After lunch, we all got into an omnibus, and went to the Mersey Iron
Foundry, to see the biggest piece of ordnance in the world, which is
almost finished. The overseer of the works received us, and escorted us
courteously throughout the establishment; which is very extensive, giving
employment to a thousand men, what with night-work and day-work. The big
gun is still on the axle, or turning-machine, by means of which it has
been bored. It is made entirely of wrought and welded iron, fifty tons
of which were originally used; and the gun, in its present state, bored
out and smoothed away, weighs nearly twenty-three tons. It has, as yet,
no trunnions, and does not look much like a cannon, but only a huge iron
cylinder, immensely solid, and with a bore so large that a young man of
nineteen shoved himself into it, the whole length, with a light, in order
to see whether it is duly smooth and regular. I suppose it will have a
better effect, as to the impression of size, when it is finished,
polished, mounted, aid fully equipped, after the fashion of ordinary
cannon. It is to throw a ball of three hundred pounds' weight five
miles, and woe be to whatever ship or battlement shall bear the brunt!
After inspecting the gun we went through other portions of the
establishment, and saw iron in various stages of manufacture. I am not
usually interested in manufacturing processes, being quite unable to
understand them, at least in cotton-machinery and the like; but here
there were such exhibitions of mighty strength, both of men and machines,
that I had a satisfaction in looking on.
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