The Olneyville tribune. (Providence, R.I.) 1893-189?, 1894-07-14
DANGERS or FACTORY DUST.
Hazard from fire Beirg Continually In-
creased by improved frocess-s.

Hazard from fire Being Coatinusi,y In-
creased by Improved frocess-s.
Each development OF manufacture
ing processes appears 10 augment the
fire hazard, not merely by reason OF
the dangers incident To the Increased
| speed uf operation. says the New
York 10 rnal OF Commerce, and also
] 20 the con centration due To the
greater units of larger buildings hut
. more especially 10 tue greater amount
OF dust Z rown OF by the more rapid
manipulation Of the stock in the new
methods OF manufacture. The COM
parison OF the rcadln or ignition OF
the shaving 10 that OF the log holds
good in all comuustiblc mater al,
namely. the liner the subdiyiS on the
greater the facility OF ignition and
the greater the rapidity OF comhus-
tion. The severe accidents occurring
in those lines OF S. ecial manufactur-
ing using powdered wood and pulver-
lied cork. So that these substances
can be claSsedsas explosives under such
cond ditionS illustrate the occurrences
resulting from such changed cundi-
tionS II would DC trite To make
any references 10 the explosives OF
grain dust in Touring mills or of hop
, dust In onnection with the manu-
facture OF malt. but they are con-
tinually occurring Instances OF the
explos on of materials not ordinarily
included In the list OF explosives and
which a e made So solely on account
OF rapid combustibility entirely due
To subdivision.
A few days ago an explosion oc.
CURED in that portion OF print
works where the cloth was received
into the establishment "in the gray"
directly from the mills without any
treatment, and was being wound into
large rolls preparatory 10 the pro-
cesses carried on IT, that establish
ment The short fine cotton tbcrs
were shaken out OF the cloth as dust
by the rapid winding TO such an ex-
tent that IL became necessary TO put
"A ventilating hood over the machine.
An electric spark at the belt ignitcd
some 0f the dust, and ~ produced an
explosion which blew OF the roof and
wrecked the con, ents Of the building
with such violence AS 10 seriously in
jure i've men at work In the room.
With the old method OF opening
and picking cotton by which II WAS
blown into a ''Rauzeroom, there
were numerous instancesI CT explos-
ions occurring In connection with such
fires. but that class OF accidents has
been very much reduced by the pres
cut method OF lapper picKers, VIII ch
wind the cotton into a relatively
compact cylinder. The explosion OF
cotton hbers in nappins-rooms are
still OF frequent occurrence. Within
recent years fire starting in the
cardroOui OF a cotton mill prod uced
an explosion which was exceedingly
violent. and spread the names TO An
extent beyond the scope OF the nre
apparatus and compassed the destruc-
tion OF the mill The explosion from
dust in the various forms OF continu-
Gus driers used In textile mills have
teen such as TO require the utmost
precautions by way OF construction
and continuous cleanliness In order
To secure conditions OF safety. When
the facing dust accumulsting on the
trusses OF foundry was being washed
from the beams by a stream from Ore
hose, when the works We shut down
during an enforced vacation, such As
has occurred during recent times, the
dust filed the building and was
ignited by the fire at thr portable
forge, where repairs we're under
way
But such fires are not by any means
confined TO the dust OF ordinarily
recOgni. ed combustible materials
Fires have been known TO occur in
the dust OF iron thrown out from the
tumbling barrels used for polishing
tacks by their attrition on each
other One form OF the well-known
parlor fireworks, which produces such
n bright fulguration, 10 merely the
com bustion 4 finely divided steel,
whose temperature OF. ignition is 40
low that the hand can be held, not
only with impunity, but also without
any sensation OF heat directly In the
scintillat,on OF the fireworks The
finely powdered zinc, known - "Iinc
auxiliary" which 10 used In connec-
on with the rejuvenation OF the IN
digo dye vats In the colorlng OF cot.
ton, Is so rapidly Oxidized by small
amount of moisture that rres FRO
duced la that manner are OF frequent
occurrence, and the danger is SO we'll
known that many lines OF water
transportation refuse 70 take this
material under any condition what.
soeyer.