The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1889-11-14
BORING A BIG GUN.
Interesting Processes in the Manufactu
Of BreecIs Loading aunOn.


Of Breecls Loading annon.
At last the cannon is turned down.
and is ready to be bored inside. In
this operation it must be bored SO
straight and true that the boring tool.
entering ut 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 a straight hole
lengthwise through even short bit Of
wool 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. 1t is just the 9TH
sr way in boring cannon. The bor-
ing tool. or bit is held firm and mo-
tionless. while tho great mass OF steel
to be bored turns around. This plan
Is found to insure steadiness Of the
'.bit. 1t would be a most impossible
TO make this bit firm and solid enough
TO do lis difficult work, and yet free to
turn around in the cannon. So il you
had been at the side of this gun-lathc
when the work was begun you would
have seen that the bit was motionless
except for q slow advance 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 pig roofing
in the ground. Imagine. then. the pig
10 be standing still and the ground to
pc slowly passing under the pig S
snout and being rooted" and you will
have case much like that Of the bit
and the cannon. In fact. the boring
sool is called a ''hog-nosed' bit, and it
roots up that cannon MS il it enjoyed
tho operation. No long. graceful curls
| come from this boring, but small. crisp
shayings that are removed as fast as
they accumulate in or.!er that the boz
ing tools work shall not be interfered
with. The bit is going into the steel at
The rate OF threc-eighths OF an inch for
every turn Of the cannon, and it is
making round hole almost large
esough for n boy to put his head in
i've and three-quarter inches in diameter.
As the round hole grows deeper, the
heavy bar, on which the bit is fastened.
advances into tho cannon steadily.
moved by mum Der of wheels and screws
that form part OF the lathe.
must not lose sight OF the shayings,
the little ones that come from the in
side, and the long, spirally twisted ones
that arc turned from the outside OF the
cannon. \ military-looking man.
standing near the lathe does not lose
sigh: OF these shavings or trimmings,
either. This mans business is TO care
fully inspec: the borings and trim.
mings That is what he is paid to do.
Uncle Sam pays him, aud he expects
him to earu his SALARY. The cannon il
being made for Uucle Sam. and H.
tends to find out all its qualities.
whether good or bad. So the man eye.
the borings carefully. Now, ii with 8
plane, or your knife-blade. you will cu
. thin having from bit OF wood. il
will show any little flaw existing in thu
wood from which it was sliced The
tiniest knot-hole or crack will show In
the shaving much more plainly than il
the wood itself. So it is with a cannon's
| shaving. 1t is a dreadful tell-tale. and
tho fault-finding man beside the CUR
knows this perfectly well. He exam
ines tho spiral turning. or the little
piece of boring. and finds no evidence
| OF Eaw or crack. The long spira
strip is as smooth as glass and II
glossy as your sisters curls
Into the solid steel the hog-nosed bi
roots its way until it IS in SO far tina
y little electric light must bear 1t com
| pany. to show the workmen how mat
tcrs are progressing in the heart Of thu
cannon. After eighteen days OF stead.
boring. the bit lets daylight into tn
bore OF tho cannon by emerging ut tn
other Cor larger) end. seventeen fee
away..-G. F. Miller, in st. Nicholas.