The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1872-11-01

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state-work, receive pay, and live, year
after year, in the very sight OF death,
as it were; all that the world may have
gunpowder. You can easily guess that
these men go about very quietly, and
rarely laugh.
You know that gunpowder is very
dangerous in gun, or near fire, but
perhaps you don't know that it is equal
ly dangerous all through the process of
making. 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 building. These
houses are quite distance from each
other, so that if one 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 if it explodes only the roof will suffer.
But, in spite OF every care, sometimes
whole settlement of the powder mills
goes off almost in an instant, and every
vestige of the work Of years will be
swept away in few 81 conds.
But though you feel like holding your
breath to look at it, it is really very
interesting process to see. 1t is made,
perhaps you know, of charcoal, saltpeter
and birthstone. Each Of these articles
is prepared in house by itself; and the
house where they are mixed is the first
terrible one. In this building is an inn
mense milestone, rolling round and
round in an iron bed. In this bed, and
under the stone, are put the three fear
full ingredients of gunpowder. There
they are thoroughly mixed and ground
together.
This is very dangerous operation,
because if the stone comes in contact
with its iron bed it is very apt to strike
fire, and the merest suspicion of spark
would set off the whole. The materials
are spread three or four inches thick in
the bed the wheel, which goes 10y 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 the men come
back. The operation leaves the powder
in hard Jumps or cakes.
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 can't 20 away from this
they are obliged to attend it every mo.
ment; 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 dangerous powder,
crushed by the boot, would explode the
whole in an instant.
The floor of this house is covered with
lesther, and is made perfectly black
With the dust of the gunpowder. II
contains set of sleeves, each one
smaller than the last, through which
the powder is sifted; and an immense
ground and laboring mill, where it is
ground up, while the men shovel it in
with wooden shovels. The machinery
makes a great deal of noise, but the
men are silent, as in the other houses.
The reckless crashing Of the machinery
even seems 20 give greater horror,
and one is very glad to get out Of that
house.
The glazing house comes next. Glaz.
ing is done by mixing black lead With
the powder, TO give it black and shiny
look. The powder is put into barrels,
which revolve for several hours. That
polishes the grains by their rubbing to-
gether. The black lead is put with
them, and they revolve several hours
more. OF 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 a rom whose walls and floors
are blacker than the rest, if possible. 1t
has very singula: look to a stranger,
and added to the terrible silence, makes
one feel as if the whole world had gone
into mourning. Often, the gunpowder,
revolving so rapidly in the barrels, gets
very hot; so this, too, is dangerous
operation.
The storing houses is the next on the
list, and there the gunpowder is heated
on wooden trays. From there it goes to
the packing house, and is put up in bar
rcls, kegs and canisters.
Safely through all these houses, it
goes at last to the store. house. One
feels like drawing long breath to see
the fearful stuff safely packed away out
of the hands of men in this very Curl
Gus house.
You've heard of things being as dry
as powder house, but you wouldn't
think this house is very dry. IL is al.
most embedded in water. The roof is
one big tank kept full of water. Did
you ever hear OF a water roof before
Instead of steps to go in, there are shall.
low tanks of water through which every
one must walk to the door.
In none of these powder houses is
any light ever allowed except sun
light. The wages are good; the days
work is short, ending at three or four
o'clock; but the men have serious
look, that makes one think every
moment of the danger, and glad TO get
away.
Though curiosity may take man
once to visit powder mill, he has no
desire to 90 the second time; and he
feels all the rest OF his life that for once
he has been very near death.