The Portland daily press., 1889-04-25
A LARGE ESTABLISHMENT.
The Portland Foundry and Machine
Works Have .started Up.

s, Yesterday the Press reporter visited the
Portland Foundry and Machine Works, Dan
lei I. Kelley proprietor, that have recently
been completed ON Kennebec street, Back
Bay. 1t is an extensive establishment. The
building devoted to the manufacture of agri-
cultural tools has frontage of over 150 feet,
is three stories high, and has floor surface
OF 1900 feet. 1t was built especially for
that purpose, and Is supplied with every
convenience for the manufacture OF moving
machines, steel plows. hard metal plows,
cultivators, horse hoes and all kinds Of agri-
cultural tools. The foundry extends towards
the bay, making a right angle:with the build
ing devoted to the manufacture OF tools. 1t
is ITO feet long, and 76 feet wide. 1t is well
lighted and makes an excellent building for
foundry. The reporter entered the tool
building. and meeting nobody in the first
room he went to the west end of the build
ing. Here was door, on which was paint
ed In large letters the words mo admit
tance." This door opens into the foundry.
81 guess I'll 60 in there" said the PRESS
man to himself, and suiting his action to his
words he opened the door and passed on
ward. Here were number Of men busy at
work at the moulds. in which are shaped all
manner OF iron castings. lin the centre of
the foundry is large Blakeley cupola fur
mace, which has capacity of from seven to
ten tons of iron. A crew had just finished
charging" 1t, that is filling it with all man.
ner Of scrap and pig iron, and they were
about ready to start the fire underneath and
melt the charge.
'How long does it take to melt furnace
full Of irone" asked the writer. about an
hour" replied Mr.. Kelley, who, having dis
covered that reporter was present, had adj
vanced with very cordial salutation. You
see we have just got it charged. First, we
put into the furnace 500 pounds of coke; on
top Of the coke we put in 1000 pounds of
iron. which will be melted by the heat given
out By the burning of the 500 pounds of
coke. Then we put in another charge of
coke, and ON top of it as much iron as the
second charge of coke will melt That is
the way the furnace is charged. Then the
fire is started underneath. A blowing ma
chine forces a strong current of air through
a blow-pipe cannected with the bottom of
the furnace, and thus the fire is famed to
very high heat, and is made to burn rapidly.
When the furnace of iron is melted. it is
drawn off and turned into the different
moulds. Thus castings of all kinds are
made.
Mr.. Kelley then showed the reporter the
mills in which the castings are cleaned, and
after that led the way to the machine shop,
where steam drills, etc., were in operation.
In the engine room is fine 5o-horse power
engine, the castings for which Mr.. Kelley
made. The engine is powerful for its size.
and has pretty motion. There are three
elevators in the tool building, by which the
upper stories are reached. On one floor the
wooden parts of the different agricultural
tools are made; another floor is used for
storeroom, and still another for an exhibi-
tion or salesroom. The process of making
plows and other tools from scrap iron is
quite interesting. Mr. Kelley's establish
ment is very fine one, and figures conspicu-
ously among the Infant industries of Back
Bay.