Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1864-02-17

From The Pittsburgh Commercial, Feb. l2l
One Of the most important events in tht
history Of the rebellion, and which inau
gurates new ers in the manufacture ol
heavy guns, took place on Thursday, be-
tween twelve and one o'clock, at the FOrI
Pitt Works. A gun with cslibre Of twenty
inches diameter, was cast on the Rodman
principle, in some twenty-five minutes
from the time Of tapping the furnaces.
The arrangements for casting this NAM
moth piece of ordnance, were most perfect
and during its process everything worked
like clock work. The amount Of metal
used for this huge gun was eighty-fVe tons,
or one hundred and seventy thousand
pounds. The metal was melted in three
furnaces, which were charged at five
o'clock in the morning, At twenty min
utes past twelve, everything being in
readiness, the three furnaces were stimuli
taneoHsly tapped, and the molten metal
Wss conveyed by means of three conduo-
tors 10 a large reservoir close TO the mould.
The mould was set perpedieularly> in 8
mammoth pit, and was held in position by
huge chains suspended from two large
cranes Of lifting capacity Of forty tons
each, and worked by steam. As soon ss
the reservoir was sufficiently charged The
metal flowed from it into the mould, and in
twenty two minutes from the time of tap
ping the furnaces the mould was filed to
within q few inches Of the top. AS the
metal settled the mould was filed by the
workmen with metal from furnaces held in
reserve in case of accident. The casting
was perfected without the slightest confu.
sion, the whole being cone under the i'm
mediate superintendent of Mr.. Joseph
Kaye, foreman Of the works.
We are indebted TO Captain Joseph NJ.
Knap for the following statistics, which
will give our readers better idea Of the
magnitude Of the casting:
Weight of gun in 900 lbs.
Weight when finished d....---.-.-----..ll2O 600 lbs.
Total length when 20 f. in
Length OF ...-.. II t. in
Maximum diameter. ..-................ f. 2 in
Minimum diameter... 2ft 10 in
The gun, it is estimated, will use a spher-
icsl shot Of half ton weight, and shell
of seven hunred and fifty pounds. If the
gun was rihed, it is thought it would
throw q solid shot Of one ton in weight.
The amount of powder to be used in charg-
ing the gun is estimated from eighty 10
one hundred pounds This gun is said to
be the largest in the world, and to Pitts.
burgh belongs the honor of adding such
heavy piece of ordnance to the science of
war.
The casting of the gun, as we before re-
marked, Was on the hnllow core principle,
invented by Major Rodman, United States
Army. The core consists of an iron oylin-
der half an inch in thiekaess, through
which stream of water is kept continu-
ously running during the process Of cast
ing. This cylinder is wrapped with rope,
which is covered by sand, and outside Of
this for a short distance from the mouth
Of the mould, is a sheet-ircn cylinder.
During the casting the water discharged
from the core indicated temperature Of
from forty to forty-tWo degrees The will
remain in the pit undergoing the cooling
process some ten days or two weeks, after
which it will be hauled out by means of
the large cranes referred to, and removed
on s railway truck to the finishing depart.
ment of the works, where it will be placed
in lathe and finished.