The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1891-11-14
DEATH IN WORKSHOPS.
SOME ARE OBLIGED TO FACE 1T
NEVERTHELESS.
They Must Perform Their Dates When
They Know tho Rssulss are Flu
ally FatAi--Ssit- Cake rni
Dieachlng- Powder.

T.. 4 a
There arc many trades which moan.
sooner or, later. sure death to the
workman. In some cases death comes
early; in others. where the man Is
working among cumulative polsons. ID
Is lingering and painful In the OK
IRENE. But OF all others the salt
cake. bleaching-powder and the lime
house men have death most surely
staring them In tho face. The Pail
Mall Budget prints picture in the
current number that shows just what
these typical chemical workers must
endure.
The acid gas given of from the salt
cake furnaces Is very trying, and tho
flannel protection over the mouth Is
used to ward this Off; but in spite OF it
teeth and gums fall victim to the
acid. Very frequently bits got nibbed
by the action OF the acid out OF the
mems hands and arms Some OF the
hands have d corrugated look in con-
sequence.
Lime is the principal Ingredient out
OF which bleaching powder is made.
Before itgoes to the chlorine chambers,
whore II Is to absorb the gas 1t Is
carefully treated and reduced to a fine
powder. II is sifted and beaten about
and slaked. and the men who have to
do this work have job which no one
need envy. Imagine working all day.
or all night as the case may be. In a
fino mist OF lime--lime PARTICLES lying
about like cloud OF mosquitoes with
far sharper bite. too. TO protect
themselves tho men resort 10 muzzle
or to a piece Of rag or flannel held
tightly between their teeth. The ex-
posed parts OF the skin are carefully
CREASED, and a sort OF paper mask Is
frequently improvised In addition to
the caps which the men wear. In spite
OF everything. however, the lime gets
inasomewhere and inAicts its bite. All
the time the work Is carried on breath
ing Is a terrible effort To breathe
through the nose would have the
direst consequences. A single inhala-
ton and the lime particles would lodge
there. So the air has 20 be inhaled
through the muzzle and given out
through the nose. Naturally. nose
bleeding is n frequent complaint In the
works. Twenty minutes ut spell Is
rs much rs man can stand; after
that he goes out to recover himself
and lay in a little air for his inside
and some grease for outside lining.
These lime mon, OF course, are not
able to wash; they shun water as other
people shun fire. The only wash they
| get sometimes for months together Is
in grease. 10 insist upon these poor
chaps repeating their attacks on the
lime over q period as long as eight
hours seems cruel It is far, far toe
long; but 1t would be step in the
right direction. As to the medical
evidence it does not require much
skill to see how work like this must
toll on the respiratory organs.
The duties OF the lime-housc man
are however. child's play compared
with what the packer has to.endure
| When the lime man has finished his
part OF tho job. and the lime is
sprinkled to depth Of some two
| inches over the floor OF the chlorine
chamber. and raked lightly over SO
that the gas shall have access to as
large a surface area rs possible. the
doors are shut tho cracks stopped up
with clay and an opening is made to
admit the chlorine. It streams in.
and through the glass which is lot into
the door you can see tho invasion OF
the green gas A long period has to
elapse before the lime has drunk its
fill and become bleaching powder OF
the requisite strength; but at length.
after the necessary tests, and perhaps
Encouragement Of the surface and
another dose of chlorine. things are
ready for packing. The duties OF the
powder packer consist Of filing casks
with the bleaching powder. To do
this he has 10 enter the chamber which
for several days past has been charged
with the chlorine gas. Though the
worst OF the gas has been allowed to
pass out OF tho chamber before the
packer enters 1t tho atmosphere is still
charged with tho deadly fumes The
heat Is something tremendous. espec-
tally rs tho poor wretch who has to
endure It is swathed about the head in
a way that would protect him from
arctic cold.