The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-01-01
DEMTHCN DIR. A. E. BUCHANAN
DuNAAO 1888 When Building.
DANGER IN CEREAL DUsr.
Employees in Grain Elevators victims
of Catarrh.
Philadelphia Telegraph.


Philadelphia Telegraph
We'll. If there is anyone who thinks the
men employed here have nothing to contend
with he is vastly mistaken" remarked the
chief welgher in one of the largest of the
several big grain elevators in the city day
or two ago de drew a long breath, coughed
until he grew red in the face, and murmured
softly to himself at the dust that rose laziy
from d huge hopper near by, settling into
every nook and corner in the great barn
like structure and filling the air until one
was reminded of a misty midWinter morn
ing when objects are seen but indistinctly
through the haze and everything takes on
unreal, ghostly look.
That's what makes work in a grain ele-
vator so hard on the men," resumed the
weigher, after a moments pause; sit ism t
the hard work they have to do, nor the
long hours which fall to their portion, par
ticularly during the fall and winter months.
1t S the duSt-the everlasting, all-perVading
and unacceptable dust. I'll tell you" and his
manner grew more earnest, his tone more
confidential, there isn't man who sticks
TO the business for any length of time who
doesn't suffer from its i'll effects You show
me man who has been working in a grain
elevator for four or five years and I'll show
you one who is either suffering from
catarrh or some lung trouble. Why, the
dust settles in your throat and permeates
your lungs, until at times you can scarcely
draw a breath. Now, there goes q man"
pointing to one who had passed at the mo-
ment who is fast reaching the final stages
Of consumption, and yet when he first came
here some ten years ago he was as healthy
3nd robust chap as you would meet in a
why does he stay here? Wen, he has
his living to make-we all do. and the field
here is not overcrOwded. No, there are not
many people who have any idea that hand
ling grain Is detrimental to q mans health
but 1t is for all that and while / am at it
] can tell you another thing that is not
generally known about this business and
that is that we who work here live in daily,
hourly dread Of the whole place going up
The dust from cereals is extremely COM
busuble. Unless the utmost caution is ex-
etclsed IN having all the machinery care@
fully and thoroughly cleaned after each
days work the dust is likely to gather in
such quantities that the moment the ma
chinery is again put in motion spontaneous
combustion occurs and a fierce, almost I'M
conquerable fire is the result. 1t is to the
spontaneous combustion of accumulated
grain dust that recent disastrous fires
which destroyed several of Chicago's ele-
vators can be directly traced, and it is
against this danger the owners of the Phil
adelphia elevators guard more carefully
than any other"
But apart from what one can learn con-
corning the dangers incident to work in the
elevators a visit to one of these monuments
20 the progress Of the age will prove vastly
interesting and Will give the visitor a clear
Sr lqea or the great advance made in the
handling of the vast cargOeS of grain that
yearly leave this country for consumption in
other lands.
Whereas in the not far distant past the
work OF loading cargo was a matter of a
week or more of continuous uninterrunted
labor, thousands of tons of grain are now
daily transferred from the big elevators to
waiting vessels. and no one seems to think
there IS anything remarkable about it,
Machinery now does most of the work
and the manual labor employed has been
reduced TO a minimum. 1t is. of course,
only the men who actually work within the
building where the grain is being carried
from the hoppers to the bins and thence to
the pipes leading to the vessel to be loaded
Who finally fall victims to chronic catarrh
but there is no one who can stand in the
dust-laden atmosphere for any length Of
time without feeling a burning sensation
within his throat