Mysterious box of dynamite triggers evacuation in Knoxville

[beschizza]

Originally published at: Mysterious box of dynamite triggers evacuation in Knoxville - Boing Boing

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[beschizza]

The Spartan ephors replied, not with a single word but several: “why is the dynamite on fire? What are we looking at exactly here? need answers ASAP philip”

[theophrastus]

Curiously one of the earlier cartoon references to “Have X, Will Travel” where the X was replaced with “brain” (as opposed to “Tux”) was an Disney/Goofy comic where his mynah bird was discovered to be a super genius and even advised scientists on their explosive formulas (c1950).

Have Brain, Will Travel

[gracchus]

@beschizza

Knoxville police report that the only lead is a charred yellow business card printed with the slogan “HAVE BRAIN WILL TRAVEL,”

Add false advertising to the list of charges if they track down the clown.

[Simenzo]

[gracchus]

Acme Corp. is known for its line of high-grade commercial explosives.

[dwall0]

I read “box of dynamite” and “Knoxville” and immediately thought they were filming a new season of Jackass.

[ikeOnABike]

[RickMycroft]

The blast caps were mixed in with the dynamite,

Fuuuuuuck!

[Mister44]

1. I thought dynamite was stable and could be handled by hand safely, though certainly the heat from a torch could have set it off, especially if it lit a fuse?

2. I bet who ever donated it didn’t know what was in it. Some one died, they couldn’t get in it, it was heavy as fuck, and they were selling the building it was in, so they loaded it up and sent it in to get recycled. As someone who has witnessed multiple people who had to get rid of 70 years of stuff their parents accumulated, it’s not surprising they were just getting rid of 'junk".

[Brainspore]

@beschizza

A box of dynamite received by a recycling center

I’m not sure which bin you’re supposed to dispose of dynamite in but I know it ain’t that one.

[Otherbrother]

@Mister44

I thought dynamite was stable and could be handled by hand safely, though certainly the heat from a torch could have set it off, especially if it lit a fuse?

Per Wikipedia that’s true for “fresh” dynamite but it gets more hazardous as it ages and “sweats” nitroglycerin.

The maximum shelf life of nitroglycerin-based dynamite is recommended as one year from the date of manufacture under good storage conditions.[7]

Over time, regardless of the sorbent used, sticks of dynamite will “weep” or “sweat” nitroglycerin, which can then pool in the bottom of the box or storage area. For that reason, explosive manuals recommend the regular up-ending of boxes of dynamite in storage. Crystals will form on the outside of the sticks, causing them to be even more sensitive to shock, friction, and temperature. Therefore, while the risk of an explosion without the use of a blasting cap is minimal for fresh dynamite, old dynamite is dangerous.

[euansmith]

I think that those are high-grade comical explosives.

[RickMycroft]

Dynamite is stable (unless old as Otherbrother pointed out) and requires the shockwave from an exploding blast cap to detonate, otherwise it just burns energetically, which is how they disposed of it.

Storing the less stable blast caps (electrical rather than a classic fuse) with the dynamite sounds like extremely bad practice.

[anon29537550]

@beschizza

“HAVE BRAIN WILL TRAVEL,”

So, ACME?

[Mister44]

I would be remiss if I didn’t post this story about dynamite, which is one of my favorite stories of all time.

MVI_3406.AVI By Jimmy Ferris Spur Texas

[cannibalpeas]

@beschizza

mystery metal container and opened it with a torch

Never, ever use a torch on something you don’t know the contents of. My local welder told me that he would never work with 55 gal drums again because one time he was cutting one and the residue from whatever hydrocarbon was in it ignited and turned it into a ballon. He was told it was empty, but just the residue (and possibly fumes) was enough to ignite.

[FGD135]

[ Benjamin Lee Whorf has entered the chat ]

[Mister44]

As I understand it, if you cut into a cylinder you’re supposed to fill it with water and cut the top off first.

[cannibalpeas]

That’s a good idea, though I’d assume some hydrocarbons could still ignite if there was a void for vapor to accumulate. Plus, many float and aren’t fully miscible in water. I sure as hell wouldn’t be the one wielding the torch.