Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-07-19
STATE AnMoKY, /
Richmond, June l9, 1851.

To JSo K. CnAMDLIsS, Esq,
The Chairman ofthe Committee on Machine
ry, dc, from Harper's Ferry:
Sir: In obedience to your verbal instrnc-
tons of the 18th inst, I bag to submit the fol
lowing report on the subject Of the erection and
use in the Virginia State ATmoTy, Of the ma
| chinery. &c, removed here from the armnries
at Harper's Ferry.
With reference to that portion OF the ma
chinery, which, from force Of circumstances
| incidental to the late movement Of the Firgi.
mia forces from Harper's Ferry, it has not been
possible to remove to Richmond, it is proper
that l should define it US nearly Us possible for
your information. On the occasion Of my late
official visit to .Harper's Ferry, with q view to
the removal Of everything of importance to the
manufacture of arms, l found several tilt ham.
ners, essential to the forging of parts Of the
rifle muskct; drop-hammer for do; sew
erai entire main lines Of shafting; essential
parts Of machines which had been already
in part forwarded together with some
useful and valuable materials, still re-
naming in the shops and storehouse at
the musket factory. l arranged for the imme.
date removal of these to Richmond, in order
to complete the set of machinery for the man
~ufacture Of the rife musket; but | an inform
ed that, in consequence of the evacuation Of
the place by our troops, but little, if any, of
the machinery | refer TO has been secured !;
and, Us the buildings in which it remained
have been burned, | have every reason to sup.
pose that it has been entirely Destroyed
These machines, {some eight or ten in nun
ber,) are therefore wanting to complete the
set of muskct machinery, and will have to be
supplied from some other source. Several tilt,
hammers, FORCES, &C., essential to the r~nanufac.
ture of the rifle, have also not been removed
from the shops Of the rife works but, as I
learn that these shops were not destroyed, !
presume these machines still remain at Har.
per's Ferry. Tt is n subject Of much don5t,
however, whether or not they can now be re.
moved to Richmond. There still remains 4
large number Of rifle stocks in the shops OF
the rifle factory, but the remainder Of the
musket stocks (some IS, G00) have been burnt.
About 40, 900 Of the latter had been previously
removed in safety TO Richmond. = 1t will be
seen, therefore, that certain machines essential
to the manufacture Of both the rifle and the
rifle nusket have not been removed, and are
still wanting to complete the two sets of ma
chinery.
Tho system of manufacture pursued at Har-
per's Ferry ut the time Of its falling into the
hands of the authorities of Virginia was such
as necessitated the employment of a considera-
Bile number Of machines in the production Of
certain parts of arms common to both rifle and
r te musket. The entire locks for both classes
of arms were produced at the muSket works, and
a portion Of the machine stocking for the rife was
also performed on machines Mt the musket
work. These machines, together With other facil-
tiles essential to the,production Of the rifle mus
ket, l have instructions to retain for the Virginia