Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1871-12-08

then started, and every man leaves the
place. The door Is shut, and the machine
ry left to do its terrible work alone. When
IL has run long enough, the mill is stop
ped, and the men come back, This opera
tion leaves the powder In hard Jumps, or
cakes.
The next house is where these cakes are
broken up into grains, and, of course, Is
quite az dangerous as the last one. But
the men can't go away from this, they are
obliged to attend TO il every moment and
you may be sure no laugh or joke Is ever
heard within its walls. Every one who
goes in has to take off his boots, and put
on rubbers, because one grain of the dan.
gerous powder, crushed by the boot, would
explode the whole in an instant
The floor of this house is covered with
leather, and is made perfectly black by
the dust of the gunpowder IL contains
a set of sieves, each one smaller than the
last, through which the powder is sitted,
and an immense groaning and laborin9
mill, where it is ground up, while men
shovel it in with wooden shovelS. The
machinery makes great deal of noise,
but the men are silent, as in the other
houses. The reckless crashing OF the
machinery even seems to give greater
horror and one is very glad to get out OF
that house.
The Clearinghouse comes next Glazing
is done by mixing black lead with the
powder. to give it black and shining
look The powder is put into barrels,
which revolve for several hours That
polishes the grains by their rubbing to
gether. The black lead isput with them
and they revolve several hours more. Oi
course, the dust flies from all these opera
tions, and the workmen, silent like the
| rest, look like very black negroes, work
| ing in the blackest of powder, in a room
whose walls and floors are blacker thar
| the rest, if possible 1t has very singu
| lar look to stranger, and, added to th'
| horrible silence, makes one feel that th'
whole world has gone into mourning
/ Often, the gunpowder revolving so rap
idly in the barrels, gets very hot; so this
too, is dangerous operation.
The stoving house is the next on tn
list, and there the gunpowder is heate'
on wooded trays. 1t is very hot and N
workmen stay there. From there it goe
to the packing house, and is put up il
barrels, kegs and canisters.
Safely through all these houses, 1t goe
at last to the storehouse. One feels lik
drawing long breath to see the fearir
stun Saiely packed away SuVol llle ldliu
of men, in this curious house.
You've heard of things being dry as
powder house, but you wouldn' thin
this house very dry. 1t is almost in
bedded in water The roof is one bi
tank, kept full of water. Did you eve
hear of WATERPROOF before Instead {
steps to go in, there are shallow tanks
water, through which every one mu
walk to the door.
In none of these powder houses is an
light ever allowed except sunlight. IL
wages are good, the days work is shor
ending always at three or four o'cloc
But the men have a serious look TIN
makes one think every moment of Il
danger and glad to get away.
Though curiosity may take man on
to visit powder mill, he has no desire
90 the second time and he feels, all q
I rest of his life, that for once he has be-
d very near death.