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118. Picturesque World’s Fair – The Great Steam Hammer

THE GREAT STEAM HAMMER.—One exhibit in the Transportation Building always attracted curious inspection. To many unfamiliar with the heavy machinery used in the vast manufactories of today, its use was not apparent, but to those informed in such fields it was an object of decided interest. This was the model of the monster steam hammer in use by the Bethlehem Iron Company, of Pennsylvania, the largest steam hammer in the world. Though painted to represent iron, the model was of wood, and so well executed as to convey an idea of every detail. Why a steam hammer should form a part of the display in this particular building, what it had to do with transportation, was a puzzle to many people, but the problem was easily explainable. Under the head of “Transportation,” of course, came steam and sailing vessels, and this included war ships. In connection with this particular display was a group of objects of “Naval Warfare and Coast Defense,” and in this group was exhibited the model of the steam hammer used in forging the armor for the big ships of the United States Navy. That the hammer must be used for some such purpose was apparent from its huge dimensions, and its proportions and the details of its construction proved of the greatest interest to experts in the field of its utility.

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