The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1895-04-25
DANGERS OF FACTORY DUST
Eazard from Fire Being Continually In
creased by Improved Processes.


Eazard from Fire Being Continually In
creased by Improved Processes.
Each development of manufactur
ng processes appears to augment the
ire hazard, not merely by reason OF
,he dangers incident to the increased
speed of operation, says the New
York Journal of Commerce, and also
TO the concentration due to the
greater units of larger buildings but
more especially to the greater amount
,f dust thrown OF by the more rapid
manipulation Of the stock in the new
methods of manufacture. The COM
parison of the readiness Of ignition OF
The shaving to that OF the log holds
good In all combustible material,
namely, the finer the subdivision the
zreater the facility Of ignition and
The greater the rapidity Of combus-
lion. The severe accidents occurring
In those lines Of special manufactur-
Ing using powdered wood and pulver-
lied cork, SO that these substances
ean be classed:as explosives under such
conditions, illustrate the occurrences
Resulting from such changed condi.
lions It would be trite to make
any references to the explosives OF
grain dust in Touring mills or Of hop
dust in connection with the manu:-
iacture of malt, but they are con
tinually occurring instances Of the
szplos on Of materials peJ ordinarily
included in the list of'explosives and
which a made, Sc solely on account
If rapid com bustibility entirely due
0 subdivision.
A few days ago an explosion oct
nrred in that portion of a print
WORKS where the cloth was received
into the ablishment sin the gray"
directly from the mills without any
treatment, and was being wound into
!arge rolls preparatory to the pro-
esses carried on il that establish.
nent- The short, fine cotton fbers
we're shaken out Of the cloth as dust
by the rapid winding to such an ex.
tent that it became necessary tc put
! ventilating hood over the machine.
An electric spark at the ibelt ignited
lone of the dust, and it produced an
explosion which blew off the roof and
wrecked the con,ents of.the building
With such violence as 60 seriously in
lure Ave men at work in the room.
With the old method Of opening
nd picking cotton by which it was
blown into a 'gauzeroom, there
we're numerous instancesI Of explos-
ions occurring IN connection with sucn
fires, but that class Of accidents has
been very much reduced by the pres
cut method of lapper pickers, which
Wind tie cotton into a relatively
compact cylinder. The explosion OF
cotton fbers in napping-rooms are
still of frequent occurrence. Within
recent years a fire starting in the
;ardroom of a cotton mill produced
IN explosion which was exceedingly
violent. and spread the flames to All
extent beyond the scope Of the fire
apparatus and compassed the destruc-
tion OF the mill The explosion from
dust in the various forms Of continu-
ous driers used In textile mills have
been 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 accumulating on the
trusses of foundry was being washed
from the beams by astream from dre
hose, when the works wee 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 the portable
forge, where repairs were under
way
But such ores are not by any mean,
confined to the dust Of ordinarily
recognized com mbustible materials.
Fires have been known to occur n
the dust Of iron thrown out from the
tumbllng barrels used for polishing
tacks by their attrition On each
other. One form of the well-known
parlor fireworks, which produces such
bright fulguration, is merely the
combustion Ct finely divided steel,
whose temperature Of. ignition is so
low that the hand can be held, not
only with impunity, but talso without
any sensation Of heat directly in the
scintillation of the fireworks The
finely powdered zinc, known as ''zinc
auxiliary" which is used in connec-
/ on with the rejuVenation Of the IN
iigo dye vats in the coloring OF COT
ton, is so rapidly oxidized by small
amount OF moisture that fires Pro-
luced in that manner are Of frequent
occurrence, and the danger is so well
known that many lines Of water
transportation refuse to take this
material under any condition what.
loeVer.