The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1872-04-20
Something About Anvils.

than three hundred yesrs II is as sound
to-day as it was in 1858, when Ellwood
Pomeroy, after welding for the Stuarts
the ponderous horse shoes of the same
ye aud pattern that his ancestors had
made during many generations of the
Tndors aud Pluutngeuels, grew weary
OF taxes without law aud work without
wages, aud, anvil 10 hand, sailed for the
new world A deft workman he throve
IN the settlements, and left his anvil as
an heir loom 10 his descendants.
They show you 10 tho Tower of Ion
don the anvil on W ich the sword was
forged that Richard Gour de Lion used
iu his famous contest with Saladin aud
ut the collection Of Pompeian excava
tons M Naples there is an anvil. Ger.
tainly older THAI the Christian centu
ries, which, if precisely the shape We
use, had evidently done service for stal
wart workmeu ol many generations he
fore the city was buried
But better still, in the Egyptian room
of the British museum, there 10 yeri
table anvil Of the Pharaohs. IL is older
than Rome, older than Greece. older
than Jerusalem, as old us the days of
Abraham, and probably 10 existeuoe
when the patriarch was come into
Egypt, and the Egyptians beheld Sarai,
that she was very fair " 1t is Just like
modern anvil, nude apparently in the
same way weighing about seventy FIVE
pounds, aud as sound as when it was
dr;t struck by hammer thirty eeutu
rics ago.
The old way of making anvils, and
still the process by which the larger
number is manufactured. is us follows
The business commences by welding
quantity of the choicest iron-usually
scraps that come from broken tools,
shaltlng out OF use, steam boilers worn
out, aud the like-into mass which
becomes the nuclens of the anvil. These
scraps brought to white heat in the
furnace, are subjected to the heavy blows
aud crushing weight Of tho trip ham
mer, under which, twisted aud turned.
iatteued aud rounded, the concrete"
gains rough approximation to the de
sired TORN. IL is then, in company
with another piece OF iron, called the
second weld, reeommIlIed to the fur
mace Teaching the necessary heat,
both nucleus and "second weld" are
drawn and placed lnstantly-not this
tune unuer the trip hammer It under the
OloWs oi the lorse-ha'nmers IN the hands
oil the Workmen, Que oeginning the
WORK, then second joining in, and so
on untll iour are pounding upon the
Two pieces last uniting into one, IN
faPlu Sud regular succession. The
st'lFers are guided In the work by the
action ol their leader, each man direct
ing ms hammer TO that part indicated
py the leader blow. An on locker
mas DO iaea oil 'hIs, and he is naturally
surprised To note that under all their
apparently reckless blows, the glowing
mass gradually assumes form aud shape
lneSs, II the anvll were small article
ol triiing weight, it might be possible
70 iotse IL from single piece OF iron,
as 'afrler does horseshoe. But an.
WIS Weish from three hundred TO
Thousand Ihcy are made more than
any oiher article 10 good faith, A sin
s'e put up ahVil mlsht rum the rep
u'a'''n Oh 'ne nanuiaeturers In TACT,
u '"rSe anVlI Is ouiit up OF twenty pieces
" metal E'ch piece In company with
."e eSer growing "nueies, TO be sub
Jeo'eu " '"o neat tue drawing, the
"'o"s oi tue s'edse hammer aud the
S"'p'ns aifeauy described The cor
Ivfs "o'en project at the base TO stea
ny " tue P'o'fu'ion toward the bsak,
'he parts oi the posterlor projection,
""u '"o 'ounueu s'deS, are AL separately
Nhapea And welded on BY the rapid
o'o"' ol the worSnen Finally, there
Is '"e uppef surface made oi the tough
est Steel "hieh must at the cost oi ui'
most strength oi blow aud skill OF the
craft oe homologated with the solid
iron shat ino whoie may be III pertecl
'"1y" NJ L1
"e "'su 'oinPefa'u,e 10 "hieh the
"o' '',S N"en s'e eAPoScu uur'"S tne 'wen
"e'u' ~ % very eAac''ng 10 pro
'9e. s W. '"e" , ,'ou Tue 'ur"ace n'e curtain
" ''o' 10 "u"s up as scFeeo' DurlnS
'ne process oi welding the screen Is
Almost Always red not, aud yet II fur
n'SneS protection OF which the men
are glad enough to avail themselves
' SNN W
oou'se tue mercer must DC the nre oi