THE LARGEST ARSENAL IN THE WORLD

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1577, 6 June 1887, Page 2

THE LARGEST ARSENAL IN THE WORLD

The greatest manufactory and store* house of cannons and war materials if Woolwich Arsenal. It has within its en* closure 280 acres of land, of which somf* 160 acres are covered with bnildiogs. I When m fall operation it employs 18,000 persons. The amount of ammunition stored there is immense, and cannon oan be oounted by the hundred. In the store* house a stook of 23,000 oavalry saddlei are kept constantly on?hand, with a corresponding amount of horseshoes, nails, hakers, traces, collars, harness for trans* portation trains, etc. One of the moot interesting sights It the manufacture of rifled oinnon. the ; various processes of which are going oa In diff rent shops all the time. These range In size from three-pounders to 100 tonnerß, and the machinery required to make and handle them is very heavy, tho . largest forging hammers having 605 tons force. The steel culls of the cannon are made from steel bare, the largest of whtoh are 300 ft long and a foot thick. Taeoe are coiled m a spiral by a heavy but nicely-working machine, and are welded together with the heavy hammers as perfeotly as an ordinary pleoe of iron m a blacksmith's shop, aid with comparatively few blows. The machinery need Is some of the best In the oountry, and much of it was madt m Manchenter. One Uthe-room has over an acre of space, olosely filled m with 2,000 lathes, and a busy sight it it to sea them all m motion. One maohiae fif the munufaotute of fixed ammunition turns out 250 cartridge moulds every revolution, and has the capacity of $60,000 dai)y. The several shofß and buildings. are connected by railways, for moving j aerial. These aggregate a great many miles.