The Red Cloud chief., 1888-12-28
~poMpERous MACHINERY.
ey0Dosote00e Made foe WsSk % Cne1
2o0's Army and Navy.

-
~Fssrasssssss Nsde Sos wsea o. Csess
se0is Army and Navy.
Every year the machinery IL tho
iron mills ~ Pittsburgh. Pa. is being
made more ~ponderous- The necessity
for this lies In the demand FOR imacn.e
castings. Every thing Is growing larger
than in former times. Ships are big
ger, locomotives are more powerful.
iron-front buildings are higher. and
agricultural implements are vastly
larger. The development, Of mill APP
paratus To NEE; this increase has been
gradual. but within the last two years
a wonderful impetus has been given
the forward movement by the building
Of the new war vessels f.. the United
States navy.
Andrew Carnegie has just completed
the building Of a mill at Braddock. ono
Of the suburbs Of Pittsburgh. expressly
intended for the manufacture of this
government WORK. There j. not a
single bit OF apparatus in il but what Is
the largest Of IL kind in the world.
The shears, which snap a bar o! iron
Ia two "a though it were tissue paper.
exceeds any thing in size that has ever
been known By the son OF Vulcan. The
lathes are greater. the rolls are longer
and heavier than any thing the remain
der OF the country can show. and even
the tea boilers are the largest ever
made by the hand o! man. In the Black
Diamond steel works, Thirtieth street.
Pittsburgh. there i. the largest steam
hammer iu the United States. Tho
blow Of fifty tons. which il strikes
every second of time that il j. in opera
ton, shakes the earth for two squares
around the mill. Yet il is so easily
controlled. and 80 nicely IA adjusted, that
the hamIner-man has placed III the
anvil block beneath il delicate wine
glass containing an egg and. turning
on the steam full force, would let tho
~poudcrou, weight above fail until "a; u
certain distance. and then shu; the
has been KEEP, for several minutes
gently tapping the glass and egg with
Out breaking them.
But nov the Government itself IL
going to throw all these marvellous,
achievements in the background by tho
improvements nj the navy yard in
Washington City. They will transform
that quiet place into the most power
full workshop in the universe. For in
stance. there was not found in the mills
aud foundrics OF the whole United
States 'travcling cranes" big enough
to move about the immense castings and
wrought iron parts of large %cannons
which the war and navy departments
have projected. These cranes are very
familiar objects in the yards of iron
mills everywhere. They are simply IL
block and tackle arrangement so fixed
upon a steam-car that they will pick
up a heavy piece Of metal and rush oY
speedily to any part Of the building
with il. The largest Of these ''travcl-
ers" in Pittsburgh will carry a burden
OF thirty tons with safety to the ropes
and rigging. In IN. Midvale steel
works, Pennsylvania, Il irar.li"..
crano Of twenty-siX ton capacity
has been erected TO facilitate tho
handling of castings for the new
war ships. These are now the two
~laryes. apparatus OF the kind in the
country. But work will soon he COM
mencei on IA travelling crane for the
Washington navy yard which will have
a carrying capacity Of 10 tons. This
is intended for use in the manufacture
of "A llO-ton gun which. when finished.
will be- the largest in the coast defense
of the United States. To turn" this
wonderful cannon "A lathe is now being
made which will surpass all other
lathcs in size. The machine will have
to he 10 feet long and will have a
tread o. nine feet. The gun itself
will be fifty feet long and to turn and
bore il the lathe will Of course be re-
| uuired to be double that length.
All the tools and machinery to make
| this big cannon are being made pur-
posely for the job. so large and strong
must they be. The contract for de-
livery of the necessary steel forging
has been concluded with the Bethlehem
! steel works Of eastern Pennsylvania.
| But before that company could make
the forgings they had 70 erect n new
plant large enough for the big sizes.
| The ll0-ton gun will be OF l3-inch
caliber. will require n charge OF Loco
pounds OF powder. and will throw a
projectile weighing 2.0O0 pounds. To
even make these projectiles will neces-
state larger machinery in that line
than is now in existence. Then. "a
trxnspor. the gun finally over the dit
ferent lines Of a railroad (f the ocean
route is not taken). would require
stronger iron bridges than are now Ia
use. So the work Of enlargement goes
on almost indefinitely. -Httsbnrgh Cor.
Clcreland Plain Dealer.
WASHING BLANKETS.
~A> Feet A--oosa Noee E6seHlvo fhaa