Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1872-05-09
How Gunpowder is Made
A House Where Men Never Laugh.

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; all
that the world may have gunpow.
der. -.
You can easily guess that those
men go about quietly, and never
laugh.
You know that gunpowder is
very dangerous in gun, or near
a fire, but perhaps you can't know
that it is equally dangerous all
through the process of making
A powder-mill is a 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 separate
building. These houses are quite
a 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 ex-
plodes only The roof will suffer.
But in spite of every care, some
times a whole settlement of pow
der mills will go off almost in an
instant, and every sestige of the
toll of years will be swept away
in few seconds.
But though you feel like hold.
ing your breath to look at it, it is
really a very interesting process
to see. 1t is made, perhaps you
know, of charcoal, saltpeter and
birthstone. Each of these arti-
cles is prepared in house by it
self, but the bouse where they are
mixed first is the 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 ingredi-
ents of gunpowder. There they
are thoroughly mixed and ground
together. This is a very danger
GUS operation, because if the
stone comes in contact with IFS
iron bed it is very apt to strike
fire, and the nearest suspicion OF
a spark would set off the whole.
The materials are spread three or
four inches thick in the bed ; the
wheel, which goes by water pow
er, is started, and every man
leaves the place. The door is
shut and the machinery is left to
do its terrible work alone. When
it has run long enough, the mill is
stopped and the men come back.
This operation leaves the powder
in hard Jumps or cakes. j
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 OBJ
liged 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,
because one grain Of the danger
GUS powder, crushed by the boot,
would explode the whole in an
IinstaUt,
The floor of this house is COW
cred 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
lin with wooden shovels. The
machinery makes great deal OF
noise, but the men are silent, as in
other houses. The reckless crash
ing Of the machinery makes a
greal deal of noise, but the men
are silent, as in other houses
The reckless crashing of the ma
chinery even seems to give great
horror, and one is very glad to get
out of that house. The storing
house is the next on the list, and
the gunpowder is heated on wood,
en- trays. 1t is very hot and no
workmen stay there. From there
it goes to the packing house, and
it is put up in barrels, kegs and
canisters.
Safely through all these houses,
it goes at last to the storehouse.
One feels like drawing q long