Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1873-10-25
now GTNPO WIDER Is NADIA HOUSE
WHERE MEN NEVER LALGH.

NV " tAf u " DEH iS MA ADE-A no USE
WHERE MEN NEVER la UGH
How do you think you would like to
live fearing every moment to be blown
up, none daring to speak aloud on jar
anything, for fear of starting an explo-
sion 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 III Just that state-work, re-
ceive 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
quietly and never laugh.
You know that gunpowder is very
dangerous in q gun or near fire, but
perhaps you don't know that it is equally
dangerous all through the process of
making. A powdermill is fearful place
to visit, and strangers are very seldom
allowed to go 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 distance from each other, so that
if one blows up it won't blow up the
rest. Then the lower parts of the build
ing 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, sometimes 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 cloud.
But, though you feel like holding your
breath to look at it, it is really very
interesting process to see. 1t is made,
perhapsyou know, of charcoal, saltpeter,
and birthstone. Each of these articles
is prepared in house by itself, but the
house where they are mixed is the first
terrible one. In this building is an i'm
mense milestone, felling 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 very dangerous operation, be-
cause if the stone comes in contact with
its iron bed it is very apt to strike fire,
and the merest suspicion of spark
won!d set off the whole. The mate rials
are spread three to four inches in the
bed; the wheel, which goes by water
power, is started, and every man leaves
the place. The door is shut, and the
machinery is left to do it's 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 humps 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 OF
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
leather, and is made perfectly black by
the dust of the gunpowder. 1t contains
n set of sieves, each one smaller than
the last, through which the powder was
sifted, and an immense ground and
laboring mill, where it is ground up,
while men shovel it in wooden shovels.
Tho 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 great
er horror, and one is very glad to get
out of that house.
The stoving- room is next on the list,
and there the 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 at last to the storehouse. One
feels like drawing long breath to see
the fearful stuff safely packed away out
of the hands of men, in this curious
house.
You've heard of things being as dry as
a powder house, but you would not
think this house very dry. 1t is almost
imbedded in water. Did you ever hear
of water-roof before? Instead of
steps to go IN, there are shallow tanks
of water, through which everyone must
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,
always ending at 3 OF o'clock. But
the men have a serious look, that makes
one think every moment of the danger,
and glad to get away.-American
Sportsman.
SENSIBLE POINTS.
1t is a mistake to suppose that they