Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-12-26

&,onftnuea from Rare One
nance Company has made In round
numbers 10000 600 rifles for both thu
British and American Governments. II
srned Britain before 1t armed America
when working at top speed it hat
Employed as many as 10000 hands, 20
per cent of them being women.
It's payroll has run about $4,000
= week.
It's 10, 900 machines are worth $4,000
600 alone.
Il has had on hand constantly reserve
stocks of cutting tools made or th'
oostliest steel, worth from 100000 tc
ss,000.o00.
Day after day it has turned out COM
piete $500 rihes-some days $500.
EVERY part for every rife, down tc
che smallest screws, has been made In
the plant.
To make 5000 rifles in a day entail,
. total Of $4,000, 900 single operations
Ry September OF 1917 its first Arnert-
can rifle was delivered to the Govern.
ment.
Twelve months later it had completed
1000, 900 rifles.
These facts and figures give some
notion Of the vastness OF the plant
Only n visit to the place itself and
hours spent walking through Its acres
Of swiftly whirling belts and speeding
machines could convey an adequate idea
OF the plants great size and ceaseIess
industry.
The beginnings of the great arms
factory at Eddystone go back to the
early DAYS of the European war "hen
IIngland's need created IL and when Few
Americans were sufficiently far-seelns
10 realize that ultimately this country
would become involved.
yaucIain's Prophecy
one man at least who had TO do with
aha srsction OF the Eddystone rife plant
resd the handwriting or the wall he
was Samuel NJ. Vauciain, vice president
~ the Baldwin Locomotive Works. Inc
BALDWIN Company built the plant
when the broad lines of its construc-
ton were being laid out Mr. VAUGHAN
said in effect to his associates: II.
Let us build It big. Let US make u
the greatest of rife plants for sooner
or later, this country must be drawn
int the war. and il we build ade-
uuately now we Will be aole 10 uo ou'
best for the nation then
So they built Il as It stands. When
America sprang to arms TO help the
world win back its freedom the MIC
vale Steel and Ordnance Company was
ready. The machines were there. need
ing but few changes to manufacture
the American type Of rifle. the execu'
tive personnel was there. = large hu-
cleus of trained and expert men anu
women were ready to build the rifles
that armed Americans in the great
cause. The rifle plant was n great
wtft-running, perfectly-funcrioning or
ganization. u,,
Ali the world but Germany unprepared'
Britain needed rifles. Her own plans
could not TURF them out nearly tast
enough. She came for help to indus
trial America A..
In NAV of 1915 the spot where the
rife plant now stands was a great tract
Of swampy land adjacent to the Bald
win works at Eddystone. on May IL
ground was broken for the rifle works.
Mid August saw the first pieces OF
machinery stored in the building, then
we'll on toward completion. BY the end
Of the month the furnaces we're going
in. us,,,.
infant was historic. On that day they
ea,,nleted their first rife for the British
Government.
From the breaking Of ground In a
swanp IL had taken less han eiEht
months to build q modern factory Win
tbirty-three acres of loor space to pur-
chasa and set up riie-making machinery
all of which had to be especially man.
tlfacturedr for the purpose-to get TO-
gether a huge stock OF the nnest anu
scarcest steeIs to fabricate millions OF
amaIl parts. made with accuracy car
rIed to the t~housandth part OF an inch
and less to assemble these In the COM
pleted product.
Rifles for the British
II was an achievement even in this
day and land of mechanical miracles
In all, the Midvale Steel and ordnance
Company made 100000 rihes TOT tne
Rritish Government. Most of them
vent 10 France. M hundred thousand
However, were shipped to far Mesopo-
tamia, where sun-bitten English Tom
mics carried them in that terrible march
to Bagdad.
The rife made for England was the
Enfield of 1914, chambered for the Brit
ish type of rim cartridge of 1903 callber'
A fine. hard-shooting. accurate Weapon
the hest rife that had been devised prior
n the war. And these rifles were turned
out in such huge quantities at Eddystone
that at the peak Of production the Mid
vale Steel and Ordnance Company was
making more English rifles than all the
arsenals and private plants of England
combined.
Then came our entrance into the war.
From the first month 1t was evident that
we would need huge armies. They had
20 be raised, trained, equipped, trans
ported abroad in record time. Making
rifles for them was one OF our biggest
problems.
Shortly after war was declared the
officials of the country's various rifle
plants were called 10 Washington for
q conference with Secretary Baker. He
laid the nations needs before them. He
asked them to estimate how long II
would take to deliver rifles of the Amer
lean type In the quantities needed, They
said six months.
The Midvale Steel and Ordnance Com
pany agreed to furnish its first quota Of
American rifles by November IL, 1917.
II did so on September II.
BY September OF 1918, a year atte
these first rifles were turned over to tn
United States, a total OF 1000, 900 hat
been manufactured and delivered.
This was record production-faste
than even the British rifles were made
The MinIonth Rife
on the 23d OF September the EN-
ployes of the plant celebrated the maxim
OF the millionth rife. 1t was a grea
occasion. The broad courtyard in frou
OF the rife factory held $4,000 people
workers and guests. Secretary Daniel
was there, with representatives Of tn
Secretary OF War, OF the army, of tn
various departments OF Government
Rrigadier General John 7. Thompson
present director OF srsenals at WashinE
ton, and one OF the men who assisted Il
fha orRaniZation and DEVELOPMENT o