The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-11-08
WONDERFUL SCALES.
WIN weigh Accurately Pound Of
Feathers or two of the biggest Cam
non.


(From the Washington Post
While Washington IL not q manufac-
turing city, with large industrial enter
prises requiring the use of monster
weighing machines, or ''scales," as they
are commonly called, &c 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 meagre In
the eyes Of Uncle sam, who went the
railroad magnates OF the country zone
better'by installing at the navy yard
the largest pair OF scales In the country.
This machine can outweigh the largest
railroad scales by fifty tons, and when 10
is considered that Its results must be ao.
curate to q pound, while railroad scales
are considered good when they-come with
in fifty pounds Of the exact weight, the
result obtained is little less than marvel
lous The scales are scarcely two years
old. having been brought here during
October, 1898, and set in position In the
south end OF the big navy yard near one
OF the gun shops. A track leads from the
gun shop to a forge. and crosses the
flooring of the big scales about ten feet
east Of the entrance to the latter build
ing. A considerable period OF time was
required for the manufacture and ereo-
tion of this monst er machine.
1t was brought here in sections, and the
greatest care was exercised in reassemb-
ling 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 mechani-
cal oontrivances In the national capital.
They are not mentioned In the guide
books, and the men at the navy yard do
not call attention to the scales, par excel
lence, unless, perhaps, a fiat car happens
TO be on the platform being weighed with
its load OF two or three great guns All
the large ordinance manufactured for the
navy Is weighed upon this machine. 1t
was built for that special purpose and
has given eminent satisfaction, two
years of usage having failed to dull its
each day In dull, ponderous way, with
no NEED OF praise except from few
naval officers.
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 or
gans of the human body, is invisible to
the eye. The most intricate arts are in
o broad pit below the ground. Close in
vestigation, however, and a foot rule
would show that the platform OF the
machine is forty-eight feet long and
,Iawa. a.afN a u
machinery is cement base, laid upon
long piles. The ground is somewhat low
and it was necessary TO utilize the SER
vices OF pile driver to secure a stable
foundation. A solid base is one OF the
prime requisites or perfect Weighing
machine.
When the government sought bids for
the erection or the machine notices were
sent to all the leading scale manufac-
turers In the country and the lowest
bidder received the contract. Muoh OF
its fine and peculiarly sensitive appara-
tus was specially manufactured for use
In the big machine, which differs in Its
parts from any other scales in the coun-
try. The completed structure is regard
ed as the finest OF its kind In the world,
& model and marvel Of modern mechan.
Ism, as wall as splendid achievement
for American ingenuity
In order to illustrate the accuracy OF
luO Oo0AtcA POAso Va t1c huge UdC1lut W
q reporter an officer in the bureau of
yards and docks picked up half brick
which was lying near by, and tossed it
upon the platform OF the big scales.
He then consulted 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 1t will give
the exact weight or anything from a
pound Of feathers to pair OF l8-inch
guns, and do 1t accurately. The capacity
Of the scales is 100 tons, to double the
capacity Of the old set, removed when
the present apparatus was installed. A
Is inch gun weighs about fifty i've tons.
Two OF these monster instruments of war,
reclining on a 4S-foot car truck, can bs
weighed on the machine without taxing
It's capacity.
The nearest approach to the navy-yard
machines now compels them to take q
back seat, they were once envied by the
smaller scales as the giants Of the capital.
The Pennsylvania Railroad Company has
machine at Benning with capacity of
100 tons. The Baltimore and Ohio Com
pany has one of similar capacity in It's
yards within the city and there 10 an
other set of scales OF like capacity at
local grain elevator