The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-05-16
HOW A SHELL IS MADE.
Story of the Process Until Tt is Ready
for Its Work of Destruction.

Pittsburg, May 16.-The complete sto-
| ry of the manufacture of one of the big
battleship projectiles has always been
| hard to obtain. The Firth Sterling pro-
| jectile works at Demmler near Pitts
burg, are barred to an outsider, only
representatives of the government and
officials of the company having access
to all the departments.
Even the workmen of one department
are forbidden to enter another. Here is
the history of the making of ten-inch
shell:
In the casting shop molten steel is
cast in solid piece about 1919 inches in
diameter. From the casting shop it
goes to the forge room, where, after
being reheated, it is hammered down to
10A inches, being considerably elOngat-
ed in the process. 1t is then conveyed
to the machine shop and placed in
specially constructed lathe. The base
of the projectile is inserted in the lathe
chuck" and the conical end is swung
from the lathe center. A ''roughing'
cut is then run over the shell, the shell
itself is pointed, and then receives a
finishing cut.
The only parts of the shell that bear
against the rifled surface of the gun is
the larger part of the conical end and
the surface of a copper ring that enc1r-
cles the projectile near it's base. The
copper is quite soft, so does not injure
the rif1ing. After the finishing cut is
given to the projectile, the diameter of
the largest part of the cone is 10 5-1O0
inches, and that of the cylinder. which
is the body of the prOjectile extending
back from the cone, is 9O-1OO inches
The workmen now apply the band
score' which is a groove cut for the re-
ception of the soft copper band. For a
ten inch projectile the groove is IA
inches wide at the bottom and Il inch
deep. The groove Is WIDER at the DOT
tom than at the top, so that the copper
band retains it's position after 1T has
been placed in the groove and pounded
down until the copper swells out and
fills the groove, thus taking a mango
hold on the under side.
Then the Extracting score" is cut
This presents sectionally a view like
the letter V, with the letter lying on one
side and the converging lines pointing
to the base of the shell. This groove is
made to permit a tool to be fastened to
the shell when it is desired to with
draw it from the gun. The shell is put
in the cutting-off machine, where the
surplus length is taken Off. Inc next
move is the boring of FIVE inch hole
in the base to the depth of fourteen
inches.
In the process Of hardening the shell
is suspended, point downward, in a re-
ceptacle filled with molten lead, and is
allowed to settle until the hot metal
rises above the cone base. At first the
temperature of the lead is 500 degrees,
but it is increased gradually to 1900
degrees. The work of heating requires
four hours, when the shell is withdrawn
from the bath and sprayed with water
to give it a hard exterior 1t is then
plunged into a bath composed of secret
ingredients, and when withdrawn 1t is
cooled with a jet of water.
The projectile goes again to the ma
chine shop, the hole in the base is wild
ened half an inch and the depth is in
creased two inches. The hole is thread
ed a few inches and a screw plug is
inserted. The grinding room is the next
destination, and here the extreme di-
ameter of the cone is ground down to
10 inches exactly. After a soft steel
cap has been fitted to the tip of the
projectile, on the theory that when the
shell strikes the armored side of a bat
tleship the soft steel preserves the
point of the projectile with out inter-
fering with its penetrating power, the
shell is finished as far as the Firth
Sterling company is concerned. It is
exactly 81 1-3 inches long. After it has
been received at some United States ar
sena1 it is filed with an explosive COM
pound and is ready for it's work of de-
structiOn.
All large projectiles, from the 6-inch
size up, are made as described. The
machinery at the Demmler plant con-
sists OF II latheS, four boring mills, two
cutting-off machines, two tool lathes,
two chasing machines, one grinding
and one centring machine. This equip
ment is being reinforced, as the COM
pany has enough work on hand for the
government and foreign countries to
keep the plant busy for two years.
No-ToBac for Fifty Cents.