The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1899-10-11
BREAKING OF ARM0R PLAlt'
\ Ton Of Dynamite Week Used :" tue
Process of Caleb Bland.

ADVOCACY, PA. oct. Up In the
rayine "a hair mile from here Is where
tbev use "a ton OF dynamite every week III
an arrnor plate graveyard steel arhol
nlate that fails TO pass tne 1oEeiHli.v.e
i1enection is sent here 10 be broken INTO
fr,troent, TO be returned 10 the sheiteI9
ar Inc mills. The noise OF the process
may he heard dfteen-miles away. opera
,io,,s are directed by caleb Bland. ne
hos forty men nj work. twenty VINO orr
l,oles I'm the armor plate by night ana
twenty who do nothing but eAploue us i'"
mite bv electricity during the Gay.
As many as forty holes are uIll'gu m iii
single steel plate. These hoies are NlI1n
with dynamite which Is hfea oy VIZ, 80 ~
shot after another. remindlhs one %
roar OF artillery or the thuhurt u 60.
ebirs I'm action. This is kept up an, gay
mr. si5og ~ the surrounding hills break,
+, q measure the terrific sound, yet the
roar Is deafening and the earth snakes,
,rbev use the finest diamond dillls, ana
Tho mon engaged I'm the business nave
heen doing little else for long Time IL
10 remarkable that not more people al
hurt. The workmen use four 'ons u
d,.nan,ite every month and Yet accidents
ore rare They are now blowing TO pieces
.,r,.or piate from the Midvale steer
1rrrls under contract The plates are
Skinned lv rail TO the MOnocacy raElne
over the Reading railroad ana Mheh 'noy
are broken into bits are sent Dack "-"iI''
They also blast into fragments large CON
femned lannon's from various gun works
forts and ships. NV. ...iei,
firing beeins about O'Clock every morn
inc and continue until well ON In the
afternoon. Frequently gunners or hul
hru..r are alurr0ed by The fearful no So
not knowing what Is the cause. They
break ND thousands OF pounds 81 cml.e
steel eyery day. The drills are run Dy
team. The drilling is done by night, so
that they can ire during the day and not
keen any one from sleep. The only COM
plants they now have are from some new
men on the night shift who carnot s.eep
IN the day. Said one Of the bosses:
"Our cd men who wo-k al night can
cen IL, me day quite well. no matter how
much noise We make. 1hey are used 10
Il, These men can sleep during the most
-erritic explosions. II IS wonderful. yet
.hev do Il. The women folks for miles
sroiind attend 20 their household work
mt al all minding the roar Of the eX-
oloding dynamite They are accustomed
ia H. The children 90 10 school and study
their lessons. but are not disturbed. IL -
inst as If they were studying near the
sriny line Of an army every school day.
They don't mind IL. Wonderful what we
can get used To. Strangers coming eions
hold their ears and leave in terror. IL
they'd stop awhile they'd get used TO IL.
No. We have no complaints from our men
about injured eardrums. Some wear cot
ton I'm their ears, but not many. We can
FIRE a hundred shots by electricity very
,tf.r HpfR--
sary. You can inc CINE Il requires gooi
many shots 10 use up a ton Of dynamite
in six working days. We are careful IN
handling the dynamite. and that's why We
have so few casualties. We have the
best OF appliances TO prevent the scatter
ing Of fine iron or steel I'm the air and 10
avoid damages resulting from flying frag-
ments. We had a man I'm our employ who
was blown up. losing his feet. hands. and
bo'h EYES. He still lives and IS doing the
work ~ an evangelist."-New York sun