The Democrat. (Scotland Neck, Halifax Co., N.C.) 1884-1896, 1891-07-23

AN IMMENSE THING.
THE LARGEST STEAM HAMMER IN THE
WORLD.
Manufacturers Record.)

Manufacturers Record.)
The greatest steam hammer in
the world, constructed at the Beth
lehem lion Co.'S works, Bethlehem,
Pa. for the manufacture Of armor
plate, is now completed, and in only
a few days more the history of It's
first terrific blow Will he chronicled.
On it's starting up is concentrated
tLe entire attention of the iron men
of the country, in Europe as well
as at home.
The hammer stands IN the center
of very large building, and over
q year has been spent in It's con-
struction. \ PIT 5sx 62 feet was
dug for the foundation, and on
walls 80 feet high the anvil stands.
To give the foundation a certain
elasticity, layer of 20 steel slabs
OH top of Ohio white oak tlmbers
was made, and the surface was
rendered perfectly smooth. 1t was,
of course, entirely out OF the ques
ton to cast in a single piece the
iron required, and the anvil was
built by depositing On top of the
steel slabs and their tmbers %
blocks Of solid cast iron. The
average weight Of the blocks is &c
tons, and the entire weight of the
mass of iron and steel foI ming the
anvil and foundation is nearly 1900
tons, The anvil foundation and
the hammer foundation are entii ely
seperatesand independent Of each
other, and III no way interlaced
The hammer itself is a mai ste
looking structure, upeIlmposed
over the cylQpean mass of iron form
Ing the anvil-huge, substantial
and powerful, rising to a height oil
80 feet. The housings composing
the first section form a large arch
curving gracefully over the anvil
These housings are each composed
of a single 120 ton casting. The
longitudinal width of the hammer
(tbat is, looking at it from either
the east or west, is A. feet. The
housings, whose bases are 10 feet
by 5, are firmly clamped into the
foundation walls at each side, and
are fastened to washers lying be-
meath the walls depth of SO feet
Around the entire periphery OIL
the hammer to the height of the
first section, 10 feet, Is a platform
Of levers controlling the working Of
the machine. Above is another
arch Of housings which weigh sc
tons apiece. This arch is capped
by a steam chest, casting of G.
tons. Here, at the height of some
70 feet, is another platform. Or
the top Of this steam chest and in
the center OF tins platform is super
added the huge cylinder a feel
high, with an internal diameter O.
rs incneS. In the eXac' zenith O
the arch is the Ialge tup or ram o
the hammer. an enormous piece O
metal about 10! feet long, 10 fee
wide and 4 feet thick. the weight
OF which Is almost 1,OO0 tons. 1t i.
this which forms the principal bulk
OF the enormous weight of the
hammer and gives power to 1t.
heavy blows. Connected to this
is the piston rod, splendid specl'
meh of perfectly wrought steel A.
feet long and 16 inches diameter
At the bottom of the trip and keyed
10 it Is the die hammer. This j.
a large square block of iron facel
with steel, and is the piece which
will strike the metal that is belns
forged. he piston rod has a play
OF lG5 feet and the weight of tIik
piston rod and piston aggregates
125 tons, which, multiplied by tht
full stroke, is the power of the ham
mer's stupendous blows. The
whole thing Is indeed a contrivance
unparalleled IN the history O
mechanism. Here Is hammer
able to forge armor>plates full,
capable 81 withstanding tn.
heaviest missiles thrown from the
most powerful guns of any foreign
power.