Page 6 - Frank Murphy and the Open Hearth

ISSUE : Issue 52

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1989/8/1

they'd slip on the edge of the bank and fall in. We'd probably get them out before the steel came. But if they didn't, they were gone. (Did that happen?) Oh, yes, we had fellows killed. We had fellows killed in the Open Hearth--tap holes breaking out while they'd be working down below. The furnace would be working, the heat. The tap hole'd break out, and there'd be men burnt, that they would die from the ef? fects of it, you know.... (Tell me, now. You were hurt on the plant.) I lost my leg in the Number 4 fur? nace there. (How did that happen?) Well, what happened was--we brought up our man? ganese- -it was late getting up. I guess it was around 4 o'clock in the morning. And we wanted to get a pan off to take to an? other furnace. I was first helping then, on Number 4 furnace. So when the crane op? erator, when he lowered down the hooks-- there's holes at the end of the pan--you had to reach in to get them. So Joe Cormi? er, my buddy, he was on the inside by the furnace. But when I reached in to get the chain, I put my foot on the track to reach Skye Motor Hotel and Licensed Restaurant 77 Comfortable Units * Free Colour Pay-TV (902)625-1300 P.O.Box 190 PORT HASTINGS n.s.boe2to - at the Canso Causeway - the chain to push one in to him, you see-- the two of them are together. He was in 'the heat. And I pushed the chain in. But they were charging the next furnace, and the fellow just hit the charge, and the wheel went right over and cut my foot off. The wheel of the car. And it was loaded with manganese--one of the heaviest mate? rials you have. So it just cut the foot right off, right at the instep.- (When there's an accident like that in the Open Hearth, what happens? Everything stop, or what?) Oh, no. They just take you away, and keep going. There's no stopping them. They just take you--pick you up-- they put you in a stretcher and take you to the hospital. But the job keeps going. There's no such thing as stopping. They had to get a stretcher. They had to stop charging the furnace until they took me away. But that was only, probably, 10 minutes. (Where did they take you?) Up to the emergency hospital. That little build? ing that you saw when we were going down-- that little white building. And in those days, you couldn't have your family doc? tor. You had to take the company doctor. When you were injured on the steel plant, you couldn't go to St. Rita's Hospital or the City Hospital--you had to go to the steel company hospital. They had their own doctors. This was the sad part of it, too. (Why is that?) Well, they weren't compe? tent. See, under compensation, we have a STITCHING POST 106 Townsend St Sydney, N. S. 562-7056 Ltd. (P. O. Box 1082) B1P6J7 'Husqvarna Experience Excellence! The world's most advanced updateable computer! The most intelligent sewing machine ever created for home sewing • and it's easy to use. Huskylock and White Sergers (3- and 4-thread) , Passap and White Knitting Machines Also available: * Bridal Fabrics, Trims, & Notions * Excellent Selection of Quitters' Cottons * Designing & IManufacturing Bridal Wear Service • Lessons LAY-A-WAY Financing Available O-A-C Mercer Fuels Ltd. ?? FURNACE OIL ?? STOVE OIL ?? LUBE OIL ?? KEROSENE ?? AUTOMATIC DELIVERY ?? BUDGET PLANS - SERVICE PLANS Serving SYDNEY, GLACE BAY, NEW WATERFORD and Surrounding Areas 539-7580 Sales 24 HOUR EMERGENCY ' A SERVICES WE ARE A LOCAL COMPANY 64 BROOKLAND ST. SYDNEY

Cape Breton's Magazine