Rolling Mills in France, from
De La Cononnerie Ou Fabrication des Canons de Fusil, M. Ronchard-Siauve
http://books.google.com/books?id=uedDAAAAIAAJ&pg=RA1-PA202In 1830, after the revolution of July, the organization of the national guards having brought great orders of weapons of guerre has Saint-Etienne, it was an occasion favorable for the clever spirits to seek manufacturing processes faster and more economical. Mr. elder Boivin, mechanic of a great merit, like Mr. Girardet, of the Comte’, had then the idea to substitute for the use of the hammers and the trip hammers that of the rolling mill,
non-seulement for the manufacture of the lopins for canons a rubans [Twist], as well as rods for the Damas, but still for the direct manufacture of the
canons de guerre ou canons lisse.
They carried out their tests on Rue Trefilery, in the factory currently occupied by Mr. Perret (Adrien), which also carried out the first tests there; a new industry for Saint-Etienne, celle du pudlage des fers lins à la houille. It arrived unfortunately, in this circumstance, that too often in the industry when one tries to make a progress by the substitution of the work of the machines to that of the men. The emotions were worked up in the workmen canonniers: the rolling mill went, said to them one, them ùter all their work. The heads were assembled at the point a riot burst out. A
troop d' ouvrie; s exaltés invaded the new establishment and broke all it could break. The life even of the authors of this test was put in great danger, and they do not last their safety with the intervention of kind neighbors who lent their assistance to them to make them escape secretly. La Garde Nationale was transported, in vain, on the spot to stop the disorder; it was attacked itself with stone blows, and several men, in particular those of the company of artillery, were seriously wounded. It has been for this time that Saint-Etienne was equipped with permanent garrison.
These tests of manufacture of the guns to the rolling mill, thus unfortunately stopped, were continued later in Saint-Julien, close to Saint-Chamond, but with little success. One made weld with the hammer of the manchons (sleeves) of approximately 30 cm, to have a better welding, then one passed these sleeves to the rolling mill to lengthen them and give them the shape of the guns. In spite of this modification in the process, there were always so many rejects one finished by
abandonnder these tests in our countries for in holding with the old system.
