EXPLOSION ESCAPES.

Waikato Times, Volume 87, Issue 13269, 26 August 1916, Page 3 (Supplement)

EXPLOSION ESCAPES.

In an interesting account of tho Du Pont Powder Company's plant at Carney's Point, Md., printed in the Telephone News, one of the most readable sections relates to devices for giving protection or facilitating escape in case of explosion. But the writer bids us understand, to start with, that bad explosions in good powder plants are rare. "It is not exactly reasonable to compare the smokeless powder of any grade with pretzel baking or buttonhole making," but the manufacture of explosives is quite comparable with that of steel, for instance, and the risk of accidents hardly greater. We read: —

"You will come across a one-story building that is 200 ft long, and, upon examination, you will find that it is constructed in sections, each being separated from those on either side by very thick brick dividing walls. Then, if something should 'happen' in one of the sections (and bear in mind that a 'flare' takes several seconds to develop and does not come as one unexpected 'bang'), the workers in that section beat a hasty retreat to a near-by steel fence, behind which they await further developments, while tho men in the other sections make their exit a bit more leisurely, mindful of those pro* tecting brick walls which keep things moving in a vertical plane.

"Then, too, the fire escapes (for want of,a better term) leading from the second and third floor windows of the taller buildings would delight any small boy. The modus operandi is something like this: If you're on the third floor and feel a sneaking desire to seek the open air, run to a window and turn south; the metal chute catches you gracefully and volplanes you to the ground, from which you rise gingerly (to avoid the impact of the fellow who is chuting the chutes just two seconds behind you), and either leg it for dear life or walk* off in your most dignified manner, /just as though that's the way you always come downstairs. "As we wandered (very gingerty) through the maze of buildings, only a few of which we peeked into, a marvellous variety of aromas assailed us. Near tile ether and alcohol nouses the effect was giddy, to say the least. After running such a gauntlet and coming upon a sign reading, 'Diphenylamina House,' we were a bit puzzled whether the Du Pont Company was exploiting some new-found chemical, or, rather, we had biwathed in an overdose of fumes. Pressing-houses, dry-houses, solvent-houses, reclaiming-houses every building seems to be a 'house' in the powder-man's language, and they were of a variety and number almost motmprelwnaible. Huge vault-like •fenaotorea / wwre everywhere.. - without doom. awl -with windows barred, in wnfob- acid i* stated. < Bat-