The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-02-15

strikes the cold water red fumes light
up the surface and there is sound IKE
the Kissing of demons. The foreman
takes a long wooden rake and stirs the
contents of the tank, to separate the
acid from the nitro-glycerine. which is
heavier than the water and quickly set
ties to She bottom of the tank, freeing
itself from the acid. When the agitator
is empty the paddles stop. A two-inch
rubber hose connects the bottom of the
large tank with the two small tanks on
the lower platform, and through it the
nitro-glycer1ne is drawn Oft into the
small tanks where it is churned and
| thoroughly washed with warm water TO
remove all impurities. The water is
drawn off with a syphon, and the nitro
glycerlne, now almost colorless and great
ly resembling water is drawn out in a
pail, weighed and poured warm through
made of heavy lead tin. Each can has
TWO openings at the top into which
common cork is tightly pressed. The
cans greatly resemble those brought into
country towns by the farmers when the
maple sugar season is at its hight. Nitro
g g;a e n Is "a heavy liquid an eight
Two men will make from two to three
runs day, or from 1900 to 5000 pounds.
brought $l2 quart. To-day 81 a quart
IS the ruling price, The first cost Of
nltro-glycerine is about 10 cents pound;
so 1t will be seen that he profit is none
too large for the danger that attends
the making and handling Of it. Compe-
tition has shaved the profits of nitro
everything else The factory hands earn
from $50 to 1928 a month. There is really
more danger than work about the bust
ness. There are always half dozen
applications for every vacancy that oc-
ours
Mr.. Ward says that nearly every factory
that is blown up is destroyed by careless
ness on the part of an employe. Constant
handling of the deadly compound makes
the employe careless and he begins to ex-
pertinent. The man who experiments is
bound to come to GRIEF. No man is en-
ployed who does not demonstrate that he
has cool head and plenty of nerve. Strict
sobrlety is another ironclad rule The
man who reports for duty while under the
influence of liquor gets his walking pa
pers Mr.. Ward has been making nitro
glycerine eighteen years, and he would not
be happy doing anything else. He says
there is fascination about the work that
chngs TO man so that he can scarcely
ever quits II, though 1t may be remarked
here that very few of the men who work
in nitro-glycerine factories dies a natural
death or of old age.
Mr.. Ward remarked that the work was
not nearly so dangerous as railroadng or
mining, the labor was lighter, and the
pay better That made the writer think
of an experience last summer shortly af-
ter ffty-eight men had been imprisoned in
the Twin Shaft mine near Pittsburg, Pa.
Then a mine superintendent remarked 70
him that ne felt himself more at home I'M
der ground than he did on top OF the
earth, aud that he had worked in the
mines since he was a boy, and would only
y
a reference was made to the use Of nitro
glycerine in the oil country, he said:
There isn't money enough in the treas
ury at Washington to hire me to handle
that stuff. 1t is suicide" SO much Tor
points of view.
II have handled hundreds of tones Of
nitro-glycerine." said Mr.. Ward, but l
am as afraid of 1t to-day as | was the first
time ever picked up a can of 1t. l be-
lieye that every man who tells you the
truth will say the same thing. But If a
man is always careful there is but little
danger. except from spontaneous combus-
ton and that rarely occurs. We get so
used to handling II IN time that we really
think nothing about 1t, except that we
must not become careless"
From the factory, which Is always sit
uated in an isolated locality, several miles
from any village, the nitro-glyeerine is re-
moved to small wooden or brick buildings
called magazines, erected usually miles
apart in the woods near some road over
which there is little travel, and there 1t is
stored until needed. There is magazine
the factory. The building is perhaps ten
by sixteen eet.and has no windows. The
only furniture Is several rough plank
shelves, on which rested rows Of TN cans
each one fun of ro-glycerine. The maya
zine contained 5000 pounds of II, enough
to wreck a city at the time of the writ
err visit. In the center Of the room gas
jet was burning TO keep the explosive IRON
freezing on the wall was a thermometer.
In the winter man is detailed 10 visit the
magazines every day 10 see that the tenn
perature IS correct and that no cans are
leaking White Mr.. Ward and his visitor
were standing in the magazine talking Of
the power imprisoned in harmless-look- !
ing cans the foreman sighted a can that
had sprung leak. He took piece OF waste
wined up the nitro-glycerlne carefully, !
took the leaky can off the shelf and pour
ed It's contents into a new can that lay IN
the corner Had the handle come loose.
or had he stumbled and dropped the can,
well, this story wouldn't be told; that's
all
The Rock Glycerne Company has lost
four factories and half dozen magazines
by explosions. In all moro than dozen
OF the employees have gone up and the |
same story might be told Of nearly every |
other factory in the oil regions. When an !
explosion takes place az a factory or mag
azine the building is reduced 20 tooth |
picks and a great hole Is torn IN the |
earth. The hapiess employees are torn into |
shreds. and often all that can be found OF
their bodies can easily be placed IN ci- |
gar box. The earth trembes, trees are |
spintered windows rattle IN easements |
miles away, and theth building and men dis- |
appear in dust and smoke, NJ
The manufacture Of dynamite " danger |
oms work. but not so exciting as the making |
Of -glycerlne Dynamite is simply |
glycerine mixed with absorbents. |
The composition IS put up IN the shape OF |
sticks about the size and shape OF roman