The weekly Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1860-1863, 1861-05-23

ball cartridges are made daily; most Of
these are intended for The MIME rife, bu,
large numbers Of the old fashioned round
ball cartridges are also manufactured
The rapidity with which a cartridge is
made is wonderful. A boy sits at conn.
Ter with cylindrical stick pile Of
CREASED balls ard one Of prepared paper
before him simple rGll of the paper and
shck-a jerk and twist a. one end
twist Of string. and the cartridge is
ready for filing In less time than il takes
to read this description. They are then
taken into ano'her room, placed open
end up in shallow boxes, and mar by
means Of a simple instrument, flls them
with an equal and specific amount Of
powder, at the rate Of thirty a minute. A
twist at the opened end, and 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 apart.
ment number Of men and girls are EN-
Iployed in the manufacture Of cannon
cartridges CT all sizes irom the mighticst
columbiad down to six FOUNDER. The
material Of which they are made is hind
Of woolen good (moreon) imported from
England especially for the purpose.
Thousands Of yards oF,his mattrIal were
| i'll the process Of being cut up and man
ufactured. Cannon cartridges are. not
filed here, but at the place where they
aie intended 10 be used. In still another
department, grape canister AMI grape am.
unition are 10 course Of preparation, while
huge cart loads Of bomb shells and sphe.
rical shot are hourly arriving from the
neighboring foundries. The grape shot
are larger than supposed. and might
more properly be called peach shot than
grape shot Some six or more of these
are packed in sort Of wire corkscrew ar
rangment, and fitted into tin case, and
when thus finished have much the appear
ance Of jars Of preserved meals or fruit.
The manufacture of bomb-shells is also
a matter OF much interest. The prepara.
ton of ,IlOse witness is briefly as fol-
lows: The she'll is first filed full with old
fashioned round leaden bullets; mel,ed
bulpher is tten poured in to fiji up the in
interstices and bind the bullets; 10 ono
solid mass: the shell is then put inlo a
kind of lathe, and a cylindrical hole Of
the exact size of the orifce OF the shell is
bored through the bullets and sulpller: this
cavity is filed with powder, even with
the interior edge of the ogifse, q six inch
shell oflhe kind here described holding
about half pound; the fused fitted int
the ori6ce, is recent Belgian invention
made of pewter. and resembles the scrsy
cap used for the patent fruit cans. Al
examination OF this pewter cap shows
however, that il is made Of Two hollow
discs Of metal screw together, shd fllet
with meal powder: snumber of fine hoIe
are drilled in the lower disc, while III
outerdic is on entire, and marked wit
figures in circle /. 2, 3. 4, In this stat
the shell is water and weather ptooI
When taken for use,t the gunder BY mean
Of a small steel instrument scoops out ID.
PORTION Of the outer soft metal surface, IAN,
lays bare the charge Of composition pow
der below it, If the shell is desired t,
explode in one second af,er leaving tn,
gun, the scoOpiug is made on the figure
one. if in two seconds, on the figure two
and 80 on. the idea being that tue shell.
of this description shall first strike tn,
object aimed at and do execution al
ball, and then explode, sending tn
bullets forward as if from. anothe
cannon located at the point where th'
flight of The shell is arrested. Large shell
of eight or ten inches, are filed viii
powder only. and bursting do execution
by means oi.their fragments. These larg
shells are generally fred by, meAns Of
fuse OF meal powder extending Though
brass plug screwed in.o the mouth Of Il,
shell; in Both cases the fuse is fred b
the ignition of the charge in the gun.