The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-11-10
THE KRUPP CANNON.
visit to the Krupp establishment Mt Essen

tains description of the celebrated cannon
manufactory of Krupp, which is at present of
considerable interest,"
At the time England enforced the Cont
mental system, the impossbility of procurng
good cast-steel became so serious in its con-
sequences that Napoleon l offered a reward of
1000, 600 francs for the manufacture of that
article, if not inferior to the product of
Great Britain. Frederick Krupp, wealthy
and enterprising German, immediately de-
voted his time and pecuniary means to expe-
riments, and although he finally succeeded
in solving the technical problem, he was not
destined to reap the reward of his lifelong
task, for Napoleon was dead hrupp died
in 1927 in reduced circumstances, bequeath-
ing to his children the invention to which he
had devoted his life. His eldest son, Alfred,
only 15 wears old, at once set to work in the
small forge built up by his father, and
assisted at first by only two trustworthy work
men. His efforts were successful, and his
establishment developed from year to year.
at present he directs one of the most eXten-
sive industrial enterprises of the day. On
approaching the establishment, to which but
few persons not connected with 1T ever gain
admission, one is almost stunned by the deaf
ening noise and din of hammers and ma
chinery, which becomes almost insupportable
whenever the colossal hammer "Fritz," of
1000 hundred weight, is at work. The en-
trance to the place is through a wide gate in
the massive building of the door-keeper.
Here everybody working in the forge shows
pasteboard card on entering, which is re-
turned to him on leaving in the evening.
Visitors are conducted TO the central Office,
where they have to apply for permission to
see the various works; if properly recon-
mended this may be obtained, excepting
always the buildings in which the manufac-
ture of cast.steel is going on, the admittance
to which is strictly prohibited to any one not
xuit tha &c
constructing the enormous hammer "Fritz"
was first conceived in 1859, it became known
to machinists not connected with the estab-
lishment, and was generally ridiculed. The
construction of such tremendous engine
was held to be an impossibility; and even if
completed it was argued that it
would be beyond all human skill
it was said the hammer would destroy itself
and everything around it when set to work.
Krupp, however, went to work without delay,
although he did not undervalue the enormous
difficulties to be encountered, and in time
succeeded. The hammer, although only one
piece, consists of two substances. The lower
part Of the form was filed with smelted cast
steel, upon which, before it became cold,
cast-iron was poured, the lower part of which
mixed homogeneously with the surface of the
cast-steel, thus forming one solid mass.
When block of steel Of $4,000 pounds is
sufficiently heated to be ready for the ham
mer, the immense mass of metal is re-
moved from the furnace on a solid iron
wagon on rails; almost imperceptibly the
heavy chains connected with eessteam-
crane encircle it, and in few seconds the
lump is lifted and deposited on the anvil.
The heat emanating from this mass of metal
is such that one cannot stand within twenty
five yards; the workmen, however, protect
themselves, and are enabled to stand nearer
Now the work of the Cyclop commences, and
as he descends with his tremendous weight
on the mass Of metal below, myriad of
sparks spread in all directions. The con-
struction of this hammer has cost 72O 900
thalers, although every part Of it was manu-
factured within tho forge; it is worked
almost uninterruptedly day and night, that
it may the better earn the interest on the
capital invested in it.
This establishment is not devoted to warlike
material solely. All sorts of railroad material
of the heavier kind is produced in enormous
quantities. A quantity of axle-trees were
before the war sold TO French railroad
company, and after travelling distance of
100, 400 English miles, not one of them was
found to be in the least damaged. Even
England, the country of cast-steel, sends
orders for them. In the year 1865 the ex-
port to England, the Colonies, and to the
United States amounted to 564 axle-trees and
IL, 1876 wheel-bandages.
The construction of iron-clads in England,
the United States, and France and the other
maritime countries, necessarily led to the de-
mand for more powerful weapons of attack;
the most experienced artillerists and manu-
facturers of armament devised means and
plans for the construction of cannon. Rihed
cannon, superseding the old ones of smooth
bore, were first brought into extensive use
during the civil war in the United States,
while the first breech-loaders were manufac-
tured by Krupp, Whtworth, and Armstrong
Cast-steel was at first used in the construction
of light field-pieces only, until it was found
to be fit for the manufacture of guns
of the heaviest calibre, the danger of
their explosion being obviated by
giving greater strength of metal to the
breech-end of the cannon, and by encrcling
the same with several bands of cast-steel of
different degrees of strength. In one of the
buildings is seen the 1000-pounder gun which
created such sensation at the exhibition in
Paris in 1867. 1t was thought the Prussian
Government would order it to be shipped to
the coast of either the German or the Baltic
Sea, to be used for coast-defense; but these
anticipations have not been realized, and as
the French feet has already withdrawn from
those waters, perhaps the gun may be
brought into use during the siege of Paris.
The gun was intended for coast Defense and
1t was calculated that its projectile would
pierce the heaviest plated iron-clad in exist
ence. 1t has one great advantage over the
heavy columbiads of Rodnan in the
greater facility of pointing it in any
direction, owing to the ease with which il
moves on the gun-carriage. The cannon
proper, one of the finest pieces of steel which
could possibly be made, weighed $4,000