Loading ...In 1959 I worked for Dow Chemical for the summer . Another fellow I knew from high school and I worked well together so often we were paired when a tough job had to be done . Toward the end of summer we were given the task of cleaning the sludge out of the bottom of a huge tank near the cells where they split brine into Sodium to make lye and chlorine for municipal water treatment . That water tank was at least 50 ft. in diameter and 30 feet high with a manway on the side and another on the roof , where two guys were stationed continuously spraying the interior with a fire hose . Danny and I were inside in waders and rain gear scooping sand and sludge from the bottom of the tank with buckets that we would pass out the manway to others on the outside who would pour the watery sludge into 100 gallon drums which were continuously being rinsed with a garden hose overflowing the tank so that the sand in the sludge would rise to the surface floating on top of the heavier sludge . Oh , did I forget to mention that the sludge was mercury ? Danny and I were also issued MSA mouth respirators with side canisters to remove any mercury vapors that might reside in the tank interior in spite of the continuous hosing from the roof . Danny and I enjoyed the assignment because it was cool inside in spite of the August heat outside . I think we worked in that tank for over a week , and had about a dozen 100 gallon drums filled to the brim with mercury to show for it . I have no idea how they lifted those drums to return the mercury to the cell vats to conduct electricity to the charged elements – not sure if it was the anodes or the cathodes which had the tips hanging into the conductive mercury . Danny had a silver charm bracelet which a girlfriend had given him which was all scratched up from wearing . Both the name plaque and links were sterling or were silver plated . Danny dipped the bracelet into the mercury because it made the surface look smooth and shiny again and put it back on his wrist . I heard later that he had died of a ‘mystery disease’ about five years later .
BTW the sand floated to the top of the mercury and spilled over the brim until the metal could be seen when each drum was full .
Maya – True story
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