"ERUPTITE."

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1451, 28 May 1912, Page 7

"ERUPTITE."

A NON-DANGEROUS HIGH EXPLOSIVE. Mr. G.' W. Davies,- of Wellington, has invented a new. high explosive, with special properties which should create for it a demand far and wide.' Quito aware of the value of "eruptite," he has farmed u company, which nas patented the- compound in England, United States, Canada, Australasia,- and New Zealand. While it is said to be more effective than dynamite, or even nitro-glycerine, for tho purposes for which it is intended, "eruptite" may he .handled with impunity without any danger, as it is not an explosive at all until the compound is soaked iu the "■eruptite" liquid, and e,ven then it will not explode without detonation. To show that 'there, is not the slightest risk iu handling "cruptite," a "Dominion" . reporter yesterday witnessed ah 8-ounce baj* of the powder or compound being banged about, and afterwards a lighted match was applied to a small quantity without result. One of the most general uses it has so far.been put,to in the country is in the removal of great stumps of trees, which in some cases have defied the efforts of other explosives. One user of "eruptite" states that he used the new explosive on a rimu stump seven feet in diame■ter, which dynamite had not moved. "Eruptite" tore it to shreds. Of the dozens of testimonials from people engaged in stump-clearing, a notablo feature of the letters is that all are accompanied by repeat orders.

ilr.'Thos. Wearnc, mine manager, writes to Mr.-Davies: "Dear Sir,—l have used 'eruptite , and have found it satisfactory for use in open workings. It is, in my opinion, as powerful as qeliiinite, with tho advantage that it costs less." Not only 53 it valuable, howeveT. in open workings, as the company's chemist testifies that there is no nitric acid in the make-up of the compound, and therefore the explosive gives off no nitrous fumes, so harmful when breathed by those engaged in underground work.. This is one of 'ernptiteY most valuable attributes." At the Lyall Bay metal quarry, 1131b. of "eruntite" dislodged 90 tons of blue .-metal. Then to avoid shattering the big lumps too much, a mollified form of "eruptite" (in which less of the liquid is Ufpdl, was used with complete success. Thp manager of the Silversfcrenm Brick and Tile Company writes that "eruptite" "is absolutely safe and satisfactory in every way. ]\Cr. T. A. ClcaT. foreman of the same work', wrote: "T have pleasure in statin? that after having u-ed your 'ernptite' now nearly four months. T can, only state that at all times T have found it psrfect'v suitable for shootinc ' and Mn=tins the clay on the work* at Silverstream. Wpbive entirely discarded gunpowder in its favour." SHI! another attribute has been discovered in usinsr "eruptifc" for stumping. Po(a c h is an important ingredient, and it ha= b?en found that wherever stumps had been removed with the aid of flio.;>ew 1 explosive. Hip growth of crops the spei was abnormal. "Erupftre" strike: equally all round, and it i= cnlmilnted Hint n »reat deal of the potash had ]>i>pn. forced into the ground, and has fertilised it. which (rives ri=p to the thmmht tlint fertilising by explosion mieht be n pos>ili!l--of the fuHiro. Tn Hie meantime, tiltoffice of the "Eruptite" Company in Hunter Street is being bombarded with fresh testimonials dai'v. As evidence of its p?rfoot safplv, the Railway pcni'.vtmcnt. curry "eniptite" :il ordinary■ frr-ight.ralu-«.