Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1872-04-10
HOW GUNPOWDER is MADE.
A HOsss whsrs Zen Never L.urh.

a
How do you think you would likt
to live, fearing every momtnt to b,
blown up; not daring to speak loud
to jar anything, for fear Of starting ar
explosion that would send you in an
instant 10 the other world?
| You don't think it would be very
pleasant? Well, it isn't; yet hun.
dreds Of men live in just that state
work, receive pay and live. year aflei
year, in the very sight of death, as II
were; all that the world may have
gHnpowder.
You can easily guess thatthose men
go about very quietly and never
laugh.
You know that gunpowder is very
dangerous in a gun or near fire, but
perhaps you don't know that It is
equally dangerous all through the
process ofmaking. A powder mill is
a fearful place to visit, and strangers
are very seldom allowed to go into
one. They are built far from the
town, in the woods, and each branch
Of the work Is done in a separate bull
ding. These houses are quite a dis
tance from each other, SO that il enc
blows up it won't blow up the rest
Then the lower parts Of the building
are made very strong, while the roofs
are very lightly set on, so that II it
explodes only the roof will suffer-
But in spite of every care, sometimes
q whole settlement of the powder
mills 90 off almost in an instant, and
every vestige of the work Ofyears will
be swept away in a few seconds.
But though you feel like holding
your breath to look at it, 1t is really a
very interesting process to see. 1t Is
made. perhaps you know, of charcoal.
saltpetre aud birthstone. Each of
these articles is prepared in house by
itself; but the house where they are
mixed IL the first terrible one. In
this building Is an immense mill l-stone
rolling round and round in an iron
bed. In this bed and under the stone
are put the three fearful ingredients
of gunInwder. There they are thor
oughly mixed and ground together.
This is a very dangerous operation,
because il the stone comes in contact
with the iron bed, it is very apt to
strike fire, and the merest suspicion
of a spark would set off the whole
The materials are spread three or four
inches thick in the bed ;, the wheel,
which goes by water. is started, and
every man leaves the place. The
door is shut, and the machinery left
to do its terrible work alone. When
IL has run long enough the mill Is
stopped and the men come back The
operation leaves the powder in Jumps
or cakes.
The next house is where these cakes
are broken INFO 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 il every
moment; and you may be sure no
laugh or joke is ever heard within its
walls. Every one who goes in has 10
take of his boots and put on Tubbers,
because one grain Of the dangerous
powder, crushed by the bUot, 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,
1t contains 8 set of sleeves, each one
smaller than the last, through which
the powder is siftetl; and an immense
ground and labOring mill, where il is
ground up, while men shovel It in
with wooden shovels. The machinery
makes a great teal of noise, but the
men are silent, as in the other house.
The reckless crashing of the machi-
merry even seems to give greater hOr-
rOr, and one is very glad TO get out OF
that house.
The glazing house comes next
Glazing is done by mixing black lead
with tie powder, to give it q black
and shiny look. The powder is put
into barrels, which revoIve for several
hours. That pOlishes the grains by
their rubbing together. or course the
dust flies from all these operations,
and the wOrkmen, silent, like the rest,
look like very black negroes, working
in the blacklist of powder, in loom
whose walls and floors are blaeker
than the rest, if possible. 1t has 3
very singular look to a stranger, and
added to the horrible silence, makes
one feel that the whole world has
gone into mourning. Often, the gun
powder, revolving so rapidly in the
barrels, gets very hot; so this, too, is
a dangerous operation.
The storing house is the next on
the list, and there the gunpOwder is
heated on wooden trays. It is very
hot and no wOrkmen stay there
From there it goes to the packing
house, and is put up in barrels, kegs
and canisters.
Safely through all these houses, it
yOes at last to the stOrehOuse- One
ieels like drawing a long breath TO
zee the fearful stuff safely packed !
away out of the hands of men in this |
curious house.
You've heard Of things being as
Try as a powder house, but you 4
wouldn't think this house very dry
It is almost im0edded in water. Did /
'Ou ever hear of q water roof before? |
Instead of steps to go in, there are
hallow tanks of water through which /
very one must walk to the door.
In none of these powder houses is
my light ever allowed except sun
light. The wages good, the days i
work is short, ending always at three
II four o'clock. But the men have
serious look that makes one think
very moment of the DANGER and glad
o get away.
Though curiosity may take man
nee to visit a powder mill, he has no
esire to go the second time; and he
sels all the rest of his life that for
nee he has been very near death.