The Works Of Messrs. Schneider And Co.

XXIII.—THE GUN FACTORY AT CREUSOT. From 1870 to 1888, the manufacture of artillery at Messrs. Schneider and Co.’s works was carried on continuously in the engineering department at Creusot. Owing, however, to the constantly increasing home and foreign orders to Creusot for artillery, and notwithstanding that the various shops of the engineering department had been largely extended from time to time, with the special object of adapting them to an inereased manufacture of ordnance, it was forind absolutely necessaiy in 1887 to create a new department and to equip it specially with new machinery. But the shops vvhich, in 1887, were considérée! sufficiently extensive to meet the demands, for some time to eome at all events, were quickly found to be too small, and have been from time to time extended. They originally covered an area of 3500 square metres (4190 square yards), and this at the present time has grown to 27,500 square metres (32,890 square yards). The artillery shops are built in the Creusot valley, to the south-east of the main works, on an embankment averaging 10 metres (33 ft.) in height above the bot tom of the valley, and formed of blast-furnace slag. The first series of shops (styled the “norbh shops”) built in 1888, for the machining of large and medium-sized guns, for the construction of coast defence gun carriages, gun mountings, ships’ turrets, and turrets for land service, rests on the embankment, upon wide-spread masonry foundations, which carry the main rows of columns ; these columns, which are double, support the whole ironwork of the building. At the present time the north shops comprise two groups of three spåns each (see plan, 556, Plate XCVII.), the central spåns being wider and higher than the two side ones. The west group is 35 metres (115 ft.) in widtli, and 172 metres (564 ft.) in length ; the east group measures 37 metres (121 ft.) by 162 metres (534 ft.). The central spåns are of the following dimensions : West group 15 metres (49 ft.) wide, and 10 metres (33 ft.) high ; east group 17 metres (55 ft. 9 in.) wide, and 12.3 metres (39 ft.) high. The four lateral spåns are similar in design, and are 10 metres (33 ft.) wide, and 8 metres (26 ft.) high. The trusses of the central spåns, placed 10 metres (33 ft.) apart, rest on the double columns mentioned above. The same columns carry the tracks of the overhead travelling crânes. The trusses of the side spåns are placed the same distance apart, and rest at one end on the columns, and at the other on the enclosing walls of the shops. The rails for the smaller overhead travellers rest on brackets. The trusses and pur- lins are o£ iron, and the rafters are of timber. The outside covering of the roof is of slates fixed to battens, the rafters on the inside being lined with boarding, painted white, in order to reflect the light ; great care has been taken to secure sufficient lighting, the skylights and side Windows being of large dimensions ; the flooring consists of concrète in cement. The general plan, Fig. 556, Plate XCVII., shows the arrangement of the north, as well as of the south, shops, to which further reference will be made. On the plan, the various departments are denoted by letters, and a Table of references is appended. Figs. 557 to 559, Plate XOVIII., are exterior views of the gun factory ; Figs. 560 and 561, Plate XCIX., are respectively views of the principal machine-shops ; Fig. 562, Plate C, rifling shop showing the operation of rifling a 24-centimetre gun ; and Fig. 563, Plate C, an interior view of the large lathe and rifling shop. The south shops, which were built in 1897, especially for the construction of field and siege artillery, are separated from the north shops by the road to Montcenis communication being established between the two by a footbridge. The shops consist of three buildings (see plan, Fig. 556, Plate XCVII.) ; one of seven spåns, 10 metres (33 ft.) wide and 117 metres (384 ft.) in length; the two others, each of three spåns, also 10 metres (33 ft.) wide 87 metres (285 ft.) in length. The three buildings are separated by yards 10 metres (33 ft.) wide. Owing to the small width of the spåns, and in view of the work for which the buildings were intended, Mr. E. Schneider adopted a saw-tooth roof, the first of the kind ever made in Creusot for large build- ings, the vertical sides facing the north being filled in with eorrugated glass. To provide for extensions in the future, the ends of the shops are not walled in, the end columns and trusses being similar to those in the body of the building. The columns are placed 10 metres (33 ft.) apart one way, and 5 metres (about 16 ft.) apart in the other direction. They are stayed transversely by light iron girders, and longitudinally by the overhead travelling girders. The remainder of the building is of wood, and the parts of the roof looking south are covered with slates, the inside being lineel with matched boarding in the same way as the north shops. The flooring consists of concrète in cement. The sides of the building are formed of timber framing filled in with brickwork. The columns are pro- vicled with brackets, placed 3 metres (9 ft. 10 in.) high, to carry the main transmission shafts. The annexes to the north and south shops are as follows: The eno'ineers’ and accountants’ offices ; a depot, 62 metres