night and day for several consecutive days.  I have known instances where workmen have worked from Monday until Thursday, night and day, without any intermission, excepting the hour and a half at the morning change of hands, one hour at noon, one at tea-time, and half an hour at midnight,—­four hours out of the twenty-four.  By this means they will sometimes earn as much as one hundred and fifty dollars per month, although this would be an extraordinary case.  The average pay in the dropping-department is about three dollars per day.

There are twenty-four simple and seven compound dropping-machines in constant operation.  Some of the pieces are pressed into shape under these drops when cold,—­this being the case with the triggers, which were found to use up the dies too rapidly when they were swaged while heated; but, as a general rule, the swaging is done while the piece is at a red or white heat.  The operations of the various dropping-machines are exceedingly interesting, and the amount of labor they save is perfectly marvellous.

A large number of men are kept constantly at work making dies for the various pieces required.

When the pieces come out of the swaging-machines, they have more or less of surplus metal about them, which is cut off or trimmed by passing them through machines designed for this purpose.

The bayonet-blade is first forged under a trip-hammer, and then rolled to the proper shape, by an operation similar to the barrel-rolling.  The socket is forged separately, and afterwards welded to the blade under a trip-hammer.  It is then passed twice under the drop, then milled and polished, when it is ready for use.  The ramrod is cut from steel rods about the size required.  It is then ground in the same manner as the barrel, and the hammer is swaged on by two operations under the drop.  The screw-cutting and polishing are very simple, and executed with great rapidity.

The cone-seating, like every other part of the work done upon the musket, is very interesting.  The barrel, after it comes from the rolling-mill, is placed in a forge and heated to a white-heat.  A small square block of iron, cut under a trip-hammer to the proper size, is also heated to a white-heat, and then welded to the barrel by half a dozen strokes under the trip-hammer,—­the whole operation occupying less time than is required to describe it.  An iron rod is meanwhile inserted within the barrel to maintain the continuity of the bore.

The sights are struck in dies, and placed upon the barrel in slots cut for the purpose.  They are then brazed upon the barrel, pieces of brass wire, half an inch long, being used for this purpose.  Three men are employed in brazing on the sights for the establishment.