New-York daily tribune., 1861-08-14
VISIT TO ALGFR's FOUNDRY.


The llbor of Al,er extensive f,undery Ia Soutj
Boston has been turned into the cfarnd- Of war. Il
| was well tbrt in these works there were iOun,
! machines ADA led 10 the uianuidcufe of munitions q
| war-eanuon, shot and sue H. he estbl shuent hal
held good rank in these nsGuiaciure-, aud We hav.
seen al through the country arms apparently good
~ made bearing the initials Of our fellow
/ citizen.
! The present demand Of the country has given an
impetus "a the labor in this establ 6hment turDed
il al Into the claGnel In view o. the depression
which bears down all the arts OF Ieace, We hd relief
by these operations for many mechanics and l5Orefs
who would otierw.e zee their families suffering be-
Gauge their skiful band. could find occupation.
One OF rs visited Agers fouDdcry during the latter
pat of las, week look into tie operations there aud
re ort upon them for tie Interest Of readers.
great fouEdey and machine-shop are ways Interest
ny 20 thoe who have the st regard for the triumph
of Kill laboc aud tbe pro1resz OF machinery. And
in such tunes as this. when brawuy hands of iron are
la oring night AID day, aud never Knowing ihts TO
nanuGacute the vanOus Instruments Of death " hIch
invention Las cOigiyed and experience approved the
scene Of such magnificent operations 20 friught with
the aopes # n n:tion menaciog to The lives Of the
Zoe, has peculiar interest belonging TO the time and
It's hurried events.
la the fouudery the greater part of the business
seem,d 10 be the casting Of shells, Of the roupd pat
tern, which were generally large si2e. and The
Sbouckl prcecte, which II mu'h IN the form OF u
goose egg lett when cast. lie latter 81 ell i alter
ward fui she'd a the mGchlnoshop by sheatbing Of
paper made very solid, and forming one end OF the
nro. tiie into a liudTical form which his the
bore OF the g This paper shcatliog il put on after
the casting is loray fabricated With becswax, which
allows il 10 strip or readily when fied. These are
The percussion shells which explode when they strike
an ject ard which, of course, is very proper time
ior them TO do 20. We have seen the fact noticed,
However that some Of these shells fell without
ploGing, us was proved at Manassas and eit Cn the
field quite dangerous things g. handle. They are cast
two together and when the dirt IL removed from tie
solidihed castings, avery hery Iar of tains, with
i..ffa 4 nr.lf.
closed kei hot and smoking they bear strongly
the ,haracIer OF d" eggs OF hell" as somewhat later
in their existence, when they are hurled Ike lsLt-
ming into the ranks OF tie foe.
Inc great round shells are rolled out from their
molis iato rowe where they are left TO cool, and
wnen we imagine of these going for an object at
csnnol-ba rate, We see something of what cannon
,de with red hot balls must be- though these have their
most destruciive power within. The folndery has q
weird aud deyiis look aboa, always, without TAX
ing into accouut what is made bore. The streams of
uud iron Running from the melted mas, the flashing
oil yht aud sputteiOg Of sparks, the half naked
moy ing to aud ro with buckets of intense fire support
ed on opg poles and turned carefully iuto receptaces
prepared TOR il here aud there by the mplirrs, the
ii Of earth sometimes in wooden francs, la which
very hel-brOiJ seems 20 be brewing, the work lust
,ahcn from tue ,nolds, sceinZ hot the glmiug LIGHT
Of one part and the smoky darkness OF auoher and The
splasng OF buckets OF wafer upon the heated sand to
PIE; are asaih for molng-these make the oundery
very weird aad deyiish place for TO trust him.
self iii.
Wherever we spoke TO workman we found him in
tel igrnt and polite, In this stage winch the metals
so through The hands of man, there must be brains
well us hands az work. The works of the moier, as
be fashions hs u!lds ffom the patterns furnished bin,
is Doe aud diitalt. No boching willd DO or his work
couiIonts him. lie deposits liquid, psble, running,
se king level Cling every vac mt place which nntnre
abiofs following every line of the mould, and iuihiog
every condition of the arlzan. lie knocks away the
auxiliary, ard duds solid which has taken form, ud
form that it will keep until subjected again 10 the
bere heat OF the furnace There Is no accommodation
about IL There il stands Gs has been made the
proof and critic of tie workman. In the iounderes by
The nines, whers the result lie only portable bar Of
iron separated from the salts and earths with which t
i, found, iynoraut men may do all tho work whith
machinery and ire does not hnsh Bns here must be
brain to.i as well ss muscle stroke.
In the maohiue.sho2 we found quite park Of cam
non in the several e,ag If finishing Here gigantic
force wa. slowly but surely boring into log VI metal
while ,hels BY the same power formed tho outside
into the shape OF the columbiad. On another rack ley
q 32.pomder, having It's trunnions trimmed down 10
the ill., of ue and beauty 10 another place the riding
machine was at work doubling the efficiency OF IL
FOUNDER by spiral grooves which IL made in the
uooth bore. In another department brass tubes were