Posted on 12/04/2012 6:55:17 AM PST by Elderberry
Edited on 12/04/2012 7:02:42 AM PST by Admin Moderator. [history]
DOYLINE, La. (AP)
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
How many megatons was that again???
Isn’t this propellant hydroscopic? Once wet, it cannot explode, like black powder?
3KiloTons
It’s smokeless powder so it will still explode when wet.
3 kilotons is my estimate. Not quite Hiroshima but enough to screw up your garden party.
Same area the “meteor” and the “munitions bunker” explosions.
My uncle used to tell me of the big explosion at the DuPont plant in Old Hickory, Tennessee. Here is something I found on it.
http://www.oldhickoryrecord.com/volfire.htm
40 Million Pounds of Powder Once Blew Up Here -
Problem of Storage After War Troubled Some; No Powder Here Now
Old Hickory News - 15th Anniversary Souvenir
What to do with the finished powder left here after the Armistice was a source of great concern to those persons in charge of closing operations. Much of it was shipped away but there was still enough in Old Hickory to blow lots of people to kingdom come. Various methods of storing the powder were utilized, with an eye to preservation and safety.
One particular building was taken over, far down behind the present plants, close to the river, and forty million pounds put there. This entire amount went up in smoke with a complete loss, but there was no damage or jar as might be expected for such an occurrence.
An N.I.C. official describes it as simply a big, sudden “whoof” of smoke with no real explosion. He says that the manner in which the powder was stored prevented any serious blast.
Another forty million pounds which had first been placed in a building in similar manner was moved at the Government’s request when age began to have its effect. This quantity was transferred to the raw water basins of the filter plant and sunk beneath the water where it could be better preserved.
Today there is no powder in Old Hickory. The last amount was removed from the basins several years ago and there are no longer any fears that the village will be rocked by a tremendous explosion such as some people expected in the past.
6 million?
wowza
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