Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1898-07-30

ARMOR PlERCERS
OF RAZOR-LIKE TEMPER

u
| Costly Monster Projectiles of Finest Steel
Great Secrecy In Making, But Hore is 2
| Fair Idea of What Is Done Before They
| Are "Filied" in Government Yards.
| Philadelphia Record.
Modern warfare has developed into
i science that levies upon the services
of experts and experienced mechanics
as largely as the pusuits of peace. 1t is
an expensive operation, and very few
among the millions who read the
of the prowess of the American navy
have any conception of the enormous
cost Of each shot that is fired. Those
whose knowledge of arms and am
munition is limited to the impressions
received from the display of cannon
and spherical cannon balls in parks,
armories and natiol.a cemeteries. can
not realize what great changes have
take nplace within the past ten years.
The invention of the modern high
power guns has brought into use pro-
Jectiles that are the finest products of
ingenuity and improved machinery,
calling forth the best efforts of skilled
artisans. Instead of cast iron globes
that could be turned out by any foun-
cry twenty years ago, use is now made
OF the grades of steel, tempered with
as much care as a razor blade and
ground and polished with as much ex-
actitude as surgical instrument.
The complete story of the manufac-
ture OF armor-piercing projectiles by
the steel works at Reading is secret
so carefully guarded that it has all
ways been hard to obtain, but at pres
ent, when the big plant is running on
a war footing, it is still more difficult,
Vas only employees and government D-
inspectors are permitted to .osser the
compary's immense machine sbops
Shells A, 5, 6, s, 10, - and 10 inches in
diameter are made for the navy,
and 8, 10 aN 70 inch sizes for the
army CONTRACTS aggregating several
mlp1ons of dollars are being filled
}.here, and as the company operates
the largest projectile plant in the
world, there are few American vessels
that do not carry these shells.
Here is the history of the making
of 10-inch shell, and as the projec-
tiles of all sizes are made In the same
manner, it gives some idea Of the vast
amount of labor required to equip a
fleet.
In the casting shop molten steel is
cast into a solid piece 1917 inches in
diameter. 1t is then taken to the forge
room, where, after being reheated, it is
hammered down to 10A inches, and
considerably elongated during the pro-
cess. Next it is conveyed to the ma
chine shop and placed upon a specially
constructed lathe and turned and point
ed. The only parts of the shell that
bear against the rifled surface of the
ring that enclrcies the base. This
ring is soft, so as not to injure the
rifing. After the finishing cut has
been given to the projectile the dame
ter of the largest part of the cone is
10 5-10O inches, and that of the body
of the shell 9 90-10O inches.
Then the Extracting score" is cut.
This Is a V-shaped groove, in which a
tool can be fastened down when it is
desired to withdraw the shell from the
gun. The next move is the boring of
5-inch hole in the base of the pro-
jectile to a depth of IA inches. Tenn
perlng follows. In this process the
shell Is suspended, point downward, in
receptacle filled with molten lead,
and is allowed to settle until the metal
rises above the cone base.
At first the temperature of the lead Is
| but 500 degrees, but it is increased gradu-
ally to 1900 degrees. The work of heat
ing continues for four hours, when the
shell Is withdrawn and sprayed with wa
ter to give II a hard exterior, Next fol-
| lows q bath in vat filled with secret in
gradients after which the shell is cooled
i
| with a jet of water.
| Once more the shell goes back to the
| machine shop, where the hole in the base
| is widened half an inch, and the depth
| increased two inches. The hole is Their
| threaded and screw plug inserted. The
| grinding room is next. Here the extreme
| diameter is ground down to ten inches
| exactly The worknen now apply the
| "band-score," which is groove for the
reception of a soft copper band
| After soft steel cap has been fitted &c
| tip of the projectile, on the theory thai
| when the sheet strikes the armored side
| of a battleship the point will be protect
ed without any interference with Its pen
etrating power, the work is finished so fal
as the steel company is concerned 1t /:
then boxed up and shipped to some United
| States arsenal, where it is filled with al
explosive compound and made ready fol
| its work of destruction.
NO TEA ON CERTAIN DAYS.