The sun., 1889-01-27
UNCLE shms BIs GUN sHop.



Able to Turn Ont Fifty BIG Rides Yenr-
Sample Work Done In a Makeshir shop.
WEST Troy, Jan. 26.-Chief Engineer
Anthony Victorn. United States Ordnance
Department. has practically completed the
working plan for the new 100000 great gun
factory at the watervliet Arsensal. and by
Feb. ! the contracts should be ready Tor let-
ting. Tho plans involve radical departure
from anything ever attempted in this country.
or, for that matter any other. In tho way OF
making big machines for the energetic slaugh-
ter Of mankind. The great gun works OF the
world, Krupps. Armstrong's. and Whitworths,
all devote their energies to other branches oil
metal manufacture, and such appliances as
they possess are to n degree designed to be
useful for purposes outside OF EunmnkinE,
and have been accumulated MS demanded py
occasion. The few cannon shops OF this coun-
try are simply annexes to some other sort OF
iron or steel industry. and the most famous OF
them all, the South Boston foundry. hau its
ninety-foot lathe constructed for adaptation
to cannon boring or cutting out wide steamship
cylinders to the disadvantage OF tho gun work.
Here at Watervliet every pioce OF the I'M
mense amount of machinery required Will be
built from special designs by tho Chiet Engi-
neer. for the single purpose OF gun making. and
will be set UP in n giant building constructed
and arranged for its accommodation.
The factory Is to be erected about In the GEN.
tire of the walled In field Of 100 acros constituting
the armory reservation. midway between tho
Delaware and Hudson Railroad In the rear and
the Hudson River In front, and contiguous to
the Erie Canal. which traverses the lower por-
tions Of the grounds. branch railroad will
run from the ID. and Ii. main track right
through tho middle OF the shop. across the
,l hx, 1,,J,t m n II.
ing 1t available for connection with the three
sources Of TRANSPORTATION. and including sid
ing running into the building. The contract
for building the bridge and railroad and ex-
cavating for the main building foundations
has already been lot to ex-State Engineer Ell
nathan Sweet OF tho Wilton Bridge Company
for t3i.9O0. This does not include q railroad
Tho gun shop will he 963 feet long, with a
width Of 1873 feet on tho north wing and los
feet on the south Each wnE is to be 400 feet
ture covering the rest OF the room. to hold two
2OO;ho power engines-one for service In
sembling the guns, and shrdnkage ri PIT + fifty
feet dee with three ri 49, and 80 ea
breeeh pt jacket and Heeps These are warmed
UP In big oven until hot enough to exnand
forms tho gun. to be then poked into water and
shrpnk on so tightly that only an expert Gan
the gun has been turned and FURNISHED.
The north wing. which will be finished FIRST
because Congress hasn't given money enough
for the whole, rs economy would have dictated.
will be formed of a central structure 70 feet
vide and 50 feet to the the, caves. connecting TN;
wide on each side. running the lengt h, In which
tn. minor mechanism will be slowed
n9fh o Mn sS to Is
kind now considered most useful by the ord
nance Board; TO this end 1t will aeeommodate
in 'fe length, ali speciaiS Constructed Theyli
have to be as the right sort are not made.
nnufacturers who BID will be expected to
own improvements. The lathes in, the an
neXes must largely be newly designed, for eco
nomical handling OF the hoops and breech
Overhead vii run two travelling cram cranes; s;
sneh With s t9a powe5 %
ohSnss p at Sc stsesE TSs Iifs q the Big isIISSs
will be single story throughout OF maximum
height of y feet, 1t will be OF brick and iron.
The south wing will contain like number OF
lathes; but will be given over wholly to & the
II 1ogH h
OF twenty Of these giants can be made In a
year, or twenty-five at pinch: The M same pro. }.
aoMed 20 dr eEs tEs sHa @n Sha n'h
Ss fsw Snss s,sn and this hnks swift
too soon. 1t will take two years to complete
the shop for which these plans arc now ready,
that is the centre and north wing. The south
enough money but there isn't and that ends It.
Under ordinary circumstances and luck 1t re-
aures year to 1uid pig gun !, though when
that it can be done in nine monthE The steel
comes to Watervllet from the bethlehem foun-
dry. which has the ,s1.5000O0 contraet; rough
This fine work has been going on for year
nj Wafn nj nd pd m
the the department. @ v sent Mr. Tictorin 10 the arse.
s he re eoud nd and It rone de dd
In three months, and thanks to that move one
twentyve sSs ye ed peces of s.Io inch bore are are
The engineer found at wateryliet two 400
foot sheds, OF brick built in war time for store
Sc He the s6ep N anf
in the room is makeshift but pretty good
one. The big crane and accompanying der
found at Frankfort arsenal the tracks and
trusses and crane out OF old gun carriages. A
Wa Gas PIT o IN
furnace and 60.horse power engine put In, and
in November, 1887. the gun makers employed
inch swing, and a 70-foot with SS-inch swing.
Their output as described represents the only
%he IS So
off, thanks to Secretary Whitney. than the artil-
Of ordnance completed or in hand in " Water-
Xliet. would New York depend alone to sing a
bomb proofs OF Fort Hamilton. or the Heights
OF Madsworth and Tommpkins
They could do 1T. Tho range OF these new
eight and ten inch rifles is ten miles, equal to
that OF the best European gun. better than
range is eight miles. Effective range means
the distance at which they can be sighted with
O reasonable certainty Of hitting what they are
pointed at. But the defensive poverty OF this
country was never more painfully shown than
In the fact that It Possesses but one carriage
1T to accommodate, modern. gun, This Is
holding up the new eiaht,ineh at SANDY Hook.
riages for the the % cid cast,ron guns are are made
their patterns will do. TO begin, with, a steel
gun OF this type is two and ne-half times as
doesn't weigh as much by, from two to four tons
even them but 1t kicks harder. This wrecks
carriages. The Ordnance Department Idea Is
to buy up some OF the best European carriages.
and out OF the lot devise something perfect for
pEaa 10