Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1878-05-08
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The Cause Of tho Minneapolis
Disaster.
A reporter of the Chicago Times
says:
The explosion created a profound
sensation in the city, and next to the
direct effect Of the news upon the
public mind was the unanimity with
which people
BEGAN TO SPECULATE AS TO THE CAUSE.
To arrive at the probable cause the
average reader must first be possessed
of some scientific facts, which are as
startling as they are generally un-
known. IL he aware that the peace
able, faithful, unsupported Touring
mill is an institution as dangerous,
under the right circumstances, as a
powder-mill? The chances are that
he is not, yet such is the literal fact,
as the frighful disaster at Minneapo.
lis has just demonstrated.
When the wheat comes from be-
tween the mill-stones, it is called
"chops." These go to the "bolting-
machine" where the -four is bolted
out. Afterward, the bran is separ-
ated, leaving what is called the enid
dlings." The middlings are run
through purifiers" a series of sleeves,
and, after they have been cleansed,
are the flour from which "Graham
bread" is made. The refuse which is
separated from the middlings by the
purifier" is the dangerous substance
which most likely produced the
frightful accident.
IT'S A BROWN, "FLUFFy" DUST,
harmless in appearance, but as explo-
sive, almost, as gunpowder. As the
middlings are sifted through the
purifier" gentle blast Of air car
ries away the dust-''red-dog" some
mill men call it--through pipe into
a room for safe keeping. This room
is cleaned sometimes by machinery, a
series Of hoppers being used, and
sometimes by manual labor. When
it is cleaned by the latter process, the
work is done during the daytime
No light is ever allowed in the room,
for the instant light touches the dust
the latter explodes. Neither is any
one allowed to enter the room except
at cleaning times. The utmost care is
required and used to prevent explo.
sions from taking place.
The explosion of flour mills is not
a common occurrence, but it is one
with which millers and scientists are
familiar, although the public know
but little of them. The subject was
FIRST BROUGHT INTO GENERAL NOTICE
by the destruction of the 1radeston
mills in Glasgow, Scotland, in July
1872. The disaster was one of such
appalling magnitude, both in the LOST
OF property and of life, that the world
was shocked into a consideration OF
the matter. The insurance compa.
MES at first refused to pay the loss
but they finally handed over the en-.
tire amount, when it became known
that the causes were beyond the con.
troll of the mill owners. A similar
explosion occurred at Port Dundas
Scotland, Sept. Is, 1874, which wa.
not SO disastrous, but kept the public
mind fixed on the topics, and the sci
entists went to work to solve the mys
terry.
DIR. w. Smith, of Manchester, Eng
land, gave the following as his opin
ion: at has been demonstrated tina
-four and bran, intimately n liked, and
in fine state of division, give of ,
gas at $50 degrees Fahrenheit which
when mixed with nine volumes CT air
forms
AN EXPLOSIVE MIXTURE,
+ liable at any time to be fired by
spark or fame" He related how al
|explosion was produced in the Ofen
Pesth steam mill at Budapest, Hun
gary, which blew off the roof of tn
building, by workmen mixing som
. fine varieties of flour. The door .
the mixing room was left open, an,
thick cloud of dust became ignite,
from light. A similar explosion
} took place at Frledict, Germany
The doctor recommended that the us
of exposed portable lights in mills b
prohibited.
A report of the committee on "Tht
Inherent Causes of
FIRE IN FLOUR MILLS
was read before the New York Stat
association of supervising and ad just
ing agents on July II, 1877. 1t treat
ed partly OH the so-called spontane
Gus combustion in mills, and partly
: on explosions. 1t quoted from Ger
J man writer to show that of thous
and pound of wheat, 1854 were ole
j. aginous; of rye, 2l.O9; of barley 26.
81; of oats, $3.50; of corn, 1885
The report concluded:
l. That explosions were the inner
ent causes Of fires In flour mills; and
2. That in the majority of thes
cases the -four or meal was heated b,
the rapid motion of the machinery
and a spark was produced by, tn,
friction of the stones, and the oleag
inous product of the cereal was ignit
ed, and the explosion and fire wer
the results.
i. With the above facts in mind /,
Times reporter called, on yesterda,
afternoon, on several of the most ex
perienced mill men in the city to ge
! their views of the probable cause o
the explosion. With one exception
they thought it to be the "red-dog.
But they were very unwilling to tall
much.
THE MOST IMPORTANT OPINION
was obtained from gentleman VIII,
did not wish his name made public
He is one of the oldest and most ex
pert millers in the city; but owing t,
!, the fact that his theory involved al
assumption of carelessness on tn,
part Of mill owners and employees
: he preferred to remain incoqnito. HI,
said that the middlings purifiers il
the Washburn mill are Of the French
pattern, and differ from the Ameri.
can purifier in that they blow thu
brown dust or "fiuf1" ont into thu
room where they are located, filling
it with dense cloud of impurities in
the form of dust and this fuzz flo
the shell of the kernel. The Other
purifiers, the ones in use in this city
conduct it to one room where it il
confined. This room is opened only
to clean it out-perhaps once week
in the best appointed mills these
rooms are never opened, the dust be.
ing cleaned out by machinery. The
French purifier requires more atten.
ton and care than others, hence more
men and boys are employed. This
explosion occurred about Z o'clock in
the evening-about lighting up time
This dust is extremely combustible
and as two floors in the Washburn
mill are principally occupied by these
purifiers the two rooms would be fill
ed with dense cloud of dust. Ian.
terms are used in the mill, and it il
probable that one was broken, or fire
was communicated by some other
means, which will never be known
to this combustible dust, and the vol.
ume being 80 great and so closely
confined caused this terrific explos.
ion. The dust ignites Immediately
when it comes in contact with flame
The gentleman cited an instance that
came under his personal observation
in Milwo N Loo Il, 1910 Tho Aust n ~,