BUREAU OB CHEMISIRY. '211 



culties in transportation of fish in a number of localities, notably on 

 the North Carolina and Virginia coasts, where the service to the 

 northern markets was upset by the congestion of the railroads. 



MILL AND ELEVATOR DUST EXPLOSIONS AND FIRES. 



A general fire and explosion prevention campaign has been car- 

 ried on in order to reduce the great losses due in many instances to 

 lack of knowledge on the part of employees. At meetings held in 

 various parts of the country mill and elevator owners and employees 

 were shown, by means of moving pictures, lantern slides, and minia- 

 ture dust explosions, the danger of dust explosions and fires, and 

 were made acquainted with the circumstances under which they oc- 

 cur. Following the meetings the various mills and elevators were 

 inspected and recommendations made to the managers and superin- 

 tendents with reference to arrangements which appeared dangerous. 

 The men were then asked, by means of special cards, to pledge 

 themselves to take all possible precautions to prevent fires and ex- 

 plosions in the plants where they were emploj^ed. The signing of 

 the cards was acknowledged by the department and appropriate 

 cards sent to the men. Through posters, circulars, and the like, much 

 publicity was given to the work, and, while from the nature of the 

 situation it is as yet impossible to prove in figures that this educa- 

 tional campaign has resulted in the conservation of much grain and 

 feed that might otherwise have been lost by fire, the impression pre- 

 vails in the industry that such has been its effect. 



An educational campaign was conducted among the thrashermen 

 and farmers, particularly in the Northwest, on the methods of equip- 

 ping thrashing machines with devices to prevent explosions and 

 fires. These measures include systems for grounding the machine to 

 carry oif static electricity, the installation of especially devised suc- 

 tion fans placed on the machine, which not merely reduce the explo- 

 sion fire hazard but also collect smut spores and improve the grade 

 of grain by cleaning and removing dust and foreign materials, and 

 the use of automatic fire extinguishers. As a result of the campaign 

 the equipment of thrashing machines in the Northwest with explosion 

 and fire prevention devices has become very general, and most of 

 the manufacturers of thrashing machines are planning to make some 

 of these devices standard parts of their equipment. 



COOPERATION WITH WAR AGENCIES. 



The Bureau of Chemistry has cooperated in many ways with the 

 United States Food Administration. It has acted in a consulting 

 capacity, furnishing technical information concerning trade prac- 

 tices, methods of manufacture, and the like, and it has in many in- 

 stances, especially in the early days of the war, through its inspectors, 

 made a number of special investigations. It has been instrumental 

 in securing the cooperation of State and municipal food and feed con- 

 trol officials. It has assisted particularly the Food Administration's 

 baking division, and it organized the supervision of commercial 

 bakeries throughout the country, working through State and muni- 

 cipal officials. It has caused thousands of inspections of bakeries to 

 be made, with the result that greater compliance with the baking 

 regulations was secured than would otherwise have been possible. 



