The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1864-12-06
vOLuME---NUmBER e4e.

In many branches. The markets are insufficient TO
supply its wants so suddenly created and it must
build, delve, forge construct and transport Oh its
own account. Hence the duties Of Chief og
Bureau relate to subjects wholly foreign 20 its
proper sphere. His Office is no sInecurc, norris
bis chair an easy chair, in any sense In tho
United States service such fuDctionary sits at
his table aud orders from contractors aud in the
markets all he needs, and is praised for bis energy
and complimented for success, if he does this Sec
what our Chief Of Ordnance, for example, and his
officers, find themselves obliged to do: They lease
or purchase timber lands, and place saw mills
thereon to get timber and lumber; if bricks are
needed, they put up brick-yards aud burn brick
kilns; they purchase hides al over the country,
glad to get them, and become tanners. They boil
their meats for OIL establish fisheries and turn
sturgeon into oil for mechanical uses. They 90 to
the mountains and quarry grind-stones for their
Qrsenals and armories, and havo some TO spare for
| be market. And so on, to supply their countless
wnts. Nay, they have to 90 a step further, and
supply food and clothing-somctmes shelter-to
the'operatives white and black by whom they are
served, aud too often even to the families of these
operatives All work for the common good, and
look to th Government for sustenance. All this
requires frecast and incessant thought.
RevertiIg to the subject Of machinery, and its
progress, the manufacture of percussion caps is an
instructive instance of the advance Of arts and
manufactures 10 the military service No machi-
merry to make caps existed at the South, nor was
the art of making the illuminate OF mercury to fire
the cap prctsed. The Ordnance Department of
The State of Virginia.. under the direction ofits
late capable chief-pcacc 10 his ashes-offered
reward fG a machine for forming the cap, and ono
was in operation about the LIST Of June, 1861. The
caps maae rude enough and the product
small. Since that day, such has been the progress,
that 100000 have often been produced in tho
n A.. a al -.
enough to make a million, if needed. The caps
compire favoraby with those nude in the United
Stats, and are better and more reliable than tho
imported English musket cap All the operation,
down to vanishing the cap, are performed by ma
cbinery. The whole number made and issued
during the war, has reached l50,000,000, con-
suming 100000 pounds of copper; $500
pounds of mercury; $4,000 pounds of nitric acid,
(made at home chiefy,) and 10000 pounds of al
coho When it is considered that the machinery
possessed by the United States, at Inc beginning
of the war, would have required twelve years to
produce this amount oil caps and that that ma
cbinery was some fifteen years in attaining its
then perfection, the mechanics Of the Confederacy
have here something TO boast Of
Excellent machines for drawing friction primers
for cannon and for pressing lead balls Of the var-
Gus calibres have been designed and successfully
executed in several parts of the Confederucy. The
machine used in connection with the Richmond
laboratory is ingenious, and the results very salts
factory. At the same laboratory arc a half dozen
highly finished machines for driving time forges,
invented and col structed here.
To sum up the labor of this departmental has
established
Z First Glass Arscnals;
Second Class Arsenals
l Large Harness Shop;
6 Armories of its own;
Armories through Contractors.
Powder Mills, 1.-TWO through COntractorsJ
l Laboratory for smelling lead, (nOw in charge
of and extended by the Nitre and Mining Bureau
aud various smaller depots and works.
At each Of these first class arsenals are faLrica-
ted all the material of an army, from gun.carrI-
age to a linstock a horse shoe nail Wood work,
iron work, tin work and work in copper and brass
all go together. Each has its extended carpen-
ters shop, with its endless machinery for saving,
turning loripg and planing wood; its machine
shop for drilling milling and pearing iron in all
its shapes; its blacksmith shop, of twenty 10 fifty
fires, with it cranes, and haInmers, aud FANS its
harness shop, where saddles, harness, cartridge
boxes, cap pouches belts and NIL products of eath-
made; its tinshop, its brass furnace, it's Gu
pola furnace, its storehouses foil Of raw material
and finished products, ready 10 20 70 the army.
To the armies of the Confederacy it has supplied,
East and West of the Mississippi, half mil.
lion OF small arms, quite 200 well equipped battc-
ries, countless small.arm cartridges, hundreds Of
thousands of accoutrements for cavalry. All this
is but feeble exhibit of what has been done in one
department, and speaks well for the energy with
which the resources of the country have been ap-
piled in this struggle. 1t should 60 lar to mako
US hopeful for the future. a country that has
developed such things 10 such a contest, exhibits
a vitality which will sustain it throughout the
struggle, however protrgcted.
Ko'asscs the best Substitute Jor CcGee.-A lady
at Mo-ganton, n. G., writes US as follows:
"Molasses is the best substitute for coffcO. Try
it, and you will never use Rye again. Thus: Take
pint Of Moasses and boil il until it looks black
aud tastes bitter All the sweet taste Of the Mo-
asscs must be taken from it. If you taste the Mo-
lasses in the coffee it is because il has not boon
burnt enough. After it is burnt sufficiently throw
into it two pints Of watcr-mix it we'll aud bottle
it. To every six cups of coffee, .ake ono table
spoonfull Of pure coffee and two spoonsfall Of the
liquid Boil very little II the coffee is desired
stronger, put in less than six cups o. water-Sat-
isJary UutchmoH.