The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-09-11
ITS OWN POWDER PLANT
Government Has Erected Mills
on the Potomac.
A DISTINCT DEPARTURE
1t Will Be the Most Complete in the
world-Has Capacity OF 1000
Pounds of Smokeless Pow
der a Day.

Washington, Sept 10.-The navy de-
partment expects to begin the manu-
facture of smokeless powder at its pow
der mills a few miles back from the
Potomac river, near Indian Head. with
in the next two or three months. Work
on the mills has been pushed energetic
ally and at present about 1900 men are
employed. Admiral O'Neil chief of the
bureau of ordnance, accompanied by
Lieutenant Seymour of the bureau, in
spected the work during the last week
and was much pleased at the progress
made.
Already about a dozen buildings are
completed The electric light plant, said
to be one of the finest in the world is
installed and the standpipe, 12O feet
high, is up. There are II or IL other
buildings well along toward compile
ton. Altogether the group of buildings
will number "a or %, with capacity
of 1000 pounds of smokeless powder
daily. This daily output seems large at
first thought, but one of the big 13-inch
guns of the Indiana uses 1900 pounds
of powder at single shot. The various
buildings of the powder plant cover
wide area about four miles back from
the river. The general purpose has
been to keep the buildings as far apart
as the requirements of manufacture
will permit, in order to avoid the dam
gers of explosions. For that reason
there is no large central building, but
many small ones, each having dis
tinct branch of the powder making
They are arranged also with view to
the prevailing winds so that the risk
= = f,,, Of horne
the wind is reduced to a minimum one
building is used exclusively for the
picking process, another for the mixing
another for the acids. In this way each
stage of manufacture is detached from
all the others, not only reducing tine
chances of accident, but also giving
some security against widespread dam
age in case of explosion in any one
stage of the process. Another precau-
tionary measure has been taken In the
building of light paper" walls at the
ends Of the buildings. These readily
give way to the pressure of an ex-
plosion, leaving the main walls OF the
structure standing, and materially re-
ducing the loss which occurs when an
explosion is closely confined.
In order to connect the many build
ings and permit the powder process to
be carried on expeditiously, complete
trolley car service is to be in operation.
This VIII keep the 1nateTldi III 'ls va
GUS stages moving forward from build
ing to building until completed. The
electric plant serves the three-fold pur-
pose of running the machinery run
ming the trolley car service from mill to
mill and supplying light for the plant.
The opening of the mills will mark a
distinct departure by the government.
Ueretofore all the supplies of powder
have been drawn from private sources
The first appropriation made by con.
gress for powder factory was about
5000. 900, but in the last naval appropria-
| ton bill 81 100000 was given for the
purchase or manufacture OF powder
| This permits a part of the last appro-
pria tion TO be used for the mills now in
course of construction Commander
Cowden is in charge Of the work OF con-
| StructiOn,