Belletonte, Pa., July 14, 1916
The Story of Gunpowder.
To one part of charcoal of dogwood,
or popular, add an equal amount of
sulphur and six parts of saltpeter;
mix thoroughly, add water enough to
moisten and grind carefully between
two smooth stones for two hours.
Seven hundred years ago an old
monk, Friar Bacon, sat poring over
an oriental manuscript, until sudden-
ly he came across a recipe of which
the above is a rough translation. He
hastily copied it down, though he re-
garded it only as a great curiosity il-
lustrating chemical compounds. Little
did he think what would be the result
of his find in the musty old manu-
script; that this recipe would not only
change customs, styles of architec-
ture, methods of government, but it
would change the destinies of nations
and the map of the world. ;
Certainly at that time, in the thir-
teenth century, and for many cen-
turies after, no scientific discovery
was made which so materially affect-
ed the life of the human race as this
recipe for making gunpowder. From
that day it was brains, human in-
genuity, the capacity to invent, to
discover nature’s secrets and harness
her forces to the use of men that
counted, rather than physical foie.
It took the northern races of Eurvpe
to know how to profit from this
knowledge; thé people who invented
gunpowder may have had a higher
civilization at the time, but they
never knew how to use it to full ad-
vantage. :
Just who did discover how to mix
the wonderful recipe nobody knows,
but there are records of Chinese fire-
works being displayed at festivals
seven hundred years before Christ,
and the Chinese, who claim every-
thing, say that its discovery was an
interesting accident. Traders travel-
ing over the plains with their shaggy
little Chinese ponies used to camp for
the night and build camp fires to keep
away wild animals and robbers. There
was a quantity of nitrate of potash in
the soil, also traces of sulphur. This,
mixed with the charcoal from their
fires, left a crude sort of explosive,
containing in imperfect proportions
the ingredients of gunpowder.
Other traders came along and built
their camp fires on the same blacken-
ed spots where previous fires had
been. Frequently, when the fires were
started, there would be weird flashes
and “fizzing” sounds which the Chi-
namen took to be ev'l spirits. But
some wise Chinaman investigated, and
so, more than twenty-five hundred
years ago, learned how to make gun-
powder.
Undoubtedly Greek traders had
traveled far into the East and had
learned from the Chinese the art of
making fire displays, for many of
their religious ceremonies were also
enlivened with the rattle of firecrack-
ers. But the Greeks never had the in-
genuity to invent a gun, otherwise
they might never have been conquered
and enslaved by the Romans.
The Chinese did, however, invent
something very much like a canon, in
B. C. 618. According to the records, it
was a long tube made of bamboo, on
it was inscribed, “I hurl death to the
traitor and extermination to the
rebel.” The Chinese Wall, too, which
was built to keep out the Tartars,
shows even today holes through it
which could have been pierced for no
other purpose than allowing cannons
to be shot through them.
India was not far behind the Chi-
nese. There is a story recorded in the
old Sanscrit records which gives ac-
count of the wars of the Egyptian
Hercules in India.
The sages were being attacked in
their stronghold. While the prepara-
tions for the siege were going on,
they stood on their housetops and
watched as though they were only un-
concerned spectators. This so anger-
ed the enemy that they at once began
an assault, whereupon the sages were
suddenly awakened to life and “they
repulsed it with whirlwinds and thun-
ders, hurling destruction on the in-
vaders.” This is probably the earliest
Bistorjeal account of an artillery bat-
tle.
By the thirteenth century, when
Friar Bacon discovered in an old
Arabic manuscript the recipe for
making powder, the Hindoos were
fighting naval battles with cannons.
Even the “wild men of Borneo”
knew the use of cannon and gunpow-
der as soon as the Europeans, for in
1500 the Portuguese, in attacking the
town of Borneo, found the town de-
fended by sixty-two pieces of cannon
mounted on the walls.
For some years no use was made in
Europe of the recipe except for church
festivals. The priest employed fire-
works, just as the Chinese and Greeks
did for purposes of display, from which
was orginally derived our own Fourth
of July celebrations.
It was only when the Swiss alchem-
ist discovered how to granulate pow-
der in the making that it was possible
to use it in driving missiles. In all the
European countries hollow metal
tubes appeared, which were filled with
powder, and stones or iron balls were
rammed down on top, the powder be-
ng set off through a hole af the other
end.
The powder that won us our free-
dom from Great Britain was carried
in a horn by the soldier, who measur-
ed it with a little tin measure, poured
it down the muzzle of his musket,
dropped a lead bullet on top of the
charge, then rammed wads of paper
with his ramrod down on that to
tighten it. It was the uncertain sup-
ply of powder that handicapped the
forces under Washington more than
any other cause. So difficult was it
to get the necessary ingredients for
the manufacture of the powder used
by Washington’s Army and all over
the country people were rquested to
gather the saltpeter formed on the
damp walls of their cellars and turn
it over to army headquarters.
The first powder mill in this coun-
try was erected almost on the old bat-
tlefield of Brandywine, shortly after
the close of the Revolution, and there
it stands today. It was from this mill
that nearly all the powder used in the!
war with England in 1812, was sent to
Perry on Lake Erie and with which he
defeated the British fleet. |
From the time of earliest record
until quite recently, only a few years!
ago, the actual manufacture of now- |
der has kept pretty close to the recipe |
discovered by Friar Bacon, except |
that the proportions of the three in-
gredients may have varied a little
from time to time. But though the
process of mixing is simple enough,
the mixing has been one of the most |
dangerous industries that men have |
ever been engaged in and this danger
has only been slightly reduced of late
years; it has never been entirely elim-
inated.
The three ingredients used to be
taken to separate mills and each was
reduced to a very fine dust by success-
ive grindings. The actual danger
began in the mixing house, where the
three were brought together. These
{
mixing houses have always been rele- | £8
gated to lonely, isolated spots, as
though they were pest houses where,
if they blew up, as they often did, on-
ly the actual workers engaged in the
work would be killed.
Here the eharcoal is spread in a
trough, and the sulphur and saltpeter
being sifted upon it, the mixture is
stirred with the hands.
Being first dampened enough to
give it the consistency of a thick
mud, the mixture is next shoved in
between two mill stones. So danger-
ous is this part of the process that in
England a law was passed limiting
the amount of each grinding to forty-
two nounds, for the protection of the
men engaged in work.
All the bearings of the millstones
are copper, to lessen the danger from
friction. This grinding takes from
one to six hours, according to the
quality of the powder desired, but the
standard powder requires about three
hours. After being thoroughly pul-
verized and caked by the moisture,
the powder leaves the mill in small
lumps, called “mill cakes.”
This is the product used for the fire
displays and firecrackers, but for ex-
plosive purposes the powder must be
forced through minute holes in a
parchment seive, making it into fine |
grains, as according to the size of the |
grains, so is the explosive force of the |
powder. After that the dust is blown
off and the grains are subjected to the
gentle friction of a revolving ecylin-
der. Out of these cylinders come the
pnisnsd product.—“The Boy’s Lan-
ern,
Making Waste Work.
In France, as in Germany, “noth-
ing is allowed to go to waste.” That
has been the French and German sys-
tem all along, but since the beginning
of the war it has been brought to the
limit of efficiency:
The French and German method of
putting “waste” to work has been a
lesson to England; as it should be to
America, where so much that might
be made of value is thrown away, Of
the conservation of waste material in
France, the magazine, “Tit-Bits,”
says:
What becomes of old sardine boxes,
tomato tins, meat tins, fruit tins and
tins of all kinds? In France they
gather them up and use them—to cut
into tin soldiers. In France, too, the
old boots and shoes are collected, and
every part is used over again. The
work is mostly done by convicts in
prisons. They take the boots and
shoes to pieces and soak them; then
the uppers are cut over into children’s
shoes; or, if they are too far gone for
that, a peculiar kind of pressed leath-
er is made by some chemical action.
The nails are saved and sold, and the
scraps go to the farmers to fertilize
the soil.
Who would have thought it possible
to make anything out of old saws?
Yet it is said that many of the finest |.
surgical instruments and some of
those used by engineers are manufac-
turned from the steel that first did du-
ty in saws. The steel of saws is of
the very best quality and finest tem-
per; and since it is good in the first
place it is always good.
What we are accustomed to regard
as worthless is made to contribute to
every branch of industry. The people
are trained to it; it is characteristic
of their domestic economy, as of the |.
work of the “gleaners” of the battle-
fields, who gather shattered shells,
bits of rubber tires—anything and
everything which may be reconstruct-
ed for future use.
There has been some progress in
this line of “making every edge cut”
in this country, but there is room for
great improvement where, through a
system like that of France, or Germa-
ny, money may literally be “rick-
ed up on the streets” and highways
by recognition of the value of what
has heretofore been regarded as little
or no account.
The national thrift campaign has
set the people to thinking and to
“taking stock” of their resources, and
it will continue to be helpful in every
line of national economy.—‘“Atlanta
Constitution.”
Set a Mark in Life.
~
. Work for something, not for noth-
ing. It is not wise to live just for to-
day. Without some aim, one’s time
and work go for naught. The years
go by and he has nothing to show for
them. If not advancing, we are fall-
ing back. If not keeping alive, grow-
ing to something better and higher,
we are becoming weaker and of less
worth. Even though we never reach
the goal, we have made some advance
in striving for it. A good aim, a real
purpose in life, makes worth of char-
acter. All have not the same tastes.
There is a wide field from which to
choose what one will work for. And
this is well. The one universal aim is
the same, to live truer, better lives
from day to day. A life without a
purpose is like a ship without a rud-
der. Want of motive makes life
dreary and monotonous. Nothing
satisfies. “Better little talent and
much purpose than much talent and
little purpose.” Aim for somethin
worth while and keep your mar
steadily in view. Life will mean
much more to you. You will be more
useful to the world, you will find
more satisfaction in living.
FLICKER
(Colaptes auratus)
BOBOLINK
Dolichonyx oryzivorus
1
Length, thirteen inches. The yel
low under surface of the wing, yellow
tail shafts, and white rump are char
acteristic.
Range: Breeds in the eastern
United States west to the plains and
in the forested parts of Canada and
Alaska; winters in most of the east
ern United States.
Habits and economic status: The
flicker inhabits the open country rath
er than the forest and delights in park:
like regions where trees are numerous
and scattered. It nests in any large
cavity in a tree and readily appro-
priates an artificial box. It is pos
sible, therefore, to insure the presence
| of this useful bird about the farm and
to increase its numbers. It is the
most terrestrial of our woodpeckers
and procures much of its food from
the ground. The largest item of ani-
mal food is ants, of which the flicker
eats more than any other common
bird. Ants were found in 524 of the
684 stomachs examained and 98 stond-
achs contained no other food. One
stomach contained over 5,000 and two
others held over 3,000 each. While
bugs are not largely eaten by the
flicker, one stomach contained 17
chinch bugs. Wild fruits are next to
ants in importance in the flicker’s
dietary. Of these sour gum and wild
black cherry stand at the head. The
food habits of this bird are such as to
recommend it to complete protection.
U. S. a Spendthrift Nation.
“Five hundred and fifty-four out
of every thousand
Switzerland, or fifty-five per cent,”
says Merle Crowell, “have savings-
bank accounts, according to the lat-
est available figures; here in our
own country, ninety-nine out of
every thousand, or less than ten per
cent., have made similar provision
for the future. The average sav-
ings per capita in Switzerland are
$47.03; in America, $4.84.”
——They are all good enough, but the
WATCHMAN is always the best.
inhabitants of
Length, about seven inches.
Range: Breeds from Ohio north.
east to Nova Scotia, north to Mani.
toba, and northwest to British Colum:
bia; winters in South America.
Habits and economic status: When
American writers awoke to the beauty
and attractiveness of our native birds,
among the first to be enshrined in
song and story was the bobolink. Few
species show such striking contrasts
in the color of the sexes, and few have
songs more unique and whimsical.
[n its northern home the bird is loved
for its beauty and its rich melody; in
the South it earns deserved hatred by
its destructiveness. Bobolinks reach
the southeastern coast of the United
States the last half of April just as
rice is sprouting and at once begin to
pull up and devour the sprouting ker-
nels. Soon they move on to their
northern breeding grounds, where they
feed upon insects, weed seeds, and a
little grain. When the young are well
on the wing, they gather in flocks
with the parent birds and gradually
move southward, being then generally
known as reed birds. They reach the
rice fields of the Carolinas about Au:
gust 20, when the rice is in the milk.
Then until the birds depart for South
America planters and birds fight for
the crop, and in spite of constant
watchfulness and innumerable devices
for scaring the birds a loss of 10 per
cent of the rice is the usual result.
Plan $5,000,000 a Year for Rural
Post Roads.
Expenditure of about $5,000,000
annually in improving rural post
roads is proposed in a bill favorably
reported by the House Postoffice
committee. It would permit the
Postmaster General to use unex-
pended balances and surplus postal
revenues on improvement of the con-
dition of country roads, instead of
turning them back into the Treas-
ury.
—— Subscribe for the WATCHMAN.
That snappy, spirited taste of “Bull” Durham in a
cigarette gives you the quick-stepping, head-u
chest-out feeling of the live, virile Man in
&
haki.
He smokes “Bull” Durham for the sparkle that’s in
it and the crisp, youthful vigor he gets out of it.
BuLL
ENUINE
DURHAM
SMOKING TOBACCO
“Roll your own” with “Bull” Durham and you have
a distinctive, satisfying smoke that can’t be equalled
by any other tobacco in the world.
In its perfect mildness, its smooth, rich mellow-
sweetness and its aromatic fragrance, “Bull”
Durham is unique,
For the last word in whole-
some, healthful smoking enjoy-
ment “roll your own” with “Bull”
ham.
| DURHAM
I “deans
85 NERS
1 One Hundred and Fifty
- Men's Suits
| Light Colors, Pinch Backs and
Extreme, 1916 Models
AT 1-4 OFF
the regular price.
STRAW AND
Panama Hats
At 25 per cent. Reduction
Boy’s Suits
(Blue Serges Reserved)
At 1-4 Off
the regular price.
These prices to be in force until
August 1st.
FAUBLE’S,
BELLEFONTE,
PENNA.
58-4
— as
—— A
Dry Goods, Etc.
LYON & COMPANY.
JULY CLEARANCE SALE
SUMMER STUFFS |
Clearance Sale of all Summer Goods throughout
every department regardless of former prices.
Just a few items to show you it is a real
Clearance Sale.
All Voile Dresses that were sold from $5 to $12.00 now
$1.98.
Ladies’ Coats, all this season’s styles, including fine Mo-
hair Motor Coats, Silk Taffetas, Serges and Gabardins,
values from $15 to $25, now $7.98.
Coat Suits, black, navy blue black and white, check and
silk poplin suits, values from $15 to $35, sale price $7.50
to $14.00.
One table of Voiles, Lawns and Crepes, values from
1214 to 35 cents, sale price per yard 8 cents.
Another lot of Summer Wash Goods, values from 25 to
35 cents, sale price 1214 cents per yard
Wash Waists, the largest assortment of colored and
white waists, all this season’s styles, must go at 98 cents
during this sale. © Silk Waists that sold at $3.50 and
$3.00, now $2.50. Silk Waists, quality $1.75, now g8c.
SHOES. SHOES.
All White Shoes, low and high. All Tan Shoes, low
and high. All Black Shoes, low and high—men’s,
women’s and children’s, at less than cost to manufac-
ture.
mA
Lyon & Co. «x» Bellefonte.