Sentence:  Despite Company threats , duly carried through , to cut off supplies of <WSD>powder</WSD> , ball , and thread for fishing nets , about 350 persons stayed in the village . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  a mixture of potassium nitrate, charcoal, and sulfur in a 75:15:10 ratio which is used in gunnery, time fuses, and fireworks