Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1898-06-17
ENGLISH BAYONETS.
AN INTERESTING ACCOUNT OF HOW
THEY ARE MADE.

INTERESTING ACCOUNT OF HOW
THEY ARE MADE.
Tho Process From the Raw Material to
tho Finished Product-Their Manufsc-
turo Is Almost Is Fatal to Life - Their
Use In Times Of WA.
A writer In the London News, in an 40.
count of a visit to the Enfield Small Arms
factory, gives the following interesting ao-
sount Of how bayonets are made:
It Is a big business, this bayonet max.
ing. The raw material comes in the form
Of bars of steel, which are out up into the
necessary lengths and rolled. Tho strips
Of steel are then borne off to tremendous
press, which stamps one end for the
''tang," and from there they 20 to tho
grinding department of the factory. Hero,
In the first place, q rather numbering look
ing "troughing' machine automatically
scours tho edges with emery until tho en-
bryo sword bayonct will just fit into a
gauge or through" This insures that the
metal is exactly tho proper size and shape.
Next comes the grinding by hand on
the big grindstones, Of which there are 80
In ono long skylightcd building, each
Weighing, when now, a couple Of tons,
though of course they rapidly wear away,
as we'll as tho grinders employed at them.
These mon sit astride their seats as thoy
would on horseback, bending toward tho
whetstones that whirl round at a spced of !
something like $500 times a minute,
when they arc full ~sizo-about two-thirds
of q mile n minute.
Woe betido the unlucky grinder If there
should happen to be a flaw in tho stone.
Whirling round at such a pace tho centri-
fugal strain upon it is, of course, very
great, and If the stone were not pretty |
sound 1T would fly to pieces, as they are
known to do occasionally in such places. |
There has been ut least ono occurrence of
the kind at Enfield. Such a burst up is as
destructive in tho line of motion as a can
non would be, and the stones in this build |
Ing arc arranged SO as to minimize the
mischief of u a mistake. Each is in
spected every morning before starting
work.
1t is not the bursting of tho stones, how
ever, that constitutes tho greatest peril to
the workmen here. Men cannot be bend
ing over sword blades that are being rub
bed away in brilliant trails of sparks all
day long year after year without getting
accumulations of steel dust into tho lungs,
and If tho truth could DO known it might
be found that the making of tho weapons
for European armies and navies is almost
as deadly us tho use of them. 1t is said,
however, to DO partly the men, own fault.
A good deal of the mischief might be OBJ
Waited by the uso of magnetized rcspira-
tors, but they won't wear them or goggles
for the eyes, either.
All tho work here is done by the piece,
and tho men are of opinion that these pro-
tectors seriously interfere with their earn
ings, SO that, like a good many moro of US
IN different ways they kill themselves in
order that they may live. Probably by tho
time that we have, learned to do without
bayonets, wo shall also havc learned to DO
content to give u man n fair living for the
best he can honestly do without choking
himself with steel dust.
If n takes in hand one of these modern
sword bayonets which have superseded tho
old three cornered skcwers, he will see
that it is a fiat blade each side of which
has q central ridge between two hollows.
These hollows arc ground out of tho solid
steel by a milestone ribbed all round spe-
cially for the purpose, these ribs or ridges
IN tho surface of the stone corresponding
to the hollows in tho blade. When the
grinding has been carried up to q certain
| point, tho weapon or tho piece of steel in
process of becoming the weapon is carried
to another department. to undergo somo
change in :ls composition. Thus far it
has been a piece Of ordinary cast steel.
Now that tho thing has been rolled and
stamped and ground into its general form
it has to be hardened. For this purpose it
is put into a sort of bakers oven-nn
oven. that is to say, that is divided by a
fire brick wall into two parts-ono for the
fire and the other for tho reception Of the
steel to be heated.
Tho weapons lie in here and got redhot
and then are plunged into a bath of oil
which has q stream Of cold water running
round it to keep down tho temperature.
This hardens tho steel, but leaves it brittle.
1t would snap off if any attempt were
made to bend 1t. It has, therefore, to be
tempered by plunging it into molten lead.
This gives it the necessary elasticity and
fexibility, and it comes out of it's leaden
bath Il lovely blue color, q real sword blade,
but only blade and somewhat rough, too,
II without any edge. 1t goes back to the
grinding room now for the finishing touch,
to get something approximating to q cut
ting edge, not sufficient for purposes of
war, but such as may be safely intrusted
to soldiers in piping times of peace.
When the grinding is finished, it only re-
mains to polish the blades and to mount
them with '~'orosspieces" and ''pommels,"
"grips'' and "springs," that will convert
the mere blade into a veritable sword bay
one and permit Of its being attached to
the rifle. The polishing looks as though
it must be more detrimental to the health
of the workman than the grinding. be-
cause it Is all dry work, whereas the grind
stones are run In a trough Of water. The
polishing is done by means of small wood
en- wheels, covered with bands Of leather
with an emery surface, and every wheel
throws off a trail of sparks that gives the
vast floor on which the work Is carried on