The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1877-06-14
HOW THE BIG GUN WAS CAST.
Success full Operation at the South Boston
Iron FOundry-Ihe TweIve-iuch Rifle
Gun Designed for New York EIarbOr.

Success full Operation ut the South Boston
Iron FOundry-the TweIve-inch Rifle
Gum Designed for New York EIarbOr.
The heaviest gun ever cast in this
country, with perhaps two exceptions,
was successfully produced at the South
Boston iron cOmpany's works, near the
Broadway bridge, South Boston, yester-
day afternoon, in the presence of about
one hundred and fifty persons, several of
whom were ladies. Col. Crispin, Col.
Bayler, Capt. Phipps, Capt Bryant,
Lieut. Smith, and Lieut.. WhippIe, of
the ordnance corps; Col. Randall, Major
Sanger. Capt. White, Capt. Andrews,
Lieut. Nichols, and Lieut.. Patterson, OF
the first artillery were present. The
material used was the ordinary charcoal
iron. The gun, which will be a l2-inch
rifed ROdman, carrying 700-pOund con-
ical ball, when finished is expected to
measure 273 inches, or about % feet, in
length. The diameter at the widest
part will be 50 inches, and the casing will
be 20 inches for a depth of 232 inches
At the mUzzle the outside diameter will
he about % inches. The weight when
finished will be SO, $50 pounds, and when
cast was about 10000 pounds. There
was 80 tons of metal in the three fur
naces. The gun is expected to be com
pleted in November. 1t is estimated
that the mass will cool in about $50
hours.
Three large furnaces were used for the
melting. The flask, which was some 90
feet long, was sunk all but about six feet
into the ground, muzzle up. From the
furnaces were runners, a sort of iron
trough or spout, lined with clay, about
InphpC yEvIHn of n fnv I OF ha
bottom, and 6 inches deep, and each
about Is or 20 feet long. These led to a
sort of central tank or pool within six or
eight feet of the point where the flask or
mold was placed. In this was an open
ing which led into two runners like those
| coming from the furnaces, and the run
neTs carried the material from the pool
to the mold. The pool was for the pur-
pose of equalizing the consistency Of the
| iron before it entered into the compost
| ton of the gun. At about $50 the visi
/ tors were requested to preserve quiet ;
| the word was given, and the deep red
! stream Of molten iron was soon seen
| rolling through the runners, with the
| accompaniment of great quantities OF
| beautiful golden stars scintillating over
| the fiery mass. From the pool the liquid,
| after being thoroughly amalgamated,
! passed through the shorter runners and
! dropped to the bottom of the mold. the
material rising gradually until the level
| of the trOughs was reached. This OccU-
! pied about 10 minutes, and then it be-
came necessary to pour in from the
! top, which was several feet above the
! trOughs. This was done by filling
ladies" great tubs of iron lined with
! clay, each holding several tons of melted
! iron, and swinging them by the three
/ enormous derricks around to a runner
raised higher than the others, and which
| led to the top of the mold. The portion
| filled up with ladies' was in addition to
| the length of the gun, which must be
| cut off some six feet. This Is necessary
IN order to have the end perfectly solid.
| The gun was cast upon the ROdman
| principle OF having the core, which is
| hollow, filed with water during
the process of casting by means of a
| pipe to convey cold water to the bottom
| OF the core, and another to carry off the
! water from the top when it becomes
heated. This causes the cooling inside
and outside to be much more uniform,
and adds greatly to the strength of the
gun. The casting was finally finished
about $3.50 O'Clock, without accident OF
any kind. The gun when finished will
be forwarded to Sandy Hook for expert
ments by the United States authorities.
! Boston Journal, May 3Ist.