Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-06-26
THE HOMESTEAD MILLS.
4 Workman Gives the Experience OF
His First Day.

A Workman Gives the Experience Of
His First Day.
Trem NcClurs's Magazine.
When went to the superintendent and
asked for work. he said: What can you
DOR
Anything. I am large. strong. active
and willing. I have been about machinery
all my life. and want work badly"
He touched button. and . boy appeared.
Show this man down to the converting
mill and ask Fred If he can DO anything
for him. Good morning." he said. and my
interview was over.
/ put on my new overalls and jumper
and followed my guide down through the
mills. We made our way through piles OF
stock. raw material. rolls. &c, and came at
last to the huge converting mill. The super
intendent was found. and the word DE-
uvered. He glanced at me moment; then
said. not unkindly: You look good and
strong; Jump in and help those fellows
there on those vessels.
hardly knew what he meant; but
through the smoke and steam i saw men
beneath one OF the vessels. or converters.
workinG with sledges ana bars to get the
bottom off, The mill with Its ponderous
and massive cranes. the immense vessels
all covered with black scale and SCOT, the
flying sparks. the roaring flames, the lights
coming and going, the air filled with steam
and smoke. and. finally, the shrill and
deafening noise. awed. confused and even
disconnected me more than / should have
liked to acknowledge.
l seized q sledge lying near and Jumped
in" We at last got out the keys" as
they call the wedges which hold the con-
verter together and by the help of a hy-
draulic ram took the bottom on This left
q white-hot opening eight feet in diameter
and about six feet from the ground under
which we must work. 1t seemed 10 me as
though the skin on my neck and hands
would burst with the heat Ny clothes
even steamed and smoked. How / wished
old Sob rather than under this fendishly
hot sun hanging SO very near US.
When We had the new bottom on We
went up to the platform above the con-
verters, and drove the keys home more
AecvI ely. and stopped any small hole there
might be with ball stun"
A shrieking engine passed by me and
swiftly poured into the converter a heat
Of iron. Then the blast was turned on. and
a cloud of yellow and saffron flame. mixed
with sparks and small particles Of metal.
rushed out Of the mouth Of the converter
TITO the air. One of the men caught me
by the arm and pulled me away just In
time to save me from being seriously
burned; for / was not expecting the flame.
By noon / was tired / could hardly
stand, but stuck to IL for all was worth.
During the afternoon l frequently fell
down because my knees were too weak to
hold me up. My hands were burned and
blistered. and my new overalls were filled
with holes burned by flying sparks. About
o'clock in the afternoon. while working
under the platform. / was startled to see
a stream Of red fire run over the edge OF
the platform and strike In the midst Of
some workmen. AS IL touched the wet
ground 1t exploded with a report like that
Of cannon. The molten metal few in
every direction. Many workmen were burn
ed more or less severely. and in the case OF
one poor feiiow-it makes me sick still to
think Of 1.-THE steel came down directly
on the head and back. We got him out OF
the steam and smoke. and carefully and
tenderly cut his burned clothing from
HIM. As we placed him on the stretcher
the burned flesh dropped from his bones
When l was relieved at O'Clock 1t
seemed as IL II would have been utterly
impossible for me to live in that mill an
other hour. / dragged myself to my room
and went to bed at once. All that night I
tossed and turned my aching bones. trying
to get into some position less painful than
the last. was tortured by a thousand
grotesQue fancies. and by the picture of
the poor fellow who was burned SO badly.
At last / got into an uneasy browse. but
/ felt as II i had not been asleep a minute
when my alarm clock announced TO me
that 1t was 4:io and that j must get up to
my $40 breakfast Oh. the misery Of that
rising and going to the mill. Every bone
and sinew seemed as II made of red-hot
iron, and the joints as II rusted together.
1t was dark. foggy mcrhing. / found
when. having desperately got up enough
Will power to dress. / tumbled out TO my
boarding house. The Pittsburg smoke and
fog are proverbial, but l really think that
on that particular morning one might have
cut tangible chunks out of the black, wet
air. The board walks in Homestead are
never in repair, and on the way to the
mills l stumbled along through mud and
stones. over boards and into holes, carry
ing in my hand my tin dinner bucket.
which contained my midday meal
On my first Sunday we refined the con-
verter, and Il became my duty to stand up
in the inverted vessel and hand up the
ball stun and limestone with which to re-
line 1t. The vessel had been left to cool
simply over night. and / suppose the tenn
perature of the dry air inside OF il stood
at about 40 degrees l worked hard as
! could. but near noon / tainted. for the
first time In my life
My experience at Homestead was the
experience Of the majority Of workmen
there.