Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1941-05-01

ing road, past the dam which makes
the settling basin, on down to the
river we go to see one of the seven
wells much deeper than the bed of
the river each rs feet in diameter
and having laterals by the Ranney
corporation extending outward in
various directions at the bottom.
These wells are concrete walled and
floored and on the top of each is a
big pump to force its nine million
gallons a day through the two SO
inch lines which carry the fluid to
various parts of the reservation. BY
going below the river level they get
only a small percentage of river wa
ter have uniform temperature of
81 degrees, and escape the necessity
of filtering. There are two five mil
lion gallon reservoirs.
We are told how powder is made
of the short fiber from around the
cotton-seed which is not SO useful
for fabrics. This is impregnated
with acids and later passed on to
the boiling-tub house for eight
hours to get the acid out In fact,
III
boiling periods after which the cot
ton lint is cut up to let the remain
ing acid out OF the cells and is then
boiled still more. Finally a base is
added to neutralize any possible re-
naming acid. A colloiding process
makes it slow burning. In these pre-
liminary states manufacture is in or
under water and there is probably
very little danger, but where there
is danger, we see a safety chute for
quick escape and find the ''safety
first man. has worked over time TO
take all needed human precautions
to avoid accidents.
Only about one percent of the
employees are in the danger area.
For their safety, motors are housed
apart from the buildings in which
the work is done. 1t is pointed out
that smokeless powder burns read
lily, but does not explode when not
confined under pressure. Some parts
of the work are done at night when
there are few around and the air is
most favorable Further precaution
is taken by putting the material in
position allowing the operator to go
to point of remote control and
press the button for the automatic
machinery. Already the gatemen
inquire if you have matches or light
ers. Later employees will wear
safety shoes, clothing without pock-
cts, and visitors may be searched to
make sure they are right in saying
they have no matches. The hun
dreds of buildings are isolated from
each other which thins out the
man-power and reduces the proper
ty damage which would arise from
an explosion. The storage maya
zines, sixty or one hundred and
twenty feet long, are so built that
the roof would readily lift off in an
explosion and on each of the four
sides are great cribs of strong creo-
soted timbers bolted to concrete
bases and filled with earth so that
they become buffers in case of eX-
plosion.
Electric lights are safety sealed.
all motors and machines are ground
ed, door hinges are made of a spark
resisting copper and when produc-
ton begins, no steam locomotives
will come into the reservation but
the shifting over 60 units of track
age will be done by diesel motored
engines. The coal is so finely pull
yerized that it gives no spark and
the powder is made in small batch
es and stored in scattered buildings.
Should there be a fire the plants
fire department has 10000 gal
ion water tank and 500 gallon
per minute pumper. Shipment of
h. II Io+
a time and the grounds will be pa
trolled by three hundred carefully
trained guards. Safety signs are
rotice@blo and q periodical featur-
inS safety instruction is issued. The
ee~@ CIe c1uticned not to touch
switches or valves unless told to do
so. They are also told to carry
their safety teaching home with
them and pass it on TO their fami-
lies
The safety record now stands a
more than 81 days with over 1925
600 explosive hours without man
losing day from accident. The
DuPOnts have system of free in
eurance for employees which starts
after one year of service at 500 and
after five years it is increased to
$500.
Production is due to begin May
II but the probabilities are that they
will be able to make powder some
what earlier than that. Three hun
dred selected men have been sent
to Carneys Point, New Jersey, to be
instructed in this new line of work
and at least some of them have
their courses and have |
been returned to the Charlestown
plant Some raw material is on
hands. Everybody wears a number
ed Photographic identification badge /
and even the military man who took |
your correspondent over the grounds |
went back to the office for his for |
gotten badge. Upon entering the |
front office we were impressed with |
the constant activity like a beehive |
or an ant-hill. AS we left for the |
,ity in an officers car, we were
of the great courtesy that I
had been shown.
Adjacent to the powder factory is |
he Hoosier Ordnance Works (em- |
)loying 10000 persons at the peak) |
which is the bagging plant begun by
he Gco9year Tire and Rubber com
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