The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-07-17
IN THE STEEL MILLS.
A WORKMAN'S ACC CUNT OF HIS
FIRST DAY AT HOMESTEAD.

IIcat-The Fate of One Poor NIan-Tossed
With Aching Bones ut Night.
When went to the superintendent
and asked for work, he said, "What
can you do?"
Anything. am large, strong ao-
tive and willing. L have been about
machinery all my life and want work
badly"
He touched button, and q boy ap-
peared. "Show this man down to the
converting mill and ask Fred if he can
do anything for him. Good morningr'
he said, and my interview was over.
put on my new ovcralls and jumper
and followed my guido down through
the mills. We made our way through
piles of stock, raw material, rolls, ETC.,
and came at last to the huge converting
mill. The superintendent was found
and tho word delivered. He glanced at
me a 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 tho smoke and steam l saw
some men beneath one of the vessels, or
converters, working with sledges and
bars TO get the bottom Off Tho mill,
with its pondcrous and massive cranes.
tho 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 more than I should
have liked to acknowledge.
seized sledge lying near and Jump
ed i'll. We at last got out the "lkcys,'
as they call the wedges which hold the
converter together, and by the help of
hydraulic ram took the bottom of.
This left white hot opening s feet in
diameter and about feet from the
ground, under which We must work. 1t
seemed to me as though the skin on my
neck and hands would burst with the
heat. My clothes even steamed and
smoked. How wished had been any
where under the sun-good old Sol
rather than under this fiendishly hot
sun hanging so very near us!
When we had the now bottom on, we
went up to the platform above tho con-
vcrtcrs and drove the keys homo moro
securely and stopped any small holo
there might be with ball stuff
A shricking engine passed by mo and
swiftly poured into the converter q
heat of iron. Then the blast was
turned Oh, and q cloud of yellow and
saffron flame, mixed with sparks and
small particles Of metal, rushed out of
the mouth of tho converter into the air.
Ono nf fhn IL.
and pulled mo away just i'll time to save
mo from being seriously burned, for
was not expecting the flame.
By noon l was so tired could hardly
stand, but I stuck to it for oil was
worth. During the afternoon frequent
~ fell down because my knees were too
weak to hold me up. My hands were
burned and blistered, and my new over
alls We're filled with holes burned by
flying sparks. About o'clock in the
afternoon, while working under the
platform, l was startled to sec "a stream,
OF red fire run over the edge of the plat
form and strike i'll the midst of some
worklnen. As it touched the wet ground
1t exploded with report like that of
cannon. The molten metal flew in every
direction. Many workmcn were burned
moro or less severely and i'll the case of
one poor fellow-it makes mo sick still
to think OF It'll the steel came down di-
rcctly 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
OH tho stretcher tho burned flesh drop-
ped from his bones.
When l was relieved ut O'Clock, it
seemed as if it would have been utterly
impossible for me to live in chat mill
another hour. l dragged myself to my
room and went to bed at once. All that
night l tossed and turned my aching
bones, trying to get into some position
less painful than tho last. was tor
tured by thousand grotesque fancies
and by the picture of the poor fellow
who was burned so badly At last I got
into an uneasy browse, but felt as if I
had not been asleep minute when nv
alarm clock announced to me that it
was 4:45, and that must get ND to nv
5:10 breakfast. Oh, tho misery of that
rising and going to tho mill! Every
bone and sinew seemed as if made of
redhot iron, and the joints as if rusted
together.
TWAS dark, foggy morning, found,
when, having desperately got up enough
will power to dress, tumbled out to
my boarding house. Tho 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 i'll Homestead are never in
repair, and on the way to tho mills /
stumbled along through mud and stones,
over boards and into holes, CARRYING in