The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1905-08-17
SNAKES OF FIRE
ENGLISH vlsiToR's VIVID DE
scRiPTfoN OF A VISIT 70
PiTTssuRe AND HOME,
STEAD MILLS.

STEAD MILLS.
This picturesque description of
visits to Pittsburg and Homestead
steel mills by an Englishman is given
by the London Daily Mail:
In the dark night it seemed that
live serpents OF glowing fire. mon.
sters so feet long. though little more
than six inches thick, were darting
and twisting on the ground below.
! stood on the rough boards bridging
the Allegheny river, with ears almost
deafened and eyes blinded by the
flames and the rush and roar. Great
furnaces sent their glow up into the
heavens. lighting up pals of black
smoke that belched from 500 chin.
neys.
Along the river banks white cleo.
trio. lights shone sharply out reveal
ing the landing stages where coal
and coke were being brought in from
strings of monster flat.bottomed bar.
ges. 1t was late, but men took no
count of time. Work goes on with
out breal; "a hours day in the fac.
tories Of the steel trust.
Sharp explosions from blasting op-
erations came through the. air. The
din and crash Of many rolling mills
mingled with the screaming of scores
Of locomotives. And the sound of
steel striking Joined with the kissing
Of steam as 1t played on molten met
al. Standing out distinctly were the
burning serpents, long and tenuous,
wriggling on the ground. &
Warily ] stepped below and found
road into one OF the sheds. The
seeming serpents proved to be white
hot steel bars. twisting as they were
being forced into shape through heavy
mills. Black.faced toilers in the shed
seemed possessed with a,fever of en-
ergy. They were running at their
work-a special kind Of small manu-
facture for which human laborers are
still necessary.
There were lines Of subterranean
furnaces, each with a covered top.
Without sign Of man top would
quickly unroll off one, and from above
n pair Of gaunt pincers, now holding
firmly in their grip a mass of glowing
red and golden metal, seven or eight
tons in weight that made the air
more than tropical as it approached.
Still without sign Of human agency
an electric crane ran along beam
just below the ceiling, and put the
metal on the rollers, series Of re-
volving metal cylinders, which car
ried it forward to the crushers. A
monster double engine of tremendous
power was keeping up a deafening
roar, eliminating every minute in a
crash.
Machines and metal seemed living
things. As the heated mass touched
the crushers 1t gave cry like the
whinnying of a horse shot in battle,
and its outer coat peeled off. and the
air was full of glowing cinders. When
1t passed through the rolling mills,
coming out at the other side little
longer, the mills instantly reversed
and sent it back again under the
crushers. ~
While this was happening the pin
GERS went down again into another
pit, taking out another ingot Of hot
metal. A little way farther on mass
of fiery sparks assembled to the heav-
en- as finished beam went under the
saw and was cut to size as easily as
soft wood under steam saw.
The metal ! had been watching con-
tinued to run backward and forward,
each time emerging from the crush.
ers little longer. 1t raised itself,
and the sound that came seemed like
a groan. But 1t was only the turning
action of the regulation machinery.
The inhuman thing about 1t all
was that all progressed without ap-
parent interference Of man. j stood
there for some minutes witnessing all
without seeing face. Then boy
appeared, regulating the water that
steamed on the metal. Gradually a
few men came. out from behind. But
the machinery appeared to run it
1 self.