Evening star., 1926-10-24
Government Steel Production Here Is Factor in ndlst
BY GEORGE H. DACY.

<<NH ADE IN WASHING
80 M TON" steel, brass and
.Vt cast iron refute the uni
i versal belief that our
National Capital is city
which never huns with industry's
song. A Government steel mill at
the navy yard transforms scrap
tings and f1xtu-es intc the finest grade
of ordnance stael ever tested by chem
lists. Effic.enr, such as Is found in
the most eronomcail. administered
commercial p'nn' marks Uncle Sans
steel and brass foundrIes.
Plowshares a"e not beaten into
munitions OF war. but steel and brass
In discarded forms are veritably born
anew. Waste materials are reduced
to molten metals and eventually
solidify again as valuable naval arma
ment. nautical equipment and mari
time accessories Our navy yard
uses again anh again the same basic
materials. Not even iur ace ashes
are lost. for e'-ciric!,y and oil are
used as nan"fac'uyii.E fuel.
Naval stee: ana h"ass thus change
their form under skilled supervision
Gases from llQuefied metals are the
only by-prodnrts which escape.
This economy in foundry practice
and steel and brass production is a
typical example Of the saving which
the Cnitea states Navy fosters in its
shipbuild,n9 and ordnance output
operations Government activities are
conducted. as far as possible. under
economical administration of funds,
despite public opinion to the contrary.
Our spotless Capitol. with its lofty
pinnacle. and Washington'S tallest
monumer' overlook two specialized
foundries' AT the navy yard. where
the raw materials of America 8 great
est industry are produced exactly as
they are made at smoke ke-smudged
Gary. Ind. or soot-screened Pitts
burgh.
The romance OF steel making, the
glow and glamour Of huge furnaces.
travelling cranes delivering larg'.
charges of molten metal to accurate
molds. the steelmill atmosphere o.
dust and Crime. skilled workers toll
ing at their trade Of creating the most
useful material known to industry
YOU view these scenes during an in
spection trip through the only steel
plant in the District of Co umhia.
One of the navy yard foundries-
a massive structure of brick and struc-
tural steel, 800 feet long and 200 feet
wide-makes steel and cast iron eX.
clusively. while the o her. about one
half as large. specia lies in the pro-
duction Of non ferrous metals, such as
brass, bronze, aluminium, copper and
the like. Steel and iron castings
which are made range in weight from
one ounce to as much as 45 tons.
Some of these castings are so heavy
that each Is equivalent in avoirdupois
TO A maximum carload of su' h freight
as lime or fertilizer shipped in inter
state commerce.
In the brass foundry about 40 dirA
ferent alloys and metal mixtures are
made annually in the production of
naval ordnance. Prone castings
which are produced as n. eded weigh
anywhere from one ounce TO 30 tons
apiece. -..
THE steel foundry is equipped with
a Bottom open hearth fl, mace and
a 6-ton electrical furnace. AS we'll as
two large converters. all of which are
employed In the manufactu' of ord
nance steel
As much as 100 900 pounds of the
finest quality ordnance steel can be
produced in one day in this Govern
ment plant. This product is subjected
to the severest tests to which steel is
ever exposed.
A steel Of the highest grade and
Classification is manufactured from
scrap materials with per cent ad
dition of pig iron. Scrap used thus as
raw material in no respect ieopardizes
the quality of the ultimate product.
for this scrap f. of as cut standing
quality as will he the products into
which II Is ccN"art ed.
The navy yard foundry. in addition
to making steel for castings. also pro
vides the large ingots used for
forging purposes. :nth carbon steel
and the varicus all" steels. such as
nickel steel, chrome nickel and chrome
vanadium, are manufactured and
used.
The Washington Navy Yard. being
the special-purpose ordnance plant of
the United States Navy. annually en-
cages in extraordinary I. ks. The
steel foundry is complete equipped