The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1857-02-05
CURIOUS INVENTION OF SHOT.

CURIOUS INVENTION OF SHOT.
Almost every body has seen II shot tow.
er, but perhaps not all who have seen one
knows what is the necessity for having SO
high structure for making shot Previous
to the year 1882. persons called plumbers
were the only ones who mnde shot. The
process was To let the melted led drop into
tho water. But in this process the part
that first touched the water WAS always
flattcncd. About 1882 man named Watts,
living in Bristol, England, 10y trade Il plum.
her and sholmakcr, was assisted hy his wife
in tho latter process. Mrs. Watts was a
woman Of some genius and often reflected
upon the subject of dcvising some means to
make shot more round. 1t was her pa,tic-
uIar business to cast the shot, and she expcr.
imentc'i for this purpose l'y dropping the
melted lead into oil and other liquids be-
sides water, hut the shot were still nlen,ed
or fattencl on the sides which first came
in contac; with the liquids. She retired to
bed one ish, thinking deeply OH the sub
ject Of making shot round. In the anxious
state of her minl her sleep was not sound,
of course. She began to dream, and her
dream is thus related by writer in the
Scientific American:
"She dreamed Of going into neighhor's
shop, q l,attef hy trade, aud willie talking
to him she heard shot falling, and on ask
ing if he made shot, lie went out, brought
in a handful, and they were perfectly round.
In mucl. surprise, she exclaimed. MY God,
how do you mako them round 2 by drop
ping them from great height said the
halter. Mrs. Waits awoke under the excl
ting discovery, aroused her husband, and
Informed him Of her dream. when they boil,
dressed themselves, tried it upon the high
est place oil their own premises, and found
the shot roundcr than before, but still in
dented. The next day they tried it from
the tower of ST. Thomas church, that leans
some fee: over its base, when they attained
shot rounder than the home attempt, but
not yet perfect.
"The next attempt was made in the Shaft
of coal mine, few miles from Bristol, ut
place called kirswood, and from this trial
they obtained perfectly round shot Watts
ascertained the height necessary to make
them round, by trials at different depths,
entered n caveat for {: patent, made known
his discovery to wealthy acquaintance,
erected shot tower, realized eighty thou
sand pounds, undertook to erect a large
block Of buildings at Clifton, sunk all lie
had made before they were half finished,
and became poor in his old age. l have
passed the block many times, and it was
called Watts Folly"
There is no doubt that Watts or lis wife
made this discovery. But the idea, accord
ing to some, belongs to Watts more than
his wife. 1t was Waits, and not Mrs. Watts,
who is supposed to have dreamed OIL the
subject. Watts is said to have dreamed
that lie was out in shower and that it
rained lead instead of water, and thus was
engendered the idea of giving perfect round
ness to shot by letting the melted lead fall
aogreat Enthusiastically Leader.
-Artifcial Stone-A new material, COM
posed of sand, plaster of-paris, and blood,
reduced with water TO such consistency as
will permit pouring into moulds of any re-