The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1885-01-31
PROCESS OF MAKING SHOT.
How the Globules Are Formed in Their
Fall Through the Tower.

Fall Through the Tower.
New York Tribunel
Every person who has walked about
the lower part of this city must have
noticed high, round tower, as high as
the roadway of the bridge, which rears
itself high above the surrounding build
ings, and has small windows at different
places, This tower is in Center street,
near Worth street, and belongs
to the Colwell Lead company.
There are several of these towers
in this city, They are places built
especially for the casting and manu-
facture of shot The tower rises to q
height of l76 feet, and is fifty feet in
diameter at the base. 1t diminishes in
diameter as it ascends, being about
thirty feet across at the top 1t is di-
vided into several stories. A circular
stairway, made Of iron, extends to the
summit, giving access to .the several
stories. Great height is essential for
casting, as the lead must cool in the
descent, andsthus assume a spherical
shape. If hot, it would datten when it
strikes the water in which ii falls.
The first method is making what is
called temper" This is a mixture of
arsenic and lead. TIE mixture is
melted in large kettles, and is con
4 stantly skinned and stirred. 1t is cast
/ in bars, the same as lead. When the
temper is made it is carried to the top
! floor, where there are kettles and fur
mace for melting it. The temper is
mixed with lead, as pure lead would as
sumo various shapes in casting; but
when mixed with the temper in the
proportion Of three tons Of lead to one
of temper, it takes the shape OF globules
when it is cast.
The casting-pans are large colanderS
round pans with holes perforated in
the bottom. The casting is done on the
top floor, and the colander is suspended
over an opening in the floor, which goes
through the entire height Of the build
ing to the ground, where there is = well
of water. The lead is melted in large
kettles, and is dipped out and poured
into the colender with ladies which have
long handles. 1t ooZes through the
holes in the bottom Of the colander and
falls through the opening TO the ground
floor into the well. The shot is taken
out Of the well by small buckets fastened
to an endless belt, which runs over a
wheel, which carries@t from the we'll up
to a long hot metal table Here the
shot is constantly stirred by men with
long rakes, and the heat rapidly dispels
the moisture, and the shot soon becomes
perfectly dry.
1t is taken from the drying table" to
the ''screenerS," series of tables with
narrow openings between them, the
tables being set ut a slight angle. Ii
the shot is round and perfect it,rollS
rapidly along these tables, skipping the
openings, until it reaches box at tho
extreme end into which it falls. If it is
imperfect, it cannot roll fast, and falls
into the openings, under which the
i, boxes are placed
The shot then goes to the "scparators,
which are series of drawers, not un
, like a bureau, which rocks backward an(
r forward by machinery. The shot i
poured into the upper drawer, whicl
q has an iron bottom perforated Will
holes of certain size, and so on dowI
, to the lowest drawer, the bottom o
{ each drawer being perforated Will
holes of O size smaller than those in tht
' drawer above it, The backward anC
y forward motion throws the shot from
2 side to side, letting all the shot the sizO
p of the holes or smaller pass through int,
e the second drawer while all larger thai
;. the holes remain in the drawer Th
q same is repeated down to the loves
drawer so that each drawer contains
i smaller 81 c of shot than the one imm3-
4 diately above it.
/ The next process is polishing" Th'
i shot is put into irregular shaped irol
S boxes, which continually reyoIye. Whc
!. the box is nearly full, powdered blacl,
/ lead is put in. The irregular motion 0
V the box throws the shot from side t
side, and the black-lead is 50 grounc
q into it that it cannot be rubbed of. AM
e it is this that gives it the beautiful shin
appearance.