Year: 1861

The correspondent of the Springfield
Republican, writing from Troy, n. Y,
May Sth, says:


The Watervliet Arsenal, situated at
West Troy, is, as you doubtless know
the largest arsenal for the construction
and fabrication of military implements
other than small arms and cannon, in
the country; and visit to its workshops
at the present time, powerfully i'm
presses one with the strength and re-
sources of our Government. Every
thing is at present on war footing, and
from three to four hundred hands di-
rectly, and as many more indirectly, in
the neighboring foundries, are kept
busy night and day. Thro' the thiev-
ing of Floyd and the recent acquisitions
of Government, the Arsenal has been
nearly stripped of muskets, pistols and
cannon; but of other munitions there is
yet an ample store. A large number of
hands are engaged in the preparation of
ammunition; sixty thousand ball car
tridges are made daily; most Of these
are intended for the MIME rife, but
large numbers Of the oldfashioned
round ball cartridges are also manufac-
tured The rapidity with which cart
ridge is made is wonderful. a boy sits
at Il counter with cylindrical stick-a
pile OF creased balls and one of pre-
pared paper before him-a simple roll
of the paper and stick, a jerk and a
twist at one end, twist Of d string and
the cal fridge is ready for filling in less
time than it takes to read this descrip-
ton. They are then taken into another
room, placed open end up in shallow
boxes, and a man, by means of simple
instrument, fills them with an equal and
specific amount Of powder, at the rate of
thirty minute. a twist at the open
end, and the cartridge is complete
The manufacture goes on so fast that it
requires nearly dozen men and boys
to pack, box, and remove the finished
cartridges. In another apartment a
number of men and girls are employed
in the manufacture Of cannon cartrid ses
o. all sizes, from the mightiest colum-
biad down to a six pounder. The ma
terial of which they are made is kind
of woolen goods imported
from England especially for the pur-
pose. Thousands of yards Of this ma
terill were in the process of being cut
up and manufactured. Cannon cart
ridges are not filed here, but at the
place where they are intended to be used.
In still another department, grape, cam


ster, and strapped ammunition are in
course Of preparation, while huge cart
loads Of bomb shells and spherical shot
are hourly arriving from the neighbor-
ing founderies. The grape-shot are
larger than l supposed, and might more
properly be called peaeh-shot than
grape shot. Some SIX or more Of these
are packed in sort Of wire cocl, screw
arrangement, and fitted into a tin case,
and when thus finished have much the
appearance Of jars Of preserved meats or
fruit


The manufacture of bomb-shells is
also matter Of much interest. The
preparation of those [ Witnessed is
briefly as follows: The shell is first
filed full with old-fashioned round
leaden bullets; melted sulphur is thea
poured in to fill up the interstices and
bind the bullets in one solid mass; tn,
shell is then put into a kind Of lathe,
and cylindrical hole Of the exact size
Of the orifce Of the shell is bored
through the blllcts and sulphur; this
cavity is filed with powder, even with
the interior edge Of the oriGce, six
inch shell OF the kind here described
holding about half a pound; the fuse
fitted into the orifice is recent Belgian
invention, made Of pewter and resem-
bles the screw can used for the patent
fruit cans An examination OF this
pewter cap shows, however, that it is
made of two hollow discs Of metal
screwd together, and filled with meal
powder; a number of fine holes are
drilled in the lower disc, while the outer
disc is entire, and marked with figures in
Il circle /, ?. 3, 1. In this state the
shell is water and weather proof. When
taken for use, the gunner, by means Of
Il small steel instrument, scoops out a
portion Of the outer soft metal surface
and lays bare the charge Of composition
powder below it. If the shell is de-
sired 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 shall
first strike the object aimed at and do
execution as a ball, and then explode,
sending the bullets forward as if from
another cannon located at the point
where the flight of the shell is arrested
Large shells of eight or ten inches are
| filled with powder only, and, bursting,
do execution by means of their frag-
ments. These large shells are gene
rally fired by means of fuse of meal!
powder, extending through brass plug
screwed into the mouth Of the shell; in
both cases the fuse is fired by the igni-
ton of the charge in the gun.


\ War Incident.


While one of the Massachusetts, rcgi-
ments was in this city, on it's way to
| Washington, gentleman residing he
met one Of its members on the street.


''Is there anything [ can do for you,
sir?" said the New Yorker, his heart
warming toward the representative of the
brave Massachusetts, militia who had 50
promptly answered the call Of their
country.


The soldier hesitated moment and
finally raising one of his feet, exhibited
boot with a hole in the toe, and
generally worse for wear.


:'How came you here with such boots
as those, my friend, asked the patriotic
citizen


"When the order came for men to
join my company, sir, replied the sol