Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1899-11-16

that instead of the few gun ear
riages which previously could he
made each year it would be
possible, if operations were made
continuous from year to year, to an
nually produce the carriages. limbers
and caissons sufficient for 40 COM
plete 6-gun batteries, and also 10
siege carriages and linn In the
other departments at least 10000 sets
of the metal parts for infantry equip
ment and 600 sets of those for cav
airy equipment, could be fabricated,
as we'll as many hundred, in
many cases thousands, of the canvas,
tin and other portions of the equip
ment. The subject of future extern
sion has also been discussed, and ten
tative plans considered by which.
with but slight notifications and re-
arrangements, many of the parts not
brought to a uniform standard of out
put can be greatly augmented.
The Original Plan.
The original plan of the arsenal con-
tempated shops and machinery for the
manufacture of field and siege carri-
ages, infantry, cavalry, and artillery
equipments. This part of the scheme
has been fairly well carried out. In adj
dition, however, it was proposed that
one of the buildings should be used
for the manufacture of ammunition
for field guns and more particularly
for small arms ammunition. The
latter is now made solely at Frank
ford arsenal and procured by con-
tract. 1t was hoped that with one of
the shops completely equipped the
necessity of calling upon private man.
ufacturers would be avoided and that
this arsenal could produce the many
million rounds required for the army
in time of war. In addition, also, it
was proposed that the five shops on
the north of the main avenue should
be utilized for small arms manu-
factory.
AT present all such work is per-
formed at the armory at Springfield
Massachusetts, which has plant ca
pable of producing in single work
ing days of eight hours about two
hundred finished guns. Their build
ings are complete ly occupied. To in
crease their output it is therefore
necessary either to operate the plant
for more than eight hours per day or
then establish machinery therein. We
have at this place five great shops
with floor space now vacant of over
ID acres. 1t certainly would seem a
wise economy to utilize this immen e
area and to put therein, or at least in
Il portion of the space, machinery for
small arms manufacture, and to du-
plicate here the plant now running in
Springfield. With this object in view,
congress at its last session appropri-
ated $3.50, 900 for beginning the neces-
sary operations. This sum, however,
is not sufficient. The shops are with
out power, without shafting, work
benches, or the many other numerous
appliances essential before fabrica-
tions can be conducted. 1t is pro-
posed, therefor, to install additional
turbines at our water power dam,
which was prepared many years ago
for their reception, to install there
generators, and by means of electrical
transmission and the necessary mo-
tors in the shops to transmit power to
at first three of the main five build
ings in the armory row. To do this,
however, will require additional funds,
and from n careful estimate of the
plant already in operation at Spring
field il has been concluded that for
the necessary machines for power, its
transmission, and for the fabrication
of the finished gun, at least $500. GOO
in addition to the sum already appro-
priated will be essential. 1t is hoped
that this amount may be granted at
the coming session of congress. If it
oh no in 70 Nrpa
would be capable of producing from
two hundred to two hundred and fifty
finished rifles per day, with a plant so
arranged that by the Introduction of
few more 3machines without addi-
tional expenditures for power, its out
put could be increased to three or four
hundred rifles per working day OF
eight hours, with, of course, the added
output in time of war, when
the plant would be operated
for 20 hours per day.
Prospects of the Future.
IF the power as desired is intro
duced, and if appropriations suffi-
cient for operating the plant to its
capacity are granted, we will be
able to see before many years are
past, 1920 employees at least
working on the armory row and eight
hundred at least on the arsenal row,
or anywhere from two thousand up
wards employed at the arsenal, with
a monthly pay roll of about $3.50, 900.
All this plant, also, will have been so
arranged that with but a moderate
expense, which could be made out OF
the appropriations probably availabl
at that time for manufacture, an ex-
pansion could be realized, if another
war should arise, sufficient to turn
out an immense quantity of small
arms, gun carriages and other stores
and to employ anywhere from 1000
to D 900 men and disburse monthly at
least three or four hundred thousand
dollars.
.sAs an individual who has alone at