I have been absent from this blog for two years, as my husband and I underwent several major life changes, which were my mother's death, my husband's retirement, our move to a new home after 36 years in our previous home, and the birth of my first grandbaby.   Now, for some stability and spare time, so that this blog about my great-grandfather Treuthardt does not go unfinished.    -- Annamarie

78. Jakob's family moved from Echandens, Vaud to Steffisburg, Bern, Switzerland

Jakob II moved his family from Echandens, Vaud Canton to Steffisburg, Bern Canton, Switzerland.   See post #1 for a picture postcard view of Steffisburg, from the early 1900's.   It is near Thun, in central Switzerland.   The year of the move and the reason for the move are unknown.   Possibly Jakob II no longer had a job after the powder mill in Echandens closed. 

As explained about Jakob II in post #76, he learned powder milling before he was powder miller at Steffisburg.   His two sons assisted at the same mill, and both became powder millers.   Even with extensive experience, there were complications and dangers every day and moment in milling black powder.        


Before continuing with Jakob's story, let me catch you up with a sparse version of Friedrich's early life.  

  

76. Jakob Treuthardt II / was he a powder miller at Echandens?

Although I cannot prove by documents that Jakob II ran a mill at Echandens, the history indicates it.   A black powder mill (maybe more than one) existed at Echandens.   When the family moved from Echandens to Steffisburg, Jakob II became powder miller at the mill of Steffisburg.  Milling was a family business.  His two sons became powder millers, indicating that Jakob II trained his sons in the techniques of milling.   Evidence could prove my theory right or wrong.   Until that happens, there is good reason to believe that Jakob II ran a black powder mill at Steffisburg.  

In previous posts I wrote,
"... Jakob II will be choosing an entirely new direction, beginning a new chapter, getting married, having a family, and frankly, he needs to think about what he is doing."  (#64)   
"Jakob II, the eldest son of Jakob I and Barbara Treuthardt, is going to take a different life-route from his father and he will set the tone for the rest of the Treuthardt family in Switzerland."  (#58)

Considering how little I know about Jakob II, I have written a lot of imaginative things (posts #45, 58, 59, 64, 69, 71, 72).   Now we will move on to Steffisburg, where the history is more certain.  

75. Introduction to Blasting and Explosives in Mines / National Mining Museum, Leadville, Colorado

And finally, this display appears in the National Mining Museum in Leadville.

"Introduction to Blasting and Explosives in Mines"

"Between the 1830's and the 1850's, explosives became a permanent fixture in mines;  it reduced the cost of mining and helped increase productivity.

"Black powder was first adopted in America mid-17th century with the opening of the first black powder mill in Massachusetts.  It was used by the settlers to help provide food, ignite fires and for protection.   During the same period, black powder was used extensively in German mines, and by the late 17th century, its use in the mining industry had spread as far as Cornwall, England.   Later, during the mass immigrations of the 19th century, the Cornish miners (also known as 'Cousin Jacks') brought this technology and their blasting techniques to America.  They also brought the miner's candlestick, lunch bucket, and the code of signals that enable the hoist man to communicate with the miners underground.   The sudden increase in popularity and blasting usage in the mines spread quickly and powder mills were established to meet demand.

"Black powder was the only explosive used in mines until the introduction of Nitro-glycerine, and then dynamite..."  

74. Black Powder / National Mining Museum, Leadville, Colorado

Another exhibit from the National Mining Museum at Leadville, Colorado, has a simple description and explanation of black powder.   In the early gold mining efforts in Colorado, black powder was used to blast into rock crevices, dislodging the material, allowing it to be removed and processed (from which gold, if it were present, would be extracted).   The words below are taken exactly as they are displayed in the museum.  

"Black Powder"

"The term black powder was first used in the late 19th century to help distinguish between the different types of powders, e.g., gunpowder, semi smokeless powder, etc.   It was used in mines by igniting it in drill holes and cracks in rocks.

Black powder is a mixture of three components: 

1.  Potassium Nitrate:  other names include Salt Peter or Nitre
2.  Sulphur:  a bright yellow crystalline solid
3.  Charcoal:  a black substance made from burnt wood that has been deprived of oxygen and leaves an impure carbon residue

"Potassium Nitrate and Charcoal create a minor explosion, but when mixed with sulphur, the explosion is much stronger.

"Mixing all three components together form a group of gases:  carbon dioxide, nitrogen (both colorless and odorless) and potassium sulphide (a compound that reacts rapidly with water).

How it works

"When the three components are mixed together and ignited, the gases form a heat.   This heat forces the gases to expand causing an explosive force."