Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-02-12
A SHOT TOWER.
How the Shot Is Sorted Into SieeB for the
Familiar Canvas Bags.

" GNC SAAOO 10 oOTLcN xuVV SkkGA U II
Familiar Canvas Bags.
Shot isformed by pouring q melted
piece of alloy orleadthrough a colander
or sieve at the top of a high tower. In
falling to the base of the tower the
particles of semi-fuid lead assume the
globular form. They fall into a 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 aus the drops to assume the
le%nticular form, and too little causes
them to elongate, to fatten on side
and hollow in the middle as they cool.
The higher the tower the larger the
shot that may be dropped in it. I Mad
an opportunity ut Chicago of inspecting
the whole process of making shot. Also
at the same time I saw how sheet lead
and lead pipes are manufactured, aid
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 n who has visited the
city. From it's 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 240 feet high. Some of the per-
pendicular bluffs in the Upper Missis,
sippi in the vicinity of the lead mines
of Iowa and Wisconsin are used in the
place of towers, the melted lead being
dropped over the precipices.
The shot are Of greater dimensions
than the holes of the colander through
which they pass. Mr.. Blatchford dipped
out a 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 dry hem,
and then the perfectly spherical ones
arc selected by a very ingenious con-
trivance, as simple as it is ingenious.
A series of inclined planes IS So al.
ranged, one below another, with gaps
between, that when the shot is poured
upon the top one, the perfectly spherical
ones of all sizes bound forward merrily
in straight lines, skipping the gaps ia.
erringly, and flying off neither to the
right hand nor the left. Any one who
has tried to roll an imperfect ball in a
ten-pin alley knows what an irresistible
!, attraction the sides of the alley HAVE
for the poor ball. 1t will moi
keep upon the straight highway
cast up for it, but must needs roll into
, the ditch, a melancholy instance of the
"depravity of inanimate things" Sc
} the imperfect shot scatter out at the
sides of these planes. And even if they
chance, by a miracle of grace, to keel
Z in the center, they drop into the cum
ming pitfalls over which their perfec
brethren nimbly skip in safety. TIL
nearly perfect ones sometimes escap
several Of their gaps, but are all caugh
before they reach the bottom, and sell
convicted, are ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
to the melting pot. The perfect one
of all sizes run into q revolving barrel
where with a little pulverized graphite
, or ~plumbago, they roll about for
= while, and acquire the brilliant po1isl
r which is their finishing touch.
1t only needs now to assQrt the size
and to pack them in the little canva
bags familiar to all sportsmen. The!
are sorted in revolving cylinder
slightly inclined, perforated with boles
which increase in size toward the lowe
i. end. Each size drops out as soon IS i
comes to a set of holes large enough
9 to allow the shot to pass. The arrange
9 ment for weighing and bagging then
is very ingenious. R%eceptacles mum
bered from one to twelve, according t.
the size of the shot, nnder the revolv
ing cylinders, conduct the little death
dealing missiles through tunnels int
the canvas bags. As soon as a bag ha
received its twenty-five pounds it
weight shuts a valve, and no more ca,
come till the bag is removed and an
other put in its place. One mar tend
the whole row, with needle and threa'
Il sewing up the bags, which are the1
ready for the market. All the work o
the tower, except that which is done b.
machinery, is performed by three men
!, -Phil0delDhiU Call.