226 ANNUAL KEPOKT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1910. 



By a peculiar chance, however, a rod which was exactly the same 

 diameter as the opening in the mesh struck the screen fairly and went 

 straight through it, injuring the man standing in front. With this 

 catastrophe thus vividly before him, my guide started to show me 

 another part of the mill, but instead of going round about somewhat 

 as he might have done, he went directly along a line of guide pi]3es 

 through which hot rods were running at the rate of 1,100 feet a min- 

 ute. In doing so, he said apologetically, " We'd better hurry here, as 

 a rod sometimes jumps from the pipes." If a loaded rifle were 

 mounted in a mill and arranged to discharge at uncertain intervals, 

 a man who passed in front of it would be considered foolish, and yet 

 this is practically what some men are doing daily in the mills. 



I later talked to the injured foreman and he assured me that he 

 had been positive that the screen was fine enough to stop anything 

 which would be rolled there and had been greatly surprised to find 

 that the rod could get through; he saw it coming and tried to 

 " dodge " it, but was not quick enough. As it was, he escaped very 

 fortunately from what might have been a fatal injury. Although the 

 hot rod practically passed through his body, penetrating a lung in 

 its course, he was in the hospital but two weeks and was back at his 

 regular duties in the mill four months later. 



Anyone who is familiar with mill conditions, or, to put it more 

 broadly, who knows something of human nature, realizes how difficult 

 it is to change the accustomed method of doing things. "When a 

 safety appliance is installed it may involve some inconvenience to the 

 workmen — it requires adjustment and repairs — at least, it is some- 

 thing new, and the man who has been getting along without it for 

 several years is generally against it. If he has never seen an accident 

 of the kind in question it seems a A^ery remote possibility to him. 



It is a slow process of education, but by continued agitation, by 

 thorough inspection in which officials and workmen join for the 

 common good, by commending what is good and holding it up as a 

 model for all, the standard of safety conditions is being steadily 

 raised. 



RESULTS. 



In considering the results of this work a comparison of the number 

 of accidents occurring in the different mills shows much irregularity. 

 A large percentage of reduction was made in some plants in 1909 as 

 compared with the preceding year, but very little change appeared 

 in others where an equal effort was made to improve conditions. The 

 total number of accidents, however, is a very indefinite standard of 

 comparison for several reasons. Slight injuries, of which no notice 

 was taken a few years ago, are now reported ; a particle of emery dust 

 in the eye or an insignificant scratch on the hand may become in- 

 fected later and develop serious complications, so that greater em- 



