El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-02-23

where in America" for the work Of
which I write Is going on in two
score or more Of Industrial centers
all over the United States. That
work is the making OF guns, NUM-
tions and supplies for the United
States navy
Under the promise OF secrecy as to
the character Of the materials, the
output and the details. I have been
able TO visit some Of these factories
Everywhere the machinery IS being
speeded TO highest tension. and tens
Of thousands of expert employees are
a. work day and night The product
goes forth in priority orders. crowd
fnz even the coal and food TO the side
tracks. Many Of the cargoes are
secret. They may 90 out labeled
as ordinary freight or in packages
that give no idea of their character,
and under names that serve as
camouflage to the spies In some
OF these places they are mans Dig
guns IN some they are turning out
torpedoes for submarines. and IN
some they are making smokeless
powders and terrible explosives, the
deadly chemical compositions OF
which are a secret
Dynamite Camp High in Mountains
IN one nest in the mountains more
than 1000 miles from any seaport, and
IN a country almost as wild as u was
when Columbus discovered America 1
found dynamite plant covering
acres It was guarded by soldiers
and surrounded by fences OF DarDs9
wire charged with electricity, ano
with watch towers at every Few RODS.
II NAV be located there on account
~ its proximity TO certain supphes-
In the south there are plants man
ufacturing explosives wnicn use ea -
quantities Of cotton, Whoie oale OF
500 mounds going, ii is said into one
charge Of a single big gun In every
iron smelling center they are turning
ouf shells or other projectiles or the
a-ror Mate which protects our great
ships Of war. Here little lacCoIS
NAV make a single intricate part OF
some engine or munition supply
vrb5ie moi far away may be mighty
steei works whose furnaces are
T7anufacturing iron ore into the huge
fngots needed for the great guns OF
our battIeships.
- work Il Systemntized-
All this work is systemaJlzeo ana
5;racte5 nv the bureau Of ordnance OF
the navy department at washington
The officials know just what Is song
on at each plant, what supplies there
are there and how they may be takSb
most quickly to the places where they
are needed They have vast ware
Touses Of easy access to the sea, con-
+s tning parts OF every gun and plece
Of machinery used on the hunorels
Of vessels and these are so marked
that they can be sent on caoleSoraers
10 any part OF the world Went
through one esta blishment OF tnat
t-ind where they had $4,000 different
items in the goods and supply paris
on hand in the storerooms, and thaL
factory vas shipping an average OF
I 600 articles every q hours more
over. every one Of the supply paris
hears marks which show Just where
80 v-he7 a. was made, and the in
spectors. through whose hands IL mas
n defect occurs in any Of the
or5nance or munitions that go TO the
ships. the part that 1alls eah oS
easily traced back to the shop wnere
Il was made and TO the very WI Aiiiei
me work I have seen IS remarka-
b1x efficient. Many Of thep lants nave
been built up on orders given oy
France and England before we en-
tered the war, and since then they
l7s,e been greatly increased Some
Of them are turning out shells oy ne
millions and small arms py me
100 000 They are marking smoke /
sass powder in vast quantlues Shc
munitions Of all kinds as never pc
fore. Some Of the factories cover
ns1v acres and there thousands OF I
employees are at work night ana DAY r
Makes the Big Guns
The plant described is under the
direct charge OF the government II I
IS one that makes big guns and other /
acuipment for the navy. Its depart |
S1en+s embrace an sorts Of industries /
and its machinery is such that II can /
make ANYTHING FROM "a brass river to 1
a living machine. from a screw 1
we thing q small fraction OF an ounce
10 a gun for a dreadnaught so big
and so heavy that special freight cars
will have to be built to carry II from /
one place to another
This big gun work cannot be standard \
lied Ike that Of a motor car factory /
whose output Is several thousand ma
a big gun and the metal has to 60 ]
through transformations, which only time (
can produce Shells and torpedoes can
not be ground out ike grain from hop
All OF the work takes the greatest Of
care Every piece Of the ordnance has 10 /
fit 10 a fineness equal to one-tenth the 4
thickness Of single, silky hair OF q baby. !
and the parts must be analysed, assayed !
and tested to know that each Is according i
70 specifications and will stand all the Il
requirements. This requires alloys Of
steel, brass and copper. and the amount
Of metal used is 80 great that the most /
OF the special work is done with the 4
scrap that & left from forging and chisel- 4
ing olL Lle lAB EAA4r anu rum lAAt Cut
tings OF brass and other metals used in
ordnance Of various descriptions.
Great Logs Of Steel Used.
Here we are in one OF the shops Il
covers more than an acre and the vast 1
roof Of glass Is high overhead The in
terror Is q maze Of machinery and the 1
noise which Gomez Up makes you think Of
the confusion Of Babel You look this
way and that and there are SO many
new and strange things that your eyes
are dazzled as in q kaleidoscope About
the shops IN various stages Of work are
great logs OF steel. some as big around
as the largest oak tree and so long that
II stood upon end they would almost touch
the glass roof. which is 50 or 50 feet above
where we are Standing.
Some Of the steel logs are polished.
showing the marks OF the lathe which has
cut them cut into the mighty cylinders
that form our big guns. Others are as
dull the iron when It comes from the
FORCES. where the tubes Of these mighty
rifles are prepared for the lathe. Other
guns are being cut by the lathes. The
hard steel IS shaver off as though It were
cheese and Il drops in great spirals OF
silver upon the dirt floor
here they are moving these huge mass
walls. high up under the roof. are two
railroad tracks which run the entire
length Of the building, and hanging down
Is II were from the center is a mighty
crane which picks up the steel and carries
L as lightly as though it were matches
from one end Of the shop to the other
That crane viii lift a greater weight at
one time than 200 horses could haul II II
were loaded on wagons. Its strength Is
equal 10 2z0, 900 pounds and x is 80 ar
ranged that the man who rides in the
age Just above Il can carry weight
y that enormous size 70 any part Of this
shop, as he pieases. By pulling q lever
he could transfer passenger locomo-