Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1889-11-25
BORING a CANNON.
worn That Requires Considerable Care
and Unlimlted Patience.

"orR That Requires Considerable Care
and Unlimlted Patience.
AT last the cannon is turned down,
and Is ready to be bored inside. In this
operation it must be bored 30 straight
and true that the boring tool, entering
at the exact center of the small end of
the cannon, will come out precisely at
the center Of the large end, seventeen
feet away. Those of you who have tried
to bore b straight hole lengthwise
through even a short bit of wood will
know that this work requires not little
skill and care.
When any of you boys have a Job of
boring to do at your workbench, YOU
make fast the article to be bored and
turn the boring tool. tits just the other
way In boring q cannon. The boring
tool or S'bit" is held firm and motionless,
while the great mass of steel to be bored
turns around. This plan is found to in
sure steadiness OF the "bit." 1t would be
almost impossible to make this bit firm
and solid enough to do its difficult work,
and yet free to turn around in the can
non. So II you had been at the side of
this gun-lathe when the work was be-
gun you would have seen that the bit
was otionless-except for slow ad-
vance into the gun.
The bit attends strictly to business.
and steadily 'bores its way through the
steel. Most of you have been to the
country and have seen a pig strootinpn
in the ground. Imagine, then, pip to
be standing still and the ground to be
slowly passing under the pigs snout and
being "rooted," }" and you will have case
much like that Of the bit and the can
non. In fact, the boring tool Is called
hog-nosed" bit, and it roots up that
cannon as if It enjoyed the operation.
No long, graceful curls come from this
boring, but small, crisp shavings that
are removed as fast as they accumulate
ia order that the boring tools work
shall not be interfered with. The bit is
going into the steel at the rate of three
eighths of an inch for every turn of the
cannon, and 1t is making a round hole
almost large enough. for boy to put his
head in-five and three-quarters inches
in diameter. AS the round hole grows
deeper, the heavy bar, on which the bit
is fastened, advances into the cannon
steadily, moved by q number Of wheels
and screws that form part of the lathe.
1must not lose sight of the shayings,
the little ones that come from the inside
and the long, spiral1y-twisted ones that
are turned from the outside of the can.
non. A military-looking man, standing
near the lathe, does not lose sight of
these shavings or trimmings either.
This mans business is to carefully in
spect the borings and trimmings. That
Is what he is paid to do. Uncle Sam
pays him and expects him to earn his
salary. The cannon-i is being made for
Uncle Sam and he intends to find out all
Us qualities, whether good or bad. So
she man eyes the, borings carefully
Now, IL with plane or your knife-blade.
you will cut a thin shaving from. bit Of
wood. it will show any little flaw exist
ing In the wood from which it was sliced
The tiDie5t knot-hole or crack will show
in the shaving much more plainly than
the wood itself. So It is with en-
mons shaving. 1t is dreadful tell-tale,
and the fault-fnding man beside the gun
knows this perfectly we'll. He examines
the spiral turning or the little piece Of
boring and finds no evidence of flaw
or crack. The long spiral strip is as
smooth as glass and as glossy as your
SISTERS curls. .Iss
Into the solid steel the hog-nosed bit
roots its way until it is in so far thata
little electric light must bear it company
70 show the workmen how matters are
progressing in the heart Of the cannon.
After eighteen days OF steady boring the
bit let's daylight into the bore of the
cannon by emerging at the other Tor
iarger} end, seventeen feet away.--St.
Nicholas.