The Andrew County Republican. [volume] (Savannah, Mo.) 1871-1876, 1872-04-03
HoW cuHPowDsR IS MADE.
a Rouse'Where Naer Never Lads

| II u
RoW, cuHPowDsR is MADE.
a RouseWhere naer never Lac sh.
| How do you think you would like to live.
fearing every moment to be blown up; not
daring to speak loud, ito jar anything, for
fear of starting an explosion that would
send you in an instant to the other world
You don't think it would he very pleas
ant: We'll, it isn't; yet hundreds OF men
live in just that state-work, receive pay,
andlive, year after year, in the very signt
OF death, as it were; all that the world may
have guppOwder.
You can easily guess that those men 20
about very quietly, and never laugh.
You know that gunpow6er2 is very dan
gerous in gun or near fire, but, perhaps
you don't know tha.it is equally dangerous
all through the process of making. Apow-
der mill is a fearful place to visit, and stran-
gers are very seldom allowed to go into one.
Tney are bailt far from the Town, in the
woods, and each branch 6fthe work is done
in separate building. These houses are
quite distance frorn' 'csch other, so that il
one BLOWS up, It WON'T blow up the rest.
Then the lower parts of the building are
made very strong, while sfcf bare very
lightly set on. SO that IF It cxpIodcs only the
roof will suffer. But in spite of ever care,
Sometimes q whole settlement OF the pow
der mills 90 off almost in an Instant and
every vestige of the work Of years will be
swept away in few seconds.
But though you feel like holding your
breath to look atit, it is really a veryIihter-
esting process to see. 1t is made, perhaps
you know, OF charcoal, saltpcter and brim-
stone. Each of these articles is prepared
in house by itself; but the house where
they are rkeIis the Grst terrible one. In
this building isdan immense milestone, roll
ing round and round in an iron bed. In this
bed, and under the stone are put the three
fearful ingredients of guEpOwper.i There
they are thoroughly mixed end ground to-
gether.
This Is a very dangerous operation, be-
cause if the stone comes in contact with its
iron bed it is very apt to strike fire. and the
merest, suspicion OF q spark would set of
the whole. The materials are spread three
or four inches thick in the bed: the wheel,
which goes BY water, is started, aud every
man leaves the place. The door Is shut.
and the machinery lefi 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 into grains, and, Of course is'quite
as dangerous as the las. one. But the men
cant 90 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 off his boots, and put on rubbers, be-
cause one grain Of the dangerous nowder,
crushed by the boot, woulf explode the
whole in an instant. q
The floor of the house is covered with
leather, and is perfectly black with the dust
of the gunpowder. 1t contains a set Of
sieyes, each ono smaller than the last,
through which the powder is sifted; and an
immense ground and laborng mill, where
1t is ground up. while men shovel itin with
wooden shovels. The machinery makes a
great deal Of noise, but the men are silent,
as in the other houses. The reckless crash
ing OF the machinery even seems to give
greater horror, and one is very glad to get
The glszing house come next. Gazing
is done BY. mixing black eal With the
powder. to give it b black and shiny look.
The powder is put into barrels, which re-
volve for several hours. That polishes the
grains BY their rubbing together. Of
course tie du st. flies from all these opera
tions.s and the wo-kmen, silent, like the
rest. look like very black negroes, working
in fhe blackest of powder, in room whose
walls and floors are blaeker than the rest
ifposslble. It has very singular look to
a stranger, and added TO the horrible Sill
ence, 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 dangerous
operation.
The storehousei is the next on the list, and
there the eunpowder Is heated on wood
trays. IL is very hot and no ,workmen stay
there. From there Il goes to the packing
house, and Is put up in barrels, kegs and
canistcrs.
Safely throuh all these houses, it goes at
last to the sforehouse. One feels like draw
ing long breath to see the fearful stuff
packed away out ofThe hsndyofme inthis
curious house, W = - ~ ~ = =
You've heard of things being as dry as a
powder house, but you wouldn't t3Hnle this
house veEv, dry III is5almoet imbedded in
water = Did you ever hear of a water roof
before? Instead of steps to go in, there are
shallow tanks or water through which every
one must walk TO thedeors n
In none Of these powder -honses is any
light ever allowed except sunlight. The
wages are good, the Sday's work ID short
ending always at three or four O'Clock.
But the men have a serious look that makes
one think every moment Of the danger, and
glad to get away.
a Though curiosity may take Z, man once
to visit q powder mill, he has no desire to
go the second time; and he feels all the
rest of his life that for once he has been
very near death. - - r