The voice of freedom. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1839-1848, 1847-06-24

The LARGEST CASTING EVER MADE IN
AMERICA. Heather Mythology tells us tina
Vulcan, the blacksmith OF the gods, had hi
shop at the Isle Of LemnoS, but it may be
questioned whether he had as many Cyclop'
10 help him as we saw tWo-eyed men at WORK
at the great establishment of Messrs. L. f
Secor & Co. last Saturday afternoon, where
we attended by special invitation to witness
the casting of the he'd Plates of the steamship
Tinted States, (Charles H.NIarshalls lne) one
of four packets of 1920 tons each,lntended to
ran between New Orleans and Liverpool
NIossrs. Secors' foundry is at the corner OF
Ninth st. and Avenue d., occupies the entire
block (alluost) and employs some 400 work
men, founders of iron and brass, blacksmiths,
pattern-makers, &c.
The cost ofthe engines for The United States
will be $4,000, or about 900 more than
those of the George Washington, and the Bed
Plate employed SO or 60 men with three GU
pola furnaces, Il few minutes over three hours
IN casting. They melted 81 tons, or more, of
metal, and the casting would weigh over "a
tons. or some $4,000 Ibs.-the red-hot melted
metal was poured into couple of kettles
holding, perhaps, a ton each, with suitable Ia
AeS; a couple of receivers were placed at the
ends of the casting, which measures p feet by
8, and the contents of the huge kettles were
poured into them, by the aid Of an enormous
crane, and block and tackle, charcoal in
quantities being thrown on the surface to keep
up the intense heat at the surface. When
the receivers had, each, Is tons of melted
metal in them, lever was raised, the liquid
cast-iron ran in two streams into the prepared
mold, and the whole was done as methodical-
" as if it had been the casting of a potash
Kettle.
The cold-air blast furnace was used-the
greater part of the metal was from Irondale
III Pennsylvania, but there were several tons
of Scotch with it-when melted it passed in
10 the mold through four holes, each three in
ches square. The whole arrangements were
really admirable.
The United .Staies will be 800 tons larger
than the George Washington and Of greater
capacity than the President, Atlantic steamer
she will have four wrought iron boilers, the
din in hammering which would have made
harmony of the confusion of tongues at Ba-
bel, by comparison. Two side-lever marine
engines, of EIGHTY INCH cylinder and nine
feet stroke, with iron water wheels, each of
the power of more than 1000 horses, will be
supplied by this firm: They were boring a
part of one cylinder, weighing nearly nine
tons-the other is not yet cast. The beam is
81 feet long and six feet deep-the cross
head weighs or 4 tons. Every part of the
va tmachine that we saw seemed to be finish
ed in the most perfect manner, or in process
of being so and there was pleasure in the
reflection that so great triumph OF skill as
these engines will be, is not to be wasted in
the destruction of mankind but in conveying
the products and manufactures of one coun-
try to another, for the common advantage Of
society. Could Robert Fulton but have lived
to sec our day, and he would not have been
q very old man, he would have gone down to
the tomb full of honors more solid and lasting
than ever deckod the triumphal car of the
conqueror.-M Y. Tribune.