Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1898-06-10
DANGEROUS DUST.
That Which Is Created in Factories
by Modern Machinery.
Terrible Explosions Sometimes Result from
tho Accumulation Of Flying Ftbers Of
Wood aud Cotton-IIesd IN
Powdered Metals.

Wood aud CottonIIesd In
Powdered Metals.
Each development of manufacturing
processes appears to augment the IRE
hazard. not merely 10y reason Of the
dangers incident to the increased speed
If operation, says the New York jour
nal OF Commerce, and also to the con-
centration due 10 the greater units OF
larger buildings, but more especially
To the greater amount Of dust thrown
"h by the more rapid manipulation Of
the stock in the new methods of manu-
facture. The comparison Of the readi-
ness of ignition Of the shaving to that
Of the log holds good in all combustible
material, namely. the finer the subdi-
vision the greater the facility OF igni-
ton and the greater the rapidity OF
combustion. The severe accidents &C.
curing in those lines Of special manu-
featuring using powdered wood and
pulverized cork, SO that these sub
under such conditions, illustrate the
occurrences resulting from such
changed conditions. 1t would be trite
to make any references to the explo-
sives Of grain dust in Touring mills OF
of hop dust in connection with the man.
ufacture of malt, but there are continu-
ally occurring instances OF the explo-
sion OF materials not ordinarily in
cluded in the list OF explosives and
which are made so solely on account
Of rapid combustibility entirely due to
subdivision.
An explosion occurred recently in
that portion Of print works where
the cloth was received into the estab-
Gshment "in the gray" directly from
the mills without any treatment, and
was being wound into large rolls pre-
paratory to the processes carried on in
that establishment. The short. fine
cloth rs dust by the rapid winding to
such an extent that it became neces-
sary to put ventilating hood over the
machine. An electric spark Mt the belt
ignited some Of the dust, and it pro-
duced an explosion which blew of the
roof and wrecked the contents OF the
building with such violence Es to scri-
ously injure Ave men ut work in the
room.
With the old method Of opening and
picking cotton by which it WIS blown
INTO "gauzeroom," there were numsr-
GUS instances Of explosions occurring in
connection with such fires, but that
class Of accidents has been very much
reduced by the present method Of lap
per piclsers, which wind the cotton into
relatively compact cylinder. The ex.
plosion Of cotton fbcrs in mapping
rooms are still of frequent occurrence
Within recent years q fire starting in
the cardroom Of n cotton mill produced
an explosion which was exceedingly
violent. and spread the flames to an ex-
tent beyond the scope of the fire ap-
paratus and comprised the destruction
Of the mill. The explosion from dust
in the various forms of continuous
driers used in textile mills have been
such rs to require the utmost precau-
tons by way Cd construction and con-
conditions Of safety. When the facing
dust accommodating on the trusses Of q
foundry was being washed from the
beams by . stream from IRE hose,
when the works were shut down dur
ing nm enforced vacation, such rs has
occurred during recent times, the dust
flled the building and was ignited BY
the FIRE at the portable forge, where
repairs were under why.
But such fires are not by any means
confined to the dust Of ordinarily rec
ognized combustible materials. Fires
have been known to occur in the dust
OF iron thrown out from the tumblinR
barrels used for polishing tacks by
their attrition on each other One
form Of the well-known parlor fire.
works, which produces such q bright
fulguration, is merely the combustion
Of finely divided steel, whose tempera.
ture Of ignition il 10 low that the hand
can be held, not only with IMMUNITY,
but also without any sensation Of heat,
directly In the scintillation Of the IRE
works. The finely powdered zinc,
known - Zinc auxiliary" which il
used in connection with the rejuvena.
ton Of the indigo dye watts in the color.
ing Of cotton, IL so rapidly oxidized by
q small amount of moisture that fires
produced in that manner are OF fire.
qucnt occurrence, and the danger is 90
we'll known that many lines of water
transportation refuse to take this ma.
tsrisl under any condition whatsoever.