Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1903-04-30
In a Dynamite Factory.

Phlladelpllia Pubic Ledger: Dyna-
mite factories are in full swing near
Dover and Farmingdale, N. j., and the
men who work in them seem We'll con-
tent with their dangerous occupation:
They wear rubber soled shoes, and
their tools are covered with rubber or
are made of wood, so as to avoid the
possibility of friction ana consequent
accident.
AS further safeguard, the various
utensils in which the deadly explosive
is mixed or manipulated are lined with
lead, and mishap is of rare occur
renee. Nevertheless. these men know
that the fabrication of dynamite con-
stitutes work of danger. and many
of them develop NERVES" when they
are new at the business. This trouble
wears off quickly, or, as In some in
stances, not at all, and the victim is
seized with nervous chills and tre1nors
whenever a loud noise is heard in the
factory. Finally he is obliged to give
up his position and seek work Of a
more congenial nature.
The men arc paid from So to 1925
per day, and the labor is not particu-
larly heavy, nor are the hours as long
as those of other worknlen. No smok-
ing is allowed from the moment they
enter the factory until they leave, and
only men of quiet, steady habits are
ship seems TO exist between the work.
ers. and when opportunity presents it,
self they talk TO each other In the
most friendly way. But woe betide
one OF their number who earns for him
self the sobriquet OF Butter Fingers"
a term applied to individuals who allow
things to slip from their hands to the
floor. He is sure to earn the ennity Of
his companions. This is due to the fact
> hat ,ffi oil <r1,f ioy
is caused by the dropping of even a
small substance, will precipitate an
accident, and the culprit who evinces
such carelessness more than once may
as we'll resign gracefully before he is
frozen out by his fellows.
The dynamite workers are very In
telllgent body of men. Many Of them
possess comprehensive knowledge Of
chemistry and can tell visitors to the
factory all about the destructive agent
which they handle under the direction
of scientists.
One of these work neS, middle aged
! Swede, claims Alfred Nobel, the in
vcntor Of dynamite, as relative What
he does not know about explosives Is
not worth knowing. He talks Of the
properties of nitro glycerin with the
! fluency of one who has made an ex-
hausttve investigation of the subject,
and he says that he devotes every spare
moment to experiment physics. Why
a man of his type should elect to re-
main in dynamite factory in the role
of an ordinary workman is a problem
| which he alone can solve. But evident
/ ly he likes his job In the nitro glycerin
1 department., and he talks enthusiasts
tically of the results achieved by his
distinguished relatives invention, not
only in warfare, but in the works of
peace. such as the mining operations of
New York's rapid transit underground
system, which will presently do SO
much to facilitate travel and traffic.
Men of various nationaiities work
side by side in these New Jersey fac
! tories, and when representatives of the
different countries We're asked If they
minded the element Of danger in their
1 daily labors they answered in the mega
tive, and few of the more communi-
cative workers expressed the opinion
that there was more chance of being
killed in Philadelphia by trolley car
/ or automobile than by an explosion at
their post of duty.