Blasting Items/Powells Squibs 3

Blasting Items

Powells Squibs 3.JPG - POWELL'S SQUIBS - Old box about 1/3 full of Powell’s sulfur-type blasting squibs, top marked POWELL’S IMPROVED SAFETY SQUIBS, ROCKET NO. 1 with blue Union Label marked United Powder and High Explosives Workers of America showing an explosion out of the top of a rock pile, 6 1/4 in. x 2 in. x 1 1/2 in., with several patent dates from 1879 into 1880s (John R. Powell of Plymouth, PA held a number of patents for blasting and miners squibs; among others, his patents included No. 215,395 on May 13, 1879 for a blasting fuse; No. 220,735 on Oct. 21, 1879 for a blasting squib; No. 305,223 on Sept. 16, 1884 for a miners squib; No. 326,239 on Sept. 15, 1885 for a miners squib; the blasting squib was used primarily by eastern coal miners to ignite black powder; the squib, also called a rush, match, or reed, is a small paper tube filled with quick burning powder with a slow match at one end that acted as a fuse to give the miner time to evacuate the area of blasting; the quick burning powder propelled the squib into the drill hole much like a bottle rocket to ignite the black powder charge; two types of squibs were used: sulfur and gas; the sulfur squib match end burned with a flame while the gas squib glowed without an open flame; the theory was that the gas squib would not ignite methane in a gaseous mine and thus was safer; however, the large amount of sparks produced by the rocket effect proved otherwise; see Ross, Mining Artifact Collector #5, pp 25-26) SEE POWELL'S 1879 BLASTING SQUIB PATENT IN THE FOLLOWING PIC

Powells Squibs 3 | POWELL'S SQUIBS - Old box about 1/3 full of Powell’s sulfur-type blasting squibs, top marked POWELL’S IMPROVED SAFETY SQUIBS, ROCKET NO. 1 with blue Union Label marked United Powder and High Explosives Workers of America showing an explosion out of the top of a rock pile, 6 1/4 in. x 2 in. x 1 1/2 in., with several patent dates from 1879 into 1880s (John R. Powell of Plymouth, PA held a number of patents for blasting and miners squibs; among others, his patents included No. 215,395 on May 13, 1879 for a blasting fuse; No. 220,735 on Oct. 21, 1879 for a blasting squib; No. 305,223 on Sept. 16, 1884 for a miners squib; No. 326,239 on Sept. 15, 1885 for a miners squib; the blasting squib was used primarily by eastern coal miners to ignite black powder; the squib, also called a rush, match, or reed, is a small paper tube filled with quick burning powder with a slow match at one end that acted as a fuse to give the miner time to evacuate the area of blasting; the quick burning powder propelled the squib into the drill hole much like a bottle rocket to ignite the black powder charge; two types of squibs were used: sulfur and gas; the sulfur squib match end burned with a flame while the gas squib glowed without an open flame; the theory was that the gas squib would not ignite methane in a gaseous mine and thus was safer; however, the large amount of sparks produced by the rocket effect proved otherwise; see Ross, Mining Artifact Collector #5, pp 25-26) SEE POWELL'S 1879 BLASTING SQUIB PATENT IN THE FOLLOWING PIC

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