Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1891-10-03
ANCIENT MILLING.
WOMEN DID THE GRINDING WITH
STONES FROM BABYLON.


Progress of the Business Grind
crs Were Secured by the Mill Owners
of Rome.
For ages the various cereals used In
bread making We're ground with very
ilncouth contrivances hardly deserving
the name of mill, as we understand 1t.
They consisted of two portable circular
stones, the upper being the-smaller and
turned upon the lower and concave one
by means of an iron or wooden handle,
the grain Icing placed between them.
These stones were usually obtained from
quarry in the vicinity of Babylon, from
which sufficient We're taken to supply
all the Eastern countries.
The griA ling was usually performed
by two females, who sat opposite each
other with the mill stones placed between
them, the upper stone being kept IN con-
stant motion by the hands of the operat-
ors. Very often this tedious work was
assigned to prisoners, who considered it a
most degrading task. This fact is re-
corded in Holy Writ, in which we are
told that Samson did grind in the prison
house of the Philistines :" and jeremiah
bewais the fact that the Babylonians
"tooll our young men to grind.
Two famous NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
and Asclepiades-when pursuing their
studies at Athens, were enabled to pay
for tt air support and schooling by acting
as miIGrs after school hours, receiving
the munificent sum of 36 cents two
drachmp) per night. Happily their fel-
low students, upon hearing this, raised a
subscription sufficient to defray the ex-
penses of these deserving young men.
While women were milling they usu-
ally relieved the mOnotony of their work
by singing songs of a lively and cheerful
character Ordinarily they prepared as
much meal in the morning as would be
required for the day. On this account
Hebrew writers associated the noise of
the morning mill with prosperity and
happiness. If. on the contrary, this work
was performed in the evening, they
imagined there was the sound of adver-
Sity and sadness in the notes of the song.
The Romans, among whom agriculture
was a highly favored occupation, were an
inventive race, especially in the matter
the drudgery of hand mills, they invented
those whose motive power was impaired
by asses, mules, and oxen, and introduced
them into all the countries conquered by
their victorious armies. There is no posi-
tive record of the name of the originator
of this improvement in milling.
About the year 70 B. c., Mithridates,
King of Cappadocia, one of the most in
genious and able princes of the time, in
vented the first mill driven by water.
This triumph of his skill and ingenuity
he caused to be erected in the immedi-
ate vicinity of the royal palace. In the
course of time the Cappadocian bakers
became celebrated, and We're in great de-
mand throughout all parts of the world
as then known.
These mills were usually placed upon
boats on the river, being so elevated and
contrived as to be easily driven by the
water, and the millers were thus enabled
to move from place to place, distributing
the meal to their customers.
Prior to the introduction of water
power mills the public mills in Rome
were operated chiefly by slaves. These
establishments We're located in the vaults
of an immense building, known as the
Pistrinum, devoted exclusively to the
uses of the bakers of that city. Often it
happened that this slave labor was very
difficult to Obtain and to supply the want
the mill proprietors resorted to violent
measures. They enticed strangers and
ignorant persons into the building on the
plea of inspecting it. In some of the
rooms ingeniously constructed trap doors
were placed in the floors. As soon as an
unsuspecting victim stepped upon the
trap he was precipitated to the vaults be-
low and there imprisoned and condemned
to perpetual labor. No chance of COM
muuicating with his friends was afforded
the prisoner and thus he was compelled
to drudge until released by death.
This horrible state of affairs continued
for many years, until it was finally un-
masked by the merest accident A lusty
soldier of the guard was enticed into the
Pistrinum and treated in the usual man.
ner but not being rendered unconscious
by the fall through the trap, he drew his
sword, and after killing two of his would
be enslavers forced his way out of the
vaut. He soon laid bare the entire
scheme, the emperor Immediately or
drrnd the building to be razed to the
.r.lnl, and all who were proven to have
been actively engaged in this murderous
method of obtaining workmen were