The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1892-01-23
DEADLY OCCUPATIONS.
Trades Which Eventually Prove
Fatal to Wcrkn,ea.
Terrible Hardships Which Some Men Arc
Compelled to Undergo III
Order to Gain
Livelihood.

There are many trades which mean,
sooner or later, sure death to the work
man, says the Pail Mall Budget. IN
some cases death comes early; in others,
where the man is working among cu,nu-
tative poisons, it is lingering and Painful
IN the extreme. But of all others. the
salt-calze, bleaching powder and lime
house men have death most surely star
ing them in the face The acid gas
very trying, and aannel protection over
the mouth is used to ward this off, but
in spite Of it teeth and gums fall q vic
tim to the acid. Very frequently bits
get nibbled by the action of the acid
gut of mems hands and arms. Some of
the hands have corrugated look in
consequence.
Lime is the principal ingredient out
Of which bleaching powder is made.
Before it goes to the chlorine chamb ers,
where it is to absorb the gas, it is care
fully treated and reduced to fine
powder It is sifted, and beaten about,
and slaked, and the men who have to do
this work have d job which no one need
envy. Imagine working all day or ali
night as the case may be, in a fine
mist Of ime-linle particles flying
about like cloud Of mosquitoes, with
far sharper bite, too. To protect
themselves the men resort to muzzle
or to a piece of rag or flannel held
tightly between the teeth. The ex-
posed parts of the skin are carefully
creased, and sort Of paper mask is
frequently improvised in addition to
the caps which the men wear. In
spite Of everything, however, the lime
gets in somewhere and inflicts it's bite.
All the time the work is carried on
breathing is terrible effort. To
breathe through the nose would have
the direst consequences. A single in
halation and the lime particles would
lodge there. So the air has to be in
hailed through the muzzle and given out
through the nose. Naturally nose
bleeding is a frequent complaint in the
works. Twenty minutes at spell is
as much as man can stand: after that
he goes out to recover himself and lay
in little air for his inside and some
greasss for his outside lining. These
lime men, of course, are not able To
wash they slun water as other people
shun fire. The only wash they get,
sometimes for months together, is in
grease. To insist upon these poor
chaps repeating their attack on the
lime over a period as long as eight
hours seems cruel. 1t is far, far toe
long, but it would be Il step in the right
direction. AS to the medical evidence,
it does not require much skill to see
how work like this must tell On the
respiratory organs.
The duties of the limehouse men are,
however, child's play compared with
what the packer has to endure. When
the lineman has finished his part of the
Job and the lime is sprinlzled to a depth
of two inches over the floor Of the
chlorine and ralzed lightly over so that
gas shall have access to as large a
surface area as possible, the doors are
shut the cracks stopped up with clay,
and an opening is made to admit the
chlorine. It streams in, and through
the glass which is let into the door you
can see the invasion OF the green gas.
A loug period has to elapse before the
lime has drunk it's fill and become
bleaching powder Of the requisite
strength: but at length, after the neces-
sary tests, and perhaps a rearrange-
ment Of the surface and another dose OF
chlorine, things are ready for packing.
The duties of the powder~paclzer con-
sist OF filing casks with the bleaching
powder. To do this he has to enter the
chamber, which, for several days past,
has been charged with the chlorine gas.
Though the worst Of the gas has beer
allowed to pass out of the chamber be-
fore the packer enters it the atrnos-
phere is still charged with the deadly
fumes The heat is something ire
mendous, especially as the poor wretch
who has to endure it is swathed about
the head in a way that would protect
him from the arctic cold.
SHAVING WITH NASEi lMF