A form of nitroglycerine has been discovered,—it is called lithofracteur,—which
is perfectly safe for all purposes of carry- ing or even firing,—yielding no explosion whether it is sub- jected to a violent shock like a heavy fall or the fall of a heavy body upon it, or whether it is actually- set on fire, but as explosive as ever when it is ignited "by a percussion-capped fuse, the fuse being inserted in the lithofracteur." The manufacturers are the Brothers Krebs and Co., of Cologne. The experiments conducted last week by a committee of our own War Office at Mr. Frant's limestone quarries, Nant-Mawr, near Shrewsbury, seemed to answer perfectly. The lithofracteur was heated to 370* Fahrenheit (further above boiling point than boiling point is above freezing), and no explosion or even ignition took place. The heaviest shocks were given to the lithofracteur in every form, and no explosion took place. Even when ignited in the ordinary way it only burned slowly, without explosion. But when ignited by a percussion-capped fuse imbedded in the lithofracteur the explosions were as forcible and violent as those of ordinary nitro- glycerine. Thus it seems that nitroglycerine may be carried about (in this form) without any danger of accidents, and yet without any loss of its enormous explosive power.
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