Boomtown by Nowen N. Particular

the United States as an explosives expert for the railroad. He had learned how to work gunpowder from his father, Bang, and his grandfather, Zang. His talent was in great demand by the railroad companies. He could take the smallest pinch of his homemade gun-powder and blow the spots off a ladybug without killing it, that’s what they say. He was the best in the business.
    â€œThe building of the transcontinental railroad was sparked by the California Gold Rush in 1848. By 1850, the gold started to peter out, but there were still plenty of prospectors infected with gold fever, and they weren’t ready to give up so easily. So they abandoned California and disappeared into the wilderness, seeking their fortune in the hills and mountains of Nevada, Oregon, Montana, Washington, and the Yukon. Once Chang reached the West Coast, he quit the railroad and followed the fortune hunters north and supplied them with gunpowder.
    â€œâ€™Round here, there was a certain prospector who struck a mighty vein of gold—right up yonder over there on Rocket Ridge—you can see it from here. Word spread quickly until every hillside was covered with mining operations. Chang was right in the thick of it. He was the main supplier of high-grade black powder for opening mines and blasting tunnels. The Washington gold rush turned Chang into a very popular and wealthy man.

    â€œA small town sprung up—shops, grocers, a black-smith, a school, a church. People came and stayed. Soon there was the prettiest little town you ever saw, nestled on the top of a hill with Chang as one of its richest citizens. To celebrate his good fortune, Chang threw a huge party every Fourth of July and invited everyone from miles around. They would come to see his magnificent fireworks and rockets and firecrackers. The future was looking bright for everybody.
    â€œBut Chang wasn’t satisfied. He was always itching for new ways to use his gunpowder. He was the one who invented the exploding welcome mat—maybe you’ve heard of it—Chang’s Ding-Dong-So-Long, available from Martin’s Mercantile in the main square. Only $4.95 plus tax. An elegant way to scare off those pesky traveling salesmen.
    â€œChang was also the one who came up with the handy, easy-to-use Chang’s Drain Gun. No more clogged drains. Just put the rubber flange against the sink opening and pull the trigger.
    â€œThen he came up with the Tree Magician, a combination drill and plug kit. ‘Removes Trees Like Magic,’ or so the package claims. Drill a few holes, stuff four to five bomb packets into the root mass, light the fuse, and stand back. Guaranteed to relocate the tree or your money back.
    â€œNext came Chang’s TNT Tea Bags, in convenient two-ounce packets. Steep one teabag in a gallon of rubbing alcohol for one hour, pour, and light. Useful for starting campfires (or burning down barns if you aren’t careful).

    â€œChang also experimented with mixing gunpowder with fertilizer to put in his garden. From the beginning, he met with mixed results: zucchinis that exploded on impact, pumpkins that popped, apples that blew holes in the ground when they fell off the tree. But through trial and error, Chang managed to work out a stable formula that eventually produced remarkable results.
    â€œSoon he was selling Chang’s Popcorn (every kernel guaranteed to pop), Chang’s Firecrackers (gunpowder-laced wheat crackers that’ll cure the most stubborn case of constipation), and Chang’s Hotcakes (pancakes that explode when stepped on). It’s a great way for getting gophers to relocate—and they taste pretty good with maple syrup (the pancakes , I mean, not the gophers).

    â€œBut probably his most famous invention happened entirely by accident. Some of his POPcorn got mixed in with the regular feed he gave to his chickens. One afternoon, one of the chickens tripped in the hen house and boom ! Scrambled eggs and