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

tEe TRAP, 4WI1llcs OlSlAill oooSp1 -
Batkins and Superintendent w. 2.
Knowles were but a few feet away. Os-
car Myers stood at the telephone, six
feet from the pit
johnson. Gates, and Childress We're
lifting the valve when some mysterious
| thing happened. To this day no one knows
| what It was. The gas, rushing up
through a 114-inch hole ignited, with a
loud explosion, before Burkman could get
the plank over the opening.
In an instant the room was filed with
fire. The flames caught every man who
stood in the room Myers, at the rele-
phone, was badly burned. The fire rush
ed toward him and wrapped all around
! him.
Burkman, who stood in the pit, with
the flaming jet of gas at his face, was
burned nearly as bad as Myers. But, even
| with that. he pushed the board over the
| opening, and held it there until the fire,
which spread out from under it, was
beaten out by a piece OF bagging soaked
with water.
This happened in the summer time.
| when the doors and windows were all
| open. Such al occurrence in colder wea.
Their. with the room closed tight, would
| have scattered the building all over the
neigtborhood. AS 1t was, the roof of the
| es, and all the doors that opened inward
| were blown shut with slams that sound
| ed like gun-shots.
Matches are not good things to use
| in a gas plant. The habit Of generations
has made it almost an instinct for a man
to light his way through dark and devil
GUS passages with liberal Use of matches.
A negro tried this in the gas works
| fifty years ago. At that time the old
purifying plant at the upper works was
| in use. This man went into the dark to
| fix a valve.
He CROPPED about in the dark for some
time. Then, with more instinct than judg-
! ment, he lighted a match to find the
valve-and found it. He was blown COM
| pletely through the roof and instantly
killed. His body gave evidence, in many
ways, OF the terrific force Of the explo-
sion.
Nowadays the men make frequent use
of the little electric search-lights which
are part Of the modern equipment of peo-
pie who have to peer into dark corners.
These are tubes eight or nine inches
long and an inch and half in diameter.
One end contains an electric battery and
the other heavy lens, behind which is
set tiny incandescent lamp. The pres
sure Of a spring closes the circuit and
lights the lamp. This is ashandy device
for gas men, and shuts out any, excuse
for the burning of matches. Burglars also
use these little search-lights, and opera
tors In this profession recommend them
!. very highly.
I have mentioned the possibility Of
the explosion of the hydraulic main. An
incident of this character occurred several
years ago, during the superintendency
Of the late William C. Adams
! The hydraulic main is large pipe Of
heavy iron, which lays along the top Of
the bench" or row Of retorts very much
as do the smoke pipes Of steam-boiler.
The gas. rising in the ascension pipes
from the retorts, goes foot or two
above the MAN.. then comes donwnsin the
dip-pipes and enters the main itself. This
main Is half filed with water, and the
gas bubbles through and rises into the
upper half Of the pipe, whence it flows
into the condenser, and Is then drawn
through the exhauster and into the hold.
er. So
The sTatersin the hydraulic main pre-
vents the5gass from rushing back through
the dip and ascension pipes and ignIting
when the retorts are opened sfor empty
Ing or recharging
me presence of the gas in the hydraulic,
main Is egulated by the man who runs
The exhanster. At the time 81 which I
am writing. something went wrong. The
pressure ran up. and The main hurst with
q report Ike a cannon The escaping gag
caught fire, and several men were pains
fully burned
Perhaps nothing IN recent years has
brought SO prominently before the public.
seye the dangers s Of gas-makins as the
.kpectacls OF the dames from thu Plantlfn