If exuded nitroglycerin has stained floors or other material not readily destroyed, the nitroglycerin may be decomposed and rendered harmless by washing with “sulphur solution.” This solution may be made by boiling 50 pounds of lime in a barrel of water and adding powdered sulphur until the solution will take up no more. This will require about 20 pounds of sulphur. The resulting bright orange-colored solution should be filtered and only the filtrate used. A suitable filter for this purpose is a piece of thin cheese-cloth. Sodium carbonate may be used in the place of lime. Dynamite may be destroyed by burning in small quantities at a time. Slit the cartridge with a knife, spread out the contents over some straw or shavings, and ignite carefully. Do not attempt to burn frozen dynamite. =Mine fuses.=—These are regular commercial electric fuses, extra quality, and each contains about 25 grains of mercury fulminate. Fuses are supplied in pasteboard boxes containing 50 each, pasteboard boxes being shipped in suitable wooden boxes. They are supplied with long leads which are cut to proper length when the mines are loaded. _They must not be stored with other explosives._ =Loading mines.=—In loading mines the following precautions are observed: (_a_) Funnels are used to cover the screw threads. (_b_) Trotol is poured through the funnels. (_c_) Cakes of guncotton or packages of dynamite are passed through the funnels by hand. (_d_) The screw threads are wiped carefully before the compound plug is inserted. (_e_) Pieces of canvas or paulins should be spread upon the floor of the loading room. After the loading has been completed the canvas should be removed and thoroughly cleaned. The floor of the loading room should be scrubbed and all refuse destroyed. =Unloading mines.=—Mines charged with trotol or wet guncotton may be unloaded without danger; the compound plug being unscrewed, the cakes of wet guncotton are removed by hand, repacked in the original boxes, a little fresh water added, and the boxes closed. If loaded with trotol, the charge is poured out into the boxes, which are then closed. Trotol should be inspected carefully when removed from the case, and if there is indication that any of it has undergone a change while the mine was loaded, a report should be made to the War Department. In unloading mines charged with dynamite too many precautions can not be taken. The mine should be held either in an opening in a raft or behind an earthen traverse and the compound plug removed by some arrangement which may be operated from a safe distance. If the mine has been planted for some time the recovered dynamite is usually destroyed. Sometimes the interior of the mine case may be found coated with an extremely thin film of exuded nitroglycerin. This film may be destroyed by filling and thoroughly rinsing the case with “sulphur solution.”