The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1844-03-14

the project was abandoned. This cannot pos
siby be true, for il is well known that uni'i We
~ recently, the welding together OF such mass
OF iron was never attempted. la former times,
1.-The forging OF an aachor Tor line OF oa'tis
ship was considered The heaviest job that could
be executed, and The demand alone lor shai's
for large steamers has brought this heavier
work into existence, to execute which, entirely
new arrangements are 10 be made with The hfes,
hammer, &c. think DO not risk any thing IN
the assertion that the metal OF the 'feace
Maker" is the largest mass that ever was
brought under forge hammer.
The shank OF an anchor Will occasionally
break short oil, but who has ever reasoned from
this fact that cast iron would be better mate
rial for an anchor than wrought Who would
fire a east iron musket or fowng piece or pis-
tol Who would shoe his horse with cast iron
or, indeed, ever use IL where teeacty was re-
qured, IN preference to wrought NO lacts
within my knowledge have ever been recorded
TO show that the quality, the nature, | may say,
Of wrought iron undeIgoes such change when
welded together IN masses, as il would appear
the metal of the barsted gun has undergone
the fbrous quality OF the iron appears 10 be
wholly destroyed, large chry stalls form the mass,
and the specific gravity is found to be nine per
cent less than that of ordinary hammered iron.
No doubts were entertained as TO the quality OF
the bars Of iron from which the gun was forged
il was supposed TO be the very best that could
be procured if so, some chemical or organic
change must have taken place in the manUfac-
lure hitherto unknown and undreampt Of.
Those, therefore, who would rely on former
experience, could have no surer guides than APP
pear to have led TO the introduction and use OF
this gun.
Question by Judge Adrocate. Willyou please
TO state particularly the knowledge you may
possess of the character OF Mr.. William Y Dung
as man OF science, and particularly as TO his
practical acquaintance with the manufacture OF
iron?
Ans. have known Mr. Young many years
first as the manager Of the West Point Foundry
and afterwards of the Ulster Iron Works, and
now manager of the Mount Savage Iron W orks,
near Frostburg, Allegheny county, Mary land
His general reputation is, and have always SO
considered him, as man OF science in
his profession, and as possessing the best
practical knowledge of the manufacture of iron
He has executed large contracts with both the
War aud Navy Departments, and to the entire
satisfaction Of those Departments.
Question by the same You have spoken OF
accurate calculations which led Captain Stock
ION to form his judgment and decision to the
construction Of large guns Of wrought IRON
| What were they
Ans They were, as understood at the time,
from scientific works on the subject, and from
his own experience.
Question by The Court You have mentioned
the orkshire iron-what is the character Of that
iron?
Ans. 1t is considered the best used in Eng
land for lenacity and strength, and Is much USED
for steam engines particularly. speak of tae
iron made at The l. NV Moon Work, from which
the iron, of which the first gun was made,
came. But do not consider that iron as equal
to the best American iron.
CUES. Do you know any thing of the cha
ract.r OF the works where the Peace Maker was
fabricated?
Ans. do not.
William Z. Hunt, Lieutenant in the Navy
OF tie United States, being duly sworn, deposes
and says
QRes. viii you please to state such infoma-
ton you possess, as 10 the experiments and
proofs of the large guns on board the Princeton
and the circum, tances attending the loadiog and
explosion of the same, and your rank and station
on board said vessel2
Ans. Having been, by orders from the Navy
Department, detailed for special duty under
Captain Stockton, in compliance with. orders
from him, ] proceeded to New York found
there a large wrought iron gun, said 10 have
been manufactured in England; had it convey
ed to Sandy Hook fox the purpose of proving
and making other experiments with it. The
gun was landed at the Hook and upon The ar
rival of Captain Stockton, all the necessary ar
rangements having been completed he proceed
ed TO prove the gun with the following charge
IS pounds powder, 40 yards above Navy proof
a wad filling The chamber; one shot of 2l2 lbs.
IN weight and wsd over It. then proceeded,
by order Of Captain Stockton. to mount the gun
on a carriage prepared for other experiments.-
On rolling the gun over, small crack opposite
the chamber was discovered THIS was cx-
amiucd, and although Il was, at the time, not
supposed to extend through to the chamber, II
wa, thought advisable TO strengthen the bre, cb
by putting bands around IT. Al order was Civ
EN- to that effect, and further experiments post
poncd. After being banded, the gun vas again
mounted and the experiments continued. After
firing about twenty times with cartridges vary
ing from Ii TO % pounds, the shot Of PIG b. IL
was found that the crack ia the lower part
OF the breech had opened through into the cham
Der 10 such an extent, that in washing the gun,
water drained through the rent Il was then
determined to ascertain how many dis 'harges
of IS lbs. Of powder, with a shot of PIP los
the iron Loops, which were about 81 inches IN
thickness, would bear without bursting. On the
following day The gun was fred "a tunes with
% lbs powder, rs yards above Navy proof, and
zach shot weighing 2l2 bs., without any visible
eitscl except that The exploded powder blscken-
ed the outside Of The hoops directly over the
rent IN The gun. Having fired from lhi, gun
from 100 to $50 shot without injury to he ho Ups
which alone sustained 1t, and having BY such
means ascertained to our entire satisfaction that
a wrought iron gun If oversusined would onl,
open, not fly to pieces, aud that about 81 inches Of
good wrought iron would sustain such firing as
this gun had been exposed TO, we believed that
gun could be made of American iron sufficiently
strong to stand any numb,r of pound. Of pow
der that could be burnt in it, 10 consequence
Of these results, Captain Stockton ordered an.
other gun made with similar chamber to that OF
the fret gun, with an additional thickness of II
inches metal al the bfeccL.