The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-12-10
shot forms itself. and the height of

the tower has nothing to do with shap-
ing the pellets. Height is only neces-
sary to give them time to harden be-
| fore they come in contact with any,
thing that might destroy their shape.
The old tower on Center street is 170
feet tall. AT its bottom is well thir-
teen feet deep. filled with water, into
which the hard, but hot, shot fall. An
endless chain works at the bottom with
buckets. carrying the shot up to Il
platform as fast as they reach the
bottom of the well. On a working day
twelve tons of shot will be rained down
from the gddy top into this well and
the Water Will be kept kissing with
the torrent. The real skill is required
in mixing the lead to be poured.
Melt pure lead and pour it through
the colender at the top of the tower
and II will be taken from the water in
short strings, more like crooked nails
than shot. To make the lead form
pellets 1t must be shortened, or short
ened,' just as a housewife shortens
dough with lard to make pie crust.
The shortening for lead is arsenic. The
amount of arsenic used is SO SLIGHT.
and so perfectly assimilated by the
lead, that it is harmless. 1t is mixed
with the lead thus: On the bottom Of
Il great retort is placed heap of forty
pounds of 0ure arsenic. Over it is
placed an iron crown, which fits air.
tight. On top of this IS put a ton of
cold lead. The lead is then heated.
The moment it begins to show red an
attendant plunges an iron rod into 1t
and upsets the iron crown. or bowl,
that held the arsenic down. The poison
is thus released at the bottom of the
hot lead. IT begins to work it's way
up through the mass. but by the time
it reaches the surface there Is barely
fume OF it left, the lead having alb
srbed it.
Lead thus treated Is as brittle as
quicksilver, and bit of it dropped on
the floor will fly in a thousand direc-
tions and come to rest In myriad OF
tiny pellets. 1t Is too brittle for shot.
1t is 'shot stock" One hundred pN,nds
of this stock is melted with a thou
sand pounds Of pure lead and the re-
sultant mixture is short enough for
shot and is run off into bars of 200
pounds weight each.
AT the top of the tower on sort
of dias is a melting pot. The prepared
The colender which is like those used
in any kitchen only vastly more heavy,
is u foot in diameter. 1t is placed over
the center OF u wooden tube, three feet
in diameter, that stands in the center
of the tower. Scum from boiling lead
is powdered, and the bottom of the
colender is covered with it to the
depth of half an inch. On top of this
4
the powder and drops through
the holes exactly as water through II
filter. Each drop that leaves the sus-
pended colender is perfectly rounded
shot. Its form is never changed for
the better. After the drops begin 10
let go they fall so fast from the manv
holes that to the eye they seem Ike
solid streams of lead instead of a sue
cession of tiny globes. The rain of
metal CLEANS like silver and Is a pretty
thing TO look at, But If one We're to
thrust ones head into the shower ones
head would be chewed off in a twinkl-
ing, especially at the bottom, for the
speed it ACQUIRES in its fall is almos,
as great as that it has when fired from
a gun.
Nearly every stranger who visits The |
tower for the first time wants 10 poke !
his hand into the stream To see how |,
hard 1t is falling. Recently wise
young man with Il silk hat insisted on |
holding out his hand, and Engineer
Tracey, who has run the tower for
lhirty-fve years, jerked him back Just |
In time to save The hand, The young
man then held out his hat to catch a
hatful of the shot. The hat was eaten
hnt nj Pa, L. 4,