Weekly national intelligencer., 1851-08-16

for,y6ve milling machines three machines for cutting screws
for tapping Seats three for drilling and finishing
cones he part Of the lock receiving the percussion cap
two fol checking hammers eleven drill presses, one punching
press, two machines for strengthening hamme, and two
for grinding cutting mills
There hity-one men employed in the machine shop
and II here that the machinery and the principal insru
mens Of manufacture for the other departments made
The machinery Of this department. well that Of al the
other shops located the hill driven BY double engine
Of 30hose power, manufactured by Tufts in Boston. This
engine Of the most perfect and beautiful ever built in
the United Stass. and. from ts exqusey perfect operation
and high fnsh always prominent object Of attraction 70
oil visiters. The machinery Of this department does not
vary materially from that Of all rst class machine shops II
consists Of cutting engine, nine turning lahes two nil
ling machines machine for shaving brides i've plan
ing machines four machines for growing pointing, saving,
and planning plank, for making ches one for max
ing packing or msske one for splitting leather, one for
saving lemons o for cutting bolts, four punching presses
three drill psss five turning engines, one stFaishtening
IAaehine. np3one sliaing machine. i
I, H. =. 1ssa J Z Z Y: css's :..:s'.sasp, s..se
"a 81 t&s6 -, "a oSnxuu q s1u1o raaohtns whiek
woud b ta dsscs3 n imply nepionins hs wssk lhat
they psrm Into III dspsrinsnt he stocks co., IN The
form OF blanks They are rough forms of gun Stocks sawed
ont Of bErk walnut plank They 6rst pass through The
widely celebrated Blanchard turning machine, which turns
the form roughly in the shape required and then passed
from machine to another in rapid successon, lceiving
every depression for the reception Of the lock and mounting
the growing for the beechpn, bare and rsmrod hoes for
the reception Of screws turning &c., until thestock
pee. All this irregular morsng boring, &c. y effected
with the most unerng precision and every piece Of the lock
and mounting fits into it, appropriate place in the most per-
feet manner The machinery here s absolutely poetca
both 10 structure and operation 1t is pregnant With ine-
gence rolls out its rhymes in beautiful measure, and sings Of
human ingenuity and the almost Unlimited control Of the
human intellect brute matter and the natural forces with
eoquence which but cod Of humanity can listen
to without emotion The inventor Of majority Of these
machines Is Mr. Cyrus auckland, gentlemen Of eminent
mechanical genius, long connected with the Armory
The manufacture Of single musket is effected BY four
hundred different operations and the majority Of the men en-
pl0yed engage in only Of the operations larger num-
Der Of muskets manufactured last year than any year
Previous and acacuaon based upon the number turned out
shows that throughout the Of 3l3 working days OF ten
hours each, musket completed every eight minutes and
6hysx seconds The various parts Of the musket pass,
during their manufacture through The hands Of inspectors,
who, with their gauges determine the exact dimensions Of
every piece, and reject every that not exactly what
required Thus hundred thousand muskets mghtbe taken
to pieces and thrown promscuousy into pile, and the
whole taken up and put together again without the mst Of
single component to its appropriate place. Thus, too,
when the in use, there is need Of sending
them to the Armoy for repairs Hammers screws, springs
&c., furnished from the Armory extras, will take the place
Of any damaged part precisely they made for the
arms to be repaired.
The process Of manufacturing the musket barrel Of
the important and difficult in the whole range Of the
Armory operations, and which 10 guarded with multiplied
tests at every step Of its progress from the bar to the finished
tube The bar which is Of the best Salisbury and Ancrom
refined on is frat cut into lengths, weighing l0s pounds
EACH These rolled into shapes, and then the edges roll
cd up tapped upon each other, and welded They then
inspected, and the imperfect rejected AS they pass
along through turning. boring, and grinding they sub
ced to inspection at each step and the wokmen held
responsible for the full value Of any barrel they may spoil
The stage in which Il i spoiled and the amount il deducisd
from their earnings and we may ssy her. TIA. the s.ns
adopted in regard every component Of the muke
The barrel having been rednctd the densons requir
for proof powdss which dmsnsionsare
Of an inch greater in the exterior diameter Of the barrel and
hundedhs Of inch less in the diameter Of the bore
ihan the finished barrel leaving and half to be
worked from each barrel in finishing it is then subjected
the powder Fify-fve barrels usually loaded and
discharged at the me building made for this pur
pose. Each barrel 10 discharged twice, the first charge
sng Of eighteenh Of pound Of POWDER one ball. and
two wads each wad occupying threeourhs Of an inch Of
the bore, and each ball weighing one-feenth of pound
The second charge consists of Of pound
Of powder ball. and wads and each charge 10 well
rsmmed These barrels laid castron grooved bed,
and the balls discharged into bank Of clay, which
casionally washed for the lead il contains.
The inspection Of the barrels 10 rigid before they
to the proof that very few Of them burst After proof they
again inspected BEFORE that there ring
bones cnderhoes aws cracks, defects Of sny kind
that win not disappear in the finishing.
The number of condemned barrels in the last years ope-
raons for defective workmanship 45 and for defective
material 5,32S. OF these lS3 Of the first class
demned before reaching the stage Of proving, and s7l
the last In proving 25 condemned for workmanship,
and 1878 for material In the whole number Of barrels
proved only l42 burst and instance Of barrel bursting
the second discharge has not been known for several years
Between this stage and the finishing Of the barrel IL
condemned for workmanship and ,537 for material Thus
in making q, 900 muske only 45l barrels spoiled by
the workmen, and the value deducted from their earnngs
while s, ,323 loss TO the Government from imperfect
material
The smallest piece value Of componen, Of muskes is one
mill /; the highest $3.50.
The following Is the weight Of musket, in detail and
total expressed in pounds and hundrcdths Of pound
Weight OF barrel. AIS
Weight ct locks and side screws. s.............08
weight OF Dayonet. te
Weight OF musket without bayonet. .........9I4
Weight OF musket complete. ete..........,.....9S2
It will thus be seen that complete percussion musket
weighs ten pounds lacking This weight
s less than that Of the old flint musket.
The exact cost of single muske Of the number manu-
acsured last year. cannot be stated the inventory bang nm
compleed, but the cost the year 1850 50 031 The
for the last year viii be less In ten years the cost Of
manufacture per musket has been reduced nearly oneha
being in ls4i Sl744.
The exquisite order and which reign throughout
the whole establishment always subjects Of remark to
those who visit and the perfect system Of accounts which
every item Of stock is followed and checked in is passage
formation into the finished is enough beatty one
whoee organ Of order dominant in his cerebral develop
ment. This intimate system of prevalent in
every other department in that Of stock and 10 necessary
in the masking up Of the quarterly returns to the department.
II has already been made public that iron fence 10 be