Year: 1861

Correspondence of the Springfield Republican


The Watervleit Arsenal, situated at West
Troy, N. Y, is, as you doubtless know. the
largest arsenal for the construction and fabri-
cation of military implements, other than small
arms and cannon, in the country; and a visit
to its workshops at the present time, power
fully impresses one with the strength and re-
sources OF our Government. Everything is at
present on war footing, and from three to
four hundred hands directly, and as many
more indirectly, in the neighboring foundries,
are kept busy night and day. Through the
thieying Of Floyd and the recent requisitions
of Government, the arsenal has been nearly
stripped of muskets, pistols and cannon, but of
other munitions there is yet an ample store.
large number of hands are engaged in the
preparation Of ammunition; sixty thousand
ball cartridges are made daily; most of these
are intended for the Mimic rifle, but large
numbers of the old-faShioned round ball cart
ridges are also manufactured. The rapidity
with which a cartridge is made is wonderful
boy sits at counter with q cylindrical stick
"A pile Of CREASED balls and one of prepared
paper before him-a simple roll of the paper
and stick-a jerk and twist at one end-a twist
of string, and the cartridge is ready fer fill
ing in less time than it takes to read this des-
scription. They are then taken into another
room, placed open end up in shallow boxes,
and a man by means Of a simple instrument,





of powder, at the rate of thirty a minute A
twist at the open end, and the cartridge is
complete. The manufacture goes on so fast
that it requires nearly a dozen men and boys
to pack, box and remove the finished cart
ridges. In another apartment a number of
men and girls are employed in the manufac-
ture Of cannon cartridges Of all sizes from the
mightiest columbiad down to a six FOUNDER
The material Of which they are made is a kind
of woolen goods (moreen) imported from Eng
land especially for the purpose. Thousands
OF yards of this material were in the process
of being cut up and manufactured Cannon
cartridges are not filed here, but at the place
where they are intended to be used. In still
another department, grape, canister, and
strapped ammunition are in course Of preFa-
ration, while huge carloads of bomb-shells
and spherical shot are hourly arriving from the
neighboring foundries. The grape shot are
larger than supposed, and might more prop
srly be called peach shot than grape shot
Some six or more of these are packed in sort
of wire corkscrew arrangement, and fitted into
q tin case, and when thus finished have much
the appearance of jars Of preserved meats or
fruit.


The manufacture of BON mbshells is also mat
ter Of much interest. The preparation of those
1 witnessed is briefly as follows Tho she'll is
frst filed full with old fashioned round leadsn
bullets; melted sulphur is then poured in to
| fill up the interstices and bind the bullets in
one solid mass; the shell is then put into kind
| of lathe, and a cylindrical hole Of the exact
size Of the oriice Of the she'll is bored through
the bullets and sulphur; this cavity is filled
with powder, even with the interior edge of
| the orifoe, q six inch she'll Of the kind here
described holding about half pound; the fuse
fitted into the oriice is a recent Belgian inven-
ton, made of pewter, and resembles the screw
CAP used for the patent fruit cans. An exam
inatien of this pewter cap shows, however.
that it is made Of two hollow discs of metal
screwed together, and filed with meal pow
| der; number Of fine holes are drilled in the
lower disc, while the outer disc is entire, and
marked with figures in a circle. l, 2, 3, f. In
this state the she'll is water and weather proof
When taken for use, the gunner by means of q
small steel instrument scoops out a portion OF
the outer soft metal surface, and lays bare the
charge of composition powder below il. If the
shell is desired to explode in one second after
leaving the gun, the scooping is made on the
figure one; If in two seconds, on the figure two,
and so on; the idea being that the shells OF
this description shah first strike the object
aimed at and do execution as ball, and then
explode, sending the bullets forward as if from
another cannon located at the point where the
fight Of the she'll is arrested. Large shells Of
eight or ten inches are filed with powder only,
and bursting do execution by means of their
fragments. These large shells are generally
fired by means Of fuse Of meal powder ex.
tending through brass plug screwed into the
mouth Of the she'll; in both cases the fuse Il
fped by the ignition Of the charge in the gun,