The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1876-05-18
The Centennial Seen Thro' Maine
Spectacles.

ride to the United States Arsenal at Frankford,
being especially favored in accompanying Major
Dawes of the Army who with his wife is stay
ing at this hotel. We had not a very clear idea
Of the route or distance and in consequence got
bewildered among the many horse railroads
and after perplexed ride in the Richmond
district, found ourselves just where we had
changed cars half hour previous! However,
we got to the Arsenal gate at last, and were
very courteously received by the Commantlant
Colonel TreadweI, and by Captain Wright.
The latter gentleman kind enough to ac-
company Us through the grounds and build
ngs, and explain the workings of the marvel
lous machinery.
The Arsenal is beautifully situated on the
banks of the Delaware, occupying sixty-seven
acres Of level land, which is kept in perfect
condition. The buildings are numerous. hand
some and substantial. 1t cannot be said of this
place, as Longfeow wrote Of Springfield Ar
sena, that
From floor tn ceiling,
Like huge organ, rise the FURNISHED arms."
There are no great stacks of muskets here.
While Springfield mainly supplies the rilled
muskets, the Frankford Arsenal makes the
fixed ammunition for that and all other small
arms, and in fact the whole army supply. 1t
| is full Of the most beautiful and efficient ma
chinery, capable Of making 100000 cartridges
per day, and employing, at full capacity, 1000
| operatives. The machinery is al! of American
| origin, and was nearly all invented and perfect
ed by the ingenious mechanics at tie works
We were first taken through the machine shop,
which was we'll fitted up with choice tools
Next we went into the room in which sheet
copper is converted into the cartridge case
| These are of the purest sheet copper, rolled to
| the requisite thickness, and so nicely is this re-
| quired to be done that Il variation in thickness
Of one thousandth part Of an inch would rem
der it useless for the purpose. The strips of
copper are then punched by machine into
discs, the size Of a silver dollar. These are
| then passed through machine that leaves
| them in shape like a hat without brim-and
then successfully through i've other similar
machines, until the cartridge case of proper
shape is obtained. These machines are all au-
| tomato, or selEacting, the work being fed to
them by hopper-like arrangement. The ma
| chimes are models of ingenuity and nicely
many holding them in these respects superior
to the coming machines at the Mint. These
processes give to the copper an undesirable
| hardness, and TO soften them they are heated
and plunged into cold water--it being q curious
| fact that the process which hardens steel will
soften copper. But before doing this, they are
| placed in i wire cylinder and reyolyed, half
immersed in chemical preparation which re-
moves the Oil, raising in the process lather
! thnE rnI1ll No ha, nfa ybary
man. After being dried, the shells next re-
| ceiVe the illuminate or percussion powder
| This i placed in very shallow caps, filling q
depression on the outside of the same, and
| when ready for use, are on the inside of the
shell, filling the bore at the bottom. These
caps are perforated to give the lire OF the full
i ninate access to the powder. They are dis
| charged by the lock driving steel needle
! through bottom of the she'll. The illuminate
| with which the caps are charged is a terrible
| explosive, and has to be handled with extreme
caution. It is kept wet, and the caps are filed
| by most ingenious automatic machinery. The
bowliu of illuminate which the girl tending the
| machine had at her elbow wns enough to level
the building, should it explode, but he work
! ed apparently u- careless Is though tying
| bouquet.
! We next took :. View Of the room where lead
| for bullets il prepared. The lead is mixed
with small per cent. Of TIM to give it hard
ness, and then cast in long moulds, like candles
the candles that ' light the way to dusty
death" The leaden rods are then cut by ma
chinery into proper lengths for conical bullets.
! These pieces then pass through machine that
! :, -,,c... Il,
| leaI ing couple Of depressed rings near the
| base, for filling with Japan wax, as q lubrica-
tor. Then the case and the bullet are ready to
90 together, with 1.-THE villainous saltpetre' be-
| tween. This is done by very nice and com
| plicated machine that measures the powder
| places it in the she'll drops the bullet on top,
and closes the copper tightly around it. Ii II
she'll fails 70 get lis due share of powder the
machine rings Il bell to call attention to the
omission. These cartridges will lie 4 year in
water and then not fail to explode. The reg
ulations require that certain number of car
tridges shall be fired daily, test Of that per-
| fcction which the government requres-and
| we witnessed the eXpertness of an operative
who fired 20 rounds in 81 seconds from a
| Springfield musket in fixed rest and - a
minute from the shoulder.
| Actual war calls for large waste Of gun
powder aud lead, so the supply has to be in
| proportion. | believe the authorities estimate
| that for every mau killed there is an average of
Il mans weight in lead fired away. Many Of
| the cartridge making machines are tended by
| women. Why they We're not prcttier ones was
| puzzling question for some time until the eN
planation suggested itself that pretty girls are
| combustDe, and therefore not to be tolerated
| among explosives. Ii WAS the best eXplana-
| ton that occurred TO us.
After passing couple of hours very pleas
antly, we departed. exceedingly gratihed with
the visit, greatly indebted to the kind courtesy
of Captain Wright, and more than ever con-
vinced that when our Uncle Sam goes TO war
| in earnest he has great resources for its prose-
cution.
There have been changes in the weather
since our arrival The cold days have given
| pl lce to Il more desirable temperature, and
| Sunday was almost oppressive.
The subject least talked Of here is politics.
| The daily papers are read and commented
| upon in an Indifferent sort of way, as to the
| chances of this or that candidate-but there Is
nothing like earnestness in the matter The
great national gathering absorbs everything
else. The Southern men express themselves
as highly gratifed, and take great interest in
the success of the Exposition. | have made
some pleasant acquaintances among them.
Hon. John Lynch and lady, Commissioner
from Louisiana, are among the boarders at the
| I, I -, ,,I,,,
whose plantation covers the battlefield on
which jackson defeated Packenham. I met
few days ago, Hon. Richard NJ. Nelson, Com
missioner from Alabama, who remarked that
he should always feel kindly toward Maine
men, because of kind treatment he received
from the Second Maine Cavalry, when captured
by them during the war. He felt especially
grateful to Major Hutchinson of that regiment.
The great abundance Of liquor shops has
! been noticed heretofore. l am greved to say