The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1894-06-22
A DAY AT HOMESTEAD.

Experience of n Workman on His First
Day In the Great Carncgn Works.
From ''HOmhSl|Gd Is sfr b. One Of its W0rlEeL"
In IcC1ursS NL1a-ins for July
When | went TO the superintendent
and asked for work, he said, "What can
you dor
Anything. am large, strong, active
and willing. I have been about MA.
chincry all my life, and want work
badly"
lie touched O button, aud q boy Qp-
pcared. "Show this man down to the
converting mill and ask Frod ii he can
do anything for him. Good morning."
he said, and my interview was V
I put on my new ovaralls and jumper,
and followed my guide down through
,hd mills. We made our way through
piles OF stock, raw material, rolls, etc,
and came ut last to the huge converting
| mill. The superintendent was found,
and the word delivered. Hc glanced At
| me Il moment; thon said, not unkindly:
"You look good and strong; jump III
| and help those fellows there on those
| vessels"
| hardly knew what he meant; but
| through the smoke and steam | saw
| some mon beneath n OF the vessels, or
! converters, working with sledges and
| bars to get the bottom oil. Tho 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 filed with steam and
smoke, and, finally, tho shrill and deal
oning noise, awed, confused, and even
| d~isconcertcd me moro than l should
have liked to acknowledge.
l seized 4 slodge lying near and
Jumped ill.," We At lasteot the 'koys."
rs they call the wedges which hold tho
converter together, and by tho help OF
n hydraulic ram took the bottom oil.
This left q ,ehite-hot opening eight feet
| in dismetev and about six feet from tho
ground, under which we must work. 1t
! seemed to me as though the skin on my
neck and hands would burst with tho
heat. Ny clothes even steamed and
| smoked. How | wished ! had been any
where under the SUI good old Sol).
rather than under this hendishly hot
| sun hanging 30 very near US.
Whoa We had the neE bottom on We
went up TO the platform above the con-
vcrters, and drove the keys home more
securely, and stopped any small hole
! there might be with bail stutr."
A shrieking engine passed by me and
| swiftly poured into the converter q
heat OF iron. Then the blast Uas
turned on, and a cloud o! yellow and
saffron flame, mixed with sparks aud
| small particles OF metal, rushed out Of
| the mouth OF tho converter into tho air.
| Ono OF tho men caught me by the arm
and pulled me away justin tune to save
me from being seriously burned; for l
was not expecting the flame.
BY noon | was go tired | could hardly
stand, but | stuck to it for all l was
worth. During the afternoon | fire.
ouently fell down because my knees
were TOO weak to hold mo up. My
hands wero burned and Bills tered, and
nv new overuils were filed with holos
burned by flying sparks. About 4
o'clock in tho afternoon. Thile working
under the platform, l was startled to
SEQ n stream OF red fire run over the
edge OF the platform and strike in the
midst OF some workmeu. AS It touched
the wet ground it exploded with a re-
port like that OF 4 cannon. Tho molten
metal flew in every direction. Many
workmou were burned more or less
severely; and in tho case OF n poor
fcllow-it makes me sick still to think
OF it-the steel came down directly on
the head and back. We got him out OF
the steam aud smoke, and carefully and