| Folks said Uncle Athanatious didn't have
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| | ammoniac for green, lamp black for red,
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| enough sense to come in out of the rain.
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| | and ordinary sand for "golden
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| However, neither would you if you were in
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| | shower."Uncle Athan didn't mess around
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| his business.Uncle Athan - no one dared
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| | with garden variety fireworks. The
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| call him by his full handle - operated a
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| | construction of little paper tubes, and
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| gunpowder mill.Dynamite was safer, but
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| | stuffing them with tiny amounts of
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| three times more expensive than black
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| | powder, was too tedious. Such things as
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| powder and harder to set off. Farmers of
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| | penny crackers, sparklers, Roman candles,
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| Boot Heel preferred the local "stump
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| | cherry bombs, devil spitters, fire snakes
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| lifter" so ably concocted by Uncle
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| | and other "kid stuff" were imported from
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| Athan.Back then, explosives were in great
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| | China.* * *My uncle cured his powder in
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| demand for clearing land. Black powder
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| | his house because it was clean, dry and
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| was ideal because it exploded at a slower
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| | handy. Trays were scattered about on
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| rate than dynamite and thereby exerted
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| | tables, chairs, dressers, sideboard and
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| unremitting pressure on tree roots.Black
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| | beds. This kept Aunt Dilley in a nervous
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| powder also made great firecrackers -
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| | snit, but Athan was a stickler for
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| particularly rockets and salutes. The
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| | quality control."There isn't any cause
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| latter were fist- size bombs whose only
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| | for worry," he assured her, "so long as
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| purpose was to burst the eardrums of
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| | you don't open the damper on the stove or
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| anyone standing close by when it was set
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| | scuff your feet on the rug." This did not
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| off.Traditionally salutes were the first
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| | seem reassuring.Aunt Dilley knew the
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| to be set off on the Fourth of July and
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| | problem and didn't appreciate safety
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| Christmas morning.Ingredients for black
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| | tips. When trays of powder were drying,
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| powder consist of common materials that
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| | she served cold pork and beans straight
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| were easily obtained in country stores.
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| | from the can and walked dainty.One night,
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| Individually the ingredients were useful
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| | when the living and dining rooms
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| for many household purposes.Two are
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| | sheltered several trays of gunpowder, a
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| charcoal and sulfur. I dare not reveal
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| | thunderstorm came up suddenly. Apparently
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| the third lest a young reader undertake a
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| | it was accompanied by static
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| dangerous experiment.The best charcoal
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| | accumulation. In any case, the powder
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| for gunpowder was made from willow and
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| | ignited.It went off with a loud POOF --
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| alder trees. Uncle Athan had a piece of
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| | and sufficient concussion to blow out a
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| bottomland that supported a stand of the
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| | couple of windows, smash chinaware and
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| trees and needed clearing. The powder
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| | singe old Fritz sleeping under the dining
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| mill enabled him to turn a profit from
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| | table.Aunt Dilley moved out the next day
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| unwanted trees.His sideline venture was
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| | and went to live with her sister down the
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| so successful he continued manufacturing
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| | road. Uncle Athan stayed on at the mill
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| explosive after his own need was met.* *
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| | and visited Aunt Dilley and her sister
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| *Uncle Athan's process of making black
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| | for Sunday dinners.However, when a storm
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| powder was deceptively simple but a mite
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| | brewed, and gunpowder was drying, Uncle
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| touchy.First, charcoal and sulfur were
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| | Athan hung around outside until the
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| crushed to powder in a "ball mill." It
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| | weather cleared. It was right pitiful to
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| was a rotating barrel containing recycled
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| | see him standing out in the rain in his
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| automobile bearings. The mill was turned
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| | yellow slicker and under a Purina Feed
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| by Uncle Athan's faithful hound Fritz
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| | umbrella.* * *The event everyone had
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| trudging inside an over-size hamster
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| | predicted for years finally occurred.
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| exercise wheel. .After a while, the
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| | Uncle Athan bought a one-way ticket to
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| mixture was dampened and ingredient X
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| | that Great Powder Mill in the Sky.It was
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| added. Water aided chemical bonding and
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| | never determined what set off the
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| reduced the danger of accidental
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| | explosion. The day was warm and overcast,
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| detonation.This black "mud" was pressed
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| | but these conditions were not deemed
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| through a "wheel mill" comprised of two
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| | adverse enough to cause the blast.
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| worn gears from a cotton gin. The meshed
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| | Perhaps Uncle Athan combed his hair too
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| gears were turned by Jack -- a mule of
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| | briskly that day.Old Fritz was not hurt,
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| limited ancestry but docile temperament
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| | but he ran off - never to be seen again.
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| -- by pulling around a long sweep
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| | Life in a powder mill for mans' best
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| attached to the gear wheels. A similar
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| | friend was to unsettling - what with the
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| arrangement was common for grinding sugar
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| | over-size hamster wheel, singed fur,
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| cane.On visits, I was allowed to ride
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| | sudden loud noises and a diet leaning
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| Jack while "it" earned its keep. My
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| | excessively to cold beans.A large crowd
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| mother kept the visits short. Uncle
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| | came to Uncle Athan's funeral. He was
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| Athan's casual attitude toward his
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| | well liked, but a goodly number of
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| product made her nervous.The wheel mill
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| | strangers showed up. Word got around that
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| pressed out excess water and mashed the
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| | Aunt Dilley was going to dispose of her
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| half-dry mud into granules. These were
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| | late husband's unexploded inventory after
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| spread on wood trays to dry.Finally, dry
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| | the burial ceremony.As Uncle Athan was
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| granules were crushed into "corns" by an
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| | lowered into his eternal resting place,
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| ordinary kitchen-type rolling pin and
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| | the Volunteer Fire Brigade set off 25
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| sifted through various screens for
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| | salutes, two cannon blasts, 15 stump
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| size.This was the most dangerous
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| | lifters and 30 assorted rockets.It was
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| operation -- performed solely by Uncle
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| | the end of an era, but Uncle Athan went
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| Athan. Though gainful employment was hard
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| | out in style.Every Decoration Day
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| to come by, no one ever applied for a job
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| | thereafter, Aunt Dilley visited Uncle
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| with him. A stray spark, high heat or
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| | Athan's grave. She would set off a string
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| static electricity could set off the
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| | of penny crackers - prudently disdaining
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| powder.Size of the corns, and any color
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| | stump lifters - and proclaim that Uncle
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| additives, determined the ultimate use of
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| | Athan would rest easy for another
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| the gunpowder.Large grains were best for
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| | year.Lindsey Williams is a Sun columnist
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| removing stumps. It also was preferred
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| | who can be contacted at:Website: with
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| for charging the Civil War cannon fired
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| | several hundred of Lin's Editorial & At
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| on Decoration Day - the south's name for
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| | Large articles written over 40 years.Also
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| the north's Memorial Day.Fine-grain
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| | featured in its entirety is Lin's
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| powder went into rockets. A little
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| | groundbreaking book "Boldly Onward," that
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| graphite gave the powder extra decibels.
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| | critically analyzes and develops theories
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| Rocket color was controlled by secret
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| | about the original Spanish explorers of
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| additives -- camphor for white, Sal
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| | America.
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