The Iron Age 1888-07-26: Vol 42

‘THE IRON AGE The Bartlett Propeller. | THURSDAY, JULY 26, 1888. distance from the axis. Local surface dis- turbance and currents were also to be + Marine engineers particularly will be in- | avoided, all of which requirements seem terested in the new form of screw propeller | to be met by the helicoidal parabolic sur- | : . ‘ | . . illustrated on this page, and designed by | face of revolution which John E. T. Bartlett, of 253 West Four- teenth street, New York. During a re- cent visit to the Delamater Iron Works, where the propeller is turned out for Mr. Bartlett, who, we should add, is connected w Fig. 1.—Section and Plan. Mr. Bartlett adopted. It will be observed in Fig. 5| that a plane passed through the axis of the | pitch of the propeller. In Fig. 5 the lines s s indicate the flow of water to the wheel, partaking as it does of the contour of the run of the ship, as is act- ually the case in practice. After the | partic les of water have passed behind the blades the wheel will drive them, as propeller shaft will intersect the blade of | previously stated, in a direction parallel to his design in a parabolic curve. This is designated by the figures 2, 0, 2 in Fig. 1 Fig. } the axis of the shaft. The reason is readily The motion must be in either apparent. 3.—Section through Blade of Common Propeller. Fig, 5.—Seetion through Blade of Bartlett Propeller. Fig. 2.—Front Elevation Looking Aft. IMPROVED FORM OF SCREW PROPELLER, BUILT FROM DESIGNS BY J. E. T. BARTLETT, NEW YORK. professionally with the works, we had an | The base line of abscissae, marked 1, 0, 1, opportunity of examining more closely the | for determining the, curve is assumed to} fluence of a parabolic reflecting surface, features of the design; are very well represented i in our engravings. | The improvement, as a glance will show, in the main these | pass through the center line 3 3 of the and midway of the length of the | shaft, As many ordinates as may propeller hub. is in the shape of the propelling surface | be necessary for accuracy in determining of the wheel blades, the aim being to give | the curve are calculated, with the varying the water driven astern a direction parallel to the axis of the driving shaft, and also | to prevent the water from being raised by | the centrifugal force generated by the | ing the value of one ordinate, Mr. | distance and z a constant. angular velocity of the propeller. 'diameter values d, d:, ds, ds, &c. , using d? the parabolic formula h =~ ? h represent- 7 the focal The driving Bartlett sought ‘further to gain length of |suriface will be a parabolic surface gen- blade with given diameter, and to thus | erated by the revolution of asemi- parabola, diminish the frictional resistance to be | 0 2 overcome by the engine in rotating the | dinal axis 0 3, having at the same time a} This | | motion of translation. positive or negative, wheel at a given angular velocity. , Whose vertex is 0, around the longitu- | resistance increases as the square of the | in the direction 0 3, equal to the required | i one of two directions in virtue of the in- and, as the water is incompressible, it can- not b forced to the focus F, and must, therefore, follow the lines dd. Mr. Bart- lett explains that the air in the water be- hind the wheel will be compressed so that the latter will work in solid water, and less vibration will be occasioned by it than by other forms. The driving, sur- face will act on the same principle as sound and light reflectors similarly con- structed. Any particle of fluid passing behind the leading edge A of the pro- peller-blade will be forced back by the advancing surface of the propeller and the superposed particles prevented follow- ing or flowing off the blades by the reflect- 118 ing surface. acquire centrifugal force from contact with a rotating surface of high velocity it will have been left behind by the advanc- ing propeller. Having no tendency to rise to the surface it will be reflected par- allel to the axis of the shaft, as the least resistance is in the direction of the wake of the vessel. The increase in length of blades is clearly shown on the right-hand blade, Fig. 1, the length gained being the difference in length of the curved line 0 2 and the straight line 0 1. Mr. Bartlett claims that the propelling surfaces which he adopts prevent the water from flowing off radially or tangent- ially, and that hence there are no waves on the surface caused by the rotation of the wheel. There would consequently be no tendency to wash away banks or scour the bottoms of waterways of small sec- tional area. We understand that trials with the propeller on several launches have shown it to give an appreciable increase of speed over that attained by the ordinary form of wheel, and to make as little com- motion in the wake as is produced by the passage of a vessel under sail. The im- portance attached to both these points need not be emphasized, At present prep- arations are being made for fitting up a wheel tor a 60-foot launch for the New York World, and the performance of the boat will be watched with interest. LT THE IRON AGE. Before any particle can | oil exporters at Baku. With regard to the crude oil scheme the largeness of the sum required is a serious obstacle, and we should not feel surprised if the Elimoff concession fell through. This would not imply an abandonment of the idea on the part of Russia. On the contrary, the Gov- ernment, in that case, would probably de- cline to construct it itself. From next January the Transcaucasian Railway from Baku to Batoum will become a State un- dertaking, and the construction of a pipe line would fall naturally to the control of a State department managing the petro- leum traffic on the railway. ————E Monster Bridge Project. New York City has been startled by the sudden introduction in Congress of a till providing for the construction of an en. mous suspension bridge across the River, between New York City and the North New Jersey shore. The bill referred to was introduced into the House June 27 by Mr. Cox, and is identical with that introduced in the Senate July 2 by Mr. Quay. The scheme is a most formidable one, as the proposed bridge, according to the designs of Gustav Lindenthal, the bridge builder of Pittsburgh, Pa., will cross the river in a single span 2860 feet in length, which is 1310 feet longer than that of the Brooklyn Bridge, and the weight of materials used July 26, 1888. clear above the level of ordinary high wa- ter, and that this minimum hight shall be exclusive of the deflections of the super- structure from loads or temperature effects, and that no pier or piers or other obstruc- tions to navigation, either of a temporary or permanent character, shall be placed or built in the river between said pier lines under this act. It is further stipulated that all railroad companies desiring to use the bridge shall be entitled to equal riglits and privileges ‘‘ for a reasonable compen- sation.” The diagrams of Mr. Linden- thal’s bridge indicate a structure in its main features similar to the East River bridge, except that there are double cables, one set below the other. There is a double tower on either side of the Hudson, with a single span suspended from gracefully | bending cables. The length of the middle span is to be 2850 feet from center to cen- er of the towers, and the length of the end spans 1500 feet each, making a total length, including the anchorages, of nearly 6500 feet. The towers are to be 500 feet high and will stand on masonry piers 340 by 180 feet, 25 feet high above h’gh water, with foundations on rock. The towers will be of wrought iron and steel, contain- ing 16 columns each. These columns are to be composed of angles and plates, all octagonal in shape and tapering from 7 feet in diameter at the base to 5 feet at the top. The columns are to be strongly braced to- gether inside with heavy bracing and out- must necessarily be more than double, far surpassing in all respects any similar structure now extant. The entire cost of such a work can only be estimated from side with lattice filling. The anchorages are to be each 320 by 180 feet and 210 feet high above high-water line. The six rail- The Russian Oil Pipe Line. Referring to the contemplated construc- tion of the Russian crude oil pipe line from Baku to Batoum, we find the following in Engineering, of London: The promoters of the scheme are under- stood to have failed in their attempts to obtain funds for its construction in Paris, and of course, in the present condition of European politics, they are not very likely to be more successful at Berlin. The sum required for the undertaking is large— about £2,000,000—and the enterprise is handicapped by the fact that all the pipes must be manufactured in Russia, notwith- standing that at the present moment no pipe works exist there capable of turning out a short pipe line, let alone one 600 miles long. What has, however, chiefly impeded the success of the scheme up to now has been the bitter enmity of the Nobel firm, whose influence against it has been extended even to financial quarters. The Nobel firm carry on their refining operations at Baku, where they possess one of the largest, if not the largest, retinery in the world, and they have always op- posed the laying down of a pipe line that would allow of petroleum being pumped in a crude condition to Batoum, and re- fined there under far more advantageous conditions than 1s possible at Baku. On this account, seeing their interests at Baku are imperiled by the crude pipe line scheme, they have maintained against it a war to the knife, and sought to promote instead a kerosene pipe line, or a pipe line that would pump only the refined product from Baku to the Black Sea. In connection with this, we stated some time ago that it had scored an advantage by obtaining permission to put down the first section of the kerosene pipe line across the Suram Pass. Financial arrangements were being made to carry this through when Mr. Ludwig Nobel suddenly died. The result of this has been a check to the kerosene pipe line scheme also, and there is no present prospect of either it or the rival project being promptly carried out. Probably as the Nobel firm is placed under new leadership, the kerosene pipe line will come to the front again, par- ticularly as there are no onerous conditions attaching to its construction, and the de- mand for it is pressing on the part of the soon as imperfect data, as a difference of several millions must depend on the final choice of a terminus on the New York side, but, while the projectors of the scheme claim that $16,000,000 will suffice, other engi- neers, perhaps not less competent, have named as high a figure as $40,000,000. The plan is now on exhibition in therooms of the House Committee on Commerce at Wash- ington, and the incorporators named are: James King McLanahan, Jordan L. Mott, Henry Flad, J. Canda, James Andrews, Thomas F. Ryan, Gustav Lindenthal and William F. Shunk. All the parties are well known and pecuniarily respon- sible. Jordon L.- Mott is the large iron manufacturer of this city. James King McLanahan is a wealthy iron manufacturer of Hollidaysburg and Johnstown, Va. Henry Flad is president of the Board of Public Improvements ot the city of St. Louis, was intimately connected with Captain Eads in the construction of the St. Louis Bridge, and was formerly presi- dent of the American Society of Civil Engineers. Charles J. Canda is the vice- president of the Western National Bank, of this city, and was formerly United States Assistant Treasurer here. James Andrews is a contractor of repute. He built the piers of the St. Louis Bridge and the works at the jetties of the Missis- sippi River. He is the successor of Cap- tain Eads in the Tehuantepec Ship Rail- way project. William F. Shunk is a civil engineer, who was formerly chief engineer of the New York Elevated Railroad. Thomas F. Ryan is a banker of this city, of the firm of Smith, Oakman & Ryan. The author and projector of the proposed bridge, Gustav Lindenthal, is a member of the American Society of Civil Engi- neers, and his name is already identified with several important works in various parts of the country. Three of the bridges at Pittsburgh are evidences:of his skill. The bill authorizes the persons above ‘named and their associates to build and | operate a bridge across the Hudson River | for the passage of railroad trains and other | . . . | purposes, provided that said bridge shall | | be constructed with a single span oyer the |entire river between the established pier ‘lines in either State, and at an elevation | over the river of at least 140 feet in the road tracks pass through a tunnel in each anchorage. The cables are to be 50 feet apart, strongly braced together to resist the deforming effects of heavy loads, Each cable will have a diameter of 4 feet. The steel wires forming the cables are to be in- closed in steel envelopes to protect them againt the weather. An air space of 2 inches is to be left between the steel en- velopes and the wire, for the better protec- tion against the heating of the sun and to prevent unequal temperature effects. The designer says that in ordinary travel the proposed bridge would be strained only to about 10 per cent. of the maximum load for which it is designed. It will be observed that the single span sustained by piers to be kept within the pier line, with a maximum hight of 140 feet above ordinary high water, at once disarms all hostile objection. The one question to be determined is the feasibility of the undertaking. This settled, the approval of the Secretary of War will be only a formal act. That eventually the Hudson River will be bridged for commer- cial purposes as completely as is the Thames, at London, cannot be doubted. It remains to be seen to what extent it may be necessary to utilize the rocky bluffs on either side in securing the de- sired elevation. I Portable Rail Saw.—Messrs. Man- ning, Maxwell & Moore, 111 Liberty street, New Uork, are putting on the mar- ket a portable rail saw designed by Mr. E. C. Smith, of Brooklyn. A machine was made by Mr. Smith early in 1885 withwhich he cut a 60 pound rail in 35 minutes, As improved and now put on the market, it is said to be capable of cut- ting a 70 pound rail from 10 to 12 minutes. It will cut off a section as thin as } inch, leaving the end of the rail smooth and true. Those who have used the saw speak well of it. It is operated by hae by means of two levers on opposite sides of a pivoted frame in which the saw blade is fastened. The feed is automatic. The blade is carried on pins in the frame. oo —— —— The Baker Engine and Machine Com- pany, of Geneva, Ohio, have been incor- porated, with a capital stock of $100,000. July 26, 1888. New Beading Machine. Manufacturers of Russia iron stove bodies and other similar articles of a cylin- drical shape have experienced much diffi- eulty heretotore in making bands of fancy embossed work, with a clear and sharp impression. The machines used for this work have not been sufficiently heavy to bring about satisfactory results. These difficulties have been completely overcome | by the recent introduction of a powerful beading machine, illustrated on this page, | valuable for beading, swedging and em- | bossing sheet iron, stove bodies, stove- | pipe, powder kegs and other articles of a like character. It is made by the E. W. | Bliss Company, of Brooklyn, N. Y., and weighs about 800 pounds. The beading ; or embossing rolls are fitted on the outer! NEW BEADING MACHINE, BUILT BROOKLY ends of steel shafts, 24 inches diameter, 4 | inches center to center, with bearings in| the frame of the machine extending near to the rolls, thus giving a good support | for heavy work. An adjustable apron gauge admits of beading work up to 14| inches from’edge. An outer support for the work is provided with adjustable rolls | for cylinders of different lengths and diam- | eters, and may be removed entirely if de- sired, The two shafts are connected by | steel-cut gears, and upon the outer end of lower shaft is mounted a cut gear 12 inches in diameter, driven by a 3-inch pinion upon a back shaft, which is also provided | with a powerful friction clutch pulley, 14 | inches diameter by 4-inch face. This | clutch is connected with a treadle, which | gives the operator complete control of its | action. That part of the frame carrying | the upper shaft is pivoted at the back} end, the rolls being brought together by a screw and hand-wheel, and when released, /soon made the exact location of the leak | apparent. 'an obsolete type to-day. | torious. THE IRON AGE. The break in the main was known to be between the banks of the river. A solu- | | tion of bi-permanganate of potash was in- | | troduced at a hydrant on the side of the |river nearest the reservoir, and observers | were stationed on the river along the line of the main. A deep reddish purple dis- | coloration of the river water at one point I The Monitors. One of the officers of the U. 8. Steam- ship Boston, writing to the New York Times recently on the United States Navy, | refers in the following interesting manner to the monitors: Notwithstanding all the inventions and improvements in naval warfare during the BY N, THE E. i W. BLISS COMPANY, past 20 years, the monitor is by no means On the contrary, it embodies many of the most essential features of a strong coast defender. The only respect in which it failed during the war, as shown by the official reports of all commanders, was in close range fighting against shore batteries and earthworks having a plunging fire and mounting a large number of guns. At long range the result was always different, and in every instance of fighting against other types of ships the monitor was uniformly vic- Now, as the duty to which we will assign the monitor in the future will be mostly that of coast defense (fighting an attacking squadron), the one weakness developed in the past will not militate against it. The monitors were seldom pierced or permanently disabled during the war, though frequently subjected to a terrible hail of heavy projectiles. To be sure, there has been a great increase in the strong spiral springs inside the frame sep- | penetrating power of modern rifles since arate them again. A novel method of locating a leak in a water main was employ recently at Rochester, N. Y., with entire success. the war, but there has also been great im- provement in methods of defensive con- struction, and, with thicker armor on the turrets and sides, double bottoms, and numerous water-tight compartments, our Cc | “er would be more efficient. | light draft of the monitor. 119 monitor type may still hold its own against the most powerful ordnance. At the distance of a mile the Chief Con- structor remarks that the 30 inches of side exposed subtends an angle of only 2 feet, and the turret an angle of but 4°. The chance of hitting this mark is, therefore, very small, and shot striking short may ricochet harmlessly over her decks. The 10-inch rifle will pierce 23 inches of wt wrought iron at the muzzle and 174 inches at the distance of a mile, and, as the Chief Constructor safely concludes, our present monitor may tackle the most powerful ships afloat. Their light draft and low hulls, as compared with other ships, give them a tremendous advantage, since they can lie in shoal water along our coasts, in the Chesapeake and Delaware Bays, and | off our big cities, where the deep draft of ships of an enemy cannot follow, and thus keep up a destructive and harassing fire. Great speed is therefore not so vitally necessary with such a coast defender, since its light draft would enable it to choose its distance in most cases. An enemy would be compelled to send against us large, sea-going ships of high freeboard and great coal-carrying capacity, to enable them to sustain themselves for any length of time on our coast, and these ships, drawing much more water and offering a large target to shoot at, would be at a | great disadvantage in fighting a monitor. For the defense of New York no type The shoals off Sandy Hook, along the Long Island shore and between the main ship channels wouid afford safe cruising ground for our light- draft sentinels, while torpedoes could be planted as thick as desired in the path the deep-draft enemy would be obliged to fol- low. There are no ships afloat to-day which carry such powerful guns with the The Devasta- tion, Thunderer and Dreadnaught, Eng- land’s seagoing monitors of high freeboard, and all the more modern and powerful ships draw from 24 to 30 feet of water, which would compel them to maneuver with care in the vicinity of shoals. If monitors are to be built in the future purely for coast defense their coal and pro- vision carrying capacity could be reduced toa minimum, thus saving weight which | would permit much thickey armor on tur- rets and sides for these floating batteries assigned for duty off our principal ports. They could run in frequently for coal and provisions at rendezvous well selected in shoal water where the enemy could not follow. To sum up, the monitor is a su- perb type, and by giving it a single turret the armor may be increased to 40 inches if necessary (which will defy the 100-ton gun, which pierces about 36 inches), and this with an armored turtle back but 2 feet out of water would make it practically invulnerable and a match for anything that floats. I In the City Court of Birmingham, Bam- hill & Co..: filed a suit against H. F. De Bardeleben for $20,000 damages. The bill of complaint alleges that the plaintiffs were residents of Belmont County, Ohio, and the owners of a boiler factory. Mr. De Bardeleben induced them to remove their plant to Bessemer, and, as the bill alleges, agreed to give them a deed to one acre of land in the Marvel City. This occurred in May, 1887, and the deed to the one acre of land has never been made, hence the suit. The length of pipe laid in Paris for the distribution of power by compressed air already exceeds 30 miles. The com- pressing engines are of 3000 horse-power, and about 3,000,000 cubic feet of air are compressed daily to a pressure fof 80 pounds per square inch at an expenditure fo 50 tons of coal. - , 120 THE IRON AGE. July 26, 1888. Economy of Naphtha Engines. As promised in a recent issue we present this week some particulars of tests of a naphtha launch engine, made a short time ago by Messrs. Paul A. Doty and Richard Beyer, at Stevens Institute, and recorded by them in their graduating thesis. The engine upon which the experiments were made was furnished by the Gas En- gine and Power Company, of New York, and was of the type illustrated and de- scribed in detail in The Iron Age of June 30, 1887, to which it may be interesting to refer. The engine was set up in a tem- porary building in the immediate vicinity of the institute building and tested several weeks, The pump which forces the liquid naphtha into the boiler is permitted to leak slightly, the liquid which escapes passing by the driving shaft, thus lubricating the bearings, and finally escaping with the ex- haust vapor. As the latter is condensed and returned to the storage tank this leak- age results in no loss of liquid, the only effect being the necessity of making the bore of the pump slightly larger than would be necessary if there were no leak- age. But in order to test the engine it was necessary either to measure the amount of leakage or to prevent it entirely. As the latter could be more easily done the pump was changed accordingly. The di- mensions of the engine are given below: Principal dimensions of Engine and Boiler: Number of single-acting cylinders............ 3 Diameter of cylinders, each.......... 314 inches ON OE MNO, cease ive sswatnees 416 inches Piston displacement.......... 871¢ cubic inches Area of admission port..... 7-32 x 2 1-16 inches Area of exhaust port....... 5-16 x 2 1-16 inches Inside diameter of naphtha pump....114 inches Stroke of naphtha pump ........... 18¢ inches Travel of main valves, each............ % inch Clearance in admission port,.0.366577 cubic in. Clearance in indicator-pipe. .0.981750 cubic in. Clearance in cylinder........ 0.518487 cubic in. Total clearance for each cylinder, 1.866814 cubic inches, or 54¢ per cent. of piston displace- ment. Floor space occupied by engine..24 x 18 inches Total hight including stack.............. 6 feet Boiler dimensions in spiral coil: IO, 5 cov ocssecaecawecn 12 inches ge eer 12 inches There are seven spirals, each of four coils; inner diameter of smallest coil, 4 inches; coils are of seamless copper tub- ing, outside diameter of which is } inch. The coil is connected at its lower end to a tube leading to the naphtha pump, and at its upper end toa casting, which joins the coil to a stand-pipe. The stand-pipe is of iron, 14 inches inside diameter, 2 feet long. The burner has 26 openings, each ,°, inch in diameter. Six indicator cards were taken from each cylinder with a 40 spring at as nearly uniform pressure as was practicable. It will be observed that in the first and second cylinders there is considerable initial expansion, while ir the third the initial pressure is mainteined with marked uni- formity up to the point of cut-off, which was at halfstroke. In all of them the drop at release is very abrupt, the pressure fall- ing 2t once to very nearly that of the atmos- phere. The back-pressure is uniform and small, and the compression line is good. The difference between the cards in the first and second engine and the third one ap- peared to be due to the working of the valve, although there was not time to ex- amine into the cause. Results. The total horse-power developed from the three cylinders was: Horse-power. 0.9178 0.9176 First cylinder ... ............0. cecees Second cylinder Third cylinder KbShe See hasgeuGnkeeseeseat aun 2.8064 | — 2116.2 5th, 1888, the date of the test, being 10 cents | point does not appear to be a fixed quan- per gallon, the cost per horse-power per | hour was 6.20 cents. The average number of revolutions per minute was 280.7. The number of cubic feet of water per horse- power per hour used to condense the ex- haust naphtha was 135.27. The tempera- ture in the smoke-stack was about 600° F. It was attempted to develop a higher horse- power, but when run at a much greater speed the engines did not work properly. It was inferred that the valves ought to have more lead, or else the pump should be larger, or both these conditions should | exist in order to develop the higher horse- power, but the time at the disposal of Messrs, Doty and Beyer unfortunately was too limited to enable them to investigate these points. tity, owing to the complex chemical com- position of the naphtha. In a continuous experiment, extending for one hour, the temperature at boiling rose from 140° F. to 155° F., the mean of which is 148° F. nearly. Under these circumstances the result, 142° F., found by the formula is as good as can be expected. - To find the latent heat of evaporation the exhaust vapor was condenseG under atmospheric pressure by passing it through a surface condenser kept cool by a stream of water, whose initial and final tempera- tures were measured. It was found that the number of pounds of water passing through the condenser per hour was 25594.25. The increase in temperature of | this water was 3.9° F., and the number Three sets of experiments were made to of pounds of naphtha passing through the determine the relation between the press-| condenser per hour were 421.28, From Fig. 1.—Diagrams from First Cylinder.—40 Spring. INDICATOR CARDS FROM A ure and corresponding temperature of the saturated vapor of naphtha. These ex- periments gave: Bb OD Tim: PRORTENS gc v0 00:00. v0ncdiensseet 258° F. ae WTC LITT TLC 242° F 35 S = Ip wh eens Rescerenediouos 225° F which substituted in Rankine’s formula (Wood’s Thermodynamics, p. 67), | com. log. p= A——— —) gives, for the continuous relation between the pressure per square foot and the abso- lute temperature: 890 625750 T c? As a partial test of the correctness of this formula Messrs. Doty and Beyer com- com. log. p = 6.47 — 0.9710 | puted from it the temperature of the vapor for a pressure of one atmosphere, or pounds, finding s = 602° F. The amount of naphtha burned in one | absolute, 7’ = 142° F. above the zero of the hour Was 9.89 pounds, and the amount of Fahrenheit scale. An independent test NAPHTHA LAUNCH ENGINE, ; this they deduce 25594.25 x 3.9° = 99817.575 heat units; 99817.575 + 421.28 236.94 as the latent heat of evaporation at atmospheric pressure. Volume of Vapor. From equation (84), p. 98 of Wood’s Thermodynamics, they have for the vol- ume of 1 pound of the saturated vapor: ya a = Vi = 7 - =. dr - He ee eel 6 p (= ~ —) x 2.302 which for naphtha vapor becomes V Vr 236.94 x 778 — = 7.669 cubic feet. The volume of 1 pound of —_—— at 60° F. = 0.0234 cubic feet; therefore, naphtha per horse-power per hour, 3.53| was made in the laboratory to determine Va = 7.669 — 0.0234 pounds. The market price of naphtha, June! the boiling point directly. The boiling = 7.6456 Cubic feet. July 26, 1888. The number of pounds per cubie foot is 24035.5 + 184339.32 = 0.1304 pounds. One pound of naphtha vapor at atmos- pheric pressure occupies 7.669 + .0234 = THE IRON AGE. using oil for fuel. The building is so large that an enormous stock of coal would have to be constantly carried to meet its requirements, while oil can be stored a | Fig. 2.—Diagrams from Second Cylinder.—40 Spring. ’ a 7 Fig. 3.—Diagrams from Third Cylinder.—40 Spring. INDICATOR CARDS FROM A NAPHTHA LAUNCH ENGINE. 827.73 times the volume of 1 pound of | long distance from the building and piped The tanks naphtha at 60° F., while steam occupies | in gradually as it is consumed. about 1660 times its volume as water. for storing the oil supply will be located I on the lake front outside of the tracks of The great Auditorium building in Chi-|the Illinois Central Railroad, and so far cago is being fitted up with a view to’ away that no possible risk from their in- 121 flammable contents could be incurred. A cleaner and more controllable fuel than coal will also be obtained in this way, which is an important consideration in the minds of the builders of the Auditorium. I The Cruiser Charleston. The first of the new cruisers laid down by the present Navy Department was launched last week from the Union Iron Works, San Francisco. The Charleston is a twin-screw cruiser of 3730 tons, built of steel throughout, having a length between perpendiculars of 300 feet, a beam of 46, a draft forward of 174 feet, and a draft aft of 194. She isdouble-bottomed under engines and boilers. She has also a curved or turtle-back steel deck from two to three inches thick running from stem to stern, and protecting everything below it, being a foot above load-water line at the crown and then sloping at its edges to four feet below the water. Coal bunkers are so arranged as to furnish further protection. The compound engines are in two separate compartments, and actuate 3-bladed twin- screws. The indicated horse-power under forced draft is 7500, and she is expected to make a maximum of fully 18 knots an hour, At 10 knots an hour her coal will last for 8600 miles, and at 8 knots for 11,000. She has no sail power, however, except storm sails, but has two military masts. Her regular coal capacity is 450 tons, but she can carry 800, with an in- crease then of 14 feet in her draft. Her hold is divided into many water-tight com- partments by bulkheads, furnishing room for stores, ammunition, chains, and so on. The main battery consists of two high- power breech-loading, 10-inch steel rifles, mounted on central pivots, besides six 6-inch rifled breech-loaders, The second- ary battery of the Charleston will consist of rapid-fire Hotchkiss guns and Gatlings, and she will also have a supply of auto- mobile torpedoes, to be launched from tubes mounted above water in broadside. A The Molders’ Union.—At the Iron Molders’ National Convention which was held in St. Louis recently, it was reported officially that in 1886 and 1887 there had been 22 disagreements between employers and union molders over wages and hours of labor. Of these 12 cases were settled on terms favorable to the molders, 7 were defeats, 1 is still unsettled and 2 con- tinue in active progress. The most not- able defeat was suffered in the strike which began in March, 1887, at the stove works of the Bridge and Beach Mfg. Company, of St. Louis. The National Association aided the strikers for the fol- lowing half year and then withdrew from the contest. It cost Unicn No. 10 alone the sum of $23,348.40, and built up the Manufacturers’ Defense Association in powerful opposition to the workingmen’s organization. The strike fund was re- ported at the recent session to have re- ceived during the past year $36,068.93, and to have disbursed $33,833.54 among 18 unions, leaving $2,235.39 on hand. There was a net increase of 3571 members in the year. A According to Prof. R. H. Thurston, there are three great chances left for in- ventors—viz., the production of electricity directly from the combustion of coal or similar fuel; secondly, the production of light without heat, as in the case of the light of the firefly and that of the glow-~ worm; and, thirdly, the production of a | successful air ship. The Blake and Blenheim, two of the latest English cruisers, have been designed for speeds of 22 knots per hour. 122 THE IRON AGE. July 26, 1888, i, ean oO ———o— Recent Customs Decisions. DUTIES ON THIN SHEETS OF STEEL. The Secretary of the Treasury has re- voked a former decision that certain so- called ‘* black taggers ” iron was dutiable at the rates for steel in sheets, having reached the following conclusions upon the questions involved: Schedule C (T. L, 151) provides that ‘all iron commercially known as common or black taggers iron, whether put up in boxes or bundles, or not,” shall pay a duty of 30 per cent. ad valorem. This para- graph also expressly includes various kinds of plate and sheet iron, and closes with a proviso ‘‘that on all such iron and steel sheets or plates aforesaid, excepting, &c., when galvanized or coated with zinc or spelter or other metals, or any alloy of those metals, } cent per pound additional.” ‘*Taggers iron’ was first mentioned eo nomine in the act of August 30, 1842, but does not seem to have been specially | designated in subsequent tariff laws until the passage of the act of June 30, 1864, but during the period intervening between 1846 and 1864 was probably classified for duty under the provision in the various tariff laws for sheet iron, common or black, &c. Since 1864 it has paid duty at the rate of 30 per cent. ad valorem, it being specially enumerated. The proofs show that during all this period, and down to the passage of this act of March 3, 1883, merchandise having substantially the same qualities, and pro- duced by the same process of manufact- ure as the articles eonthed in these im- portations, was commercially known as ‘taggers iron,” or ‘‘ black taggers,” and was classified for duty under the provis- ions of law above referred to. Such clas- sification continued after the passage of the act of 1883, until in January last, when it was insisted by the revenue offi- cers that this merchandise was not iron or a manufaeture of iron, but was steel or a manufacture of steel, and should be classi- fied under paragraph 177, which imposes a duty upon steel bands, hoops, and sheets of all gauges and widths valued at 4 cents a pound or less, at the rate of 45 per cent. ad valorem, and if cold-rolled, &c., + cent per pound in addition, and duty was levied accordingly; and it was in one of these cases that the decision of the Depart- ment was made. It will be perceived from an examina- tion of this decision that among other things it was based upon a report from the appraiser at New York stating ‘that brands identical with those covered by the entries in question have been invariably classified at that port as steel,” &c. This proves to be an incorrect statement of the contents of the report in this respect, as the report merely stated that it was the practice at that port to classify such mer- chandise as steel, but that it had been in- variably so classified at that port was an inference of the Department, and not a fact stated by the appraiser. A further report from the appraiser at New York was called for in these cases, from which it appears that for a period of 20 years or | more it has been the invariable practice at that port to classify such merchandise as ‘* taggers iron,” and to assess duty accord- ingly. The same fact is also conclusively established by the papers submitted by the appellants, and the further fact that during all this period it was commercially known as ‘‘taggers iron,” and bought and sold in the market as such. Affidavits of the manufacturers are also submitted, from which it is, I think, satis- factorily made to appear that the article is in fact iron or a manufacture of that material, and not steel or a manufacture of steel. The only evidence tending to show that it is a manufacture of steel is the report of the chemists who have made the analyses or tests of the metal, which is to the effect that it is a lew grade of steel. Whatever the fact may be in this respect, I cannot doubt, from an® examination of | paragraph 151 and subsequent paragraphs, that it was the intention of Congress to | subject it to duty according to its well- | Such | known commercial designation. seems to be the express language of para- graph 151, and the proviso also contem- plates that some of the articles specified in the paragraph might also possess the properties of steel, for it declares ‘‘ that on all such iron and steel sheets or plates aforesaid” an additional duty might in | certain cases be imposed. So in paragraph 153 ‘‘iron or steel sheets or plates, or taggers iron,” seemed to be regarded as convertible terms. The said decision, having been made upon an erroneous view of the facts in the case, is hereby re- voked, and the claim of the appellants, which is that the merchandise is dutiable at the rate of 30 per cent. ad valorem, | under the provisions in said schedule for ‘* all iron commercially known as common | or black taggers iron, whether put up in boxes or bundles, or not,” is hereby sus- tained. The collector is instructed to re- liquidate the entry accordingly, and to take the necessary steps for the repayment of the duties erroneously exacted. DUTY ON POLISHED PLATE ZINC. On an appeal from an assessment of duty at the rate of 45 per cent. on ‘‘zinc or tutenag in sheets nickel-plated,” claiming that the merchandise is dutiable at 24 cents per pound, as zinc or tutenag in sheets, or at po more than 35 per cent, at valorem, as plated articles, and returned by the appraiser as a manufacture of zinc, the Secretary of the Treasury says: ‘* From the special report of the appraiser it ap- pears that the merchandise in question consists of sheets of zinc not nickel- plated, which are specially manufactured for printing purposes, and are stamped ‘polished plate for transfer or pen work,’ that these sheets are cut in the forms and of the sizes to suit the special purposes for which. they are designed, and that they are not the ‘sheet zinc’ of commerce, It also appears that these sheets have the | surface of one side deadened by the ap- parent use of an acid, while the surface ot the opposite side has been highly polished by friction. These articles are, therefore, manufactures, J zinc and not otherwise specially enumer- ated or provided for, are dutiable at the rate assessed.” aa ceili Among the papers just published by the American Institute of Mining Engineers, is one by Frank C. Roberts, of Phila- | delphia, on calculations of the available heat and the required dimensions of chim- neys, combustion-chambers and gas burn- ers in the use of blast-furnace gases for firing boilers. Judge Wheeler, in the Unitea States | Circuit Court, has rendered a decision in favor of the city in the important suit of Campbell os. the Mayor, &c., of New York. The claim was for the infringement of the patent of James Knibbs for a relief valve | for steam fire-engines granted in May, 1864, and the amount involved was upward of $2,500,000. The suit was commenced in 1877. Testimony was taken for four years, and the suit was first heard in 1881 by Judge Wheeler, who held the patent valid and infringed by the city fire-engines, and decided in favor of the complainant. A reference was then ordered to a master to compute the amount due from the city, and this reference has been continued for some years to the present time. Court has now sonntel its former decision, and holds that the patent is invalid, be- and, being of The | cause the invention is proved to have been in public use for more than two years | prior to the application. | —$— $$$ rr | Employers’ Liability in Massachusetts. Western Massachusetts, if not the entire State, has had for the past week the trial of the first cause under what is known as the Employers’ Liability act, passed in 1877, in four cases tried together against the Hudson Iron Company. October 15 last Patrick Myers, Michael Flynn, Michael Kane and John Fallon, all employees of the Hudson Iron Company, while being lowered into the mine in the morning in a bucket commonly used for that purpose, and also for hoisting ore, received injuries which rendered one of the plaintiffs crip- |pled for life, and the others were also badly injured. By some means the hoist- |ing machinery was out of order, and when 50 feet from the top of the shaft it gave way and the four men fell a distance of | 125 feet in the bucket to the bottom of the shaft. Myers brought suit for $10,060 and the other three for $5000 each against the Hudson Iron Company, a wealthy cor- poration, whose furnaces are at Hudson, N. Y., but whose mines are at West Stock- bridge, just over the line in Massachusetts. The case was begun before Chief Justice Brigham, of the Superior Court, last week, and was concluded in a disagreement of | the jury. | The plaintiffs claimed that under the -new Employers’ Liability act defendants | were guilty of gross carelessness in not | providing proper machinery; that it was 'old and had been frequently broken, and that the brake bar regulating the speed of | the bucket going down into the mine had | become so weakened that it could not hold 'a load of four men; that the horns of the friction-clutch operating drum had become | beveled, and when they were applied to |the rapidly descending bucket did not |hold; also that the company did not em- | ploy a competent engineer at that time to |manipulate the machine; that oil and | water had been allowed to accumulate on _the drum-head so that the brake would not ‘hold. On the other hand the defendants ‘set up that the men could go either by bucket or a chute in another part of the mine, and that going by bucket was their option, and that they did not exercise due care, and thereby contributed to negli- gence. Scores of witnesses, many of them expert machinists, were examined, and it appeared in evidence that shovelers, like the plaintiffs, were allowed no discretion, but had to go by the bucket, while the miners went by chutes. The case has attracted a good deal of attention, especially as the Knights of Labor have furnished money for the prose- cution of the company as a test case, while, on the other hand, many manufact- urers and others have attended court in order to see what decision would be reached, as it might affect their own mills. | Chief-Justice Brigham held that if the de- fendants had furnished an ordinarily safe machine that they had discharged their duty, especially if the plaintiffs had the option to go by the bucket rather than the chute. The jury deliberated nine hours and stood nine for a verdict and three against. The latter held that there was apn option afforded plaintiffs to get to the mine, and that from a personal view of the premises by the jury when the trial began the machine that was capable of raising and lowering 700 pounds ‘of ore was capable of carrying safely four ordinary sized men. Senator Dawes was of counsel for defense. Additional interest now attaches to the case from the fact that no decision has been reached, and that there will now be a delay of new trial before the question | can be decided. July 26, 1888. THE IRON AGE. THE WEEK. The directory ‘‘ booms” of many pros- perous and ambitious American cities are | under full headway now. The little city of Portland, Ore., shows an increase of 1650 names over last year’s directory und ten larger cities make the following gains in the number of names: Milwaukee, 5286; Atlanta, 5809; Denver, 5866; Kan- sas City, 6373; St. Louis, 6934; Omaha, 8135; Brooklyn, 8256; Baltimore, 9488; Minneapolis, 15,069, and Chicago, 16,675. The most remarkable figures are those from Baltimore and Minneapolis. There will be at least 30 cities in the United States in 1890, instead of 20, as in 1880, which will show a population of more than 100,000, and the number may reach | 35 The River and Harbor Bill, appropriat- | 000,000, the largest amount | 99 ing over $22, ever voted by Congress in that direction, now awaits the President’s signature. The Conference Committee struck out the item of $500,000 for the purchase of the Portage | Lake Canal, Mich., but the items provid- | ing for surveys of the Hennepin Canal | and the proposed canal between the Illinois | River and Lake Michigan are retained on the condition that the Government be not considered committed to either of | the schemes. The sugar trade is badly demoralized by | Trust operations and the corner of the raw product produced by their chief antagonist, Claus Spreckles. The whole sale grocers suddenly found their supplies | seriously reduced, and the Trust was un- prepared to meet the emergency both as to supply of raw material and refining capacity. Not only are refineries from one to two weeks behind in their deliver- ies, but for the most part they have de- clined to take orders except to book them at prices to be fixed for them on delivery. As a consequence the jobber has been forced to sell sugar at such a close margin of profit that there scarcely rests any motive for doing business. gross profit on assorted grades is about 7 per cent. It costs him 6 per cent. to handle the goods, leaving him 1 per cent. net. The total exports of petroleum and other mineral oils from the United States for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1888, amounted to 554,901,395 gallons, valued at $45,150,708, compared with 576,094,- 849 gallons, valued at $45,423,474, for the previous year. This is a decrease of 21,193,454 in gallons and $272,766 in value. The following ports, which ship about 99 per cent. of the total exports, shipped amounts during the past two years as follows: 1888, 1887. Gallons. Galions. New York...........394,180,131 400,488,533 Philadelphia. ........ 146,671,617 156,519,944 Baltimore, ........... 8,684,648 12,428,145 Ps dv cvarecnecee 5,364,999 6,658,227 Total...... .....554,901,395 576,094,849 Of the $8,000,000 invested in the pot- | tery industry in this country $4,000,000 is centered in Trenton, N. J. potteries there. They give employment to about 5000 persons, who receive weekly in wages about $50,000 when the potteries are running. A fine earthenware dinner set, decorated with flowers, gold edge, and so forth, can be purchased now from the American potteries for $25. pottery before 1878 $45. The subject of Australian trade is re- ceiving special attention on the Pacific Coast on account of the Melbourne Inter- national Exhibition, as the Californians are anxious to secure the largest share pos- The jobbers | There are 26} The same | thing would have cost from an English | sible. A San Francisco paper, looking at | hundred and forty packs of 23-carat gold- the statistics of the trade with the United | | worth $4.70. | States during the last two years, says: | They show that our imports from the col- | onies increased to the extent of $1,500,000 within a year, while our exports to the | colonies decreased to about the same ex- | |tent. The figures are as follows, and are for the fiscal year ending June 30: | Year. Imports. Exports. kL Soros $3,859,360 $11,134,301 DTA Kdveauncan’ ee 4,411,119 9,668,435 | This shows a considerable loss in our| export trade, which is pretty evenly divided in proportion to its extent between Pacific Coast and Eastern points, thus: Exports. 1886. 1887. | Pacific Coast......... $2,150,046 $1,731,675 | Eastern points.... 8,984,255 7,936,760 RO ceiexetinn $11,134,301 $9,668 435 |In the matter of imports, however, the Pacific Coast shows an increase of $814,- 000 in the course of a year, while in the East the imports decreased to the extent | of $262,000 in the same year. Dr. H. N. Allen, secretary ot the Corean Legation to the United States, speaks of the growing intimacy between the two countries, whose relations are closer than those with any other. He is now in New | York arranging direct telegraphic com- |munication. California will probably be | granted concessions to work the gold mines, which are believed to be very rich. American officers are reorganizing the Corean army and will introduce American | weapons. A contract has been made with a firm in the United States for the expor- tation of 50,000 tons of rice. Oscar 8. Straus, United States Minister | to Constantinople, who 1s about to return that the relations existing between the two countries are of the most friendly character. Wealthy Chinamen are obtaining sub- scriptions for a Chinese Exchange to be erected in Mott stre