New-York tribune., 1922-04-09
Scientists Prove
Dust Is Cause of
Many Explosions
Investigations by Experts of
Chemistry Bureau Show
That Even Bread Once
Had TINT Characteristics

Had TINT characteristics
That loaf of bread you cut last night
for your supper at one time in its ca
rcer possessed all the dangerous char
actcristics of TINT. The spices in
the apple dumplng you ate for dessert
once boasted an equally strong claim
to dangerous propensitics. The sugar
| you put on it to add to its tastiness
had, and still has, the potentialitics Of
dynamite.
Experts of the Bureau Of Chemistry
of the United States Department of
| Agriculture are authorities for these
strong statements. But they say they
might 60 further and add that the rice
in your pudding was just as "Highty";
that the napkin you use, if Of cotton;
the shirt on your back, if also made of
the rubbers over them, and, finally,
the coal which was used to cook your
| meal, were all at one time in their
processes of manufacture or prcpara-
| tion for your use, equally death
dealing.
However, there's no need now to back
| away from any of them, they're tanned,
the Agriculture Department chemists
| assert. The secret of their destruc-
tiveness is dust-the dust which is pro-
duced in their manufacture.
| For number of years department
experts have been studying the ex-
possibility of carbonaceous dusts,
mostly for the education Of manufac-
turers and workers in materials which
produce such conditions, and surpris-
QC1O of 3x%n
been made.
Dust Causes Many Explosions
1t is just about a year since the
largest grain elevator in the world. the
North Western, at South Chicago, was
| destroyed by the explosion of grain
dust in work rooms and storage bins.
disaster, which wrought property
damage estimated at $3,OoO,oOO. 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-
hang in the air. 1t has been deter
mined by the experts that this dust
produces with the air a mixture a.
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 bar
rels. All that is needed to start the
destructive work is a spark. The spark
or flame may start slow fire, tho
fash travelling from dust grain to dust
grain. 1t may travel through dust
conveyers, corridors or blowers to dis
tant parts of the plant, where, if suf-
ficient pressure is built up, the cx-
plosion occurs.
Dust explosions, government records
show, have wrecked we'll built plants,
thrown bodily loaded freight cars,
turned into twisted skeins of scrap
strongly built steel structures, moved
heavy bins from their foundations,
| 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 investi-
gators and not all are from cereal
dust explosions.
|
| table spices in spice factory wrecked
the factory recently, exacted a toll of
six lives, injury to twice as many
others, and high property loss.
An explosion Of powdered or confec-
TONERS sugar, in an Eastern refinery
wrought damage estimated at 81 ,00O,-
900 and cost four lives.
Breakfast Cocoa Blows Up
Breakfast cocoa, precipitated in a
thick cloud from burning bins in fac
tory fire, exploded, adding to the wreck
age of the plant and to the loss Of
lives and money
Six girls working in factory pro-
ducing alumium articles were burned
to death when fine aluminium dust from
their bufhng machines exploded in
their faces with conclusion heard
two miles distant.
Starch exploding in another factory
resulted in forty-three deaths and dam
age estimated at 100000.
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 4
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. Explo-
sion of coal dust in mines has long
been the bane of engineers and op-
orators.
The governments study of dust ex-
plosions has resulted in the formula
tion of series Of safety rules. These
include recommendations that the dust
be prevented so far as possible and be
quickly removed; machinery produc-
ing frictions be kept in repair and lu-
bricated; machines generating static
electricity be grounded, to be drained
OF electricity, and open flames such as
matches, lights and fires be eliminated.
3l4 Pilots Guide $4,000