The New York herald., 1877-07-08
THE BRIDGE WIRE.
THE CAPACITY OF THE CONTRACTORS WORKS.
oILING THE wIRE--rHE WORK ON THE

THE CAPACITY OF THE CONTRACTORS WORKS..
oILISG THE wIRE-THE WORK ON THE
BRIDGE.
With view OF ascertainna the capacity Of the con-
tractors works 10 furnish in the requisite quantity
and the time required the wire used for the great
cables oi the Brooklyn bridge, HERALD representa-
tive yesterday visited the works in South Brooklyn
whore the manufacture OF the wire Is now going on.
II was asccrtancd from Mr. Hugh the contractor,
that the works, which have beon greatly enlarged 10
allow OF the proper fulhlment OF tho bridge wire con-
tract now have a capacity OF one ton per hour Of No.
wire, which is the size being delivered. For the
last Two weeks ten tons day have heen delivered,
the contract only calling Tor six tons per
day. The No. wire now used Is one
sixteenth of inch larger in diameter than the No.
WIRE, and result OF It's use, the time for
the laying OF the groat cables Will be shortened ny SIX
THIS is due to the act that the carrier wheels
will carry greater weight OF wire each trip As
the finished strands OF the south cables are OF
OF the gauge called by tho first specifications.
the rst two strands the north cables Will beil nlshed
with this size o wire that each OF the four main
csoies Will have equal number Of wires OF the No.
gauge.
THE CABLE LAYING.
When he men. VINO have TO be drilled into the work
OF laying the cables become thoroughly accustomed TO
their work 1t will proceed much fuster, and, with the
change size the wro will be used up much iaster
than expected at hrst In case is necessary the
double the amount OF wire they are now delivering
The engineers employed IN testing tho wire at the
works Tor the Bridge Company are kept hard ut work
testing the samples from each COIL The results oil tive
tests tor stretch and breaking strength during tho
writer's visit were as follows, u loot OF wire being
tested each time;--Breakng strength, 4,200 750.
4l60 A. 7SO and l. 800 poupds percentages ol stretch,
g. A. Az, an 3ls per cent. The requirements OF tho
contract are $50 pounds breaking strength and 3h
per cent o stretch.
oLING rHs WIRE.
new feature OF the WIRE making IL the oling OF
ho WI Mt he
Bridge Company, and hus been a tedious operation,
the OIL being put the wire alter Its delivery 10 the
Bridge Company. THIS mas 10 dry on, the drying
taking place in the open air and depending entirely
upon the state OF The weather. aud sometimes taking
week or more. ln oillhg the wire at the works the
operation takes but time and is very cioctuaiy
performed, the oil beng baked W while tue wire is
Undergoing Colonel Paincs process after
II has been galvanized tho w,re In passn2 from the
molten oath OF zinc TO tho wheels some one hundred
fect distant from bath and situated at altitude
OF eighty feet from the floor, oiled
while still hot Leaving the bath with u tcmpsrn-
of $50 degrees Fahrenheit 1t passes at distance
OF some eighteen feet, iron wheels IN which
grooves covered with material like Turkish towelnR
These revolve in bath o. linseed oil and thoroughly
the wire, which this point has temperature
OF some 900 degrees with the oil. To prevent the
burning OF the cloth ~ Is treated with tanuac Of
by time the oiled wire has passed. over tho wheels
high head and down around tho reels on the floor
below, the heat the wire has thoroughly baked The
oil Oh tho zinc coated surface BY this process sort
Of temperng o the wire by the oil also takes place,
which increases It's toughness. Before 1t Reaches the
oil wheels goes through wire brushes which clean 1t
OF any sand which may have adhered from tho polish
Ing mixture through which II passes on leaving the
zinc bath.
THE WORK ON TIE BRIDGE
The workmen now engaged IN lacking together
with small wire, at suitable intervals the 500 and odd
of which tho completed strands OF the south
cables composed, preparatory to their being low
cred into tn cir nna position. These lashings only
when the nineteen strands which arc 10 form each
BILE all completed and ready 10 DO joined together