The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-10-20

boy pulled open drawer from underneath,
nearly, full oi little plugs, which fit into the
Lnheld rlhe bullet TO improve its practice.
| There were about twenty of these machines,
| and the boy SAID he thought they could make
million and a half in a week.
Bob explained to me that the Royal Arsenal
| was divided into three manufacturing depart
| ments-1, e., Laboratory, Gun, and Carriage
| each presided over by an officer OF the Royal
| Artillery. There was also the Store Department,
which occupied large space, and employed
| many hands.
Everywhere we came across fire-pues and
| boxes on wheels, housed under scarlet cOlored
| tarpauhn We were told that there was an
| abundant supply of water alweys, at a pressure
of 100 lbs. to the inch, and so effective were the
| occurred.
Escaping from the dreadful whrl of these
| numberless wheels, we mounted some outside
| stairs, and entered the powder-barrel factory.
| 1t was most interesting to see the wood, which
was already cut into proper lengths, placed lii a
| circular drum-shaped saw, the teeth of which
| formed 1t into slaves. The round tops and
bottoms were made in another lathe; and then
| by hydraulic pressure, these different parts
were all compressed into perfect barrel ready
| to receive the hoops, which were easily ham
mered on afterwards. The workman at the
principal machine said he could put a barrel
| together IN four minutes.
We now retraced our steps, and crossed over
| the road to the paper factory, very warm and
| steamy place, containing large tanks full of
| pulp. This was sucked by exhaus ton upon
metal fingers, already supplied with woollen
| eloves; and after being dried by steam, on
| extracting the glove, the paper cartridge was
| found complete, and ready to receive its bullet.
| Upstairs we found boys busy at this opera
| tion, =. e., placing bullet in each paper case
| and lying it up to receive the powder, which is
! kept in sheds In remote part of the Arsenal
| far away from the workshops Here were alsj
the copper cap machines, supplied by boys with
| long bands oil pure copper, which were drawn
| into the machine, and there cut into crosses by
| punches; they then fell into a die, which
! doubled them up into the well-known
shape Gt scarcely took momentp, and
rapidly than you could count them. Boys
are again employed to tit them into perforated
metal tray, and this is banded over to a seddte
looking old workman, who has charge OF the
| dangerous composition with which they are
filed How carefully he ladies a bare
| handful OF this white powder into a little
wooden bowl placing himself inside rallied off
! space, which encloses his machine Down goes
the tray OF empty cups beneath a silver-look ing
plate, perforated with small holes, under each
OF which les cap; small wooden spade then
| spreads the composition on the Jopmos6 plate
| filling up each oridce, and every sur
| plus grain is most scrupulously returned to
| the bowls, winch are locked up as before. By
means of gentle screw, the trav of cans
is now slowly lowered and removed to a
! neighboring machine, where each cap is sub
| Jected to pressure of 800 lbs. lone exploded
| during this operation, and starCled me not
| little); coating of shelac gives the finishing
| touch rendering them impervious to mo sture
An accident once occurred at another OF these
| cap-hlling machines from some unexplained
cause; as the workman was ladling up the sur
! plus composition, 1t suddenly exploded, driving
| the fragments of his machine in every direction
and taking off, at the same time, three fingers of
the unfortunate mans hand, besides burning him
dreadfully in the face No one else was
injured in the factory; but had not the rules for
\ using so little OF this dangerous ingredient been
strictly carried out many lives would have fallen
a sacrifice.
Gladly leaving this heated atmosphere, we
took the road 10 old Father Thames. He was
as dirty as ever, despite the main drainage, and
seethipg mass ran past us it's way TO the
sea. The river side presented a busy scene
Large cranes lined the whole length of the
wharf wall, many of them busiy engaged in
loading aud unloading the barges aud small
steamers which lay alongside. Near these cranes
is long iron-roofed shed, under whose protecting
care lay number of guns, warlike stores, ETC.,
labelled for different parts Of our extended
empire. Gun carriages for Portsmouth and
Malta, tin cases for Gibraltar, shot and shell for
New Zealand, old guns from Leith Fort, new
ones for Hong Kong and Canada, and heaps OF
rusty shot and shell from Corfu and Zante.
AT the back of this shed are millions of can
non balls, piled one above the other in pyra.
midcal heaps, round shot tor guns, larger ones
still for mortars and the more impudent-lookng
Armstrong;, ready for any emergency. Boo
said theI generally kept three million of these
little things, in case they might be wanted in
hurry.
The round shot are brought down to the shore
tor expectation on raised kind aof railway,
along which they are rolled by men placed at
various intervals.
| In the centre of the wharf is a long pier,
shaped like the letter T., which reaches far into
the river; the larger ships were lying here,
| having their stores brought to them by trucSs
| running on tramway. So convenient is this pier
| for landing and embarking from at all stages of
the tide, that not only do the soldiers of the gar
| rison make use of it, but ROYALTY itself often
graces it with its presence.
WenOw turned of to the right, and stood facing
an enormous mortar, certainly fifteen feet
| high; 1.-TWO large shells, evidently belonging to
| 1t, Were lying at its base. Bob explained TO me
| that this was one of the once famous mortars
constructed by Mr. Malet which were to re.
| duce Sebastopol to ashes in few days; the
shells, weighing 5000 lbs., and loaded with a
chsrge of 400 lbs. OF powder, were to fly for
miles and to burst on falling like a small NINE
| carrying death and destruction in every direc-
| ton. The drawings and plans of this monster
| were laid before the scientific committee for
proving inventions; they shook their wise
| heads, and said it was altogether wrong in
| principle, and would never answer. Govern
| ment, however, had made up their minds 70 give
| them a trial, and they were ordered; but, alas
| when fred, they would come TO pieces, and these
| large shells could not be made TO go as far as a
| common mortar. These experiments must have
cost the nation some eco, 900 and the mortars
| themselves never left Woolwich, Close to this
useless giant were some curious guns captured
| in the late Chinese war; they were lined inside
| with iwIought-iron tubes-"Just what we are
| doing now to our old gunsn said Bob, ito try
and make them strong enough to bear riAing"
| Their wheel tires were studded with large
| headed nails, which made one think how painful
| II would be to be run over by them!
More of poor John Chinaman's spoils were
| scattered around US. Large bronze guns
covered with tea-chest-look ing inscriptions and
embellished with drawings of butterflies, stays,
and storks! lew
A few yards further we're two Russian guns
upon their iron carriages, just as they were