(l and ofToctive explosivo is our of (lie umcjK needs 'm tiiuMnir JivaiJaldo for sotllcmcnt the lar^n' areas c.f uiKieveloned land in file cut-over Slates. A conservative estimate \Anros the Jands adapted to airric ill t lire in the in)).(>r .\fississippi I^Jiver States alone at ;;.'). OOO.OOQ acres. That this land is fertile lias l)een shown hy the thousands of settlors already on the jrround. Many of these families are hiaJdiiio; farms and futures I h(>re; their {greatest need is more Jand cleared. In most instances they have the necessary la])or. hut little monev. E.\])l()sives they must have— the more ahundant and inexpensive tlie sliorter the road to success. F,MriKP:s AW.VIT JJEVELOI'MENT. Estimates made hy the United States Soil Survev and the various c<)lle<;es ot airncultuir show that tlie valu(> of the lalid in these States when rechiimed will he increased hy more than SI. 000.000,000 Tlie iiastenin|r of the day when this land will he settled and under the plow will mark an epoch in the development of these districts. In addition to the vast area vet to he reclaimed in the upix-r Mississip])! Kiver Valley there are the cut-over lands of the South whicli are some of the most fertile in the countrv. In such States as <.eor<,na. Alahama. Louisiana, and Mississip])i'the devehypment of I'lf .V"^:''^^"'"^^^"*'^ repres(>nts one of the countrv 's largest i)rohlems I U hiie figures are not available indicating the value of the reclama- tion of these land.s, it is ()])vious that the amounts are enormous. RECLAMATION NATIONALLY IMPORTANT. Similarly in the Pacific Northwest, there are large areas of rich land awaiting development. The part which explosives are to phiv m this (h'velopmcnt must be important. No matter how much ma- chinery IS available, and no matter what other methods may be de- ? vised, vast mnintities of explosives will always be needed; When It is realized that the cost of developing each acre in the upper Lake States and over a great portion of the southern pine lanci is less tlian the annual returns from prevailing crops, it will be evident that any thino; which aids in a rpiicker development of this resource IS of national importance. T. N. T. OFFERS A SOLI TION. l*i.'^" "^^ T" ^^ trinitrotoluene, one of the high-powered explosives of Ithe war. has made good under trial in land clearing. This explosive IcoiUd be of great service to the settlers of cut-over rec^ions (.'■ / 2 USE OF T. N. T. FOR PEACE-TIME PURPOSES. Through the cooperation of the Departments of War and the Interior, rather extensive test of the efficiency of T. N. T. in land clearnig have been made in Wisconsin by representatives of the College of Agriculture of the University of Wisconsin. Practical trials on nearly 2,000 farms, tests made by State and Federal agents, have all demonstrated its value and its usability. As a result of these tests, a widespread demand has arisen among the citizens of this new farming region. Thousands of requests have been made by these settlers for supphes from the Government and vState authorities who supervised the distribution of the salvaged war explosive. In fact, in Wisconsin alone the demand was for more than 4,000,000 pounds. , j As compared with dynamites, regardless of their grade and manu- facture, T. N. T. has been found stronger and yet fully as safe and easy to use. Its alleged insensibility can be easily overcome by the use of a larger detonator. It is not any more susceptible to moisture than the best of the ordinary dynamites. It is not affected by freezing. It has much less poisonous effects on the user when it is used properly cart ridged. T. N. T. CAN BE MADE AVAILABLE AT LOW COST. The war supphes of T. N. T. can likely be cartridged and made available for use at a cost of less than 10 cents a pound. The authori- ties m Wisconsin have successfully cartridged, packed, and distributed their 200,000-pound supply at a total cost of SI 6, 000, or about 8 cents a pound. . . , This does not include much of the expense of distribution wliicli was handled by banks, county agents, and others. Nor does it include freight "from the cartridging plant to the actual user. It does include, of course, the original cost of rather crude equipment and necessary plant for doing the work. The prevailing size of dynamite cartridges is IJ inches in diameter by 8 inches in length. If cartridges of T. N. T. are made this size, they can be used with the same tools that were formerly used for dynamite. T. N. T. is more bulky than dynamite, and therefore lihis size of cartridge wiU weigh only about 5J to 5^ ounces instead of 8 ounces, which is the weight of a standard cartridge of dynamite. The war supplies of T. N. T. have not deteriorated when stored in a dry place for reasonable length of time. The difficulty m provid- ind a safe, dry, storage place on a cut-over farm should discourage storage of this or any other explosive material for more than one season. Freezing and changes in temperature do not appear to have any effect on the action of T. N. T. in field work on stumps and bowlders. This makes it unnecessary to thaw the material m cold weather, wliieh has been the source of accidents in connection with handling nitroglycerin dynamites. The user has frequently placed his dynamite near the fire or in an oven and serious accidents have often resulted. HOW T. N. T. IS USED IX LAND CLEARING. T. N. T. is a vellow crystalline powder, made in three grades, dif- fering technically but not in practical application. Grade II is the one most conimonly available from the war surplus. This varies in color from different manufactures, being often light yellow in 07 At: i*. I ^^Y ..«• 1920 USE OF T. N. T. FOR PEACE-TIME PURPOSES. 3 color and v(>rv dry. It may also he dark l)r()\vii and somewhat greasy. For practical ])iir|)oses in stump work, no account luu'd 1)0 taken of these variations in color or appearance. In str(Mi<]^th T. N. T. is about one-third stronger than orchnary dynamites when loads of less than 2 pounds are used. If the quantity of material used in one load is above 2 pounds, the T. N. T. seems to exert a stronger effect than ordinary dynamites. Large loads should therefore be used with care, as the ex])losion is much more violent and ])ieces of the stum])s are thrown farther. A No. 8 blasting cap is re((uired for comj)lete detonation. The use of a No. 6 cap will result in misfires unless conditions are just right. The No. 8 cap is the same as that used for dynamite, except that the ca]) is larger. The same kinds of fuse can be used. Either common blasting caps and fuse or electric ca])s and blasting machine may i)e used. The electric method of firing explosives is recommended. The hole for the charge is made in the same way as w'ould be neces- sary with dynamite, except that the T. N. T. charge should not be extended out any length in the hole due to its insensitiveness. En- large the hole at the bottom so that the charge w-ill be well "bunched." A common term in connection with dynamite is to '■si)ring the hok^," where a larg(> charge is used. A spoon with a long handle may also be used to enlarge the hol(> at the bottom for this ]nn'pose. This is not needed where small loads are used inider small stumps. In order to enable a charge to be packed down in the hole, the sides of the car- tridge may be slit with a knife. There is no danger in using a knife in this way. NO PLACE FOK CAREf.ESSNESS. T. N. T. is nmch less sensitive to shocks than ordinary dynamite and therefore requires a larger cap to set it off or detonate it. While it is safe to use, this does not mean that it is less dangerous than other explosives. It is a high explosive and therefore dangerous. T. N. T. burns readily and is much more sensitive when burning. Burning T. X. T. is also very dillicult to extinguish. Every precau- tion sliould be taken to keep fire and s])arks away from the material. In placing the cap in the cartridge it is highly desirable to use a j)roper instrument. The handle of the cap crimper is made for this work and should be used. Be sure that the cap is placed lengthwise of the charge, so that the "business end" of the cap points toward the mass of the charge. It is not well to try to use too short a fuse. The cap should be crimped on the fus(^ properly. This can only be done with a cap crimper. The use of the steel-pointed handle of the cap crimper to punch lioles in the T. N. T. for the cap is not dangerous. It is often desiral le to use a primer made with a No. o cap and a smah piece of dynamite to set off tlie charge of T. N. T. The dyna- mite is exploded by the smaller cap, and this sets off the T. N. T. This is almost necessrry if a No. 8 cap is not available. Tamp the charge firmly in the hole and then tamp the earth in the hole above the charge tight to the top. Only in tliis way can a full benefit of the charge he realized. Be careful that dirt is not mixed with the explosive, as this may })revent the charge from going off. T. N. T. HAS OTHER AGKICILTUIIAL USES. Dniinage work. — Ditches can be made with T. N. T. but on account of its insensitiveness, a No. 8 electric cap is necessary in each charge. J / LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 4 USE OF T. 3Sr. T. FOR PEACE-TIMI 002 758 424 P " Propagated firing can not be used. It is impossible to maKe aiu'nes economically with the material without an electric blasting outfit.^ Breaking bowlders.— T. N. T. has proven very good for bowlder blasting either by mud capping or by drilling a hole in the rock to be blasted. Mud capping, or "bulldozing," as it is sometimes called, is the most common method. In this work, T. N. T. is used in the same way as high-grade dynamites are used, being careful not to get moisture or soil mixed with the charge. About one-third to one-half less of the material i§ used than of dynamite. |IQ| Boad work. — T. N. T. can also be satisfactorily used for road work. It could be used very effectively for moving earth as well as for loosening rock in cuts where a road bed is being prepared. In fact, T. N. T. readily adapts itself to any use where the work is done in open air and where a relatively insensitive explosion is possible. PRECAUTIONS NECESSARY IN HANDLING. AND USING T. N. T. Special care should be taken to keep empty T. N. T. cartridges, packing material, or boxes away from livestock. As soon as the T. N. T. is used, all this packing material should be burned in the open air. Explosives accidents have been known to happen from using this material in stoves. T. X. T. which is permitted to become wet from any cause will not give good results. If more than 10 per cent of water is present in the material, it is not detonated by ordinary means. For this reason the material should not be poured out of the cartridges in the bore hole, as moisture from the soil will prevent some of the material from detonating. It is not best to leave a load stand in a hole too long before firmg. It is, however, less effected by moisture than ordinary dynamites. Particular care should be taken to prevent moisture and soil from mixing with the T. N. T. in the bore hole as this makes the material still less sensitive and may cause misfires or incomplete explosion. The material need not be mixed with other substances. It is not rated in percentage strengths as is common with dynamite. It has no nitro-glycerin in it. In practice, when used in the field, no ill effects on the users have been observed. Handling the material raw in any quantity is strongly discouraged except under the proper supervision in cartridging plants. On account of the poisonous effects on the user when the raw material is handled, it is very important that T. N. T. is not distributed to the public without properly cartridging it in waterproof paper cartridges. These water- proof paper cartridges also eliminate any effect of moisture which would be encountered in practical land clearmg operations. Special precaution should be taken in the use of T. N. T. where large loads are necessary. T. N. T. when used in large loads, say more than 5 or 6 pounds, becomes a very high shattering explosive and therefore much more dangerous in the hands of the compara- tively inexperienced operator. Land-clearing work as a rule does not require excessive loads in Wisconsin and other Lake States. When used, however, in large loads for any purpose, it should be remembered that the characteristic shattering effect of the war explosive is to be observed under these conditions and pieces of stump, rock, or soil will be thrown farther and therefore the opera- tion becomes more dangerous. o LIBRARY OF CONGRESS DD0575flH24A Hollinger Corp. pH 8.5