The Lehi banner. [volume] (Lehi, Utah) 1891-1917, 1905-11-09
"Reminiscences of Early
Settlement in Utah.
Making Salt Petre and Powder

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their progress, many questions forced
themselves for consideration, amongst
others the necessary supplies Of food
clothes, ammunition, etc. One speaker
facetIously remarked that II they wanted
to fight us they would need to furnish
us the necessary supplies. This in o
measure proved to be fact, as oui
scouting boys found but little difficulty
In entering their supply trains at night
and helping themselves to whatever was
on hand. But this was u,t- deemed
sufficient, and our own natural resources
must needs be explored and worked to
their utmost extent.
One important supply, as considered
was ammunition. This was taken up
by Bro. Eliczar Edwards aud myself.
Our knowledge Of the component parts
Of gunpow,ler, and in what shape to
look for them, being learned on my
part fiom volume of Comsiock't
Chemistry, bought from our Iron Com.
pany's store. A cave had been discov-
cred at Petersleap, located on a new
road to Washington county. and ex
plored by Bro. Peter Shirts. The cave
contained nitrate Of lime, or the nitrate
of the atmosphere had combined with
the lime IN the dust, which doubles.
for centuries had blown into the cave
Nitrate OF lime cannot be used in maxi
ing powder, but by converting IL into
nitrate Of potash (saltpetre) IL the
chief Ingredient Of powder. THIS IL
accomplished through the principle OF
chemical affinity, that IL, there are sub
stances In nature that have more affinity
or liking for some substances than for
Others, with which they may In
natural state be found com bined, and
when brought In contact will readily
leave the one to combine with the other.
In our Gaze this was accomplished by
teaching tue wood ashes separate,
which contained the potash, and then
combining II in proper proportions with
the nitrate Of lime leached from tn
dust from the cave, when the nitiat.
would leave the lime and combine with
the potash the lime settling TO the bot
tom OF the vessels. then boiling down
the resulting liquid TO the point OF
capitalization. Nitrate OF potosh salt
petre) was the result Bro. Edwards
made the first experiments in labora
tory, or assayers, style, producing about
one pound OF saltpetre, obtaining HE
nitrate Of lime from the cave and HE
potash by burning sagebrush. lie then
proposed to me that II I would see to
making the saltpetre he would make It
into power. We agreed to this. The
church, through the titLing office, TO
furnish needed supplies. A small party
was organized (As far as / can learn
myself ard Bro. John Jacobs Of Lehi
are now tile only survivors OF that party
and with supply Of teaching watts.
cooling vats, kettles. etc., we went to
Petersleap and established our works.
TO obtain the ashes we cut down and
burned up a nice grove Of cottonwoods
on Quail Greek. Washington county
This was in the month Of January, 1858.
We made three barrels full Of saltpetre
at about cost Of % cents per TO-
will mention one little incident in
our enterprise. The road to our Dixie.
over the Black Ridge, was considered
too bad for practical use, and Bro. Peter
Shirts was appointed to explore better
one. lie explored one nearer the foct
OF the mountains, and, as he expressed
II. IL had but one leap place in ii.
namely the 50 named Pstersleap, but
II proved so bad that IL more than COM
pensated for all the rest. When the
Texas company came along and saw II
some proposed to kill Teter. The only
way to pass down the leap Was to chain
several wagons together aud thus make
the hind ones hold back the front ones
On one occasion Bro WIN Moore
and myself arrived there with one yoke
of cattle and wagon. | offered Bro.
Moore his choice, to drive or TO hold
back behind. lie choose to hold on be-
hind. think that at the critical mo
ment he must have let loose. as the
wagon ended over front ways and, turn
ing on the kings bolt. went over the
precipice, scattering our load Of kettles,
teaches, provisions, bedding, etc, one
wagon wheel struck rock and broke
the axle from the uperside downwards.
To get the wagon up again, We had TO
take 1t all apart. had milk pan CT
cooked beans and meat, they were
thrown quite a distance aud lodged on
the point Of rock high up, bed guilt
under the pan, the pan right sida up aud
not beau missing we had an lion ket-
tie broken to pieces ana afterwards put
together by BIO. Richard Palmer Of
Cedar City.
The cave was worked out, when it
was decided to move our works down to
Ill a 4. -