The weekly tribune and the Cape County herald. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1914-1918, 1915-09-03
CEMENT PLANT
TO ELIMINATE
DUST DANGERS
Continued from Page 81

wrecked by an explosion due to grain
dust, and a number of people We're
badly injured.
Dust is not merely CRIME, to be
treated indifferently; it is a potential
explosive More than one disaster that
has cost dearly in life and property
has been traced directly to accumula-
tiOns of finely pulverized matter Of
one kind or another. Coal dust has
been the promoting cause for a num-
Der of appalling catastrophes; and
similarly, other sorts of dust have
been responsible for accidents of
greater or lesser extent.
Since March of 1905, and up to ten
days ago, grain dust explosions in the
United States have caused property
losses totalling S2,122, 72S. In these ex-
| plOsiOns 119 persons have been hurt
and seventy-eight others were killed.
Possibly the most staggering of these
cataStropheS was that due to an ex-
plosiOn which occurred in a feed grind
ing plant at Buffalo. n Y, on June
24, 1919, when thirty-three men lost
their lives and more than three-scOre
were injured. Following this explosion
the milling men of the country began
an investigation and the Federal Gov
eminent has cO-Operated valuably
through the Bureau of Mines. As re-
suit the whole subject of the explOsi-
bility of dust is being Investigated
scientifically and the industrial COM
munity generally has every reason for
interest in the work. Indeed. under
some circumstances, the householder
may have cause for concern.
Gunpowder ignites at temperature
of $50 degrees centigrade; the dust of
bituminous coal inflames at a tenn
perature of 500 degrees centigrade,
while maize starch ignites at $50 de-
grees and wheat starch at 995 degrees
ccntigrade. Flour dust will ignite at
l ,235 degrees centigrade and the dust
of ground oat hulIs will inflame at a
temperature of 1920 degrees cent?
grade.
This gives 4 rough idea of the rela-
tive explosibility of gunpowder and of
pulverized substances commonly look
ed upon as harmless. True, this COM
parison is not an exact one. for the
dusts in question must be floating in
the atmosphere and mixed with pro-
portion Of air. GunpOwder, on the 9th
or hand, even in compact form, will
produce an explosion if ignited There
fore the housewife need not worry
about her floor so long as it is held to-
gether in the barrel.
In many Industries. especially where
the ventilating installation is imper-
feet or inadequate. the air of the
workshop is charged with dust. This
is notably so in some woodworking es-
Establishments.
An instance is given of the inflam-
inability Of sawdust by an explosion
which occurred in a box factory i'm
Philadelphia less than two years ago
by which one man was killed and six
of his fcllOWwOrkers injured. A bolt
dropped among the cutters of Il ma
chine for grinding sawdust caused in
stantly Il shower of sparks which ig-
nited the finely divided sawdust in the
air.
Both in this country and abroad the
cxplosiiblity of coal dust has been the
subject of study for several years.
This finely powdered carbon has been
responsible for number of the most
disastrous collicry accidents. Our Blu
reau of Mines has recently concluded
a long series Of tests with various cx-
pedients for the lessening of the elm
ination of this peril to the miner, and
the results of the experts labOrs are
of an extremely promising nature
1t is quite conceivable that dust may
gather in habitatiOn in such quaint
ties, under negligent conditions of
housekeeping, that if suddenly stirred
into cloud and inflamed by a match
or gas Jet, might lead to an explosion
Of a serious character. Even if the ex-
plOsion itself did no material damage
by reason Of its energy, still it might
promote a conflagration of a destruc-
tive sort. Dust, therefore, must be
dealt with promptly for two reasons,
to protect health and to safeguard life
and property against the consequences
Of an explosion.
Mrs Kate Drum. Mrs. Drum then ac-
her home.