New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1865-10-21
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q Visit 10 n New-York shot Towcr-hHow
AZ is Made Description OF the Ma
.hinery A shower-Bath Of Molten
Lead-Grent Activity OF tho Business
Here Shot now ruude than before
thc WAR.
thc War,

the War.
! One Of the most interesting manufactures
which th, busy city Of presents to the inqurns
mind is that OF shot making, Of which most people haVd
no other idea than indstlnct Of huge and lon,
tower through which melted lead flis into a waierph
at the bottom.
A visit TO the establishment Of the Nsw-Nork Lead
Co. on Centre st. wn in the course OF half an hour OK
so disclose all the details Of this interesting process.
The brick tower. situated Immediately in the rear OF
the buding and connected with IT, is something less
than 0O feet in hight and about GO or 10 in crcumfer-
euce. A. the bottom ia well of cold water and the
summit is entirely devoted to the melting machinery
tie nan or sieve through which the shot falls being
situated In the center and quite small say foot and
half in diameter The lead is conveyed to the snmmit
in Digs or bars and there melted Before being poured
into the pan 1t is slightly mixed with crude arsenic. To
prevent oxydzaton II is then dipped into tho pan.
and the shower beneath begns fol every ladlen taas
IS dpped into tho pan about half Il adleful IL dipped
back and returned to tho kettle the fire in order
to prevent that In the pan from hardening which u
otherwise would before entirely passing through tho
sieve As il is much Of the lead. 10 passing through
the holes Of the sieve out in elongated drops IN
the same way as the dripping Of water. thus causinga
great deal Of imperfect shot which is stl further in
creased By the soft shot touching each other when but
a short way down, and sdhering together.
Toward the foot Of the tower tho fall OF lead has
,aost precise resemblance to An ordinary shower
bath but any one holding his hand within tbs ieadea
rain will be soon convinced that with the appearances
alone the resemblance ceases. We frequently read. IN
the battle accounts Of the recent war OF "eaden ham,
the rain OF bullets &C.. but that these fayorte express
sions were the hight Of hyperbole would be quickly
proved By a view Of the actual leaden showers to be
witnessed u shot tower for certainly no body Of men
could remain standing against them for the space OF
five minutes. Now and then some struggling drops
shoot off 10 Que side and fattened they strike
the boards, as though beaten out with 4 hammer.
Standing on the ground floor Of the tower the shot can
be seen and heard falling and kissing into the well be-
meath the water Of which is spshed up high as 1t re-
ceives the driving seethng rain
| From the well the shot Is transferred 20 drying ma
chine whence after being lightly rolled by hot Hammer
rollers, and after being thoroughly dry 1t pa'Se'
through the 1ex. process which separates the imper'
feet from the perfect shot
/ This consists Of long smooth wooden inclined
plane diydee into regular lodges. each on, ltt'o
lower than Us predecessor with slight break or open
.paee Of about half an inch between The round per-
feet shot in rolling down this plane leap the openings,
while the imperfect ones. no, having the same momen'
tum flll through, and are gHueIeu up !" NC HItso
over again.
The mex. process IA separating the different sizes
from each other This is done By sort OF chest VI
drawers the top OF each drawer being covered by
seve--the coarseY at the top and thence becoming
sner toward the bottom This cabinet Is kept in
.uipsinr motion 10 and fro by machinery thus shaking
III. mixed shot which is poured In at the top from
drawer to drawer. until all the different s.zes duly
assorted into separate compartments.
The sho. has now duh dusty color the finer grades
appearing like sand black neal than mass Vt
separate and uniform globules and the next operation
is to polish IT, This is performed by putting into
revolving cylinders the interior Of which are coaed
with blackead, and from which the sho, is at length
projected, bright and shining rs beads OF glass; ]" "
next put in bags. and Is then ready for shipment
/ The shot business is very brisk There is more
being shipped the present time than there has been
for number Of years. During the war large
business was done but mostly In Nnnie-oAi' or sngs
/ followed at the but, The trade Is nov almost alto
geher in shot, not including the three szes Oh DUCK
shot. which are nodded Ike bullets
There are four shotowers in New York and vicinity.
viz. Tie New.Yors Lead Co. Centre.s'.; latham &
Brother Reekman.s.; 4. o. Leroy. Water.st.. AMI
McCnuough's Lead Co. Staten Island. The capacity
Of all the.e works Is very nearly equal that u the
former being from ten 70 iftsea thousand pounds of
sbo, per day-or total OF fort! to fifty thousand