The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1898-11-10
HOW BIG GUNS AAE MADE.
assembling the Huge Forgings ~
Washington Gun Foundry.

washington Gun fOuhu'y'
The guns are made of what is called
iorged steel This steel is made by
private firms, principally at the famous
Bethlehem works In Pennsylvania, and
sent to the gun-foundry in the shape
VI large tubes, and in other shapes
allied jackets and hoops. These steer
'ieces, after being finished, are put TO-
either and made into guns. The jack
t of a gun is about half the length OF
he tube, and itself is really large
ube. The inner tube, when it arrives,
s put into lathe, and has the hole
,ored out to nearly the size 1t Will De
When finished; then it is turned down
inside for about half its length from
he rear or breech end to its proper
ize. Turned down means that the
METAL is cut off with a>steel cutter. The
acket also is bored out smoothly ana
he hole carefully measured. The dla-
meter of this hole, or bore, in the jack
It is little smaller (some hundredths
" an inch) than the outside of the
ube after being turned down. Over
head in the shop are big cranes, when
ravel back and forth on tracks, and
which can easily lift and carry heavy
Weights. The largest crane is called
he 11O-ton crane, but it will lift
weight even greater. Near the center
If the gun-shop is q large pit In when
here are furnaces. After the tube mas
been bored out and turned down out
side, it is carried by crane and lower
I'd into the pit near the furnaces, SO
hat it stands on it's muzzle end, the
breech end being up in the air. Inc
Jacket is also lifted and lowered into
4 furnace and heated. This furnace
has a top, or cover, which lifts Off, ana
which is put on after the jacket mas
been lowered into it. Hot air is forced
INTO this furnace, which heats the jack
1t till it expands so that the size OF lts
bore becomes greater in diameter than
The size Of the tube it is to 1nclose.
When all is ready, the cover is lifted
rom the furnace, the crane hooks on
% the jacket lifts it out OF the 1ur-
lace, and swings it over the tube Inc
Jacket is then quickly measured, ana
carefully lowered over the tube, when
IS standing on it's end. A stream OF
,old water is then admitted into the
over end of the tube. This water rls-
IS nearly to the top of the tube, ana
nelps to cool both tube and jacket, no"
tilted together. AS the jacket cools 1t
;hrinks to its proper size, and so
;uueeZes and holds the tube tight with
n. When both are cold, the partly
made gun is lifted out of the pit, put
nto another lathe, and turned down
outside so as to be ready to have the
loops put on. These hoops. which have
)een bored out to the proper size, are
heated and shrunk on over the gun
ust as the jacket was shrunk on over
he tube. The whole gun is made, or
quilt up in this manner. After all the
hoops are on, the gun is bored out
lgain to final size, put into a rifiing
machine, and rifled; that is, it has
grooves cut inside of the bore through
W is lS5aSt5P TRsve sb Hsa2Tes , com
nence at the muzzle, and graGeaIS
.urve till they reach the end of the
,ore. They are cut by what is called
/ rifing-bar, which is long shaft
With cutters at one end, The gun re-
mains steady, while the bar enters in
o the gun at the muzzle, and turns at
he same time, thus cutting what are
.alled spiral grooves throughout the
ength of the bore of the gun. TINS
filing is done so as to give the shot or
hell, when the gun is fired, twirling
,r rotary motion, which prevents it
rom tumbling end over end, and caus-
6 it to keep pointed in the right direc-
ion. The shot or shell (projectile) is
ong. and has a copper band fitted on
is rear end. When the gun is fired,
his copper band, being softer than the
teel of the gun, enters into the grooves
turned by them, and gives the pro-
ectile a spinning motion during its
light.