The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1910-06-02
Dangerous
Occupations
Workmen Strike for Shorter Hours
And More Pay but Not for
Their Own Safety.

Their Own Safety.
Paper Read Before the Chduta,Iqua Chcit:
The risks taken every day in the
course of business must make it ap-
pear that life is very cheap. Take
any dangerous occupation, no matter
what it is; the everyday workman in
the mines for intance, sells his labor
to earn money and swings his shovel
or pick and yet death may overtake
him at any minute.
A great many disasters occurred
in the mines during the last year, es-
pecially in the coal mines. OF course,
the work must be done, but / believe
good many disasters could be avert
ed. The aeronaut's business for in
stance, is one of the most dangerous
occupations atthe present time. Only
few days ago three officers of the
German Army lost their lives because
they wanted to show their comrades
that they were not afraid to go up
in balloon. The wind being very
strong, carried the balloon out to sea
and all three were drowned. A single
balloonist has better chance in the
air than an aeronaut.
A balloon is at the mercy of wind,
but the man who runs his ship with
machinery has great deal more dan
ger to overcome and is simply court
ing death. How many young lives
have been lost during the last few
years, just for the fun Of ito see
how this Old Earth of ours will look
flying a thousand or more feet up
in the air? Others go up for the sake
of curiosity. Others for sports sake
to see how fast they can go.
Now, we have our express trains
which run from seventyfive to ninety
miles an hour, but that is too slow.
We have automobiles W b c b can
make hundred miles an hour and
send a hundred lives every month to
the happy hunting ground, but that
is not fast enough. We must fly, but
do not think an airship can go as
fast as an automobile and / for my
part would rather ride in wheel
barrow than in an airship. / wonder
what will come next?
There is also danger in sailing ves-
sells on the ocean, but the sailor does
not pay any attention to that. II he
gets orders to go, he goes. He grum-
bles at the poorpay, buthe goes all the
same. Even if he knew that the ship
would sink in the midocean, he would
not be left behind Many and many
fisherman leaves his home in the
morning to go fishing, never to return
to that home again.
To my mind, to be fireman is
about as dangerous as any other oc-
eupation, for fire fighting is not a snap
by any means, especially in the big
cities, where the fireman has not as
much room as in the smaller towns
and more high buildings to climb
Hundreds of lives are lost every year
bycaving floors or falling walls. Only
the other day | had chance to see
one of the biggest fires have seen
for years. The city firemen did theil
best to get control of the fire, bu1
they were driven. away by the hea1
and smoke. A fireman is in danger
of losing his life at any time. One
false step may drop him from higl
roof or he may be overcome by
smoke and heat. Have any one O.
you ever climbed a ladder seventy
five feet high, resting against build
ing? If you have, you know how i
feels. But that is nothing compared
with climbing a ladder that rest
against nothing, fifty or seventyfiv'
feet straight up in the air. | have of
ten wondered how man feels. Th'
sensation must be terrible; not on,
man in hundred can do it.
There is to my mind perhaps NJ
more dangerous occupation than tha
of the steeplejack. Fear must b.
l. T. IL H. L.