Dubuque Shot Tower
Part of the album: Mathias Ham House, Dubuque River Walk, and Julien Dubuque Monument
A shot tower was a tower that molten lead was dropped down to form lead shot. Molten lead would drop through screens to get the molten lead into small drops. Due to surface tension, the molten lead would form a perfect sphere and solidify before hitting the ground. It's quite an interesting way to create perfect spheres, but it's incredibly simple. This is Dubuque's shot tower which was built in 1856. It produced shot and bullets for three years and then later used as a watch tower by a lumber company to guard against fires. Ironically, the interior and top was destroyed in a fire in 1911 and restored in 1961.
A shot tower was a tower that molten lead was dropped down to form lead shot. Molten lead would drop through screens to get the molten lead into small drops. Due to surface tension, the molten lead would form a perfect sphere and solidify before hitting the ground. It's quite an interesting way to create perfect spheres, but it's incredibly simple. This is Dubuque's shot tower which was built in 1856. It produced shot and bullets for three years and then later used as a watch tower by a lumber company to guard against fires. Ironically, the interior and top was destroyed in a fire in 1911 and restored in 1961.
