The Republican journal., 1877-07-19
Mode OF NJ aking GunpoWder.

The mode Of making gunpoWder lsnoW
adsNs about the same everywhere. The
aaltpttre, the charcoal, and the sulphur
all musl he ground very finely Among
rude tribes in Asia, as in old times, the
grinding is done by women and children,
who pound the ingredients With wooded
peStlcs in wooden moltals, and often
finish hN blowing up the whole family,
house and all. In other places they pass
Il crank-shaft through Il barrel and fix it
in frame This barred they partly fill
with what they wish to pulN erie, and
also with Il quantity Of brass or wooden
balls. By turning the crank rapidly the
balls and the material are both rolled
around from side to side, and finally the
grinding is effected. Next they mix the
three together III proper proportions
spreading it on a wooden table, turning
it with wooden paddles, and rolling it
with wooden rollers; then they put it
back into the wooden mortar or tub and
pound it again, any blow, just us likely
;ts not, being the last they will live to
give. If they and the powder survive
this, they then spread it on Il cloth in the
sun to dry, and if it don't blow up before
llItN tttil StllllNl II loSCtilNl Sd!l1, tllt
husbands and fathers OF these brave wo-
men and children soon have plenty of
powder. have been told of a lady
brought up in the East Indies, whose
most vivid remembrance of her early life
was the bloWingup OF Il ''native" family
bv such means. But in the modern pow
der-mllls there are deep, circular troughs
of stone or iron, around and around in
which travel ponderous wheels. Men
With wooden shovels keep the material
under the rollers. where it is thoroughly
crushed.
When enough Of each ingredient is
ready to make Il batch of powder, they
weigh it-about Is parts of saltpetrc, Ii
Of charcoal, and 10 Of sulphur. These
| proportions, however, vary somewhat,
depending upon what the powder is to
be used for, and the strength required.
The wcighcd-out ingredients must now
| be mixed. Usually, the charcoal and sui
phur are put together first in revolving
| barrels, in which are loose zinc, brass, OF
copper balls; and when this is complet-
ed, the saItpetre is added, and the roll
ING process is repeated III til the whole
is well intermingled. In some mills the
| tnree lngfculenlS afc put Ill llc DalfcE
and mixed in one operation but this
mode is attended with greater risk.
All this, however, is mere stirring. The
real mixing must be done under great
pressure.
Now begins the greatest danger. The
stirred up materials are taken to another
shed, called the Incorporating mill,
where there are more wheels and troughs
but, instead of men with shovels, there
are wooden and copper scrapers attach
ed to the machinery, that follow the
wheels and keep the mixture in place
The ingredients are placed in the trough
the wheels started, and the men lock the
doors and go away. Hour after hour
around and around in the dark, all alone
rumple these mighty wheels So long as
the little scrapers attend to their busi-
ness, evenly spreading the mixture three
or four inches deep in the bottom of the
trough, all will be well but if anything
goes wrong puff = bang = that is the
end of that mill. If the crushing wheels
and the iron bottom of the trough should
happen to touch. the chances are they
would ''strike fire." but the cushion o
powder between is supposed to prevent
this. ST. Nicholas for July.