National Republican., 1886-08-19
MAKING GREAT GUNS.
MANNER IN WHICH THE WORK IS DONE
AT THE NAVY YARD.
The Intricate Plan ExplaInod-Prooess
observed from Inception TO Finish.
What Enters into tho Manufacture
and Completion.

An official Of the Navy Department was
asked last evening Of what the improve.
meuts to the plant for the manufacture of
heavy ordnance In the navy yard Of this
city would consist
"That cannot now be TOLL" he au-
swered, "for the reason that we do not
know yet what amount will be allowed for
that purpose or how the Secretary will
want It spent. It was only to-day that we
got official notice that the other bureaus
would he turned over to tho bureau OF
ordnance. By the way, the equipment de-
paItment is included in that number,
which does not seem to be generally under
stood.
"The Secretary hns not yet, TO my knowl-
edge, expressed his opinion as to what
amount he will allot for Improvement OF
the plant at tho yard. He must first take
into consideration what amount will have
to be expended on the completion of the
armament for the four ships provided by
the act OF Congress of March 8, 1885. That
act provided for one 1000, one 5000, one
1,700, and one $40 ton ship. IL will cost
S1,5O0,000 simply TO put the armament on
three Of the vessels ordered by the last ses-
sion Of Congress, and the Hotchllss guns,
which we call the secondary battery, will
cost about $500,000. The question Is how
soon these vessels are to be armored, and
whether we can get along with the present
plant to supply them.
"The first thing to do after the shops OF
the other departments Of the yard are turned
over to us is to make a selection Of what we
will then have, and then to adopt as far as
possible such facilities to our purposes. My
own idea Is that not more than one building
will be put up, and that will be an addition
to the present ordnance shop, on
which tnUathpr with tn0lQ tbara
will probably be expended $4,000,
though there is no official infor-
nation on which to base that opinion. SO
far as the reports OF the gun-foundry board
give estimates for material their recommend
ations will be foundation for action, but
otherwise they will have no weight at all,
for the reason that improvements have been
going on very rapidly since their report was
made. For instance, q lathe has been In
vented by Frenchman which will far
outdo any lathe previously made"
"What is the prospect for increasing the
number OF employees at the yard :"
at will probably be a year before many
more men are taken on. 1t takes six
months to make lathe, so you may Judge
how long It will be before any new build
ings can be completed aud put In working
order, and you must remember that nothing
can be done before Oct. l. The only prospects
for work within eight or ten months will be
lOI buObt WIN Will Dc III
the buildings TO adapt them to the uses OF
the ordnance department. In year or
year and a half, however, should think
possibly 1900 men might be worked, IL
there is plenty money and material. Not
more, think, unless the yard is extended
either to the east or west, or In both direc-
tions, to give more room. A lathe takes
up good deal Of room, though but one
man is required to work It. The present
force Of the yard is 600 employees, 800 Of
whom are In the ordnance department, and
not more than 200 men are actually en-
ployed on the steel guns for the new
ships"
''Haye you heard how the new s-inch
gun, which was sent TO the Annapolis prov
ing grounds, has stood the test which has
been made P'
"Yes; this is the largest OF the new guns
that has been tested, and report was made
several days ago. TWAS fred with charge
OF ITO pounds of powder, and gave an ini-
tial velocity Of 1866 feet and pressure of
fifteen tons to the square inch. That is ex-
cellent"
The most important feature In the plans
OF the addition which 1t is expected will be
erected to the present ordnance shops is the
device for moving the guns. Instead Of the
old.fashioned cranes, an overhead railway
be lifted, moved, and carried TO any part OF
the shop very readily. Pullies will be let
down from the running gear overhead, and
the immense pieces Of metal will be clasped
and welded with much less difficulty than
at present
AS the time for the enlargement Of the
facilities for making steel guns at the navy
yard grows nearer an interest In the vari-
Gus processes which the unslghtly ingots
Of steel ARE put through TO transform them
into beautiful weapons OF destructioni n
creases.
1t is now two years and half since the
manufacture Of these guns was commenced.
These guns were as follows: Four S-inch
caliber, ten 6-inch, two 5-inch, two 10-inch,
and one 10l-inch. In addition to these the
drawings for 16-inch gun are completed
The 16.inch gun will be too large for use
on shipboard and will be for use In fortif-
cations.
The first work on the material for the
tubes, which is brought to the navy yard in
the rough, is to rough bore them. Thetube
Is the foundation Of the gun, extending its
entire length, over which strengthening
rings are placed, the principal Of these
being the "jacket," which is one-third the
length OF the gun and bands the entire
breech. Some OF the single pieces weighed
as much as 1900 or 10000 pounds. They
come, with the exception OF those made
abroad, from the Midvale Steel Works at
Nicetown, Philadelphia, Pa. The boring
process is very slow and Of little interest to
the visitor, who usually says, swell, de-
clare" as he picks up a chip for relic and
watches an immense tube like that Of the
10.inch gun, nearly 2 feet in diameter and
pounds, on lathe slowly revolving.
When the boring is finished the tube Is
returned to the Midvale Works to be OIL
tempered, by which the qualities OF the
steel are raised to the requirements. This
process is performed after the boring, to be
most effective. All the Jackets and rings
OF the guns are oiled and tempered at the
navy yard. There is an immense tank,
holding about 10000 gallons, used for this
purpose. The oil has to be at temperature
OF about "a degrees, and is lowered to that
degree by water circulated around the
tank. This arrangement is similar to
setting smaller bucket within q
space formed around its inner sides
OF five inches, in which the cold water,
which lowers the temperature OF the oil, is
allowed to circulate. Formerly sperm oil
was used, but experience has shown that
cotton-seed oil answers the purposes of
tempering equally as we'll, and, as It is very
much cheaper, it is substituted. Into this
bath Of oil the steel pieces, one by one,
heated to temperature OF over $50 degrees,
are immersed and allowed to remain GER
tain period, when they are lifted out and
annealed, after which they are tested to
ascertain their tensile strength, elasticity,
and extension.
After testing the metal, II the conditions
are not as required, 1t Is necessary to re-
peat the treatment either In whole or In
part. Annealing is not at all interesting to
the looker.on, as 1t consists OF simply bury
ing the metal In a tank raised above the
ground and filed with sand, under which
fire Is built and banked and allowed to cool,
which finishes the process.
After the parts have been oil-tempered
and annealed they are again put into the
hands Of the machinist The tube Is put
on the lathe and smooth-bored. The tube
Is as simple In Its form as blow.pipe, aud
before IL IA amnOth hOrad H. has the ianket