The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-07-01
AFirst Days Work at Homestead.

When went to the superintendent anu a,,
asked for work, he said, Wv nat Ga" 49,
dor .,,.o
Anything. I am large. strong active
and willing. / have been about navilt ;,
cry all my Nfe, and want work Dauy.
He touched a button, and boy aP-
peared. SHOW this man down TO lne
converting mill and ask FRED II ne can -
90 anything for him. Good morhlhs'
he said, and my interview was over
put on my new overalls and jumper
and followed my guide down througn me
mills. We made our way through phes VI
stock, raw material. rolls, etc, ana came
at last to the huge converting mill Inc
superintendent was found, and the WORD
delivered. He glanced at NE moment,
then said not unkindly: "i on look sood
and strong; jump in and help those lei
lows there on those vessels.
| hardly knew what be meant; Dut
through the smoke and steam l saw some
men beneath one Of the vessels. or CON
Verters, working with sledges ana Dars
TO get the bottom off. The mill with It's
ponderous and massive cranes, the mi
mense vessels all covered with black
scale and SCOT. the dying sparks the
roaring flames. the lights coming and go
ing, the air filled with steam and smoke.
ana, finally, the shrlll and dealenlng
noise, awcd. confused, and even dis
concerted me more than l should have
liked 10 acknowledge
seized a sledge lying near and Jump
cd in" We al last got out the keys,
as they call the wedges which hold the
converter together. and by the help OF
hydraulic ram took the bottom OF. This
left whte-hot opening eight feet in
diameter and about six feet from the
ground, under which We must work. II
seemed 10 me as though the skin on my
neck and hands would burst with the
heat. My clothes even steamed and
smoked. How l wished had been any
where under the sun good old Sob. rath-
or than under this fendishiy hot sun
hanging so very near us.
When we had the new bottom on we
went up 70 the platform above the con-
verters, and drove the keys home more
securely, and stopped any small mole
there might be with ball stuff"
A shrieking engine passed by me and
swiftly poured into the converter
heat Of iron. Then the blast was turn
ed on, and cloud OF yellow and saffron
name, mixed with sparks and email par
ucleS OF metal. rushed out OF the mouth
OF the converter INTO the air One OF
the men caught me by the arm and
pulled me away just in time 10 save me
from being seriously burned; for | was
not expecting the flame
By noon was 30 tired l could hardly
slahq' put stuck TO II for all | was
worth. During the afternoon I Frequently
fell down because my knees were TOO
"tdh 70 hold me up. My hands were
burned ana blistered. and my new over
ans ans were filed with holes burned by
nying sparks. About 4 O'clock in m,
afternoon, while working under the Mat
form, | was startled TO see a stream ~
[ed IRE run over the edge OF the plat
FORM ana strike In the midst of some
workmen. AS IL touched the wet ground
1t exploded with n report like that Of n
cannon. The molten metal flew In every
direction. Many workmen were burned
of more one or n Less severely; and in the case
stil TO think Of 1.-THE steel came down
directly on the head and back We got
MN oHt Of the steam and smoke. and
c c5y and tenderly cut his burned
ciothlng from HIM As we placed him on
me stretcher the burned flesh dropped
from his bones
Nhen | was relieved at o'clock II
seemed sr,nes,t as II 1t would have been utterly
nnp2ssloie for me 10 live in that mill
another hour. ! dragged myself to my
room ana went to bed at once. All that
nnlght tossed and turned my aching
less painful than the last. | was tortured
ny thousand grotesdue fancies. and by
the picture OF the poor fellow who was
burned so badly. At last ! got into an
peen asleep a minute when my alarm
CLOCK announced to me that It was 4:45
eng mat must get up 70 my $40 break
going to the e sgry or mat bd rising s,9 ana
seemed as II made Of redhot iron, and
the joints as II rusted together.
~ was a dark foggy morning l found
when, having desperately got up enough
will-power TO dress, tumbled out TO my
clearinghouse. The Pittsburg smoke
anu fog are proverbial but 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 ir repair, and on
the way TO the mills / stumbled along
through mud and stones, over boards
and into holes carrying in my hand my
TIN dinncr-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
Ia refine II. The vessel had been left
to cool simply over night, and l suppose
the temperature OF the dry air inside
OF II stood at about one hundred and
forty degrees. / worked as hard as /
could, but near noon / tainted for the
first time in my life.
Ny experience at Homestead was the
experience OF the majority OF workmen
there.-From Homestead as seen by
One of It's Workmen." in McClure's Mag
q Itflxr