The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1872-05-14
SCIENTIFIC BEADING.
How Gunpowder is Made.

blown up, not daring to speak loud, to 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 be very pleasant.
Well, it isn't, yet hundreds of men live in
just that state, work, receive pay and live
year after year in the very sight Of death,
as it were; so that the world may have
gunpowder
"You can easily guess that those men
go about quietly, and never laugh.
You know that gunpowder is very dan
gerous in gun, or near fire, but per-
haps you don't know that it is equally dan
gerous all through the process of making.
A powder-mill is fearful place to visit, and
strangers are very seldom allowed to 60 into
one. They are built far from any town, in
the woods, and each branch of the work is
done in a separate building. The 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 that if it explodes
only the roof will suffer. But, in spite of
care, sometimes whole settlement of the
powder-mills will 60 off almost in an instant,
and every vestige of the toll of years will
be swept away in few seconds.
But though you feel like holding your
breath to look at it, it is really very in
teresting process to see. 1t is made, per-
haps you know, of charcoal, saltpetre and
birthstone. Each of these articles is pre-
pared in house by itself, but the house
where they are mixed is the first terrible
one. In this building is an immense mill
stone, rolling round and round in an iron
bed, and under the stone are put the three
fearful ingredients of gunpowder. There
they are thoroughly mixed and ground to-
gether. 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 merest suspicion of spark would set
off the whole. The materials are spread
thee or four inches thick in the bed; the
Wheel which goes by water power, is start
ed and every man leaves the place. The
door is shut and the machinery left to do
its own terrible work alone. When it has
run long enough the mill is stopped ar d the
men come back. This operation leaves the
powder in hard Jumps or cakes.
The next house is where the cakes are
broken 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 with
in its walls. Every one who goes in has to
take off his boots and put on rubbers, be-
cause 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
leather, and is made perfectly black by the
dust of the gunpowder. 1t contains a set
of sieves, 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 men shovel it in with
wooden shovels. The machinery makes a
great deal of noise, but the men are silent
as in the other house. The reckless crash
ing of the machinery even seems to give
greater horror, and one is very glad to get
out of that house.
The stoving- house is the next on the list,
and there the gunpowder is heated on wood
EN- trays. 1t is very hot and no workmen
stay there. From there it goes to the pack.
ing house, and it 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 long breath to see the fearful
stuff safely packed away out of the hand Of
men in this curious house.
You've heard of things being as dry al
a powder-hOuse, but you don't think this
house very dry. 1t is almost embedded in
water. The roof is one big tank, kept
full of water. Did you ever hear of water
roof before? Instead of steps to go il
there are shallow tanks of water, through
which every one must walk to the door.
In none of those powder-houses is any
light ever allowed except sunlight. The
wages are good, the days work is short
ending always at three or four o'clock
But the men have serious look that makes
one think every moment Of the danger ant
glad to get away.
Though curiosity may take a man once
to visit a powder-mill, he has no desire tC
go the second time and he feels all the rest
Of his life that for once he has been very
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