The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1889-02-23
PoNDERous MACHINERY.


run HILLS at rlttSDurgn, "a, Is being
made more ponderous. The necessity
for this lies in the demand for immense
castings. Every thing is growing larger
than in former times. Ships are big
ger, locomotives are more powerful,
iron-front buildings are higher, and
agricultural implements are vastly
larger. The development of mill APP
paratus to meet this increase has been
gradual. but within the last two years
wonderful impetus has been given
the forward movement by the building
of the new war vessels for the United
States navy.
Andrew Carnegie has just completed
the building of mill at Braddock, one
of the suburbs of Pittsburgh, expressly
intended for the manufacture of this
government work. There is not a
single bit of apparatus in it but what is
the largest of its kind in the world.
The shears, which snap bar OF iron
in two as though it were tissue paper.
exceeds any thing in size that has ever
been known by the sons of Vulcan. The
lathes are greater, the rolls are longer
and heavier than any thing the remain
der of the country can show. and even
the steam boilers are the largest ever
made by the hand of man. In the Black
Diamond steel works, Thirtieth street,
Pittsburgh. there is the largest steam
hammer in the United States. The
blow of fifty tons, which it strikes
every second of time that it is in opera
ton, shakes the earth for two squares
around the mill. Yet it is so easily
controlled. and so nicely adjusted, that
the hammer-man has placed on the
anvil block beneath it a delicate wine
glass containing an egg and. turning
on the steam full force, would let the
ponderous weight above fall until at
certain distance, and then shut the
steam of. In this way the hammer
has been kept for several minutes
gently tapping the glass and egg with
out breaking them.
But now the Government itself is
going to throw all these marvellous
achievements in the background by the
improvements at the navy yard in
Washington City. They win transform
that quiet place into the most power
full workshop in the universe. For in
stance, there was not found in the mills
and foundries of the whole United
States ''traveling cranes big enough
tomove about the immense castings and
wrought iron parts of large cannons
which the war and navy departments
have projected. These cranes are very
familiar objects in the yards of iron
mills everywhere. They are simply a
block and tackle arrangement so fixed
upon steam-car that they will pick
up heavy piece of metal and rush off
speedily to any part of the building
with it. The largest of these travel
ers'' in Pittsburgh will carry burden
of thirty tons with safety to the ropes
and rigging. In the Midvale steel
works, Pennsylvania, a travelling
crane of twenty-six tons capacity
has been erected to facilitate the
handling Of castings for the new
war ships. These are now the two
largest apparatus of the kind in the
country. But work will soon be COM
menced on a travelling crane for the
Washington navy yard which will have
carrying capacity of 10 tons. This
is intended for use in the manufacture
of 110-ton gun, which, when finished,
will be the largest in the coast defense
of the United States. To turn this
wonderful cannon a lathe is now being
made which will surpass all other
lathes in size. The machine will have
to he 120 feet long and will have a
s.tread'' of nine feet. The gun itself
will be fifty feet long and to turn and
bore it the lathe will of course be re-
quired to be double that length.
All the tools and machinery to make
this big cannon are being made pur-
posely for the job, so large and strong
must they be. The contract for de-
livery of the necessary steel forging
has been concluded with the Bethlehem
steel works of eastern Pennsylvania.
But before that company could make
the forgings they had to erect new
plant large enough for the big sizes.
The 110-ton gun viii be of 13-inch
caliber, will require charge of 1000
pounds of powder, and will throw a
projectile weighing 1900 pounds. To
even make these projectiles will neces-
state larger machinery in that line
than is now in existence. Then, to
transport the gun finally over the diff
ferent lines of railroad (if the ocean
route is not taken), would require
stronger iron bridges than are now in