Pyrotol

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This article is about pyrotol, the explosive. For the industrial catalyst, see pyrotol catalyst.

Pyrotol was an explosive available for a time after World War I.[1] It was reprocessed from military surplus, with a typical composition of 60% smokeless powder, 34% sodium nitrate and 6% of 40% nitroglycerin dynamite.[2] Usually used in combination with dynamite, it created an incendiary blast. Since it was very inexpensive, it was often used by farmers to remove tree stumps and clear ditches.[3] The substance was known for being used to commit the Bath School bombing in 1927.[4][5] Distribution of pyrotol for farm use was discontinued in 1928 due to exhaustion of the supply of surplus explosives.[6]

Pyrotol was intended to make a use for a large surplus of smokeless powder after the war. They were manufactured in a contract awarded to the DuPont Company, and was created in three DuPont plants, Gibbstown, N.J., Barksdale, Wisconsin, and DuPont, Washington. The active ingredient of these Cartridges, Pyrotol, was free, and included in the Cartridge's price, the consumer paid for the preparation and freight of these Cartridges. [7]

Pyrotol was said to cause no ill effects, including headaches, staining hands or clothing, or other Ill effects, although the validity of this statement is unknown. A 6-ounce (170 g) cartridge of pyrotol was said to be as powerful as an 8-ounce (230 g) cartridge of dynamite, and came in 50-pound (23 kg) boxes containing 160 cartridges of the substance. [8]

References[]

  1. ^ Virginia. Dept. of Agriculture and Commerce (1922). Yearbook 1922. Virginia Department of Agriculture and Commerce. p. 125. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
  2. ^ Wool Production, Extension Bulletin #136(Issues 135-184). State College of Washington. April 1926. p. 74. Pyrotol is a mixture of 60% smokeless powder, 34% sodium nitrate and 6% of 40% nitroglycerin dynamite.
  3. ^ Buhk, Tobin T. (2011). True Crime : Michigan: The State's Most Notorious Criminal Cases. Stackpole Books. ISBN 978-0-8117-0713-8. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
  4. ^ Gado, Mark. "Hell Comes to Bath". crimelibrary. Archived from the original on July 23, 2012. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
  5. ^ Schechter, Harold (2012). Psycho USA: Famous American Killers You Never Heard Of. Random House Digital, Inc. pp. 277–278. ISBN 978-0-345-52448-5.
  6. ^ "Heavy Orders Cut Supply of Pyrtol". Granite Falls Record (Newspaper Archive of Granite Falls Historical Society, Granite Falls, Washington). September 30, 1927. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
  7. ^ https://books.google.com/books?id=sBYnAQAAIAAJ&pg=RA1-PA43&lpg=RA1-PA43&dq=who+manufactured+pyrotol&source=bl&ots=bFHD3RrKoz&sig=ACfU3U0niq7KdtGuvIuQKwJPX4zbJLOFjw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiE3MmMvb3pAhXog3IEHcW_DOwQ6AEwBHoECAYQAQ#v=onepage&q=who%20manufactured%20pyrotol&f=false
  8. ^ Seitz, Charles E. (1925). "Project No. 10 – Land Clearing". hdl:10919/90121. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)


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