| Show Jj AB WJ What was waa wa left of the largest grain Brain elevator in the world alter after the i S Science ClenCe E Explains I aIDS Wh Why Y D- D Dt Disastrous Isas t rous E Explosions 1 dust dust explosion str structure The of SIX six reinforced reinforced men In in s h hs the he e concrete elevator had when been the he wrecked blast occurred o by II adust were all killed and the damage to the building and the millions of bushels of grain stored in its ita bins was more snore than FI M Mills II A Are re S So 0 F Frequent In in Flour our I s 10 Coal Mines and Other Places t S everybody knows dust in theair the theair th JS As J air is often otten very ery unpleasant and nay be unhealthful if one has to breathe much of it It is not so 60 well known known however that certain kinds of dust under certain conditions may be as deadly to human lif and as destructive of property as ns a he heavy vy charge of dyna dyna- dynamite dynamite mite Some of the th most shocking Industrial disasters of recent years ears have occurred when dust of an on inflammable inflammable character became mixed with the th proper amount of air and brought Into contact with heat of sufficient intensity to ignite it it What happens then is a terrible explosion explosion explosion sion that destroys massive buildings and blows to atoms human beings unfortunate unfortunate unfortunate nate enough to be e in the vicinity According to chemists of the Depart Depart- Department Department Department ment of Agriculture who are are ar trying to solve the problem of dust explosions and find some somo way woy of preventing them there are over establishments in the United States giving employment to persons which are ar almost con con- coni con con- continually con continually i exposed to the th dust explosion hazard Science has found out that the dust most liable to cause an explosion is that found in places where carbonaceous ma- ma material material ma material Is handled These Thes include flour mills feed mills grain elevators starch sugar uc r candy chocolate malt spice Un- Un linseed lin linseed seed meal paper cork linoleum and sulphur factories and also woodworking plants and coal mines Even threshing and harvesting ma- ma machines machines chines cut in the open fields are exposed to the danger of fire and ond explosion when the atmosphere around them becomes too heavily charged with the grain dust With all the explosions which have j 1 taken place in past Jast years in industrial plants mines and elsewhere it is b only lately that eden eden- scientists scientists fists commenced to give serious seri seri- fous ous consideration and study y y to determine the cause of yS these explosions ft After a number y of explosions inc in e c o 0 a l 1 mines mince the te i technological e c ch h n o 0 log logical i cal cali calbi i bi- bi binch of the United Unitt United Unit- Unit United ed t ed State i IE Survey started an anil il j investigation toI to t find out the rouse cause i I of them a and if possible to dis- dis discover dis discover a I cover a prevention I An ex 1 station was as estabI established established a at Pitts Pitts- Pittsburgh Pittsburgh I burgh Pa Because i of th the importance 8 of the work the t ti division later be- be became became cam be-cam came a separate bureau t bureau the th United States Bureau of Mines Mines A founds founds- foundation tion for the th investigation IMes- IMes of explosions explosions s s sr r ran w lions was laid not only k explosions In mines but In Industrial plants as well When a disastrous ex- ex explosion ex occurred in a feed teed grinding mill In the bureau at once started an investigation investigation tion The interest of grain and milling men throughout the country was vas aroused I to such an extent that they financed the investigation for a year so the causes for these explosions in mills and ele- ele elevators elevators ele elevators could be determined A shorty eho time tim ago an explosion oc- oc occurred occurred oc occurred in a plant in Wisconsin where aluminum articles were being polished for the market A number of girls were sitting at benches polishing these articles by machinery They never dreamed that death or injury was to be visited upon them They were Vere intent upon their work An exhaust pipe running along under the benches carried off oft the aluminum dust A heavy piece of steel wire acci acci- acci- acci accidentally accidentally dentally fell into the exhaust pipe entered the fan striking sparks which Ignited the dust An expo expo- explosion sion slon followed and the lives of six of the girl workers were blotted out and four other girls were seriously injured The Th dust from ground spices when mixed with the proper amount of air and subjected to heat of sufficient in in- in intensity to produce ignition will cause an explosion Such an explosion occurred in a western wester tate state when a tea and spice warehouse caught fire The explosion caused the death of four firemen and Injuries to fifteen others At Portland Maine an explosion oe- oe occurred oc in a mattress attress manufacturing ring plant Thousands of dollars worth of damage was done to the stock and the tb Where the Air Is Continually Filled With Minute r I Particles of f j Matter MatterI I t i ii ty t tY Y i t r fy r rt t IP r David J Price engineer in charge of the dust explosion investigations by the i 7 United States Department of Agri f jr culture testing a machine for the 4 the screening of explosive dusts The twelve girls who sat eat at work in chairs chair like these in a Wisconsin aluminum factory were blown to atoms when sparks pro pro- produced by the accidental contact of ofa a piece of wire witha with a steel ventilating fan ignited the aluminum aluminum aluminum num dust in the air operator of c r floss blowing machine was severely burned about the neck arms and legs He had thrown in the power switch of the machine and a spark from the electric current caused the th explosion which rocked the building The great havoc wrought by the re- re recent recent r cent explosion in the worlds world's greatest grain elevator at South Chicago Illinois shows the great explosive power of dust dustAll dustAll All the men in the elevator at the time six in number were killed and property In excess of destroyed A number of grain bins of reinforced con con- concrete concrete con cret crete construction were annihilated and anda anda a large larg quantity of grain destroyed It took five years to construct this elevator and the dust explosion wrecked it in a afew afew afew few seconds Starch has a power lower in its ignited dust that no can stand up against The explosion in a starch factory at Cedar Rapids Iowa caused the th death of three persons serious injuries to thirty more while the property damage was estimated at more than The Th United States Bureau of Chem Chem- ChemIstry Chemistry Chemistry has a list of about dust explosions explosions explosions in which the toll of lives and in- in in have been heavy and the property damages running up into many millions of dollars Writers for newspapers when one of these dust duit explosions take place fre- fre frequently fre frequently attribute it to spontaneous or declare it was a spon explosion There are people who believe dust is liable to spontaneous spon spon- spontaneous spontaneous explosion or that dust will Ig- Ig Ignite Ig Ignite nite spontaneously with a resultant ex explosion ex- ex explosion explosion The United States Bureau Dureau of Chem Chem- Chein- Chein Chemistry Chemistry says Dust cannot explode like dynamite or black powder or other deto deto- detonating deto- deto detonating detonating explosives Dusts explode as gases explode when intimately mixed with the air as a cloud Consequently there cannot be such a thing as an ex explosion of a pile of dust whether flame gets into it or not not as long as the dust remains In the th pile It cannot be b denied that there ther is such a thing as spontaneous combustion That is too well known But there Is no such a thing as a spontaneous explosion expo expo- explosion sion When dust is b in suspension in the th air airas airas airas as a cloud spontaneous heating cannot take place sufficiently t to cause combus combus- combustion combustion combustion tion for any such heat f I 1 developed would woUd Immediately be conducted away by the air The Th only way in II a which it is b possible to have an explosion from spon spon- spon- spon spontaneous spontaneous combustion is to have a dust cloud come in contact with a hot coal or flame which may have been caused by spontaneous combustion The Th striking of matches or smoking in plants where the air is dust laden is one of the principal causes for explosions A man went to a bin in a western state flour mill Because he h could not see sec dis- dis distinctly distinctly dis distinctly on account of the dust raised by bythe bythe bythe the incoming flour ho he struck a match matchAn An explosion followed and the mans man's life liCe was snuffed out while consid considerable rable damage was done to the building A lighted cigarette or cigar will act as quickly as was shown in a western Canadian plant A war veteran who had been through many dangers on the tho battlefields of France started to open the door of a B flour bin A slight explosion explosion explosion sion followed from Crom his lighted cigarette as the dust came out The Tho war veteran was badly burned A few Cew years ago a workman in a warehouse in Jersey City New Jersey threw a lighted cigarette stub on the floor He lIe and f four ur other men were handling loose loos chlorate of potash A Afire Afire Afir fire quickly started in this highly corn com f f 7 J fJ 0 p il Y v t l Ys a CT Yi Yie e II rL JM k i Y 2 S k I r Rr Iri I Y M 1 YF 1 c tl Ice covered ruins ofa af of f fa a western tea and spice warehouse in which a adust dust explosion occurred while afire a afire afire fire was in progress and wrought more havoc than the flames names am combination of wood flour chlorate dust and the coal of the ciga cigarette rette The men attempted to stamp the flames out An explosion followed The use us of open flames and naked lights should never be permitted In any plant where the dust is of an explosive character Electric lights only should be used If plants are located in places where there is no electric lighting service the managers of the plant if it they value the lives of their employees to say noth noth- nothing noth- noth nothing nothing ing of the value of the plant and con con- contents contents tents should install an electric light unit unitA A disastrous explosion occurred in a soap works in Rhode Island The plant was engaged in the th manufacture of a high grade soap powder The mixture was as dried ground and put into packages for domestic purposes For years the mixture had been ground in a small room lighted by an open gas burner which was exposed to th the clouds of dust which came from the fh grind mills in such quantity at times to extinguish the gas jet After the th explosion an investigation Investigation investigation tion by Professor L W Peck showed that greater explosive force fore and more intense heat can be bo produced from the explosion of soap dust than from any manufactured wheat product Among the means recommended for forthe forthe forthe the prevention of dust explosions 11 aa 3 the following Prohibiting the lighting of matches or smoking of cigarettes cigars or pipes In any plant where there is dust of an explosive nature The use of electric lights for lighting the building Keeping plants as clean as possible Where there arc are exhaust pipes to carry off oil the dust have these pipes ex- ex examined examined ex examined each day so no o wire or other metal will come in eon contact tact with the wheel and cause caus a spark Until recently the manager oia ofa of oi a large Jarge m r J t r I I l 1 V fl r r Wreck of ofa a Buffalo New York feed grinding plant where a dust explosion caused the loss Iou of thirty three lives This was the disaster which started the federal investigation to determine the cause of these explosions and to trY to find some way of preventing them industrial plant in the th West felt quite positive in is the th products his plant was turning out were ero not of an explosive character nor inflammable Then one onor or two little incidents which happened at his plant caused his to tobe tobe tobe be somewhat shaken lIe He II sent samples of his products to the United States Du- Du Bureau Dureau Bu Bureau reau of Chemistry After making a number of tests the bureau found the samples were not only of an explosive character when the dust of their manu manu- manufacture manufacture manufacture facture filled the air but they were also highly inflammable The average person would hardly ex- ex expect expect ex expect milk to explode even en if it is in ina in a powdered state But nut this actually hap hap- happened happened happened at ot a n milk drying plant in Wis Wis- Wisconsin Wisconsin The man in charge of the plant at night saw a light in the drying chamber through a glass covered ered hole which was used for observation in the drying cham chain chamber chamber ber her Seeing some milk burning on the tho side of the hopper he h called the night watchman and raa ran for a n fire fir extin On en his return h he shut off theair the theair theair air fan turned on the th motor connected to the screens screens ns and ond shook down the dust arrested by them He drew off the powder collected in the hopper The watchman who was on the th second floor looking into the chamber said he thought the fire was dying out when the explosion occurred blowing both men quite a distance The force of th the explosion lifted the roof root and wrecked the building in in which the drying unit was located In all aU parts of ot the co similar explosions ex- ex ex explosions have occurred Sometimes the property loss any ane an the life liCe loss has been en enso so small that the disasters didn't make the first pages of the newspapers but the principle of the Danger of Dust is the same Again one on reads that a vacant house has burned down and the chemist ex- ex explains explains ex explains plains that it is the SAme theory ogain again Here in an attic a heap 01 or dust has sud- sud suddenly sud suddenly denly deny ignited and a burst of flames flame to- to re results suits That is the danger danger of of dust com Cc iet it 1521 1021 e tf br j r k mae M r rn IM ha 7 |
