I thought that only happened in cartoons

[k0ua]

The blasting cap itself would take most of the hand off.

Exactly. As many kids learned the hard way around Aurora Missouri in my dads era where kids raided the blasting shacks to get blasting caps to play with. I have seen the results of that in older men from that era. I remember lectures in school about the dangers of blasting caps. Not that there was any of them around when I was a kid to play with anymore. But there were plenty of them around for children to play with in my dads time.

 

[Doofy]

I took a snow machine ride to the old Kennecott copper mine in about 1970. We were exploring the old buildings when it got dark out and we were tripping and getting tangled up in a mass of wire. We went back the next morning and saw that they were blasting caps strewn everywhere. We were lucky.

 

[bunyip]

We used to use fuse (and crimped cap) about 30 years ago, the fuse came in two colours and had different burn rates per foot.
Used it to remove fallen trees over tracks but used red cord and not stick explosive.
Would put signs on the track to stop traffic, leave someone at each sign, light a 2 minute fuse and WALK away, more chance of falling and getting hurt if you ran.
Leftover redcord was disposed of by burning, would just catch fire as it needed a very high temp to explode, also gave you a headache if you didn't wear gloves.

 

[flyerdan]

A lot of things don't make sense, first of all is that anyone who has handled dynamite knows that you don't prep it up in advance, like reloading cartridges. When transporting it you don't even have the caps and dynamite in the same location.
As for the lack of carnage, consider that most of it's power comes from confinement of some type, just like a firearm.
Back in the good old days, you could go to Lindsay-Helmer's hardware in the spring and pick up a case of dynamite, and I can remember my dad burning the old boom sticks, which were often sweating a yellow oily substance. It would just burn on the stump, giving off a noxious cloud that would give you a headache if you weren't smart enough to avoid it.
The fuse would burn at a foot per minute, and would burn underwater as well. I still have a couple rolls, must be nearly as old a me, if not more. Diameter is about 3/16".

 

[bcp]

A search found more, so it seems like the police report of dynamite would be accurate. Unless someone made it a more exciting story.

Woman Lights Dynamite Instead Of Candle In Bridgeport, Blows Up Hands, Face - Hartford Courant
Another explosive device was found during a search, and members of the Bridgeport Fire Department and the state police removed it and disposed of it by detonating it safely, Harris said.


But in another article:


Official: Woman lit dynamite, thought it was candle; blew off fingers - Connecticut Post
Fire and police units found what Caldaroni described as a “makeshift firework” in the home while investigating. As a precaution, they evacuated the residents in the two homes on either side of the woman’s residence and called in the state police bomb squad to remove the explosive, which was later detonated at a safe location.

Bruce

 

[Industrial Toys]

We bought a bunch one weekend many years ago. My first impression and disappointment was how much you needed to accomplish much of anything.

I thought they always used that ball type bomb in cartoons. What is that supposed to be anyway?

 

[Doofy]

Dynamite was great fun as a young person. I worked at an antimony mine in the winter of '71 until we got froze out around Christmas(running water was freezing on the shaker tables). Temps dropped down to -65 and we made it out riding on a Dozer. I pilfered two sticks of dynamite and a couple of caps.

In March of '72 I joined the Marine Corps and trundled off to Basic Training in San Diego, having forgotten the 2 sticks of dynamite hidden in a wool sock in my dresser drawer. The blasting caps were also in a sock...2 drawers down. The Spring sun coming in my bedroom window heated up some scented candles and set my Dad to sneezing. In tracking down the smell he found my stash of purloined "Boomsticks". He never said a word to me but gave away my goodies.

 

[Industrial Toys]

The nitro was oozing out of the dresser?

 

[Doofy]

The nitro was oozing out of the dresser?

No. The sun warming scented candles was making my Dad sneeze.

 

[bcp]

I thought they always used that ball type bomb in cartoons. What is that supposed to be anyway?

Explosive cannon ball.

And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there;

Bruce