The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1922-04-11
DEADLY DUST AS
DANGEROUS AS T. N. T.
AGRICULTURAL DEPARTMENT
CHEMISTS TELL ABOUT 1T.
EXPLOSION IN FACTORY.

dinner at one time in its career pos
sessed all the dangerous Characters
tics of T. N. T. The spices in the APP
pie dumping you ate for dessert once
boosted an equally strong claim to
dangerous propensities. The sugar you
put on it to add to its tastiness had,
and still has, the potentialities OF dy-
Mantle.
Experts of the bureau of chemistry
of the United States department OF
agriculture are authorities for these
strong statements. But they say they
might go further and add that the rice
in your pudding was just as 'ttighty;
that the napkin you use, is of cotton,
the shirt on your back is also made
of cotton, the shoes on your feet and
the rubbers over them and finally the
coal which your meal was prepared
with were all at one time in their pro-
cesses of manufacture or preparation
for your use equally death dealing.
However, there's no need now to
back away from any of them, they're
tanned, the agricultural department
chemists assert. The secret of their
destruCtiveness is dust-the dust which
is produced in their manufacture.
For a number of years department
experts have been studying the ex-
possibility of carbonaceous dusts,
mostly for the education OF manufaCt-
urers and workers in materials which
produce such conditions, and surpris-
ing disclosures of general interest have
been made.
1t is just about a year since the
largest grain elevator in the world, the
North Western, at south Chicago, ILL.,,
was destroyed by the explosion of
grain dust in work rooms and storage
bins. Six worknen lost their lives i'll
the disaster which wrought property
damage estimated at $3,000,000 While
there have been many other similar
explosions in elevators, flour mills and
plants producing variety OF articles
that one was the factor that brought
the subject most strongly to public
attention, the department says.
When wheat grains or other cereals
are handled in bulk friction produces
quantities of fine dust, and when train
and car loads are handled daily the
amount of this dust that accumulates
about the plant on floors and projec-
tons is enormous. Dust clouds long
hang in the air. 1t has been determin-
ed by the experts that this dust pro-
duces with the air a mixture as tickle
and explosive as that formed in the
carburetor Of an automobile. 1t can
generate gas explosions as powerful as
those in rife and gun barrels. All that
is needed to start the destructive work
is a spark. The spark or flame may
start slow fire, the fash travelling
from dust grain to dust grain 1t may
travel through dust conveyors, CORR
doris or blowers to distant parts of
the plant, where if sufficient pressure
is built up the explosion occurs.
Dust explosions, government rec
ords show, have wrecked well buit
plants, thrown bodily loaded freight
cars, turned into swisted skeins O.
scrap strongly built steel structures,
moved heavy bins from their founda
tons, and in the case of the North
Western blown out concrete bin walls
seven inches thick.
A long list of similar disasters is
in the hands of the government inves-
tigators and not all are from cereal
dust explosions.
An explosion of ordinary powdered
table spices in a spice factory wreck
ed the factory, recently, exacted toll OF
six lives, injury to twice as many
others and high property loss.
An explosion of powdered or con-
fectioners' sugar, in an eastern rehn-
cry, wrought damage estimated at ST.
100000 and cost four lives.
Rraol-foct CnCna rorocini+otaJ -, n
thick cloud from burning bins in a
factory fire exploded, adding to the
wreckage of the plant and to the loss
of lives and money.
Six girls working in a factory pro-
ducing aluminium articles were burned
to death when fine aluminium dust
from their bufing machines exploded
( in their faces with a conclusion heard
two miles distant.
Starch exploding in another factory
resulted in forty-three deaths and dam
ages estimated at $3,000,000.
Dust from hard rubber being ground
to powder exploded in another instance
killing eight workers and partly de-
molishing the plant
While handling cotton seed meal a
Wisconsin plant was damaged by an
explosion in that product and three
workmen were killed
Any number of explosions of light
wood dust in wood working plants
have been reported to the department.
Leather dust, formed in process of
manufacture, has also caused explo-
sions; dust from various processes in
paper and cotton mills, rice meal dust.
feed dust and other grain dusts have
all caused terrific explosions resulting
in loss of life and property. Explosion
OF coal dust in mines has long been
the bane of engineers and operators.
The governments study of dust ex-
plosions has resulted in the formula
ton of series of safety rules. These
include recommendation that the dust
be prevented so far as possible and be
quickly removed; machinery producing
frictions be kept in repair and lubri-
Gated; machines generating static cleo
tricity be grounded, to be drained of
electricity, and open flames such as
matches lights and fires be eliminat-
ed.