Part 3
OK, here is the fifth point that none of the authors addressed. The number of the work force is not known exactly and that's because the old records had either been thrown away in later years or lost when the Armory was burnt by Confederates. The estimated work force was a minimum 21 workers to as high as 25 from what I've found. That includes the Master Armorer and one clerk.
Again, since the records were burnt, we don't know how much musket production dropped while they were making things for Lewis. That would give us some idea on how many of the workers were assigned to making things for Lewis. I seem to recall the numbers of muskets Harpers Ferry made increased in 1803 vs the preceding year?
If we knew the numbers of workers assigned and to what jobs while they worked on the rifles, it would tell us more about which rifle came from Harpers Ferry.
OK, so here is the sixth point none of the authors or any of the articles/books addressed. Folks, as far as I'm concerned, this one is part of what I call "the Gorilla in the room" that no one seems to have even thought about.
Where did they get the RIFLING machine, with which to cut the rifling in the .54 caliber bores?
After all, supposedly they had only worked on smooth bore musket barrels up to the time Lewis arrived at Harpers Ferry Armory. Now those barrels required boring machines, but not rifling guides.
Yes, they could have made and attached a rifling guide, but remember folks, this wasn't a small gunsmith shop with maybe one Master, maybe no or only one Journeryman worker and maybe one or two apprentices. Their boring machine should have been on an industrial scale and not already set up with a rifling guide. So, it would have taken longer to make the rifling guide and set it up to use with their boring machine.
Further, they would not have had the twisted boring reamers nor finishing reamers in the right size for .54 caliber already on hand. So they would have had to have made those in the first floor blacksmith's area, along with other unusual items Lewis needed that they did not make up to that point. MORE time needed to make those.
The point has been made they could not have made fifteen brand new rifles in the time Harpers Ferry completed the task, so that proves they only modified old/severely worn out/broken/busted 1792 rifles, but NO one seems to have considered much about what it took to get the work done on either rifle possibility.
OK, once again I have no documentation to back the following up, so this is only speculation on my part. I would like to suggest the possibility they were already working on rifle R and D and may have already HAD the rifling machine and associated boring tools for .54 cal when Lewis showed up at the Armory.
Now, I admit this is NOT enough evidence to prove they made brand new prototype rifles for Lewis, even if they did already have the equipment ready for .54 cal boring and rifling. They may have already had it and used it to enlarge the bores and rifle them in the 1792 rifles.
Even if they did not already have this equipment when Lewis showed up, it would also not preclude them from making brand new rifles, though.
Gus
