The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1859-07-29


dilsyion 70 Us 0Hters, and tribsie 10 tks Mus
ttg Maeaiaist-7Re great goscer Of the Msauie
Hasket--A bit Of Naisfal History foneAing the
f@!fsre and the Eegis.
IIARPER's FERRY, July 10th.
The Armery at Harper's Ferry is an estab-
iishmeni where a man who feels any interest in
machinery may spend days with great salts
| faction. fireworks are located at the foot of
tl5e hill, on the right bauk of the Potomac and
arc in The town OF IIarper's Ferry. 1t oecu-
pies the narrow strip tor a distance of about
five hundred yards. The machinery is pro-
PEELED by water from the Potomac, which Is
Snper2buu uGautly supplied by n large canal
from II dam short distance up the river. The
I buildings are we'll designed for their purposes
and the open space IS neatly arranged with
walks. trees and grass. Every thing rs kept
III the ncatcst ordcr--the most perfect syste
prevails in every depaF ,ment, to The credit OF
both superintendent and workmen. Besides
this main establishment there is another on
the opposite side of the town, on the Shenan-
doah, devoted 10 the manufacture OF rifles,
which did not sec.
At the 1aGin works machinery appears to be
carried 10 The highest perfection. The gun is
there made entirely by machinery, and so ae-
cUrate and exactly similar is every one OF the
SscSn.g-t,e, parts, Il believe, OF which the in
strunent is cOmfWscd.) 10 every other piece
OF the same kiad, that any piece picked mp
from a pie Of Il thousand viii tit the place il
is made for, in aiiY one OF thousand other
pieces! The stock is turned, and every part
( cut and bored by machinery. The barrel and
ali its belongings is made by machinery. The
barrel is Strengthened by hand. and the stock
is polished III the same way, and believe this
is aiI that is left merely 10 hand.
The barrels are, of course. wrought iron,
and they are made rapidly with the trip-ham-
mers ia HE large shop devoted TO that branch
of The maEufactory. They are subjected 10
I close scrutiny. rs Is the raw material by the
Master hrmoIer, Capt y. MILLS, who inform
ed me the per cent. of rejected barrels was
! very large, often as high As seye0ty-dye: 4: /. Is
! seVenty-liYe ont Of 4 hundred are rejected
s. Ft..t ! &c l,
! experience and great skill. He had a wide
! fame in Kentucky, where he conducted busi-
! ness for many years, ut Harrodsburg. and
made the most highly priced rifles and sport
| ing pieces in the West. lie was appointed by
! Governor FLOYD 10 lis present post, without
| solicitation on his part, purely on account of
! his skill in the manufacture Of firearms. lie
/ IS an old fashioned. downright and upright
! man, who loves 4 gun, loves to shoot II. is a
! good marksman, q WARM friend, and great
/ aGmirer Of Burns, which is at once 4 passport
! 20 good fellowship.
Tho machinery used for turning, boring and
| riting. is the most beautiful and wonderful
ever examined. l is appropriately styled
''automata." 1t certainly appears to have all
the manipulating functions OF Il human being,
with the s2dYantaGe that whatever it does is
done with unyarying accuracy. As an illus
trItiou, let me stale that, in making those guns
the breach OF whose barrels screw on. :; de-
SlIcrat tuIn-nay, an indiSpe nSabe matter
was, that the screw of the breach should be
50 cut that il would lit the barrel precisely,
thC last turn of the screw bringing the breach
10 the right place. And ii was necessary that
this should be attained, not only in each case
separately, hut that any ore Of 4 thousand
pieces in Il pile would fit exactly any one of q
thousand barrels. Now. this is done by ma
chinery! Again. upon determining TO rifle all
the arms Of the serNice-muskets and ali-thp
riHiug process became q much more consc-
Qucrt!al matter. It must be done. if possible
with more rapidily. The groove, too had to
be deeper 1T the breach than the muZzle of the
barrel and TO taper it moved in its spiral
way from breach 10 muX2le. Now how was
that to be done by machinery How! Well.
The master machiniet Of this Armory went to
work to accomplish it-ond he Snccfeded. That
machine IS Il thing indeed 10 ie admired. The
consequence is that the riting process is con-
ducted with astonishing facility, and perfect
accuracy. You have not space. and J am not
Well enough acquainted with al the machi-
merry. TO describe it more particularly; but the
reader can judge III some sort Of its infinite
variety and its cunning. 1t does everything
from ii pin or screw 10 Il gun barrel, and all
with perfection. And who Is the master ma
chiust Of these works He is A. NJ. BALL. 4
Nirginian. and Il native Of Loudouu county,
\ man who is unprctending man can be-
and yet WhC is q walking library of practical
science. Yankee endowed with his know
ledge and real practical skill-for he was raised
in the OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES be known from
AiaiHe to Mexico. He would take care that he
should be pufIed But A. VI. Bail quietly at
lends 10 his business. nyents or improves
most OF the ingenious machinery needed,
laDGnS ana talks WIN ms ffleflUS III leisure
moments, like Genlal-heaTted Slrginlan as he
he is, and sleeps Pleasantly o nights (if not
TOO hoi, for he is very ieshy,) at Harper Fer
ry VI ell, d rather be Bali than the Yankee.
lie has peace and a clear conscience.
The barrels are seven times straigntened: :
and this is done by h0ad. 1t is done by sight
ing with the eye and hitting with the hammer.
The ar:iIaps whG do this are very expert'at it.
Every boring affects the right line of the barrel
somewhat, and then it must be straightened.-
/ The tap OF the hammer produces diInpie on
the outside and q correSp p0uding lump on the
inside, which. though sometimes hardly per-
eriYable. must lie removed by the bore. FL
Galiy, The barrel is polished by the large grind
| stones, is then blued and ready for trial
! In that trial they are loaded heavily and dis
| charged by match, in the house built ior that
| purpose.
| There are also manufactured here bayonets
and swords; and tire capacity of the establish
m@nt is equal TO that Of Springfield, Massa-
| chusetts, both as TO quality and quantity OF
! arms turned out. Yet Springfield has greater
! newspaper lame, because it Is amidst people
/ who know how to = ring then horn.'
! The service gum now made. is the ri1cd
! OF Minnie nusl1et. 1t is a powerful gun. 1t
| is armed either with ordinary bayonets or
| the heavy sword bayoRct, which is said to he
| so destructive in the present war in Europe
| In looking at il, / thought that while il would
! be terrible i'll tIrusting, it would not be eff
] ficient in cutting do"nwaTcs or right and left;
| but accounts say il IS equally dies tructVe VIXEN
used in that way. The sword may be detach-
| ed readily, and lYieded in the hand.
All the locks now made are adapted to the
! Minnie fase, which fires SO rapidly found.
/ in conVersing with the old experienced vete-
rams in gun making, that they were Old fogy-
| ish as am myself, touching these rapid firing
! guns. They expressed the opinion, which am
sure is true, That this Increased rapidly is at
} the expense OF accuraey-that the gun becomes
| too much heated, which also lmIaIrs accuracy;
| and they were decidedly OF opinion that the
| use of the cap with little more delIberatioii,
/ would ensure more execution.
This musket viii shoot a thousand yards.
| with surprising accuracy and power. a bail
saot from it perforates a cast-iron target, quar-
/ ter of an inch thick, 1T one hundred yards.
I Joined Capt. Mills in target practice, distance
/ three hundred yards, and the gun dad notfall TO
! h!t the target. (abOpt foot square, once IN
/ eight shots. | had the satisfaction OF planting
( one (the only shot l made) in that same
! White square. The Captains beautiful rifle
'Banebe'' the next day, did still better shoot
! lng at the same distance
wish l had material for a somewhat more
! particular account OF this noble establishment,
/ which would amply reward TWO or three days
J sojourn at Harpers Ferry. Mr.. BARBOUR, the
/ superintendent Is popular and liberal gem
| tlenlan, and gives great satisfaction by the
manner III which he exercises the control of
The works 1 am much indebted to EIr. t. S.
DUKE, an officer Of the Arniory for his polite
ness and courtesy. He is very estimahle
gentleman, and represented Jefferson in the
Legislature few years since
This Armory certainly Goes its part in the
making OF the sinew-cntting, one-crusning
and brain-spattering implements of war. But
is every Improvement in arms is understood
TO diminish the aggregate killing of men, in
battle: and as to be fully prepared for war is
the best way to prevent it, we must regard this
manufactory of its fearful enginery as pace
eJtablishment--a haniaae Institution! 1t is
certainly q credit TO the government, and old
Virginia is entitled 10 oconsiderabie share OF the
eciat ii confers.
Pardon me for mixing upwith this letter the
following bit of natural history, suggested by