New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-07-19
THE NAVAL ORDNANCE FOUNDRf.
ALMOST READY FOR WORK AT THE WASHING
TON NAVY YARD.


TON NAVY YARD.
Washington July 10 Special. Commodore Mont
gomcry sicard Chief of the bureau of Ordnance. is
doing all that he to have the now ordnance shop
at the Navy Yard completed before he transfers the
Bureau to his successor yet TO be appointed Work
men are putting up the boilers and machinery the
forgnGs and other materials for the guns ana car
rages are arriving from the bethlehem Steel Works.
and soon the foundry viii be fully alive making guns
of various calbrcs, especially the twelveinch and
sxtoen-lnch for the monitors and batteshirs.
large amount of work has been done In the last year
in the cons of buildings putting UP con-
crete piers for the 110tOn cranes eXcavatng for
the shrinking pits. strengthening The cid buildings
with new retaining walls.
When the work at this yard IS completed, the ay-
erage time for assembling there siX-inch gun Will
be, say 100 days; twelvc-nch gun, 200 days. The
annual capacity of the new works, it Is estimated.
will be at the rate of twenty-five six-inch. twelve
twelveinch, and guns of other cabIes in proportion
to their Sizes 1t viii be recalled that the forglDgs
Of the eght-inch guns for the Boston, Atlanta and
Chicago were made by Charles Calpmeu d Co.. or
Sheffield. and by Sir Joseph WhtwoIth, OF Manchester
England Many of the slX-inch guns for the new
vessels built by the Mldvale Steel Company, the
South Boston Iron Works. and the Standard Company,
OF PittsbuTg Penn Then, too the latter company has
furnished open-hearth cassteel higpowcr sixInch
STEEL in pursuance of an act Of Congress OF March o.
1887 These guns are now undergoing competitive
tests. After his visit Of inspection TO the New-forA
Navy Yard last week, Commodore Sicad went TO
Bethlehem Penn, to inspect the progress of the work
being done there for the gun foundry.
That modern steel guns soon to be manufactured
and completed that tho Old smoothbore guns are 10
be converted into rlfed guns and that the gun
carriages instead of being constructed by private firms
are to built and finished in the ordnance shops at the
Washington Navy Yard, has not yet been fuiiy COM
pretended. 1t would surprise majority OF the
people of this country and would discourage INC
foreign gun manufacturers, who were so faNOreu ny
the Cleveland Administration, II they should no"
visit the Washington Navy Yard and see the immense
buildings towering nearly hundred feet into the
air the travelling cranes Of %, 40 and ITO tons
capacity the giant lathcs turning seadiiy anu
of great sgraS Of steel from the rough cas- tings anu
forgngs, and the large cutters boring out tne stoa
muzzles of the new guns Nearly one si my ,,n
plsnt, which, when finished VIII give 10 TINS counnS
a factory capable OF making any calDre OF moderh
' Tie ordnance shops at the Washington Navy yard
are the outcome Of the act OF Congress OF Mach
1S9S y % sb6 yay Sun ocsrs' Was APPOINTED
Previous and during the civil war INC aI Una
Spring Foundry. the South Boston iron "9rssi ,mo
Reading Iron Works, the Fort Pitt FOUNDRY ~
Penn The Bqhers' Iron I0qndy Pcnp and the
Ames Manufacturing Company thicopeGi M bs cea@ed
the close Of the the Fort Pitt f0unGry nas rea
to exist; the south Boston iron WORKS mas iha ,
featured fcw experimental guns, and Tlul III, onc
West Point Foundry has executed some small orders
OF the Government In the conversion OF a Hon
smooth bores into rihed guns by inserting ana rnlns
coilcd wrought-iron tube. Virtually, howe s
the United States has been without s0urco ,I T h
which such ornaments az the age demands could &c
supplied The Board was unanimous in RECOMMENDS emu
Ing that the Army and Navy should be PROVIDED Wlth
seTarafe embellishments, and selected W atcrVleI
arsenal west Troy Tor the Army, and tho Washington
Navy Yard as site for the Navy II also S
HAT every Involvement should be offered to attract me
nrivsts industries Of the country to the aid Of the
Govcrnment in providing ordnance for tho Army ana
called upon to provide the material But this report
was made to democratic Congress, and 1t was II no
Foundry which the Board estimated would cost
81 900 900 until after Democratic ADMINISTRATOR a
came int power. Hence, the delay in cOmpiotlnS
this new ordnance factory on the banks OF the
poto