Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1900-12-07
Washingtun STANDARD
WONDERFUL SCALES.
Weigh Accurately a Pound of Feathers or
Two Bic Cannon.

enterprises requiring the use OF mon
st"r weighing machines, or scales,
a. they are commonly called. it has
many weights determining balances,
and one, At least, which loads all 9TH
~ III thi, country. The large scales
upon which entire freight ears, with
their loads OF many tons. are weighed
ar considered colossal, Int with All
tl,ir University they are mcag'r in
the ewes Of Uncle sam, who went the
railroad magnatcs of the country zone
better" by installing at the navy yard
the largest pair OF scales i'll the country.
This machine can outweigh the larg-
est railroad scales by fifty tons, and
when it is considered that its results
must be accurate to pound, while
railroad scales are considered good
when they come within fifty pounds OF
the exact weight, the result obtained
Is little less than marvellous. The
scales are scarcely two years old, hav-
ing 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 forge and crosses the
flooring OF the big scales about ten
feet east of the entrance to the latter
building. A considerable period OF
time was required for the manufacture
and erection of this monster machine.
1t was brought here in sections, and
the greatest care was exercised in re-
assembling 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 ma
tional capital. They are not men,
toned in the guide books, and the
men at the navy yard do not call at
tention to the scales, par excellence,
unless, perhaps, q flat car happens to
be on the platform being weighed with
its load OF two or three great guns
All the large ordnance manufactured
for the navy is weighed upon this ma.
chine. 1t was built for that special
purpose and has given eminent salts
faction, two years of usage having
failed to dull its sensitive nature; YET
it has done its work 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 organs OF the human
body, is invisible to the eye. The
most intricate parts are in broad pit
below the ground. Close investiga.
ton, however, and foot rule would
show that the platform of the machine
is forty-eight feet long and twelve feet
wide. Beneath the powerful machin.
cry is cement base, laid upon long
piles. The ground is somewhat low
and it was necessary to utilize the ser.
vices of a pile driver to secure stable
foundation. A solid base is one of the
prime requisites OF perfect weighing
machiue.
When the government sought bids
for the erection of the machine notice
was sent to all the leading scale man.
ufacturers in the country, and the
lowest bidder received the contract
Much OF its fine and peculiarly sensi.
tive apparatus was specially manufac'
tured for use in the big machine
which differs in its parts from any
other scales in the country. The com.
pleted structure is regarded as the fin
est OF its kind in the world, model
and marvel of modern mechanism, as
we'll as a splendid achievement fol
American ingenuity.
In order to illustrate the accuracy
OF the counterpoise of the huge ma
chine to a reporter an officer i'll 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 breakbat was
just one pound.
Turning to the reporter he said the
machine is so sensitive that it will
give the exact weight OF anything
from a pound Of feathers to a pair oil
12-inch guns, and do it accurately.
The capacity OF the scales is $50 TONS
or double the capacity of the old SET
removed when the present apparatus
was installed. Two of these monster
instruments Of war, reclining on a 4S
foot Car truck, can be weighed on the
machine without taxing its capacity.
The nearest approach to the navy
yard scales to be found in this city are
the big weighing machines of the rail
roads. Though the navy yard ma.
chimes 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 a machine at Benning
with a capacity of 100 tons. The Bal.
timore & Ohio company has one Of
similar capacity in its yards within
the city, and there is another set oil
scales OF like capacity at local grain