Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1884-03-11
IRON AND GLASS
Bring Peculiar Diseases to Those
Who Work Them.
NaiIefs' Consumption and Similar Affections
Special Paper Prepared BY d..
0iekey fof the State
sfE Board.

In The report OF the State Board Of Health
Just Issued, is special paper by DR.. John
L. Dichty, of this city. on "NailerS con-
Sumption and the diseases of iron and glass
workers," which treats OF matters OF gen.
errl interest in this vicinity. The article
bri, fly mentions the diseases and injuries
10 v Inch such men are subject, for instance:
"Boilsrs" ard helpers" are subjsct to con-
gestiUns and their manifold consequences,
by the sudden changes OF temperature, rs
they 60 from hot furnaces out into the
open air and frequently leave the furnace
o plunge their ht q Is and arms into water.
"RoIlers" and "hookers," besides this, are
suhitct TO muscular rheumatism, cramps
anu The like, from the strain Of heavy
work. The "feeder" is liable to become
stcop.sbouldered and is often troubled with
hemorrhoids, from his cramped position.
Accidents are, OF course, liable az all times,
and burns and injuries to the eye are
quite frequent. DR.. Dickey then pro-
ceeds:
NAILERs' CONSUMPTION.
More distinctive and more formidable,
however than all the other diseases and
injuries TO which these workers in iron are
subjected is the socalled "nailers' con-
sumption" which in technical language
IItaiS ~ -. ...Va pysSs-sS f-t-.. clio .a--ITn
Accepting the division Of the causstion
into two classes Of general and local, nail
ers' consumption comes under the latter. II
IS the mechanical or irritative form Of this
dread disease and resembles anthracosis, or
miners consumption; milestone makers
consumption; cotton consumption TO
which the operatives in cot
ton mills are Liable; stonemasons con-
sumption; and knife.grinders' cOnsump-
ZION. The last named are probably indenti.
cal with nailers' consumption, as
it is due to the irritation
get up by particles of steel and stone dust.
Ten or twelve hours day the mailer and
nRil-feeder are breathing IN an atmosphere
laden with minute particles OF iron and
steel. The mailer has charge OF three or
four machines, and much OF his time is
spent il the grinding room sharpening the
knives OF the nail machines on large, rap.
idly revolving sand-StOnes, the dust from
which is an additional source of irritation
to his air passages and iungs. The feeder
is not exposed to this dust ot Ibe grind
stones, but this danger is partially bal
snced by his sitting constantly on his stool
IN cramped position. inspiring the metal
lie dust. The great bulk OF the danger,
however, falls on the mailer, and no matter
how broad. shouldefed and FULL hestsd he
may be, nor how robust in health, he
MUST sUCCuMB SOONER OR LATER.
Be,ides grinding the knives he finds il nee.
essary to use, three or four times day,
The patent scraper" for leveling the face
Of the stone, which becomes worn in
grooves and grows smooth and glazsd on
he surface with the particles OF steel. The
scrSper is attached to the frame, and
white, choking cloud of coarse stone dust
ily the air, which, in the words OF a work
arr, is very hand on the lungs" In or
IL 10 Uhy;a'e the danger from grinding,
to some extent, Eastean nail mills form
ely us d, as a rule, wet stones, but this
mt.h.d IS too slow and is not much in
vogue at present Two OF the mills here,
the LsBeI!e sid the Benwood, have intro
iured lsrge and powerful fans for remov
ing the dust The stones are eneircled
half way round by troughs, which lead
into large conduit through which is
passing a strong draught from the fan. By
this means at least half of the refuse Is
removed. 1t is claimed that the good re-
suits can already be seen in the improved
looks of the nailers Of these two mills, and
that they lose less time from work on ao-
count OF sickness.
WORKERS IN GLASS
After dtvoting some little space to
IItulCOl uIueLOoIS Va O SuoC VI hui4Cio WI
sumption, and Still more on the subject of
various iDspirators now in use, DR.. Dickey
tells OF some of the diseases peculiar to
glass workers. In many factories most
OF the wcrkmen are not exposed very long
at a stretch, their time being divided into
turns of five hours each, and industrious
workman making ten or eleven turns in
week.
All are exposed, more or less, to high
J T .,,,t = h,an ,nh
modified in late years by improvements in
ventilstion. A strong draught Of air is
driven by fans through large pipes which
run TO different parts of the factory and
around the furnaces. These pipes have
vent holes at short intervals which allow
lie cool air 10 blow on the workmen near
be furnaces. or from which rubber hose
conducts 1t 10 the presses for cooling the
moulGs. The "inshers" are generally ex.
posed 10 the heat of the room on the one
lsnd or the cool air from door or window
near which they sit, on the ether. The
"snappers' are exposed TO the intense heat
Of the glory holes at which thy staud to
melt ware.
The workmen who are more subject to
burns, which are seldom of serious char
acter, are the "gaLhereIs," who roll up
Jumps OF the molten glass ou' of the pots
and drop il into the moulds TO be pressed.
The "carryipg.in boys" running to and
fro. son etiGes get serious burns by COM
ing in contact with the hot glass Proba-
bly, rs mspy OF these accidents happen
lieu - y.laIkine' as attending strictly
owCrk
il. materials used in the manufacture OF
DIS Die saut, soda and lime, 10 which
rs!ltr quantities OF
.rsfnic MD MANGANESE ADDED.
n "mix.rs" generally protect their nose
an mouth with handkerchiefs They are
subj. ct to fits OF coughing ssd sneeziog
and to more or less nasal catsrrh. from the
irritation of this mineral dust. The sensi-
I've mucous membrane OF the eyes alse
.ufers from the same cause, aHd coDjunc
tivllis is not uncommon With the mixers.
Chronic lead poisoning. with lis train OF
wellBnown symptoms often occurs among
mixers, where flint glass is made, in which
lead is used.
The packers" use fine ost straw and
prairie grass in packingthe glass in boxes,
barrels and crates for shipment They are
exposed to the dust and chaif from this
material, which is very Irritating and sets
up nasal cstarrh.
The washers" women aud girls EN-.
ploIed in washing the ware, have their
hands constantly in water, and often get
tlr,; frrI vet. Many of them, consequently,
sIH,I from rheumatism.
IRE "mould-makers" work in cast iron.
they cut the metal with chisels, and often
get chips in their eyes. A young mould:
maker came to me recently with speck OF
metal imbedded in the cornea. Although
he had not been working at the trade very
long discovered several scars on the cor
Des from former injuries. induced him
to guard against such danger in the future
by wearing pair Of wire gaUze eye pro-
tectofs With fronts OF plane glass.
Empbysema and hypertrophy OF the
btsrt are frequently found among glass
blowers from the distention Of the lungs
caused by long and hard blowing. But not
% much of this is done now as formerly,
and only in the manufacture OF window
glass and hollow ware.
Glass-msking proper seems to health
full occupation, and glass who live
tempersfely and take good care Of them
selves enjoy ordinary good health and fill
out the iull average Of years. "
= y ]: 80 $