The morning times., 1895-12-29
UNCLE SANS GUN SHOP
Work at the Great Navy Yard
Ordnance Factory.
MONSTER CANNON MADE
Immense Masses OF Metal Handled
wuh Ease and Accuracy by the Big
Cranes-Guns Manufactured Ihere
That VIII Throw n Half Ton FRO
irctiIe Twelve Miles

Il MtiNS
There is perhaps no institution In tnis
country that is SO little KNOWN sehei"h'
and at the same time SO Interesting Us tue
naval gun factory at the navy yard
Few people are aware of the actual CON
ditions at the great gun factory here, thaI
the buildings and shops of the factory cover
anarea of eleven acres, that 500 men are EN-
ployed and that the entire supervision ana
oncration of the factory are entrusted TO
orficers detailed from the Navy Tor the
purpose To naval officers, indeed is due the
greatest measure of the praise for the eXcef
len, results since its beginning, Tor III nae
been almost entirely by their efforts WIN
those in power that The factory mas oeen
maintained at It's high standard Oh ef
ricicncy and that inventions ana improve
utents produced and suggested by theh,
have been Tried and put into actual operation
IN the gun shops, giving TINS couiif. cei
tain advantages in the manufeciufe VI
heavy ordnance over all other nations III
the world.
AN IMMENSE PLACE.
on first entering the large gun shop on the
main street in the navy yaru tne 'Isitoi'
while impressed with the immensely OF tne
nlace and the whirr of the machinery, 1ihds
u different from the factories OF the Nofth
filled with men, each at work on ms own
lathe or machine. The tools in the large
shop, from so to 80 feet in length, take up
so much room that the operatives, Only
two or three to each lathe, are not 10 De
seen in some cases. There are Two gun
shops. the north and south gun shops, but
tbey together with what is tecnnlcahy
known as the shrinking pit, ID the center
are all in one building
This building is about G50 feet long and at
nn Nrid
gun shop are made the immense l3-inch
guns for use on the first class batueshlps.
ONLY twelve 13-inch bfeech-loading riIles
have SO far been authorized, ana these are
all practically completed the WORK uone oh
them on the occasion OF the Visit oi Ahe
Times, being the final turning and adjusting
Six OF these guns have been proved. -Four
have been issued to the Indiana, one 10 the
Oregon and another is TO be shipped as
soon as the car for its transportation can pe
obtained The remaining two guns 1or
the Oregon can be shipped as soon as they
are proved at the naval ordnance proving
ground at Indian Head.
In the north gun shop the casual visitor
may see immense lathes i3o feet long, useu
for boring and turning guns fifty feet in
length.
The largest of these lathes will be used
for the 16-inch guns, which will weigh llo
TONS In another part of the shop there
are four Iathes which are used for the
l3-ipch guns. and one of them is capable
of working ON 12-inch gun. This 13O
foot lathe is the largest appliance OF its
kind in the world.
RIFLING MECHANISM.
In this north gun shop, too, is the
rifliDg mechanism. The rifling heao OF
this machine is an invention of the Of
fIcers at the yard. The machine itself
differs from the English and other ma
chimes in the fact that it cuts four grooves
at the same time. While the English rifliDg
machine is pulled through the gun the one
IN use at our naval manufactory Is pushed
through and is believed to be stronger.
The rifling head is an ingenious mechantsm
as complicated as the works of watch,
but ii SO adjusts the boring parts that the
turpings are accurate to the one-thousandth
part OF an inch.
Overhead throughout this enormous build
ing is track, supported by steel up
rights upon which run two enorm mous
travelling cranes. These cranes embody all
Of the improvements TO be desired IN
banding large weights. By the manlpula'
ton of levers in an iron car, which hangs
below the crane, on signal from the
master mechanic, the engineer can lit
the bulky and ponderous OF una
tcrial in any direction desired.
This is accomplished very simply by two
motions of the hanging chains, one parable
to the length OF the building. aud the
two Simultaneous motions being directed
with great accuracy by the engineer al
the levers in the car. By means oi
steel hooks attached to heavy straps
around the material these movements
are almost entirely free from accident
10 the steel-Or danger to the employees
so skilled are the mechanics in the mani
pulation of the cranes and the materia
that huge block of copper, weighing
perhaps two or three tons, is handled
as If it were plaything.
ASSEMBLING THE PARTS.
Although there is a general idea in re
gard TO the processes OF modern hlgn
power gun construction and the process
of building up little is known in regart
10 the actual act of assembling the parts
Between the north gun shop, where th'
big guns are made, and the south guI
shops where the small guns are manu-
factured, is the shrinking pit. I bis Il
a deep, brick-liDed hole cut in the hoo
of the building. There are different depth
at which men may stand on stagiDgs con
structed of wooden gratings so that th
mechanics during the process of Assem-
bling can render assistance at differen
heights.
The long steel tube, whchis to become tn
barrel of the finished gun, is stocd uprigh
in the pit at such a depth. that the Jacket
and hoops may be put on conveniently
Cold water from a circular copper tube
which is placed around ii and held by al
employe, Is continually squirted on tb
tube in order to prevent any expansion b
It ever so slight, by the heat radiated from
the furnaces near by and to keep IL COG
while the jacket and hoops are being place.
on. -
At the east end OF the pit is one of tn
heating furnaces. In this furnace tn
jacket has been kept for twenty-four hours
measured carefully from time to time. bot
outside and in, in order 10 assure absolut
success In the assembling, for the inside c
the jacket cannot vary in diameter the one
thousandth part OF an inch from the ca
culated width the outside OF the tub'
When all Is ready one of the travelin
cranes is brought over and the top Of th
furnace Is lifted off
PUTTING THE JACKET ON.
Immediately the other crane takes hol
of the jacket and brings 1t over-until 1t
directly above the upright tube in the pi
The interior Of the jacket is carefully wipe
out in order that no particle OF dust or di
may interfere as IL is slipped over the tub
The great difficulties of this performanC
may be understood when II is known the
the expanded Jacket is less than One-tent
OF an inch greater than the exterior dian
eter of the tube, and that the Jacket mu
be lowered over the whole length of II
tube TO be covered fifteen or twenty fee
without rubbing or scratching.
This operation is most difficult, and, 1
fact, notwithstanding the great number {
guns that are assembled at the factor
every MONTH aud the experience the me
have gained in the work, there are so man