The Lemmon herald. (Lemmon, Perkins County, S.D.) 1912-1917, 1916-06-21
he TEMPTS DEATH
Deadly Dangers a NitroqIycerin
Maker Must Face.
NEVER IS SURE OF HIS LIFE.

| ano par'ng-one Man's Experience
| Nl'G"-.}'er Is made by ordinary
| s"ee, s.yrerin acting with Q mixture
| OF strong sulphuric and nitric acid
ne E"ertu is dropped by very thin
slf'a~ slowly into a mixture Of three
paris nitric and five parts sulphurk,
acid llrsug the process the contain
hs vessel Is kept cool by . water jack
et' aud 'h" acid mixture il agitated by
stream of cool air. The temperature
Is luf"'8jUed at about 80 degrees Aft.
er The Weration the whole mixture il
dra"H III into a tank and is allowed
to stand IN his vessel. cooled by a va
ter ia aet- The glycerin. which IL now
nltroS' erin, Immediately begins to
cone 'N The top like cream on milk.
This is ai once taken care Of and
Is p4t Trough various processes to
cleanse it OF all remaining traces Of
aCid
In 10 department OF our plant must
greater care he exercised than In the
the building where nitroglycer,n b
mani tired
Explosions are frequent. and II takes
man Of iron nerve to conduct this de
partmrat II is like going into battle
every day Yet In the face of this we
have one man who has successfully
made u'troglycerin for twenty years
and be- lives to tell you about It, only
sphiny.
Like any other man of great coura ge
he does not boast. and John Viewber
ger will talk about anything except the
can only say that Divine Providence .
cool heard and hands and q stout heart
have kept him at his work.
The acid fumes that iill the building
place have long since eaten away the
very teeth In his head, but not his
PLUCK. 1t Is fact that he II provided
witt new set of false teeth on an
ayera-r twice a year. The hair on his
head has long ago disappeared, and
the fumes have tanned his skin to the
color of bronze until he resembles n
cave man of old. And yet he has never
had day of sickness I'm these twenty
years He thinks. as | do. that no dis
ease no matter how virulent, could
successfully combat the nitric fumes
that be inhales. So his work has its
compeuSations. IL you are pleased to
look at it that way.
While nitration Of glycerin Is going
on View berger sits on high stool his
arms stretched over the nitrating ma.
chine one hand on n faucet that con
trolls the flow Of glycerin into the acid.
the other hand on valve regulating
tie cooled compressed air that Is forced
INTO the mixture and his eye glued to
the thermometer that extends well
down into the mixture. have said
that the glrcerin undergoes nitration
at A temperature of 50 degrees. The
is regulated by the quau
l5ty OF clrcerin that flows into the acid
~ degrees he closes his valve slightly.
the flow of glycerin. aud IN
raa~oS the flow Of cool air
Any little foreign substance that
miGht get into the mixture, even
Trough the acid of glyccrin or other
We, would cause immediate trouble.
The slightest leak In the water cooling
rolls. permitting q little water to- get
into The mixture, would he the signal
'H The thermometer to do marat thon.
Ggl in few minutes the whole mix,
H~c would reach the degree of heat
aat would result In an explosion
, frrv vhorGeT cannot desert his post
8 zen he temperature BEGINS TO rise
auiaiy This condition frequently
Ne~ place and most Of the time II
II gNrcrin entirely and by turning on
ac air 10 the fun pressure of ffty
ruudS Sometimes, however. I'm spite
q ali. II viii continue Ia rise. and
Hcv berger knows or feels that he has
.~t control He must leave his mix
Hft 7" IL ave ana JIG out
His building, the nitrator. is located
u a hin higher than its surroundings
+hc hin Is high sand dune. Immedi
trly back Of the stool ON which he sits
q big door that !s always left open
hen nc r. manufacturing. Niewler
ers method Of exit or getaway IL 10
mp ont of this door and roll down
sa hin While he is on his way the |
,pt3Sion takes place. He has done
is some twenty times and yet has
ever received an injury He has nev
r hcrn struek with fying debris. a.
1uugh the air in fillcd with flying |
8cncs of lead and iron, Does history |
ocnrl A greater miraclef Dug out Of
- sand scmiconscious from the i'm.
act Of an explosion. In the course Of
a' m hour he has been quite him
alf again, ready to 20 to work If need
. his only regret being the loss q
sustained by the company
rlard Fay In COllier's Weekly