Dinnet, Diatomite, Dynamite & Deeside
In 1848, Queen Victoria visits Balmoral for the 1st time, beginning the popularity of Deeside as a Tourist location. The Deeside Railway line to Ballater is completed in 1866, with a Station at nearby Cambus o’May In 1876, the 1st Diatomite is mined at Black Moss, for use in making Dynamite, Paints & Pigments.
Dynamite
Nitroglycerin, 1st synthesised by an Italian called Ascanio Sobrero in 1846, is made by reacting glycerol (glycerin, glycerine, or 1,2,3-propanetriol) with concentrated nitric & sulphuric acids. Glycerol is present in the form of esters (glycerides) in all animal & vegetable fats & oils. It was released by treating the fats with alkalis such as ash from burned seaweed. Whales were an important source of fat for this process. The production of Ash from Kelp was itself a major Industry in Scotland in the Western & Northern Isles during the 18th & 19thC.
As a young man, Nobel studied Chemistry, then, in 1850, went to Paris to further the work. There he met Ascanio Sobrero, who had invented nitro-glycerin 3-yrs before. Sobrero strongly opposed the use of nitro-glycerin, as it was unpredictable, exploding when subjected to heat or pressure. But Nobel became interested in finding a way to control and use nitro-glycerin as a commercially usable Explosive, as it had much more power than Gunpowder. At age 18, he went to the United States for one year to study, working for a short period under Swedish-American Inventor John Ericsson, who designed the American Civil War Ironclad USS Monitor. Nobel filed his 1st Patent, an English Patent for a Gas Meter, in 1857, while his 1st Swedish Patent, which he received in 1863, was on ‘ways to prepare Gunpowder’. Nobel devoted himself to the study of Explosives, and especially to the safe manufacture & use of nitro-glycerin. Nobel invented a Detonator in 1863, and in 1865 designed the Blasting Cap. On 3rd September 1864, a Shed used for the preparation of nitro-glycerin exploded at the Factory in Heleneborg, Stockholm, killing 5 people, including Nobel’s younger brother Emil. Dogged & unfazed by more minor accidents, Nobel went on to Build further Factories, focusing on improving the stability of the Explosives he was developing. Nobel invented Dynamite in 1867, a substance easier & safer to handle than the more unstable nitro-glycerin. Dynamite was Patented in the US & the UK and was used extensively in Mining & the Building of Transport Networks Internationally.
In more peaceful times Nitro-glycerine (or Blasting Oil) had been used as a Commercial Explosive with Production being pioneered by the Swedish Chemist Alfred Nobel in 1862. Unfortunately, it was very dangerous to handle but in 1866 Nobel invented Dynamite, Nitro-glycerine made safe by absorbing it onto a Diatomaceous Sand, known as Kieselguhr, to produce a pliable dough-like material. Nobel Established a Dynamite Factory at ICI Ardeer in Ayrshire, which, by 1907 by was reputed to be the largest explosives Factory in the World and which was closed only relatively recently. The required Diatomite was found in substantial deposits in Scotland at Loch Cuithir on Skye & Dinnet on Deeside. At several localities between Logie Coldstone & Dinnet a Deposit of Diatomite (Kieselguhr) occurs beneath the Peat.
In 1875 Nobel invented Gelignite, more stable & powerful than Dynamite, and in 1887 Patented Ballistite, a predecessor of Cordite.
In 1867, Alfred Nobel discovered that the highly volatile nitro-glycerin liquid could be soaked up by inert diatomaceous earth, or Diatomite. This substance could then be rolled into sticks and so Dynamite was invented! Diatomite (sometimes called Kieselguhr) was suddenly in demand and this resulted in a small Industry springing up at Muir of Dinnet in 1867. Lochs contain many billions of microscopic algae, which have an outer casing made largely of Silica. As they die & decay, the durable Silica cases accumulate into layers, called Diatomite, at the bottom of Lochs. Black Moss was particularly rich in Diatomite and between 1867 & 1910, it was dug from the Moss and sent all over the World to make Dynamite, or be mixed into Paint.
Extracting the Diatomite.
Diatomite was overlain by Peat marking Site of silted-up Lake. The vertical trenches show the method of draining the Peat. Before silting-up, the shallow Lakes had an abundant supply of nutrients & silica from the surrounding Granites. Conditions were ideal for the prolific growth of lacustrine diatoms and the formation of fairly pure Diatomite. Subsequent climate change and lowering Lake levels lead to the formation of the overlying Peat. The deposit at Muir of Dinnet near Ballater. Diatomite is a fine-grained earth substance resembling chalk or white clay in appearance and when dry easily breaking down into a white powder. Some specimens are as light as Cork and can absorb 4 times their weight of Water (or Nitro-glycerine). It is composed of frustules of Diatoms, extremely minute siliceous organisms. In about 1880 a substance referred to as ‘white moss‘ was reported underneath the Peat at Muir of Dinnet. It was recognised as a diatomaceous deposit by the Rev George Davidson and was regarded as a substance that could replace Kieselguhr in the manufacture of Dynamite. Practically the whole commercial output was sent to the Ardeer Explosive Works in Ayrshire where the organic matter was burnt away in Kilns before use as an absorbent for Nitro-glycerine in the Manufacture of Dynamite.
Inside the large Diatomite Storage Sheds. The photograph shows the method of Building & Piling the Dried Blocks within the Sheds. The Blocks are arranged in a Herringbone Fashion.
Doric Columns 