Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1907-04-11

The PRESS has for some time been IN
receipt of personal and written requests
to "tear up" the Eastern Dynamite
Co., more Familiarity known as the
Climax Co., for storing dynamite in
large quantities in the warehouse On
the banks of the Portage. In fact we
did publish one communication two
took the Company to task. While our
citizens have had abundant reasons for
being concerned and alarmed, when
death has invaded so many homes dur
ing the past twelve or fourteen years,
they should not be deceived by infam-
matory reports, calculated to arouse
great fear and unrest.
Emporium has become one of the
leading manufacturing towns for high
explosives in the country. Three fact
ories within a radius of two-and-a-half
miles-two being almost within the
Borough limits-give employment to
over three hundred men, boys and
girls, earning fran $1.00 to So so per
day, making total wage list of $780,
600 per year, in addition to a vast sum
expended for material and supplies
purchased from our merchants and
others.
Realizing the fact that our duty as
public journalist was to carefully in
vestigate the urgent requests that we
use our influence to put a stop to the
storage of large quantities of powder
near Newton Cemetery. Accordingly
we called the attention of Mr.. Frank T.
Beers, Supt. of the DUPONT plant to
the charges made, when he promptly
denied that one pound of explosives
are eUer stored in the warehouse on the
Portage, in fact nothing but flour,
wood pulp, soda and other supplies
being stored iE that warehouse. "The
explosives" Mr.. Beers informed US,
''are stored in fire proof, bullet proof
and lightning proof magazine located
one half mile up a ravine and protected
from Emporium by the natural conf
guration of the ground" On an aver
age not more than 900 pounds are
ever placed there at one time, unless
scarcity of cars for a day prevents
shipments-it being their custom to
ship as rapidly as the material is
made. This magazine is made
exactly as the laws of Great Britain
compel all dynamite manufacturers to
erect-calculated to be the safest plan
in the world. So careful and strict are
the rules of this company to guard
against accident or explosions, which
take place in almost all factories,
mines and mills, that only two deaths
have been recorded at the 'Climax' in
fourteen years-one direct and one
after an illness of week from heart
failure. To satisfy us that his
| report was truthful, and we had no
reason to disbelieve him, having known
him intimately all his life, we accepted
his polite invitation to visit the plant
and see for ourself, which we complied
with yesterday.
We carefully examined the ware
house and emphatically declare that
not one pound of powder was found in
great building, which is 5Ox12O feet.
The magazine is located fully one. fourth
mile from east cemetery line fence. 1t
is substantial building, built of brick,
iron roof, over ten inches of sand to
assure its being bullet proof. The
magazine is electrically protected, wide
copper bands being strapped around
the building and buried deep in damp
soil, making it absolutely lightning
proof To guard against accident when
cars are loaded it is rule to bill at
once to the railroad company, never
allowing loaded cars to stand on their
tracks over night.
In justice toall of our dynamite COM
panies all must agree that they throw
every protection possible around their
men. The "Climax' are strict to the
letter and compel their men to allow
an examination to be made of their
clothing to make sure that none carry
matches onto the works. The maya
zine is guarded with the strictest pre-
caution. When explosives are to be
unpacked the men must remove the box
from magazine to a safe distance and
carefully repack. No tools, hammers,
etc, are allowed in the magazine.
Another praise worthy men ton may
be appropriately mentioned here. In
order to get only reliable men they
have an adopted pension plan, viz
| All men who remain in their employ
! fifteen years, wishing to retire will re-
/ ceive one per cent for each
| years. service, based on the aver
! age pay for ten years. Those retiring
when they are 20 years old, receive one
per cent. based on their wages during
the past ten years Joshua Bar is the
. oIdoot ap,nlouaa op1 xu;u ooap bo ,,Ioo