The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-03-28
TEXAS CASTINGS
WITNESSED by CHAMBER Or
COMMERCE DIRECTORS.

An Entertaining aud Instructive Nish TO
the Richmond Locomotive and Ma
chino works-Somc Things Described
About the Bsstle-ship.
Cooling IN its caskci Of sand is the i'm
monsc top Of the iow-prcssure cylinder oil
,be boilers fer the United states battle ship
Texas.
What It's general appearance viii BE- may
be Judged from that Of the high-pressufe
cylinder which was cast a few days ago.
and which has now cooled.
To see the casting was the object Of visit
by spccial invitation 81 Che board Of direct
ors Of the Richmond Chamber Of Commerce
,es,erda, TO the Richmond Locomotive ana
Machine Works. There were about thirty
,cr.ons in the party. which included
Colonel John b. Purcell. Colonel John -.
cory r. II. runaaN. OF Norfolk; W. "a.
,rriC;c l.. 4. Younger. j. II. Montague 90
srnh BRYAN. r.. A. Dunlop, =. ". iftfo,,'
A}exanirr Dolauy. Chester Delah!' - r.
ff",,cs George 4. Evans Of NeW lefh
Henry l.. Holmes, Captain flncknelt ~ ~
PLAN. H. y. Tallaieuo, Jonn II. fIisc.-
korn. II. Wallcrstoin. James -. trump, ~
n. Ravnal. b. 4. johnson, Henry booeNei'
and others
BRAIN AND MUSCLE COMBINED
srhey reached the works about o'clock
and soont an hour rambling about the Nail-
ous departments under me guidance oi 'ii
William r.. Tng1 and Mr. u. H. lay ."i'
eunoriutondont al The WORKS. ms hvui N"n
MI nieasaut. for The visitors had an oppoi-
'n9 81 sfud, fine Nasiross of the opera
,.o,u Tho intricaciCs az machinery Duilt
a. Ia such q simple thing Tor I'M
s.ancn "a ramming bolt rcd-hot mo q
lr,irr with no noise. 90 see specimens OF
,.nrt intended for points as distant NJ Iaco-
-, Woshinpton. aud 90 watch hNe nun
dred and lifts workmen busy Win mama anu
brain amid The changing oi uip-hHhli nei -
The CHATTER Of countless Mheels anu w
oroaning Of steel cutting or punching in''
iron. .,,lo.t into the
.i..liir.s department where brawny men
,.',ro moving quietly about preparing Tor
,hc .,ro,t casf. The mould for TIE cylinder
,.@.,.er stood four feet and % half hieh ana ten
eeot in diameter. aud was bound in heaNs
,,,.tos IN iron. SECURED with chains ana noii7
~, mould was made o. sand. lightly.
ooekcd and rubbed down Win 7"ch
tvacfncs- that tine casting would appear "'
iii had been carefully illd citdh' -" H,"
,bo e,so. i'm the sand and iron unite uuilht
"a casting an explosion oil great i,,'s'',
,vonld occur were no vent -lNth. 0l"N il-
niled over the t0pOf the mould ana at ihe
t.n. of nine iron pipes punched so lifc-n -
i,rfv torefbor that Imagination coulu
,@.Ifiv uicfuro the infricacies OF innet
h.,tb. concealed beneath the sand showed
xybaf would be- done with csca ping gas
nrAUTrrUL SIGHT.
Everything Was IN readiness. number
or ne ,yorhmen cangregated OF IN one cor
nor and the visitors took POSITIONS Whcie
tbc, tbougbt they were least liable io any
,,os.ilio dancer. though some OF Inc more
t.,t,ra.omo stood close by on the top OF lAt
mould for ODE casting of the hieh pressure
c,linder of "a day OF 80 Dtiu,t
which weighs twelve ihouSahu pv"i, y,
,rLe mouth of lhe blast furnace was punched
rreu and at whitehead out poured molten
grolor and Princess iron into the immense
l,Ile IN enluttcred and -izlled. and sent
MYRIAD OF white stars shooting in am dlitr-
lions The ladlo was trundlcd over 10 Hh-
other iadlo twice as large. cmptled ana sent
loct for another load while char
,.6ol tossed into The big ladle ignlied
and flew out in rose glow. W mem "uDu'
three loads Of metal had been placed in lhc
ladle il. with las contents. Weigheo ABOUT
nine thousand pounds. II was sWuhs %! "
steam crane. with capacity OF lifting imitN
thousand pounds. 10 the mould and ulted in
itself ON the same principle of aman llltiht
himself hy bis shoe straps.
The shavings were touched OF. ana 90 70
faw minutes after a little smoihered cN.
ploslOn. which experts said augufeo McH
s,r the success of the cast. the ladle was
eppfv. beautiful yaricsated leis on gas
were burning at the mouths OF lhe
two pipes. and the casting completed
was left tO cool. II was beautiful slehi'
and the intelligence shown Dy lhe WviAile ID;
norticularlv two little. fellows VINO hau
learnt their trade ON IN Clyde. was COM
manted ON ly everybody present Ems I'm
pickrell. niicd States Navy, assistant ln-
spector. was present during the casting.
SEEING THE PROPELLER.
Anerward the party adjourned to the
yards where with the steel Doiler pilates Oh
The Texas. direct from Carnegie 81.
as a background. and Mr.. James H..
Grimm. as centre piece, tine!
were photographed. Another half hpuf
was spent I'm continuing the inspec-
tion of the works. and then everybody We're
invited TO look at the propeller which was
i'm an upstairs room.
There Mr.. Irigg entertained ms guests Hl
lunch. and about dusk they drove back 10
had seen. surprised I'M some Instances at the
yastnoss of the enterprise, and proud that
"A Virginia firm had by is merits won sucn
work for the greatest Dattle-ship OF the
United states.
DESCRIPTION OF TIE WORKS.
.rf there were works as extensive as
these i'm Atlanta. the papers there would
have a column or two every day about them.
This. of course. is an eNtraVagant state
nent Int il was made 90 Illustrate truth
that Atlanta will boom her industry more
than Richmond Will.
An Atlanta insurance man made the re-
mark as he was walking through the ldch-
mond Locomotive and Machine works.
There is no doubt about the fact thai the
miami is the largest in the South. and since
H. contract for building the machinery of
the hattlcship Texas has been secured, peo-
ole are beginning 90 open their eyes ana
.oolile that the works are of much import
anca or thegONornmept would never had en-
trusted 10 rs making so important "a lop. =
Run even this fact can not sufficiently I'M
pross one with the magnitude OF the pace.
How many suppose, Tor instance uiai in
order % walk through the entire estaDlish'
ment means 20 go about tine distance OF hNt
or six squaes,
ONO TUiIINll. anu 'NN 'N 'AAti'A Nt' 49,
going out Seventeenth street or flth street
On either, the electric cars carry one {,
within about i've blocks of the shops.
THE OFFICES.
In the main building there are three So
ries and i'm the middle one are the drawing
offices. Here the machinery is first design
ed CON paper, and from these designs th'
natterns or models are made, and from Ola,
moiel. the article itself In The room about
a score of craftsmen work; some were draw
inc locomotives. others boilers and some SO
or eight were engaged exclusively on lh'
battle ship drawings copying m piece irom
The ORIGINALS sent here Toy the government
Adioinine this was q blue print room, Wher,
All the drawings are kept. The superin'
tendent. Mr.. Alfred IL. Raynal, has his once
on this il0or ...,
In the story above is the photograph gal
lerv. where are made pictures OF the largest
nieses of work turned out by the shops and
'.dioinins are tine commodious offices OF Oh,
government inspectors CHIEF Engineer
Ero0ks and Assistant Engineer lickreil-
who are supervising the work ON the Texas
ana who closely scrutlnize and measur,
every piece Of work as soon as n Is finished
No deviation of the slightest hit from the
nlans Is allowed. and an The brass cast
u a D.. ga I.|I