The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1894-07-19
IN TIL h STEEL MILLS.
A woRKNANs ACCOUNT or A,s
FIRST DAY AT HoMssTgAD.

Awed by Tn Deafening Noise and Roar,n,
Flames Z nd Blistered by the Terribi,
Heat Tho Fate OF One Poor Man-To...s
with Aeh ing Boncs at Night.
When went to the superintendent,
and asked for work. he said, "what
can you do !"
Anything. l am large, strong, ac-
tive and willing. / have been about
machinery all my life and want work
badly
BE touchsd a button, and a boy ap-
peared. Show this man down to the
converting mill and ask Fred if he can
do anything for him. Good morningp'
he said, ami 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 stotk, raw material, rolls, ETC.,
and came at last to the huge converting
mill The superintendent was found
and the woFd delivered. He glanced at
me moment; then said, not unkindly.
You1ook good and strong. Jump in
and help hose fellows there on those
vessels"
hardly knew what he meant, but
through the smoke and steam I saw
some men beneath one of the vessels, or
converters, working with sledges and
bars TO get the bottom off. The mill,
with its poilderous 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 deaf
ening Noise, awed, confused and even
disconnected me moro than should
have liked to acknowledge. 81.
Iseized a sledge lying near and jump
sd in. We ut last got out the "keys, ,,
as they call the wedges which hold tho
converter together, and by the help of
n hydraulic ram took the bottom OFF.
This left al white hot opening feet i'll
diameter a nd about 6 feet from the
ground, under which we must work. 1t
seemed to ID ne as though the skin ON my
neck and d ands would burst with the
heat. My clothes even steamed and
smoked. Fl DIV wished had been any
where under the sun--good old Sol
rather than under this fiendishly hot
sun hanging So very near usl
When wd had the new bottom on, we
went up to the platform above the con-
verters and drove the keys home more
securely al d stopped any small hole
there might be with ball stuff -
A Shrek ng engine passed by me and
swiftly poured into the converter
heat of iron. Then the blast was
turned on, and cloud of yellow and
saffron haI ne. mixed with sparks and
small particles of metal. rushed out of
the mouth of the converter into the air.
One of the men causht me by the arm
and pulled me away just in time to save
me from b cling seriously burned, for
was not exp Getting the fame
By noon Twas so tired could hardly
stand, but Il stuck to it for all was
worth. Dur ing the afternoon l frequent
" fell dow because my knees were too /
weak to he Id me up. My hands We're |
burned and blistered, and my new over !
alls were lied with holes burned by |
flying spar ks About 4 o'clock in the |
afternoon, while working under the |
platform, Twas startled to see stream |
Of red fire I un over the edge of the plat
form and strike in the midst of some
workmen. AS it touched the wet ground
it exploded with a report like that of a
cannon The molten metal few in every
Many workmen were burned
more or les severely, and in the case Of
one poor feIlow--it makes me sick still |
TO think OF It'll the steel came down di. |
rectly on the head and back We got |
him ont of the steam and smoke and |
and tenderly cut his burned |
FROM him. As we placed him |
on the streteher the burned flesh drop
ped from his bones.
When was relieved at 6 o'clock, it |
seemed IS IL it would have been utterly |
for me to live in that mill !
another hou 7. j dragged myself to my /
room and went to bed at once. All that !,
night ! tossed and turned my aching |
bones, trying to get into some position |
less painful than the last. was tor |
tured by q thousand grotesque fancies |
and by the picture Of the poor fellow |
who was bq rned SO badly. At last I got !
into an une asy browse, but ! felt as if |
had hot bee n asleep minute when my
alarm clock ANNOUNCED to me that it
was 4:45, ind that l must get mp TO my |
$40 breakfast. Oh, the misery Of that
Using and going to the mill Every
bone and siney seemed as if made Of |
redhot iron. and the joints as if rusted
together -a-$-.
Itwas dark. foggy morning. l found. |
when, having desperately got mp enough /
will power TO dress, / tumbled out to |
my boarding house. The Pittsburg /
smoke and fog are proverbial, but I
teallJ think that ON that particular T
one might have cut tangible
chunks out Iof the black, wet air. The
board walk in Homestead are never in
repair, and on the way to the mills
along through mud and stones
Jver beakds and into holes, carrying III /
my hand my tin dinner bucket, which
contained My midday meal.
On my first Sunday w refined tho !
and it became my duty TO
tand up jn the inverted vessel and
land up th ball stuff and limestone
With which TO refine 1t, The vessel had
,een left TO cool simply over sight, and
suppose the temperature of the dry aif
inside Of it stood at about 140 degrees
worked ali hard as ] could. but near
loon tainted, for the first time in my
lie.
My experience at Homestead was the
experience d1 the majority of workmen
here. III bmestead as Seen by One of
is WORKING n'' in Met Cures Magazine.
sREElEYFs MANNERS WE'RE BAD.
Int They Were Forgiven FOR His Fine ATT