The Works Of Messrs. Schneider And Co.

82 MESSES. SCHNEIDER AND CO.’S WORKS. 120 metres (393 ft.) long by 48 metres (157 ft.) wide; it is formed of two bays, and is placed in the same line as the main building. On one side are stacked all the varions sections of merchant bars ; on the other are rolied beams in lengths up to 9.500 metres (31 ft. 2 in.); a railway track runs down the middle of the building. The bars are placed upright by means of winches carried on overhead tracks. In this depot 12,000 tons of bars can be stored. Further on is the light railway material finishing shop, and opposite is the finishing shop for large rolied sections. The shop for maintaining the plant in repair is fully equipped with all the necessary machine tools, and occupies workmen of every trade. Among other tools there are fourteen lathes of varions sizes, for turning new roils and repairing those in service. The yard is absolutely covered with roils, which are classified two and three high, in special frames, so as to be easily selected. They are håndled by portable as, for instance, dynamo steel sheets, the rolling of iron and steel alloys, &c. A complété set of machines and apparatus is provided for all kinds of tests by breaking, cold and hot bending, bending after tempering, punching, chasing, welding ; for drop tests, tensile tests, &c. Tensile tests, which are by far the most frequently demanded at the present time, are effectecl with a powerful and im- proved machine worked hydraulically and fitted with a system of combinée! levers, which records strains up to 60 tons. The operation of this machine is very simple, and it is so arrangée! that the time taken for each test may be varied within large limits. Special elutehes serve for testing, without previous préparation, bars in the rough up to 40 millimétrés (1TV in.) in diameter, or thickness, and 60 millimétrés (2f in.) wide, the seetion, however, being limited by the power of the machine. A large number of interesting test-pieces are kept and form a Transverse Section of 3,000 Horse-Power Rolling-Mill Engine. steam crânes. According to the last inventory there were 2,400 rolis of all sizes, having a total weight of 6,000 tons. Testing Laboratory.—The testing laboratory is near the machine shop. The various tests carried out are the following : a. Daily tests ot' puddled iron, steel ingots, biooms, &c., and investigations of all new material. b. Tests of merchant iron and steel, before delivery of each order. c. Tests of products inspected and passed at the milis by the Inspectera of Railway Companies, by the officers of various Navy Departments, Artillery officers, officers of the Corps of Engineers, agents of Veritas, Lloyd’s, &c. ; all these tests are conducted under the same conditions as those stipulated in the numerous spécifications. The testing office staff elaborate, in conjunction with that of the laboratory for Chemical tests, the means of obtaining new products and carrying out new processes; museum. The tests made annually in the Rolling-Mill Department alone are as follows : Tensile tests of all kinds ... ... 30 to 35,000 Cold bending tests before and after tempering ... ... ... ... 60 ,, 70,000 Various breaking tests, more than ... 100,000 The shops and yards are illuminated by arc lamps. Near the centre of the department in the rolling-mill building is an accident station, containing all the necessary appliances and médicaments for a rapid preliniinary tend- ing of workmen injured at any time of the day or night. All the buildings and most of the plant of this department, have been constructed by Messrs. Schneider and Co., at their Creusot and Chalon Works. 3,000 Horse-Power Rolling Miil Engine.— Passing now to a detailed notice of the more important ma- chines of the rolling miil department, there is first the blooming mili, already referred to. This mili is placed on one side of a 3,000 horse-power re verging engine, shown in Figs. 196,197, Plate XL. ; and in Figs, 198,199. The engine