Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1872-07-11
How Gnnnomder is Made.

How GunpOWder is Made.
You know that gunpowder Is very dan
gerous in a gun, or near a fire, but per
haps you don't know that it is equally
dangerous all through the process Of max
ing A powder-mill Is fearful place to
visit, and strangers are very seldom al
lowed to 20 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 a dis
tauce from each other, 30 that If one blows
up, it won't blow up the rest. Then the
lower parts Of the building are made very
sire. 2, while the roofs are very tightly
set on. so If 1t explodes, only the roof will
suffer. But in spite of every care, some
times q whole settlement OF the powder
mills goes oil almost in an instant, and
every ve>tige of the Work OF years will be
swept away IN few seconds. Powder Is
made OF charcoal, saltpetre, and birthstone.
Each OF these articles Is prepared in a
house 81 itself and the house where they
are mixed is the first terrible one. la
this bulIdiu. Is an immense mill stone
turning Ia an iron bed In this bed, and
under the stone. are put the fearful in
gradients of Euupovder. There they are
thoroughly mixed and ground together
This Is a dauEer1u, operation, because
IT the stone comes in contact with Its iron
bed it is very apt to strike hre, and the
merest suspicion Of a spark would set of
the whole. The materials are spread three
or four inche, thick in the bed the wheel.
ID. f.4r. r,rrrlr so z
and every man leaves the place. The
door +, shut. and the machinery left TO do
It's work alone. When it has run long
enough, the mill is stopped, and the men
come back. Tho operation leaves the pow
der 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 enc But the
men can't y away from this, they are
obliged to attend to it every moment and
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. crush
cd by the boot. would explode the whole
IN an instant.
The floor of this house Is covered with
leather, and is black with the dust OF the
gunpowdcr. Ii contains a set of sieves,
each one smaller than the last through
which the powder is sitted and an i'm
meuse mill, where it Is ground up. while
the men shovel il in with wooden shovels.
The machinery makes a great deal OF
noise, but the men are silent, as IN the 9TH
er houses The reckless crashing of the
machinery even seems to give greater hor-
ror, 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 il a black and shiny look
The powder is put into barrels, which re.
volve for several hours. That polishes the
grains by rubbing them together The
black lead Is put with them, and they re
volve several hours more OF course the
dust flies from all these oFerat ions, and the
workmen, silent like the rest, look like
very black negroes, working in the black
est of powder, 10 a room whose walls and
floors are blacker than the rest, if possible
Ii has a very singular look to a stranger
and, added TO the horrible silence, makes
one fool as if the whole world had gone
into mourning. Often the guupowder, re
volving so rapidly in the barrels, gets very
hot, so this, too, Is dangerous operation.
The storing-house is 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
packing honse, and is put UP in barrels
kegs, and eanisters.
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 very curious house.
You've heard of things being as dry as a
powder-house, but you wouldn't think this
house so very dry. 1t is almost embedded
in water. The roof is one big tank full Of
water. Did you ever hear Of water roo
before Instead of steps to 90 in, there
are shallow tanks of water, through which
every one must walk to the door
In none of these powder-houses is any
light ever allowed except sunlight. The
wages are good; the day 5 work Is short,
ending always at three or four o'clock bu
the men have serious look, that makes
one think every moment of the danger
and glad to get away.