Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1861-08-10
Balls, Shells and Bombs; How They
are Made,

The Wnterviet Arsenal, situated at West
Troy, N. Y, is, as you know, the large arse.
mol Tor the construction and fabrication of
military implements, other than small arms
and cannon, in the country; and a visit to
the workshops at the present time powerfully
impresses one with the strength and resour.
ces OF our Government. Everything is at
present on wnr footing, and from three TO
four hundred hands directly, and as many
more indirectly, in the neighboriDg foundries,
are kept busy day and night. A large nun.
Der OF hands are engaged in the preparation
ofammnnition OF sixty Thousand ball cartridges
ore made daily; most of these are intended
f'r the Minnie rife, but large numbers of the
old fashioned ronnd ball cartridges are also
manufactured. The rapidity with which q
cartridge is made is wonderful. A boy sits at
counter with a cylindrical stick-a pile of
creased balls and one of prepared paper be-
lore him-a simple roll OF the paper and stick
"a jerk and twist at one end-a twist of O
string, aud the cartridge is ready for filing in
less time than 1t takes to read this Gescrp.
tion. They are then taken into another room.
placed open end up in shallow boxes, and a
man, by means of simple instrument ills
them with an eqna and specific omount of
powder, at the rate of thirty a minute. a
twist at the open end, and the cartridge is
complete. The manufacture goes on so fast,
that 1t requires nearly q dozen men and boys
to pack, box md remove the finished car
trldges. In another department a number of
men and girls are employed in the manufsc-
ture OF cannon cartridges of oil sizes, from the
mlghtlest columbiad down to six. PONDER
The material of which these ore made is a
klnd OF woolen goods (moreen) imported from
England especially for the purpose. Thou.
sands of wards pf this tpotar;a1 -, ba;.-
up and manufactured. Cannon cartridges are
not filled here, but at the place where they
are intended to be used. In still another de.
partment, grape, canister and strapped ammu.
milton are in course of preparation, while
huge cart loads OF bomb shells and spherical
shot are hourly arriving from the neighbor.
Ing fonndrles. The grape shot are larger
than l supposed, aud might more properly he
called peach shot than grape shot. Some
six or more Of these are packed in wire
cork.screw arrangement, and fitted into tin
case, and, when thus finished, have much the
appearance OF jars of preserved meats or
fruits.
The manufacture OF bomb shells is also
matter of much interest. The preparation of
those witnessed is as follows The shell is
filed full Of old fashioned leaden bullets -
melted sulphur is then poured 10 to Gil up the
iDterstices aud bind the bullets in one solid
mass; the shell is then put into kind OF
lathe and n cylindrical hole OF the exact
size of the orifice Of the shell is bored through
the bullets and sulphur; the cavity is filed
with powder, even with the interior edge Of
the orifce, II six inch shell of the kind here
described holding about half pound, the fuse
fitted into the oritice is q recent Belgian ip.
vention, made OF pewter, and resembles the
screw-cop used for the patent fruit cans. An
examination OF the screw.cap shows, however,
that it is made Of two hollow discs o. metal
screwed together, and filed with meal pow.
der; number Of fine holes are drilled in the
lower disc, while the outer disc is entire, and
mar6ed with figures in o circle. l. ., 3, 4. In
this state the shell is weather q nd water proof.
When taken for use, the gunner, by means of
small steel instrument, scoops out a portion
Of the outer soft metal surface, and LAYS bare
the charge Of composition powder below it
If the she'll is desired to explode in one Sec
ond after leaving the qua, the scooping is
made on figure one il in two seconds on
figure two, and so on-the idea being that
the shells of this description shall first strike
at the object aimed at and do execution as
ball, and then explode, sending the bullets
forward as if from another cannon located at
the precise point where the fight Of the shell
is arrested. Large shells ofeight or ten inch.
es are filed with powder only. and bursting,
do execution by means Of their fragments.-
These large shells are generally fred by
means of a fuse of meal powder extending
through a brass plug screwed 10 the mouth of
the shell in both cases the fuse is fired by ig.
milton of the charge in the gun. n.-SprinqGeid
Repub.