Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1891-08-26
THE LARGEST CAST.
Correspondence of the SPECTATOR.

| Affairs generally at BuCmR Vista.
Correspondence of the SPECTATOR
BUENA VISTA, VA, Aug. oath, 1891.
Inc torcss in the foundry department OF the
Rarig Works at Buena Vista, are now dressing
up for shipment. the largest iron. casting evel
made in Virginia. 1t weighs twenty-six thou
sand pounds. The run Of metal was made In
a brief space OF time. and was drawn from the
cruclble into two ladies', one with q holding
| capacity Of twenty thousand pounds. and the
other capable of holding twelve thousand
pounds of the seething fluid. The ladies sus-
pended, the larger from movable crane over.
head, and the other from q lever-geared ma
chinery-were. In the hands of the skilled men
like a toy worked by the will of boy. so easy
and so quiet and complete.
The casting Is for the base OF the stack OF the
furnace under construction at Iron Gate. The
base is circular and hollow. Across the entire
width 1t is fifteen feet. The inside: opening or
circle is ten feet in diamater, It Will be bolt
ed down to the stone foundation by large
number OF bolts or rods securely fastened in
the stone.work. There bolts are fourteen feet
long and three inches In diameter. There were
sixteen men. and every one In his place, like O
perfect piece of mechanism, engaged with the
ladies' and at the great mould. The pattern for
the cast was made at the EarIg Works, en-
ployiug on it full forcs, and six weeks werc
occupied in perfecting 1t.
The stock the furnace at Iron-Gate will be
one hundred aad seventy feet high. ali OF iron !,
and tapcrs from the base as given.
The Rarig Works have also the contract for
other parts of the furnace, including several
hollow iron structures, called STOVES. where
the gases are condensed and returned to
smelling the ore In the fire-brick>lIned cruel.
BILE. Mr.. John Cureton. an Englishman, a
quiet and skilled man, brought here from
Columbus, Ohio, Is the foreman in the foundry
department. There are four large brick build
ings. In all over fourteen hundred feet long,
and two hundred fest wide. that make up the
Raris Works, as united in the foundry, ma
chine. pattern and boiler department. Mr.. g.
w. Eyler. formerly Of the firm of Lynn & Co.,
staunton. Ia the Superintendent OF the Rarig
Works.
saw the great brass casting. the screw cast
for the war vessel Colorado" made at the
Tredegar Works, Richmond. Va, but this iron
one as now reported Is much heavier.
A piece of metal, shaped for It's purposes,
weighing thirteen tons, is not q email matter
to execute. and yet 1t was done easily and
handsomely. About one hundred Spectators,
including many ladies'. were present. with
whom MIR. A. K. Rarig. the head of the great
establishment. chatted as If the occasion was
holiday affair. and yet the least error commit
ted would have involved many thousa nds of
dollars Of loss. Col 7. G. Jones, Superintendent
OF the Furnace to be erected at Iron-Gate, was
present and much pleased with the result.
All OF the elegant m anu featuring ESTABLISH.
ments. Fifteen completed. are moving on with
regularity turning out their products, and in
the number the friedrich works are of no Sec
ondary Importance. The glass works Will
commence operation on the 3Ist.
The Furnace OF the Busna Vista Iron Compa-
ny. has not stopped one minute sincs 1t went
into blast last December In turning out its one
hundred tons OF plg-irOn every twenty-four
hours. and now finds sale for about the whole
product.
The steel works are going up gradually and
handsomaly