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Known types of Blasting Caps used in Bisbee’s underground mines

 

 

     These are the known types of blasting caps used in Bisbee’s underground mines.  Bisbee almost exclusively, used fire  fuse caps underground until end of operations.  The fear of stray electricity  underground prevent widespread use of electric blasting caps. Only one  blasting cap box was found in the leaser areas. Electric caps were used in other areas but the types are unknown. 

 Different sizes of fire fuse blasting caps from top to bottom No.8,  No.6, No.3

Atlas Chemical Industries

Box ends for electric blasting caps found underground in Bisbee

Hercules Powder Company

No .8  Hercules Powder tin 

Circa 1920-1945

California Cap Co.

Triplex (no.3) blasting  cap tin

Circa 1900-1920

Quintuplex (no.5) blasting cap tin 

Circa 1890-1910

Standing lion type tin comes in No. 6 and No.8 sizes Circa 1906-1920                    

Lion tin  type comes in No. 6 and No.8 with Hercules Powder Company label . Starting in  1921  Apache powder company label tins were used

Circa 1910-1930

Blasting Cap Dangerous  type comes in No. 6 and No.8 with Apache powder company label

Circa 1920-1945

E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co (Inc)

Dupont N0.6 blasting caps

Circa 1970's

Illinois Western Cartridge Company

Illinois Western No.8 Blasting cap tin

Circa 1924-1936

Olin Industries Inc.

Paper Olin Blasting cap box with Thermalite connectors.

Circa 1960's-1970's

Western Cartridge Company

Western No.6 tin with a No.6 blasting cap       

Circa 1924-1950                                

Western No 8. Tin with No. 8 blasting caps

Circa 1924-1950     

Paper Western  No.6 Blasting cap box with fuse, spitter cord and thermalite connectors

Unknown

Very early tin with tabbed bottom no surviving markings

Circa 1880-1908

References

 

Richard Graeme IV 2010, pers. comm., 8 February .

Richard Graeme III 2010, pers. comm., 2 February.

Martin Andy 1991,Blasting Cap Tin Catalog,

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