The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1871-11-09
A House Where Men Never Laugh.


How do you't think you would like to live,
fearing every moment being blown up; not
daring to speak loud, to. jar anything, tor fear
of starting an explosion that would senu you
in am instant, to the other worlda
You don't think it would be very pleasant?
Well. it isn't yet hundreds of men live In just
that State. work, receive pay, and live, year at
ter wear, in the very sight OF death, as it were
all that the world may have gunpowder.
You can easily guess that those men go about
very. quietly, and never laugh. II -
You4now that gunpo1wder is very dangerous
in gun, OF near fire, but perhaps you dont
know that,it is equally dangerous all through
the process of making.
|. gA,pGwder-milLis is fearful place TO Vlslt, ana
strangers are very seldom allowed, to go into
one. They are built far from any town, in the
woods, and each branch of the work )isi done
In a separate building, These houses are quite
81 distance from each other 80 that If one blows
!uip, it, WON'T blow up the rest. Then the lower
| parta Of the buildings are made very strong,
while the roof are very lightly set on. that
tif,it e1plodos, only the wof will suffer. ~
But in spite Of eyetJt care, sometimes Hhei49
selsiHs1s Of the powder mills viii 30 Gn 81;
most id "a instant, and eyey rysstige ot re
work Of yeAn Will be swept away M ieA jaect
oads. a...,,,..,Y. j
But though yon fell like holding your breath
to look at i, it is really very interesting pro-
cess to see. II is made, perhaps you know, OF
charcoal, saItpeter, and birthstone. Each o OF
| these articles Is prepared in house Dy itself
Ebut the house where they are mixed IS the nfst
terrible one. in the building Is an. immense
Emill-stone, rolling round and round In an Iron
bed. I'm this bed, and under the stone, are put
the three fearful Ingredients of gunPeowder.-j;
There they are thoroughly mixed and ground
together. '3e
This is very dangerous operation, because
if the stone. comes in contact with the iron bedI
it is very aptsto strike fire, and the merest susi
picion of spark would set off the whole. The
materials are spread three or four inches thick
in the bed !; the wheel, which. goes by water;
power, Is started, and every man leaves the
place. The door is shut. and the machinery
left to do its terrible work alone, When it has
run long enough, the mill is, stopped, and ths
men come back. This operation leaves the
powder in hard Jumps, or cakes. loi.,.i !.
( The next house is where these cakes aretro1
ken up into grains, and of course is quite as
dangerous as the last one. But the men can't
go away from this, they are obliged to attend
| to it every moment; and you may be sure no
laugh or Joke is ever heard within its walls
Every enc whOigoes in has to take off his boots,
{ and put on rubbers, because one grain of the
powder, crushed by the boot, would, explode
the whole in an instant . ~ 80; ~;
| The floor of this house is covered with leathi
Ler, and is made perfectly black by the dust OF
{ the gnnpowder.: It contains a set OF sievesI
each one smaller than the last, through which
the powder is sifted- And an immense groani
ling and laboring mil, where 1t is ground upI
while men shovel it in with wooden shoyels-
The machinery makes great deal of noise, but
the men are silent, as in the other houses. Inc
reckless crashing of the machinery even seems
to. give greater horror, and one Is very glad to
get out Of that house. .,sycr; ~.
Edone by mixing black lead with the powder, I'd
/ give it black and shining look The powder
is put into barrels, which revolve for several
hours That. .poGshes the grains by their rub!
biaf together Then black lead is put With
them, and they, ,reyo1ve several hours more. OF
course the adst HES frbh' all these operations
and all the workmen, silent, like the rest, looE
like very black negroes, working in the bIafk!
TEST Of powder, In 3 room whose walls and floors
are blacker than the rest, if possible. II has
very singnlar look to q stranger, and, added TO
the horrible silence, makes one feel that the
whole world has gone into mourning; Often,
the g,lnpowder, revolving 80 rapidly insthe bar
rels, gets very hot; so this too is dangerous
operation. . ~.
The stoying-house is the next on the list, and
there the gunpowder is heated in wooden trays.
1t is very hot, and no workmen stay there
From there it goes 70 the packing house, and is
put up in barrels, kegs, and canisters- ~
Safely through all these houses, it goes at last
to the store-house One feels like drawing O
long breath, to see the fearful stuff safely
packed away, out of the hands of men in this
curious house.
You've heard of things being dry as g pow
der.house, but you wouldn't think this house
dry. It is almost imbedded in water. The
roof is one big tank, kept full of water. Did
you ever hear of 8 water-roof before? Instead
of steps to 60 in, there are shallow tanks OF
water, through which every one must walk to
the door.
In none of these powder-houses is any light
ever allowed except SUI: Light. The wages are
good, and the days work is short, ending al
ways at three or four o'clock. But the men
have serious look, that makes one think ev-
| cry moment Of the danger, and glad to get
| away. -. 80
Though curiosity may take man once 70
visit powder mill, he has no desire to 60 the
second time; and he feels all tho rest Of his
Mfe, that for once he has been very near death.
TAKE CARE OF THE LAND AND PRACTICE
EC0NoMY.-This motto should be written upon
every farmers door in the State 1t is the key
untn of a,,creas and uilf inerre cf,ynnpfancr