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