The Portland daily press., 1873-07-30
How 6unpOwder is Made.
A House where Men Never Laugh

How do you think you would like to live
learlng every moment to be blown up; none
uarlng to speak aloud 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?
Wen, IL ISN'T, yet hundreds of men live in
just that state-work, receive paw. and live
year after in the very sight of death as it were
all that the world may have gunpowder.
You can easily guess that these men 60 about
quietly and never laugh.
You know that gunpowder is very danger
Gus In gun or near fire, but perhaps you
don'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 go into one. They
are built tar from any town, in the woods. .ahd
each branch OF the work is done in a separ-
ate building. These honses are quite dis
tance from each other, so that il ono blows
up it wont blow up the rest. Then the low
er 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 every care, sometimes a whole
settlement Of the powder mills will go
off almost in an instant, and every vestige of
the toll of years will be swept away in sec
ond.
But, though you feel like holding your
breath to look at it, it is really very inter-
esting process to see. 1t is made, perhaps
you know, of charcoal, saltpetre and brim-
stone. Each of these articles are prepared in
house by itself, but the house where they
are mixed is the first terrible one. In this
building is an immense milestone, 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 together. This is a very
| dangerous operation, becai Sc if the stone
| comes in contact with its iron bed it is yery
| apt to strike fire, and the merest suspicious
of a spark would set off the whole. The ma
terials are spread three or four inches in the
bed; the wheel, which goes by water power,
is started, and every man leaves the place.
| The door is shut, aid 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 pow
der 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 not
laugh or joke is ever heard within its
walls.
Every one who goes in has to take of his
boots ard 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
leather, and is made perfectly black by the
dust OF the grlnpowder. 1t contains set of
shelves, 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 shovei it in with wooden
| shovels. The machinery makes great deal
/ of noise, but the men are silent, as in the
| other houses. The reckless crashing of the
machinery even seems to give greater horror,
and one is very glad to get out Of that house.
The stoving room is next on the list. and
there tie gunpowder is heated on wooden
trays. 1t is very hot and no workmen stay
there. From there it goes to the packing
house, where it is put in barrels, kegs and
canisters.
Lastly through all these houses, it goes al
last to the storehouse. One feels like draw
ly packed Away out of the hands of men, in
this curious house.
You've heard of things being as dry aa a
powder house, but you would not think this
house very dry. 1t is almost imbedded in
water. Did you ever hear of a water roof be-
fore? Instead of steps to go in there are shall
low tanks of water, through which every one
mnst walk to the door.
In none Of these 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. Bnt the n en- have a
serious look, that makes one think every mo-
ment of the danger, and glad to get away.
american Sportsman.