New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-10-31

Ess on \ GREAT SCALE.
Modern naval architecture makes massive
nrmor plate n necessity "Armor plate has been
the subject ~ much discussion in the legislative
halls at Washington and it's price and Guaity
have engaged the attention of the community
many times in the course Of the last Few years
The fact that naval construction cannot proceed
without armor plate and that strike OF inc
operators in the steel works for hisher wages
or a strike of the proprietors for higher prices
may cut of the supply at any time caused many
people to advocate legislation looking toward
the manufacture Of the pOndcrous commodity Dy
the Government. 1t was proposed To puma Il
Government plant near some iron NINE ana 10
produce there what the Government needed ana
possibly take orders for work from the business
world Various places and plans were suggested
but the scheme never received much encourage
ment The plan to purchase plant when had
already been developed. and from which good
material had been delivered. received more car
nest consideration.
The Bethlehem Iron Company. south h'thI'-
hem. Penn. was one Of the first Of the large
concerns To manufacture heavy steel forsings
with the purpose Of meeting the growing do
mauds Of the United States Government, and 1t
WAS natural that il should have been prominent
Is mentioned when the scheme for buying
ulant came up for discussion II b. stlil looked
MN hv many experts "a th" most dosifahl" ~
the various steel plants and these people nave
been loud In advocating its purchase"
The works are az South bethlehem. Penn. OPP
posite ttc old MorAvian town Of Bethlehem. on
the Lchieh River. cshty-scycn miles from New
YORK and fifty five miles from Philadelphia They
cover an estate one and a quarter miles long
and quarter Of mile WIDE. with about TWEEN
ty-drc acres under cover When the works are
IN full operation ana running on fun time they
give employment to about four thousand men
III, nuid compression II steel and forging with
hydraulic presses are the feature 81 the plant
and 10 carry out the work machinery u colossal
magnitude has been introduced
In his paper on the production ~ armor forg-
ings in the United States Russell ". Davenport
says: at lay with. Sir Joseph Whitworih y Co..
Limited. Of Manchester to lead not only Eng
land. bu, the world. in the art Of making OPEN
hearth steel forgings. those for arnor plate tx
rcptcd This advance consisted in two distinct
improvements: First. ia suhjectng tho huid
ttocl Immediately after casting and during solid
iacauon TO Il heavy hydraulic pressure. usually
known as nuid compression. by which means
'Mowholcs' and cracks are oblitcratcd. and. Sec
ond the SUBSTITUTE Of the hydraulic press for
the hammer a. a forging machine. This suhst-
tuition brought with it many advantages. among
which the most important is the forging hollow
on a mandril Of long lengths suitable for gun
tubes etc"
The Bethlehem company made contract in
1856 for an equipment on the Whitworth plan.
and the same year made bid to furnish the
United States Government with a large guam
tty Of armor plate. The bids were opened in
March. 1857, and the Bethlehem company
ceivod the contract. The two hydraulic forging
presses, with engines and pumps. which were
put in at that time are still the wonder and ad-
miration Of visitors to the plant one Of these
Presses has capacity Of two thousand and the
other Of I'VE thousand tons. The fluid compress
ing plant is "A larger and more imposing piece OF
machinery.
The press. which works upward against
monster resistance piece ard against the fluid
metal, has capacity Of seven thousand tons.
and this press is served by "A ton hydraulic
travelling crane. An idea Of the size Of the press
may be gained from the fact that the upper and
lower headpieces weigh. respectively, l35 and
100 tons
The press stands in "A deep pit surrounded by
"A gallery The moulds into which the steel is
poured from monster ladies are from two To six
feet in diameter and when the mould has been
placed in position the powerful press bed rises
and forces the liquid mass upward lngots made
In this way are usually twice the size required,
In order that sufficient work may be put into the
original casting during the forging process to
give the metal strength and toughncss.
Under the enormous pressure Of seven thou
sand tons the air which has been cntwined in the
pouring is forced out through joints in the
mould where vents have been left for that pur
pose. The Bethlehem people say that 10y their
process Of ingot casting many defects are over