The River Falls times. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1894-1933, 1898-11-01
COSTLY MONSTER MISSILES.

COSTLY MONSTER MISSILES.
Steel Tempered with as Much care rs
Razor Blade.
The invention of the modern hlgn-
power guns have brought into use pro-
jectiles that are the finest product OF
ingenuity and improved machinery,
calling forth the best efforts Oh sKllleu
artisans. Instead of cast iron globes
that could be turned out by any 1oun-
dry twenty years ago, use is now maue
of the grades of steel, tempered VIII
as much care as a razor Dldue, dnu
ground and polished with as mucn eA-
actitude as a surgical instrument. l ne
complete story of the manufacture VI
armor-piercing projectiles by the steer
works in Reading is secret so care
fully guarded that it has always peeh
hard to obtain. but at present, when
the big plant is running on war 1oot-
ing, it is still more difficult, as only
employees and government inspectors
are permitted to enter the company
immense machine shops. Shells 4, o.
IS, 8, 10, II and 13 inches in diameter
are being made for the navy, and 8,
and II inch sizes for the army. Here
lis the history of the making OF a ~
inch shell, and as the projectiles OF all
sizes are made in the same manner II
gives some idea of the vast amount Oh
labor required to equip fleet. In the
casting shop molten steel is cast INTO
a solid piece twelve and half lncnes
in diameter. 1t is then taken to the
forge room, where, after being reneal-
ed, it is hammered down to ten anu
three-quarter inches, and considerably
elongated during the process. Next lt
is conveyed to the machine room anu
placed upon a specially constructor
lathe and turned and pointed. The
only parts of the shell that bear
against the rifed surface of the gun
are the conical end and the copper
ring that encircles the base. This ring
is soft, so as not to injure the ri1ing.
After the finishing cut has been given
to the projectiles the diameter OF the
largest part of the cone is 10.5 inches,
and that of the body of the shell is
$50 inches. Then the extracting
iscore" is cut. There is V-shaped
groove, in which tool can be fastened
when it is desired to withdraw the
shell from the gun. The next move
is the boring of a five-inch hole in the
base of the projectile to depth of
fourteen inches. Tempering follows
In this process the shell is suspended,
point downward, into 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 gradually to 1900 degrees.
The work of heating continues for
many hours, when the shell is with
drawn and sprayed with water, to give
it hard exterior. Next follows a
bath in vat filled with secret ingre
dents, after which the shell is cooled
with 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 then thread
ed and a screw plug inserted. The
grinding room is next. Here the ex-
IRENE diameter of the cone is ground
uo"H " C0h lhCH0o eAdCCIy' 1uo WOIh-
men now apply the "band score"
which is a groove for the reception of
the soft copper band After the soft
steep cap has been fitted to the tip
of the projectile, on the theory that
when the shell strikes the armored
side of battle ship the point will be
protected without any interference
with it's penetrating power, the work
is finished so far as the steel company
is concerned. 1t is then boxed up and
shipped to some United States arsenal
where it is filled with an explosive
compound and made ready for it's
work of destruction. - Philadelphia
Record.