Morning herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1837-1840, 1839-07-22


is unquestionably Of the largest and most COM
plete in this country. Immediately oppositethe cele
brated hill called the "Crcw's Nest" in the High
lands, the North River formerly took double course
east and west thus forming beautiful rocky Island
with bold abrupt bank facing West Point Military
Academy. The eastern branch or stream OF TINS
noble river has gradually filed up within the last
fifty years; and where, in the days OF the Revolu-
ton, ran a clear deep stream, is now low sedgy,
sandy marsh, totally impossible either ON horseback
or on foot, or in q boat The hills on the eastern
Shore opposite this marsh lose portion OF their
bold, abrupt character and were broken IN various
places, by the action of powerful body Of water
ages since, till vast hollow ravine was scooped
oat, through which beautiful clear creek
called Cold Spring, which empties itself in the
North River. In this ravine on both sides OF the
creek and encirced by the old gneiss green stone,
granwacke siente and granite hills stand the build
ings owned and occupied by Mr.. Kemble and his
workmen, called the West Point Foundry, which
was established in 1876 In many respects it ressm-
bles the great establishment Of Messrs. Darby, in
Celebrook Dale, England.
The buildings of this establishment cover over
100 acres of ground and yet all situated contgu-
Gus to each other. There employed in them upon
an average, 400 men, who are payed semi monthly,
and whose aggregate wages amount every two weeks
to about $500, the whole Of which Qike the weekly
expenses of the !" New York Herad') is paid in
cash, and no grumbling. Some faint idea OF tho
magnitude of this immense concern, may be
formed from the fact that there are constantly at
work upon the premises in the Business Of blasting
smelling, welding, casting, forging turnings &C. &C
four steam engines and two enormous water wheels,
the aggregate force Of which is equal to that Of lao
-L.nl n.al fort tn~ nocbs
merry employed in boring canneas, thirty-sx feet in
diameter and under the floor Of that shop, there 10
a Is horse engine capable of driving all the work
done there in case the water wheel should get out of
order. xgaHw MnM
There are altogether about dozen large buildings,
used for different branches Of the business and the
Offices for the clerks and foremen placed in the
centre of tho WHOLE yet separated from ALL on the
north side of the works stand the casting and tarn-
ng shops; the south side to be found the ex-
tensve and valuable pattern shops on the west side
close to the road that to the North rver, IS
long range Of buildings in which the large boilers
for steamboats,, sugar houses, &c. &C., are put to-
gether and finished. On the east side IL the large
forging shop; ard at the very end Of the ravine to
the east stands the blast furnace, that supplies the
establishment in part the blast Of which is obtained
by water power. The whole is under the direction
of Mr.. Kemble, who has under him foreman 10 the
engineer department, foreman to the tarnng shops,
foreman the pattern shops, aforeman to the forg
ing shop, and foreman to the casting houses, be-
sides principal experimenting agent. r.
There are three large pattern lofts from so to l59
feet long, and full Of valuable patterns, besides great
number Of peculiar and singular patterns that lay
posed to the weather from want ef in the lofts
One loft alone contains 500 wheel patterns Of the
value Of $40 foot in diameter, making total sum
of go 900 invested in wheel patterns alone; and in
the three lofts the value Of the patterns must be
$50 600. One casting house Is 2O5 feet by bS feet IN
the clear; and there is one grand moulding noor
comprising clear space Of 300 feet by 81 feet. An
other large house contains three largesized cupoas
a,d three reverberatory furnaces the latter capable
Of throwing ont IL tons Of iron at a casng and the
streams from all three Of which be turned at one
and the same time into the mould. One engine
employed blow two Of the cupolas is Of IL horse
power. There is a very handsome and capacious
boring mill, in which there seven gun beds for
turning aud boring the United States cannon: each
Of these beds is go feet in length There is also
separate bed for turning and boring trunnisns.
In one large turning shop, last week,we saw ar.I,
turning for Ames paper works, feet in diameter
and five and half feet on the face. This is great
curiosity, lnAsnucn as upon ts iaCe Where the wei
pulp Of the paper is thrown, il would not do 20 have
a hsc the size Of pins head. We also saw several |
carrosades in the boring mill that the were re-
boring; the bores originally made smaller than
usual to give less windage. The experiment has
failed, and the carronades have TO be bored over
again There were also % eisht-inch bomb casnons,
upon the principle Of those used At ST Jsaa de Ulloa,
in process Of casting and finishing. There 10 Sec
ond boring mill, and the bed of the planning machine
attached thereto Is IL feet long. The cylinder at
taehed 10 the driving machinery of this valuable
branch Of the establishment is ~ inches in diameter
and II feet long. There is also small turning
connected with this department containing 10 lsthes
fosr, all the power to drive which s obtained
from the large water wheel before spoken Of. The
bottom bed Of the planning machine attached to tins
shop is ~ feet long, and the plane feet square Be
tween the shops above mentioned there is curious
rotary machine used for cleaning balls the balls
placed inside hollow circular box, and cleaned
to perfection by dry attrition.
The forging shop is also great curiosity; under
one roof there IL large furnaces, besides four
in the pudding shop. There also eight enormous
wooden cranes, (wood being preferred to from fer
carrying the shsssng. pieces Of machinery, &C. in
heated state from the forge to the hammer The en-.
CINE that works the hammer is 81 30 horse power,