The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-03-08
BENICIA.s GOOD LUCK.
A Gun Foundry VIII Surely BE Estal
lished There.

Gun Foundry VIII Surely BE Estab-
lished There.
Irving III. Scott was interviewed yester-
day by CALL reporter in reference to the
proposed factory to be operated by the re-
Gently incorporated Union Forge Company
for the casting of heavy guns at Bencia.
THE factory" said Mr.. Scott, will be
for the finishing and assembling OF heavy
ordnance What we propose to do is to man
ufacture the material for guns, rough fin
ished. This material Will be tested, and
then put together by the Government.
at does not depend so much on the
preparations as on the contract. The Ord
nance Committee has recommended GER
tain guns TO he placed for the protection of
Atlantic and Pacific ports. OF that number
a certain proportion will. of course, come
on this Coast We want TO see our pro-
ductive resources put on the same plane as
those Of the Atlantic, and have gone into
business on that line.
The steel which we propose to manu-
facture for the new guns will be Semens-
Martens open-hearth steel. The making
OF big gun requires the best kind of steel
anyhow, and the material has to be very
carefully made.
MODE OF MANUFACTURE.
1T can be made on this coast by convert
modern industry TO use gas from fuel instead
of the coal itself. We have the metal right
here, Tree from sulphur and phosphorus.
and as soon as we create n market for bill
lets, such as the Government has sought we
shall have no difficulty in handling all the
crude product that comes to US.
The material for the guns will be COM
posed OF Swedish bar iron, certain amount
OF piglron Gree from sulphur and phospho-
rOusl and proportion OF waste steel. The
1
product Is obtained. This Is brought into
the form of an ipgot, which is subsequently
hammered and punched out then forged un-
der steam hammer. tempered, tested and
| inspected.
There is no trouble about material and
skill. We have them both right here. The
Union Iron Works has built, and is now
building, high-grade men-of-war The
Charleston. tile San Francisco, the Mon
terey, Cruiser 6. and the Oregon have all
been built here or are now being built
The steel castings obtained from the
Pacific Rolling Mills have been superior in
quality and physical condition to those OBJ
tanned from the East.
BENICIA's FACILITIES.
"As to the facilities at Benicia," con-
eluded Mr.. Scott. Il will say that the place
| possesses all the facilities for making and
have been plainly set forth by Senator Eel
ton in his speech before the committee on
coast deienses. There is plenty of water on
the front at BeDicia for vessels of deep
draught, and the site is sufficiently far inland
10 be safe from the attacks of a foreign
| enemy. II is near TO population OF about
100000 people. BeDieia, in my opinion, fills
all the requirements for assembling guns
for the Government
LET me add that this new corporation is
not Union Iron Works concern 1t is com-
posed Of representative citizens, who aim
chiefly to avoid the difficulties and risks of
overland Transportation, which, in the case
of l6-inch guns. are prohibitory. We want
TO employ our Pacific Coast mechanics and
make our people something more than set
of dissatisfied GROWERS