CARRON Wonxs, the name of an iron foundry in Scotland, on the most extensie el scale, situated by the side of the river Carron, about miles above its junction with the river Forth, and ut two miles north fro n the town of Falkirk, in the county of Stirling and parish of Larbert.
These works were projected by the late celebrated and enterprising Dr John Roebuck, who, after visiting !Daily situations in Scotland for the purpose of erecting an non work and foundry, at last fixed upon the present site. They were established by a company-, with Dr Roebuck at their bead as the acting partner, in the year 1760.
The company are chartered, having an original capi tal of 150,000/. divided into six hundred shares of J50/. each, which are now in comparatively few hands. These shares sell at present at an advance of thirty per cent., and the company divide upon the purchase sum about seven per cent. each year, payable half yearly. Besides the above increased capital, there is a very great undi vided and accumulating capital, consisting of landed, mineral, and heritable property, with an immense stock of all materials requisite for carrying on a concern so very extensive ; for as a foundry, it is indeed the most extensive in the world, though, as to making of pig iron, it is on a small scale in comparison with several iron works in (;neat Britain.
One primary object in placing these works where they are, appears to have been that of having the full com mand of the river Carron, for driving the heavy ma chinery, requisite for an iron work, together with the facility of water carriage for the raw materials and ma nufactured articles.
As the river Carron flows but a short way through a champaign country, and as its source is not very uistant, it is on that account suddenly swelled with heavy rains, and as suddenly reduced by a short continuance of drought. This circumstance rendered it absolutely ne cessary to collect the river Carron into a large reservoir immediately adjoining the works, though even this was found, from the intermitting of the river, quite insuffi cient for the purposes of the work. To correct this de fect, a very powerful steam engine, upon the common construction, is employed to raise the water after hat ing passed over the wheels, and is discharged into the re servoir again. This machine raises the water about 36
feet high, by means of four very large pumps, and is ca pable of lifting 40 tons of water each minute, which flows from it like a river, to be again used at the water wheels. From the great extension of the works. even this vast auxiliary power was found insufficient, and of late a very powerful steam engine for blowing, made by Messrs Watt and Bolton, has been erected, capable of blowing three blast furnaces. It has two ret,nlatin• cy linders, which support, by the compressed air. floating pistons of no less than 15 tolls weight each, It hich pro duce a regular uninterrupted blast.
The machinery &ken by water is chiefly employed for blowing into the blast furnaces and cupolas, for the boring mills, forge hammers, plating mills, and polishing mills, also foe grinding lire clay. and charcoal.
There are five blast furnaces, which produce nearly 2u0 tons of pig iron each week, in w hich coal:, viz. mi neral charcoal, only is used. Of air furnaces and cupo las there are above 20 capable of melting. for foundry purposes, double that qu.ntity of metal. Here all kinds of ordnance are cast, such as mortars, cannons. and car ronades, of every caliber, not only for the British govern ment, but for all the European powers. They am. all east solid in a perpend;. ular direction, a:i4 are after wards bored to the re misite caliber, with machinery moved by watch From long habit. and the constant at tention paid to this depat tinent, the pieces of ordna: ce made here are of the best kind, and of the proper tex ture of metal, being greatly consolidated by a heavy pres sure of liquid metal poured in a perpendicular direction. In former times all the ordnance made here were tried with the full powder proof before being sent from the but they are now only proved by water forced into the chamber by a very powerful compressing en gine, a method of proof which is reckoned much better than the former. The carronade gun, so well known in the navy, invented in Ireland by General Melville, was perfected at Carron, (from which it derives its name,) by the joint aid of several scientific gentlemen. Air Gascoigne, (afterwards Sir Charles Gascoigne,) the then manager, had an active hand in this improvement.