Smyrna times., 1913-02-26

Courage Never Returns-A Loss OF
Heart and a Race For Life.
Human nature becomes callOus 20 /
the daily association with Peril. But
now and then something tears away /
the callOus spot and leaves the raw.
naked nerve exposed.
Structural steelworkers run many |
chances OF losing their nerve-"drop- !
ping their goats" they call It. Only |
the other day one OF them who had |
never known fear was standing on the |
outer edge OF lofty steel framework
and chanced to look down into the
street. He saw trolley car run over
a newsboy. Instantly his mind was
swamped with thoughts OF death. He
stretched himself Hat on the beam and
crawled TO an island OF planking.
When a man once does that on top OF
a skys ~raper be has finished his high
work.
They never come back" said an old
foreman Its a pity. too. for they
can never get n quarter the pay at an
other job that they did at this before
they looked down aud saw death"
Much Of the worlds work is done by
men who have to keep their nerve In
the face of peril. Sometimes a man
will not 60 10 pieces until after a long
run Of danger. Primarily the cause
may be fatigue or bad liver or bad
nerves. but when II is all over he de-
cides he has had enough and seeks an
other vocation.
In the places where high explosives
are manufactured the men are subject
ed to a constant nervous strain. They
get used to Il. like everything else,
but when an accident comes there is
sure 10 be some one among the sur
vivors who drops out OF the ranks OF
the workers.
In n plant where more dynamite.
nitroglycerin. guncottOn and other
pentup destruction are made than any
where else in the world nearly thou
sand lives depend more or less on a
thermometer.
In one step in the manufacture OF
nitroglycerin it is a quivering. sullen
fluid in a big caldron brilliantly lighted
by electricity. Glycerin is continually
sprayed on the tons OF heated acids
within. AS 1t mixes the glycerin
seizes the available nitrogen from the
acids. and the mass becomes nitro
glycerin Round the caldron a man
moves swiftly. noiselessly. dividing his
attention between the contents and 4
thermometer that extends down into
the hot acids The temperature of the
mass must not rise above so degrees.
Glycerin has many vagaries that
have been never been explained. II,
through one Of them. the temperature
rises toward the danger point the FIRST
thing the man on watch does is 10
send more cool solution through the
/ pipes that coil snakewise round the
\ giant caldrOn. II the mercury In the
/ tube continues TO rise he shuts of the
inflow OF glycerin. II this does not
compressed air. so as to throw the
mass into violent agitation. II this
fails he has only one more card to play
He opens valve and empties the
charge into the drowning tank" TheT
he makes dash for safety.
Only a few men who have ever beer
Immediately exposed TO explosions
have lived 10 tell about them after
ward. Those who have escaped ant
have continued in their hazardous EN-
plOyment are thereafter known onll
by their first names. There are onll
a few OF these The other survivor
have sought other work where tn
risks are less Said one OF them:
"You can't trust the stuff any NOR,
than you could a sleeping cobra.
was at work one day around the mix
ing tank and things were going a
Usual when I suddenly noticed that IN,
= mercury In the thermometer was Green
: ing up toward so. Quick as n fash
, saw that something had gone wroLg
! and. one after another. turned on th
sold. shut of the glycerin and turne,
on the air. No one ever watched ans
thing more anxiously than I did tina
thermometer But the mercury KEEP
on climbing. Then made a grab 10
. the quick opening valve so as to trowt
the stun. One Of the officers OF IA
! company was in the room. had vel
ed at him 10 run. But he stood ther
as cool ms cucumber saying that h
q didn't think there was much danger
J. As soon as I opened the valve 70 Il
{ the stGa of I made a jump thrOng
d the window. There were plenty q
Y emergency doors. but I didn't want I
:. take an extra step. The boss went ou
o by a door The fraction OF secan
n that I saved by taking the windo'
D probably added a good many years I
4 my life. I landed on the ground an
o was running with all my might whe
n ! was lifted on my feet and hurled q
least 100 yards. I escaped with
II broken leg The boss. who had run /
e the opposite direction. was picked u
n dead. There was hardly a mark O
le him.
Ig 'The explosion started In the tlrow,
"a ing tank The stuff settled nj Tho ho