The haziness in the photograph is caused by the gaseous working conditions. Bare, unprotected feet provided the means of locomotion within the foundry when transferring molten metal from the furnace to the mold area, a distance of 5 m. The actual metal transfer and casting is accomplished by a three-person relay. Each worker holds a ladle, containing about 4 kg of metal, with tongs that are about 1.5 m in length. The sequential execution is a marvel to behold.
Every worker seems to know and anticipate every move of their coworkers.
There is no wasted motion. Undoubtedly, this teamwork familiarity and dexterity preclude accidents from occuring during operations. A close-up view of the top of the furnace showing metal being ladled. The railroad rail is used as a weight to hold the sheet iron cover in place during firing. Skim is removed from the metal surface prior to ladling and broken into small pieces while hot.