Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-02-04
Target Practice of Atlantic Fleet.
Hazardous Employments.
e Technical World

From the Technical World.
year or two ago a corps of expert
statisticians compiled figures showing the
mortality IN trades and occupations COM
monty classed as dangerous.
The census in ten eastern states and in
eighty large cities throughout the country.
including New York and Chicago involv-
ing q total population of 19,659,440, was
taken. OF this population the mortality
for twelve months in manufacturing and
medical industries was 1896 and in that
of the transportation and agricultural in
dustries, 1905. OF this population, also,
643.O7 hat and cap makers per 100000 sue
cumbed to pulmonary and respiratory
diseases; cigar and tobacco workers, 454. 45;
and marble and stone workers, 1893. ID.
Other occupations in which the mortality
was very high were those Of quarrymen,
masons, carpenters Zone carpenter in every
l2l2 of all the carpenters in the United
States was killed last year,, bricklayers,
file cutters, cutlery grinders, plumbers, cab
drivers, railroad men. glass poiishers. bot
tiers garment workers, cattiemen, iron
workers, painters, dyers, printers, enamel
ers on iron, transfer makers, label stamps,
powder makers, etc.
Last year one in every 600 men employed
upon railroads In this country was killed.
In all 3, 200 railroad employees gave up their
lives and 90, eco were injured The great
Williamsburg bridge spanning the East
river, just above the Brooklyn bridge, hang
ing in its network OF cables, brooding over
the water like some great deadly spider,
cost seven lives to build and an untold
number of serious injuries Physically
there is no occupation more healthful than
bridge building; the work Is conducive to
muscular development. and the free play
of the air in high places wonderful tonic.
But accidents, missteps, mistakes, mfscal-
culations, have their deadly results, more
rapidly, If not more surely IMAM any as
ease.
But all this Is Drawer, more exhilarating
Zone might almost say mortality than will
be found In the drying or molding room OF
some pottery factory. Here the air is filled
at various times of the day-all times of
the day, most likely-with choking dust
clouds that cause the visitor to sneeze upon
entering The whole impression Is one APP
alling suggestion of disease. The interiors
of the meaner sort of potteries, indeed, are
nothing more nor less than so many car
ICONS of disease. and effective ones, too.
had laws passed requiring proper ventia-
ton and more sanitary and hygienfc sur
roundngs for pottery workers. and, a
result, the mortality in the past few years
has decreased But Ii is still abnormally
high, heaven knows, phthiss and asthma
figuring almost exclusively.
More dangerous even than this occupa-
ton is that of the cutlery grinder. SANTA
ton, hygiene, nor aught else can anchor
ate his lot; for hour after hour, year after
year, he must bend over his whirling stone,
inhaling a most pernicious dust composed
of equal parts of steel and stone. A swift
racing pulmonary malady Is the result.
which medical men call grinders rot
Science puts forth no hope of ever COM
batting grinders rot successfully.