The Iron Age 1888-05-31: Vol 42

IRON AGE THurRspAy, May 31, 1888. if ii | oe ME Hy, a = — Na HN BLOWING ENGINE AT THE COPAKE IRON WORKS, COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK. 882 THE IRON AGE. May 31, 1888, Blowing Engine at the Copake Iron for their own use, furnishing blast to their separate engine, one of the Hardis-Corliss Works. 32 x 9 foot charcoalfurnace. The engrav- | make being employed, and the power being ee ings which we publish represent an eleva-} transmitted by a set of large spur gears, A blowing engine somewhat peculiar in | tion and details and very clearly explain | The cranks are set at 90° and the cylinders arrangement and correspondingly interest- | the nature of the design. Asshowninthe| were cast from hard charcoal iron, the ing was built some time ago by the Copake | general view, the blowing cylinders, of | product of the furnace being probably the Iron Works, Columbia County, New York, | which there are two, are driven by a lonly ones of the kind in th country, Y Oo SS 6" Sh Fig. 2.—Sectional Half Plan. BLOWING ENGINE AT THE COPAKE IRON WORKS, COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK. May 31, 1888. THE IRON AGE. 1} They are 40 inches in diameter, have a 3- der walls at the top and bottom, the foot stroke and work at an average speed valves, represented by the heavy blank of 214 double strokes per minute; at this : lines, flapping back and forth in the annu- speed they will produce enough air to make | lar spaces formed by the cylinder walls 1 ton of iron for each horse-power of} proper and the valve gratings, as shown. boiler capacity every 24hours. The boiler} It will be observed that the openings «’ in is rated at 35 horse-power. The driving | these gratings are so placed, with reference engine measures 18 x 42 inches and is of to the ports « and the openings in the Fig. 3.—Plan of Piston. SS Nat ¥ aaa ttt Fig. 4.—Section of Piston. BLOWING ENGINE AT THE COPAKE IRON WORKS, COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK. the condensing type. Figs. 1 and 2, repre- | valves, that when the piston travels toward senting respectively vertical section and the end of the cylinder the compressed air sectional half plan of one of the blowing | has free exit into the air jacket, from which cylinders, require but little description. the main discharge pipe issues; when, on The inlet values are arranged in the the other hand, the piston moves away cylinder heads and one of them with its from the cylinder-head, the valves flap seat is shown on an enlarged scale in Fig. against the ports @ and tightly close them, 5, on page 883. Each valve is made up of so that the cylinder will draw its supply a leather and a steel disk, the seat of air through the proper valves in the being of bronze. The valve stem is/cylinder-head. The letters A A designate of steel and is controlled by a brass | hand-holes, through which access may be spring s. The leather discharge valves had to the valves. In Figs. 3 and 4 we and openings are arranged in the cylin- show a plan and section of the piston. 8283 The ring is of cast iron. We should re- mark here, also, that the driving engine supplies power, in addition to four emery and two polishing wheels, to four grindstones used by the company in con- nection with theirmanufacture of chilled plows. The gearshaft of the engine car- riés a fly-wheel and the power is taken off by belting. ——— Cost of Engine Construction. According to Prof. R. H. Thurston, in a paper recently read before the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the costs of engine construction vary enormously with the type and general proportions of the engine. As a rule, the larger the en- gine, the less the cost per horse-power de- veloped; the shorter the stroke and hence, the shorter the engine as a whole, in sim- ilar proportion nearly, the less the cost of building; and the simpler its design, and especially of its valve motion, the lower the expense of construction. The tendency of sharp competition, such as now exists in the general market, the result of which has been to reduce the profits in the busi- ness, in many instances, far below the paying point, is to lead to the design and construction of engines of very short stroke and of very high speed of piston and of rotation, a tendency also promoted by the fact that, other things being equal, high piston speed, and high speed of rotation give reduced wastes of heat in the cy:inder, as well as lessened cost of building. Thus, though the proportions of the steam- engine cylinder are often determined by the judgment of the designer, or the exi- » men j Fig. 5.—Enlarged View of Air Discharq@ Valve gencies of location, the relative strength of stroke and diameter of cylinder are actually related by definite principles — manages = The practicability of employing electric- ity as a motive power for stationary plants is very well shown by some developments which have been made in New York within the past few months. Mr. Albert Gray, of 57 Park Place, has, we understand, made some very complete arrangements for the distribution of electricity for power pur- poses over the whole of the territory bounded by Broadway, Canal street, the North River and the Battery. Three en- gines capable of developing 450 horse- power are at present employed driving three Daft dynamos. At present only a fraction of the power is being used, though the demand will, no doubt, soon run up to |the full capacity. The convenience of | electric motors has long been a well-recog- | nized quality, and as Mr. Gray proposes to | furnish power at a cost which will bear | favorable comparison with other systems of distribution a very lively demand upon his station may be expected. | | Fa Mir — ” Slate Nagar aw. Am 2 Ae hy » “ta pew nas 1 T Or% 884 THE IRON AGE. May 31, 1888, The Direct Process of the Carbon Iron a that have been made with the same mixture : Company.—II. Moorhead pig ae 370 th, charged at 9.30 a. m. 16 Sponge RESULTS OBTAINED. Balis. .....2,010 ih, charged at 10.45 to 11.45 a. m. |70 & Ferro- The following 1s a copy of a week’s run |, Manganese 24%, “ “ 1.10 p.m. r , ra my . : | Total charge.2,904 th, tapped “ 1.20 p.m. of three of the Carbon Iron Company re- | ee ; : ee . . | The ore mixture was charged into the ducing furnaces, the weights of which were : ; = 4 2 reducing furnace at 9.10 a. m., making under Mr. Hunt’s personal supervision, and | ; . ; : . 3 -m...| four hours and ten minutes from ore and who vouches for their accuracy. The |—. , ; . ; : rae pig metal to steel ingot. The steel was result this week was unusually good, the a ; : ; it, tacit . | cast into a 14x 14 ingot and contained: average loss being about 31.5 per cent. into a RR ee i ant | GENIN, os -censscesssoninscepuedee cess 0.12 ¢ mut k bar. The regular charge for each PE asic cccna sends bthccsewehess 0.053 ¢ furnace was 2240 pounds of Minnesota | PIDs i sve cuxeninbesss es swhyaeed 0.32 ¢ ~- ae and 600 pounds of graphite, | and had, when rolled and forged into an which gave the following weights of 34 x | eye-bar, 6 x1 inch in section and pulled in g-inch muck bar. a testing machine: Furnace number. 6lb. Tib. Sib. Tensile strength per square inch..... 63.630 Th Monday, January 16....... 2.965 2,845 2,910 | Elastic limit ind - seuENe 42.500 Th Tuesday, January 17,...... 2965 2.810 2.990 | Elongation in 10 feet................. 17.58 Z Wednesday, January 18.... 2,815 3,005 2,955 | Reduction of area................... 35.1 ¢% Thursday, January 19...... 3,015 2,955 2,875) The sponge balls were made from reduc- Friday, January 20........ 2,960 2,040 2,980 ling furnaces Nos. 7 and 10. The entire _- _* "| product of furnace No. 10 in 12 sponge .16,645 15.520 16,645 | balls of the following weight were put into the open-hearth furnaces as _fol- |lows: 90, 155, 85, 150, 130, 185, 130, 135, }110, 95, 155, 120; total, 1540 pounds. From furnace Nod. 7 was charged four sponge balls of the following weights: 1115, 110, 125 and 120, or together 470 ets) welehh of en eee eee ...... a | pounds additional, making a total of 2010 Total weight of metallic iron in the ore 69,440 | pounds in the open-hearth furnace. The Total weight of muck bar produced.... 44,810 | charge in each of the reducing furnaces ee aerter, 20,630 pounds or 29.71 per cent. | was the regular one with 2240 pounds of Saturday, January 21...... 1,925 1,865 1,935 TE sch owkexab eens Total number of heats made by each fur- nace into muck bar, 17, 16, 17, in all 50 heats. Each of the above furnaces made three heats each day except Saturday, when they made but two. practice, and from 9 to 10 per cent. in the reducing furnace. This loss of iron of. say, 16 per cent., it must be borne in mind is the total from ore and pig metal to stee] ingots, and is simply loss of iron from the ore, and not a loss of iron from the manu- factured product. The cost per ‘‘unit” or per cent. of iron in this loss is about, say, £9.30 per ton for the ground ore, or, say, $15 per ton for the iron; while the cost per unit for the loss by the pig and scrap process is at the direct values of the stock used, at least $20 per ton. The Minnesota ‘‘ Y” ore used in the above experimental charges contains: Iron, 62.16 per cent.; silica, 5.54 per cent. ; phosphorus, 0,063 per cent. TESTS OF PRODUCT. A number of interesting tests have been made of the metal produced. Thus angles & thick have had a number of holes punched into them, both at a distance of only inch from the edge and of one another, th« thread of metal showing a clean and sharp edge. From round steel, 0.20 carbon. with 36,170 pounds elastic limit, 64,160 pounds ultimate strength and 26.75 pet cent. elongation, a close knot has been tied The following tests were made from eve- bars made by the Cambria Iron Company, at the works of the Union Bridge Com- pany, Athens, Pa., by M. Hunsicker and G. H. Thomson: It will be observed that the eye-bar- | z Length EFlonga Pin holes. Strength | Areas = i¢é Nominal out to out of tion. ibs. per sq. in. | square inches. 2\2 size of pin hole. Per cent ~ -_— -———-— Remarks on fractures No.| S| s bar or —_-—— -————_ ——_—_-——--, in stated a a [| 2 S| piece. Be- After in| in feet. Diam. Elon. Elastic, Ulti- |Origi-| Re- | reduc- = fore. . * (8in.) 12 in. ins. gation limit. | mate. | nal. | duced.! tion. 49 yi ox 15/0.) 177 91g")....| 37.5, 20.41in 12’, 4.77 0.760.81] 35,050 | 57,185 4.888 | 2536 | 48.13 § Fine gray silky fracture at 2 i angle of 45.° 493’ & .971 ; SAlias>s “6 a ... | 82,207 | 60,480 0.4787) 0.3020) 36.91 Silky. ss on} 15! 5’ xK1 14’ 214" 16” 10.05” 36.25, 20.63in 11’) 4.77 0,690.85) 34.124 | 54,448 5.02 | 2.891 | 42.43 a fracture complet: 498" X95 ;, cbs sn wee phe .. | 31,845 | 57,840 0.4905 0.2998 38.58 Silky. : ' P — wa ¢ ~ i - ~ oR @ aeF Silky center at angle of 45 eye yl iy 1 1.6’ 30.83 22.! 8 5.02 0.980.95' 30.65 | 54,229 5.98 3.57 0.18 |) . £ 4 f 10’ 10 12’ 11.¢ 30.8 iin 5.0 .98 0.95) 30,605 4, > 3.577 40.1 | fine granular on edges. 97 x .996 |...... 26.5 awe ; . .. | 29,214 | 57,152 0.4950 0.2887) 41.82 al an Bey 0” a OF 3/ 0.7 80.00 20.95 ' 77 (0.770.86) 32.487 | 57,984 5.03 2.677 6.77 3 Silky cup. little Tagged { { 1 13’ 0.5 13’ 0. --| 30.00, 20.93 in 8 4 0.77 0.86) 32,48 54,984 WT | 46.07 | center with lamination 494 1.004 : bad xoenes Ee a er 7 : 31.190 56,996 0.4960 0.3018 39.15 Silky. ie . ‘ ri wel a ‘ » . . e a » § Fine silky cup center, granu , , 1 22 ad 30.00 16.73 i 5.02 0.921. 32.486 | 58,608 6.09 3.33 86 | 2 : 6B x 1 911.7 22’ 11.6 30.00 16.73 in 1 ».0 921.14) 32,486 0S 6 3.358 44.86 ) laron edges. 199’ Sw 1.024’ / 20.2 ~ oad ste gin 34,980 64,260 0.5100 0.3612 29.18 Silky. [ne TIE neeeeeeee ee Th g dinarily very little slag taken Minnesota ‘‘ Y” ore of 62 per cent. metal- fr reducing furnaces after the lic iron and 550 pounds of graphite. The sponge balls are withdrawn, for the open- metallic iron contained in the ore was hea rnaces, about 18 per cent. of 1390 pounds. The loss in the reducing foreig tter in the sponge balls carrying furnace as proven by the weight of steel t of the gangue of the ore produced from the sponge was about 10 per together with some graphite. On this ac- | cent., which, taken from the 1390 pounds count tl yperation is not mnch of a re-| of iron, would leave 1290 pounds of iron du hosphorus until the slag is re- in the sponge, or the sponge contained n the open-hearth bath which about 81.23 per cent. of metallic iron t} irge amount ofit. However, estimated in this way. f 1 lucing furnaces be heated hotter, is 18 ssury when the balls are to be percentage of iron in the sponge, as it is 1 considerable slag is formed, not at all " m 300 to 400 pounds per fur- Itis very difficult to get by analysis the homogeneous as to the amount of contained slag and graphite. The steel nar This slag carries nearly the whole jngot weighed 2150 i of 1 phosphorus, as very little, in fact weighed 191 pounds, yielding a waste of | s me, is left with the iron reduced 563 pounds, or in percentages of the total temperature of, say, 1500 F. charge of 2904 pounds: Ingots, 74 per ‘ | the reducing furnace. cent scrap, 6.58 per cent. to 19.42 per 7 k bar from the Minnessota ‘‘ Y” cent loss. The small open-hearth furnace has ( bon blooms contains less than 0.015 proved by charges of regular pig and scrap per t. phosphorus. Using the Minne- | mixtures to give a loss of about 11 per sota ** Y” ore this slag from the blooms, | cent. The same mixture used in the Lash when they are heated hot enough to roll, open-hearth furnaces has yielded about 7 contains: Iron, from 30 per cent. to 50 per cent. loss, giving an excess of about 4 per cent. loss for this small experimental to 30 per cent.; phosphorus, up to | open-hearth furnace over that which would 0.15 per cent. be obtained ordinarily with a large open- The Carbon Iron Company have a small | hearth. experimental Lash furnace of about a ton | fairly be subtracted from the percentage capacity, which has been running more or | of loss given above 19.42 per cent. yielded less regularly for the past four months by the small furnace, giving a total loss of with mixtures of Carbon Iron Company | between 15 and 16 per cent., which can be blooms. eT cent s protoxide; silica, om 24 per yt in the presence of Mr. Robert Forsyth, | ess in actual open-hearth practice in 15- superintendent of the Union Steel Com-_ furnaces pany, Chicago, which is a typical one of Below is a record of a heat made safely predicted to be th eloss by the proc- | y ton | 1.102.525| 36990 66080 | Of this loss from 6 to 7 per| .846x.580) 35470 | 63900 | pounds, the scrap, This excess of 4 per cent. can| show a greater elastic limit than the sma! pieces cut from the same bar. Blow 41 was overheated and burnt. A piece cut from a 5 x1 inch bar befor making into eye-bar, size 0.49 x 0.995 showed : 4 yy Elongation in 8 inches............. 15 per cent Reduction of area..............- 14.6 per ce NN an 55.55 eas &ab.n. 0's granular and squat Phosphorus .. Carbon. 0. 0P6 A finished eye-bar, 5 x 1, from this same blow, showed the following result Out to out pin-holes............... 16 ft. 0.7 i Diameter of pin-holes.................. 177 Elongation of pin-holes..... 11.7, 13.8 per cent Elastic limit............- 34,732 Ibs. per sq. Sa ee Reduction area..........cseees Elongation in 12 in ..23.33 per ce Elongation in 13 ft......... ....12.18 per cent Elongation out to out pin-holes..11.4 per cent Elongation in 15 12-in. spaces in inches. 1.1, 1.2, 2.8 (fracture), 1.5, 1.3, 1.1, 1.1, 1.0, 1,8, 1.6, 1.4 Fracture, fine silky center......... 25 per cent Fracture, fine granular on edges...75 per cent. Bar not annealed. Mr. Geo. H. Thomson, bridge engineer of the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad, has made the following tests, the specimens cut from angle-iron generally running about as follows: 64.620 : Thes P.c. elon- 7 Elastic | Ultimate Reduct’n Size. : ation in > | Limit. \strength. f inches. 276% P-C- 1.1X.587| 34960 64670 | Q& | 47.28 26.5 | 46.84 | 46.49. cent. is the loss in ordinary open-hearth ' Angle [ron 5X3Xx3. All fractures fine and silky. May 31, 1888. THE IRON AGE. €85 After rupture the broken ends were; Providence, R. I., from June 13 to 15. A paid at the rate of about 10 cents per an- bent over cold and hammered down flat without any sign of rupture. Other tests of still thicker angle iron, 2 and 4} inch, showed 37,000 pounds per square inch elastic limit, 64,750 ultimate, and 58 per cent. reduction of area. SS New 17-Inch Engine Lathe. number of interesting papers and questions will be presented for discussion A Electric Wires Abroad. In view of the interest centered in the matter of placing electric wires under- ground, it may be well to give some at- tention to what has been accomplished The Muller Machine Tool Company, of! abroad in this respect. Cincinnati, Ohio, are bringing out a 17- inch engine lathe built from new patterns and embodying all desirable features for convenient and accurate handling of either light or heavy work. this page explains the several features of | should be done here. To what extent, the tool. The working parts are all of ample size, well fitted by hand scraping without filing or grinding by use of emery. The spindle is of hard hammered i =| pid Waa. 17-INCH ENGINE LATHE, BUILT steel, with a j-inch hole through. The front bearing measures 24 x 44 inches, and ground true. The boxes are of hard bronze metal of such form as to retain perfect alignment of the spindle after considerable wear. The largest diameter of the cone is 10 inches tor a 24-inch belt. The feed is entirely inde- pendent of the screw-cutting apparatus, being operated by positive friction driven by a slotted rod. The entire length of the carriage has solid bearings on Y’s and | is gibbed its full length to the outside of the bed. The feed screws and small gears are made of steel. The lathe has back gears, power cross-feed and screw-cutting apparatus to cut nearly all threads from 3 to 20. The swing over the bed is 17 inches; swing over rest, 10 inches; length of bed, 6 feet. The lathe weighs 1750 pounds and will turn work up to 2 feet 10 inches in length. a a — The New England Water Works Asso- ciation have just issued a programme for their seventh annual meeting to be held at however, the burying of wires has actually been carried on the other side of the At- lantic may be gathered from some remarks made by Prof. G. W. Plympton recently = Tm ae BY THE MULLER MACHINE TOOL in addressing the Brooklyn Subway Board | on ‘‘Underground Electrical Systems in Europe and America.” Last summer, said Professor Plympton among other things, I went over to Eu- rope to determine from personal observa- | tion how far wires had been buried there, and visited all the cities where there is |claimed to have been most progress in They had nothing | new to teach us about burying telephone | electrical conduction. wires. In fact, none are buried except a few Government wires. In London the telegraph and telephone wires are carried on the housetops, right of way being pur- chased from householders, and a special act of Parliament would be necessary to enable the burying of wires for public service. The Postal Telegraph wires are carried under the streets, and some Gov- ernment telephone wires are run with them, but they simply extend between stations, and they have not solved the question of distribution to private parties at all. In Brussels the wires are thickly stretched overhead, and no effort has been made to put them underground. Householders are D The impression | tops. has become somewhat general that in Eng- land, France and Germany methods of transmission have been practi- cally abandoned, and it has been urged The engraving on} accordingly that the same could and are used, the right of way being bought num for each wire fastened to the supports on their roofs. Fine, strong wires are used, and the supports are far apart. Be fore [ left there the local manager showed, with pride, a new line of about a mile in length, the wires of which were hung upon short arms near the tops of light ornamental iron pillars 50 or 60 feet high. At Berlin only the military lines of telegraph are underground and all others upon house At Paris the telegraph and tele phone wires are in cables, slung to the overhead | roofs of the sewers, and an are light would not be allowed to enter the same sewer. Where there are no sewers the housetops from the householders. In Munich, Venice, Milan, Turin and other places telegraph and telephone wires are partly strung on housetops and partly supported by pretty brackets just beneath COMPANY, CINCINNATI, OHIO. the eaves, on the walls of the houses, and none underground. Burying the telephone wires had been tried in Bordeaux, but unsuccessfully. Nowhere in Europe did he find electric are light wires carried to such long distances for street lighting as in this country. The dynamos are always close to the lamps they supply; and there has been a great decline in the use of the are lights within three years past. The long line of them on the Avenue de l’'Op era, in Paris, has been removed and grouped gaslights substituted in their stead. New York is far ahead of all the rest of the world in this style of street lighting. The only place he found where | all the wires are underground is Newcastle, | England, and there are no arc light wires there, and the telegraph and telephone services are small. a Levick & Levick, of 15 State street, New York, have issued a new standard map of the United States and of the world, mounted, varnished and ready for hanging up, the size being 43 x 65 inches, The price is $3. 886 Keep's Tests for Foundry lron.*—tll. | Hardness Tests.—Hitherto it has not been possible to determine the comparative hardness by any scientific method. This | is now done by means of a Turner’s Hard- ness machine. The test bar to be operated upon has its fractured end polished to a} standard surface; it is set under a diamond of a standard cut, and the diamond is| weighted until it produces a scratch similar to a standard scratch. The hard- ness of the bar is expressed by the number of grams necessary to cause the diamond to make this standard scratch. Figs. 35 and 36 show such a machine, and em- body some improvements due to Mr. Keep. When there is no weight on the machine the beam is perfectly balanced. The weight carrier and the weights are each exactly 25 grams. In testing cast iron it is usual to commence with the carrier and three weights; it will be seen, therefore, that (as there are 25 equal divisions) each notch adds 4 grams. Intermediate values are obtained by such different use of the weights as may be necessary. To lessen the chance of the operator varying the scratch in using the instrument in the or- dinary way, an arm (not lettered in the diagram) is attached directly to the center pin, and to the end of this arm is at- tached a silk thread. This allows the diamond to move freely up and down, while it is pulled laterally on its point. The maximum variations in the hardness THE IRON AGE. It will be granted by all practical men | that no one size of test bar can show the character of metal we may expect in all sizes of castings. A bar must be of such a size that the mold will not alter the character of the metal more than would occur in actual practice where castings are of all sizes. Many castings are only 4-inch in thickness, while very much iron is cast thinner than this, and the thinner the castings are, the more is the skill necessary to produce a soft, strong iron. In the the size of the bar if each iron is tested in study of cast iron it matters not what is | | DAYTON oat Teel o. oC —i i= Tistiz& Easiest May 31, 1888, stored in a pigeon-hole, 24 inches Square, and may be kept under lock; this gives 12 complete samples of the iron, each of which are light enough to send by post if desired, An examination of the speci- mens forwarded by Mr. Keep will show the value of these tests as applied to scien- tific research, especially when rare or ex- pensive materials have to be used. Possibly some practical founders of the old school may be a little dismayed at the multiplicity of the apparatus and tests mentioned in this paper. To these we may say that the complete set of apparatus F 4 of cast iron, as given by the above tests, is from about 22 to 72, the latter value being observed in specially hard white iron. A chart is appended giving the results of physical tests of a number of American irons referred to in our previous paper. There are also added tests of English 10 per cent. ferro-silicon, No. 1 Coltness, and of specially pure Swedish gray iron (FL M). We cannot enter-into a detailed discussion of the results at present, but it will be sufficient to say that an examination of these results shows that the application of new methods of testing has opened up quite a field of important questions as to influence of various elements, such as graphitic and combined carbon, silicon, sulphur, phosphorus and manganese on the shrinkage, chill, crook and fluidity of the metal. When it is also remembered how much has yet to be done in conhection with power to resist a force, either sud- denly or gradually applied, and with the deflection of cast iron, we shall feel that in many respects our knowledge of cast iron, from a scientific point of view, is compara- tively in its infancy. If Mr. Keep has by these tests merely indicated some of the points upon which we are at present igno- rant, and given us new ideas In connection with methods of investigation, he will have rendered us no mean service. Mr. Keep is at present continuing his tests, and with the assistance of Mr. Fleming, who per- forms the chemical analyses, hopes at some future time to give an account of the in- fluence of various elements on the proper- ties of cast iron. Mr. Keep has already conducted a series of experiments on the influence of silicon on cast iron, and his results, though bringing out new and in- teresting matter, substantially support the conclusions arrived at by Mr. Turner. Specimens of Mr. Keep’s test-bars are ex- hibited, which illustrate the effect of sili- con, sulphur, manganese and phosphorus on cast iron. It is probable that some ex- TRANSVERSE PRR ERE PRE ERE! i as bat I asd oO baal . as 2 rat td a ; == o = 0 a - euegede HR Ty Se EE TT eee Ht aigeeccect th os — iT 8582 io be aa EL EPRSEREERE o a 0, Fa == =e = + sed re » f i He RERBE ES i WU HH ie BEER ' (Eas aad in SSS cnt be ~ mal ee aaedieatios Dal one (G8) a + ee Furor . Prest ef [ore[i77|r7stirg ee) CHART OF RESULTS OF KEEP’S TESTS. exactly the same way. The 4-inch square bar will show the characteristics of every iron more fully to an experienced man than a larger bar, as slow cooling will fail to mark so sharply the effect due to slight variations in any element. But there are other practical reasons in favor of the use of the 4-inch bar. In order to give fair averages, and to avoid mistakes, six pairs ception will be taken to the size (4 inch) | of bars are needed, and three such sets of of square test-bar recommended in this paper. In connection with this, Mr. Keep’s views are as follows: *A paper read before the South Stafford- shire Institute of Iron and Steel Works Man- agers by W.J. Keep, C. E., Detroit, Mich., U. S. A. Revised and communicated by Thomas Turner, associate R. L. M., Mason College, Birmingham. |six bars can be cast from one-half pig. | Any furnace will gladly furnish a sample half-pig of 50 pounds for a test, while .| such a quantity is readily handled, and the | carriage is small. Even after all the re- quired tests have been performed, part of the sample will remain, and can be stored for reference. The six broken bars with the rest of the test, can be conveniently is intended to meet, as far as possible, the |requirements not merely of the practical 'man, but also of the scientific investigator. |For ordinary foundry use, to test the |cupola product, the only apparatus re- |quired is that shown in Figs. 5 to 15 (with only Fig. 12 wedge) and the weight |machine. If pig iron is to be tested, the furnace will be necessary; some founders will also need the impact machine. The ‘hardness machine is too delicate for most | foundry purposes; it can, however, be readily used by getting a number of stand- ard pieces of different hardness, as regis- | tered on the machine, and then comparing the hardness of a particular sample, by |means of the ordinary works tests, with 'the standard specimens. It is of great importance that perfect uniformity should May 31, 1888. THE IRON AGE. exist in all sets of apparatus intended for| 1886 as (949, cent, or, in round numbers, a standard series of tests. The apparatus should, of course, be a correct copy of that made by Mr. Keep, who, in con- junction with Mr, Turner, would be happy to supply the necessary information. It may be once more mentioned that up ward of two years’ use at the Michigan Stove Company’s works, where about 70 tons of iron are daily cast into thin stove | plate, has shown no cause for modification in the above tests. The quality of their castings has been kept regular, mistakes have been avoided in the pur- chase of iron. With such information as this regarding any given iron, the founder should at will suit his requirements. If any iron acts badly a test will show what is wrong, and prove beyond dispute whether or not the iron is such as it was represented to be. while | once know whether or not it | aa | The Thus, the ironbroker and the user are at | once benefited. But, better than all, such knowledge removes susperstition from the one cent. Thus the freight charges by rail, compared with those by water, appear to be as 811 to 185 that is to say, rail transportation for freight costs average | four and forty-three-one-hundredths times as much as by this water route. Upon this basis the $10,075,153 representing the cost of freight transportotion by this water route during the season of 1887 would have been, if the freight had been carried by rail, $44,632,293, and the saving, because of the availability of the water route, amounts to no less a sum than $34,557,140 for the single season. —— Massicks and Crooke Hot-Blast Stove. Our attention has recently been called to a plant of firebrick hot-blast which were erected some time since at No. 2 furnace of Shoenberger, Speer & stoves mind of the founder and exactly what is the remedy for the defect- ive iron, so that he can easily vary his mixture so as to use up brands of iron in connection with which he can now only complain to the furnace manager, or re- solve never to touch again. a a General Poe, U. 8S. Engineer, in a special report to Washington, submits an elaborate statement of the trade and com- merce of the Sault Ste. Marie Canal dur- ing the season of 1887, prepared from the teaches him | | The internal records of the canal office. The fol- lowing is a synopsis: Tons. BI SONI oss an. Ke cnc anes nccakecs 3,749,436 a 1,745,213 Total freight.....................5,494,649 | IN Ss s vada dor as x cewoka 4,458 544,804 Average distance each ton was carried by water, 811,4, miles; total freight charges, including terminal charges, $10,075, 153.13; average freight charges, per ton per mile, for the 811,4, miles, $1.83. 887 thoroughly stove out in eight hours. Although these stoves have been in operation but six months their daily record shows they are getting from 1500 to 1650° at the present time, which is cer- tainly a good showing, in view of the fact that they have not been cleaned out during that time. The chimney valve, which is placed at the bottom of the chimney, con- sists of a plain mushroom-shaped disk and works automatically. When the stove is off blast the valve is open, allowing the combustion to be drawn off When the stove is scrape uh gases of through the chimney. on blast the cold air blows against the underside of the chimney valve, thus breaking its force before it comes in con- tact with any part of the brickwork. There is a strong gallery around the stove at the top, thus giving convenient access to the cleaning doors, cold-blast and chim- ney valves, and also the portable crane. |The mode of charging the stoves is so \simple that it is claimed unskilled labor FIG.36 ELEVATION. SCALE 3 INCHES. Figs. 35 and 36. TURNER’S HARDNESS MACHINE. Co., at Pittsburgh, and which have been | can learn to operate them in a few hours. in operation for about six months. The stoves are of the Massicks and Crooke design ‘and were erected by McClure & Shuler, of the above-named city, who are the sole agents for them in this country. | We append a brief description of these stoves, which will no doubt be of interest to our readers, They are of the three-pass type, with self-contained chimney on top. | construction consists of a! with seg-| central combustion-chamber mental passes around it, thus obtaining the greatest heat in the center and secur- ing more equal and uniform expansion than stoves which are constructed with a hot and cold side. The walls are all heavy, thus absorbing and retaining heat well and tending to keep a more uniform blast temperature. The brickwork is in perfect bond and constructed in such a manner that the combustion-chamber walfs can be taken out and replaced without disturbing any of the other walls, thus | making the cost of repair a small item. *@5 cent; average freight charges per ton! The Bureau | of Statistics gives the average freight | charges per ton per mile on the trunk | railroads of the United States for the year; able crane on top. The method of cleaning the passes is accomplished by means of a spring scraper, neatly fitting the passes and attached to a chain from a_ port- Three men can | Messrs. McClure & Shuler, Bissell Block, | Pittsburgh, extend an invitation to all | parties who contemplate fitting up their | furnaces with hot-blast stoves to make a personal inspection of these stoves, which } are now in operation, as stated above, at the blast furnace of Shoenberger, Speer & Co., at Pittsburgh. No. 1 furnace of the above firm will be rebuilt in the near future, and will also be fitted up with these stoves. et The Southern Railway and Steamship Association have issued a circular announc- ing a reduction of freights from Birming- | ham and Chattanooga to points on and be- yond the Ohio River. The Birmingham and Chattanooga rates are, respectively: To Cincinnati, $2.90 and $2.40; to Louis- ville, $2.65 and $2.40; to St. Louis, $3.15 and $3.15; to Chicago and Detroit, $4.15 and $3.90; to Cleveland, $3.15 and $3.65; and to Pittsburgh and Wheeling, $4.80 and $4.30 respectively. 4 TT The Third Avenue Railroad Company applies to the Court of Appeals for permis- sion to use the steam cable. THE WEEK. Vessels at Duluth May 24 were block aded by ice, which filled the channel. The Jersey City Commissioners of Pub- lic Works were indicted by the grand jury on the allegation that they have used their office to enrich themselves at the expense of the city, and interesting ‘* boodle ” dis- closures are promised. Three of the mem- bers are in the present board. Within a few months fires in ray ware- houses have been frequent, in two instances of late attended with loss of life. Spon- taneous combustion is the supposed cause. The officers of the Guion line are confi- dent that the new twin-screw 11,500-ton steamer which is to be constructed for that line will be able to cross the Atlantic Ocean in five days. The Fire Commissioners of Buffalo rec- ommend that the use of natural gas fuel in that city be prohibited, but there is rea- son todoubt whether so valuable a product should be lost so long as adequate safe- guards are possible. Electricity, too, is dangerous. The Butchers National Convention in Philadelphia denounced the Western beef pool. In the report of a local committee the pool at Chicago was declared to be ‘*the most infamous tyranny that ever existed in the United States. They have got their collar on the cattle producers of the entire West, and the only remedy is to inspect live stock and dressed meats in all prominent localities. We think also that the worst combination in the country is the beef, pork and adulterated lard packers. They have no equal in the Standard Oil Trust, the Sugar Trust, the Copper Trust or any other trust. They have had a pow- erful influence over our business for years. The prices of cattle to the producer have gone down 50 per cent. and the price to the consumers has increased and every single dollar of the difference has gone into the . pocket of the combination.” The grape harvest on the Hudson River promises to exceed by 25 per cent. the pro- lific crop of last year. The Johns Hopkin hospital just com- pleted 1n Baltimore comprises 23 buildings, standing on three of the most elevated squares in the city, one of them with a dome rising 200 feet from the pavement. | The entire value of the property is estt- mated at $3,400,000. Ex-Alderman Fullgraff, formerly a paper | box manufacturer in this city, testified last week in the Court of Oyer and Terminer that he is now president of the St. Paul Iron Company, of St. Paul, where he is interested to the extent of about $18,000. His friends think he will find his new business more to his advantage than hold- ing a public office. The iron workers of J. B. & J. M. Cornell filed liens on the Mystic flat property be- longing to the bankrupt, Jas. D. Fisk, and claimed priority over a mo.tgage on the same which had been recorded the day before—the day of the failure. Justice Barrett, of the Supreme Court, decided thai the mortgage was valid precedence. The Mexican Government has entered into a contract with Col. Edward Mac- Murdo, represented by Lord Archibald Gosford, for the rebuilding of 108 km. of the Tehuantepec National Railway, the construction of some 226 km. still to be built, and the complete equip- ment of the road with telegraph, sta- tions, rolling stock, tools, machinery for workshops, and a pier at Salina Cruz. The termini are Coatzacoalcos, on the Gulf of Mexico, and Salina Cruz, on the Pacific Ocean. On the part already built the and had| THE IRON AGE. provisional bridges are to be replaced with iron ones. Two terminal stations and five intermediate ones, with their respective | warehouses, are to be built, and water 'tanks are to be provided. The Govern- price of its line, its dependencies, &c., £2,000,000 in bonds, secured by a first mortgage on the entire property. Steam steerers have been introduced on nearly all the ferry-boats plying on the North River. Superintendent Blooms- burgh, of the Pennsylvania ferries, makes the statement that these steerers on his boats will pay for themselves in saving the ferry-slip racks, to say nothing of the col- lisions they avoid. The Dominion Government within the past week has undergone radical changes. Sir Charles Tupper, late Minister of Fi- nance and a strong advocate of reciprocity, is succeeded by G. E. Foster, late Minister of Marine. The Departments of Customs and Inland Revenue are to be abolished, and Ministers of Trade and Commerce will be appointed instead to direct the revenue policy of the Government. Lord Stanley, the new Governor-General, will not enter upon the duties of his office before autumn. Lord Ross is temporary ruler. An electric railroad in Pittsburgh will soon be completed, and the president of one of the horse-car companies thinks the system may be adopted throughout the city. A committee of the St. Louis Merchants Exchange, who were delegated to visit Mexico, report favorably respecting the prospects of an important trade with that country, but speak of a reciprocity treaty, banking facilities and reasonable railroad rates as absolute necessities. A line of railroad in Ecuador built by an American last year under a contract with the Government, at a cost of $500,- 000, proves so satisfactory that an Ameri- can syndicate has been formed and a con- tract entered into for a line from Quito to the Pacific, a distance of 126 miles, Con- gress authorizing the Government to guarantee the interest on the investment. The Detroit Dry Dock Company’s ship- yard at Wyandotte was forsaken by the entire force of 500 men, in consequence of the refusal of the firm to discharge a non- union man. Exports from New York during April | comprised nearly 14,000 packages of }agricultural implements valued at $270, - /000; 1669 cases of cutlery valued at 23,000, and nails to the value of over $14,000. The Light House Board has perfected arrangements for the illumination of Ged- ney’s Channel, in New York harbor, by electricity. Six electric light buoys will be placed, three on each side of the chan- nel, about 1100 feet apart, and are ex- pected so to light the channel that vessels can enter the harbor at night as safely as in daytime. The battery will be at the Sandy Hook Station. To establish these lights will cost about $26,000, and they can be maintained at a cost of $3000 a year. The Department of Labor bill, as passed by the Senate, provides for a Department of Labor, the general design and duties of which shall be to acquire and diffuse among the people of the United States useful information on subjects connected with labor in the most general and com- prehensive sense of that word, and espe- cially upon its relation to capital, the hours of labor, the earnings of laboring men and women, and the means of pro- |moting their prosperity. The personnel \of the department is to consist of a com- | missioner to be appointed by the President, | who is to hold office for four years and ment will pay to the company as the sole | May 31, 1888, receive a salary of $5000; a clerk, stenog- rapher, various minor clerks, copyists and messengers. In the House, the bill to confine the products of convict labor to the State in which they are produced was discussed at much length, and an amend- ment was adopted prohibiting the impor- tation, for commercial purposes, of foreign - made convict goods. Canadian cattle exporters charge that the ocean steamship companies have com- bined to extort exorbitant rates for the insurance of live stock, and the legality of the alleged combination will probably be tested in the courts. The New York Board of Aldermen re- fuse to allow the use of electric cars pro- pelled by storage batteries on the Fourth Avenue Railroad line. In the absence of any valid objection, it is surmised that ‘“boodle ” might solve the difficulty. Cincinnati papers are occupied by a description of the Centennial Exhibition buildings, upon which $306,000 have been expended. Complete success in the un- dertaking is predicted. In the power hall the entire 26 acres of floor room have been appropriated. A novel and perhaps the most effective feature is the inclosure of a canal 48 feet wide within one of the prin- cipal buildings for the distance of a third of a mile, upon which gondoliers will test their skill. Australia, after a long period of business depression, shows signs of renewed activ- ity. The total clearance at the Melbourne Clearing House from January 1 to March 12 was £59,054,133, against £35,579,995 in the corresponding period last year, the increase being £23,969,138, or about 67 per cent. The weekly clearances this year are of unprecedented magnitude. An eight-story building of brick and granite for the Methodist Book Concern will be erected in this city on the corner of Fifth avenue and Twentieth street. The site cost $500,000. The President has signed the bill author- izing him to arrange a conference between the United States and the Republics of Mexico, Central and South America, Hayti and San Domingo and the Empire of Brazil, to be held in April of next year. Some of the more important measures sug- gested are the formation of an American customs union, under which the trade of the American nations with each other shall be promoted ; the establishment of frequent communication between the ports of the several American States, a uniform system of customs regulations, a uniform method of determining the classification and valua- tion of merchandise and a uniform system of weights and measures. A novel method of loading steamers with refined oil will be introduced at a large refinery to be located at Girard Point, near Philadelphia. From a tank there will run to the Schuylkill a pipe line to load the steamers with the refined oil. For this carrying trade, which it is pro- posed to bring to Philadelphia and which the officers of the company predict will be enormous in the next two or three years, the company is having remodeled a num- ber of steamers. They will be built ex- clusively for this use and will have tanks in their holds, into which the oil will be run through the pipe lines. Several of the large steamers now running between Bremen and New York carrying the crude oil in bulk will, it is stated, be chartered and will sail up the Schuylkill to the com- pany’s new wharves as soon as they begin active operations. Several large contracts for the delivery of oil to European firms are talked about. The Senate Marine Conference bill was passed on Thursday, with some amend- ments. It provides for an international May 31, 1888. maritime cenference at Washington, or some other place designated by the Pres- ident, on October 1 next, to revise and amend the rules of the road at sea, estab- lish a uniform system of marine signals, consider life-saving systems, provide for removal of dangerous wrecks and other obstructions pa submit regulations for the prevention of collisions and other avoidable disasters. The President of the Argentine Repub- lic, in his address at the opening of the National Congress, May 8, gives a flattering account of the condition of public affairs. Railroad building and immigration con- tinues unchecked, The import and export trade of the country amounted to $218,- 000,000 during last year, which shows a considerable increase over the preceding year. During 1887 4000 vessels, with 1,000,000 tons burden more than in 1886, have entered. The receipts for 1887 were calculated at $50,000,000, but they amounted to $58,000,000, and a surplus of over $6,000,000 has been dupoeinen in the national treasury. The whole exterior indebtedness can be paid off in eight years and the national credit never stood higher. There exist over 3000 public schools and other establishments of education, which are frequented by over 230,000 scholars. Considerable improvements have been made in the army and navy. The oyster industry of Maryland has re- cently been the subject of an official report by the British Consul at Baltimore to his Government. The report states that nearly 200 square miles of water are devoted to oyster fisheries. From this area over 10,000,000 oysters of the legal marketable size—300 to the bushel—are yearly taken. The average annual value of these fisheries is $5,000,000, of which amount $2,000,000 represents the earnings of the 55,000 peo- ple to whom they are a means of support. A Minneapolis dispatch says the traftic agreement between the ‘‘ Soo” system and the Candian Pacific is completed. The ‘* Soo” will make rates on all eastbound business and Canadian westbound, and each road must stand by the rate. Boston business will pass via the Boston and Lowell. New York business goes by the Rome, Watertown and Ogdensburg, and New York, Ontario and Western. All roads have a pro rata share. The New Jersey Central Railroad and the Lehigh Valley Railroad Companies have given out contracts for the construc- tion of an elevated railroad from Com- munipaw Ferry to and through Jewett avenue on Jersey City Heights. The cost of the road will be $600,000. of way has already been secured. The Baltimore and Ohio Road are build- | ing a large number of new engines. The boilers will be much larger sal aeipabile of producing three times the motive power of the largest of any of their present mount- ain climbers. One of them will be put into service between Baltimore and Wash- ington shortly, and will cover the distance, 40 miles, in 40 minutes. To prevent excessive pressure in the supply of natural gas and consequent ex- plosions like that which destroyed St. Paul’s Cathedral, in Buffalo, the gas com- panies in that city propose to use a safety valve, to be operated by natural force. The plan is to have a safety-pipe connected with the end of the natural gas main, and of its full capacity, the end of the pipe to be T-shaped and open. This pipe is to be submerged always in water or other fiuid, and if extra pressure comes from the main, the fluid will thus be displaced and the gas escape into the air. TI The stove foundry of Perry & Co., at South Pittsburg, Tenn., has been destroyed | by fire, The right | | 17 feet bosh by 70 feet. ithe new |to accept a reduction of 5 per cent. THE IRON AGE. MANUFACTURING The Marquette (Mich.) Mining Journal, of the 19th inst., contains the following: ‘*The Deer Lake Company’s furnace, at | Deer Lake, which was blown out on May 15, will "probably be put in blast again | - , about June 15. It was closed down to allow of necessary repairs being made, and not because the owners had decided to let it remain idle for the season, as has been rumored about town for the past few days.” In the United States Circuit Court at Pittsburgh last week the Fowler Steel Car- Wheel Company filed a bill in equity against the Pittsburgh Steel Casting Com- pany et al. The petitioners pray for an injunction restraining the Pittsburgh Steel Casting Company from manufacturing and selling steel car-wheels, and asking $100,- | 000 damages. The steel plant and nail mill at Ham- mond, [Il., was shut down indefinitely by | the company controlling it a week or so ago. The stock of nails on hand was dis- posed of. Mr. Alex. Glass, the late general manager, has been appointed to a similar position at the nail works in Terre Haute, Ind. The Norristown Iron Works of James Hooven & Son