The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-02-18
THE EXPLOSION.
BY FRANK N. SWEET. (Copyright. 1905, By Daily Story Pub


 The Monterey foundry was new, it's outfit new even many of It's men were dnew, for foundrymen were not so plentiful that a new concern could fully supply itself with experienced men at the start.
 Bud Ellis, however, in spite of the fact that he was the yougest and held the most subordinate position in the foundry, was not new. His fa- ther had been killed in an explosion, and soon after he had commenced to add the pittance of his own labor to the family income. Later he had been allowed to help with the sand beds. and with the polishing of the conn pleted work. But through all the five years of his foundry experience he had had a horror of everything con- nected with the casting molds, for it was in the explosion of a too wet mold that his father had been killed. whenever he approached a mold into which the liquid iron was hissing, hIs face Whltened and he shivered as though with strong impulse to turn and flee, and when he was obliged to remain near the workers to hand them things, so near that the glare of the hot iron burned his face and hands. 1t required all his fortitude and deter imitation to stand his ground, with white face and clinched teeth.
 He had fought the weakness, stub bornly. fiercely. and in a measure had overcome it-was overcoming 1t still. The first time he had approached a casting after his fathers death, he had experienced a faintness and nau- sea which had obliged him to rush in- to the open air: now he could remain, steady and quiet, helping the work men, and only from the look in his eyes and the tremor In his voice when he spoke could 1t be known that the terror was still upon him. But 1t had taken five years of constant and de- termined self-watching to accomplish it. ..rs .. As he grew older another terror had taken possession of him. the ter TOT of proving a coward, of turning and rushing away. igpominiously, at some critical moment. There had been no accident in the foundry since his fathers death, but he was always thinking of one, watching for 1t. ex- pecting it. and he believed that should he come upon signs of an accident. of an explosion, unexpectedly, his ter TOT would control him before his req son.
 This dread made him extra careful and vigilant-so much so that 1t be- came noticeable, and he was given oversight of the molds that were be- ing made ready for the castings. The danger of explosion came from ex- eessive moisture of the clay into which the hot iron was run. and too much care could not be exercised in watch ing the almost only source of dan ger.
 In making the molds. the models l Ae kHAA kM FNA FNAaQaf7 Into moist clay, making perfect tm- pression of one-half the model. ther the two impressions which form thS whole are elamped firmly together 1T q strong frame, with a small opening | through which the liquid iron Is to bS poured. It is necessary for the clay to be slightly moist. but if it is toe wet the hot iron creates sudder steam which has no means of escape This may cause a terrific explosion with disastrous consequences. espe' oialiy if the casting is a large one.
 Bud Ellis had been watching fo' and dreading another of these explo sions for five years, and then, as Of ten happens, during a momentary re taxation of vigilance, it came Bud however. was not to blame.
 He had examined the mOIds care fully that morning as usual. placing | those that were reauy upon hahs truck and wheeling them to a con venient distance from the furnace Only one was left, @ mold for threshing machine shaft, weighing per haps seventy or eighty pounds. Tn clay in this was very wet, througl some carelessness of the moldeT and Bud left 1t for further drying. would not be ready under one and per haps two days. Soon after Bud wa sent by the foreman on an errand t' another part of the works.
 But 1t so happened that this morn Ing a rush order was sent In f0 the shaft casting. and a workman after a hurried search among tn molds near the furnace, went to tn room where they were made Find ing this all clamped 70 d apparentl ready. and supposing that Bud ha overlooked 1t, he threw 1t upon Q han truck and hurried 1t to a very iron l"''"e among the molds for immediat use.
 when Bud returned the travelinl crane had just swung @ great kettl of hissing metal directly above thi mold. and workman was in the ac of dipping the. kettle to run in tn iron. At first Bud did not notice, an' 1t was only when the fiery strean shot down and hls gaze followed i that he understood.
 As he realized the catastrophe tha naT