Western sentinel. [volume] (Winston [i.e. Winston-Salem], N.C.) 1856-1886, 1863-05-08
RATES OF ADVERTISING.
CONFEDERATE POWDER MILLS.


The London "Timas' of the 18Th March,con
taius a letter from It's correspondent dated Au'
gusla Ca:
W hen. upoe the 13th of April, 1861. Fort
S,nter surrender ed to Gen. Beauresard and
the Confederates not one SINGLE pound OF gun>
r,wder was anywhere manufactured IN the
t,,nf.deracy. a rigorous blockade OF the sea
ports of the South was immediately conmenc.
4d through which the principle ingredients of
gupDowder (saitpetre) had To be largely suck
ed H. At ,his juncture 1t seemed advisable TO
President Davis to entrust TO Colonel hams,
formerly an officer of the United States army,
the responsibility ofplanni"g anc building
l.tre Government mill for the manufacture of
puroovder. For thus post Col. Rsnes possess
sd eu,nent Qualifications He had been pro-
t.ssor Of chemistry az West Polrt and for
some wears since leaving the army, be had
b.sn at the head of some large iron works at
Newburc on the Hudson. Augusta, in Geor~
ua WAS selected SIS the site nf the intended
mil. and never both as regards the person ai:d
situation pitched npon, was happier saSacIy
evinced by toe President. Following SO far
as he was acquainted with it, the plan upon
which the gunpowder mill ": akhan, Abbey,
o.onainu to the English Government is built,
Col. R.lrIes proceeded to construct the works
necxssar, tor his purpose ; and the success
which has attended his efforts has been such as
could never have been believed before the pres
sure OF war aud prvatlon had awakened South
ern ingenuity and enterprise. Ine result is
that aI the cost OF about 100000, ons of the
most perfect gunpowder mlIls III the world has
bxen produced, when tarE. out hva thousand
pounds ot powder rer day, and could produce
double that amount it worked day and night,
aud much more 1t Wol ked UNDER the eAl9ehoy
at . pressing demand.
n
;j,,e>s Of the saitpatre which has been introduc-
ed through the Blockade is about tour cents
ner pound which is about the same as its cost
il, Enu,and. The mill has now been at work
for many months. and consequently more
powder :haa the Conlederacy is likely to re-
o,ure for wears tn come has already been pro-
duced There is another Government poweer
mill at Columbia. in Soutn Carolna, working
! believe, &c supply the wants quot very large
us vet Of the Confederate navy. butail the
gunpowder issued ior the service OF the Confed-
crate armies of Virginia and the West, and al
so for .he defepce of Charleston and Vlcksburg
mas corae of the mill at Augusta and it is stat
cd to me bv an ordinance officer in Charleston,
that the powder which he had recently received
there and tested, was very nearly, II not entire.
w up to the standard Of the fines. Eng lish man
ufacture.
The extreme deliberations with which the Con
fAderate Government mas eu8apeu III ulauy
large and costl, undertakings requiring long
time for their complexion and much ingenuity
in their oesign-it is the best earnest OF the
ouietness and confidence with which they have
from the very commencensat, looked at their
Independence as at a thing which they could
not fail to obtain. Tnese Government powder
mills at Columbia aud Augusta are by no
meaos the sole achievement OF the Confederates
at home in support OF their soldiers in the. field
1t may be noticed that in the North although
the necessity for theserection, Of a Government
powder mill has often been represented to the
War Department at w ashiagton, no such mill
has ever been erected. It has been found tina t
private interests have been TOO strongly repre-
seuted in Congress to admit OF the Withdrawal
of the Government patronage from the great
private firms in Connectcat and Delaware, be.
tween which it is, believe, divided. 10 humid
reds of matters, : that necessity, which was
thought by the North certain to crush the South
ern power oe resistance, has bat developed an
energy for which the worlc-and especially
England-was very little prepared. "a