El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-12-21

a
fascinating study.-National Magazine.
WONDERFUL SCALES.
VIII Weigh Accurately q Pound OF
Feathers Two Big Cannon.
While Washington is not manufac-
turing city, with large Industrial enter
prises requiring the use of monster
weighing machines, or SCALES" AZ
they are commonly called, it has many
weight determining balances and one
at least which leads all others In this
country. The large scales upon which
entire freight cars, with their loads Of
many tons, are weighed are considered
colossal, but with all their immensely
they are meager in the eyes of Uncle
Sam, who went the railroad magnates
Of the country zone better" by INSTALL
ing at the navy yard the largest pair
Of scales in the country.
This machine can outweigh the lar
gest railroad scales by 81 tons. and
when it is considered that its results
must be accurate to a pound, while
railroad scales are considered good
when they come within so pounds of
the exact weight, Tue reSulI OOtdAueu 10
little less than marvellous. The scales
are scarcely two years old, having been
brought here during October. 1895, and
set in position in the south end Of the
big navy yard near one of the gun
shops. A track leads from the gunshOp
to a forge and crosses the flooring Of
the big scales about ten feet east of
the entrance to the latter building.
III ~f
quired for the manufacture and cree
ton of this monster machine. 1t was
brought here in sections, and the great
est care was exercised in reassembling
the various sections of steel so that
the poise of the broad platform should
be exact.
Hundreds of visitors have trod across
this platform without knowing they
were near one of the most interesting
mechanical contrivances in the nation
al capital. They are not mentioned in
the guidebooks, and the men at the
navy yard do not call attention to the
scales par excellence unless perhaps a
fiat car happens to be on the platform
being weighed, with it's load of two or
three great guns. All the large ord
nance manufactured for the navy is
built for that special purpose and has
given great satisfaction. two years of
usage having failed to dull it's sensitive
nature.
There is nothing attractive about the
scales From the surface of the ground
they look like ordinary hay scales.
Their delicate mechanism, like the vital
organs of the human body. is invisible
to the eye. The most intricate parts
are in a broad pit below the. ground.
Close investigation. however. and a
footrule would show that the platform
of the machine is 4S feet long and II
feet wide. Beneath the powerful ma
chinery is a cement base laid upon
long piles. The ground is somewhat
low. and it was necessary to utilize the
services of a pile driver to secure a
stable foundation. A solid base is one
of the prime requisites of a perfect
weighing machine.
When the government sought bids
for the erection of the machine. notices
were sent to all the leading scale man.
ufacturers in the country, and the low
est bidder received the contract. Much
of it's fine and peculiarly sensitive ap-
paratuS was specially manufactured
for use in the big machine, which diff
fers in its parts from any other scales
in the country. The completed struc-
ture is regarded as the finest of its kind
In the world. a model and marvel Of
modern mechanism, as well as a splen-
did achievement for American ingenui-
ty.
In order to illustrate the accuracy OF
the counterpoise of the huge machine
to a reporter an officer in the bureau OF
yards and docks picked up a half brick
which was lying near by and tossed it
upon the platform of the big scales.
He then consulted a long brass lever in
the reading box along the edge of the
platform and found that the weight Of
the brickbat was just one pound.
Turning to the reporter. he said the
machine is so sensitive that il will give
the exact weight of anything from q
pound Of feathers to pair Of Is inch
guns and do it accurately. The ca
pacity of the scales is 40 tons. or dou-
BILE the capacity of the old set removed
when the present apparatus was in
stalled. A Is inch gun weighs about
30 tons. Two of these monster instru-
ments Of war. reclining on 4S foot
car truck. can be weighed on the ma
chine without taxing it's capacity
Washington Post