Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1898-12-07
4 Nc sALTpEfTR PURCHASE.
How La Motto Dupont Supplied the
Powder for the Civil War.

Vic ACnSA dllSt Ou-
pont de Nemours, who found repub-
Hcan France an uncongenial home,
they have grown TO be the greatest
mills in the world for the making of
explosives. At the time of the civil
war the Duponts were, as they are
to-day, powder-makers for the United
States government. In 1861 the sec
rotary of war sent for the Duponts,
and La Motto Dupont, one of the
heads of the firm, went to Washing
ton in reply to the summons.
Are you prepared to furnish a
very large amount of gunpowder?"
said the secretary of war.
~S.st depends on our obtaining
saltpeter," was the answer. The
saltpeter of the world is mined in
India, of course, under the control OF
the British government, and the mar
kets are in London and Liverpool
The secretary of war was startled.
r. England should prove unfri.ndly
during the course of the war which
was opening, the saltpeter market
would, of course, be closed to the
United States.
''The government must buy large
amount at once" he said.
Excuse me-" said Mr.. Dupont;
the OHllSu HOidltS can uOI 20
the market ard buy saltpeter at any
not be able TO buy it at all; but the
Duponts can get it without exciting
comment"
"Will you go to England and buy
it-buy all there is?"
Mr.. Dupont agreed to go, and he
and the secretary of war talked a
few moments longer; they made a
few figures, and the powder man was
provided with letters of credit on the
Rothschilds.
On the next steamer he sailed for
England and presented himself with
letters of introduction to the Roths-
childs. Very sorry, Mr.. Dupont,
your letters of credit have not ar
rived"-and he was politely bowed
out. He next presented letters of in
PRODUCTION to Barring Brothers, the
London correspondents of the Du-
points. One of the firm, Mr.. Archi-
bald, cordially received the powder
manufacturer. Very happy to meet
you, Mr.. Dupont; we have never had
the pleasure of meeting a Dupont, al
though we have done business with
the firm for fifty years"
81 am very glad to meet you," said
the american, 'for 1 am in need Of
money"
eve shall be most happy to furnish
you with all that you require. About
how much will you need?"
Mr.. Dupont looked meditatively a
the floor for moment, and Mr.. Arch
fbald looked with some curiosity a
his American customer. A homely
man was this powdermaker; higl
cheek bones, a square chin, covered
with a thin, uneven, bristly beard
spectacles on his deep, kind eyes; T.;
man who somewhat resembled Lin
coin in the character of his face. Mr.
Archibald thought he might wan
several hundred pounds. This Amer
lean had perhaps found London a lit
tie more expensive than in his Yves
tern simplicity he had supposed. Mr.
Dupont, looking up, said:
81 shall want 100000, and 1 wan
1t right away"
Mr.. Archibald was amazed-onl,
: British phlegm prevented his exhibit
ing his aStonishment. Was thi
American a new Monte Cristo?
"By right away do you meal
! now?" he managed to ask.
J 81 mean in twenty-four hours; tina
is what we call right away in tn
United States"
'You will pardon me if I consul
my partners-it is a good deal O
money"
Mr.. Dupont admitted that it wa
. good deal of money, and he too
his hat.
by the way, when you send wor
, to my hotel, ask for Mr.. Jones';
am registered under that name"
Mr.. Dupont, having no money t
buy saltpeter, went sightseeing an
: spent the evening at the theater. Be
fore he was out of bed the next morn
ing Mr.. Archibald called. He ha
called the night before and found MI
, Dupont out. The Earrings would lie
Mr.. Dupont have the money.
Mr.. Archibald was hardly gon
1 when the agent of the Rothschild
/ fastened in with profuse apologize.
3 The letters of credit had arrived
D they came on the same steamer wit
8 Mr.. Dupont, but were delayed j
|, transmission.
i Mr.. Dupont now had money to bur
= (this is not altogether slang), and b
;. set out to buy saltpeter. He pre-
/. posed to buy only the large lots, an
. to buy them all. He went first t
Liverpool and found the saltpeter
: the hands of four dealers. He was
!. "Mr. JONES'" who wanted some sal
peter.
He called on the head of one firm
: the dealer had SO many hundre
bags, 300 pounds to a bag, SO muc
. pound. 'HMr. Jones" bargained lik
q cautious man, who wanted to ge
his moneys worth. He would ca
|. again. After visiting the other thre
( dealers, he went back to the frs
bought the stock and presented b
l check.
{ 1--WE don't know Mr.. Jones'"
J.. Wire to Earrings or Rothschilds'.
h The reply came. ''Mr. Jones ha
3 credit for any amount"
e lie bought the stock of all the dea
2 ers, and each man Rugged himse
4 with delight because he had sold a
e his saltpeter until he had discovere
that there was none in the marke
l. and the price had advanced; Their
4 fore the balance of his days h
= cursed the tricky Yankee.
= Meanwhile "Mr. Jones" had bougl
: all the saltpeter in London as VIII
was virtually his own price. Nhe
!. he came to the last dealer, however
some rumor had preceded him an
9 the dealer said:
+ "I have 500 bags, and it is not flo
r SALE"
'..Ah!" said "Mr. jones'" "you ar
keeping it for a curio. Good morr
T ing"