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Clip description
A steel saw, made from a plain steel disc without teeth, cuts through the girders using only friction. A man turns a wheel which pulls the disc through to cut the girder. The cut girder is then lifted by a crane and guided away.
A guillotine machine cuts through large plates in one stroke of its blade. Four men and a crane help guide the large sheet into the machine which then cuts it into sections. The camera captures this from two angles.
In another area of the workshop, a man wearing face protection demonstrates the electric welding process. A pan of the blacksmiths’ workshop follows. The camera then pans across workers standing at a battery of high-speed drilling machines.
Curator’s notes
As well as providing an historical record of the Perry engineering works, footage such as this provides a vivid snapshot of the working conditions of the past. Common to the times, the lack of protective clothing and safety measures is something that can come as a shock to contemporary viewers. The machinery used in this clip is also an example of what was probably modern for the 1920s.
