The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-03-27
now BIG GUNS ARE MADE.
.roorNT OF THE WORK OF THE
cry FACTORY.I IN WASHINGTON.

n
accurate. and There Are Many
anxious Moments.
From the Baltimore American
glimpse at the United States naval
-, factory win reveal one of the most in
+.r.-tipg sights in the manufacturing
-,rrd The ordnance yard, in which are
,bs factory buildings, storehouses, Offices
and officers quarters the site of the old
washington Navy Yard, encloses forty
.-,s Of grounds, twelve of which are act
rarlv covered by buildings. This property
= worth four millions of dollars. The fac
torv buildings proper which excite so much
interest in the visitors to- the yard are the
Gun shops, the gun carriage shop, the
breech mechanism shop and the brass
foundry Entering the north gate of the
varl-just eighteen minutes by cable car
from Navy Department-one notices just
below the high bluff on the right long,
glass rooted building of great size. This
Is the gun shop, or. rather the gun shops,
for there are two shops in the same build
ing. the north wing of the building being
the north shop and the south wing the
socth shop The north shop is on the right
hand in entering: and to this the visitor
naturally turns first The average visitor
simply turns and falters, amazed at the
wonderful sight. First his eyes light upon
number of the largest guns manufactur-
ed for the American navy in all stages of
construction, from the enormous rough
forgings to the finished, polished, shining
guu A pair of 13-inch guns, each weigh
ing sixty tons, is ali interesting sight but
six or eight, or possibly ten, in a row is I,
wonderful sight
The machines for turning, shaping, hor-
ing aud rifiing the monster weapons are
arranged in a row, and comprise, first, one
n enormous lathe 13S feet long, and desig-
mated to take 16-ineh gun-the largest
Yet made. Second, four others capable of
taking 14-inch guns. Third, three others
capable of taking 13-inch guns, and last,
but by no means the least Interesting a
Tiaiug machine. Each lathe is fitted with
an independent tool carriage, and the five
first mentioned are designed for either Dor
ing or turning, in fact, they are so CON
structed that both operations may be car
RED on at the same time.
But by far the most interesting one of
this interesting group is the rifling ma
Il chine, whose function ii is to cut The
grooves in the interior of the bore of the
guns by which the rotary motion is given
ito the projectile. This machine is the Gre
Fl alton of an American from the designs of
an American naval officer. 1t looks like
q very large lathe, about $50 feet long, car
rying on the end of the shaft rifing
head, the cutters on which do the work.
AT the time of its creation the rihing head
had no counterpart in existence. 1t is so
constructed that the cutters operate on
4 four separate grooves at a time, where
as before its introduction one groove only
could be operated on at a time-a decided
advance in rifiing big guns This machine
will rifle the bore of a 16-inch gun weigh
ing one hundred and ten TONS and yet the
riding head, a study in ITSELF is as finely
balanced as the mechanism of watch,
and requires an adjustment as accurate
as an astronomical instrument. Besides
these wonders there is the 110-ton crane,
So called, although it will lift 125 tons
dead weight, than which there is no great
er travelling machine in the country. Run
ming back and forth on its overhead trol-
ley
The giant crane transports all the large
forglngs to the machines, to and from the
shrinking pit, and back again to the fiat
cars, which carry them to other parts of
the yard. 1t is a very important adjunct
10 the gun shop" In the center of this
building there is a shrinking pit, the use
Of which will be seen later. This pit may
be taken as a dividing line between the two
gun shops. The south shop is hardly less
interesting than the north shop, but there
is great difference in what one sees
there, for while guns and machines are
found here in vastly greater numbers, they
are not so impressive. Everything here
is much smaller-of sizes and dimensions
winch one can see more easily and readily
comprehend-for in this shop only the
smaller guns, up 10 those of S-inch cali
Der are made. The smallest of these, as
compared to the 13-inch guns, look like pis-
tos compared to a Springfield rifle. There
are about forty machines assembled here.
Inc next shop to claim the attention of
me visitor is the gun carriage shops,
only a few steps away. Every gun in
Slaled on board ship is placed on some
KIND of a mount. Every heavy gun is
mounted on a carriage, which can be so
moved and turned as to train the gun upon
a target. Every gun carriage placed in
service in our navy is manufactured I'M
uef THIS roof, and the visitor will see here
variety enough of materials and shapes
shdes gun Shields bracket plates, cylin-
oefs and pistons of all sizes, shafts and
turning wheels, racks and pinions and al
most countless other parts, either loose,
Ut assembled, add novelty to a very inter-
esting shop.
but from the 'gun carriage shop the
VISITOR will turn to the one that most
nearly rivals in interest the one containing
ule enormous machines and monster guns.
ms Is the breech mechanism shop, in
"iilch all breech mechanisms attached 10
our heavy guns are made and fitted. Hun
u.eiS or bright, shining, finished steel guns
vi an sizes, except the largest, are piled |
up here on wooden horses. waiting for
CIelr breech mechanisms, the last part to |
" hnished in making heavy guns. Elec-
Ulc drills and other delicate tools are be- |
ing operated in every part of the building |
uIiillng, cutting, turning and shaping the
many perfect-fitting small parts, which, |
assembled, form the breech mechanism
AS is well known, all modern guns 6re
preech-loading rifles, and are loaded from
'Ae Dreech end. A breech block, formed |
On the slotted screw system, fits perfectly |
lnlo each gun. After it is showed home, |
.ne turning of a lever revolves the block |
~ sueh way that the screw on the block |
,dhes INTO corresponding screws cut in the |
interior of the breech of the gun, thereby |
N-Alng II. The construction and fitting CT |
Oreeeh block is a nice and delicate OPP
'Id'lon, for upon its strength and perfect |