382 Mr. Mallet on the Physical Conditions 



" II. — Mode of Construction, and History of the Material of the Gun. — In reference to 

 tlie mode of constructing the gun, and the history of the material of which it was formed, 

 Messrs.Ward and Co. readily furnished direct answers to all the questions proposed to them, 

 and expressed a laudable desire to give the Committee any information in their possession 

 which might tend to throw light on the investigation. 



"The following are the questions proposed to Messrs.Ward and Co.: — 



" ' 1. Of what description, and from that locality, was the ore from which the iron was 

 made ? 



" ' 2. By whom, and where, was the iron made? Was the cold or the hot blast used? 

 Was, or was not, the iron puddled ? Was it manufactured by hammering, or by rolling, 

 or by both processes ? 



" ' 3. In what state, and of what size, were the pieces of iron of which the gun was com- 

 posed ? Was the iron introduced into the work in the state of blooms or bars ? If in bars, 

 of what dimensions were they ? And were the faggots trimmed ? 



" ' 4. Was any substance used to assist in welding ? What was the aggregate time 

 during which the gun was kept heated? And what was the average interval during which 

 the surface was exposed, in a heated state, between the weldings? 



'"5. Describe the mode of manufacture of the gun, and the position of the bars severally, 

 as they were welded together. 



" ' 6. What was the diameter of the shaft made by the first faggot, and the whole dia- 

 meter of the shaft made by longitudinal bars ? 



" ' 7. Forward, if possible, specimens of the iron of the gun. 



" ' And, in conclusion, the Committee will feel much indebted to you for any informa- 

 tion which may appear to you to be of interest, in reference to the investigation, and 

 especially in reference to the change of structure which is supposed to take place in iron 

 imder long heating.' 



" To these questions the following answers were given, in the order in which they were 

 proposed: — 



" ' 1. The ore, from which the bars used in the gun were chiefly made, was from beds in 

 the vicinity of Clintonville, in this State (New York), and known as the Arnold and Palmer 

 Ore, and we suppose it was used in about equal proportions. 



" ' 2. The principal part of the iron was made at forges on the Ansable River, in 

 Clinton County, by two or three different individuals, and we believe that the hot blast is 

 used by them all. A few hundred-weight of the iron, used on the small end of the gun, in 

 lengthening it out, was puddled by ourselves, on the old plan, with bituminous coal, and 

 without artificial blast, and the whole throughout was manufactured by hammering alone. 



" ' 3. Much the largest part of the iron used was in the form of bars, four inches square, 

 and in length of about 8^ feet. No blooms were used. A part of the bars, we should 



