Sioux City register. [volume] (Sioux City, Iowa) 1858-1871, 1861-06-29
BALLS, SHELLS AND BOMBS.

The Wa,erleit Arsenal, situated at West
Troy. N. Y, is, as you doubtless know,
the largest arsenal for the construction
and fabrication Of military implements,
other than small arms and cannon, in the
country; and visit to its workshops at
the present time, powerfully impresses one
with the strength ana resources Of our
Government Everything is at present on
a war footing, and from three 70 four hun.
dred hands directly, and rs many more
indirectly, in the neghborins founderies,
are kept busy nigh, and day. Through
the theving Of Floyd, and the recent re.
quisitions of Government, the Arsenal has
Deen nearly stripped Of muskets, pistols.
and cannon; but tf other munitions there
is yet an ample store. A large number Of
hands are engacet in the preparation Of
ammunition sixty thousand ball cartridges
are made daily. Mos, of these are intend
ed for the Mimic rife. but large numbers
Of the Old fashioned round ball cartridges
are also manufactured The rapidity with
which car,rid ge is made is wonderful A
boy sits at q counter with q cylindrical
stick pile Of creased balls and one Of
prepared paper before him-a simple roll
of the paper and stick, Jerk and twis. at
ono end, a twist OF a string. and cart.
ridge is ready for filling in less time than
it takes to read this description. They
are then taken into another room, placed
open end up in shallow boxes, and u man,
uy means OF simple instrument. fills
them with an equal and specific amount
OF powder, at the rate of thirty a minute.
A twist at sha open end, aud the cartridge
is complete. The manufacture goes on so
fast that it requires nearly dozen men
and boys TO pack, box, and remove the
finished cartridges. In another apartment,
number Of men and girls are employed
IN the manufacture Of cannon Cartridges of
all sizes, from the mightiest columbiad
down TO six FOUNDER. The material Of
which they are made is a kind Of wolien
goods moreen-imported from England
especially for the purpose Thousands of
yards of th, material were in process o:
being cut up and manufactured Cannon
cartridges are not filed here, but, a, the
place where they are intended 10 be used
la still another department grape, canis.
ter, and strapped ammunition are in course
Of preparation, while huge cart-loals Of
bomb-shels and sherical sho, are hourly
arriving from the neishborins founderies.
The grare.shot are larger than supposed,
and might more property DO called peach.
shot than grape shot. Some six or more
Of these a-e packed in sort Of wire cork.
screw arrangement, and fitted into tin
case, and when thus finished have much
the appearance of jars Of preserved meats
or fruit.
The manufacture Of bomb. shells is also
a matter OF much interest. The pre2ara
ton Of those witnessed is briefly rs fol
lows: The shell is frs. filed full with old
fashioned round leaden bullets in one solid
mass; tho she'll is then put into kind Of
lathe, and cylindrical hole of the exact
size OF the orlice Of the shell is bored
through the bullets and sulphur. This
cavity is filled with powder, even with the
interior edge of the or'tice, six inch
shell Of the kind here described holding
about half y round. The iuso fitted into
the oritice is :. recent Belgian invention,
made Of pewter, and resembles the screw
cap used for the patent fruit cans. An
examination of this pewter cap shows,
however, that it is made of two hollow
DISCS Of metal screw ed together, and HE'D
with meal powder. A Anumber OF fine holes
are drilled in the lower disc, while the
outer disc is entire. and marked with fg.
ures in circle, l, ,. 3, l.. In this state
the shell is water and weather proof.
When taken for use, the gunner