The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1899-09-14
Work on the Government Plant
on the Potomac Near Indian
Head Being Pushed.
ABOUT l,1oo MEN WILL BE EMPLOYED.
It Is Expected That Within Three
Months the Manufacture Of Smoke
less Powder Will Begin.
Altogether tho Group OF Buiidh gs Will
Number "a or rs. with Capacity
Of 1000 Pounds Daily he Plant
Covers = " lido Area.

WASHINGTON, Sept. l0.-The navy
department expect, to begin the man
ufacturc Of smokeless powder at its
powder mills, a few miles back from
the Potomac river, near Indian Head
within the next two or three months.
Work on the mills has been pushed
energetically, and at present about
/. 200 men are employed. Adm. ONeil,
chief OF bureau of ordnance. accom-
panied by Lieut.. Seymour, of the bu-
reau, inspected the work during the
last week. and was much pleased at the
progress made. Already about dozen
buildings are completed, the electric
light plant, said to be one OF the finest
In the world, is installed. and the stand
pipe, I2o feet high, is up. There arc
ten or twelve other buildings well
along toward completion. Altogether
the group of buildings will number %
or o5, with a capacity of 1000 pounds
of smokclcss powder daily. This daily
output seems large at first thought,
but one of the big iS-inch guns of the
Indiana uses 1000 pounds of powder at
single shot.
The various buildings of the powder
plant cover wide area about four
miles back from the river. The gen.
eral purpose has been to keep the
buildings as far apart as the require
ments of manufacture would permit,
in order TO avoid the dangers of explo-
sions. For that reason there is no
large central building, but many small
ones, each having n distinct branch OF
the powder making. They are ar
arranged, also, with view TO the pre-
vailing winds, SO that the risk of hav-
ing the fumes of acid borne by the
wind is reduced to minimum.
One building is us"d exclusively for
the picking process; another for the
mixing; another for the acids. In this
way each stage OF manufacture is de-
tached from all the others. not only re-
ducing tn CHARGES of accident. but
also giving some security against wide
spread damage in case of explo-
sion In any one stage OF
tho process Another precautionary
measure has been the building of light
paper" walls at the ends of the build
ings- These readily give to the pres
sure Of an explosion. leaving the main
walls OF the structure standing. and
materially reducing the loss which oc-
ours when an explosion is closely con-
fined.
In order to connect the many build
ings and permit the powder process to
be carried on expcdiiiously, a com
plete trolley car service is to be in op-
Grafton. This will keep the material
In its various stages moving forward
from tuilding to building until COM
pleted. The electric light plant serves
the three fold purpose of running the
machinery. running the trolley car
service from mill to mill and supply
ing light for the plant.
The opening of the mills will mark
a distinct departure by the govern
ment. Heretofore all tnc supplies of
powder have been drawn from private
sources The first appropriation made
By congress for a powder factory was
about 5000 900, but in the last naval
appropriation bill 81. 900, 600 was given
for the purchase ''or manufacture" OF
powder. This permits part of the
last appropriation to be used for the
mills now in course of construction.