The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1888-12-12

Iron Makers Preparing for Big
Enterprises

New To<k Le-.er.
Every year the machinery in the
iron miiis OF PittsburE. Pa. Is being
made more ponaerous. The necessity
for this lies in the demand for i'm
mense castings Everything Is grow
ing larger than In former times Ships
are bigger. locomotives are Haore pow
eEfui. iron-front buildings are higher.
and agricultural implements are vastly
larger. The Developments OF mill aPpa-
raius to meet this increase has been
gradual. bat within the last two years
a wonderful impetus has been given
the forward novementhy the fsEilding
OK the new war vessels Ter the United
States navy.
Andrew Carnegie has Just completed
the bailling Of mil at Braddoek.
one OF the suburbs OF PittShurg, ex-
pressly intended for the msnHfscture
OF this government. work. There Is
not q single bit Of apparatus IN il bat
Nhat i the largest Of its kind IN the
world The shears, which snap bar
OF iron IN two a. though il were tissue
paper, exceed anything in size that has
ever been known by the Sons Of Nul-
can. The latheS are greater. the rolls
are longer and heavier than anything
the balance Of the country can show.
and even the steam boilers are the
largest ever made BIZ the hand OF man.
In the Black Diamond Steel Works,
Thirtieth street. Pittsburg, there is the
largest steam-hammer in the United
states. The blow OF fifty tons which
Is strikes every second of time that il
is in operation shakes the earth for two
squares around the mill. Yet il Is so
easily controlled, and so nicely adjust
ed. that the Zimmerman has placed
on the anvil block beneath il . delicate
wine glass containing an egg, and
turning on the steam full force would
let the ponderoas weight above fall
until at certain distance. and then
shut the steam of. In this way the
hammer has been kept for several min
uteS gently tapping the glass and egg
without breaking them.
But now the government itself i
going To throw all these marvellous
achievements in the background By
the improvements az the navy yard IN
Washington City. They VIII trans
form that quiet plaee into the most
powerful workshop in the universe.
For instance, there was not found in
the mills and foundFies OF the whole
United States travelling cranes big
enough 10 move about the immense
castings and wrought-iroa parts OF
large cannon which the war and navy
departments have projected These
cranes are very familiar objects in the
yards ard iron mills everywhere. They
are simply a blOck-and-tackle arrange
ment 50 fixed upon a steam car that
they will pick up a heavy piece of
metal and rush off speedily To any
part OF the building with il. The
largest of these travellers" in Pitts
burg will carry a burden OF 30
tons with safety 10 the
ropes and rigging. In the Mid
vile Steel Works, Pennsylvania. i
travelling crane of Is tons capacity has
been erected to facilitate the handling
OF the castings for the new war ships.
These are now the two largest appar-
atus of the kind in the country. But
work will soon be commenced on a
travelling crane for the Washington
navy yard which will have carrying
capacity OF 10 tons. This is intended
for use in the manufacture of llO-ton
gun. which when finished viii be the
largest in the coast defense of the
United States. To "tuinn thrs Won
derful cannon a lathe is now being
made which will surpass all other
lathes in size The machine will have
TO be 100 feet long, and will have a
tread" of nine feet. The gun itself
will be fifty feet long. and 10 turn and
bore it the lathe will, of course. be re-
quired 10 be double that length.
All the tools and machinery TO make
this big cannon are being made pur-
posely for the Job. 50 large and strong
must they be. The contract for de-
livery of the necessary steel forgings
has been concluded with the Bethie
hem Steel Works OF Eastern Pennsyl-
yania. But before that company could
make the forgings they too had to
erect q new plant large enough for the
big sizes. The 1i0-ton gun will be OF
l6-inch caliber will require charge Of
1000 pounds OF powder, and will throw
projectile weighing 20D0 pounds. To
even make these proiectiles viii neces-
state larger machinery in that line
than is now in existence. Then, to
transport the gun finally over the diff
ferent lines of railroad Gf the ocean
route is not taken) would require
stronger iron bridges than are nov in
use. So the work of enlargement
goes on almost indefinitely.