The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-09-18
Uncle SANS BIG GUNS.
uow1SD WHERE THEY ARE MADE.
The watervleit Arsenal--fts situation-Ihe
Present Gun and Old Cannon.
output Of Shops, Sc.
(For The Tlmcs.)

will try 70 give them a little sketch OF
the largest gun-Shop in the United states
and the finest in the world ] say finest
owing TO its situation and the mechanical
Arrangement of its machinery. Inc
United States Arsenal, where these p's
Gums are made. is situated on the oalNS
of the Hudson, the Rhine OF Aing'''''
onnositc the classic city Of Troy, stu no-
ted. as is our own fair city for us D'"r
Nful Helens. The shop is ioca' ;nclos.
a pine grove inside '"0 Grounds
vre Watervelt arsenal e,1,,,so
uIe' s,'r-o"15eI by an immense
- ,yau The entrance TO the mann s1te
80, ,,nor5od ou the uen' an" icy ~
80 49, cannon captured IIol" M
,ovno at tho battle OF H"t "'D7"' f,,,,I'+
hattie OF Saratoga, SO C"i'o"' l,,,,s,,,-
az SchuylcrsyilieJ lH.It - va bo,.o and
a. - ocular army stationed mere anu
OF 'nc and buildings show the neat
Rnc ebi.h Characterize our army when
nessor.5 in posts like this. The officer OF
l@v iuepccts every department thor
III, The streets and roads surround
me- t6o shops are swept by police parties
every day. who 20 with their broom anu
shovel and horse and cart, ana the small
est piece of paper flying around the
grounds is at once observed and taken in.
There are no more cannon made now, all
called guns. and the present gun bears the
same resemblance 20 the old cannon that
She beautiful Springfield rifle would to an
English bulldog
OUTPUT OF THE SHOPS.
The length Of the gun shops is 1915
feet tie width 100 feet. These shops
have % capacity of producing in year
FIVE 12-iuch guns twelve lO-inch and
twelve S-inch. These guns are all used
for coast and harbor defense. In addi-
zion so these big guns there are also con-
structed in these shops fifty field guns,
81 diameter calibre, weighing 80
pounds each, length $40 inches; twenty
siege guns. 3D. diameter cahbre, weigh
ing $50 pounds, length 14J inches; also
fftv mOrtars. SO diameter calibre, weigh
ing 240 pounds each, length ~ inches.
All these guns, both large and small are
hraech-lOading and the mechanism is the
De BanCe system Amencanzed ne
readers of The Times. no doubt, VIII be
more interested i'm the details OF now
these big guns are made. 1t is surpris-
ing TO know the amount of work required
on each gun. and of course these are
very valuable to the Government when
finished An Sinch gun consists OF an
inner tube running the entire length, on
which is placed one jacket ana eleven
hoons. When finished its length is -
feet. weight IA - tons a lO-inch gun
consists Of n tube. iacket and seventeen
hoops. When completed 1t is 80 feet long
and weighs 80 tons. 4 Pinch gun, like
the 1O-inch. consists of a tube, jacket and
seventeen hoops, much larger III diane
ter. however. This gun when completed
is 81 feet long and weighs % tons. 10
give some idea of the resistance OF these
massive guns when fired would probaoiy
startle the ordinary reader. The RESIST
ance of a 1O-inch is equal 10 3,OOO,OUO
Dounds pressure: or, to properly explain
IL. it would require 1889 tons bearing
against the breech of the gun when hred
10 make the vibration lmpercepuDle, as
the powdcr pressure on each square inch
of the breech plug is $4,000 pounds.
THEIR CONSTRUCTION.
The construction Of these guns require
mon of the greatest accuracy ana skill,
and each surface turned and each hoop
and Jacket board Is figured our 10 a
nioety. 50 as when placed IN Position ~, 10
must be as solid as though the gun was
one entire piece. To give the reader some
idea of the close particular work required
In The manufacture, it is only necessary
to state that in boring twelve-lnch gun
which is thiriy-seyen feet long the work
man is only allowed a variation OF .OU3
of an inch in its entire length pins moth
ing under il is impossible to discern by
the naked eve any such close measure
mont as this. and the wOrkmen have to
cultivate "a keen sense Of touch III meas
urement All gauges and measurements
are set by an expert, using the WERNER
caliper and microscope All measure
monts are recorded by the foreman when
given, and also by an expert when set,
30 that if n mistake occurs 1t can be
easily traced to where the blame rests.
... nd
i'm the shrinking pit perpendicular, the
jacket is bored to a shrinking ut and
placed on the tube; the jacket is placed
in a furnace on its end and subjected 10
what is termed black heat. AS soon as
the iacket is in position on the tube water
is used freely TO aid shrinkage, then 1t is
taken from the pit, placed In lathe
ninety-siX feet long, and surfaces are
turned for the first row of hoops. 1t Is
again taken to the shrinking pit where
the hoops are shrunk on by the same pro
cess as the jacket, when it is again
placed in the lathe and turned for Its
next row of hoops and so on, till all are
in place 1t would be impossible to give
an exact estimate of the strength OF one
of these guns, but any one cOnversant
with metals and mechanism would not
hesitate one moment IN saying that this
IS the strongest possible way to make
them. The metal from which they are
made. the finest i'm the world, by this pro-
cess is not subjected TO any strain
whatever. and the shrinkage surfaces are
80 nicely adjusted that when placed in
position they are much stronger than
though they We're subjected 10 a welding
heat and placed under an immense ham
mer. In the first place, it is impossible
10 destroy the fibre of the gun. BY the
welding process YOU may. BY the shrink
age process YOU get what is termed a cold
weld, the fbres adhering closely to each
other. by the last process, or when you
heat iron with what is termed a welding
heat. the tlbres may adhere perfectly on
the outside, showing clean. smooth sur
face, but on the inside not perfectly
united.
There is nothing about these guns that
Will wear out except the rifing, and that
only after they have been fired a number
of times, then they will have to be re-
turned to the arsenal, bored out, new
tube inserted, rerfled, and they are again
ready for service.
COMMAND AT THE POST.
This Post has been commanded since
1889 by Licutenant-Colonel h. ii. Parker,
an officer in the ordnance department,
whose whole heart has been in this work.
Although not strong, he has accomplished
wonders lu his personal supervision OF
every minute detail connected with gun
making, and was posted from personal
observation Of what was being done in
the shops, and all regret that owing TO