PERIL IN THE POWDER MILLS
by
Anne Kelly Lane David McMahon
You will discover:
+ that before the Civil War, Jefferson Davis, as Secretary of War, militarily prepared the North for the ensuing conflict with the South.
+ that most of the powder used by the Confederacy at the beginning of the Civil War originated at a Northern powder mill.Hazard Powder in Connecticut.
+ the outstanding men who shaped the powder industry, including Eleuthere DuPont, Confederate Colonel George Rains, Colonel Augustus Hazard and Edward Prickett and his sons.
+ how the significant contributions made by women impacted the history of black powder.
+ that the Gunpowder Trade Association played a vital role in fixing powder prices at the end of the 19th Century.
+ the risks the powder maker faced daily in the powder-yard with examples of perils at the Schaghticoke Powder Company.
+ the most dangerous site in the powder making process.
+ that early powder makers, by necessity, were the first to set industrial safety standards for explosives.
+ that the promotional techniques initiated by black powder companies became standard sales and marketing tools common today in corporate America.
+ that black powder was the first product line for three of todays major chemical companies: DuPont, Hercules and Atlas.
Black powder played a prominent role in the history of the United States. When the first white settlers arrived in America, gunpowder was critical for defense and for hunting to obtain food. As time went by, gunpowder and weapons became a primary object of trade with the Native Americans, especially during the Westward expansion.
Black powder was a key military component throughout the Revolutionary War, the French and Indian Wars, the War of 1812, the Civil War, and World War I. However, military usage reached a zenith point during the American Civil War. The importance of gunpowder to the armies of both the North and South merits a special chapter.
Black powder had non-military uses as well. It aided in the development and expansion of railroads and highways and in the growth of mining and construction activities across the United States. Explosives, for instance, were essential in open pit mining and increased the availability of coal, which fueled homes as well as the steam engines of railroads and industry. It built the roads, canals, bridges, tunnels and the inter-coastal waterways so crucial for our transportation system. Black powders service had a tremendous impact on the development of America.
Throughout the 19th Century, black powder was a dominant influence in the growth of this expanding nation. Early in the 20th Century, dynamite, nitrocellulose, and other propellants with greater explosive power and safer manufacturing processes began to replace black powder.
The Black Powder Era chiefly spans the pre-Revolutionary War period until the 1930s. This book is about the explosive history of the Black Powder Era in the United States.
PREFACE
Oh no, not again! There goes the mill!!! Shouts of panic! Dishes crashing to the floor! Ceilings caving in! These were common occurrences in the upstate New York towns of Schaghticoke and Valley Falls where we grew up. The black powder era had ended by the 1950s but we would listen to veteran powder-makers and townspeople reminisce of life in the Schaghticoke Powder mill and the risks of powder making.
The Schaghticoke Powder mill was the oldest operating powder mill in the United States at the time of its final explosion on March 16, 1928. Its past reflects the story of powder mills and powder makers everywhere. Black powder and the daring men who manufactured it were pioneers in the explosives industry.
Originally the powder industry consisted of many small powder mills scattered throughout the country. However, by the late 19th Century, these mills would consolidate into a few corporate entities. Most of the local powder men had been employees of two large corporations - DuPont and Hercules. These men, and their predecessors, were instrumental in supplying the powder used to develop and defend our nation.
While our interest in black powder was instilled because of our proximity to the Schaghticoke mill, the scope of this book is much broader than one particular mill. The story of black powder and the gunpowder men is intertwined with the early growth of our country and the development of corporate America. Overviews are given of the leading American powder companies and their roles in both the Civil War and the Gunpowder Trade Association. The Gunpowder Trade Association would lead to one of the first anti-trust cases in America, causing the Justice Department to invoke the Sherman Antitrust Act. We tell of the constant dangers of the powder-yard and the measures taken to avoid loss of life. The devastating accidents affected everyone in the community especially the women. Shown throughout this book are powder labels and trade cards seldom seen today. These commercial works of art, along with other marketing tools, would serve as models for future consumer products.
Knowledge of the accomplishments of the dedicated powder makers and how different life would be today without their vital contributions should not pass into oblivion. The objective of this book is to provide insight into the business of black powder and evoke a deeper understanding of the sacrifices and hard work of the gunpowder men. Hopefully, this tribute will instill in others the same appreciation we share for these courageous men.
The thriving years of this historically important industry produced many true tales of heroism and miraculous escapes from sudden death, but also the tragedy of fathers, husbands, and sons who were lost forever. A part of their somber history has been documented here in Peril in the Powder Mills.
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