The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-01-18
LITTLE DANGER IN DYNAMITE


 Insurance Men Do Not Consider it st
 Great a Risk as Cargo of Sof
 Coal.
 The sea is not responsible for all ths
 risks run by the men who draw living from the deep. In the hold of many { vessel that sails to and from Philadel-
 phia there is stored suspended energy
 sufficient to send the ship and every
 soul aboard her to the bottom of the
 sea, says the Press of that city, Mod ern methods of loading and unloading | cargoes have been reduced to such a science, however, that the risk to which
 the goth century mariner is exposed in this respect is far less than that which his brother of the 18th century ran. | To the average mind dynamite forms the most dangerous cargo a ship could carry. The average mind is wide of the
 mark however, for although three ship loads of this powerful explosive go down the Delaware every month and have been doing so for years the first accident in this connection has yet to be recorded.
 The utmost precautions are taken in the loading of dynamite. The cargo is not allowed to be taken aboard at a wharf, and because of this regulation it is necessary to anchor the vessel in midstream and carry the cargo out in lighters The danger is regarded as so slight that no warning signals are shown to keep other vessels at a de- corous distance while the dynamite is being loaded. All the dynamite that goes down the Delaware Is made at the big powder works at Wilmington and the cargo is shipped off at that city.
 The cargo which marine underwriters in Philadelphia regard as the most dan gerouS is soft coal For a cargo of this product, to be carried a long distance, an advance of 20 per cent. over the usual rates is demanded by insurance men. The greatest danger is from coal that is loaded in a damp state This after it has lain in the hold for long time, generates gas and spontaneous combustion is apt to follow and causes a fire that will not betray it's existence until the decks become hot to the feet of the seamen. Fire of this kind is apt to shoulder for months, and many q vessel comes into port with burning cargo To avert this danger the load ing of wet coal is prohibited in Phila- delphia, with the result that nearly all the fires occur on inbound vessels.
 Petroleum is another dangerous prod- uct that is handled with such care that accidents in connection with it are a rarity. About 40o,000,000 gallons are shipped from this port in a year, Pe- 1 troIeum seldom causes any accidents at | sea, the danger lying in the loading and | of the cargo, when explosions | can be caused easily by the carelo ssness of those handling the cargo Benzine is carried in tankers and is not regarded | as dangerous.
 Tar Is an awkward cargo to handle | The only cargo of this product shipped ! to Philadelphia arrived here about 10 years ago, The fumes of the tar are had for the eyes and lungs and the men who landed the cargo wore masks for A cargo of sulphur caught fire in port here about two years ago put the fire was extinguislied before much damge had been done.
 Many dangerous products shipped rom other ports never are handled 1ere. Philadelphia has yet to receive IT ship it's first cargo of matches, paint IT fireworks, and this, of course, lessens he risk for seamen on vessels trading ,arn