The Iron Age 1888-03-08: Vol 41

+ HE The Silsby Steam Fire Engine and Boiler. The duty demanded of a steam fire en- gine is usually heavy, and its treatment of the most severe character. In those de partments where there are few or no facilities for putting the machine in perfect condition after exacting service, and no appropriations for maintaining that condi- tion, the engine—if complicated, and con- sequently hable to get out of order—is seldom in a state to do its best work: ae Fig. l Vertical Section of Engine and Boiler. STEAM FIRE ENGINE, while in those situations where proper care-takers are provided, the demands upon the machine and its ‘‘crew” are generally so frequent and severe that there is little or no time for repairs. This being the case, it is essential that a steam fire engine shall be of the most simple design and construction consistent with the prime requisites of great capacity and durability. It must, in addition, be so light in weight as to be quickly got to the scene of action, without being weak in any of its parts. These requirements appear to be met to a great extent by the engine built by the Silsby Mfg. Company, of Seneca Falls, N. Y., engravings of which we present in this issue. The boiler, it will be noticed, is in appearance of the well-known vertical BUILT IRON | 38 type Phere i how Vel ( eral pecul larities of detail h Vil | better understood from a study of Fig. 1 from the crown sheet depend water tubes hav ing in them concentric circulating tubes, causing in each tube a strong central down- ward current of water, verted into steam, the annular space the inner tube. which, mostly con ascends in a thin film in between the outer and These drop tubes ire arranged in concentric circles, those in the outside rows being larger than the others, thus better utilizing the space in the com- i 4 | ie a | 4 ' = eo ae | Le f~. NX / Wi NN : 1s} Se | if f K~ re ' eee vww ewww | | YA | | led a wath ie } ty ste | : beeceengomny = — a - fy BY THE SILSBY MFG, bustion chamber The gases of combus- tion pass through vertical smoke flues set concentrically, a conical smoke chamber, properly jacketed, connecting with the stack. The draft is regulated by a variable exhaust nozzle, the rapid succession of steam discharges affording a practically steady blast. rhe exhaust nozzle has sey eral outlets, each controlled by a conical plug, all of which are regulated at once by a suitable lever There being several outlets, there is a more even pull of the blast upon the grate surface, and less danger of the blast being stopped up, and thus causing back ure upon the engine. The heating sur- face in water tubes, smoke flues and fire- box walls being so large, the steaming press- COMPANY, SENECA vreat. The shell and fire- box are of Siemens-Martin steel, having tensile strength of 60,000 pounds. Th« shell and tubes are of double the actually re quired strength power Is very All heating surfaces, being straight, are easily cleaned and kept clean on both sides, and where exposed to the direct action of the fire are covered with water, There is also a suitable dump orate The water tubes are inclined out- ward at the bottom so as to assist the draft and to present the tube heating surface t« the best adv ntage. They are screwed r. \ ¥ \ cf \ } / 4 J \ 1 I an 2 A [i =) \ 4 \ i ™ ‘, < \ o - pee ) \ I ae ae ere ee ae, fo oe ca f" a \ A Y/ ri ae / \ a | ‘ a ft | \ \ FALLS, N. Y. into the crown sheet, and the circulating tubes have at their lower ends triangular casements to prevent the lifting of the water by the rapid circulation. The steam is taken from a circular per- forated dry pipe running around the steam space of the boiler. The water tubes may be unscrewed and replaced in a few min- utes, and all the smoke flues can be readily got at by removing thedome. The boiler, it is claimed, will raise steam from cold water in from four to six minutes, will burn coal or wood, will not foam nor prime and There are two steam gauges on the boiler proper, together with a signal whistle and other The shell is jacketed. While ngine will use salt water if necessary. adjuncts, both Figs. 1 and 2 show the <# a met oe we Ete a Meenas 8 Ow + 8 OF eT 1S 6 Oe ee ae ee Ai}t, a better idea of be prope perhaps repress rotary of tw alike, each, in having eight pairs, with on its character can, obtained from Fig. 3, which section. It of the in main, pistons or both effect, a gear wheel short teeth arranged in ong tooth and one deep ross is the cams, to + DU a type and consists, revolving ana space between each two pairs of short teeth The short teeth are for the pur- pose of insuring that the two cams revolve together exactly The long teeth are, in effect, abutments for the steam, forming, as they do, steam-tight joints with the walls of the case in which they revolve and with the deep spaces in which they engage The steam entering at the bot- tom of the case tends to force the abutments apart, thus causing rotation of the pistons in opposite directions. The tightness the joints which the ends rf the teeth make with the case is insured by packing pieces set out by springs and prevented from flying out of THE IRON AGE. absolute certainty of rotation of the pis- tons or cams is further insured by well cut gear wheels upon the shafts outside of the steam and water The steam pistons being of greater diameter than those for the water, enable a great water press- ure to be maintained. The steadiness of this pressure can be still furtherinsured by anairchamber. The water pistons are oiled, when necessary, by acup and tube, and like the steam pistons are furnished with suitable packing pieces, shown in our en- graving. moved through openings in the sides of the case and set out, it being on the ends of these that the wear comeg. They can thus be taken out without tearing the engine or pump apart. For cold climates there is a thaw pipe, by which live steam may be blown into the feed pump and con- necting pipes, as well as into the main pump. There is a water-pressure gauge upon the discharge chamber. There are discharge outlets or hose attachments upon cases, The packing pieces can be re- March 8, 188s. found in bridges belonging to some of the best managed companies in the State, In general these defects were confined to de tails, the principal members being, in the case of bridges constructed within the last 10 or 15 years. sufficiently strong. A Softening Hard Water. The city corporation of Southampton, England, have successfully applied a softening system to the supply of water needed for the city, aggregating about 2,000,000 gallons daily. The only water supply available has to be drawn through a deep chalk formation, which makes the water so hard that it is unfit for household and factory purposes. The method of purification adopted is a modification of the Clark process. By this process water containing carbonate of lime is softened by being mixed with a certain proportion |of lime water or caustic lime. The car- | bonate fof lime which makes the water 2 Fig. 2.—Horizontal Section of Engine and Boiler. STEAM FIRE ENGINE, BUILT BY THE SILSBY MFG. COMPANY, SENECA FALLS, N. Y. the ends of the teeth by suitable features. ; each side, and from one to four streams | Each volume of steam, having caused a half revolution ofthe pistons, is discharged through the exhaust opening at the top of the case The latter is lagged with wood and jacketed with a nickel-plated brass sheet The heads of the pistons are turned to fit the flat ends of the case, and are provided with recesses for lubricants. A drip cock for draining is attached. The construction of the pump, which also is of the rotary type, is shown in Fig. 4. t is similar to that of the engine, only there are three long teeth to each piston and fewer short or guide teeth. The water enters at the bottom of the case and is discharged at the top. The revolution of the pump pistons in opposite directions causes a vacuum in the case, and the water rushes up to fill it, and is then caught by the long teeth or abut- ments and swept out of the case. The greater number of teeth is given in order to insure greater steadiness of stream than would be given by only two long teeth upon each piston. There are no valves, The motion being continuous and the con- nections tight, the stream must be uninter- mittent.. The journals of the engine and pump run in long bearings. There are itable stuffing-boxes to insure steam and water-tight joints for the shafts The can be thrown simultaneously. The boiler may be fed, if desired, from the main pump, but an independent feed pump is supplied, operated by a pinion. The details of the running gear, framing, &c., will be understood from Figs. 1 and 2. All parts of the engines are made to gauge and can be- readily duplicated. The engines are fitted with spiral springs or platform springs as desired. a In accordance with a State law the rail- way companies having lines in Massachu- setts are required to submit to a board appointed for the purpose detailed infor- mation of the condition of their bridges. Though all the lines concerned have not yet complied with the statute, it stated that a sufficient number have been reported on to show the = ac- tion of the Legislature was perfectly justified. The companies themselves were in many cases but inaccurately acquainted with the state of their bridges, and the present examination has shown that many required strengthening, while some will have to be entirely rebuilt. The strain sheets for the bridges were ex- amined by Professor Swain, the expert appointed by the board, who reports that defects previously unsuspected have been as is hard is kept in solution by the presence of excess of carbonic acid. When lime is added sufficient to neutralize the carbonic acid, the lime added and that already in solution are precipated as lime carbonate. If the water is now permitted to stand without agitation, the precipitated lime settles to the bottom in the form of mud and the clear water can be run off. In practice, the objection to this system of purification has been, that part of the pre- cipitate was apt to get mixed with the water as the latter was passing off, and in that case the benefits of purifying were lost. In the process adopted by the Southampton corporation a filtering ar- rangement is added to the tanks where the lime is precipitated, and the work of puri- fying the large quantity of water men- tioned is done very satisfactorily and cheaply. We see no reason why the same system should not be applied at the prin- cipal water stations of railroads that are suffering from the numerous evils that re- sult from the use of feed water badly im- pregnated with carbonate of lime. a Industrial education was a subject fully discussed at a conference in Philadelphia, in which the commission appointed by the Governor to inquire into the industrial school system took a prominent part. March o, 18838. President Steel, of the Board of Educ tion, said he hoped the investigation might result in the State taking control of the matter. The subject of manual training vas to him one of the utmost importanc It held the same relation to society to-day that mental training did when that was first taken up. Much of the false idea of labor at the present day, he thought, wa on account of the system of education now ‘‘It is a one-sided mental train In use, ° 9 } Ing ov,” he said. ‘‘ Manual training in schools is quite as readily reduced to a graduated course as mental. About one-half the pupils who attend public schools leave at the age of 12 years, and if there is any merit in manual training it must be taken up when the children are very young.” He wanted children so developed that they would be enabled to choose their occupations and know which one they had an inclination for. He did not see how the manual train- ing in schools would have anything to do with the appentice system, or would in any way take its place. Technical schools, hi said, were desirable, but he doubted if they could properly be made a part of public education. That class of mechani- cal work done in the schools should be merely to develop the skill of the hands Hil IRON AGI rhe Economy of Low-Pressure Steam. S da Ie I } suf i ' li i Tru J Is ¢ ) i l iin! ( nly | nL en it) i I | curiou } Xl ng i the | 1 engi is the ire by no m s generall now take pleasure nh pl nting, in supsta in article bearing the above head hich appeared in a recent issue of the London one The facts ther lve show that with very pressures indeed the consumption of fuel may be less than 3 pounds per indicated horse-power per hour. No inquiry connected with the steam engine can b more interesting, perhaps, than on intended to determine the rela tions which exist between cylinder con- densation and steam pressure. It seems possible that the higher the pressure the greater, other things being equal, may be the liquefaction, but nobody knows whether this is or is not the case. It is, how ever, certain that low pressure steam does pel BELLU 1.31 ul ! ) i nust i } 1G ‘| { hl il oral yuld 1 bye Mr. Clark’s tig Sal th na based } 1 t cylinder condensat < place one imac s That LOU p is Of stea panded ten times will mut 1 p ver per 13 pounds of it used. If, h ever, we go to the other end of th scale it will be found that practice ter with theory, and it is that engines expanding onl rccordas bet juite possibl« wice may, to consumption of feed-water, pretty nearly what sible. In the Engineer are here given a fe simile Giagrams which are intended t throw light on this point. One of thes diagrams was taken from a Cornish engins il Wolverhampton, on February 1 LSS6 The engine was fitted with Davey’s differ entiai valve gear, instead of the usual p rod and cataract arrangement: but other respects it was a true Cornish engi Fig. 3.—Cross Section of Engine. Fig. 4 Cross Sec! of Pump. STEAM FIRE ENGINE, BUILT BY THE SILSBY MFG. COMPANY, SENECA FALLS, N. Y and enable the pupil to find out whether |not compare badly with high-pressure | The boiler pressure was 34 pounds ab he had a pleasure in any particu!ar occu- pation. The managers of the industrial school at Rochester in their annual report advise that the system of trade schools should be entended until such a variety of trades are taught that every boy can find a — in which he is specially qualified to earn, It is said that a steel propeller, with screws fore and aft, is to be built for the Hoboken pany, to be used as a ferryboat on the North River. Colonel Stevens, the presi- dent, and Captain Woolsey, the super- intendent, say that in propellers the engines can go below deck, thus saving the space occupied by the paddle-boxes. The propeller is faster and can make better headway against floating ice. There is, besides, less danger of injury from drift- | ing logs. The new boat will be 200 feet long and 37 feet beam, with powerful en- gines, and cost in the neighborhood of | $100,000. If she proves to be a success others are to be built, and the old ferry- boats will be altered to the new model. Judge Brown, of the United States Cir- cuit Court of the Eastern District of Michigan, in chancery in the case of the Cylinder Oil Cup Company os. the Detroit Lubricator Company, denied the motion of the plaintiff for a preliminary injunction. The sight-feed patents were involved. steam, almost altogether because the steam is SO manipulated that the initial conden- sation is small. Mr. D. K. Clark has given calculations showing the work to be got out of steam of 100 pounds absolute, when worked with varying ratios of expansion, the clearance being in all pressure cases 7 per cent. of the whole space swept through by the piston at each stroke: | When steam is Land and Improvement Com- | | however cut off at, stroke l ; l4 The quantities of steam con sumed per borse per hour are, lbs 34.0 26.9|21.0'16.0,14 9 13.5 13.1) 12.5 And allowing that 10 Ibs. of steam are pro duced by each 1 Ib. of coal, then the coa- sumption per horse per hour will be. Ibs 3.4 2.69) 2.1) 1.6)1.49 1.3511 31/1,25 sefore going further it is well to point out how small is the gain obtained during the higher ranges of expansion. The reason for this may be made clear in a moment. The hyperbola is a curve which, much prolonged either way, never can touch its asymptotes, which are two straight lines drawn at right angles to each other. Now, the curve of expand- ing steam is in practice pretty nearly a hyperbola. Mr. Clark’s tigures show that by augmenting the ratio of expansion from | one-tenth to one-fifteenth the coal saved but the steam was throttled ind was only 14 pounds above the atmos phere, or 29 pounds absolute, in the cylii der. The engine did a duty of 63,000,000 per 1 ewt. of coal. The feed-water was very carefully measured, so that we ma eliminate the coal altog the atmosphere, al ] ether if we think proper. The engine indicated 93 hors power, and test hour. During that period there were used 2400 pounds of 2400 lasted one feed-water, and 25.8 pounds per Q3 horse per hour. Comparing this with M1 Clark’s figures for 100 pounds steam cut off at three -quarter stroke, we see that the | Wolverhampton engine is a little mor economical. Thesteam valve closed som¢ where about the 13.5 pounds ordinate, si that so far as the valve gear was concerned the steam is expanded less than three times The whole amount of expansion is, how ever, very considerable if we measure i by dividing the initial by the termin pressure. In all cases, however, steam i wire-drawn in the Cornish engine, and it is Claimed by Cornish engineers that this is one of the reasons why these engines ari so economical, because the wire-drawing dries the steam, for reasons very well known. The second diagram was taken from a Cornish engine at Tettenhall, on the &th Here the initial press ure was only 16 pounds above the atmos phere, vet i duty of 644 ! of February, 1886 millions per a iP hae : d 4 ; al ni 08) - beahl aha | “ a * ‘ath Git uh ft - Tet —— - a 4 ST id Oe on * nana aoe ee -aeee ea af S 4 Tee 3 —_ ~——se e S 7? Ps e asa a 9 die =r ; z = Se Ae at ee ae ro teet F a - coe ae - f vunds of coal was done, corresponding % pounds per indicated horse-power per oul Che boiler pressure was 34 pounds, mut the throttle-valve reduced the pressure n the cylinder. The third diagram, from in engin it Wh Abraham, was yet : +Y ing The more I CSU gilt wire-drawing in The duty of the engine in regular work was 90,000, - M0 per 112 5 pounds of coal per effective horse- per hour. this case ery considerable ‘ pounds of coal, or a little less \ It might be urged that by using higher pressure and an earlier cut-off a better result would have been got; but the Corn- ish engine, as is well known, is not suita- le for working expansively in any ex- treme degree, and the excellent results »btained from it are due to the circum- stance that cylinder condensation is very small. It is a remarkable circumstance that wire-drawing should be adopted with- ut loss in the Cornish engine, but it must be noticed that the wire-drawing should be of such a character that the curve de- | scribed by the indicator pencil shall véry closely resemble that which would be drawn were the steam expanded without wire drawing. That a very close coinci- lence is possible is proved by direct expe rience, and is therefore beyond question. This matter requires more investigation than it has yet received, or, to speak more iccurately, more publicity is wanted con- erning the investigations which have been made at various times by Cornish en- cvineers. store of curious data, which would throw light on several vexed problems, but for | me reason or another they have never made the information public. Is it too| nuch to expect that some of them may ict on the old adage, ‘* better late than ae Ie Among the many misnomers current in the sheet-metal vocabulary, few are more misleading than the term ‘ gal- vanized ” as apphed to an article coated with zine by the dipping process. To per- sons ignorant of the method by which sheet iron, cast iron and other goods are given a zinc surface, the word galvanized suggests electroplating, and to this day, we believe that many persons consider a battery or dynamo a necessary adjunct to 1 galvanizing works. to its accepted meaning without going into the genesis of its definition. In an old edition of Ure’s Dictionary, however, published in 1854, a brief paragraph on galvanized iron throws some light on the point. ‘*Galvanized iron,” says the author, ‘is the somewhat fantastic name newly given in France to iron tinned by a peculiar patent process.” The use of the word ‘‘tinned” in the sense of ‘‘ coated with zinc” in the above sentence may perhaps be explained by the fact that in the old Sterling process of making tin These gentlemen possess a vast | Books of reference | have little to say on the origin of the term, | nost authorities using the word according | IRON AGE. THE 'used in coating the iron, and indicates throughits similarity to the word ‘‘tinned” the way in waich the coating is applied. Zincked is already used to some extent in this country, and, if further warrant were needed for its general adoption, we might refer to the Germans, who, with their usual methodical exactness, have coined both verb and adjective from the German noun for zinc. The French have added to their vocabulary in a similar manner, though a synonym based upon their word for galvanic is still recognized in the French dictionaries. Sl The New Steamer for the U. S., Lighthouse Department. The twin-screw steamer Zizania for the United States Lighthouse Department, which was launched from the yard of |H. A. Ramsay & Co., Baltimore, a short time ago, is built of steel and is a novel type of marine architecture, as she has not only twin screws, but each propeller works through a separate and independent stern- post; in facc, she is a dual ship from her dead flat extending aft, having two keels, and a single keel forward. She is 180 feet long over all, 29 feet beam, and 11 feet depth of hold. Her construction is re- markable for strength, and her plating is heavy for a vessel of her class. The frames are but 18 inches apart, and the plating | forward of the collision bulkhead is double. She has six absolutely water-tight bulk- |heads. The deck frames of lower and upper decks are of steel beams. The upper | deck is plated with steel and covered with white pine. Below the main deck for- |ward is the forecastle for the crew, and }abaft the engine bulkhead in another | water-tight compartment is the ward-room | for the officers. The inspector’s cabin and chart-room are located on the main deck, |and above all is a light promenade deck |extending over three-quarters of the ves- |sel’s length, where is located the pilot- | house and captain’s state room, The steel plating of the hull runs up to the rail, so i\that her bulwarks are of steel also. In |addition to her main U-shaped keel she is | provided with heavy bilge keels, which | will prevent violent rolling. Her rig will | be that of a topsail schooner, all the | standing rigging being of steel-wire rope. A steam derrick forward on the main deck is to be operated by an independent en- gine, and is to be used in hauling the | heaviest class of buoys in and out of her |hold. There are two compound engines, |one to each screw; they have cylinders 15 linches and 28 inches in diameter and 27- |inch stroke. Both engines are furnished | with surface-condensing apparatus. There is one overhead return flue boiler built of | Siemens-Martin steel. She has a circulating | pump, steam feed and fire pumps, and on deck are bilge and fire pumps, steam windlass, &c. All the living apartments and pilot-house are to be heated by steam, and ventilators are provided throughout. plates the sheets were coated with zinc} previous to dipping in melted tin. Having told how the zinc is applied to the iron by the ‘‘ peculiar patent process,” Dr. Ure continues: ‘‘ When the metal thus pre- pared is exposed to humidity, the zinc is | said to oxidize slowly by a galvanic action, and to protect the iron from rusting within it, whereby the outer surface remains for a long period perfectly white.” We infer from this that it was the supposed galvanic ction that took place between the iron oe _ The probability of the intervention of the Spanish government against the cal- | cining of pyrites in the open air by the great copper mining companies of the |Penisular has given fresh impetus to | processes to avoid the roasting. Dr. | Adolf Gurlt, of Bonn, Germany, in a let- iter to the London Mining Journal says: | When approaching the problem, the | author saw as the principal points before | and its zine covering to the protection of | him that the sulphide of copper is to be the former that gave rise to the term galvanized iron. Having read this ex- planation, it is not at all strange that Dr. Ure spoke of galvanized as a ‘‘ somewhat fantastic name.” The true term to apply to zine-coated iron, and one that is both short and self-explanatory, is zincked iron. The word ‘‘ zincked”” tells what metal is | converted into a soluble combination by the cold way and that the substances re- | quired for it must lie within easy reach of ithe mines. This consideration led to the | conviction that either sulphate or chloride of copper must be obtained without heat- |ing or calcining and within a time not | greater than is required by the calcining March 8, 1888. process—six to eight months, Experi ments have proved that the operation works best by forming chloride of copper by the action of ordinary or sea salt, and a litt]; sulphuric acid upon the raw ore of the siy: of gravel, when it is kept moist, and thy | access of atmospheric air freely permitted The principal part in this process is played by the oxy-chloride of copper, which easily formed from the chloride by th, absorbtion of oxygen. This oxy-chlorid, in contact with sulphide of copper becomes a powerful oxidizer of the latter which is converted first into sulphate and by the presence of salt immediately afte: ward into chloride of copper. So th: chloride of copper becomes the means of rapid oxidation by absorbing oxyge from the air, and by giving it up to th sulphide of copper, as long as the latt and chloride of sodium or salt are present The trials, at first made on a small seal have been going on since the end of January on a large scale at the Duisburgh Coppe: Works under the superintendence of Dr C. Fabian, the director of the works, with raw Rio Tinto ore. They have proved that with proper arrangements already (after ten to fourteen days) more than on half of all the copper has become soluble, which result is only obtained after six t eight months in the old way at the mines thus the great problem appears to be satisfactorily solved, and more detailed communication must be reserved for a future occasion.” EE American Tools in China. The United States Consul-General, at Shanghai, in a recent report, writes: American implements and tools will have to be specially adapted to the require ments of China before the Chinese will at tempt to utilize improvements of which they can alone learn’ by experienc: Chinese farmers and merchants have strong prejudices for the implements which hav: been in vogue for centuries. Experiments of forcing American tools here have, with a few exceptions—among which wer edged tools, pumps and saws—signall) failed. When a Chinaman sees somethin; he can use to a profit he adopts it. Ther is no reason why we should not suppl) them with implements and tools fashioned after their own models, making them bet ter and cheaper with our machinery than they can be made by hand. The plows are of the crudest sort, consisting of « crooked beam, with a wooden share. A light plow made somewhat in this style might take with the Chinese; which re mark applies equally to hoes, rakes, shovels and spades. The former isa much heavier tool than ours, and is extensively) used for turning over clods, which in Yentral China is the principal system o! preparing the ground for receiving th: seed. If a hand cotton-gin were made for the Chinese it would meet with a read) and profitable sale. The Chinese cotton is coarse and very short staple; the seed is also very small, and the machinery would have to be adapted to these conditions. An american gin, such as is used in the South, with a crank to turn by hand, could easily be suited to this work. Any- thing not operated by manual labor would not be taken up by the Chinese, whose conservatism is against innovations of too pronounced a type; besides, their cotton planting is in small areas by small farmers, who are not accustomed to other than the simplest machinery. EEE In the course of the railroad vestibule patent dispute between the Pullman Car Jompany and the Wagner Car Company, the former having applied for an injunc- tion to prevent the latter from using the invention, evidence was given that the March 8, 188s. invention was an old device revived, and that it had frequently been tried on Amer- | ‘an and foreign roads years ago. It was shown that several patents had been granted in the United States and in England for | inventions that covered the ground covered »y the vestibule patents. The fact that + the English Government have used vesti vules between their mail cars was proved, und Mr. T. A. Bissell testified that 18 o1 20 years ago a canopied train similar to the Pullman vestibule train was run on the Michigan Central Railroad. By the decis ion made, the Wagner Company are re strained from using one feature of the Pullman vestibule, but when the chang: 3 made passengers will not know the dif erence, oni a — a The Production of Steel in 1887. The American Iron and Steel Associa- tion have published complete statistics of he production of all kinds of steel in the United States in 1887—namely, Bessemer | ind Clapp-Griffiths, open-hearth, crucible, | ind miscellaneous kinds of steel. The weregate amounts to the caormous quan tity of 3,739,760 net tons, or 3,339,071 vross tons, which exceeds by 30 pe r cent nus production of all kinds of steel in 1886, in which year we for the first time produced more steel than Great Britain, which country had hitherto led the world in this branch of manufacture. Our pro- luction of all kinds of steel in 1886 was 2,870,003 net tons, or 2,562,502 gross rons, BESSEMER STEEL, Over seven-etghths of our total steel yroduction in 1887 was made by the Bes- semer process. The total quantity of Bes- | semer steel made in the United States in 1887, including the output of Clapp-Grif- tiths converters, was 3,288,357 net tons, or 2,936,033 gross tons, a gain of 746,864 1et tons, or 29 per cent. over the produc- ion of 1886. In 1885 we produced 1,701,- 762 net tons of Bessemer steel, the largest output in one year in our history to that late; in 1887, only two years later, we nroduced nearly double the output of 1885. This record forcibly illustrates the won- derful capacity of the American people to meet an extraordinary demand upon their ‘nergies and resources. In the following | table we give the production of Bessemer steel in the first half and second half of 1887; also the total production compare d with 1886. In the total produc tion for all | »f the periods mentioned is included the | production of ingots by the Clapp-Griffiths | process, but we also add a statement of the | gen by this process alone. ee | a |} ot a sae ae #98) 8° @=5 | G56 Bessemer huBs| Su 22s! 2 ZB 2 stee]. noe?) oe eae ae HS 21 e5 ~ min - ae A! , ZA Zz Pennsylvania‘} 911,871} ba0,574 1.752.445) 1,507 577°| Ihnois. . - 8-9.754 467 72 857,518 535.602 Other States . _ 89,97 $49, 483| 678,399) 498,514 Total .. -| 1 1,687,572 | 1, 650,785) 3,288.357); 2,541,403 ‘lapp-Grif- | | fiths only... 31,048; 37,636 68.679 46,371 Eleven States contributed to the above utput of Bessemer steel in 1887, Virginia | ind Indiana having commenced last year | to make this kind of steel. Forty-one works, having 86 converters, including 7 Clapp-Griftiths plants with 14 converters, were employed during 1887 in the pro- luction of Bessemer steel. Pennsylvania made 53 per cent. of all the ingots produced in 1887, against 59 per cent. in 1886 and 65 per cent. in 1885; | Illinois made 26 per cent. in 1887, against 21 per cent. in 1886 and 22 per cent. in 1885; the other States m S over 20 per ‘ent. in 1887, against a little less than 20 per cent. in 1886 and 13 per cent. in 1885. | Institute at a recent a in New | training a naval | plan for its training. |ally if reserve ships are a ‘ ‘ ; — THE RON AGE OPEN-HEARTH STEEI Our production of open-hearth = steel in 1887 was 360.717 net tons. 322,069 gross tons, a gall f AT p cent. ov pr L886 | it utp { | pen-l { ISS{ is made In nine States, Indi rib uting for the first tim The number of ypen-hearth steel plants employed is 39. The following table shows th production ot open heath steel ingots and direct cast ings in the United States in the first half ind second half of 1887, arranged accord- ing to territorial divisions, and the total production compared with the total for LSS6 asa|a°S | ¥2 ge Ove = “¢ pen irtl ee S Ss Sle¢ 2. o/| enzté a+ Be a 0 4: tions OZ 7 is I - = New England New Yor} and Ne Jersey 9,553 8 SRO 18,442 23,382 Pennsylvania 128 609 142 041 270 710 172.144 ther States 32.178 39,337 71,565 19,724 Total 170.400, 190317) 360717 245,250 CRUCIBLE STEEL. Our production of crucible steel in 1887 was 84,421 net tons, or 75,376 gross tons, against 80,609 net tons, or 71,972 gross tons in- 1886. The tons the production of crucible steel ingots and direct castings in the United States in 1886 and 1887 following table gives in net respectively : Net tons Crucible steel 188¢ 1887. New England 2,661 34925 New York 4,870 5,000 New Jersey. 8 045 7.499 Pennsylvania, 61,792 65,766 Western =tates 2.340 2 371 Southern States as 900 60 Total. 80,609 84,421 MISCELLANEOUS STEEL. Our production of steel by various mis- | cellaneous included under the head of any mentioned was 6265 net tons, or iwainst 2651 net tons, or 2367 gross tons in 1886. Most of this steel was made in Philadel phia and vicinity and in Pittsburgh. processes not above 5593 geToss tons, a — The U. S. Naval Reserve.—The ques- tion of the organization of is now attracting much brought before the a naval reserve attention. It was United States Naval York, | by a long paper by Capt. A. P. Cooke, | which dealt chiefly with the question of the proper organization of such a reserve, and did not refer to any reserve of ships. strongly the provision for a Captain Cooke urged necessity of organizing and militia, and sketched a This force would | be composed of both officers and men, and | would at all times be ready for service in case of an emergency requiring its services. If the navy is to be increased, and especi- to be provided, some such organization will be a necessity. Its connection with the active navy should be as close as possible, as a reserve must depend upon naval officers for its training, and must act with and under their command intime of war. The management of such a force, however, and the proper adjust- ment of the many questions which must arise in connection with it, will not be an easy matter. AI The Board of Trade of Olean, N. Y., | have adopted the novel expedient, to en- | courage the location of manufacturers | there, of guaranteeing homes for their em- ployees built after their own plans, and supplied to them at actual value, the ten- ants paying thereon the rental price of | from $5 to $8 per month. Thus is a ft with the laborer the option of owning his own | home or of paying rent, the terms in either| level of the water in March, 1836. | Knights of Labor that after 109 save in the matter instance being the same, of interest upon tl } 1e unpaid portion in case purchase ae Lead Washers for tron Roofs W ! Cell i specimecus of lead ishet ifactured by Hornhorst, Lit tleford & ¢ 137 to 141 East Pearl street Cincinnati, Ohio, for use in laying corru J ited and ith r lorms ¢ f iron roofs. The ccompanying engraving represents one of ers, full size, and shows in a manne} nature. Lead for a long time been em ployed in Great Britain and ther parts of Europe for eg of this kind, and ave been found to serve 1 useful purpose in mak Lead Washer ing nail-heads water-ticht Chat their useis exceptional in America is evidenced by numerous inquiries vhich of late have been ad dressed to us concerning the source of supply. Careful search through the trade in New York has failed to reveal a manufacturer, and it is therefore of interest to note that a Western firm are engaged in these goods. The sample be re us indi ates sufficient concavity to the washer to fit tightly around the nail-head the same is driven home. The useful is so obvious that ex produci Ing f it ness of this article tended remarks are unnecessary. aia o Phe shipbuilders on the lakes are con fronted with a decided possibility of labor They have been National Trades’ Council Carpenters and Caulkers of the March Ist nine hours will be expected to constitute a day’s labor of their craft, that the regu- lar hours of labor will be from 7.30 a. m. to 12 noon, and from 1 to 5.30 p. m., and that the wages shall be $2.75 per day, with double time for all work done before and after those hours. At a meeting at Cleveland, on the 25th ult., the employers decided to resist the demand made upon them, and to adhere to their present regu lations. The trouble may be speedily settled, but on the other hand, there is a possibility of such an interference with the building and repairing of vessels this sea carrying trade of the uncertain. troubles this season. notified by the of Ship son as to make the lakes annoyingly A matter of much interest to scientists in connection with the great lakes has recently been made cake. Chief Engi- neer D. J. Whittemore, of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad, has pre- pared a chart shotving the levels of water in Lake Michigan during the period inter- vening between March, 1836, and Decem ber 31, 1887 Up to August, 1872, the observations were taken by the late Dr. Increase A. Lapham, partly in the river at the foot of Poplar street, in the old Eagle mill, and partly at the Government pier, Milwaukee, and were copied from his notes, which his son loaned to Mr. Whitte- more. From that date to August, 1882, the levels were taken under Government directions at North Point, and from that latter date to December 31, 1887, by Chief Engineer Benzenberg. If the old notion of alternate phenomenally high water and low water had not been exploded long ago, a glance at the chart is sufficient to con vince the most unscientific person that it has had no foundationin fact. The waters of the lake have shown a lordly indiffer- ence to regularity, swelling or sinking law- lessly. The flood tide point has generally been attained in the summer and the ebb tide in the winter. Usually the variation in the year is from 2 to 4 feet. The Mil- waukee City datum is established on the Three SIVA Nwipine te 5S . are gi nas ae — — ee ee sd v¢F | Mle id we ee rr et ee ; J Te a yaa. FA: - * ad “A “ 4 7 5 EE id a a i" - ~ - [Ge Te 7 Far Se nae Pts ‘me - f ee ae hn Fae F 2° @ _ (. aS Ae es eee ” - - ey 7 ' 1 £10 THE IRON AGE. March S88. months later the level had risen 24 feet! Heating Manufacturing Establish- favorable than those existing in the cas above the datum. Before May, 1837, the ments. of office buildings and stores. Many old evel had fallen 1.6 feet. From that tims buildings are still dependent upon stoves » July, 1868, it rose steadily, and obss The subject of heatine is one that and furnaces; but, nevertheles vations taken then showed the level 4 feet | receives at least some attention from every heating, generally by direct radiat bove the datum. This was the highest | manufacturer, for in this climate some to a great extent come in to tal j water ever known, and it was the tim when Solomon Juneau said it rose ab the datum 4 feet. Before January, 1839, the water fell 3.7 feet. ee Treasury Decisions. The following is a synopsis of sundry decisions rendered by the Treasury Depart ment in customs cases during the week ending February 25: Fire-screens, so called, which consist of fenders constructed of brass wire, lac- quered, woven in open-work style, so as to hinder radiation as little as possible, and at the same time prevent injury from live coals or burning brands, and which are commercially known and designated as ‘‘ five-fold brass fenders,” are not the ‘screens ’ which are specified in Schedule K (T. I., 378), but are held to be dutiable, inasmuch as they are not otherwise pro- vided for, at the rate of 45 per cent. ad valorem, under the provision in Schedule C (T. I., 216) for ‘‘ manufactures, articles or wares, * * * composed wholly or in part of * * * metal.”—Letter to Col- lector of Customs at Boston, Mass., Feb- ruary 20, 1888. Pieces of bored steel wire, intended for use in the manufacture of hypodermic syringes, each wire being about 3 feet in length and in diamete: about the size of an ordinary knitting-needle, are not the ‘* wrought iron or steel tubes or pipes” as | specified in Schedule C (T. I., 170), but are held to be dutiable at the rate of 45 per cent, ad valorem, under the further pro- vision in Schedule C (T. IL., 216) for ‘*manufactures, articles or wares, > *s composed wholly or in part of * * * steel.” —Letter to Collector of Customs at New York, February 21, 1888. Certain so-called ‘‘ black taggers iron,” which upon careful test was found to con- | sist of thin sheets of steel, not iron, is held to be dutiable at the rate of 45 per cent. ad valorem, it costing less than 4 cents per pound, under the provision in Schedule C | (T. I., 177) for ‘‘steel * * * sheets of all gauges and widths.”—Letter to Col lector of Customs at Boston, Mass., Feb- ruary 25, 1888. A — Wi learn from Le Génie Civil, that the Estrade locomotive La Parisienne, specially designed for high speeds, and built in the shops of M. J. Boulet, at Paris, is to un- | dergo a series of official trials. Though | the engine was illustrated and described | | in The Iron Age some time ago, we may | here briefly repeat that it is fitted with | driving-wheels somewhat over 8 feet in diameter, and the speed upon which the designer, M. Estrade, figures for ordinary running is something like 78 miles per hour. Its length is about 32 feet, exclu sive of tender, and its weight, when empty, o8 tons. The resuks of the tests will be awaited with seme interest. It is reported that a number of capitalists ire materested in a project to cut a ship canal forty miles long across the upper peninsula of Michigan, between Lake) grpam HEATING AT THE SHOPS OF THE P., C. & 8T. L. RAILWAY, Superior and Lake Michigan. The dis- COLUMBUS. OHIO tance by water between ports on these two i i 7 lakes would be shortened 300 miles and the time of passage would be reduced fully one day, while the ‘*Sov” and the Straits of Mackinac would beavoided. The prope sed plan is to connect the head of Fig. 1.—Sections and Plan of Blacksmith Shop. means of heating must be called into play| place, and with marked improvement if during at least seven months of the year. | not with perfect success, Owing to their general construction, build- The system of heating by a forced cir- ings devoted to manufacturing, particu-|culation of warm air, designed by he Big Bay de Noque, in Lake Michigan, | larly, try any system that may be adopted.| B. F. Sturtevant, of Boston, Mass., is with the head of South Bay, in Lake} As a rule, with their walls, an excess of | now rapidly gaining favor and is positiv: Superior. The estimated cost of the | window area and with constantly opened | in effect, as the air, by means of ducts and canal is $5,000,000 doors, they present conditions far less! flues, can be conducted to any desired March 8, 1888. point ana compelled, by the pressure be- hind it, to do its work of heating by cir- culation. The only satisfactory means of impelling the air is by a fan of suitable construction. Most shops, from the nature of the work carried on within them, are fitted with a system of shafting and belt- ing from which such a fan may be driven. With an engine connected direct to the fan. there is, however, the advantage that the apparatus may be run at times when} the rest of the shop is shut down. In manufactories of the ordinary type the air may best be dist ributed from the — steam hot-blast apparatus (consisting of steam heater and fan, recently described in The Iron Age) by means of galvanized- iron pipes, although in some instances the flues may be built into the walls. The most approved arrangement of the piping and apparatus fora one-story build- ing is clearly illustrated in the accom- panying cuts of the blacksmith, machine and boiler shops of the P. C. and St. L. Railway, at Columbus, Ohio, These build ings form a portior of the entire plant of PS eee ee THE IRON AGE. rise to the _* of the roof where it may be allowed to e cape if desired. By placing the heating system near the oute : walls the vulnerable point is attacked and currents of cold air before reaching the workmen, must encounter a warm body of air. Dampers or registers may of course be placed in the outlet pipes to regulate the delivery of the air. Owirg principally to the position of the shafting, two different arrangements of the outlets from the fans were adopted. In | Fig. 1 a single fork was made, the air passing in equal quantities and with equal pressures to either side of the building. In the case of the other shop, Fig. 2, oppor- tunity was offered for the introduction of a fan having two outlets so arranged that the air should be discharged from them in the desired direction with no loss of power from friction. The absence of shafting in some of the other buildings of this plant resulted in the introduction of fans driven by direct connected engines. Although, as originally designed, pro vision was to be made for taking fresh ait Fig. 2.—Plan of Machine, Boiler and Blacksmith Shops STEAM HEATING AT THE SHOPS OF THE P., Cc. & ST. L. RAILWAY, COLUMBUS, OHIO. six buildings recently fitted out with a complete heating system and apparatus by B. F. Sturtevant. In both cases here shown the Sturtevant steam hot-blast ap- paratus was placed in the hip of the roof, above the line of shafting and belting, and entirely out of the way of the workmen. The pipes extend entirely around the interior of the building, close to the walls above the tops of the windows. The com- plete circuit made by these pipes insures an equable and constant distribution of the air, any lack from one direction being made up from the other. Economy of material as well as more uniform pressure is secured by gradually reducing the sizes of the pipes (proportionally to the outlets from them) as they recede from the blower. From the mains the heated air is delivered through small vertical pipes ex- tending down to within a few feet of the | floor. By proper designing, the velocity of the air and the relative area of the pipes is such that the air is discharged with just sufficient impulse to fall to the floor, vhich is thereby warmed. The natural circulation caused by the cooling action of the outer walls aids in this action as it ilso does in causing the warm air delivered from the pipes to move gradually toward the center of the building, and thence to | from out of doors and passing it through = heater, yet, up to the present time, all r has been t: ike nm from within the build- ing itself. Owing to the compar: atively small number of workmen in such shops the fresh ai ‘open aoe and windows, keeps the atmosphere sufficiently pure, and decided economy is secured by reheating the already warm air. The amount of steam required in the heater is proportional to the number of degrees through which the air is heated. If this air of, say, 60 temperature can be taken from the build- ing in place of air at 0° from out of doors, and if in either case it is to be heated to 120°, there will be a resultant saving of 50 per cent. in the amount of steam con- sumed. Ir buildings of more than one story the matter of proper lighting gener- ally limits the width, sothat air may be suc- cessfully distributed by a single pipe extend- ing centrally, just beneath the ceiling, on each floor throughout the length of the bnilding. Outlets may be provided upon either side proper intervals, through which the air may be delivered. By this arrangement the air is forced to the outer walls and there becoming slightly cooled, falls, creating an agreeable temperature throughout the building. The entire r which enters through cracks, | $1 | system is under immediate control. The amount of air may be varied by th dampers or by changing the speed of the engine, while its temperature is directly) dependent upon the amount of steam admitted to the heater ae The Reading [ron Works have removed their office from No. 259 South Fourth street, Philadelphia, to a new building which they have built at Nos. 220 and 222 South Fifth street. Their warehouse on North Fifth street has also been removed to the new building, so that their office and warehouse are now in one building especially adapted to meet their particular requirements. The ulletin of the Iron and Steel Association describes it as fol- lows: ‘* The main building is a handsome structure substantially built of iron, wood and pressed brick, four stories high. It measures, inside, 48 feet on Fifth street and 75 feet on Adelphia street. Back ot this is a strongly built brick annex, 48 feet x 120 feet, for the storage of pipe. Five arched doorways in the annex afford in The first floor of the main building is used for the retail trade in eas-fitters’ and plumbers’ supplies