Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-07-23
HE BIG STEEL WORKS.
How Armor Plates and Great Beams Ar
Made.

THE BIa STEEL WORKS.
How Armor Piatss and Great Beams Are
| Made.
WHAT II DONE on THE 600 ACRES AT noxE-
| srEAD-THE GREAT HYDRAULIo oRANHs-ncN-
srxa HOSTING MACHINES THAT WOULD LIFT A
TRAIN OF CANS.
Millions Of otherwise enlightened American
citizens have not the slightest idea as to the
processes by which raw iron is converted into
steel. but great many Of enlightened citizens
aforementioned never realize the depth Of their
Ignorance on that subject until the troubles and
bloodshed at Homestead captured and held pub
lie interest. The famous plant is now closed to
all newspaper representatives, SO a personal
description Of its operations-now feeble-is not
possible, but IL 80 happened that but q short
time before the present difficulty commenced a
| newspaper man did go through the entire prop
erty for the purpose of writing a story for the
Pittsburg Times, and the material accumulated
by his industry and technical knowledge is
available.
| The Homestead plant, he wrote. which
| now comprises 600 acres, with thirty-seven
| acres under roof, was only commenced in 1880.
! Az in other concerns in the galaxy OF Carnegie
enterprises, Mr.. Carnegie is the senior partner.
Until recently Mr.. Vim. L. Abbott chair
man, but he retired April / to enjoy season of
rest and was succeeded by Mr.. H. c. Prick
The duties Of the Office of vice chairman de-
| volved upon Mr.. H. NJ. Curry. one Of the best
metallurgists and practical steel men in the
! country. The secretary, Mr.. Oils II. .Childs, is
also thoroughly practical. and Possesses ca
pacity for business which has long ago placed
him in the front rank. Il. C. Phipps, n nephew
! Of Henry Phipps, jr., is treasurer. Like Mr..
| Carnegie. Mr.. Henry Phipps, jr., whose inter-
est ranks only second to the first named, does
not take active part in the management.
OF the operating department Mr.. John A.
Potter Is superintendent. and has entire charge
| of the conduct Of the great mill. He is q young
man, only few PAGES in the thrties, but has
| the experience Of q veteran, having lived in
iron and steel stmospheres on both sides Of the
water.
THE PRODUCT OF THE PLANT.
There are blast furnaces here, although
the firm owns the Lucy furnaces In Pittsburg
This plant produces plates Of various character,
boiler, armor, &C., beams and various shapes
| OF structural material. The buildings are all
constructed Of soft firebrick rooted and trussed
with steel The hosting apparatus Of the
plant consists Of numerous hydraulic cranes
some Of which will raise and deposit anywhere
within the arc Of the circle which it de-
scribes q weight of 200 tons-equal to
ciSut car loaus. LINK OF q uItlnR monster
capable Of taking up as much weight eight
cars carry. 1t is marvellous. The pressure in
the water chambers Of these cranes is 500
pounds to the square inch. One man handles
the largest with the came ease that an engine
man draws the throttle Of his engine. The
| amount Of water required to operate these and
other appliances in the mill, feed the boilers,
DC, is 1000, 900 gallons per day.
MAKING ARMcR PLATE
The process Of making armor plate-and this
is now, with additions recently completed, the
largest in the worlds perhaps the most inter-
esting process. Furnaces known as open hearth
are used to melt and prepare the metal in this
work. There are in one furnace department
eight open hearth furnaces. each having
capacity OF thirty tons, though twenty-five tons
Is seldom exceeded. The contents Of these fur
naces may, if desired. be run into one casting
or ingOt. If an armor plate is to be made 1t is
cast in the pit near the furnaces. This pit is q
largo circular area below the surrounding sur
face.
All the armor for vessel is made according
to pattern. The entire portion of vessel to
be armored Is constructed of wood. and is vir-
tually cut up in sizes to suit the plates. Each
piece represents the portion Of the vessel upon
which the plate will rest. In miniature these
pieces would resemble cut-up puzzles Then
patterns, referred to above, for the plates are
made, and when plate ia finished it must fit
exactly to the wooden fac simile Of the portion
OF the vessel for which ii is intended If a
bolt head protrudes through the side Of the ves-
sci the fac slmile piece will show it, and the
plate must be cut or indentured at precisely the
right place to fit over the bolt head. An ingot
is cast In sand molds in the pit and from II the
plate is made. When the steel is ready the
open hearth furnaces are tapped and streams
Of molten steel run into the mold, and the in
got Is made. The weight varies from 20 to
100 tons. 1t is then stripped, taken from the
mold while still hot and is transferred
on a special car to the press shop This car
has capacity Of $50 tons, five times that of
the average freight car. At the press shop two
large cranes that could lift an ordinary house
take this mountain Of metal and put it in a
furnace, where it is heated When the ingot il
In proper condition it is lifted from the fur
mace, placed on the big car, and is carried to
the armor rolling mill. 1t is mill SO pom
derous that mere figures are powerless to con-
vey full appreciation of its size.
A cubic foot Of steel weighs over 500 pounds
In an ingot weighing thirty tons there are 12O
cubic feet, and 400 cubic feet in a fifty-ton in
got. These great rolls fstten and widen the in
got until 1t has reached the desired size. 1t is
then taken again to the press shop, where any
rough or ragged ends are cut of by hydraulic
press of $500 tons capacity. 1t will shear
plate OF steel six inches or a foot thick as
steak.
The plate is then placed in a furnace to
be tempered. When that process is com
pleted it is removed and placed in a bath.
containing 100000 gallons Of oil, where it
Ii allowed to cool. After cooling it is
again put in a furnace and brought to a red
heat called annealing, thence is placed
In an annealing pit and covered with
ashes and sawdust and allowed to remain
twelve or thirteen days. At the end Of that
time the plate, over which SO much time and
hard work has already been spent, il carried to
the great armor plate machine shop, vast
building, larger than machinery hall ut the
Pittsburg exposition building. Here is col
lection OF the most gigantic planners, drills,
presses, saws, lathes and tools that were ever
made. Some OF the planning machines weigh
200 tons.
GOVERNMENT INSPECTION.
Upon the arrival Of the plate in this shop the
government inspector selects his physical tests.
II found perfect and up to contract the plate is
then finished, q branch OF work exceedingly
important, for every part OF the plate, even il
1t Is to be destroyed the first hour Of service,
must be made according to design without the
variation Of a fraction Of an inch. When
group OF from twelve to twenty plates are ready
for shipment the government inspector selects
one ut random for another test-a ballistic test
The plate Is sent to the testing grounds at In
dian Head, and then it Is set up and fred at by
the highest power guns. II this plate does not
stand the test the entire group Is rejected and
thrown upon the contractors hands
At time iu mailing dapor $oft lo