Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-07-29
AIMING THE NAVY
Great Activity Now Prevails at the
Washington Gun Factory.
AN ARMY OF VORKMEN EMPLOYED
Plant is Considered Probably the
Finest in the World
PROCESS OF MANUFACTURE
Written for The Evening Star.


An amazing degree of activity is now
observable at the great naval gun factory
in Washington. With no naval war either
pending or in sight, the work of arming
the navy is in no wise relaxed, but goes on
night and day in stress of war; with an
increase instead of reduction in the ca
pacity and output of the plant.
If it be asked why this is-why
so nightly tolls the subject in the land,
And why this daily cast OF brazen can
non?'-
the answer is ready-To strengthen our
diplomacy by still further strengthening
our naval power The present activity
simply demonstrates, if any demonstration
We're needed, the fixed determination of the
government to avoid being caught mapping
again in a state Of unpreparedness for
war. Whatever the cost, it will prove an
investmentn for keeping the peace, on the
familiar principle that nation or an ind-
vidual fully prepared to fight is rarely
forced to fight. And since superiority of
gunnery stood forth as the most distinct
i've feature of our naval superiority in the
test of the late Spanish war, it is partcu
larly important that the navy be supplied
in advance with AN abundance of superior
guns as prerequisites to the full exercise
of its superior gunnery. And since the
Il6hIIlS u SuCil suiiS ID necessarily d olO"
process it is theIpartuof wisdom to make
them before theYsare needed.
The guns produced att the naval gun fac
tory, the guns thttt sounded in Manila bay
and off Santiagomle Gnba. are considered
beyond all comparison ahe best naval guns
in the world And1 the naval gun factory it
self is the largest. thgr best and the most
superbly equippeai gun Ipant in the world.
Even before the breaking out of the Span
ish war it was so conceded by competent
judges of various nationalities. During
that brief contest. wherein il furnished no
less than 121 different war vessels of our
regular and auxiliary navy with complete
batteries of large and small guns, its ia
ciiities were severely taxed, and owing to
the lessons then learned, the capacity of the
plant has within the past few months been
increased fully - per cent. And, not stop
ping at that, the Navy Department viii ask
Congress at its next session to authorize
still further enlargement of the plant to
increase it's capacity % per cent additional.
With this last extension accomplished the
navy will be fully prepared. so far as guns
are concerned, to meet any possible emer
gency that may arise in the future
An Enormous Plant.
AS now enlarged, the naval gun plant
covers twelve acres of ground in the Wash
ington navy yard, and comprises seventeen
enormous ordnance buildings and lot of
smaller ones, all built of brick. The whole
establishment resembles great university,
with central and tributary foundations, eX-
cept that these buildings are grim-looking
and without architectural ornament, and
are designed only for the unitarian pur-
poses of ordnance manufacture The great
gun shop alone covers two acres, and Is
1000 feet long-almost fifth of a mile-by
so feet wide. II formerly measured $40 feet
in length, but within the past three months
an extension of 800 feet has been built, at
cost OF 5000, to remedy the over
crowded condition of the shop and TO pro-
vide necessary room for handling the big
HOY re- off he has la
great gun carriage fshop, covering an al
most equal area, has been refitted anew
throughout, and an entirely new secondary
mount shop, 251 by CD feet, has been erected,
at cost of 100000. new plant has been
installed in the forge shop, which covers an
area Of 49, 5OG square feet, and a new foun-
dry, covering an area of 22,5oo square feet,
has been built and equipped. The cartridge
case shop has been greatly enlarged, as well
as reftted, at a cost5of $4,000, and in addi-
ton large new storehouse for guns, rem
dered necessary by the increased operations
of the plant, has been erected measuring
$50 by 60 square feet, making three such
buildings devoted to storage purposes
alone. The pattern and Joiner shop will be
entirely remodeed this summer and a
large building has just been begun in which
models are to be made Besides these new
or rehtted shops are a breech mechanism
shop, Pol by 90 feet; a tool shop, gun
ners' shell shop 200 by 10 feet; cop
persmiths' shop, 100 by 30 feet; chemical
laboratory, a physical laboratory, two large
storehouses, above noted, and dozen or
more lesser buildings. The several shops
are connected by four miles of railroad
tracks, by which two locomotives haul ma
terials and the heavy parts of ordnance
from one point to another.
The recent additions above named have
augmented the capacity Of the plant by %
per cent Four or five additional Shops
however. are still needed to meet the press
ing requirements IF the ordnance work now
in progress. and these will be urged upon
Congress at the coming session If granted
the practical capacity 6f the factory will be
increased % per cent more.
since it was mada an ordnance factory in
d 1887 od has cost in The aggregate about s4.
with the finest aTHd mHSst perfect machine
artificers and maaahinisfs here employed is
pronounced the choicest body of mechan-
ical experts ever Sfgapiked in this country.
sept stead ~ dpon ENHANCES
miscellaneous serfiees Incident to the gem
eral ordnance wQtks milking altogether an
directing the vafious Intricate processes
connected with fhe making of the guns
mounts, flttings,s 'pro5ectiles and accom-
panlments are expert naval officers of the
ordnance department ard in immediate
command of the whole establishment is
Commander Edwin c. Pendleton, Z. S. N.
the Superintendent of the factory, who for
and nights unremlttngly, to the arduol,s
responsibilities of his post and whose in
telligence vigilance and masterful thor
oughness have made his name notable
throughout the organization of the navy.
During the entire period of the Spanish
war the gun factory was in operation
| tinuolsly night and day, by the employ
ment OF two shifts of workmen, each work.
Ing twelve hours instead of eight. But
with the recent extensions of the plant and
those contemplated next year 1t is design
q nj lon III; ,J,r, sr,c