FATAL ACCIDENT BY NEW F PLOSIVE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18056, 17 January 1927, Page 3

FATAL ACCIDENT BY NEW F PLOSIVE.

DYEING COMPOUNDS ARE DANGEROUS. (Special to the “Star.") LONDON, November 26. At an inquest at Castleford, Yorkshire, yesterday, on Arthur Semper, foreman of the sodium 'dinitrophenate plant at the chemical works of Messrs Hicksons and Partners, who .was killed in an explosion, George Frank, the foreman of the works, said -that the sodium dinitrophenate, which was being made at the plant for use in d\'e manufacture, was not considered explosive and was not scheduled under the Explosives Act. A few minutes before the explosion he saw bright white smoke under the roof of the plant, and he had no doubt the sodium dinitrophenate exploded, because the .whole of it in the hydroextractor had disappeared. Dr Watts, of the Home Office explosive department, said that if the sodium dinitrophenate were presented in dry form, burning might set the compound off if there was a leaky package. They had found that 15 per cent of water rendered it insensitive. The foreman of the jury said it seemed as if there was something in the happening beyond the knowledge of even chemists. Dr Watts said it was not prepared extensively, and general knowledge about it was very small. This compound had never been used for explosive purposes, but there were compounds used in the dyeing industry, and essential for making dyes, which had certain explosive products. A juryman: I take it this is an explosive found out by accident? Dr Watts: I am inclined to agree to a certain extent under certain conditions. What those conditions are we do not know, but we are going to try to find out. Chemically, it could be considered two-thirds the way towards picric acid, but from an explosive point of view it was a different product. A verdict of accidental death was returned, and the jury recommended that the Home Office should make proper inquiries into the compound.