YET ANOTHER EXPLOSIVE.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXVIII, Issue 9544, 2 December 1893, Page 5

YET ANOTHER EXPLOSIVE.

Even the terrible ending of poor Mr Liardet will not deter other inventors from dabbling with the most frightfal destructive explosives. One of the latest discoverers in this field is a Frenoh monk, L'Abb^ Sohrabel, who bus invented a compound of a very remarkable character. One of the strangest sights ever recorded in tbe annals of military soience was witnessed at Nunbead Rifle Range the other day, when M. 1> Abb&. in his priestly attire, was seen firing off guns and performing all sorts of striking experiments with h'B eztilosive. One of the most wonderful tbines about it wa< that be aotiiHlly made it on the ground with no mare elaborate aparatua than a spirit lamp, a flat enamelled baking dish, and a coffee mill. Into tbe dish plaocd over tbe lamp (the Daily News tells üb) he put a greenish grey substance saturated with chlorate of poiash in a form which is his seortt. When that had been sufficiently mixed and heated he transferred it to a ot'fiee mill, and ground sway merrily, by way of nhovd g that friotion between steel wheels could not lead to an explosion in proonaß of manufacture. The powder thus produced was then put aside for filling cartridges to be used in later experiments. The Abbe gave coma highly satisfactory demonstrations of its power when used in a Government magazine rifle, and aUo its suitability for sporting purposes. The safely with which the powerful compound can be handled vvas then shown by striking it between Bn anvil and a heavy hammer, and by firing full charges into it from a fowllng.pieoe, tho muzzle of which was held within two feet of a macs of Schnebelite. Whether this was io a wet or dry state, in powder or in solid cylinders, concussion had absolutely n0 effect on it, except to shatter the cylinders into fragments, and yet these wero proved to have onefifth greatejf fracturing power than tho best dynamite. Fragments of the broken oy lenders were afterwards collected, and a lighted match put to them', wheu they burned with a clear flame, and did not splutter so much as an ordinary squib. There was no disagreeable odour, and the inventor held his head close over the burning mass to show that inhaling the fumes was rather beoeficinl loan otherwise. Alto get her Sohnebelite seems to be a very wonderful substance. We only hope the reverend inventor will not hold his head over it once too often- 1 1 may seem a strnnge role for a prießt to adopt. It appears, however, that M, Scbnobel was an artillery officer before he entered the Ohnroh, and evidently be never managed to get rid entirely of the old Adaoi,