The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1885-12-05
a SHOT TOWER.
How the Shot Is Sorted Into Sizes for the
Familiar Canvas Bags.

Familiar Canvas Bags.
Shot isformed by pouring a melted
piece of alloy or lead through colander
II sieve at the top of high tower In
falling to the base of the tower the
particles of semi-huid lead assume the
globular form. They fall into vessel
Of water placed to receive them, before
reaching which they become so nearly
solid that their globular form is re-
tanned when they strike the surface of
the yielding element. An arsenical
preparation forms the alloy, which
makes the lead more ductile, softer and
better fitted to take the spherical form.
The soft and pure American lead re-
quires less arsenic than the hard and
brittle foreign varieties. Too much
arsenic causes the drops to assume the
lenticular form, and too little causes
them to elongate, to ilatten on one side
and hollow in the middle as they cool.
The higher the tower the larger the
shot that may be dropped in it. | had
an opportunity at Chicago of inspecting
the whole process of making shot. Also
at the same time | saw how sheet lead
and lead pipes are manufactured, and
the no less interesting processes in the
manufacture of linseed oil.
The lofty tower, as high and almost
as massive as Bunker Hill monument,
must have attracted the attention of
nearly every one who has visited the
city. From its summit the best view of
the city is to be obtained. 1t is one of
the tallest towers erected for this pur-
pose in the world. There is one in
Europe 24O feet high. Some of the per-
pendicuIar bluffs in the Upper Missis-
sppi in the vicinity of the lead mines
of Iowa and Wisconsin are used in fbe
place of towers. the melted lead beino
dropped over the prccipices.
The shot are Of greater dimensions
than the holes of the coIander tbrouob
which they pass. Mr.. Blatchford dipped
out handful from the cistern for our
inspection. There was quite a variety
of sizes, and many of the drops had
assumed IRREGULAR forms The first
thing done with the shot is TO dlythpm
and then the perfectly sphcricaI ones
are selected by very ingenious con-
trivance. as simple rs if is inUcnious
A series of inclined planes IS so NJ
ranged. one below another, with cans
between. that when the shot is poured
upon the top one. the perfectly spherical
ones of all sizes bound forward merrilv
in straight lines. skippinp the oaps mn.
erringIy, and lving off neither TO the
right hand nor the left. ANY one who
has tried to roll an imperfect ball in 4
ten-pin allev knows what nm Irresistible
attraction the sides of the alley have
for the poor ball II will not
keep upon the STRAIGHT highway
cast up for it, but must needs roll into
the ditch. melancholy instance of tbe
'.depravity of inanimate tbincs.'' So
the imperfect shot scatter ont at the
sides of these planes. And even if tbov
chance. by a miracle of GRACE. to keen
in the center. they droD into the cun-
ming pitfalls over which their perfect
brethren nimblv skip in safety. The
nearly perfect ones sometimes escane
several of their caps. but are all CAUGHT
before thev reach the bottom. and self
convicted. are Observation-Disclosures
to the melting not The ncrfect ones
OF al sizes run into a revolving barrel
where with a little pulverized graphite,
or plumbapo. they roll abont for \