position of the moulds and pistons is not exactly the same in all cases,
what the Germans call 'Ecken' (English 'binding') will take place, viz.,
the mould will stand obliquely to the piston, and a dangerous friction
will result." "Of course, it is necessary to protect the man working the
hydraulic valves during compression. At Waltham Abbey they have a curtain
made of ship's hawsers, which is at the same time elastic and resistant."
Mr Guttmann has found that a partition wall 12 inches thick, made of
2-inch planks, and filled with ground cinders, gives very effective
protection. A door in this partition enables the workman to get to the
press, and a conical tube penetrates the wall, enabling the man to see the
whole work from a safe standpoint. The roof, or one side of the building,
should be of glass, so as to give the explosion a direction.

~Trench's Fire-extinguishing Compound~ is manufactured by the Cotton
Powder Company at Faversham, and is the invention of Mr George Trench,
F.C.S., the manager of the Company. The object of the invention is to
surround the cartridges of tonite, when used in coal mines, with a fire-
extinguishing compound. If a charge of tonite, dynamite, or gelatine
dynamite is put inside a few ounces of this mixture, and then fired, not
the least trace of flame can be observed, and experiments appear to show
that there is no flame at all. The compound consists of sawdust
impregnated with a mixture of alum and chlorides of sodium and ammonia.
Fig. 22 shows the manner of placing the tonite cartridge in the paper bag,
and surrounding it with the fire-extinguishing compound, _aa_. The
attachment of the fuse and detonator is also shown.

[Illustration: FIG. 22.--TRENCH'S FIRE-EXTINGUISHING CARTRIDGE.]

The following report (taken from the _Faversham News_, 22nd Oct. 1887) of
experiments conducted in the presence of several scientific and mining men