Schietapparaat

The blasting machine or also called shooting device was used by the ‘schiethouwer’ (person responsible for triggering explosives underground) in the ‘Oranje-Nassau’ Mine 1. This device has a dynamo on the inside with which the electricity is supplied to make the filament glow in the igniter. The lever on top of the shooting device can be winded by means of turning it and discharged by means of pressing it. The electrical energy is transferred via cables, which are attached to the two connection terminals, from the firing device to the igniters. The device can give off an electric charge of about 120 Volts, which is sufficient to trigger the igniters and eventually trigger the explosion. The device helped to safely and effectively trigger the explosives in the mines. Important to note as well is that only an authorised person (the ‘schiethouwer’) could operate this device, because of strict safety regulations. Location: Nederlands Mijnmuseum, Heerlen (Limburg) Created by: Tolboom Quinten