The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1877-05-25

The Government Foundries at obouk-
hoF and Perm-The Ordnance of
the Imperial Russian Navy.
From the Neeo York Herald.


those of Russia Her policy OF allowing |
few if any FOREIGNERS to visit her dockyards,
workshops, and forts has had a good effect
namely, that of unknown strength, which |
is synonymous 10 the opinion OF most men
with great strength. Few men except
Russians know of the great fortress of Mod |
lin, as one writer has aptly termed it in
Russian Gibraltar" near the Russian
frontier, and no stranger has ever entered
it.
The navy itself is better known than the
army, but the dock yards, foundries, and
workshops, from whence is drawn its mate
rial, are but little known. The great foun-
dries at Oboukhaff, near st. Petersburg,
which rival those of Herr Krupp, at Essen,
furnish the steel rifed guns used in the
Russian navy. The foundries which are
in private hands, but which have guaran-
tee of their time being all filled by govern
ment work, occupy government buildings,
are now under government supervision aud
are virtually government works, They are
named after Mr.. Oboukhoff, a mining en-.
gineer in the government service, who in
vented in 1851 an improved process Of cas-
ting steel in great masses, AT this time
the Russian ordnance department was en-
their heavy artillery, and were naturally
anxious to establish home manufacture.
Contractors and capitalists who were al
ready in relations with the imperial govern
ment we're invited to start the enterprise,
and the government, besides advancing
large sums Of money, gave also a tract of
land near the River Neva and the govern
ment buildings which stood thereon. Mr..
Ia - NIn k,1
process was used, and he became super
intendent of the works, Work was COM
meDced in 1864 In 1866 Mr.. Oboukhoff
retired, and Capt. Kolokotzoff an officer of
the imperial navy, was appointed gener
al superintendent of the work. Col. Musse-
Illus, naval artillery officer, was made
technical superintendent, aud the present
successful career Of the Oboukhoff foun-
dries commenced. The first gun from the
foundry was sent for trial in 1864. 1t was
n muzZle-loader, Of eight-inch calibre,
carrying shell weighing 200 pounds, and
using 80 pounds of charge. AT 5000
yards an armor- plate four and a half
inches in thickness was pierced. The
gun burst on the Tooth shot. This led
periments in the manufacture and
favorable results that, in the same
year, they turned out a nineteen
inch gun, carrying shot weight ll2
pounds, and having charge weighing 81
pounds, which, after GA rounds. showed
no interior change. In 1865 the Krupp
breech- loading system was introduced at the
Oboukhoff foundries In 1867 the hoop
ing.system of Gen. Gadolin, of the Russ.
a1o IN he
guns.
The foundries in time of peace employ
some 800 men, but now many more are
employed, and the works are at their high
est capacity, and working night and day
MANUFACTURE OF THE STEEL
The cast iron used is from the blast fur
Daces of the Ural district, and is manufac
tured by what is known as the charcoal
method" The steel is made in crucbles
of which there are some 400. Each cruel
BILE has capacity Of ninety.two pounds
During the process of melting, which lasts
some three to four hours, the Manganese
and other ingredients are added. The
crucibles are placed two aud two on the
Siemens gas furnace, the fuel used beinl
peat, large deposits Of which are found il
the vicinity. The crucibles are manufac
tured in the works. are made of plumbagt
and clay, and serve for five castings. SOM
10000 of the crucibles are manufactured
yearly. Great care is taken that all thu
ingredients in the crucibles to be used TO
the same casting shall be OF the same quan
tity aud quality. The amounts of each in
gredient are carefully weighed, and b.
chemical analysis their quality is deter
mined.
THE CASTING OF THE GUNS
When all is ready the converted content
of the crlciblcs are poured into castiro
mold lined with sand, in which the stee
gradually coOls, forming a homogeneou
mass. Two men carry each crucible to tn
side of the casting pit, where they ar
ranged in rows around it, and the work
so timed that a continuous stream of mol
ten metal is poured into the mold, a
many as 100 crucibles are used in the cast
ing of a twelve-inch gun, and it is an affai
OF only from fifteen 10 twenty minutes
The steel used for the casting Of the gun
contains from to per cent. OF carbon
Some ten or twelve hours after the film
OF the mold the core is taken out and waite
let In to cool the casting, The stream @
water is continued for several days, unit
the gun Is thoroughly cooled.
Alter casting has been made a sampl
Is taken from the muZzle end, the breech
and the centre. These samples are sub
jected to physical aud chemical tests, Xii
caldy's well known machine being used i
the former case.
FINISHING THE GUN.
After the casting is finished the crud
mass is hoisted out of the pit and is take
IN the gfnifharv uhara ~ ~ nut in u,
Slemens heating furnaces and the
toughened by being lifted into an immens
cylinder containing boiling liuseed oil. Tn
two together are then gradually allowed T.
cool. This whole operation, from tn
heating of the gun to the moment of it
being taken out of the oil, is perfOrme
with great regularity as 10 time and all tn
other conditions, which have been deter
mined by many experiments as being tn
most favorable This method, which i
not used by Herr Krupp, has been foun
TO give excellent results. In Englan
Pallisser and Armstrong use it for interio
tubes, which are comparatively light stet
masses. The gun is then hammered int
its proper shape. The outside is the
turned and the interior channel bored out
These are long and tedious processes
which require great care. The main tub
is nov ready to be hoped. IL is place
in vertical position, and the first layer G
hoops, having previously been heated i
boiling linseed Gil are passed over tn
muzzle and on to the tube. Contractin
after they cool, they fit accurately. TIL
tube,with one layer or, lis then taken to tn
turning establishment, and the layer
turned smooth. The other layers, up t