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(..&) C c -^- } C s( "0) Si S% (7E) CO. s O/TTv ■i initbutu '&chtttti4 } , w / y?*W»vv*i- a >■ ♦ 1 rM 1 • * tmi ll?#2m a VOL. IV. No. 201] —w—■a— wag—w——— mmmnmm w »i-u- wnpwm—ww—w*** v> **— —~rs —iw —nri Os - ~~•» Three dollars per annum. J PUBLISHED BY GEO: F. RANDOLPH, U CO. NORTH BROAD*STRJKE r Jk (Half in cuhance- CONDITIONS OF THE COL UMBIAJY CEXTIXEL. 1. THE COLUMBIAN CENTINEL will bepublished every Saturday, on a clemi paper, of an excellent quality, and on an entire new type, of which this is a specimen. 2. The terms of subscription will be threk dollars per annum, one half tvqbe paid at the time of subscribing, and the balance at the expiration of the year. 3. No subscription will be received for a less t#-m than six months, and all papers will be continued from year to year, unless ordered to the reverse at tile expiration of the year, or six months. 4. Advertisements w ill be charged sixty-three cents per square for the first publication, and forty-two lor each succeeding, and in the same proportion for those of greater length. The. following persons have subscrip don papers in their hands for the accom modation of persons who may please to subscribe , and they are duly authorised to receive the same. Prtcrsburgh: Capt. J. P. Watkins. „ Ciena : James Colhotm. Fiber ton : Middleton Woods, Esq. Ogle thorp County: Wm. H. Crawford, Samuel Shields, China. Grove, and at the Store of Major Phinizy,- Lexington. Washington, Wilkes County: Col. Francis Willis. Maj. Patrick fStk. * * ■■**■'-* Green County Maj. Young Gresham, James Nickelson, William Grant. Jackson county Samuel Gardner, Esq. Franklin county Thomas P. Carnes, Esq. Hancock County: Hines Holt, Esq. Doct. William Lee, Eli Harris Worren County Capt. Thomas Dent, George Hargraves. Lincoln County John M. Dooley, Esq. Charles Stovall. Columbia : William Ware, Esq. Solomon Marshall, Burke County William Col. John Whitehead, Col. John Davis, Jefferson County: George R. ; Clayton, Esq. James Bozeman, Esq. John Bostwick, Esq. Scriven County Reuben Wilkinson. William Oliver, Esq. Major Skinner, Savannah: Seymour, hco. printers, Bacon and Malone, M'lntosh County : George Baillie. AUGUSTA U SAVANNAH Line of Stages. THE Augusta and Savannah line of Stages will be continued by the subscriber, who trusts his unremitting attention to the LINE, in endeavoring to render passengers safe and comfort able, will secure him a coutinuance of public patronage. He at the same time informs them that the STAGE OFFICE is removed from Ashton’s Tavern, to Mrs. LONGSTREETS Boarding-House- LEWIS CALFREY. September 20. 9 BLANK SHERIFFS TITLES For Sale at this Office, AUGUSTA, GEORGIA, li. .M. t? ..til r—TTX'i.wT-.f k ~* tu I —i ri —l I—ir1 —irn — ITT n in ■ ■n« i . - . Antt„r«? rtrfnni From the Richmond Enquirer. A nation that would avoid war, should be prepared for it. Y. Manufactory of Arms. —This splendid establishment, the ornament and pride of Virginia, deserves to be particularly known to our countrymen. . The annual reports of its enlightened superintendant have already informed . them of the kind and quantity ol arms annually manufactured there ; but no account has yet been published, of the admirable maclnnary by which it works these effects. Under an impression, therefore, that some such information would be both amusing and instructive, we have determined, amidst the pre sent drought of other "matters, so Jav the following description of it before The Virginia manufactory of arms is situated on the Janies river naviga tion canal, at its entrance into the city of Richmond ; which canal is capable at all seasons of furnishing an abun dant supply of w-ater for operating the machinery for saving manual labor, in the various branches of the work. As the manufactory affords a fall of 51 feet (pe+pejulicular) from the canal to the river, Which are about two hundred and twenty yards asunder; this site possesses the advantages of a naviga tion by batteaux of about two hundred iniies above ; and by sea-vessels into the ocean, about two hundred miles below. By means of this navigation, all the raw materials. proper for the fabrication ot arms of every description (which arc afforded in the most profuse abundance on (his river) I» *- t-jr iL • Jojl A I of the works at an easy and cheap rate. This manufactory was designed for the fabrication of every species of small arms, as well as all kinds of ordnance, proper for the field, fortifications, and the equipment of navies; and being played on the declivity ol' a hill, in a healthy situation, possesses the benefits of a fret circulation of fresh air to all its parts, while it is secure from attacks by a il&val force, and never impeded in its operations by the inundations of the river. The fall is so extensive, that the same water is used three sev eral times in its descent from the canal to the river; the first and second ope rations are applied to the machinery for making small arms ; and the third to the boring and turning of ordnance. The buildifigs are constructed to suit the three operation® of water mentioned ; the walls are substantially made of stone and brick; and the whole so connected as to make one uniform building, which surrounds an extensive area or open court. The north front is three hundred and ten feet in length, and twenty-four in breadth, with the principal gate-way and balfry in its centre; it borders on the canal so as to receive raw materials with the greatest convenience from the boats which navigate it. The apartments of the lower story are to the storing of materials, and to work shops; and those of the upper story, to stock ing and finishing muskets, rifles, swords and pistols. To each extreme of this front, a wing consisting of three buildings is attached at right angles thereto; the bases of which are of different eleva tions, and suited to the three operations of water as above. To southern ex s tremities of these wings (each, to which is an hundred and seventy-two feet long) polygonal buildings are attached. ' These being built on a circle, enclose 5 the yard, and form the south front, in ’ the centre of which, is placed the Foun j. 3 ary for cannon, and adjacent thereto, the mill or machine for the boring and turning thereof. The lower apart ments of this front are designed for . cooking, washing, Sec. and tiie apart ments in tiie upper story for habitations for the artificers. The Water for operating the maohin ery is taken from die canal in two clis , tinct streams, which are carried by 5 subterraneous passages into each rcs : p.vctive wing; where all the operations \ SATURDAY, :OAY 30, 1307. | of the machinery,' working by water for I saving manual labor are carried bn. • The water is first applied to four over shot water-wheels, two of Which are . placed in each wing; and the machin ery attached to them is precisely sinfi , lar in each wing; being designed for similar operations. Those four water wheels, to which every simple thachin > cry is attached for the purpose, operate 28 bellows; 12 grind stones; the Works for rough and smooth boring musket, rifle and pistol barrels; the works for polishing, drilling, milling of screws , and sjuruiry other operations ; also, two sinlple engines on the chain pinup prin ciple, for elevating water into reservoirs, standing in the roofs of the buildings ; from which it may lie conveyed thro’* out tiie interior of the works, with a view to secure them against accidental fii-e's. After performing these several ope rations, the two streams of water are conveyed from under those wheels, by subterraneous culverts, to tvfro tilt ham mer forges ; one of which is placed at the southern extremity of each wing; where the second operation of the wa ter is performed on two breast water wheels, which work the hammers for beating out the bar-iron into proper form for all the purposes of making small arms, and of rendering the iron more rough and malleable; and also a machine for cutting with great ease, the largest bar-iron, into such pieces as are required for the various parts of arms: and it is intended, that a ma chine to be operated by this second fall of water, shall be erected for cutting with great facility and exactness, many of the lMjrtscjf small arms; bvwhich means, an ‘sfttrn parts itTjTtx*. rorntetr precisely alike. The water from under each of these wheels, is then conveyed by brick tun nels, a short distance ; where the two streams at the south front overshet water-wheel for boring and turning of ordnance. This is tiie third and last oi eration of the water, which is here discharged into the river near ly on a level with the surface thereof; so that the two streams which operate the works, are not seen in any part ol their passage from the canal to the river. The establishment was designed fo l ' the annual manufacture of about eight thousand stands of arms for Infantry, with a proportionate number for caval ry, by about an hundred and fifty aiti ficers, but not half that number are yet employed therein ; also a proportionate number of field cannons, and guns for fortifications. The works are so con structed and arranged, that those who superintend their operations, may in twenty minutes pass round and visit all the artists in their varioite employ ments, and the machinery is supposed to have been constructed upon a plan as simple as such a variety ot opera tions would admit; a striking instance of which appears in blowing the bel lows by water. Here the working of 28 bellows requires but two small cog wheels more than those which are in dispensably necessary for other opera tions, and excepting those two cog wheels, the apparatus for working the bellows by water, will witli very little preparing, last fifty years in constant use. The cheapness, simplicity and durability of the apparatus used in this mode of operation, is greatly import ant to the institution. The motion of the bellows is first given by a crank in each of the wings, attached to the ax is of each ol the two cog-wheeH above mentioned ; these cranks operate two horizontal shafts, each of which is be tween an hundred and forty and an hundred and fifty feet long, and extend through all the forging shops in the said wings, working a crank or lever over each bellows, and also the large bellows in the tilt-hammer forges. The grindstones (all of which are operated by water) execute a great part of the . work usually done by rasping and fil ing, which saves considerable expence ■ in the article of files ; and to prevent : | an unnecessary consumption of fuel, a i to 1 1 ii«i! mmunnrr nr >ji fmw—,> valve is placed in the pipe of each of the hc llo’.Vn, so that at the moment thu iron becomes sufficiently heated, and is taken from the fire to the anvil, the bellows ceatfes to operate upon the* fire. i he manner in which musket barrel's were formerly bored, is, that the au gers or boring-rods were pressed or pushed forward through the barrel.— liut the shanks cv stems of such au gers being of considerable length, and confined in their size by the diameter of the caliber, cannot be made suffi ciently stiff to prevent their bending while pushed through the barrel in the act ol boring ; which rendered the bor ing With exactness extremely tedious and difficult. To prevent this incon venience, the boving rods or augers in the manufactory, are drawn through the barrel in place of being pushed through for the set of pulling the au -3 r through, v.dii keep it straight, when pushing it through inclines it to crook* By this >y w method, the bar rel is bored with n ucli more ease, fa cility, and truth, than on the former plan. The bit, or cutting parts of the augers, are from H to 3 inches long, as occasion may require, and are form ed like a common screw-auger revers ed, with two sharp angles for cutting* like that instrument. The rod or stem of the auger which is of smaller diam eter than the cutting part, is first put through the rough caliber of the bar rel, in the state in which it is received from the hand of the larger. It is then confined in the carriage which is a.strong shallow box, moving horizon tally upon four wheels, on ribits made in two strong timbers, which conduct the straight and steady, while Tip* the stem, ijfrthen attached tfo a smalTVhedf, wnich revolves about four hundred times per minute, and the bo£ or carriage (which is kept fill ed with water to prevent the temper of tile boring-bit from being, destroyed by the beat produced by friction in bor mg.) is propelled by a large iron screw, the moiion of which is six revolutions to each inch of the barrel, while the motion of the borer is considerably above'’an hundred revolutions to the inch. This method cannot be applied tc* the boring of ordnance; the breach be ing cast with the barrel; great improve ments, however, have been made., both in the mode of casting, and of boring '> « f - * » , 4 cannon. The foundary and boring works of this manufactory are' not yet’ ready for operation, but it is designed fbr casting and boring according to.4he newest and most approved method, in the solid mass. The cascabel at the breach of the cafioffo is t<*be attached to the axis of the water-wheel, so as to revolve with it, while the borel’ (which dots r.ut revolve) is impelled (in a hor izontal direction, and in a fine with the centre of the cannon) by a heavy weight suspended at the end of die lever; $o that by the addition or diminution of lli; weight, the friction of boring is in creased or diminished at pleasure.— When the boring has been compleated, the cannon is attached to the axis of another wheel of considerable greater velocity, where its external surface is turned and polished similar to a Column of wood in the lathe of a vurnt f, after which the touch-hole is drilled ; the gun is proven and put in order for being mounted on its carriage. It would be tedious and perhaps un intelligible without the aid of drawings, to give a complete description m detail of all the various operations required in the fabrication of arms. The ope ration of boring small arms and 'can- v non has been more particularly noticed in above sketch, not merely because the boring of their calibre’s with accu racy, is an important point in the ma nufacture, but because considerable improvements have lately been made in the manner of performing that ope ration. BLANKS of c-verv dcscripti n executed at this cilice, with neatness and dispatch. I i