The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-09-15
...a..,,,., Ia n,ade the fnlminatinr poN

potassium is made the fulminaung pow uxr-uI caps ana shells, and IL IS, tneEe-
 fore, very necessary article TOT oro-
 "I returned at once to Baltimore. but
 could find none in first hands. Wireu
 a friend in New York, MT: Joseph F..
 Evans. formerly of Richmond, ana ne op-
 which was all he could obtain. Inls
 was shipped at once by canaI me t9 commission merchant on South Frederlck Street, and immediately upon denVery was carried to a wharf and sent by boat
 to Curtis Creek-as MT. Evans had wired me that detectives were after IL Ihey traced it to Frederick Street; came tnere about two hours after 1t had been hauled
 away, and 1t was then being boated to Arundels Hospital shore. A vigorous search was made for it, but the aesec- ed with 1t and other goods for Rlcnmono down the Chesapeake. It was safely de- livered in Richmond, and from 1t began the musket-cap industry of the Confeoer- ate States Government, but 1t was close shave.
 ''General Gorgas was so much pleased with this result that he urged me Iurs from that time to the end of the war. was special agent of the ConfeGerate States Ordnance Department Supse- quently, to give me the status of a Com federate officer. MT. Mallory Secretary of the Confederate States Navy, commis- stoned me Acting Master Confederate
 Tn connection with the article of po- tassium I will mention an incident which will show its importance, and how un-
 certain was its supply; and the Gi Gifilcul-
 crate States. I had gotten large sup
 ply of potassium as far as Fredericks-
 burg at the time the Government was re-
 moving the sick and wounded from the
 hospitals at that place. Orders had been
 Issued to refuse transportation to all oth-
 CT passengers and freight. could not
 araN fran W9lnIV an0RAV=
 portance of mX goods. I wired to Rich
 mond. and immediately came the order
 to forward me and my goods at once,
 which was dones and the potassium de- livered to the Confederate States arsenal.
 General GorgaS then informed me that his cap factory had been closed four days for the want of potassium.
 "Gutta percha was another article which was also badly needed. A cable was needed from Charleston to Fort Sumter and the gutta percha was re- quired for insulating 1t. Several attemps had been made to bring 1t from England. but every cargo which contained it had been captured. General Gorgas requested me to get scme. I attempted it upon three different occasions, but Tn each case lost by capture all my goods. with the gItta percha, the last time within twenty miles of Richmond, near White House. on the York River Railroad. That lot of
 goods also contained 3,C0O pounds of block tin. I was surprised by some 1,500 Federal cavalry who had been sent out to capture me. I lost all my goods. and my partner Brown was captured, but made my escape. and as this was the narrowest escape I ever had may relate 1t in a future odd Tale. It was a very thrilling incident. which I will never for get; indeed an escape from 1.500 cavalry was an incident not to be forgotten.
 'I concluded that there must be some fatality in connection with gutta percha, and then and there drew the line upon