Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1903-01-04

ingenuity can make it. But gas is one
of those children Of nature, like air. wa
Ter. and fire, which mankind controls un-
til he feels himself its master. Then
something happens. and the census hg-
ures are cut down.
After the gas is made and passes from
the holder into the mains. and thence
to the consumer, the danger point is
passed One three-thousandth part OF
atmosphere makes itself known by an
odor that no one can mistake. To make
an explosion requires two hundred times
that quantity. So. before the trouble
comes something can be done to stop the
leak.
The dangers from gas are nearly all
in its manufacture. Gas has great ha-
tired of itself. Fluids have it in their
nature to keep together. Water runs into
water, and two drops of it, If placed In
close proximity. will draw into one, Gas,
on the contrary, is always trying to get
away from itself. Empty pint Of water
into the air. and it Will fal. to the ground
and eventually. somewhere or other, come
together again. Loosen a pint OF gas in
the atmosphere and each particle will
chase the other as far from it as it can.
TIL the end OF the universe these parti-
cles win never rejoin each other. This Is
why gas moves rapidly. and why acct
dents in its manufacture come so quickly
that man cannot dodge them.
The gas works is no place for weak
lings More than that, 1t is no place for
any one except man of powerful ply
sioue, quick mind, and perfect nerve.
Even with these the strain wears. They
may not feel it as the days go by, but
nervous tension through twelve hours
out Of every twenty-four is not condi-
ton to lengthen life. Like workers in
q powder mill. these men are always
alert, always watching themselves and
one another.
Take the man who makes the runs
in the water-sas plant-one run every
fifteen minutes. A false move. or the
opening Of one valve instead OF another,
one second Of f1urid laundering, and the
whole plant would be blown to the four
winds OF heaven. No place for nervous
man there.
Then. there's the engineer who runs
the exhauster. which relieves the retorts
from excessive pressure. II he goes to
sleep or drops dead the hydraulic main
Will blow up. In such case those who
escape the wreck of the explosion would
be wrapped in a seething mass Of fire,
and the result would be appalling.
In the purifying house, where the gas
ufacture. and is made ready for meterlng.
and storing in the holder. match. fall:
ing from mans pocket and scraped
under foot on the floor, might tear down
the whole building
Even the handling Of nsphtha, but an,
elementary part OF gas-making. Is. att,
tended with considerable danger. Cum
powder or dynamite. or even nitroglyce.
rtne can be abused In most astonishing
fashion without apparent provocation;
and those who are handling It. at such.
times do not know the why nor the how.
only the when.
Explosions sometimes occur without a
soul knowing 2 reason for It One Of these
happened Nx years ago in the valve.
room at the upper gas works.
The men were doing some work on q
Eate-valro IN pit that lies under trap-.
door In the middle Of the room. August
Burlman was IN the pit, ready. when
che valve was removed. to clap board
over the opening and stop the dow Of
gas. William Gates. 3. w. Johnson, and
RsUnAAktnjat nsxsanA 1drAea $500