Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1906-01-13

tops of cans, bottoms, roofing caps
and handles are all turned out with
amazing swiftness, and as the circular
knives or punching presses fall with
force of from 1000 to 5000 pounds on
the metal, very often the fingers of the
girls are dangerously near. In operat-
ing the humping machines which seam
the cans or in soldering with heavy hot
irons in close proximity to the fames,,
minor accidents such as disfgured fin
gers or severe burns are numerous.
But there are other things more Sc
rious likely to occur in these factories.
Not long ago a girl working in one of
the can factories had a remarkable
escape from death such as sometimes
comes to girls working around the ma
chinery She wore a long neck ribbon,
and, Notwithstanding the repeated
warning of the foreman that she take
it off, she worked away with the rib
bon dangling. With flying belt not a
foot from her head and a revolving
roller turning at the rate of 800 revolu-
lions a minute, her ribbon caught in
the machinery and was whirled around
the roller. Instantly she screamed and
in the excitement lifted her foot from
the treadle that kept the machine go
ing. The ribbon wound round the
roller tended to stop the machine, the
roller ceased to revolve, and though the
incident seemed to have lasted for min
utes the girl escaped uninjured.
Shortly after this another girls POM
padour gave the employees in the same
factory great fright. She stood at
the same machine tremendous heap
Of hair piled above her head, inviting
ly close to the treacherous rollers. A
few futtering hairs were drawn in,
the soft, fluffy pompadour followed,
and the girls tresses were almost pull
ed from her head. AS in the other
case, when the foot pressure was re-
moved the machinery stopped, and a
serious accident was averted. A sim
liar accident occurred about two years
ago, when a girl cleaning a machine
was caught by her loose hair and suf-
fered a horrible death.
In nearly every manufacturing plant
where women are employed there are
dangers of this nature. Employers
take every precaution to safeguard
their employees, and in many Of the
large firms women are not employed
to operate the machines that are sup
posed to be dangerous. In one button
factory the employer will not allow
the girls operating dies to dress their
hair in fluffy style. They must do it
up as tight as possible. In a certain
tobacco factory the girls who work at
the cutting machines are required to
wear white paper caps because Of the
whirling belts above their heads.
While window cleaning is an occupa-
ton that is recognized as too hazardous
a one for women, there are few places
where women window cleaners still
hold sway.
Mrs. Becker is the name of ven
turesome window cleaner. The lodges
of the windows Of the building in which
she works are perhaps fifteen inches
wide, and Mrs. Becker is not afraid
to get out and stand on the ledge in the
top story. She asserts she is capable
and careful and that there is really no
danger. Until March the windows of
one of the highest buildings on Girls
void street were cleaned by woman.
Office tenants in the buildings opposite
objected, but all to no purpose until a