The Orangeburg news. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1867-1875, 1872-03-30
HOW Gup,Pogaer Ia Mads.

i so,H How GpnrPogder Ia Made. I'D
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How do you think you would like to
live, fearing every moment to be blown
Pup; not daring to speak load, to jss
anything fofnfearSf stsrtingan iexplo-
sion that, would send yonin on instant
to The other world =
YsSi edopit,S think Gt would be very
pleasant Well it isn't yet hundreds
of men live, in, lust that state, work.
receive pay, and live, year after year, in
the very sight u death, as il it were; all
that the world may have guuspoSder.
al You. can seasily guess that those men
go about very quietly, and neyerilaugh.:
|, You know that gun7powder is very
dangerous in in a'tgun or near ., fire, but
perhaps YOU dent knew .b=. i: IL equal
y dangerous I'll through 1.-The the process of
max making poSWddfsqr Sdfq mil, milll, is fearful
place 70 I visit and 3D. sffffspsgsfqab ffsppssq ne
seldom dom allowed ltS f. 60 into one, They
are built. far from town, in the woods,
and each branch Of the work is done 10
a separate building, a These houses q are Te
quite . distance from each. .other, so that
it one blows up il won't blow up the
rest. Then the lower Palt'o9f parts Of The build !;
ing are made very strong, while the
roofs are very lightly set on, So that if
it explodes only the roof will suffer, Bu.
in spite Of every care, sometimes whole
settlement Of the powder mills 90. off
almost in an instant, and every yestigg,es
Of the work Of years will Be swept away
ina few seconds, 90. '',5, -no
1'BG5 though you feel like Holding dIal; your our
breath 10 LOOK Il it, i IS Is really q, very in;
iteresting process to, Aee.. It ismaae,
perhaps you know, Of charcoal, sal.petre.
and birthstone 60" Each Of these articles
is prepared in a house by, itself; but the
house where they are mixed is the fsst
terrible one. In, this building is an i'm
menso mill stone, rolling round and
round in an iron bed. In this bed, and
under tile stone, are put the three fearful
ingredients soffgunpowder.I There they
are thoroughly, mixed sand ground to-
.gether,a;,s s,i4id od,--t-g.-, neli
This is a, very dangerous operation, {,
because if the stone comes in contact
with its iron bed, it is very apt to strike
fire, and the mcrest suspicion of SPARK
wruld 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 uiau
leaves the place, the door is shut, and
the machinery left to do its terrible work
alone. Wheu'it has run long enough,
the mill is stopped, and the men come
back. This operation leaves the powder
in hard Jumps or cakes. ,,,, .bre
The next house is where these cakes
are broken into grains, and, of course,
is quite as dangerous as the last one.
But the men cant 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 one who goes in, has to take, of
his boots, and put on rubbers, because
one grain of the dangerous powder
crushed, by the boot, would explode the
whole iu an instant. ~. .
Tho floor Of this house is covered
with leather, and is made perfectly black
with dust of guppowdcr. 1t contains {
| 40. cP acs--=, 9zc.. C,;,; suiaiier tnan tnt
last, through which the powder is siited
and an immense ground and laborins
mill, where it is ground up, while men
shovel it in with wooden shovels. The
machinery makes, q great deal Of noise
but the men are as silent as in the other
houses, The reckless crashing of th,
uiach inery even seems to give greater
horror, and one is very glad to got ou
of that house. ru ~
| The glazing house comes next, Gl'az
ing IS dine by mixing black lead viii
the powder, to give it a black and shiny
look The powder is, put into barrels
which revolve for several honrs. Tha
poiishes the grains by their rubbing to
gethef. The black lead is put viii
them and they revolye several hour,
more" Oi course the lust HES from al
those operations, and the workmcn, 81
lent, like the rest, look like very BLACK
negroes, working ID the blaekest Of pow