The weekly herald. [volume] (Cleveland, Tenn.) 1876-1888, 1879-11-13
MAKING SHOT.
The Nicely with which The Work l. Almost
Automatically Performed.

Automatically Performed.
A correspondent has been to the top
Of tie shot.tJEer in Chicago, and de.
scribcs the process % making shot
! had a din iiea that lead vas melted
be!oTi that this molten STUFF was hauled
t. tie top Of the tower, Tie dumped
down into the water belov, ara that this
made shot. TIE real process is this: As
pure lead will not make perfect globules,
it Is necessarily tempered. Taf tsm-
per is prepared by the addition Of in
gradients, OF which arsenic is the main
properly, below; run into bars cony5.
nient for use, and, with the lig-lead,
hoisted 10 tho very top of the tower,
where both are melted in proper proper.
ton together.
Mr.. Gates aud myself, back TO back,
and very much bumped, entered the
small, though powerful elevator, not
over three and one-half feet by twenty
inches in size, and went up, up, up, with
a horrible din roaring all about us. Az
the very topare two little circular rooms,
not over eight or ten feet in diameter,
n about twelve feet below the other,
and each containing two huge kettles in
which the pig lead and the temper are
melted. In the busy season these are
run at night, aud the fame, away up
there in the darkness, reminds one OF
signal.torches UPON towers in the feudal
days.
From one Or the other of tie two ket-
ties in both rooms-as each room has q
separate sbait-streams of shot are con-
siantly flowing. At the bottom Of each
kettle the molten stuff pours into square
pans perforated at one side. These per-
forations are large or small, according to
the size OF shot desired, and separate the
mass into distinct, delicate, cleaning
streams Which, in turn, as they come in
contact with tho atmosphere, separate
into perfect globules, or shot, which are
cooled in their 200 feet journey and the
water into which they fall below.
But now come what to me, we're still
more interesting processes. Out of the
shot pit, up through the water, an end
less belt, with cups attached, carries the
wet shot, depositing it in q huge revolv-
ing heated cylinder, where the globules
are thoroughly dried. From this they
pass out upon 6 descending series OF
slightly inclined tables, the lower edge
OF each Il being a few inches above,
and distant from, the succeeding table.
The perfect globules, from their specific
gravity, go bounding over these spaces;
but the imperfect ehot are gradually
forced along until they reach them, when
they fall into receptacles, aud being re-
molten, go over the same journey again.
From these sorting-tablos the shot are
carried to a series Of sizing s%ieves, with
perforated sheet brass bottoms. Moved
back and forth by machinery, the shot
of a smaller size pass through these per-
forations, larger shot Of different sizes,
from the motion Of the sleeves, and from
their weight, gradually sorting them
selves with absolute perfection. From
the sorting'eieyes the shot pass into pol
ishlng barrels, containing a p reparation
the main constituent OF which is plum
bago, and emering from these, FURNISHED
like silver, find their way into rcpo sito-
ries in the story below, to the mouth of
each OF which is attached a d~elicately
adjusted automatic scale, which will dis
charge precisely twenty-five pounds Of
shot into the bags beneath. Each bag,
however, is tested, and, after being sewed
up, these shot, which have arrived at
their absolute perfection of form and fin
jsh, seemingly, through much Of their
own act and yolition, are reaoy to be sent
forth to the hunter and sportsman on
their death-dealing mission.