Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1859-08-29

CLAIBORNE MACHINE WoRzs.-He who con-
fines his rambles to the cool shady streets of
the upper and more quiet quarters OF the
city, where wealth and ease while away the
idle hours in The shadow of marble palaces,
and who has never wandered down among
the busy forndries and manufactures where
ring necessarily innunerable hammers, and
the mighty engine with breath OF steam and
lungs of iron whirl INCREASINGLY its thousand
wheels. can have no idea of the high position
Nashville is rapidly attaining as manufac-
turing city He car See the tall chimncys
sending heavenward their huge volumes OF
dark smoke, and hear the ceaseless roar of
machinery; but these. seen and heard at a
distance, can give him no adequate idea of
the amount OF capital invested. nor of the
amount and variety of work turned out from
day to day.
One of the largest, if not the largest, manu-
featuring establishments in the city, are the
C2aiJarne MacItae Works of 4. NJ. BRENNAN
ESQ. on Front street, South of Broad. During
a recent visit to these Works. we were shown
through their various departments by Mr..
BRENNAN, who 10 very polite and attentive to
visitors
We were first conducted into the Foundry.
Here the huge furnace pours forth all day
stream of liquid metal, glowing with intense
heat, and a large number of hands are en-
gagged in casting innumerable articles of Or
nament and utility, from the light aud ele
CANT hower-stand to the immense driving
wheel of thousands of pounds in weight.
Everything, in fact, of whatever form OF
shape, or TOR whatever purpose intended,
that is wanted of cast-iroR or brass, can b.
turned out here at the shortest notice. Some
ofthese articles are enumerated by Mr.. BREN-
NAN in his advertisement.
From the Foundry we were shown into an
adioiHing room, where number OF SkIliful
hands are constantly engaged in making pat
terms for castings. These are generally made
of mahogany, pine, or some other kind OF
wood that is not liable to shrink or spring
from the action of heat or moisture. We no.
ticed here a number of patterns for pillars
and circular cornices for railroad depot
buildings, which were very light and elegant
in design.
We entered next the Machine Works proper
This is a very large room, in the shape of the
letter l., and is Elled with an immense quantl-
ty of machinery, of the latest and most APP
proved styles, which is driven by powerful
engine, located at one extremity OF the room,
and giving out its strength through broad
network of shafting anu betting, and per-
forming through that agency the labor OF
4 In ia
wilderness of machinery, all doing its work
with unerring precision, and with no guild
ance from the hand of man. Here is seen a
lathe with its ehisel of hard steel, turning
large iron cylinder; there huge drill boring
its way through a solid mass of metal ; yonder
a machine is cutting deep groove in large
piece of casting, and another is cutting screw
taps for the iron rods of railroad bridge.
This is an exceedingly interesting part OF the
establishment, and one may spend bali day
in watching the many curious operations OF
the machinery going on around him. Many
of the wonderful results of the inventive
germs of the American people are to be seen
here to fine advantage.
Farther OH we came to gigantic machine
used far cutting. punching and bending into
proper shape thick plates of wrought iron
intended for boilers, and near it another for
drilling holes of any width, from five to ten
inches. These machines are not now driven
by steam, the Proprietor not having completed |
his arrangements to that end.
There is a large number of hands en- |
ploycd in these Works, all of whom command |
good wages and the amount of cast-iron ware
of all sorts, and machinery of various kinds
turned out, is immense The Proprietor SUI
perintends the various departments himself
He is prepared to furnish any and everything,
from irst-class locomotive, or steam-enginc,
down to the smallest cog-wheel. We no
ticed two or three engines, nearly or quite
ready for delivery, and among the smaller
wares, = eastiron Gower-stand, which, for
beauty and elegance OF design, we have never
seen surpassed.
We spent very pleasant hour in looking
through Mr.. BRANNAN's establishment, and a.
the bell told o'clock, and the employees
ended the labors of the day, We came away
resolved to tell all about il, that others may
go and enjoy the same pleasure