Mountain Home bulletin. (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1888-1889, 1889-02-16
pONOEROuS MACHINERY,



Every year the machinery In the
Iron mills Mt Pittsburgh, Pa, is being
made more ponderous. The necessity
for this lies in the demand for immense
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 ap-
paratus to meet this increase has been
gradual. but within the last two years
n wonderful 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 blilding of II mill ut Braddock, one
OF the suburbs OF Pittsburgh, expressly
Intended for the manufacture OF this
government work There is not
single bit Of apparatus in it but what is
the largest Of its kind in the world.
The shears. which sna., bar OF iron
in two rs though it were tissue paper
exceeds any thing in size that has ever
been known by the sons 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 steam boilers are the largest ever
made by the hand OF man. In the Black
Diamond steel works, Thirtieth street,
Pittsburgh, there is the largest steam
hammer in the United States. The
blow of fifty tons, which it strikes
every second of time that it is in opera
tion, shakes the earth for two squares
around the mill. Yet it is so easily
controlled, and so nicely adjusted, that
the hammer-man has placed on the
anvil block beneath it a delicate wine
glass containing an egg and, turning
on the steam full force, would let the
pondcrous weight above fall until at
certain distance, and then shut the
steam off. In this way the hammer
has been kept for several minutes
gently tapping the glass and egg with
out breaking them.
But now the Government itself il
going to throw all these marvellous
achievements in the background by the
improvements ut the navy yard in
Washington City They will transform
that quiet place into the most power
ful workshop in the universe. For in
stance, there was not found in the mills
and foundries Of the whole United
States "traveling cranes big enough
tomove 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 a
block and tackle arrangement so fixed
upon n steam-car that they will pick
) up a heavy piece OF metal and rush of
speedily to any part of the building
with it. The largest of these "travel-
: ers' in Pittsburgh will carry burden
of thirty tons with safety to the ropes
; and rigging. In the Midvale steel
works, Pennsylvania, travelling
J crane of twenty-six tons capacity
has been erected to facilitate the
handling of castings for the new
war ships These are now the two
y largest apparatus vi lHS hluu III JuC
: country. But work will soon be com
n menced on travelling crane for the
y Washington navy yard which will have
e IA carrying capacity of ITO tons. This
g is intended for use in the manufacture
] of 1l0-ton gun. which, when finished
I will be the larg sst in the coast defense
D of the United States. To turn" thi.
: wonderful cannon "a lathe is now being
made which will surpass all other
J lathes in size. The machine will have
S to be l20 feet long and will have q
tread of nine feet The gun itsel
2 will be fifty feet long and to turn ant
bore it the lathe will OF course be re-
: quired to be double that length.
r All the tools and machinery to make
) this big cannon are being made pur
. posely for the JoD, so large and strong
i must they b.. The contract for de
; livery of the necessary steel forging
l. has been concluded with the Bethlehem
!. steel works of eastern Pennsylvania
b But before that company could make
n the forgings they had to erect a new
e plant large enough for the big sizes
: The 110-ton gun will be OF 13-incf
I caliber, will require charge of 1,00(
!. pounds OF powder, and will throw ,
j, proiectile weighing 1000 pounds. tt
y even make these projectiles will neces
n state larger machinery in that line
4 than is now in existence. Then, tt
y transport the gun finally over the diff
ferent lines OF railroad (if the ocear
route is not taken), would require
stronger iron bridges than are now II
use SO the work of enlargement goe!
on almost indefinitely. y.-Pittsburgh Cor
) (vo,.oI,nJ DJa;n nauIor