The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1888-11-23
Iron Makers Preparing for big Enter
prises.

pfiscSs
l.. E. Stohel a writer in the Pitts
burg Leader in an article on the ma
chinery for iron making in the future
says: Every year the machinery in the
iron mills OF Pittsburg, Pa, is being
made more ponderous. The necessity
for this lies in The demand for immense
castings. Everything Is growing larger
than in former times. Ships are bigger,
locomotives are more powerful, iron
front buildings are higher, and agricul-
tural implements are vastly larger.
The development OF mill apparatus to
meet this increase has been. gradual,
but wiChln the last two years a wonder
full impetus has been given the forward
movement BY the building OF the new
war vessels for the United States navy.
Andrew Carnegie has just completed
the building OF mill at Braddock, one
OF the suberos OF Pittsburg. expressly
intended for the manufacture OF this
government ork. There Is not sim
gle bit or spparatusin in it but what is the
largest OF its kind In the world. The
shears, which snap a bar OF iron In two
rs though IL were tissue paper, exceed
anything In sizs that has ever been
known by the sons Of Vulcan. The
iathes are greater, the rolls are longer
and heavier than anything the balance
or the country can show, and even the
steam boilers are the largest ever made
by the hand or man. In the Black
Diamond steel works, Tbirtieth street,
Pittsburg, there is the largest steam
hammer in the United States. The
blow OF fifty tons which 1t strikes every
secood OF time that it is IN operation
shakes the earth for two squares around |
the mil. Yet 1t is so easily controlled,
and So nicely adjusted, that the ham, |
mer has placed on the anvil block be- |
meath 10 delicate wine glass contain |
an egg, and turning on the steam fall |
force would let the ponderous weight |
above fall until at a certain distance.
and then shut the steam of. In this |
eIai minutes gently tapping the glass |
and egg without breaking them.
But now the government Itself is
going to throw all these marvellous
achievements in the background by the
improvements at the havy yard IL /
Washington City. They will transform
that quiet place into the most powerful /
In the universe. For in |
stance, there was not found In the mills /
and foundries OF the whole United
States 'travsling cranes" big enough to
move about the immense castings and
iron parts of large cannon |
which the war and navy departments
have projected. These cranes are very /
objects In the yards of iron
mills everywhere. They are simply a
tackle arrangement so fixed upon a
Steam car that they will pick up a
heavy piece OF metal and rush of speed
l;y to any part of the buildings with IT.
The largest or these ''traylers" in Pitts
burg will carry burden OF thirty tons
with Safety to the ropes and rigging.
In the Midwife steel works, Pennsyl-
Ysuis, travelling crane OF twenty-six
ions capacity has been erected 10 facili-
,ate the handling OF castings for the
new war ships. These are now the two |
argest apparatus OF the kind In the
But work will soon be COM
nenced on travelling crane for the
Washington navy yard, which will have
J carrying capacity OF ITO tons. This
8 intecded for the use in the mauufac-
.ure OF 1lO-ton gun, which when finish
ID viii be the largest in the coast de-
'ense OF the United States. To turn"
his wonderful cannon a lathe is now
being made which will surpass all other
athes in size. The machine will have
70 be 12O feet long, and viii, have a
lEcdu OF nine rect. Ihe gun itself is |
ifty feet long, and to turn and bore &c
,he lathe will. of course, be required to
be double that length.
All the tools and machinery TO make
his big cannon are being made purpose
y for the job, so large and strong must
hey be- The contrac: for delivery OF
.he necessary steel forgings has been
concluded with the B B.thlehem steel
works OF Eastern Pennsylvania. But
before that company could make the
'orgings they, too. had TO erect a new
plant large enough for the big sizes.
The ITO ton gun will be of 16-inch
caiioer will require a charge of LOCO
podnts OF powder and will throw a pro-
lectile weighing 2. 900 pounds. To even
make these projectIles will necessitate
larger machinery in that line than is
now In existence. Then, to transport
The gun finally over the different lines
ot railroad (if the ocean route is not
taken), would require stronger iron
bridges than are now in use. So the
work OF enlargement goes on In
definitely.