C. L. Bates to D. C. Renton on the Pittsburg Dust Exhaust System (1933)

A two-page letter of July 31, 1933, from C. L. Bates, manager of J-M's Pittsburg, California, factory, to D. C. Renton, chief engineer of factories and mines at Manville, with copies to S. A. Williams and others. Bates corrected his June 21 estimate and listed the cost of dust exhaust systems for the cement, pipe covering, roofing and paper mill departments, totaling $5,669 ($5,942.94 with Blaw-Knox equipment). He wrote that he personally felt "it is unnecessary to expend the amount of money required to take care of our dust conditions," adding: "Early this year all of our men were re-examined and found none with lung ailments caused from dust condition."

What it shows

Bates went on that since "the responsibility has been put directly up to each plant manager," he felt that if one of his employees "became infected, it would probably result in a much greater loss than the sum represented above, and by putting in this equipment it would have a psychological effect, in that precaution was used to try and protect our employees." The exchange began with Renton's June 26 memo calling Bates's estimates "a bit startling."

In Johns-Manville's chronology

Johns-Manville's own chronology of what the company knew describes this document as follows:

C.L. Bates (Pittsburg Plant Manager) memorandum to D.C. Renton, 7/31/33, responding to Renton's memorandum of 6/26/33. Bates replies that he does not believe that it is really necessary to spend the estimated amount of money to take care of Pittsburgh's dust conditions because Pittsburgh's dust situation is not severe enough to warrant such an elaborate installation. Also, early this year all of Pittsburg's workers were re-examined and no lung ailments were found caused from dust conditions. However, since the responsibility has been put directly onto each plant manager, Bates feels that if one of his employees becomes infected, "it would probably result in a much greater loss than the sum represented above. . . . [B] putting in this equipment, it would have a psychological effect, in that precaution was used to try and protect our employees."

Editor's note: J-M's description says Bates was answering Renton's memo of June 26, 1933. Bates's reference line reads "Yours July 2_, 1933," a later Renton letter that is not in this file.

Related documents

• D. C. Renton to S. A. Williams on Pittsburg Dust Exhaust Layouts (1933)
• D. C. Renton to C. L. Bates on Pittsburg Dust Exhaust Estimates (1933)