Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1913-02-22
WORK WITH DEATH
ceriIous CaIllngs Where Life Is
Always In Danger.
HOW MEN LOSE THEIR NERVE
Sudden Peril often Causes Them 20
Drop Their Goats" and Then Their
Courage Never Returns-A Loss OF
Heart and a Race For Life.

| Courage Never Returns-A Loss OF
| Heart and a Race For Life.
| Human nature becomes callous TO
the daily association with peril iSui
now aud then something tears away
the culous spot aud leaves the raw.
naked nerve exposed
| Structural Stcclworkers run many
chances OF losing their ucrve-"drop
| ping their goats. they call H. Onl.
| tn. other day one OF them who had
never knowm fear was standing on tin
outer edge Of lofty steel framework
| and chauced to look down into tn.
| s.reet lie saw n trolley ear run over
a newsboy Instantly his mind WAS
swampcd with thoughts Of death lie
stretched himself Hat on the beam and
| crawicd 10 an island of plankiug
When u NAN once does that on top of
n skyscraprr he has flushed his high
work
"Thrv never cone back. said an old
foreman IFS - pity. too. for they
can never get n quarter tile pay NJ an
| other Job that they did nc this before
they looked down aud saw death
Much OF the worlds work is done ny
| men who have Ia keep their nerve IN
the face OF peril Sometimes man
will not 20 "a pieces until after long
run of danger. Primarily the cause
may he fatigue or bad liver or bad
nerves. but when It is all over he de
cides he has had enough aud seeks an.
other vocation.
In the places where high explosives
are manufactured the men are subject
Ell 10 a constant nervous strain. They
get used 10 IT, like everything else
but when an accident comes there Is
sure To be some one among the sur
vivoss who drops out OF the ranks Of
the workers
In a plant where more dynamite.
nitrOglycerin. guucoiton and other
pentup destruction are made than any
where else ia the world nearly a thou.
sand lives depend more or less ON a
thermometer
In one step ia the manufacture OF
nitroglycerin II Is n qulvering. suilen
fluid in big caldron brilliantly lighted
10y electricity. Glycerin Is continually
sprayed on the tons of heated acids
| within As it mixes the glycerin
seizeS the available nitrogen from the
acids. and the mass becomes nitro
glyc.rin Round the caldron man
moves swiftly. noiSelessly. dividing his
attention between the contents and u
thermometer that extends down into
the hot acids The temperature OF the
mass must not rise above so degrees
Glyccrin 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 Oh watch does Is TO
send unre cool solution through the
pipes that coil snakcwise round the
giant caldron II the mercury In the
tube continues 10 rise he shuts or The
inflow Of glycerin II this does not
have the desired effect he turns on
compressed air. so rs 10 throw the
mass into violent agitation. II this
ifll> We itH> ultN tltt ut'ie taiu ~ quay
He opens n valve aud empticS the
charge into the drowning tank" Then
he makes dash for safety
Ouy few men who have ever been
Immediately exposed to explosions
have lived 10 tell about them after.
ward Those who have escaped and
have continued IN their hazardous EN-.
ploymcnt are thereafter known only
BY their first names There are only
a few ~ thc>r The other survivors
have sought other work where the
risks are less Said one of them:
"iou cant trust the stun any more
than you could a sleeping cobra.
was NJ work one day around the mix
Ing tank aud things were going as
| usual when | suddenly noticed that the
mercury In the thermometer was creep
Ing up toward ~ luick n - flash
saw thai something lad gone wrpi.=
and. one after another. ! turned ou the
cold. shut on the .iyccrin and turned
on the mir. No one ever watched any
thing more anxioHsls than did that
Thermometer l;ut the mercury kept
on climbing Then ! made a grab for
the quick opening valve 80 as 10 drown
the stuff One of the officers of the
company was in the room. | had yell
ed NJ him To run. But he stood there
Us cool rs cucumber. saying that ne
didn't think there was much danger
As soon as opened the valve 10 lei
the stun on ! made jump through
the window There were plenty of
emergency doors. but | didn't want 10
take nm extra step The boss went out
by door The fraction OF n second
that I saved 10y taking the window
probably added II good many years TO
my life. | landed on the ground and
WIS runnin. with all my might when
] was lifted M my feet aud hurled ri
least in0 Yards escaped with
broken ie.. The boss who had run IN
the opposite direction. was picked up
dead There WIS hardly mark on
him.