Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-12-25
! cseAr GUs rAcrssY.

- bpsv and pleasant village Of
-. WIN $500 inhabitants, may b De-
00fhe6. g to I0oatienv ~ situated IN
uGAiusr county, in the most fertile
- az the Mohawk valley. on either
- 81 the Erie canal. on the line Of
~ Nev York Central and New York,
40 Shore and Buffalo railways, and
x6elVe miles east Of Utica. Bot, better
6Han b. any physical description, Hon
= knovu, world vide, ~ Che seat Of the
1e0iueteu Gun Factory. Here hevs
- allod contracts for military riaes
~ tho following governments Inc
Unieed States, Denmark, Sweden, Cuba,
0nniu. Rome, France, Egypt. Japan,
Ckana. Persia, Mexico and twelve OF the
$780, OF Central and South America;
- for the States of New York and
South Carolina. Tho product Of the
srmorv to date foots mp ,39l,OOO mill
tarv yifles. The armory 10 under the
nunerintepdency of Mr.. John Hoemer.
No entered employment here - yea1
20 az a toolmaker. Eighteen months
lcfer he became q contractor. and was
1nsh for q years. A year a0o ne ac-
oeUtaa the position he now f1lIs. Asa
mechanic he he's few equals, and ne IL
Vithal gentleman of culture. There
aro contracts and contracts IN gun
making. The Remington Company
contracts TO furnish 90 many Rnns. 1t
then contracts with different men Tor
different parts of the weapons-Ali
within its own works. One man takes
tha contract t, draw out " the barrels,
another tn rough bore, another to pol
ian others to furnish the stock, the
fra q. the breech piece. etc. The COM
hined product ia the finished gun. The
Remjp.ton Works employ now 1AO
men and upward. not all OF whom,
however. are found in the ernorv. The
sewing machine. typewriter and aQri-
Uultural departments divide the force
IT workmen.
The aYmory is running on the con-
traot with the Argentine Republic,
which il to be completed By November
10. The contract was taken in May
lAse. aad calls for 1900 military rifles.
az the Argentine model. and 15,0OO car
hinea. One thousand of the latter are
10 have 23% inches length OF barrel and
She remainder 2O1z inches. The rifle
barrels are 36 inches. When they are
delivered the Remington Arms Com
Uanv will have furnished the Argentine
Repnblic 100000 stand of arms within
the mast three years. II il Turning ont
e present 25O rifles day. The number
Win be increased presently, AZ It be-
comes necessary to complete the job
within tho prescribed time. the works
being capable. fully manned, OF making
LOO guns per day.
Il may be of interest to follow the
peooess of modern Qun-making az Illus
krated in this armory with the Argen-
tine gun. Starting with the barrel {:
Tho material comes to the armorv In
round bars of steel aboct 16 feet long
and 2 inches in diameter. These arc
cut into pieces or inches long, as the
OArbine or rife barrel is to be made.
Tho latter weighs 81 pounds. and il re-
0uOed by the processes which follow to
~ pounds. The csrbine barrel IL light
q By two pounds. A hole eleven-six-
tesnths of an inch in size is drilled
through the bar. It goes then to the
rolling mill, 10 heated to Welding heat,
and put through Rrooved roller press.
By which Il 10 drawn ont to the desired
lonRth. The rolls haye eight grooves,
uosh OF different size, and eight pss-
ncsa through the rollers bring the steel
- 10 required shape and length. In
handling the steel a different mandrel
= used for each groove, and at last the
barrel bore IL much smaller than II 10
ultimately to be. Four men compose a
tQane ct each PAIR of rollers, and each
6AnR does q fall days work in cool
weather II IL draws out 200 barrels. And
Asee may be the proper place to say
Mat the contractor for tho rolling NALL
work, William Onyans, 10 the son Of tho
S0vontor Of the process Of drawing out
I'm barrels by machinery. He In ma
6ye Of Birmingham, England. and Was
AnGaged by the United States govern
Oent to como to Springfield twenty Ave
years ago. He there put up the first
1nA0hiue for rolling gun barrels ever
eItod 10 this country. He remained in
~ governments employ at Springfield
- Hayper's Ferry nine years, during
which time every gun barrel made ut
eAsee armories for our army was rolled
Vn1sr his supervision. MI. Onyans has
ooen with the Remington Company six
eoo0 pears, and has here made over 500.
eW barrels.
From the rolling mill and straiRhten-
lng press the barrel goes to the anneal.
3n0 room, and 10 softsned 10 the degree
noeessary for working. Il then passes
- the barrel room, and IL trough
tslaiQhtened," then ''nut- hored," pro-
eososs BY which tho bore il made uni
Hoem. Three processes OF "quick Dor
1ne' fellow, after each Of which the
barrel 10 Strengthened by the shade line.
TIE operator puts the barrel In rest,
md, hooking through, determines by
he shade lines within where to apply
A11 hammer to remedy any crook that
may exist. The barrel isluext put in q
lathe and it's outside turned 10 uni-
Soem si1e. Il u next ''muzxle- bored
Tor bayonet-h fitting, after which the
Whole barrel IL ground to the bat and
0lod at the muxzle to the exact sixe for
~ bayonet. "Proof- STRENGTHENING
comes next. altar which il goes 10 the
peoof-room, called here ''SebastapO0l."
There each barrel IL loaded with a
charge four times a. heavy No the ordi-
mary service charge. Eighty barrels are
arranged In q bank and securely fAs-
3oned. A train Of powder 10 laid, per.
oo1oion Gap fitted on the end of an iron
soa extending through into the operat-
11Q room, and the 6-inch door being
elooea, light stroke With hammer on
tAo outer end Of the iron rod Ii followed
~ . discharge resembling . nitrail
1o1ae. Occasionally . barrel bursts, and
~ wallis Of this '6ebastopool" arc
utnok full OF iron from the shattered
1eesl Of years Of proof firing. BY the
Veosing Of the flriug-room deor 4 red
4A9 b displayed over the little Building,
and tho initiated outside know vollev
= 70 Do drod.
Aflsr proving, the barrel butt Il given
IT. ootaRonal outs. which are the dis