ABOUT T.N.T.

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 86, 4 January 1918, Page 8

ABOUT T.N.T.

HANDLING AND PURIFYING A HIGH EXPLOSIVE A NERVY BUSINESS In those far-off pre-war days when the grocer pressed you to buy his tea and sugar and the butter-man and butcher were still unctuously polite, the initials "T.N.T." would have meant nothing to 9999 out of every 10,000 people in the British Empire, writes tlio London correspondent of tho Melbourne "Argus." They might' have represented the title of a. now musical comedy, or a patent medicine, [ or tho motto of a suffragist sisterhood, and tho phrase "Purification of T.N.T." would probably have been regarded as studio slaug for a masterpiece by Tintoretto. Only a few learned chemists and experts in high explosives know that "T.N.T." was the abbreviation for tri-nitro-toluol, a super-oxplosivo which had been used with devastating effect in the last Balkan war. Germany, always quick to acquire any new instrument of death, at once recognised the importance of "T.N.T.," and, as wo know now, immediately began to amass large quantities of it in preparation for "Tho Day." Great Britain, with her customary slowness to act, took littlo no-

tice of tho now explosive, and was content to .rely on "lyddite," which had proved most useful in tho Boer war. It was not till the much-vaunted fortresses of Liego and Nanrar were reduced to crumbling heaps in a few hours by the German shells, and we found that shrapnel was practically of no use for destruction of wire entanglements and modern trenches, that we awoke to the necessity of employing the latest and most powerful explosive. When- the, awakening did at last como our Munitions Department did its utmost to make up for lost time, and there commenced a period of feverish activity in the manufacture of high explosive_ shells. This activity has been. maintained ever since, with 'eminently satisfactory results, and it can safely bo said that at the. present time we havo tho upper hancj/ of Germany in respect not only of heavy guns,, but of the high explosive shells for them._ That we have been able to do this is a matter for liearty congratulation, considering our unprepareduess in August, 1914. 'When tho complete history of this war comes to be written not the least thrilling chapters of it will be those wjiich describe the marvellous growth of our output of munitions. When the perbd of activity" in munitions commenced, towards the end of 1914, it becamo necessary to hundreds of factories all over the country, in addition to the establishments which had been making munitions before the war. Some of these were quite new concerns: in other cases existing works and plants were utilised. By the courtesy of tho Ministry of Munitions I was enabl§d to visit one of the factories in the latter category a few days aco. In tho autumn of 1914 "His Majesty's munition factory at ——," as it is officially described, consisted of a small chemical plant, on: which a handful of workmen were employed' in turning out a commercial article. It has been continually added to and extended, until to-day it employs several hundred men in the special and highly important work of purifying "T.N.T." Tri-nitro-toluol is made, as its name signifies to the chemist, by the trinitration of toluol, one of the almost innumerable by-products of the manufacture of coal gas. Its production is a comparatively simple matter, and it can be readily turned out in largo quantities, as the supply of its constituents is practically unlimited. It is essential that the "T.N.T." for use in shells should be absolutely pure, tut when it leaves the manufacturers' hands it contains many impurities, and further treatment is necessary. This treatment is usually carried out in special factories under skilled chemists. In the factory which I visited the work is done under the personal supervision of the two partners of tho chemical firm whose premises were taken' over by the Ministry. These gentlemen have a wide knowledge of the chemistry of high explosives, and their experience enables them to turn out "T.N.T." within a very small percentage of absolute purity.

A Sequestered Spot. The situation of tliis factory is ail ideal ono for such dangerous work its tho handling of high explosive—on thrf banks of a river with no habitation near. So that in tho event of an oxplosion the damage would bo limited to the factory itself. The explosive power of "T.iN.T." is so enormouß that /everything within a considerable radius is blown to atoms. Some eighteen months ago an explosion occurred in a factory on the outskirts of London; a whole street of houses was completely demolished, and huge warehouse doors many hundreds of yards distant wero forced in and the <sbock was felt many miles away. To prevent the recurrence of such a disaster the most elaborate precautions are now taken in all munition factories. There is no danger of the "T.N.T." exploding spontaneously or by detonation; the only fear is fire, and it is for the prevention of fire that the precautions are taken. Evoryone entering the factory is searched, and matches and smoking material, such as pipes, tobacco, or cigarettes, must he given up at the gateway. It is a criminal offence to have them in one's possession. In the actual "danger zone" of the factory, that is in the various buildings where the "T.N.T." is being treated, every one has to wear rubber overshoes, which are taken off and carried when walking between the buildings. The object of this is to prevent any grit being brought into tho buildings on people' 6 boots. A miniature railway runs through the factory for the conveyance, of "T.N.T." and other material; in th'o "danger zono" the steel rails are replaced by wooden ones. ' Innumerable fire-extinguishers are provided wherever there is any fear of a fire breaking out, so that a workman has always an extinguisher within his reach. This is absolutely necessary, for, notwithstanding every precaution, fires will occur.

In this factory some months ago there was an outbreak of fire, which might easily havo caused disaster, fortunately every ono_ of the four men nu tho immediate vicinity of the outbreak did exactly the right tiling, and the. flames were, extinguished in a few seconds. It is satisfactory to learn that the coolness and resource of theso men. found a fitting reward, for they were all made members of the order of the British Empire. After purification the "T.N.T." is melted in steamjacketed cauldrons, from which it runs out into trays, and looks like innocent toffee. Finally it is ground into powder and packed in cases for dispatch to various shell-filling factories.