The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-08-11

ter of the coander Is made hotter by the
molten lead than the circumference, ana
the hotter the colander the smaller the
shot They get progressively larger as
they drop from the apertures approaching
the circumference. Now, when we get
an order for a certain size OF shot we
want to cast only that size. The problem
Is solved by deposltlng IN the bottom OF
the sieve about two inches OF lead scum
made by skimming off and saving the top
dressing of raw St. Joe lead. This. when
heated, has about the consistency OF but
ter, and the molten globules go right
through II and reappear under the CO.
lander. Each shot Is larger than the hole
through which Il passes"
The next visit Is to the basement at
the foot OF the drop. A workman holds
lantern and the hardened but still heated
pellets are seen peppering the surface Of
the limpid pool into which they fan like
raindrops on a lake. An endless chain
with little cups, such as is used In grain
elevators, lift them a second time to the
tower, where they are dried by steam
heat In revolving cylinder. They come
down chute into another revolving CYL
inder containing graphite. Contact with
this substance brightens them into the
semblance of silver.
Then follows the simplest and quaint
est step in shot-maktng. A small num-
Der Of the pellets are sure to be fiattencd,
elongated, rough or imperfect in some
way, and these must be separated from
their companions. All come dashing out
Of a chute and start on run down four
polished stone tables set at a slight In
cline and each table separated from the
other by the space of a few inches Then,
in its most primitive FORM Is seen an In
stance Of the survival of the fttest. The
perfect shot bound along from stone TO
stone with athletic air and an accelerat-
ing velocity and reach the trough at the
foot of the incline. The imperfect shot
are like one-legged men. They crawl and
hobble, cripple fashion, and progress so
slowly thai most of them drop through
the interval between the first two tables.
One Of the other intervals is sure to
claim all the rest, and thus they are win
moved out and sent back to the cruel
bles to be remelted. The others are again
elevated to the tower. They are all per-
feet, but few are not of the desired
size.
In the tower is a series of revolving
cylinders perforated in different sizes
The shot passes through them, and every
pellet Of the desired size escapes the
holes; the rest are carried on through
another cylinder for second polishing
Thence they come out of a hopper into
duck bags that close automatically as
soon as twenty-five pounds of shot has
entered them. The bags are seWed with
one turn of the hand upon a machine, and
the shot is ready for the market
The advantage Of a tall tower is that it
the shot has fallen but little way II has
not hardened enough to escape fiattening
in its impact with the water In this
tower the drop was but fifty-seven feet
The effect of hight was secured however
by blast of air and mist which met the
dropping lead half way and accelera ted
It's cooling. This discovery has resulted
in obviating the necessity for lofty struc-
lures. The shot tower in East Fifty-third
street is not far short of 200 feet. The
tallest building OF the kind is at Vilacn
in the ancient Illyrian province Of the Aus
trian empire, where there is a fall Of 24s
feet
Buckshot is nodded instead Of dropped.
With the destruction of the larger game
and the more sportsmanlil5e recourse to
the rifle for deer shooting the demand for
IL has dwindled. There Is a considera bic
market for chilled shot, which only differs
from the ordinary shot In that an alloy of
anthony is used, giving a-greater hard
ness and penetration. The smallest size
of shot is dust shot. 1t takes from $500
to 5000 pellets to make an ounce. 1t is
used by taxidermists in killing small birds
and animals whose feathers and fur they
do not wish to lnture.
England supplies shot to half the world
and Newcastle Is the center Of the trade
The Mexican shot tower resembles an
elongated gibbet. To form 1t poles are
dashed together until they reach a hight
of sixty feet. The top is surmounted by
yardarm on which a workman, who is
yardarm also supports a sieve. At the
base Of the pole Is a tub Of water. Pans
of molten lead are sent to the man aioft
and he pours them into the sieve, whence
the rude pellets drop into the water. They
are polished in a primitive manner and
disposed of to the dealers who themselves
sort them with the hand sleeves.