The Concordia sentinel. (Vidalia, Concordia Parish, La.) 1882-current, 1921-03-12

43 lives and property damage
amounting to S3,OOQOO0
In August 1919, one Of the Canadian govern
ment's grain elevators was badly damaged by
dust explosion in which ten persons lOst thelr
lives and ten were injured.
February %, 1920, aluminium dust exploded III
Wisconsin factory, causing the deaths OF six
girls and many injuries.
Literally hundreds of threshing machines have
been wrecked in the wheat fields by explosion and
the resultant fire.
Coal dust has played the major part in unnum-
bered mine explosions.
The fiat truth is that many kinds of dust are
like so much powder-Only more powerful in ex-
pIOSive force Scores Of substances quite harm
less in the mass become highly dangerous when
puverized and blown into the air, with each par
ticle surrounded by sufficient oxygen to burn 1t.
Combustion, under these circumstances, takes
place with explosive violence and destroys lives
and property as effectively as dynamite or INT.
It takes very little to set off one of these ire
mendous explosions An electric friction spark,
a lighted match, a flame Of any kind-and an
atmosphere full of powdered dust Usually
the primary explosion is slight. But this slight
primary explosion shakes loose the accumulated
dust from beam and sill and crevice. Then comes
the big explosion. The little local explosion has
aided rs a sort of printing charge for the detOna-
ton that kills and wrecks
In the bureau of chemistry Of the United States
Department Of Agriculture at Washington is a
great album. 1t is filled with photographs of dust
explosion wrecks of many kinds. You'd think you
were looking at photographs of ruins in northern
France and Belgium crumped buildings, broken
masonry. twisted steel. And the more solid the
construction the worse the destruction.
So, you see. your dust literally means your dust
If the grain elevator blows up and burns it's
your elevator. Let hOpe you don't the
elevator. Let us hope the explosion does not kill
you or yours. Let us hope it does not throw you
or yours out of job Even If IT doesn't. 1t
throws Just much more productive property
on the junk heap. 1t may burn up enough wheat
to feed 100000 men. women and children long
time. 1t adds to the price of -four and of bread
1t increases the H. c. L. So it Is your dust. any
way you may look at it, for you are the ultimate
consumer and in the end you pay, directly or
Indirectly.
There are not so many dust explosions now
adays there used TO be. The bureau of chem
| iStry of the Department of Agriculture In CO.
operation with the United States Grain corpora
ton, undertook extensive campaign for check
ing this serious destruction. The result was the
evolving of inexpensive devices now recommended
by the government; and in the mills protected by
these devices there was no loss of life from ex-
plosOns and only very small amount of damage
to property.
How the United States Grain corporation han
ing the past year with only one disastrous explO-
sion in a grain elevator where its stocks were
stored and an actual loss limited to $4,000 is
told in 2Spage booklet issued on the grain dust
| explosion prevention campaign which has recently
been concluded under the direction of the United
States Grain corporation by experts of the bureau
of chemistry Department of Agriculture
The campaign was Instituted in July, 1915 at
| the suggestion of Julius II. Barnes, United States
wheat director Fifty thousand dollars was an
prOpriated for the work by the grain corporation.
In the booklet is described fully the educational
work of the campaign, which was carried on by
| means of pledge cards, meetings in various grain
| Centers and through cooperation with the Cana
! dian government; Improvements brought about in
the condition OF plants the literature and posters
! distributed in the interests of the work; results
| of the campaign; disastrous explosions which
| accumulation, and experimental work and tests
/ made in the interests of the milling and grain
/ men.
! AS result Of a campaign of education in grain
dust explosion prevention the grain corporation
suffered 10 extensive losses from fires explO-
sion during its existence of almost three years
! The Importance Of this record is emphasized by
/ the fact that the corporation had at all times in
storage grain and flour stocks worth $100.0O0,00C
and at certain times approximately $5O0OO0,00O
The success of this fire prevention crusade is
] emphasized by comparison with the losses suffered
| by other industries during the special campaign
period
Cooperation on the part of the workmen in
fire prevention work is invaluable, according tC
the grain corporation booklet. The proof of this
is the fact that during the 10 months between
| October, 1917, and May, 1919, no dust explosions