The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1855-05-23

from Wilmington, Delaware, gives the follow
inc interesting sketch of the process by winch
powder is made at the celebrated mills OF Du
Pont in that city: t-
"Of course. Of the details of the business Of
the Messrs. Du Pont, even if known to me-
could net make mention, unless by their consent
but the process of manufacture is in reality no
secret, every book of chemistry treating OF l5
to some extent All know that gunpowder Is
composed of saltpetre, birthstone and charcoal,
though but few have any idea of the trouble
and labor gone through to have these materials
of proper quality. The saltpetre, as received
at the yards, has the appearance OF dirty coarse
salt. filled with short hbrous matter, by pro-
cess of refining, two or three times repeated, 1t
assumes the appearance somewhatot hne table
salt, in which state it is fit for the powder mill
Great care is also taken to have the sulphur
pure. But the most labor and forethought seem
to be necessary in procuring the charcoal, winch
is all made of the willow and poplar, the former
| being used for the best kinds OF powder. To
procure supplies of these woods the proprietors
set out yearly, in every nook and corner, trees,
which are hewn down every three years. and
the branches are converted into charcoal. This
method of procuring the wood gives singular
appearance to the country, for in many places
alongside the roads Or by the streams may be
seen old tree trunks, standing but little higher
than mans head. and topped only with a
bunch of small branches | saw some trunks
that appeared to be forty or fifty years old with
out limb bigger than my wrist.
The mill buildings, in which the materials are
Ground or mixed are scattered along the banks
of the stream, each one containing q mill. They
are built of stone on three sides, with heavy
walls, strengthened with piers, the other side
FACING the stream, is of wood, and the root also
slopes towards the stream. The plan OF con-
struction is to lessen the damage from expo-
sions, for should an explosion take place, the
force would be diverted towards the stream.
The mills consist of two heavy iron rollers on
wheels moving in a trough. saw one pair
each of which weighed Is ,OOO poundS-about
seven TONS The materials, being we'll mixed
up and puverized in these mills, is slightly
moisened, when it is pressed into cakes till 1t
becomes almost as hard as plaster OF paris.
, These cakes are then broken up into small
S pieces, and taken to the granulalon m'il' an
, operation which, on account of its danger, l
was not permitted to see. After granuation
the powder is taken to the glazing mill. Here
. 600 or 700 pounds are put into a cask revoly-
ino moderately fast, for twenty four hours there
/! being six or eight of these casks, aid close by
each were seven hundred pounds more, ready
e for another charge From the glazing mill the
powder is taken to the drying house. Here, at
j the time of my visit, were nearly four tons ct
, nowder, spread out on trays, while close by
S were two furnaces roaring away at all hours
n Dancer there was not, yet could not but think
e of Sebastopol and the story of its mines. From
il the drying house the powder is taken to the
packing house, where it is put in barrels OF can"
n listers and thence taken to amagazine, OF which
there are several, built with the same regard to
d non-damage, in case of explosion, as the grlnf
e ing mills. ...I.
c. While standing in one of the packing houses,
g. and Just as | had given kick to a hundred
pound keg of powder, intended i8r his excel
4 lency Santa Anna, Mr. Du Pont ca]]ea to man
tn to bring him some powder IN scoop shovel,
as and therein inspected about half peck Of pow
er der destined to knock out IF this world some
le enemy of his said excellency. The unconcern
with which this was handed to me, as though
- it were but so much wheat, struck me- as re-
markable l would not convey the idea that
r. carelessness is customary or allowed, nor was
the incident above mentioned careless act its
S noticeable feature arising rather from the bent
of my own mind. On the contrary, The great
le est care is exercised, the yards and the various
buildings being under the direct and constant
le SUPERVISION of some of the firm, ard to such all
le extent is this supervision carried, that one OF
m them visits the yards every night at one clock,
d. while the discipline of the handsis more severe
T. than it is in the army or navy. This, with a
re system of liberal rewards for long and faithful
service, and for acts of bravery in case OF dan
r. ger has so lessened the liability to accidents of
n a dangerous nature, that the proprietors feel
Sc perfectly safe, and stranger visiting these
s. yards, feels comparatively So
, A GREAT MEDICAL Discovery article
- which follows, published in the Scientific Bull
letin, of Paris, is entitled "the application of
chemical electricity to therapeutics Though
70 not LITERAL the substance of the article is intact.
The Bulletin says:
f. Chemistry is about to drag from an anticipa'
J, ted death, thousands of men, who IN the eXer-
y else of their cruel professions-giIdlng, looking
,s glass plating, white lead manufacturing, &c b.,
and also those whose systems have been ruined
by mercury in its various lorms-tor this science
ii has raised her right arm and arrests their
r misery and destruction. This discovery ex-
i tracts from their bodies, atom by atom, every
G particle substance, from every part OF the hu
y, man system. Where do we get this great
hope? In memoir presented to the trench
G. academy or sciences by vi. Duhi'S' "hICH HAS
;s for its authors two men, whose names will strike
= the car of the public for the first time to-day,
=, But if they prove what they promise to, they
) will soon take rank among the greatest bcnc-
factors of humanity. These authors are Andre
Poly, of Havana, and Maurice Vergnes. The
- invention consists of an application Of chemical
electricity to accomplish the above purpose and
of all the marvellous things that electricity has
: achieved this is the boldest, most triumphant
d The modus operand is as follows: a me-
Y talc bath is insulated from everything and
+ partially filed with accidulated water, to con
+ vev more readily the electrical currents. The
It patient lies upon seat in the tub insulated On
: trely from the bath. When gold, silver, or
/ mercury is in the system, nitric, or hydra
!, chloric acids are employed. When lead is sus-
e pected, the acid used is sulphurlc. This dont.
S the negative pole of battery is putin 9onnec-