The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1871-05-19
Gpenit,a State 1o,lrnal.
RIoHMOND MANUFACTURES.
STEAM FORGE AND ROLLING MILL.

These works, owned by j. K. john
son & Co., are located on james river,
at the foot of Ninth street, and are de-
voted to the manufacture of forged work
of all kinds, especially steamboat, sta
tonary engine and crank shafts, locomo-
tive, car, truck and teuder axles. Their
speciality at this time is car axles, which
they claim to make of a quality equal to
any in the world. This is the only steam
forge south of Baltimore, except small
one at Rome, Georgia, and is amply pro-
vided with machinery for producing forg-
ing of every description.
The enterprising proprietors have ex-
pended large amount of money in equip
ping their works, and deserve the grati-
tude and support of the public for
thus supplying want long felt by the
industrial interest of Richmond.
The power of these works is furnished
by large engine, which drives the pom
derous hammer, weighing $500 pounds
The material used is scrap iron. which is
carefully sorted by hand and made up ntp
square piles, weighing about 200 pounds,
resting upon pieces of board.
These piles are placed upon the floor of
a furnace and submitted to welding heat.
They are then withdrawn and placed un
der the hammer, and welded into rough
fiat bars known as slabs. This is done
with smooth hammer-face, and requires
about i've minutes to each slab. Two OF
these slabs are required to make an axle.
They are doubled by placing one on top of
the other and returned to the beating fur
mace. A Welding heat is again secured,
and the mass is subjected to the process of
swaying, or hammering with grooved
dye or hammer-face. One end of the bar
is thus roughly rounded, while the crane
holds the other. This last end is then re-
heated and in like manner rounded. The
hammer faces are then changed, and at two
heats the axles are finished ready for the
turning lathe.
One popularity in the manufacture of
johnson & Co. is, that the journals are
swayed under the hammer, instead of be-
ing turned out of the mass, as is usually
the case. This is done by dye in the
hammer face, which hammers the journal,
and leaves it of uniform quality with the
rest of the axles. It is well ascertaned
that hammered surface, when exposed to
wear, is much more durable than when
deeply turned. The turning here is little
more than polishing.
We have thus minutely described the
process of making axles, to give some idea
of the care and pains taken at this es-
tablishment to produce portion of rail-
road gearing, upon which, more than any
other, the safety of life and property in
railway transit depends. The same gene
raj succession of treatment is required to
produce all the varied forms of hammered
iron which are here manufactured. The
aim is to do everything in the most perfect
and thorough manner.
We notice in the heating furnace an APP
plcation of the new ideas of producing
perfect combustion aud fine heat. The
coal is put into furnace separated from
the heating chamber by fire bridge. A
blast of air is driven into the ash pit by an
Alden's blower running at 1000 revolutions
per minute. The gases evolved are
driven into the heating furnace, and burn
with tremendous energy, producing heat
adequate to all emergencies and entirely
free from the accidental impurities in the
coal.
The number of hands employed is about
fifteen, mostly Americans.
The capacity of the forge is fcrty tons
week.
The company has rolling mill, adapted
to the production of bar iron of all sizes,
with two trains of rolls driven by hun
dred horse power engine. They use the
coal from the Midlothian seam, near Rich
mond. The aim in these works is to pro-
duce superior article in every depart
ment, and they have been fortunate in Sc
curing the universal commentator of
their customers. Nearly all the Southern
roads have tried their work. and found it
equal to any in use. We trust that vast
increase of trade will flow to this very de-
serving firm, and enable them to be still
more useful to the public, while 1t proper
ly rewards their skill, fidelity and enter
prise.
POLITICALLY PROsCRIPTIvE.
Under the above caption the Alexandria