Where Nitro and Dope Become One
After the nitro has been created and neutralized the next step in the dynamite production process is to mix the nitro with a fibrous filler material known in the biz as “dope”. Working much the same as sawdust, the dope soaks up the liquid nitro and creates a gelatinous material similar in consistency to Playdo (but smell not nearly as good). It is this Playdo-like material that will be used to form the dynamite sticks.
The mixing of the nitro and dope occur at the mixing house, our third step on the tour. Nitro arrives from the Angel Walk, where it has been hand-carted down from the Store House. The “dope” arrives by hand-pushed rail car from the Dope House, where the several dry ingredients from the safety side have been pre-mixed. The Nitro and Dope are then added to a series of large mixing vats where the two are combined. The mixing vats are cooled to help minimize the risk of explosion. The resultant explosives are then pushed by rail-car out of the building and down to the packing houses.
The Mix House, like most other buildings at Senter, were razed by fire to burn off any residual nitro that may yet exist inside. Here’s the remains of that building after the fire. All that remained was a pair of concrete pillars and the exhaust ducting sprawled out over the earth berm in the rear of the building.
Today the ruins looks much the same. The high earth berms that surrounded the building stand still stand, though a bit more overgrown then before. The concrete pillars still stand as well, which you can see in the photo above. Now however the open space inside the berms where the building once stood has been taken over by the forest.
The Mix House had three entrances cut through the massive berms: one for the Nitro to enter from the Angel Walk; one for the Dope to enter from the Dope House; and a third for the workers to enter. The Nitro entrance has collapsed, but the worker and dope entrances still remain. Above you can see the large retaining wall that protected the dope entrance - slightly charred.
Here’s a close up of one of the large bolts used to hold the retaining wall up. I have a feeling that the large washer was designed to split open like it has as the bolt was tightened up. These type of connections were popular in the Copper Country, as I have seen them on many ruins and railroad bridges.
Amazingly the old ductwork for the building that we could see in the old photo is also still here, though someone has thrown it outside of the pit. It now lays along the sloping side of the earth berm. This ductwork would be attached to a blower sitting outside of the building. It would work to remove the nitro fumes which caused extreme headaches and nausea.
Thanks to Bill Haller for providing from his collection these great archive photos of the plant during demolition, photographed by Ted Sved.
Further information about the turn-of-the-century dynamite production process can be found in the New York Times archives, in this article from 1890 about the Volney Chemical Company in New Jersey. Interesting stuff.
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