The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1886-02-20
A SHOT TOWER.
How the Shot L. Sorted Into Sizes for the
Familiar Canvas Bags.

How the Shot Il Sorted Into Sizes for the
Familiar Canvas Bags.
Shot isformed by pouring a melted
piece of alloy or lead through colander
or sieve at the top of high tower. In
falling to the base of the tower the
particles of semi-fuid 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 hatten 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
80 hoc< -
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 handful from the cistern for our
inspection. There was quite variety
of sizes, and many of the drops had
assumed irregular forms. The first
thing done with the shot is to dry them,
and then the perfectly spherical ones
are selected by very ingenious con-
trivance, as simple as it is ingenious.
A series of inclined planes is so ar.
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 un-
erringly, and flying of neither to- the
right hand nor the left. Any one who
has tried to roll an imperfect ball in .
ten-pin alley knows what an irresistible
attraction the sides of the alley have
for the poor ball. 1t will not
keep upon the straight highway
cast up for it, but must needs roll into
the ditch, melancholy instance of the
''depravity of inanimate things" So
the imperfect shot scatter out at the
sides of these planes. And even if they
chance, by miracle of grace, to keep
in the center, they drop into the cum.
ming pitfalls over which their perfect
brethren nimbly skip in safety. The
nearly perfect ones sometimes escape
several of their gaps, but are all caught
before they reach the bottom, and self
convicted, are unceremoniously returned
to the melting pot. The perfect ones
of all sizes run into revolving barrel,
where with a little pulverized graphite,
or plumbago, they roll about for .
while, and acquire the brilliant polish
which is their finishing touch.
1t only needs now to assert the sizes
and to pack them in the little canvas
bags familiar to all sportsmen. They
are sorted in revolving cylinders
slightly inclined, perforated with holes,
which increase in size toward the lower
end. Each size drops out as soon as it
comes to a set of holes large enough
to allow the shot to pass. The arrange
ment for weighing and bagging them
is very ingenious. Receptacles num-
bered from one to twelve, according to
the size of the shot, under the rev0lv-
ing cylinders, conduct the little DEATH
dealing missiles through tunnels into
the canvas bags. As soon as bag has
received its twenty-five pounds its
weight shuts a valve, and no more can
come till the bag is removed and an-
other put in its place. One man tends
the whole row, with needle and thread
sewing up the bags, which are then
ready for the market. All the work Of
the tower. except that which is done by
machinery, is performed by three men.
Philadelphia Cali.