The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-11-21
QUEER For \ WOMAN
To Own and Operate a Nitro
GIycerine Factory
BUT MRS. BYRON AFFORD
Does That and Makes Good
Money Out of 1t, Too.

Mrs. Bryon Afford, Of Eldred
She buys all the chemicals, keeps the
payroll, attends to sales and credits, to
billing, shipping and banking, makes fire.
| quent visits TO the factories and does a
business that aggregates thousands of
dollars a month.
The commercial agencies rate Mrs. Al
ford at $4,000 at her own request, but
$4,000 would be a closer estimate of the
value of her properties
In addition to her factories she owns
and manages large oil lease, controls
dozen or more village properties and
recently purchased several hundred acres
, Of wild land that she proposes to convert
into a sheep ranch.
Mrs. Afford has an office on Main Street
and a private office at her residence. 1t
was in the latter that the writer found
her.
Mrs. Afford is a fine looking woman of
about fifty, athletic, large. trim, with
brown hair and gray eyes.
When entered her private office she
was looking up the rating of firm that
had ordered some dynamite.
Credit is about the most important
thing in business she observed. 81 aim
to do a cash business and am CAREFUL
about extending credit.
The office is a model of neatness. Pic
lures adorn the walls. There is not a
scrap of paper on the floor Bills, letters
and orders are filed in cabinets within
reach of her swinging chair. On her
desk lay copy of a recently published
book of poems and a bundle of unan-
swered letters held together by a rubber
band.
A bookcase in the corner was filled with
standard volumes, including all the books
that have been printed on explosives.
Mrs. Afford taught school fifteen years
before she married, and finds tnany hours
in which to keep in touch with the world
through newspapers, magazines and
books.
She told me that often she works at
her desk until midnight and enjoys every
minute. Her only office assistant is her
| daughter, Miss Bessie, finely educated
young woman, who assists her mother in
! keeping books and business correspond
ence.
Bessie is my right bower" Na,s. Afford
remarked. "I believe in bringing up a
girl to work, even if it is not necessary
from a financial point Of view. Riches if
they fly away, do not work so much hard
ship for girl who has been taught to
work.
Mrs Affords factories are in the for
est two miles west of Eldred. The twelve
| buildings are scattered over five acres.
! Nitro-glycereine factories are always in
| isolated spots so that In case they blow
| up the loss Of life and property will be
! small The buildings are detached for the
same reason. They are all of hemlock
| lumber unpainted and cheaply built
Mrs. Afford explained that brick build
! ings would look prettier, but were not
| proof against an explosion, and that It
would cost more to replace them. The
owner of nitro-glycereine factory never
| knows beforehand when it is going to
blow up; there is never any one to ex-
| plain how 1t happened.
! Mrs. Afford drives a three minute pac-
er, of which she is proud.
| At her invitation I accompanied her to
her "nitro-glycereine FARM as she
| terms it,
We first paid a visit to long. rambling
| building that looks like a sawmill. Inside
| are tanks, a steam engine and many
! iron drums. the latter about the size of
! pork barrels. The drums are filed with
acids and. filled. weigh 1900 pounds.
| Before allowing me to enter the factory
! the foreman inquired if had any match
! es, pipes, cigarettes or firearms on any
! person.
IF you have" he explained, ''voN must
| leave them outside. Mrs. Alofrd's orders
are very strict. Match heads dropped on
the floor are a fearful cause Of blow ups.
and we don't take any chances" The
men who make the nitro-glycereine wear
! rubber boots while at work. Two acct
dents are recorded caused by hob nails
in the heels of boots exploding particles
| of nitro-glycereine on the floors of fac
tories.
The most interesting thing was the agi-
tator-a round tank lined with lead and
with coils of lead pipe about its walls.
| Outside was A wooden tank which acted
as a water-jaclSet. In the agitator are
! two paddles that make 100 revolutions a
! minute. Nitro-glycereine Is nitric and sui
phuric acid mixed with glycerine The
mixing can only be done al low temper
; AZURE
In two hours two men can make 100
pounds Of nitro-glycereine. It is as sim
pie as churning. It requires 1000 pounds
of acids and 40 pounds Of glycereine to
make a thousand-oound run"
When the acids are being run into the
agitator the odor cuts the lungs of q ten
der-foot ike q knife. made frequent
trips to the door for fresh air. but Mrs.
Afford did not seem TO mind Il is al
n getting used to It.
The ma chinery is tested before the mix
ing. which. once under way. must not be
stopped nutil the work is completed. A.
tachej to the agitator IS a crank which
the employees turn II n belt breaks or g
pulley slips. for if the agitator stops the
thing goes up.
For the first five minutes after mixing
begins the foreman stands watch in hand
Then he grabs thermometer and drop:
It through hole in the agltator cover
The operation Is repeated every few min
utes. on the accuracy II the thermometel
depends the lives Of the employees.
While holding his watch the foreman
keeps his eye on the glass plate in III,
agitator cover. through which he watche.
thu mixing.
Only cool men have any bushes maxim.
ro-glyCereIne
When the mixing Is done the LIQUID f.
} the color Of milk. II IS drawn OF into
wooden tank in which Is eighteen inche
Of cold water. As the milky fluid strike
the water red fumes light The surface
and there is a sound Ike the Kissing @
geese.
The nntro-giycereiDe settles u the bot
tum and is drawn OF into similar small
er tanks. chUrDed. washed with va
J v,-,te- ,,-.ss-+-s - -