"How Shot Is Made", 1895
http://library.la84.org/SportsLibrary/SportingLife/1895/VOL_25_NO_20/SL2520019.pdf
The reason why the shot tower is built so high is that the dropping of the lead from a distance of only a few feet would not produce very perfect pellets, but instead would leave them flat, soft and lopsided, which would not result in very high scores at the trap. The making of shot by dropping molten lead from a height was only discovered by an accident. Some soldiers who were making their bullets by pouring the hot lead into a hole in a stone spilled some over, which fell some distance into the water below. Soon afterward the soldiers were surprised to find that the lead formed into globules when falling, and hardened when the water was reached. However, pure lead will not always assume the globular form when dropped so that shotmakers mix metallic arsenic with it which not only makes the lead form the spherical form pellets, but also hardens them.

Appears to have been some confusion back in 1900 also
http://library.la84.org/SportsLibrary/SportingLife/1900/VOL_34_NO_23/SL3423015.pdf
It may perhaps be news to some, but it is nevertheless a fact, that much so-called "chilled shot" is not any harder than the best qualities of soft shot; on the other hand much of what is sold as best soft shot is very much softer than it should be, if desirable results are to be obtained.

Tatham & Bros. ad
http://library.la84.org/SportsLibrary/SportingLife/1901/VOL_37_NO_02/SL3702013.pdf


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