ULTRA-VIOLET LIGHT MAGIC.

Northern Advocate, 15 February 1912, Page 6

ULTRA-VIOLET LIGHT MAGIC.

DISCOVERY WHICH LESSENS DANGER FROM EXPLOSIVES

Scientists Have long been endeavoring to find more satisfactory methods of testing the smokeless powders and explosives used for naval and military purposes. A new method, which may greatly facilitate the safeguarding of powder magazines, has been Discovered by two French savants, MM. Berthelot and Gaudeeaon, who have found that all explosives are very unstable in ultra-violet lightsuch as the greenish-violet light emitted by mercury vapor lamps. All the explosives they tried decemposed rapidly under the action of the ultra-violet rays, and the results oi' the explosions were the same as if they had bean detonated in the ordinary way. Many important cbemical discoveries have been made from these experiments, which that the reasons for the consecutive explosions which took place 'n the recent Liberte disaster are not yet fully understood. Powder B was found to resist the action of the rays better than any nitro-glycerine explosives. It is suggested that these new tests be added to the present tests applied to explosives, as they will render their supervision far safer and more systematic.