Sign 16 - 8-Inch Plant Receiving Building

The process of loading munitions began in the receiving building. Historic photographs show this large, one-story wooden structure was composed of two long, rectangular sections each with a gable roof. Its overall size was about 100 feet long by 45 feet wide. Plenty of windows on all walls provided ample daylight.

Empty shells were first unloaded from railroad cars parked on the north side of the building. For safety, only one-day’s supply was delivered from the incoming storage buildings conveniently located not far to the west. Each component was carefully inspected and cleaned with a special solution to remove all traces of foreign matter. Grit or grease, if not thoroughly removed, would interfere with a successful detonation once the shell was filled. After cleaning, the shells were painted. An exhaust system using roof top ventilators carried off the paint fumes, protecting the workers’ health. The prepared shells were then sent to the pouring and filling building where they would be loaded with explosives.

All that remains today of this large building are 2-feet high concrete foundation walls that are 10-inches thick, and a concrete floor.

Shells made in this plant were fired from 8-inch diameter Howitzers, field guns that America was already producing on a much smaller scale for the British allies before 1918. These guns had a range of about 6 miles and each shell weighed over 200 pounds. A total of 191 8-inch Howitzers were delivered to the US Army in 1918 for use in the war overseas. Eight-inch guns were also used on railway mounts which were especially desirable because they had the capability to rotate 360 degrees. These weapons weighed so much that the railway car to which they were mounted required from 16 to 24 axles to distribute the load and absorb the tremendous recoil after firing.

By the time production ceased at the Mays Landing plant, a total of 8,231 eight-inch shells had been loaded.