THE PROGRESS OF LOCAL INDUSTRY.

Grey River Argus, Volume XV, Issue 1879, 10 August 1874, Page 2

THE PROGRESS OF LOCAL INDUSTRY.

We paid a visit to the foundry of Messrs Rae and Sewell, in Chapel street . on Saturday afternoon, for the special purpose of being present at the casting; of the centre.-piece for the large waterwheel about to be built and erected to to drain the underground workings of the Orwell Creek Flat Gold-mining Company. This is one of the largest castings yet done at the foundry, and considerable interest was taken in the successful issue of the work. All preparations having been completed under the supervision of Mr John Kirkman, the foreman of the casting department, at about half-past four o'clock the immense mass of molten metal was allowed to escape from the furnace and run into the mould prepared to receive it. The operation, which was one of comparative magnitude, was performed in workmanlike manner, and in a short space of time', everything in : connection with it. being done in such a methodical style), that it was' evident even to a

visitor uninßtructed in the modm operandi in such matters, the work was a complete success. Several smaller castings were then gone on with, and within an hour or two the floor of the capacious melting-house was studded with hissing and seething moulds in various sbapesand sizes, of pieces of machinery,orcompletely formed articles. On the occasion of our last visit, work wa3 suspended in several departments of the establishment, it being after working hours, but now everything was in full swing, and taking advantage of the opportunity we went through the different workshops and saw the machinery, of which we gave a description in a recent issue, in full work. The various machines are conveniently grouped round the steam engine which supplies the motive power to each, and produced the power blasts for the furnaces besides. The drilling, planing, boring, punching, rolling, turning, and cutting machines were all performing their work, the latter especially severing bars of solid iron with as much ease as if they were composed of white-mottled soap. After viewing the pattern rooms and workshops, and the blacksmiths's shop, where a foundation is now being built for a powerful steam hammer, we were shown a number of castings recently executed to diffeient orders. There were stamper heads made from the best hematite iron for the Wealth of Nations and Ajax crushing machines at Murray Creek, as well as spur, pionion, and fly whels, &c, to be forwarded to various parts of the country. We left the establishment pleased with the appearance of order and method everywhere visible among the forty odd hands employed, whose well-regulated labor bears evidence of careful and competent direction. We learned with pleasure that the »york of the foundry is increasing so rapidly that Dew and more extensive machinery will be shortly lequired to meet the demands of the trade.