Old Dynamite Boxes

[Robb Barnes]

I was at the other farm the other day looking for some old boards when I came across a stack of old wooden boxes. I dug one out and found that it was an old wooden box from the Giant Powder/Dynamite company. Apparently the former owner rented a shack to an old guy who was a powder monkey and the old boxes were from his old shack that has been torn down. While they were dirty and insect eaten I thought they were cool and especially neat was the non nailed, alternate notch corner construction. I mistakenly assumed this was to let the sides fall out rather than shatter and turn into a million flying splinters incase there was ever and "event" but David Bradshaw explained that it was just the construction technique at the time. Neat old boxes that range back from many years ago.

 

[Ferdinand]

I think that Giant was the first to produce dynamite in the U.S. The corners on the box look very strong with those finger joints. Very neat piece you have there.

 

[No-1]

Lotsa history there

Giant, Richmond, California
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Coordinates: 37°59′26″N 122°21′26″W Giant (formerly, Nitro) was an unincorporated community, now within Point Pinole Regional Shoreline, and annexed to Richmond in Contra Costa County, California. It lies at an elevation of 23 feet (7 m).
History[edit]

The town of Nitro—Giant was established in 1892 as a company town by the Giant Powder Company. The company moved its manufacturing facilities to this location, after a factory explosion demolished the two previous plants in Glen Canyon (San Francisco) and Berkeley. The Giant Powder Company was the first company in America to produce dynamite.[1] Giant Powder Company's main rival, Hercules Powder Company, was located nearby at what became the town of Hercules.
California Historic Landmark No. 1002-1 is at the location of Giant. Point Pinole Regional Shoreline is in the East Bay Regional Park District.

 

[David Bradshaw]

No-1.... thanks for the history. Makes me wonder if the stick powder called Giant Gelatin derives from Giant; I had associated Giant Gelatin with DuPont.
David Bradshaw

 

[WendyZXZ]

Fun bit of history!

 

[toysoldier]

If you take a tour of the Undergorund Salt Museum here in Hutchinson, you'll see hundred of such boxes. They filled the empties with gravel and stacked them up to seal off side tunnels to improve air flow.

\My wife had a great-uncle who was vaporized in an explosion at the plant in Dynamita, Mexico. His son was later killed in a similar explosion in Illinois.

 

[caryc]

Here's a piece that I found out in the desert somewhere, don't even remember where. The rest of the box was all busted up. I carefully went over the sunken lettering with a fine point marker and coated the whole thing with orange shellac.

Makes a nice wall hanger.

 

[gunjunkie]

I got a couple of those Dupont boxes in Cripple Creek Colorado a couple of years ago for $20 each.

 

[Jeff Hoover]

Here are a couple boxes from my paternal grandmothers second husband. He was a PA coal miner and picked these up from his work. No one else wanted them and I took them happily. Store my empty powder cans in them. Yeah, I'm kinda a packrat when it comes to gun related stuff.

 

[Sturgis270]

3.photobucket.com/albums/yy113/Sturgis270/002_zps23472c21.jpg[/IMG][/URL]. I found this box while serving as Chief of our local F.D. Friends asked us to burn an old farm house and barn. This box was in the house. Near perfect condition.

 

[G2]

li'l help

 

[Sturgis270]

Thank you!

 

[yooper1]

This is my little collection. All have been used for iron ore mining here in the Ironwood, MI area in the 40's thru to the early 60's.

 

[caryc]

So, why do old explosives boxes all come with those finger joints?

 

[contender]

Cary, I'd think the boxes were built that way to allow for rapid expansion in the untimely event of detonation. So as to NOT add to the containment of the explosion.
Maybe?

 

[bnewberry]

So, why do old explosives boxes all come with those finger joints?

To make a strong box that won't fall apart when you carry or stack it.

 

[toysoldier]

You will note that those boxes were made of whole planks, not plywood. Finger joints are easily milled in that sort of wood, and make strong glued joints. It was also a time when craftsmanship hadn't been replaced by low-bid.