Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1898-03-06
Copyright, 1889


worth of war material is under con-
tract to the Bethlehem Iron works
and the furnaces are kept roaring for
the "a hours in every day. They are
not in full operation, though, for thew
employ on private contracts and gov
eminent work together nearly NA0
men.
President Llnderman, the head Of
the great company, is in Washington
much OF the time in consultation with
the authorities at the capitol. at the
war department and at the navy de-
partment, while General Manager Saw
re keeps his eye On the huge ham
mers and presses and the enormous
lathos which are pounding and
the squeezing and cutting the great
engines of war into shape.
-Four army and navy officers are
constantly experimenting the work
for the government, testing it and an
proving it before 1t is accepted and
paid for. Captain J. Walker Benet is
in charge of the army inspection and
Lieutenant w NJ. Irwin of the insnec-
ton for the navy
While they are on contracts for the
government the Bethlehem works are
practically part of the army and navy
establishment. In fact, the govern
ment could seize them in any great
emergency and operate them entirely
for its own benefit. When the contro-
yersy over the price of armor plate
arose in congress, this was advocated
by some radical members, but it was
never considered seriously. ONLY a
war emergency would warrant the
government in taking possession of the
plant. But precautions are taken that
it shall not be open to general inspec-
lion, and 1t requires some diplomacy
to obtain from the Office of the presi-
dent one of the yellow slips of paper
admitting you to the works Without
this pass you would be stopped by one
OF the Watchmen and turned away. A
high board fence surrounds the works
and at every gate sits a man in a box
house to see that no strangers without
permission from the authorities enter
The grounds. Watchmen guard the
shops also, and they punch holes in
your pass to show that it has been
used
On yellow slip No 951, signed by
Robert 7. Linderman, president, |
went through the great shops and
watched every step OF the operation of
making one of the great guns which
are to keep foreign battleships at a re-
spectful distance from our coast in
time of war
This pass read:
THE BETHLEHEM IRON COMPANY.
South Bethlehem, Pa.
Admit bearer to the following depart
ments
Machine Shop No. q Machine Shop No. g.
FFoTgge Bqdipg Ham Hammer Mfu Building
ROBERT T. L1NDERMAN,
President.
Good this day only
Let me tell you briefly what war
work the Bethlehem works are doing
for our army and navy before l begin
to describe the progress of piece of
metal from the furnace to the finished
gun.
The government of the United
States has its own gun factories, one
at the navy yard at Washington, the
other at Watervliet arsenal, New
York 1t has no means of making
castings for great guns, however, and
no armor plate factory. It has to get
its armor plate from private contract
or5, and the parts of its guns come
from one or other of the great steel
works of Pennsylvania. The greatest
Of these works is at Bethlehem, and
here are made the castings for the
guns which are turned out at the
Washington navy yard and at Water
yliet and may finished guns as well.
The contract on which the works are
now engaged is for twenty-five s
inch, 80 ten-inch, twenty-five II inch
guns and one 16 inch gun for seacoSt
defense. of which the inch guns and
some of the 10 inch guns have been
deliyered for eighteen 10 inch and
five II inch disappearing gun car
riages, Of which u of the 10 inch car
riages have been delivered; for gun
ioIgings for the navy, of which the
large guns are to be completed at the
Washington navy yard and the 4 inch
guns at Bethlehem, and to finish up
the armor for the kearsarge and the
Kentucky.
That doesn't look like a very big
contract But bear in mind Secretary
Longs estimate that each of the 10
inch guns on the Maine was worth
S43 500. and the contract begins to as
sumo a greater Importance. Figure
that the castings for IL inch gun are
WI III ptA,UUU anu bIetL II ItthNo YANsNHN
more to assemble the parts and ma
chine them, that the 16 inch gun now
making at Bethlehem will cost the
government at least $4,000 before 1t
is completed and that every ton OF the
armor plate made for our battleshlps
is worth $780, and the work being
done there assumes immense import
ance. What its Importance to us III
time of var may be, is something be-
You'd computation. 1t was not so
many years ago that we had to get our
castings from abroad, and in time or
war without the great Pennsylvania
steel works which now supply TINS
material, we should be unable to go on
with the preparations OF heavy ORD
nance. This is the more serious IN
View of the fact that the great modern
gun must be rebuilt after 800 shots
and is useless after 800 or SEQ have
been fired.
The armor plant of the Bethlehem
works alone cost $4,000, 900. The
whole works are worth more than
twice that sum, and this enormous,
costly plant is at the service of the
government at any time.
There is not much that is plctur-
ssque about the exterior of a great gun
plant. There are groups of buildings
the longest of them 1920 feet-coal
begrimed, of the simplest type of ar