Page:Pyrotechnics the history and art of firework making (1922).djvu/159

 An occurrence of considerable interest in this direction took place in a warehouse at Manchester in 1908. In the building were stored several tons of chemicals, among which were twelve tons of chlorate of potash and thirty-two of chlorate of soda.

A workman stepping down from a barrel struck fire, and saw a flame, which he tried to extinguish by rubbing with his foot. This, however, had the opposite effect. He then tried a bucket of water, which failed to put it out; he left the building and heard an explosion, followed by a second and a third, all apparently of a violent nature, all three being heard nearly ten miles away, and glass broken throughout a considerable area round the warehouse.

The cause appears to have been as follows: During the conveyance of the chlorate into the building leakings took place, and a certain quantity remained on the floor, this mixing with dust and other organic matter would prove a highly sensitive composition. This was ignited by the man's foot and rapidly spread, probably a deposit which had accumulated under the floor became involved. The woodwork of the building and the wooden barrels then became ignited. The rapid decomposition of the chlorate caused by the heat liberated large quantities of free oxygen, which united with carbon in the smoke to form gas, which exploded upon reaching the correct proportion for so doing.

The writer has chiefly confined himself to accidents in firework factories; those occurring during the illegal manufacture of fireworks in premises unlicensed for the purpose present no further interest, and are generally caused by ignorance on the part of the participant of the often extremely dangerous nature of the material he is handling. To take an example:

Two boys were engaged in grinding in a mortar a "small