New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-04-22

certain kind Of abuse as much kick
ing around as a Missouri houn' da"k.
Infinitely powerful though IA IS
when confined and detona;ed, smoke
less powder az Il is piled m the ooo
little houses OF the Du Pont reseTVa,
tion wouldn't explode if lghtea
match were tossed into Il. ~ wouldh /
take lonc for the pile 10 be one mag
nifcent bonfire. but just the same the
flame would not spread so rapidly ne,
n pair Of agile human legs eouldn
carry their owner to safety before the
whole thing was ignited. That much
has been demonstrated in 'harea
which have destroyed. despite all eau
tion. quite q number Of the little build
irrs. Some Of the flares" have been
attended by fatalities, but those nave
been the exceptions The usual cost
has been the loss Of the powder, Tor
which the Allies are paying 90 cents
mound: the loss Of the building ana
The loss OF Few days Of a mans time
while he lies IN the hospital there are
three hospitals connected with inc
plant and waits for new skin to grow
over the scorchcd places.
Buildings Are Cheap
The building, having been put up
with forcknowleigc Of what might nap
pen 10 it and with an eye to easy re-
placement. means little to the com
p2ny. Il is just one among so many
i'm which the same operations are du-
plicated. The space between them'
scientifically proportIoned to their size
and the size Of their neighbors, IS guar
go, n.o-e+rinc occurrence SO
much for conservation Of property. In
line Of conservation Of life only from
SIN TO ten men are permitted to WORK
in the same building.
II is because risk has been so lar
eliminated that the company IS not
forced TO pay more than its $25 week
standard. or the 10000 workers about
10000 arc paid at an hourly rate, when
i'm few cases. varies more than couple
of dollars from the standard. The rest
are laborers, earning from SO 10 $40
a week men whose local value before
the war was 81 or IS.
Operations are such that, from the mo-
ment trainload or barge load OF guE-
cotton arrives from the company's other
big plant at llopewell, Va. where,
in a wilderness on the edge Of the cot
ton belt. city of $4,000 has developed
since the bang of the first gun of war,
no system of payment on piece
work basis could be devised.
Other war orders found their way
into the Delaware Valley, TO be hlled as
the du Points were rushing to enlarge
their smokeless powder plant: The tex
tile mills and iron foundrles when
gave its industrial life TO Wilmington
were the first to feel the advent OF the
munitions business. Horemen tound
themselves. one morning, with no hands
TO boss. Ordinary laborers, finding
themselves able to get double play by
taking what appeared a theoretical
chance, had signed up in the new munl-
tions plants for SIS and S25 a week
Skilled men got increases in proportion
and likewise made a jump.
Girls Desert Laundries
Residents of Wilmington discovered
one day that the family wash had been
i'm the laundry a couple OF weeks and
had not come back. Investigation
showed that the .laundries had practl.
cally suspended operations. Their girls,
used TO making from 81 to $40 week,
had heard the Artillery Fuse Company
was anxious to get them at SIS and
$50. had found the unbelievable true
and had deserted IN Dody.
In Bridgeport the department stores
suffered. This was not true in Will
mington. where social lines are a bit
more strictly drawn and work in fac
tory. regardless of wages. is accepted
at a sacrifice of caste. II had been
"shopcirl" in Bridgeport and "SaleS-
lady" in Wilmington. and "salosladies"
AZ Sc and 81 a week the department
al Of he
to remain.
Instead of hitting the department
stores. then, the demands of the NUM-
lions makers hit the homes. To Sc
week cook the promise of SIS was an
irresistible come out of the kitchen"
call. She went. and with her went the
rest of the domestics. Within a couple
of weeks after the opening Of the fuse
factory, women whose names doomed
big in the society columns were doing
their own Homework. Some OF them
are doing il yet. A story is told Of one
such woman. deserted by her cook and
two maids. who went afar into the
country and picked up a Swedish maid.
The prospective mistress boosted of
her enterprise, but too soon. lmmedi-
ately she arrived in Wilmington Karla
met girl friend who had given up
frying pans for fuses, So Karla passed
up her verbal contract for job that
allowed seven nights out" to the week
and in that week paid months wages,
to boot.
The labor resources Of Wilmington,
even though other industries were
Slapped. fell fai short Of meeting the
demand. The Remington Arms Com
pany and the Eddystonc Ammunition
Corporation were able TO draw, in a
large measure On the city of Chester,
and to depend on Chester to house
workers brought in from outside.
II was realized at once by the Du
Points that Wilmington could not take
in and shelter more than 10000 new
residents. Out of that realization grew
the present city of Carney's Point.
Where nothing had been, streets were
laid out and paved. sewers constructed,
water piped in and a lighting system
installed.
To get efficient work. it was decided,
it would not do to throw 10000 men
together in a patchwork. camp and cut
them off from the steadying influence
Of their families. So, to house the
families, more than LOO homes were
h,,iIt- co+4aoee hunpalows and lttle