The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1861-07-05
Balls, Shells, and Bombs---How they
are Made.

The Watervliet Arsenal situated at
West Troy, Is, you doubtless know, the
largest arsenal for the construction and
fabrication of military implements, other
than small arms and cannon, in the coun-
try, and visit to its work shops at the
present tine, powerfully impreesses one
with the power and resources of our Gov>
ernmeEt. Everything at present is on a
war footing and from three to four hndred
hands directly, and as many more indirec
tly, in the neighboring foundrys, are kept
busy night and day. Through the thisv-
ing of Floyd, and the recent requisition
of Government, the arsenal has been near
y stripped of its muskets, pistols and can
non, but of other munitions there is yet
an ample store. A large number fhands
are engaged in the preparation Of ammu
milton; six thousand ball cartridges are
made daily; most of these are intended
for the MIME rifle, but large numbers of
the old fashioned round bali cartridges are
also manufactured.
The rapidity with which cartrid 90 is
made, is wonderful A boy sits at coun:
ter with a cylindrical stick-a pile of
creased balls and one of prepared paper
before him-a simple roll Of paper and a
stick-a Jerk and twist at one end,
twist of string and the cartridges 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 a man by means
of a simple instrument, fills them with an
equal and specific amount of bowder, at
The rate Of thirty minute a twist at
the open end and the cartridge is cons
plete. The manufacture goes SO fast that
it requires nearly dozen men and boys to
pack, box and remove the finished cart
ridges. In another apartment, NUN
Der of men and girls are employed in the
manufacture of cannon cartridges of all
sizes from the mightiest columbiad down
to the six pounder. The material of which
they are made, is a kind of wooden
| (moreen) imported from England especia
lily for the purpose. Thousands of yards
of this material were in the process of
being cut up and manufactured. Cannon
cartridges are not filled here, but at the
| place where they are inteneed to be used,
In still another department, grape canister
and trapped ammunition are in course of
preparation, while huge cart loads of
bomb shells and spherical shot are hourly
arriving from the usighborin fohnders-
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
cork screw arrangement and fitted into
tin..case and when thus, finished, have much
the same appe arance as jars of preserved
meats or fruits.
The tnahfaCtnre Of bomb shells is also
matter Of much interest. The prepare.
ton ofthose witnessed was briefly as fol
lows: The she'll is first filled up with
oldfashisned, round leaden bullets melted
sulphur is then poured in to fill up the
! interstfces and bind the bullets in one solid
mass; the shell is then put into a Kind Of
lath, and eylindercal hole Of the exact
size of the orifice of the she'll is bored
through the bullets and the sulphur this
cavity is filed with powder, even with the
interior edge of the olifce, six inch shell
Of the kind here decribeed holding about
half pound. The fuse fitted tito the ori-
flee is a recent Belgian invention, made of
pewter, and resembles the screw cap used
| for the patent fruit cans. An examina>
tion Of this pewter cap shows that it is
| made Of two yellow dies Of metal screwed
| together, and filled with meal powder, a
number ffine holes are drilled in the low
er disc, while the outer disc is entire, and
marked with figures in circle l, 2, 8, T.
In this state the she'll is water and wealth
er proof, When taken for use, the gun,
ner, by menes of small steel instrument,
scoops cut portion cf tie outer sof. me
tai surface, and lays bare the chaerge Of
composition powder pelow it. If the shell
is desired TO explode in one second after
leaving the gun, the seooping is made on
the figure ore; if in two seconds, on the
figure two, and SO on /; the idea being that
the shells of this description shall first
strike the objectaimed at, and do execution
As ball, otdthsn explode, sending the
bullets forwardas if fIom another cannon
located at the point where the flight of
the shell is arrested. Large shells Of eight
or ten inches are filled with powder onl5y,
and bursting do execution by means Of
their fragments. These large shells are
generally fred by means Of fuse of meal
powder, extending through d btgS5 plug,
screwed into the mouth of the she'll in
both cases the fuse is fred by the ignition
of the charge in the gun -Springfeld
RepublitdH.