The tri-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1866-1868, 1866-08-11
lFrom the Pittsburg Commercial, July "a.
MONSTER GUN.

Am interesting eoent at the Government Foun-
d'y-the progress Of Casting.
On Saturday. at IL o'clock, a number of
ladies aud gentlemen were assembled ut Fort
Pitt Foundry to witness the casting of 90
inch navy gun for the monitor Puritan. now
building in New York. This is the Il st gun
of the size now cast for the navy. Two other
guns OF this size were, some time ago, cast
for the army. AS far as we are able to judge
from the successful manner in which the
mould was filled with hot metal, the present
gun is perfect success, the result OF unre-
mitting attention, hy Col. Joseph Kaye, who
has been connected with these works for
twcnty-seven years, and his assistants. Very
few of the guns cast at these works ever fail
of lreing perfect. The one just cast will un-
doubtedly be taken from the moul,ls COM
plcte. Some ten days will be required be-
fore it will be sufficiently cooled to he taken
out. 1t was cast on the Rodman principle
that is with stream of cold water passing
constantly through the core.
Among the spectators was Capt. Kholo-
staff of the Russian royal mining engineers.
who has been sent by that government to
ins oect our manufacturing establishments,
our s1csal and political system. in their every
detail, with ii view of reporting elaborately
to his government on the practical'iiity of
that government adopting them. He will
strongly recommend the Fort Pitt mode or
run-casting. FIc says they have our moni
tors now. and to complete them, they need
our guns-and they may need some of our
men too.
The metal used in the casting of the pres
ent gun amounted to $4,000 lbs. 1t was
heated in three furnaces, No. contained
IS 600 TBS: No. ) 10000 lbs, and No 6 3d.
200 lbs. OF this amount of metal, 100000
lbs was Juniata second fusion, and $4,000
lbs Juniata pig from the Rodman and Bloom
field furnace This is consider the best
material in the country for Cast iron gums.
The fires to heat this immenSc amount of
metal were kindled at 4.25 y. NJ, on Satur-
dav. No was down and the melting COM
,,irted mt IDS, No. 5 at 1918. and No. at
1915 A. NJ. At ten minutes past II furnaces
Nos and were tapped. and No. 6 II few
minutes after. The time consumed in run
n:ng the metal from the fnrnance into the
mould was very short. No stopped at
12:23 No. at 1928 and No ut 12::24.-
The metal was very perfect. At the com
mencement of casting the temperature inside
the foundry was 80 degrees. and outside "a
degrees.
When the water commenced to run from
the hvlrant into the core. the temperature
was 81 degrees. When the core barrel was
full, the temperature was 80 degrees. Ten
minutes from the time of commencing the
casting the water WAS IL degrees, and 20
minutes after 149 degrees, at which tempcra
ture it stood as long as we remained. The
density OF this gun is supposed to be some
what lower lower than those previously cast,
being from T.23 to 7.24.
The length of the rough casting is 236
inches. Tue maximum diumter is 60! inches.
AMI the minimum As inches. When finished
the hreccl OF the gun will measure 81 inches
in diameter. and the nozzle 30 inches. The
length of the cylinder bore is 147 inches.
depth of chamber 10 inches. The thickness
OF metal outside the bore ut the hreecil is %
inches. and ut the nozzle 90 inches. The
c,-treme length of the gun is 1873 inches.-
Diameter of truman. 1S inches. At 9:20
Sunday morning the water turned off.
at which the temperature was 81 deg At
1915 yesterday the core barrel was hoiStcd
vixen it came out perfectly c'cnn. there being
every Indication of perfect success in the
casting. After the barrel was hnisted out,
a very small stream of water allowed to
flow into the bore when it Immediately he
came steam This will he continued until
this morning at O'Clock, when column of
cold air will be forced in. and the cooling
process completed in this way.