Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - Second part - X. Manufacturing Industries. By Å. G. Ekstrand, Ph. D., Chief Engineer, Control Office of the Department of Finance - 9. Chemical Industry - Explosives
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
Below is the raw OCR text
from the above scanned image.
Do you see an error? Proofread the page now!
Här nedan syns maskintolkade texten från faksimilbilden ovan.
Ser du något fel? Korrekturläs sidan nu!
This page has never been proofread. / Denna sida har aldrig korrekturlästs.
860
x. manufacturing industries of sweden.
glycerine and guncotton consist solely of nncolonred gases; this is
naturally of immense importance, more especially in war. Since 1890
smokeless powder has been used by the Swedish army. The first variety,
called apyrite, was manufactured by Skoglund, a Swede, but subsequently
the smokeless powder called Troisdorf gunpowder, from the German
factory where it is made, has been adopted in the Swedish army and
is now produced at the government powder-factory of Åker. This
gunpowder consists merely of guncotton that has been gelatinized by the
admixture of alcohol and ether; it occurs in the form of small glittering
scales. For cannon and torpedoes, where a more violent effect is needed,
a gelatinized mixture of nitroglycerine and nitro-cellulose is employed,
called after its inventor Nobel gunpowder or ballistite.
It is no exaggeration to say that Sweden has contributed in a very
extraordinary degree to the development of the technics of explosives
during the past forty years; it has even been termed »the classic land
of modern technics of explosives». Besides Alfred Nobel’s inventions,
dynamite and Nobel gunpowder, both epoch-making, the former as a
blasting agent, the latter as a powder for war purposes, there are several
other explosive agents, both effective and almost free from danger in
usage, which trace their origin from Sweden. It will be sufficient to
mention here: bellite invented by C. Lamm (with its improvement:
bellona), principally consisting of dinitro-benzole; this substance is as
free from danger in ordinary handling as wax, even in contact with
red-hot metals, nor does it explode if exposed to the influence of water;
but if once given a powerful fulminate lighting, it displays a very
considerable explosive power.
Among explosives are also to be reckoned match-cord, percussion-caps
and cartridges, and also fireworks; the latter are chiefly manufactured
to supply the needs of the army.
All kinds of explosives, both for public and private requirements,
are made in the country, the manufacture approximately meeting the
total demand as the import and export are about equal in amount.
The following figures afford a general idea of the progress of this
industry in Sweden since 1866:
Average. Factories. Workmen. Value of Production.1
1866/70................ 1 40 129,000 kronor.
1871/75................ 2 124 498,000 »
1876/80 ................................5 127 599,000 »
1881/85 ................................6 116 613,000 »
1886/90................ 5 141 648,000 »
1891/95................ 10 225 910,000 »
1896/00................ 12 326 1,836,000 »
In 1900..............................11 394 2,702,000 »
In 1900 there were, besides, 4 match-cord and fuse factories
employing 16 hands; the total turnout was valued at 72,000 kronor.
1 A krona = 110 shilling or 0 268 dollar.
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
