Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-04-29
Rock Island Business Men See
How War Equipment Is
Manufactured.
COLONEL BURR AS GUIDE
Get But Little More Than Half
Through in Afternoon and Will
Make Second Visit.

7 ternOon visited the plant on what was
expected to be the final jaunt to local
industries under the auspices OF the
Business Mems association. After two
! hours Of steady tramping through the
: big buildings the party found they had
only about half completed the tour,
and so it was decided to return next
Tuesday and visit the remainder of the
establishment.
Colonel George W. Burr, the COM
mandant, who personally conducted
the sight-seers over most of the
ground, before starting out explained
that there is no vacant space now in
the buildings. Where at the outbreak
of the Spanish-American war 16 years
ago but three shops were in use, all
eight are now being employed in turn
ing out war equipment, while all of
the storehouses are well filed with
raw materials or finished products.
Over 1900 men are now employed and
more are being added at the rate of
20 or 80 a day, in anticipation of rush
orders resulting from the trouble with
| Mexico. Fifty or sixty men are now
! working On a night shift getting out
products which are needed for immedi-
ate use. The entire force is being or
ganiZed so there will be minimum of
confusion and a maximum of eficien-
cy should it be necessary to materially
| increase the output to equip a volun-
teer army for an invasion of Mexico.
See South Shops.
The Rock Islanders were shown
through the shops on the south side
I Of the main avenue. Among the shops
| they have yet to see is the one in
which the leather work is done and
this is perhaps the most interesting of
all, being considered the best of its
kind in the world.
! Those of the party who never before
had gone through the shops were i'm
pressed by several things. One was
/ the vast variety of manufacturing that
| is done there. While there is no means
of knowing just how many different
articles are made. 10000 is considered
a conservative estimate. Each re-
| quires special machinery. Probably in
no other manufacturing plant in the
! United States is there such a wide
variety of equipment.
Metal shaping tools cover acres OF
floor space, seldom any two being of
the same pattern or designed TO do
the same work. Operations they per
form range from the most delicate to
those in which the parts are so heavy
they must be handled by machinery. |
Many hundreds of thousands of dol I
lars are invested in equipment. Many
of the machines are especially made I
and therefore of far greater value than /
il of "a common standard. In small /
room are kept the dies, many of these
being OF a pattern used nowhere else. /
Colonel Burr estimated that the collec-
ton of these alone is worth S150.000. /
Some special dies are worth two or
three hundred dollars, for it would cost
that amount to duplicate them. Some
are so heavy that they are lifted into
place and removed by means of block
and tackle operating on an overhead
track.
Uniformly excellent working condi-
tons for employees and a comprehen-
sive system which does away with
congestion and confusion in depart
ments are other features which in
stantly appeal to the visitor. Work
ing quarters are well lighted and well
ventilated and safety devices TO pro
tect workmen from injury are employ
ed wherever possible. In the grinding
and polishing and woodworking depart
ments and elsewhere dust and noxious
gases are drawn on by air fans and
carried away.
There is so much TO be seen that II
would take a week to give one really
comprehensive idea OF the work being
done. Attention OF the Rock Islanders
was conferred on some Of the more in
teresting operations IN manufacture.
Make Artillery Wheels.
In the woodworking department were
seen In course OF manufacture, among {
other things. the heavy artillery wheels ;
which are called upon TO stand the ;
terrific strain of carrying the heavy 1
guns and their ammunition often at {
high speed over the toughest country.
This is probably the most severe test
TO which wheels can be put. In re- {
cent test in which timber and caisson
made in the Krupp works in Germany {
were tried out along with those made '
here, II was found that the Krupp
wheels stood up better than the 9TH
ers. A study is now being made OF
the points of superiority OF the Ger :
man wheels, which are more "dished' ,,
and have fewer spokes. giving them ;
greater elasticity. Elsewhere was seen
a French field gun of late model. the :
points OF superiority OF which are be-
ing considered in connection with the :
OF guns for the United
States army. This experimenting and
with foreign countries
best war equipment Is going on all the
time.
= Wooden chests for the transporting
D. commissary supplies and many 9TH
sr articles were being turned out In