Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1860-09-12
The Greet Crstsn Pine.

The Great Crstsn Pipe asa
As the new main over the High Bridge is
ene OF the most interesting and important pub
Nc works now in progress, and presents in IL.
self and in its manufacture many features of
novelty, We have taken some pains to gather
the following facts in relation thereto The
tnoe IS made of Baltimore charcoal pig iron,
Abbott 4 Sons, Canton Rolling Mills Balti-
more; arm which has made the widest iron
An the world sheets ll0 inches wide by half an
anch Thick having been manufactured by
them. The pigs of iron weigh about 100 pounds
saoi, Several pigs having been broken up
>dto three or four pieces each, as many as re-
quired are thrown into the padding furnaces,
with an allowance Of about 30 per cent. for loss
OF weight In manufacture. The mass soon be-
comes of the consistency Of dough, when it is
stirred up with slice bsrs. or pudding irons
very much as woman would stir up the ma
terial for loaf of bread. After the lapse of
about an hour 1t is worked up into what in
termed r'uddle-ball, in this case Of about 30
lncnes n diameter, and then by aid Of tongs
ar a crane is placed beneath a large Nesmith
hammer, and after tremendous pounding, it
GENES out in the form Of slab 2t feet long by
- inches wide and 8 inches thick After
tsing allowed TO gradually cool of, this .lab
IL put into . reheating furnace, where it re-
mains 8 few minutes, and Is then taken out
and rolled to the required thickness, and the
ragged edges trimmed of by means of large
shears. The sheets prepared for this pipe are
feet WIDE hy long, and half an inch thick
sne Iron used is required to stand a strain of
$4,000 pounds per SQUARE inch. The pipe 10
1850 feet long and II in diameter; the tallest
man, therefore, would not Craze his hat in
passing through it. 1t will be made in Sec
sections, requiring 615 sheets, each OF which
contains IS square feet, and weighs ESQ pounds,
or 20 pounds 70 the square foot.
Tho first thing done at the shop Of Snsieo 4
Rowland, the contractors, is to iay the sheets
cut perfectly rluare, and make the edges fair
and smooth. Going then to the punching ma
chine, each sheet is punched near the edges
81 ritn zoo hcles, 1916 Of an inch in diameter.
Inc sheets are then put under a drilling ma
chine, and each hole is eountersunk, so that
the rivets may be driven flush, leaving the
pipe perfectly smooth on the inside Indeed
1t Is sfhrmed that it will be very difficult TO
distinguish them. Next the sheets are sent to
the rolling machine, and rolled to the required
curve or radiss, three sheets butted together
forming the pipe. In order to make this butt
JOINT, strap of iron nine inches wide and half
an inch thick is employed, which runs the
vheie length Of ell the seams. These straps
are made Of fsnge iron, which is required to
stand a strain 50 per cent greater than that
used for the sheets. The heads of the riyets
arc outside of the straps, which again, of
course, are outside the pipe The rivets are
made by Burden at the Troy Iron Nail Works,
and are three-fourths of an inch in diameter
and Il inches long; the head Of the rivet is !
inches in diameter. In each IL foot section
there are just l., 200 rivets. The weight Of the
plates is 648, 900 pounds; Of the straps, las 1885,
of the rivets, 50,Oo0-makipg in all total of
about 81, 600 pounds Tho contract of Abbott
Il Son, for furnishing the plates and straps,
was for S28, $50 81. Sneden q Rowland do the
remainder Of the work, and supply the other
materials for SO 81 per linear foot amount.
ing to SIS. 260 90. Total, SIS, ,12O.3l. Exclu.
sive OF this, there is large job of mason work
IN raising the parapets of the bridge an ad-
ditonal seven feet, and an Iron roof is to be
placed over the whole for protection.
Each section will be complete in itself when
the "nole distance by water in lighters. AT
tne High Bridge they will require to be hoist.
ed i25 feet, for which purpose an ordinary
boom derrick will be used, to be operated by
asteam-engine Of 20-horse power The der
rick and engine will be on the top of the
bridge. Upon the copiDgs Of the bridge a
track will be laid, on which a car will be run
for the purpose Of carrying each section Of the
pipe to its proper place.
The new main will be placed q couple of
teet above the two pipes now in use, which lie
parallel TO each other, are three feet in diam
eter, and made Of cast-iron. 1t Is calculated
that the new pipe will conduct a volume of
water about three and one fourth times great
er than the two old pipes together, which, if
We reeollect rightly. discharge 40, 900, 900 gal
Ions daily. The new pipe will rest on about
170 cast-iron standards, or sadles, which are
placed eight feet apart, and weigh about ], 900
pounds each. 1t will be protected inwardly
and outwardly by co itings Of Princes metal
lie paint. ..
The estimated difference in the length of
the pipe in summer and winter is four inches.
and to provide for this expansion and contrac-
tion there will be a slip-joint at either end,
which will be made Of csst-irop, with the Slip
ping surfaces lined with brass, to prevent their
becoming fixed by oxydation. For this 600
pounds Of brass viii be required. There will
be four man-holes, at intervals, on the top,
esch 16 by Is inches, for the purpose Of get
ting into the pipe to clean or paint it. The
pipe is mounted on rollers, otherwise this same
contrac i've and expansive power would prove
destructive to all surroundings. In regard to
the strength of the pipe, il is claimed that, if
supported ut its extremities, with l $50 fee
Intervening between its supports, it would sus-
tain itself when filed with water By q wise
forethought, the old pipes will remain on the
bridge, and can at any time be brought into
requisition in case Of accident to the new one.
The whole arrangement reflects great credit