The information below should give the earliest dates on which Nitro could
have used.
Guncotton was discovered early in 1846 by Christian Friedrich Schonbein
professor of chemistry at Basle.
In July 1846 he was invited to come to Cornwall to demonstrate the explosive
to the
Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society.
In February 1847 the discovery of Nitro-glycerine was announced by Ascanio
Sobrero in Turin.
John Tonkin of Pool parish of Illogan in Cornwall took out a Patent (No 320
of 1862)
for an explosive consisting of Guncotton and Gunpowder
Nobles brother was killed in and explosion of Nitro in 1864
In 1864 Nobel patented heaters to explode Nitro.
The first advertisement in the Mining Journal appeared on 26th Jan 1864.
All information comes from
"Cornish Explosives Bryan Earl The Trevithic Society 1978 ISBN 0 904040 135
|