Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1874-01-22

be those two CT three rounded heaps
yonder, over, which a white canvas
sheet was thrown. Under them lay
the poor multilated remains of wha. a
little while ago were stalwart ren. 1t
was not good for loved one or stranger
to look upon them now!
What struck re more than any
thing else was the peculiar air of clean
illness and order that was over the
laeo.-Everything, trees, stones, road
bed, We're all blackened, but all were
smoothly swept. 1t seemed as if some
time before there had been fire which
had blackened everything, and that
some one had gone round afterward,
and, carefully gathering up and cary
ing away all the debris, had scrupu-
lousy swept the whole with brooms,
leaving only the SCOT stains behind.
Nothing of the sort had been done.
Here was simply the result of the
storm that had a little while before
swept the spot. Usually the force OF
the explosion is so great that no debris
can be lett behind, it is simply hurled
out Of existence There are no broken
boards, or pieces of shinple, or bits OF
wood, TO be found They vanish in an
instant. The ground itself has sin
gular smoothed appearance as if bes.
ten down and rounded off
There were few question to be ask
ed. On these occasions the propi'ie-
tors and workmen are reticent, and
information is lot readily accessible.
Ind eed, inquiries as to the cause Of the
explosion al" generally useless If it
has been through the agency Of y ale.
less workmen. he is not there to tell
the tale. The man nearest, and mos,
acquainted with the facts, is probably
the one who in an instant passed out
OF life, often totally vanished from hu-
man sight, not even a fragment OF his
body remaining behind.
That many OF these accidents are
caused by the carelessposs of workmen,
there can De no doubt. 1t is needless
to say that the utmost precaut;on is
taken to guard the safety of the men
and the works, such as floors flooded
with water, shoes in which only cop
per nails are used, etc The reader
will perhaps smile when we say that
smoking is absolutely prohibited. Yet
incredible as it may appear, the author
ity of the proprietors is absolutely nee
essary to enforce this prohibition. A
proprietor of powder-mill once said
to me that in the face of the ever pres
ent danger, and Of the most positive
orders, it was impossible to prevent
the men, at times from taking their
lightened pipes into the works: that ne
had detected the men thrusting their
lighted pipes into their jacket pockets
to escape observation, as he had unex
pectedly come upon them! A triumph
Of art-to smoke ones pipe in q pow
der mill and 'the boss not find il
out!'
Once in a while, on some snacial oc
caslon, the pipe of some such cunning
fellow goes suddenly out, and he with
it. = lie does not lingcr to tell how it
happened.
1t might be supposed that it would
be extremely difficult to find men in
sufficient numbers to carry on business
SO; hazardous, in which the w.,rkmans.
life IS in such constant danger. But
no such difficulty is experience d
There are always more applicants than
places for them to fill; rs in every bust
ness. however unpleasant or unwhole.
some; there will always be found men
who are more than ready for the
work:-Frons the Popular Science
4MontAly.