Inventor Name
Du Pont, Lammot
Repository
Hagley Museum & Library
Manuscripts & Archives Department
P.O. Box 3630
Wilmington, DE 19807-0630
302-658-2400
https://www.hagley.org/research
Physical Description
25 linear feet
Summary
Lammot du Pont was born at Nemours, Delaware, on April 13, 1831. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in engineering, he began work for E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. By 1859 he was supervising construction of blasting powder mills at Wapwallopen Mills, Luzerne Co., Pennsylvania, the first Du Pont mills outside the state of Delaware. By 1865 he was in charge of all du Pont Company manufacturing units outside the state of Delaware. Lammot du Pont was one of the most eminent chemists in the history of E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. His introduction of sodium nitrate in the manufacture of powder for blasting and mining purposes, a process which he patented in 1857, led to greater production and to the expansion of company operations beyond Delaware. This use of Chilean nitrate, in place of saltpeter, in the production of powder is credited with having revolutionized the industry. Du Pont also made important improvements in machinery and in techniques of manufacture. With the outbreak of the Civil War he took a prominent part in purchasing supplies of saltpeter abroad, acting in close accord with officials at Washington. In 1872 he was elected president of the Gunpowder Trade Association. As an engineer and expert in explosive technology, he became interested in high explosives and smokeless powder. When Henry du Pont, president of the company, was reluctant to move into these markets, Lammot resigned from the company and in 1880 organized the Repauno Chemical Company which manufactured high explosives at a plant across the river in New Jersey. It was here that Lammot du Pont was killed by an explosion of nitroglycerin while conducting experiments on March 29, 1884. The papers of Lammot du Pont describe his innovative work in the explosives industry, his outside investments in coal mines and railroads, and correspondence with family members. The general correspondence includes both personal and business papers. In addition to letters of family and friends and items reflecting Lammot du Pont's interest in scientific education, there are letters relating to powder making machinery, and material on the Gunpowder Trade Association. Papers relating to the manufacture of explosives describe all phases of powder making. They include accident and explosion records, patents, testing, advertising material, papers relating to production costs and agreements with some of the companies that were part of the Gun Powder Trade Association. A smaller group of material (1857-62) relates to Lammot du Pont's trips to Europe as a company representative. In 1858 he went as an observer, but in 1861-62 he was there as a confidential agent of the government to purchase, in the name of E.I du Pont de Nemours & Co., an adequate supply of saltpeter for wartime production needs. The mining and railroad papers relate to Lammot du Pont's outside investments. The chief mining enterprise was the Mocanaqua Coal Company, of which du Pont was president in the late 1860s. It was a small mining company located near the Wapwallopen Mills in Luzerne County. This was a period of instability in the anthracite coal industry, marked by competition and consolidation of firms and attempts to organize the mine workers. The records describe how these trends soon prompted du Pont to sell the company. Other mining papers describe du Pont's search for deposits of soda, sulphur and saltpeter for the manufacture of gunpowder. The railroad papers concern the construction and management of the Wilmington & Reading Railroad, which linked the Du Pont Mills with the Reading Railroad system, and its reorganization as the Wilmington & Northern in 1877. The family correspondence chiefly concerns daily events of family life, but with numerous reference to E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. and the Repauno Chemical Company, including drafts of powder agreements, reports on the operation of the Wapwallopen Mills, shipments of supplies, powder mill explosions and plans for repairing the mills. The miscellany includes records of du Pont's Civil War service, correspondence concerning the Louviers woolen factory and the Rockland cotton mills, and several hundred drawings of houses, mills and machinery.
