Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1900-05-15
AMONG GUNS AND SHELLS.
SOME CURIOUS SIGHTS IN THE ARSENAL
AT wOoLwICH.

-
Of the cases for bullets, only that instead
of taking little fiat disk Of metal, say,
IS big a. 4 shilling, and squeezing and
stretching It into q bullet case perhaps
hree-eighths of an inch In diameter, and
somewhere about one and half long,
the machines for the large missiles may
start with what looks to be circular
slab Of brass three-quarters of an inch
thick and as big as the crown OF your
hat. In much the same way as the bull
let cases are formed these solid slabs OF
metal are forced by irresistible piston
power through series of holes rather
too small for them. The piston drives
right into the middle of the disk, and
squeezes II into the hole and out the
other side.
Just az one forces his finger Into 0
tight-ftting glove, 30 the pistons In these
successive machines drive into the CUP
formed Of the solid metal, and with more
apparent ise and sm0othness than ths
glove stretching the metal cup Is mar.
rowed and elongated until It has become
a tube, closed at one end, perhaps six
inches In diameter, and foot and hall
long, or whereabouts. These are 10 be
filed with cordite. In the middle OF the
cordite, however, is 4 little powder mag.
azine for exploding II, the powder itself
being first fired by fuse. In the firing
OF shrspnel shells this fuse Is little
piece OF clockwork that may be set like
an alarm, TO 90 of after certain inter.
val, so that the firing Of every shell may
be taken to involve the throwing OF q
timepiece at the enemy.
The gun carriage shops are extremely
interesting, more particularly the making
of the wheels. The actual carriages are
complicated structures Of metal for the
most part, and the uninitiated stranger
can do little more than stroll through
the vast wilderness of machines that are
drilling and boring and turning and
punching and slotting In the hardest OF
metal as though 1t were chalk or cheese
They have huge circular plane" Ii
one Of the shops. The thing Is a ponder
Gus cross-beam turning on the centra
pivot and covering circular space FOL
twenty-five feet In diameter. Over this
cross-beam thrust down some hal
dozen tools, each capable Of planning
away the surface of the hardest steel al
easily as q carpenter will take of shaw
ings from deal plank. One OF these
tools brought to bear on plate OF steel
adjusted not too far from the centre Of
the machine, where, of course, 1t Is mos
powerful-wiil strip of shaving an Incl
wide and sixteenth Of an Inch thick
In connection with this gun carriage
work they have 4 steam hammer, bu
nobody takes much notice OF that. Ii II
puny affair that might be unpleasant u
get down upon bad corn, but compar
I'd with the big one further of Is moi
thought much Of. The hammer itseli
weighs only seven tons, and IL strikes I
steam engine blow Of 40 tons. That u
all. What Is that compared with ham
mer of 100 tons coming down with drive
OF 1000 tons? Yet either OF these ma
chimes will crack n nut withou, damsg
Ing the kernel II required.
But the Masking OF the wheels IL the
prettiest part OF the gun carriage factory
At woolwich. These wheels must no
only carry n very heavy weight OF metal
but they may be required TO go dashini
across rough country at the heels OF ,
team Of horses going at the top OF thei'
speed. They may 90 plunging down
Into trenches or humping over rocks
and the giving away OF = wheel means
the disabling of the guns. Every part
Of every wheel, therefore, Is the subject
Of the closest study, and though they
are made of wood for lightness they ART
practically unbresksble under almost
any conditions of strain. The box II
the centre Of the wheel, through which
the axle runs, IL made Of gun metal; thu
spokes are OF oak and the outer rim Of
ash.
The cutting and turning OF the spokeI
are particularly pretty processes Il
watch. They are oval In form, and they
are turned with copying lathe. TIT
required form Of the spoke Is produced
10 iron. This iron model Is part OF TIT
machine, and from II the wooden copy i
exactly reproduced. Every spoke Il
thus bound TO be exactly true In form
The fitting of them into the boz, thu
building round the outer rim In sections
and It's swift revolution against cut
ting blade, are all effected with an eas'
and precision and celebrity that give yol
almost the impression OF natural proc
ess.
The completion Of the wheel Is tn,
application OF the tire. 10 the making
Of ordinary wheels the iron tire Is pu
on red hot, when, OF course, IL is consid
erably expanded. When IL has beer
firmly secured TO the wood IL Is plunged
into cold water, and the sudden contrac
ton tightens IL up. But there Is no hea.
ing Of this stout steel band. IL Is forceI
on to the wheel quite cold, and then 1t i
laid In a circular bed with powerful by
oraulic rams all around II. As the waite
power begins TO crush In upon 1t al
around there Is q grooming and cresk
ing AS Of some wretched body undel
torture.
The spokes are forced into the box
the rim Is driven In upon the spokes
and the cold steel tire Is frightened rounc
the rim, the solid metal itself being con
tracted and condensed, and thus losing
no less than five inches Of Its circumfer
ence. The wheel Of gun metal, oak, ash
and steel Ii thus frightened and compsctec
into whole almost without any joints
whstever, and, the pressure being ALSO
lutely the same all round, the perfectly
circular form Is secured. 1t is the very
perfection of the wheelwright's craft
and can be seen only In first-clsss work
London News.