Decoration Day Boom!

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