The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-04-02

at an amazing speed should Uncle Sam require them to do so. Shell steel of the finest grade is now being turned out by five electric furnaces and the sixth furnace will be ready for operation within week There are two batteries of three cleo tric furnaces each and the recently constructed furnace building has been so arranged that additional units may be easily added at minimum expense in a short time. The unit system of construction adopted for this build ing of the general far-sighted eff ciency that marks every development of the great plant. that has many fea- lures that are unknown to Anniston- ians. who are familiar with the plant to some extent.
 FERROMANGANESE PLANT For instance, it is not generally known that a plant for the manufac- ture of ferromanganese is located with in the big enclosures that formerly marked the boundaries of the old plant of the Illinois Car and Equip ment company, but there is such plant there and very good one. AL , though a great quantity of ferro- manganese is not being made at the present time. sufficient is being made to mix with the steel used in the shells to give them the requisite texture and the plant Is capable, like other de- partments of producing great quanti- ties of this valuable product on very short notice
 It was pointed out yesterday that there are rich beds of manganese close to Anniston and should it be found necessary to work the plant to it's ca pacity it is probable these deposits would be worked.
 BOX FACTORY
 Another auxiliary department of the ordnance company not generally known is a well equipped box factory. which daily turns out hundreds of stout chestnut wood boxes, in which the finished shells are shipped. This factory is making boxes at only a fraction of the amount that would have to be paid for them if they were made elsewhere. So quietly has the work of developing the great cor relative system of plants been done that it is doubtful if 50 people in An niston, outside of employees of steel and ordnance companies knew that there was such box factory in An niston. The box factory. however, IS not in competition with any similar plant, as the boxes manufactured are not sold, but are used exclusively for the purpose of shipping shells-four finished shells being shipped in each box.
 CHEMICAL LABRATORY
 There is also chemical laboratory at the plant for testing steel, raw ma terial of different kinds and the vari- ous products used in the manufacture of the projectiles. This laboratory is complete and equipped far better than the laboratories of many colleges
 There is also a department in which emery polishers are made for use in one of the stages of finishing the in- sides of the shells.
 There is rolling mill. operated by electricity, where merchant bar steel as we'll as shell billets, are turned out.
 There is a splendidly equipped ma- chine shop, where special tools are made and machine parts remade when necessary.
 within the enclosure that can possibly be used in the manufacture of shells.
 THE PROJECTILES
 Saturday there were dozens of lathes, specially constructed for turn ing out shells, all standing idle. But they were oiled, primed and set ready for work al moments notice. There were other lathes putting the finish ing touches on the last few shells of big order for England and there were hundreds of rough billets-shells in embryo-stacked in the enclosure, ready to be hollowed out. polished and perfected by the lathes.
 Monday many of these machfNestwill be busy with a sort of blanket or der the company now has for making shells for the allies but all of the machines will not be used. However, should Uncle Sam decide to use the plant they would hum and whirr with energy at a moments notice These machines are extremely valuable and it takes a long time to make them. There are not many in the United States that are not in use and none for sale. If they were destroyed by a few well placed bombs it would be weeks before they could be replaced and during those weeks Uncle Sam might need shells urgently.
 TRAINED MEN READY
 In making of shells the human ele- ment must be considered. The initial