Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-08-09


have awaited had the motor car hit the
alfred wagon in q spot more vital
than the shafts They can safeguard
The transportation OF dynamite about
town in many ways, but it is only Pro-
violence or Luck that saves the day
when the ALFRED wagon is in collision. 4
There are times when New York con
sumes many thousands Of pounds of
dynamite sticks in a day When tho
building business is brisk, When sub
ways and aqneducts are being dug,stheI
men WHO are shooting holes in theh
rock of Manhattan Island naust have|
the. withdrawal to shoot, and it is then
tlidt the ALFRED Wstgop goes delivering
And as bnTowing into 1aanhattan bed 4
rock gees on pretty Constantly, the
ALFRED wagon is seldom idle.
Take it in the rush season, and there
may ne as many assiltcen or twenty
ALFRED wagons making trips through
the eity Streets cn@is licensed To-
carry coo pounds OF the explosive no'
more-and they are usually filied to
capacity Whcn they start uut.s on the
other liant there come stretclies when
the city's dynamite diet glows small,
and only a few wagons go forth, laden
possibly with only afew tipzen pounds
of dynamite. SO it would be. hard 10
!, sit down and figure out how many
pounds of dynamite go riding through
the streets of New York city each day.
1t may be set down as a tact. low
ever. that King Dynamite travels in
state whenever he does &c joafnegiEs
about town. Whether it be u single
stick or a full Consignment Of 900
pounds. the same SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
must he taken. and are taken. &c you
or fer seine inconceivable, reason,
wanted iust enc stick Of dynamite. we
would receive cali from tic alfred
Wagon and that would be The aafy WY
fRey could legally deliver that one Slick.
Ihe laws that govern the trsanslsnfta-
Stipn of dynamite about Town are sal the
strietest sort. They say just llJsy ev-
erything connected with its traaiss,erta7
ton slF;lll be done. even dbwns To the
method of inserting the nails II the
boards that form the floor aof the. all
red wagon.
Little as they know about. dynamite
ana It's freakish habit of exploiting
when you don't expect it, and hot cx-
Holding when you do expect it, there
are certain things that experience has
shown make for security when dyna-
mite is being handled Probably the
one thing that. more than anything
else, guarantees a fair degree of safety
in transportation is the, iaring color of
the delivery wagon andsthe danger flag
futterng from its roof 1t insures
wide berth fer the vehicle wherever it
goes Traffic on the Avenue, or any
where else. is apt TO lave a selfish way
Of looking out for Number enc most Of
the tisae. The truck driver. bus dFiv-s
CT, hackinan, chauffeur or coaehmana
are quick to seize the first opportunity
te get ahead of the man in front, and
even 70 slide past the traffic policeman
IL he gets chance. But there is a
tendency 10 make way for the ALFRED
wagon when it joins the procession.
OF course, the wagon is Lot supposed
To join the procession. 1t is under strict
orders not 10 frequent crowded thor
Eouglfares and to do its travelling at
hours when traffic is liehtest. Yet the
early morning route down Fifth Ave-
rue usually brings it into a soedly
company of automobiles, buses. and
trucks bound for the most part down
town, and into this company of slow
and fast moving vehicles the ALFRED
wagon takes its place with room to
spare.
The nonchalant air of the driver and
his helper and the easy jog-trot of the
steed in the shafts. plus the somewhat
| defiant hutter of the red flag overhead,
are more than a little receptive to the
casual observer. The reckiesness that
seems to characterize the whole pro-
ceeding is not as real a thing as it ap-
pears 10 be. To look at. the wagon APP
| pears TO be just an ordinary old-fash-
| ioned delivery wagon, painted red. 1t
isn't. Neither is the horse an ordinary
delivery horse or the driver and his
! helper ordinary delivery men.
| They select for horse one of the
| M runaway, stand-without-hit
| ing kinda horse that never turns a
hair at fire engines or elevated trains,
and one that presumably might be re-
| lied on lot toSsjpmp the traces even if
| the lead OF dynamite lie is hauling
Should. all afla sudden blow mp. That
| is precautiun that the powder eompa-
MES take for among other things each
company is Required TO give a $1,000
bond to the city for each of its red
delivery wagons, and this sum is for
| feited all or in part If there is an acct
dent. 1t is perhaps worth noting that
the horse attached to the ALFRED wa-
gon that was run into By the motor
car the other day didn't show the least
| desire to bolt and run. even though the
shafts We're shattered.
| Then there is the driver and his help
/ er. Both men have to undergo an ex-
| animation at the hands of the Munic-
| ipal Explosive Commission and receive
the Commissions o. X. in the form of
Il certificate of fitness before they can
take their seats on the box. They have
To be expert drivers. They are forbid
den to smoke while making trips and
they are forbidden also to carry tools
or metal objects With them Willie ION
! the box. The less metal the better
| when dynamite is close by.
The wagon itself is especially con-
structed. You couldn't take any old
| or new-vehicle and make it a dyna-
4 mite transport just by giving it a coat
of red paint and raising red Nag over
the drivers box. No, indeed. The wa
gon has to be licensed, like the driver
Tho la4g ,,roxtiHac .SilaiI h.tx..a