The star of Pascagoula. [volume] (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1873-1878, 1877-07-27
The WONDERS OF WOOLwICH.
The Nanufnctur OF Bullets Shells and
Cartridge Cause.-The Forty-T0n
Steam Hammer.

The Manunacture OF BuIIeis-sheiIs and
Cartridge Cause.-The Forty-T0n
Steam Hammer.
The London newspapers Of June 26th
furnish us with a report OF a visit made
bv one hundred and fifty members and
associates of the society of engineers To
the royal arsenal at Woolwich. On as.
| sembling at the arsenal the visitors were
divided into two sections, each section
proceeding in charge of a guide, n to
the royal laboratory department, and the
other to the royal carriage department.
| On leaving those departments the sec
tions interchanged, and afterward both
| sections united and were conducted over
the royal gun factories. In the labora.
tory the visitors were first shown the
manufacture of bullets for the Martini
Henry as well rs for the Snider rifle, and
also for Colts revolvers. The bullet
metal is first poured hot into a receiver,
which is forced up by hydraulic pressure,
causing the solidifed but still hot metal
to issue from the top Of Il plunger as a
rod. This operation is performed IN
what is designated tho "lead-squirting
room" The rod Of metal is wonnd on
to a drum as it issues forth until the
contents of the hydraulic press are ex-
hausted, when the drum, with its coil, is
removed to the bullet-moulding room.
Here the metal il. first cut up into lengths
and rough-shaped in one machine and
finished in another. A large number of
machines were busily at work making
the three classes of bullets we have men
toned. The manufacture of the plug
for the rear end of the bullet was also
witnessed. The plug was formerly made
of wood, but is now made from a special
kind of powder, which is solidified under
pressure. The shell foundry and she'll
filling room were next visited, and shells
of various sizes, from those of the
SO.ton gun downward to 7-pounder
shells, were seen in the various
stages OF manufacture. The cartridge
case factory was then visited, as were
subsequently the rocket and the torpedo
departments, and finally the model-room.
In the royal carriage department some
very interesting work was witnessed in
the preparation of the details of car
riages for the 2S-ton and other guns.
Much interest was e%vinced in some hand
saw machines at which small detail parts
were being cut out of wrought-iron, just
in the same way as fret-work is executed
in wood. Another interesting engineer
ing tool shown was a circular planning
machine by Greenwood q Bailey, OF
Leeds, and which has not been long at
the arsenal. By its aid some racers for
the SO ton gun platform were being
planted. This tool will plane to a maxi
mum radius oftwenty-five feet. A num-
Der of other powerful and useful ma
chimes were examined. Upon arriving
at the roval gun factories, the visitors
were received by Capt. Porter, in the
absence of Col. Younghusband, superln-
tendent of the royal gun factories; Here
special heats had been arranged by Col.
Younghusband. They first saw the coil
ing of the white-hOt bars for a breech-
piece in the coil-mill. Thence they pro
,eeded, under the guidance of Capt. Por-
Ter, to the rolling mill, where they saw
the bars produced, and where they found
some very good reversing gear to the
rolls. In the forge a jacket, weighing
about thirty tons, and intended for a 3S-
ton gun, was being manipulated under a
4O.ton steam hammer with as much ease
and dexterity as though it had only
weighed thirty pounds, The operation
of shrinking a breech-piece on to a steel
tube. still for q 3S-ton gun, was then
witnessed, after which the experimental
50 ton gun was shown to the visitors. as
were also the various parts of the three
service 80-tou guns which are in process
Of manufacture. By mean of a model,
which could be taken apart, Capt. Porter
explained the construction of these splen-
did weapons. The turnery, the rough
boring mill, the rihing mill, and The
pa|ttern-room were successfully visited,
in the latter of which the members took
leave of Capt. Porter, every one being
highly gratifed with the pleasing and
instructive visit, for nowhere else could
such a varied series of special engineer
ing operations be witnessed.