The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1921-04-02

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kNp &MRT Explosions in grain elevators ana
SVA @&s0 grain product mills during the ~
MN RW months ending October, 1917, result
WVM MNNMV ed in the loss of "a lives. Thirty-sN
kMn Xll)M persons were severely injured. The
YV RqM cost to American industry was
F iIoW 100000 in property destroyed.
II Il \ A disastrous explosion in corn
|TT starch factory of the Middle West
in May, 1919, caused the loss or
43 lives and property damage
amounting to S3,OOO000.
In August 1919 one of the Canadian govern
ment's grain elevators badly damaged by
dust explosion in which ten persons lost tnelr
lives and ten were injured
February &C. 1920, aluminium dust exploded In
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 ana
the resultant fire.
Coal dust has played the major part in unnun-
bered mine explosions.
The fiat truth is that many kinds OF dust are
like so much powder-only more powerful in ex-
plosive force Scores Of substances quite harm
less in the mass become highly dangerous when
pulverized and blown into the air, with each par
ticle surrounded by sufficient oxygen to burn it.
Combustion, under these circumstances, takes
place with explosive violence and destroys lives
and property as effectively as dynamite or TINT.
mendous explosions An electric or 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 as 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 Begium-crumpled buildings, broken
masonry, twisted steel. And the more solid the
construction the worse the destruction.
So, you see your dust literally means your dust.
| II the grain elevator blows up and burns, it's
i your elevator. Let us hope you don't own 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 so much more productive property
| on the junk heap. 1t may burn up enough wheat
4 to feed 100000 men, women and children long
time It adds to the price of flour and of bread.
It increases the H. C. L. So 1t is your dust any
way you may look at 1t, for you are the ultimate
| consumer and in the end you pay, directly or
4 Indirectly.
| There are not so many dust explosions now
| adays as 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 an extensivescampaign for check
| ing this serious destruction. The result 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
/ plosions and only very small amount of damage
| to property.
| How the United States Grain corporation ham
died the entire wheat supply Of this country dur
/ ing the past year with only disastrous explo-
| sion in a grain elevator where Its stocks were
stored and an actual loss limited to $4,000 Is
told in a 2Spage booklet issued on the grain dust
1 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, 1919, at
/ the suggestion of julius n. Barnes United States
4 wheat director Fifty thousand dollars was APP
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
i centers and through cooperation with the Cana
i 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
! occurred during the past year due to grain dust
/ accumulation, and experimental work and tests
made ia the interests Of the milling and grain
men.
4 AS result Of campaign of education in grain
4 dust explosion prevention the grain corporation
i suffered no extensive losses from fires or expo-
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
4 storage grain and Hour stocks worth S100,OO0OOO
and at certain times approximately $5O0OO0,OOO
The success Of this fre 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 10
fire prevention work Is invaluable, according to
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