The Works Of Messrs. Schneider And Co.

168 MESSES. SCHNEIDER AND CO.’S WORKS. motors of all the overhead travellers, through brauch conductors laid along the traveller tracks, and joined to the distributing system of each traveller by means of brushes of the trolley type. Through bare wire conductors laid underground, they also furnish current to varions portable clectric motors, which are used for a variety of purposes in different parts of the gun-shops. The main transmission sliafts of the north shops are made in sections 5 metres (16 ft. in.) long, and run in bearings on brackets plaeed 5 metres apart, fitted to the motors, varying in power from 1 to GO horse-power, work the transmission sliafts, the overhead travellers, and the isolated tools in both shops. The working1 current at the terminals of the motors is 210 volts. All the steam and electric motors in this department have been built by Messrs. Schneider and Co. The north and south shops are each provided witli a pit for shrinking on jackets and coils ; that in the north shop can take the longest guns made ; it is plaeed in the main west spån, and is served by the 30-ton and Fig. 571. Shop for Setting on Projectile Bands (see Plan, Fig. 556). columns or the walls at a height of 3.20 metres (10 ft. 6 in.) above the floor ; the shafts are also supported on light Intermediate columns plaeed in the centre of the 10-metre space between each main column. The shafting in the south shops is also in lengths of 5 metres ; it is carried in bearings on brackets bolted to the columns 3 metres above the floor ; in these shops the columns are 5 metres apart, and the shafting, therefore, requires no intermediate supports. In tlie north shops the steel shafts are solid, and are fitted with cast-iron pulleys, while in the south shops the shafts are made hollow, and carry wood pulleys, in order to reduce tlie loss of power, in driving them, to a minimum. In the shops, the overhead motion of the machine tools is attached to the traveller girder. Fifty the 60-ton overhead travellers. The pit in the south shops, at the north end of the fifth spån, has been designed specially for dealing with field guns ; it can, hovvever, take guns 5 metres (16 ft. 4 in.) in length, and is served by a 6-ton overhead traveller. Plate CIV. is a view of the interiør of a gun and turret erecting shop at Creusot. Jackets and coils are heated by means ot' gas blow- pipes of a special design ; the operation is conducted slowly, the heat being always kept proportional to the expansion required ; the maximum, however, never reaches 400 deg. Cent. Special straight-edged plates, fitted with electric contacts, are used to ascertain whether long jackets have bent or not under the process of expan- sion ; these plates are laid on three generating lines of