Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1915-08-06
Will Investigate
Smut Explosions
WASHINGTON.

Inc OulCeu states department OF
agriculture, in connection with the
it has been conducting
relative to grain dust explosions in
cereal mills, elevators and Industrial
plants, throughout the various parts
of the country, has planned to ex-
tend the scope of it's investigations
and will study the smut explosion
problem in the Palouse region during
this threshing season. This work
will be carried on in cooperation
with the staff of the experiment sta
ton of the Washington state college
at Pullman, and the University of Ida
no at MOSCOW. Plans are being made
to conduct extensive investigations
concerning the cause of smut explo-
sions in threshing machines with a
view to suggesting remedies for the
prevention of same.
The main Office for the direction
of the federal Investigations has been
opened in room 404 Federal building,
Spokane, Wash, and the engineers
working in connection with the prob
lem have been assigned to various
points in the field for the purpose of
making careful Investigations of any
explosions that may occur in an ef-
fort to ascertain the direct cause OF
the same. The work will be directed
by ID. ]. Price, engineer of the bureau
Of chemistry, who will have charge of
the Spokane office, and e. b. McCor-
mick, mechanical engineer of the Of
flee of public roads and rural engi-
neering. Both engineers will be work
ing under the direction of the United
states department of agriculture,
Washington, D. c. The field engi-
neering Investigations will be con-
Quoted by J. e. Young and ]. G..
Woodson, assistant agricultural engi-
neers, and they will devote their
time to a study of the causes and
preventative measures that may be
adopted.
The federal Investigators will work
in connection with DR.. Ira D. Cardiff
and the experiment staff of the state
college at Pullman during any inves-
LEGATIONS that will be conducted In
the state Of Washington, and with
Prof. N. s. Robb of the staff of the
University of Idaho at Moscow, in
connection with investigations thai
are carried on in that state.
Last year it was reported that 300
separators were wholly, or partially
destroyed in this section by smut ex
plosions, and the experiment station
staff at Pullman, under the direction
of DIR. Cardiff, conducted an extensive
series OF Investigations last season
The results of their work were pub
lished in bulletin III, which IN
cludes many valuable recommends
lions relative to the prevention OF ex
plosions of this nature.
In connection with the study Of ex
blossoms in grain mills and elevator
which the United States department
of agriculture has been conducting
it has been definitely established tina
when the air is filed with fine PAL
ticles of vegetable dust, this dust cal
much as a mixture of gasoline an
much as mixture of gasoline an
air is exploded in the cylinder of a
automobile. It is planned to conduc
the study relative to smut explosion
in order that the entire problem ma
be carefully studied and certain rel
concentrations made, If possible, t
prevent the frequency of these o.
currences. The department of agr
culture has reports of explosions q
this nature occurring in some OF tn
. middle west states, and it. is planne
to direct the engineering investig,
. lions in connection with this entir
:, problem from the Spokane office.
. 1t will be desirable for the eng
4 neers engaged in this work to r.
q ceive prompt reports of any fires, {
explosions occurring in t h r e h 1 n
machines in this section.