The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1883-05-15
NAIL MAKIxG on PACIFIC.
Description OF The New RntsFpIips at
OAKLAND. caDfornia.

OAAtNnus Nhb1uEnAhs w. ia
The 1sfE1LlsEacEn has been asksdf for some
information conserving the California nail
mill, g new enterprise which Is attracting at.
tention. The following complete description
Is from an exchange:
The Pacific Iron and Nail Company, which
was orgGhizsd about two years ago with q
capital OF 100000, started Its works on the
l3ih ult. The works are located al oakland,
California, on Ban Francisco Bay, where ten
acres Of salt marsh, on Oakland Creek, at
Market street, had been purchased for the
purpose. Ground was broken last August.
A large part OF the lard was filled In to q
depth Of four feet TO provide yard room and
sites for the buildings. "a wharf was con-
structed 800 feet in length. and ship chan
mel dredged up to II, carrying o depth OF Il
feet OF water. Railroad tracks were laid oon-
Meeting the works with the main line OF the
Central Pacific, which passes only q short
distance from the buildings; also out to the
end of the wharf, where cHrgoes OF coal and
iron are discharged from the deep water YES
sells directly into the cars OF the company, TO
be transferred to any part Of the premises,
while Central Pacific Railroad cars eau be
loaded directly from the packing room and
warehouse for shipment TO any part OF the
COhSL. OpeIhlluuo bIc Saiiieu w ~ pke1ens
Ia three buildings, namely: The rolling mill,
100 feet by f60 feet; the nail mill, SO feet by
1871 feet, and the machine and blacksmith
shop, 10 feet by 90 feet.
The rolling mill contains o blooming train
aud two plate trains, driven by q S0x40 inch
Corliss engine OF 500 nominal horsepower,
The furnaces occupy two sides Of the build.
inc, the waste heat from them being utilized
for the generation Of the steam required for
all the different engines OF the mill. The
scrap shears, the hot:bloom shears, and the
plate shears are each driven by special en-
gines. The nail plate Is made Of scrap iron
mixed with old rails, OF which stock the
company has now 5000 tons on hand, 1000
tons OF which came from the Government
works at bombay. The supply Of scrap iron
on the Pacific coast Is not equal TO the de.
mauds OF these and other works; hence the
heavy drafts on foreign countries. But there
is also another reason for importing 1t. On
all nails exported, II made from imported
iron, the Government allows a rebate equal
to the duty paid on iron, which amounts In
this case 10 about 40 cents per ksg. The coal
used Is Australian Bullet, 1000 tons Of which
are now on band aud atioat.
The nail mill is provided at present with
si1ty.two automatic selffeeding and eight
hand. feeding nail machines arranged in two
rows, as close together as they can stand, the
whole length Of the building. Occupying
two wings Of the building, one on each side
Of the row OF nail machines, are the two
attending furnaces, where the plates designed
for the nails above the sixpenny size are
heated preparatory to cutting, all sizes
smaller than skies being cut cold. Along
each side OF the room are two row OF grind.
stones, twenty.six In number, five or SIX feet
inldiameter and a foot thick, and In constant
motion, with several men in attendance
whose duties are TO sharpen the cutters OF
nail machines. The finished nails drop
through an opening in the floor into the bins
In the packing rooms below, where, after
being carefully examined, they are put into
kegs OF 100 pounds each and are ready for
market. The kegs are now made by the
Mattullath Manufacturing Company Of San
Francisco, but will soon be made at the
works. The nail mill Is driven by q special
upright engine entirely distinct and indie.
pendent OF the other departments OF the
works. In fact, this independence OF one
department. from another has been made q
feature OF the entire establishment. g
A site Is being flled-in.for q cooper shop,
TO be built shortly, after which all the kegs
capacity OF the works Ia now 7i0 kegsot nails
per day, the company Is building additional
machines in is own shop, and by another
year the number in operation will be increas-
ed to 100. With this number 1t expects TO
be able to supply the present demands Of the
market, which amount TO about 800, 900 kegs
per year. II at any time the supply Of scrap
Iron obtainable runs short, the company is
prepared to erect pudding furnaces aud thu
make available the superior charcoal pig iron
now turned ont by the ClipperGap and other
Pacific coast smelling furnaces.
The present officers OF the company are: P.
A. Wagner, president; Asa Harker, vice
president; G. g Walker, superintendent;
and Messrs. W. J. Houston & Co., who were
the originators OF the enterprise, are appoint
ed the general agents OF the company.