Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1861-06-26
Balls, Shells and Bombs-How they
are Made. '.

The Watervleit Arsenal, situated at
West Troy, n. Y, is, as you doubtless
know, the largest arsenal for the con-
struction of military implements, other
han small arms and cannon. in the coun.
try and q visit to its workshops at the
present time, powerfully impre sses one
with the strength and resources of our
Government. Everything is at present
on war footing, and from three to four
hundred hands directly, and as many
more indirectly, in the neighboring found.
ries, are kept busy night and day. Thro'
the thieving of Floyd and the recent re-
QUESTIONS of Government, the arsenal has
been nearly stripped of muskets, pistols
and cannon, but of other munitions there
is yet an ample store. large number
of hands are engaged in the preparation
of ammunition sixty thousand ball cat.
ridges are made daily most of these are
intended for the MIME rifles, but large
numbers of the old,fashioEed round ball
cartridges are also manufactured. The
rapidity With which cartridge is made
is wonderful. A boy sits at coun-
ter with cylindrical stick-a pile of
creased balls and one OF prepared paper
before him a simple roll Of the paper and
stick-a jerk and twist at one end-a
twist of 4 string. and the cartridge is read
fo- filling 10 less time than it takes to
read this description. They are then ta.'
ken into another room placed open end
up in shallow boxes, and man by means
of a simple instrument. fills them with an
equal and specific amount of powder. at
the rate of thirty a minute. a twist at
. sl,.N. ,,,I ttn .t,.l -.
plete. The manufacture goes on so fast
that i, requires nearly dozen men and
boys to pack, box and remove the finish
ed cartridges. In another apartment u
number Of men and girls are employed in
the manufacture Of cannon cat. idges OF all
sizes from the mightiest Columbiad down
to a six FOUNDER. The material Of which
they are made is kind of woolen goods
(moreen) imported from England tspe-
cially for the purpose. Thousands of
yards of this material were in the process
of being cut up and manufactured. Can.
non cartridges are not filed here, but at
the place where they are intended to be
used. Ia still another department, grape,
canister, and strapped ammunition are in
course Of preparation, while huge cart
loads OF bomb shells and spherical shot
are hourly arriving from the neighboring
foun,lries. The grape SHOT are larger
than supposed, and might more proper.
ly be called peach shot than grape shot
Some six Or more Of these are packed in
sort of wire corkscrew arrangement, and
fitted into tir case, and when thus fin
ished have much the appearance Of jars
of preserved meats or fruit.
The manufacture of bombshells is also
matter of much interest. The prepala-
ton OF those | witnessed is briefly as fol
lows The shell - first filled full with
old fashioned round !eaden bullets mel
ted sulpher is then poured in to I'LL up
the inteistices and bind the bullets in one
solid mass the shell is then put into a
kind OF lathe, and cylindrical hole of the
exact size of the orihce Of the she'll is bo-
red through The bullets and sulpher +; this
cavity is filed with powder, even with
the interior edge of the oritice SIX inch
shell of the kind here described holding
bout half pound the fuse fitted into
the oriiice is recent Belgian invention,
made of pewter, and resembles the screw
used for the patent fruit cans. An exam
inetiOn of this pewter cap shows, however,
that il is made OF two hollow discs OF
metal screwed together, and filled With
meal powder number of fine holes are
drilled in the lower disc, while the outer
disc is entire, and marked with figures in
a circle, l, ., 8, T.. In this state the shell
is water aud weather proof. When taken
for use, the gunner by means Of small
steel instrument scoops out portion ol
the outer soft metal surface, and lays bare
the charge Of composition powder below
il. II the shell Is desired to explode IN
one second after leaving the gun, the
scooping is made on the figure one; ii in
two seconds. on the figure two, and so on,
the idea being that the shells of this dos
criptioh shall first strike the object aimed
ut and do execution as ball, and then
explode, sending the bullets forward as II
from another cannon located at the pcipl
where the flight of the shell is arrested
Large she'll, of eight or ten inches are I'LL
ed with powder only, and bursting do cx
ecution by means of their fragments. -
These large shells are generally fired BY
means of fuse OF meal powder extend
ing through brass plug screwed into th
mouth of the shell in both cases the fns
is fred by the ignition Of the charge il
the gun.