Evening star., 1897-03-04
Where the Great Rifed Cannon Are
Manufactured.
= -
HE WASHINGTON ORDNANCE SHOPS
Curious ana Interesting Objects at
the Navy Yard.
OF THE WAR

Lie w sd5iihA6eoh Suh AOuHuIS IS OIlc VI
| the landmarks of the national capital. In
| asmuch as it is there that all the high
powdered guns and their mounts for, the
| equipment Of our modern ships of war are
manufactured, 1t is place of special in
| terest to visitors in these days of wars and
rumors of war. Originally established
| a navy yard for the construction and re-
pair of warships, it was long since aban-
doned as such and Is now devoted almost
| exclusively to the manufacture of guns and
ordnance materials. In February, 1919.
Congress made an appropriation of 81 &c.,
600 for the building of six ships of war,
small appropriation for such a purpose
| according to modern ideas. but ample in
| those days of primitive wooden warships.
IA portion of this appropriation was de-
voted to the establishment Of six navy
yards, one at New York one at Wash
| ington, one at Philadelphia, one at Bos-
| ton, one at Portsmouth, N. H., and one at
Norfolk, Va. The action of Congress was
| predicated On threatened danger of war
with France. All the navy yards men
toned. with the single exception of the
one at Washington, are still maintained
by the government in the building and
care OF ShioS.
The Washington Navy Yard.
The grounds comprising the Washington
navy yard, lying near the mouth of the
Eastern branch of the Potomac, consist of
| forty acres of rolling land and were origi-
nally purchased fer $1,000. The yard was
| first established in 1904, soon after this city
was made the seat Of government 1t
| became an important naval center and
depot of supplies, from which our naval
| vessels and other navy yards received
their stores: Together with many other
| public buildings. it was destroyed by fire
during the British invasion of Washington
! in August. 1914. Congress made provision
| for Its rebuilding the following year. and
| by 1916 1t was again in full running order.
During the succeeding half century many
| of the largest and finest ships of war pos
ssssed by the United States were con-
| structed at this yard. At the outbreak of
| the civil war its capacity was taxed to
! the utmost in the manufacture of ordnance
| and Ordn lnce stores and in the repair of
| disabled vessels.
| Since the war. however, it gradually de-
| clined in Importance as ship yard, main
| ly because of its inaccessibiIity owing to
| the shoaing of the river channels, and
| but one ship has been built there since
| that time. The ordnance department was
| maintained throughout, and the plant has
| been enlarged and improved to such an
| extent that the existing gun factory is
| said to be one of the best equipped estab-
ltshments of It's kind in the world.
Devoted to Gun Making.
since April. 1886. the buildings and ma
| chinery of the yard have been devoted ex
clusiyely to the Manufacture of guns and.
ordnance material. The entire gun plant
and appurtenances have cost about 81. 2.000.
CO., ard are believed to be fully equal to
| the demand of the times in supplying the
| new navy with guns equal in power and
| efficiency to those supplied to the leading
| navieS of foreign powers.
| The gunshop Is filed with the most pow
erful and approved machinery for turning
| boring rif1ing, jacketinS and otherwise
4 finfSffip1e the tfnmeTrSe rifles eTeQuireI. for
| modern battlet shipG as we'll as the smaller
| rapid-fire guns, which form such an i'm
pcrtant part of the secondary batteries of
| the cruiser gunboats, and, in fact. all veS-
4 sells of war. The largest lathe in the shop.
| commonly called the "16 lathe was built
| for turning out a gun l6 inches IN diam
| eter of barrel, 4S feet inches long and
| weighing 110 ions. This size has been
/ found too large for practical USE how
ever. and the largest guns made for the
navy are but 13-inch caliber. The lathe.
which is used for boring the interior of
| these guns. is about 115 feet long. and cost
nearly 100000: smaller lathes are used in
the case of the smaller guns. Travelling
over these lathes, 40 feet from the ground.
is an Immense crane capable of raising and
| carrying from one lathe to another dead
weight of 125 tons. In the center Of this
building Is the shrinking pit. In which are
| located furnaces for heating the Jackets
and hoops for use in shrinking the gun
tubes These furnaces are heated to be-
tween GOO and TOO degrees. the heating
| power being Eaptha oil with an air blast
Mounts and Carriages.
A separate building is devoted to the
manufacture of gun mounts and carriages
and Is provided with the latest and mos
approved machinery. as is also the projec
tile shop nearby, In which shells are made
and finished. Persons interested in ord
nance work and in applied mechanics will
! find visit to these shops of great pleasure
and profit.
: There are many historic relics in the
museum and other buildings at the yard
which the watchmen in charge will show
> with an ill-concealed display of pride an(
patriotism. The two old-faShioned cannon
mounted on either side of the avenue neal
the entrance were captured from the Tri
) politans by Capt Stephen Decatur In 1904
Near the east door of the gun shop is The
: original Long Tom." used with such sue
cess by Capt. Samuel c. Reid on the bris
Cen. Armstrong in his never-to- forgot
| ten engagement with the British fleet a
| Fayal, September 26. 1914. This gun wa:
t | presented to the United States by the Port
I | uguese government few years ago. ant
3 formed part of the naval exhibit at th'
| worlds Columbian exposition. In the rea
E | of the commandant's office is gun park
T | where are displayed trophies captured dur
t | ing the war of the revolution. the war o
s 1912, the Mexican war and the war of tn
: rebellion.
Y The Museum.
The museum contains a most interesting
collection Of relics and trophies. Just out
. side is a large willow tree, grown from :
: slip from a tree over the grave Of Napoleon
I Bonaparte at st. Helena. Unquestionabl.
the most striking relic in the museum is
= section of the stem post of the famou
= Kearsarge. showing an unexploded shell
u u weighing about fifty-six pounds. whicl
n lodged there during the ships engagemen
with the redoubtable Alabama of the coas
;, of Cherbourg. France. during the civil wal
> Had this SHELF exploded when 1t struck
;, might have turnedbthe scale of battle. An
; other object ofsinteEest is breech-loadini
gun, made in Spain in 1880 and used b,
; Cortez in the conquest Of Mexico. It wa
captured during the war with Mexico
= Then there Is "a walrus tusk brought fron
y the arctic region by the Greely relief expe
u dition, pieces of am Egyptian obelisk bull
twenty-five years s&efore Christ, and a
sorts and styles ofsarms and ammunition
from the earliest days.
The buildinguat the entrance to the, var
IS the barracks Of the marines, who are o.
: duty there as ceuan1s The dwellings alon
+ the main avenue ara occupied by the com
O mandant7 and other officers stationed at tn
O yard. Although 1t Ia actually gun factor
: and nothtng smore, 1t is still generall
fhrN