Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-10-11
CITY iRTELLIGEh nee.

ut the loot Of ;h street. Iy,,r the bank Of James
river from wlrlryc i! draw. lis abundant supply Of
watc ir thn prn;c!lin. 0! lii' machinery required
in the m,nur"!nrr 81 small arms. The building
itself hr! for many Years Dccu used rather for ;ie
receptacle THAI: r liic Manufacture p arms, until
shortly :.itc. ;hc Iu!n ro". rad when the alien
ton of tic pc"pr tie Sirt-. having been thus called
to the tlrctrEng ASPECT a." Yankee rldicalisn ard to
the wisdom nt being prepared for any emergency the
| Legislature, IN 'c!crcncc 20 ih. p"puiar WILL anpro-
pratrd large srIn Of money Ir the c,ta bllsnncut
Of Virginia Sn:c .trnory, and shortly afterwards q
F.na-d OF Commissioners, I" whom vas cntristci the
duty u. carryn" nnt ic purposes nf the Legislature
| contracted with I!:c rlui,rirtnrs OF the TrcIc.ar
| Works in thi- city Ia provide the establishment
With a the requisite machinery, tools &c for the
manufacture oi 1910 rifle mil,kct, year, at cos;
OF fI;i ,i?n. Before, however in McS>rS Anderson
could cntrr fully Uppn their contruct the National
difficulties had eliminated in the disruption OF
! the Union, AMI the enforcement, 10y the
mol's the North, OF Il practical embargo upon
the cNporation Of their manufacturers to The South.
Under these circumstances little. il ANY dnubt can be
entertained tla: hut for the timely acquisition Vi the
works ut larncr. Ferry, very much Of delay aud OF
difficulty would have been encountered before the
South could have supplied herself with the required
machinery, even for the repairing oi disabled mus
kets, &c Providence, however, APPEARED 20 exert
itself upon the side ~ the patriots, and the same COLI
trolling power which subsequently supplied Us with
necessary cannon from the GoSlort Navy Yard, and
with powder to render them effective from Fort Nor
folk, also secured tn US despite the vndic;i"c sp-
rit of our enemies the invaluable works ot the ma
!iona arnlory, 1T lIarpcrs Ferry. Machinery the
best description, worth in the aggregate Upwards I"
two hundred thousand dollars, and which, under the
most favorable circumstances. "f ordinary methods
fsuppy, could only have h"cli furnished Us alter
ycnrS OF delay.
With the al,.ndoHnncn. Of Ilarpcrs Ferry by the
Yankees and the seemingly provilcn!ia rcscue OF
its costly machinery from the destruction 10 which
our worse than Vandal foe had consigned il, onr
readers Of course familiar. To C"l. II. W. Glove
ut that time Superintendent llarcr'> Ferry, the
Southern Conicdcracy is probably indebted, under
Providence, tor It's present. Possession of the most
valuable portion Of the machinery saved from the
ruins OF the National Arlnory. Regardless OF his
own personal safety, and turning deaf ear To the re-
ports that the building, had been al. mined! Gu"
Clowe. guided by his intimate knowledge OF ;h: st
ua0n and relative value Of the maciiincry rushed
into the burning shops, and not only himself saved
| much which TO us was of incStl!nahic value hut in
spirr others initiate his patriotic cXamp!r and 10
finally sabduc the flames 1t is, OF COURSE, itnpnS>-
Bile for us to cnuuIcrutc in 50 hurried and l'rict q
sketch MS this is intended to hc the number or Sic
ellie performances pi the machinery whc! WAS res
clcd II will BIZ sa;ioi iict"ry to uIr fepr- ""crrf
we are snrc, learn that i the important works were
saved, and that Arn"ry can now turn ont ~ r--
feet miiskrt cn:liia;cd from liarrr> Ferry
| Mudc-luck, stock barrel and lnount:ug--cltr.y by
| means ol machinery formerly employed by the
| old Government for the sauc purpose. We m-
stock: for it may not he GENERALLY known tina; s:ii"
20 OrU muskct aud rifle stocks, OF the hest black wal
nut, were secured IL iarpcr~ Ferry. nil! az" nov ~
this city. The Transfer ui iIr machinery from iInr-
! pcrs Ferry 70 this city, and 10 Fayetteville, y. c.,
where considerable I'ortinm OF il WAS "'Hvcr"i, and
| where it is now IN working "rv.- MAS rrrf"rrncd
under proper sulrri;lrnrngr: ud itiSa notable iact
that, notwithstanding. ir ;rlu::c a!Grc u hIciI {"
the mrchin:ry, aui ,i., :.cr: t. sts OF lire ai wafer
To hirh il va. Subjected by i,r a'l friend, p"r
ton oft materially iuiurrl On The cnl.;rnry. II
found upon its arrival here 10 Inc available, after
| slight repair, for immediate ii>r.
Among the valuable ri the. .rCsrI.c.l machine
rv is 6t five Scpcrae pieces ii>r'i IN cutting
mlnn tle stock lie grooves for I'll: reception OF tic
i.r.k piatcs &c. and which mHrvrS rf mcchamI-
cal Ingenuity and skl They cost about 80 900 III
| the aggregate ur!d were made ut ti,: "AnIcrc:
| Works Springfield, Ma--a"iiriaritS. \ determined
but fortunately irnillcss effort WAS made v the Hes
SnIis to destroy these machines. Tor that purvts.
they erected bcGah them strong fires. "l'ch w'rc
however. discovered and rX;n=ui>heJ, hci''re they
could elect any injury, hy George M";zy, then n"
| employee in the Armory, and Anw engaged. We are
| pleased in hcir.: n,lc 10 add, :rt EHr Armnry.
There is no p"run Of tie InIi>iet. from the i'tS!-
ionng OF the stock ont "i the r"ngl material I" the
| polishing Of it, screws and nGurings, which i rot
| Inr'nrned hy machinery. an'i which, though most
complicated in their arrangements. set work w'ih :;
| perfection oi nurcIucu; AMI completeness 81 dcLl!
absolutely wDiIdcIiu!. Each portion 81 the .Hn be-
ing made separately and upon tie same model: :d-
tn;i OF what is technically called ''indscrInI'ialc
l:ting-thc perfect adnptnhiiity Of any portion "t
| the work to "ihrr> Of more recent or ol anterior
| make.
The Virsiuin .trmory i. divided Tito the Stocking
| Department, Machine Shop, Mounting Department,
| Assembling Room. Locking Department. Polishing
| Department. Smiths Shop and Mil Wriglt's Shop.
Describing these il! tn: "rcr OF our recent visit 10
the establishment, wc >!'',l iir- Glitter the
TIE srocEr;G pErAirMEyr.
Here the stock Is first ruicly fashioned nHd then
nicely turned tn its proper form. The WORK 'i
growing it tor the reception OF the barrel otk plate,
bre.c plate, .yc De- Is performed r;cli br llirf-
cnt piece OF machinery oi which there arc twelve IN
all anu the stock Is then aiy for It's monntgS- -
| This department is under the direction OF John ".
Trcpp<. foreman, and is capable, with its present
force of turning out seventyvc barrels day. an az
grcgalc which can, however, be lnrgcy Increased by
extra cXerton.
MACHINE ASp ,toCSTtN" sHors
| In this Department is manufactured all the iron
works which 90 to complete the nlssct except the
barrel, which is the special manufacture Of branch
department. Here there are in all some thirty or
forty pieces Of machinery, employed IN making trc-
| ger, guard and brecch plates; butt and mounting
screws; guard bow, ranrodS bayonets tpSand bands.
The machinery here employed was also brought from
| liarpcr's Ferry, with the exception Of the heavy
shaftincs, which were furnished by the Trcdcgar
| Works Here may be witnessed some Of the most
interesting mechanical operations connected with the
/
the number Of machines employed in this depart
mcnt alone, To cnunlcrutc the number OF operations
which each portion of the weapon must undergo,
and upon separate machines, before II Is compete,
| thus:
The gl,nrd bow requires seven, trigger four, guard
plate SIM breach plate five, rnrnrods five, and butt
screws six, The bayonet is punched By heavy ma
chinery into the required shape, and tipped and I'M
shed by scvcrn subsequent mechan'enl operations: /:
Preparations are row being made for the erection OF
heavy tilt hummer, especially devoted 10 the man
nficturc of this terrible weapon. In this department
is most ingenious and effective machine f'H punch
ing nn trimming several Of the InonntlnHs-the m
vcntion Of the accomplished superintendent, Colonel
James H. Burton while master Aorer over the llur-
| pcrs Ferry works.
The foreman of this department is i. II. Butler,
who has ut present under his control about 5i work.
men, and j. b. Myers who controls about forty me-
charles.
MOUNTING DEPARTMENT.
A branch Of the mounting department, above de-,
| scribcd is specially appropriated 20 the rfng and
finishing Of gun barrels. Here, also, innun,crabe
pieces OF elaborate and powerful machinery are EN-
i,oycd III the riding Of the barrels t9iir machines,
recovered from ilarpcr's Ferry, are used. An add-
tionaI one purchased in Belgium, is in possession
here, but is seldom nscd for that purpose. It gives
what is known the Increased TWIST 10 the bar
rel but can be so regulated rs to reduce the number
10 tie standard required for the minic gun.
There are now on hand, ready for finishing, about
fifteen hundred excellent barrels the best OF SOME
ten thousand rescued from the firc at IlarpcrS Fer
| ~; largo number of hayonts obtained from the
same source, nrc also here awaiting the finishing
| touches.
| POLISHING DBrAETNEST.
Immediately adjoining the department, previously
mentioned, shop where the barrel otherwise i!-
ishrd. is FURNISHED to the highest degrees. by sx
Iursc rotary polishing machines.
THE LOCK DEPARTMENT.
We next come 10 the Lock Department: where the
lock OF the muSkct is made polished, &C., ready
to be adapted at once to the weapon. This is under
the direction of foreman Joseph a. Brcra.
THE ASSEMBLING RooI.
liure the stock and ail the various com
ponent parts OF the muskct, some fifty IN
ALL, nrc collected, and the gun put together
ior Use. The ''nssclnbling of the parts Of the mus
kc,. is ;he inul operation connected with its manu-
iarture When completed, the weapon, after being
properly tested, is here packed in oblongb'xes, ~ il
each box, and transferred to the arulory, iron