The Iron Age : Volume XLII : October to December, 1888

This is a reproduction of a library book that was digitized by Google as part of an ongoing effort to preserve the information in books and make it universally accessible. Google" books https://books.google.com The Iron Age Thursday, October 4, 1888. New Duplex Pump. We illustrate on this page a duplex steam pump of new pattern, more espe¬ cially intended as a means of boiler supply. It is built by Mr. John H. McGowan, of Cincinnati, Ohio, and, as the engravings will show, embraces a number of interest¬ ing features. The steam end has valves and steam- ports and packing similar to other patterns of duplex pumps. The mechanism mov- the lever A (see Fig. 2) has cast on its horizontal branch B the lup 5, which works in an opening in the link D' (Fig. 1), connecting the lever A with one of the valve-rods, while the lever A' has keyed on its horizontal branch E a lug e, which works the link D. An examination of the engravings will make the action readily understood. The pump end is substantial. The valve arrangement is entirely new in prin¬ ciple and construction. There are no Under the superintendence of M. Abt, the rails describe one grand curve formed upon an angle of 112°, and, by an arrangement of the Abt system, the journey is made as steadily and smoothly as upon any of the straight funicular lines previously con- * structed. The Burgenstock, being almost perpendicular, it would have been impos¬ sible to construct a railway upon the old E lan. From the shore of the Lake of ucerne to the Burgenstock is 1880 feet, and it is 2860 feet above the level of the Fig. 1 .—Longitudinal Section . DUPLEX BOILER FEED PUMP, BUILT BY THE JOHN H. McGOWAN CO., CINCINNATI, OHIO. ing the steam-valves is simple and effect¬ ive. The valve-rods are supported and guided in a straight line by tne standard on which the valve levers A and A' work. It will be noticed that the levers work on a common center, and that the links that move the valve-stems come in contact with the collars on the valve-stems. Any undesirable lost motion that may anse from wear can be taken up by adjustment of the collars on the valve-stems. These adjustments may be repeated until the lost motion caused by the wear of any or all parts of the valve gear equals the space or lost motion necessary in a new pump between the valve-moving links and the collars on the valve-rods to insure full strokes of the main pistons. We need perhaps scarcely explain that the left-hand valve-lever works the steam-valve of the Tight-hand pump, and vice versa. Thus gratings to clog up, nor are there any valve-stems to be broken off. By the con¬ struction of the valve-seats and the man¬ ner in which they are arranged to fit the valve-boxes it is impossible for the seats or valves to become misplaced. By the removal of the cap supporting the air chamber all the valves and seats can be re¬ moved or replaced at will. Another valu¬ able feature in these pumps is that the valve-box can be taken off and turned to change the position of the suction and force pipe openings. Both steam and water pistons have metallic and self- adjusting packing, by which the friction is reduced to a minimum. An Electric Mountain Railway.— An electric mountain railway, the first of its kind, has recently been opened to the public at the Burgenstock, near Lucerne. D sea. The total length of the line is 938 meters and it commences with a gradient of 82 per cent., which is increased to 58 per cent, after the first 400 meters, and this is maintained for the rest of the journey. A single pair of rails is used throughout, with the exception of a few yards at half distance to permit the two cars to pass. Through the opposition of the Swiss Gov¬ ernment each car is at the present time only allowed to run the half distance, and they insist upon the passengers changing, in order, as they say, to avoid collision or accident. The motive power, electricity, is generated by two dynamos, each of 25 horse¬ power, which are worked by a water-wheel of nominally 125 horse-power, erected upon the river Aar atits mouth at Buochs, 3 miles away. The electric current is conducted by means of insulated copper wires. The loss in transmission is estimated at 25 per cent. e 496 THE IRON AGE. October 4, 1888. Minnesota Iron Ores.—I- BT JOHN BIRKINBINE, PHILADELPHIA, PA. The iron mines of Minnesota will supply close to 600,000 tons of ore in 1888, the question of how much the total output falls below or exceeds 500,000 gross tons to be decided by the number of vessels which load ore at satisfactory rates at Two Harbors. The Minnesota Iron Company were fortunate in making vessel charters, Dy which it is understood that the lake freight on most of the ore from their Tower mines costs from $1.10 to $1.80 per ton, but for any excess of ore, and for the output of the Chandler mine, which has only had railroad connection since August 15, more advanced rates, possibly $1.60 to $1.75 per ton, must be paid. These, how¬ ever, will hardly reach the extravagant figures of 1887, when heavy shipments from the Gogebic mines made late charters bring $2.75 or even $8 per ton for ore from Ashland, Wis., or Two Harbors, Minn. The large all-rail shipments will also have a tendency to keep lake freights lower than they were last year, and it is not improbable that the proposed increase of the lake marine may encourage vessel owners to hold the rates for water trans¬ portation within reasonable limits. The proposition to establish at Sandusky a large iron shipyard has brought before the public, through the medium of published correspondence, a more intimate knowl¬ edge of the carrying capacity of the ves¬ sels now engaged, and the cost and profit of conveying ore from the Lake Superior and Lake Michigan shipping ports to the receiving ports on Lake Erie. TWO HARBORS. Since last year radical • changes have been made at Two Harbors, whence all the Minnesota ore is sent forward to the blast furnaces. In 1887 Two Harbors had one shipping dock with 124 pockets, the ag¬ gregate capacity of which was 18,500 gross tons. In 1888 the second dock was put into use,, and there are now 206 pock¬ ets, with a total capacity of 21,000 gross tons. Marked improvements in the har¬ bor and in the shops on shore, a rearrange¬ ment of tfacks, &c., have put the Duluth and Iron Range Railroad in position to handle ore promptly, and to keep the road and rolling stock in excellent order. The whole complement of over 850 cars is kept fully employed, and frequently a tram is loaded with ore at the Tower mines, runs 70 miles to Two Harbors, dis¬ charges its load into the pockets, returns empty to the mines, is loaded again, and on its way to the lake within 24 hours. A shortage of vessels, therefore, speedily produces a stagnation, and early in Sep¬ tember all the pockets were full, and 1800 tons of ore in cars awaited a chance to be be dumped. The railroad has been carry¬ ing about 20,000 tons per week, and the shipments up to the close of August reached an aggregate of 227,500 tons. As lake navigation will not be suspended until the middle of November, the proba¬ bilities are that the Minnesota Iron Com¬ pany’s mines will produce 450,000 tons and the Chandler mine 40,000 tons of ore, bringing the total for Minnesota close to 500,000 tons for 1888. ALL-RAIL SHIPMENTS. Some of the output will go by all-rail routes, and if the present rate of $2.50 per ton from Tower to Chicago is main¬ tained the quantity of ore thus handled will be considerable. Up to September 1, 28,500 tons of ore had been sent forward in this way. The ore at present gods via the Duluth and Iron Range Railroad to Duluth, the St. Paul and Duluth Railroad to St. Paul, and by the “Burlington” system to Chicago, a distance of nearly 700 miles. The severe winters of the Northwest offer little discouragement to “all-rail” shipments of the hard lump ores from Tower mines, and experience in shipping the softer Gogebic ores teaches that the greatest annoyance arises from the cars meeting a thaw and subsequently freezing en route . With continuous rail shipments and augmented lake transporta¬ tion it is moderate prophecy to figure on an increase for 1888 of 25 per cent, over the output, of nearly 395,000 gross tons in 1887. Some of the Minnesota ore goes this year to Troy N. Y., Scranton, Pa., Pottstown, Pa., and to some of the Lehigh Valley blast furnaces. This suggests the thought that what the demagogue is pleased to designate as “monopolies ” must in this case be satisfied with fairly mod¬ erate profits. For the raining company re¬ moves the ore from the ground, loads it into cars, one railroad company transports it 70 miles, dumps it into expensive ore docks, and thence into vessels which carry it the entire length of Lakes Superior, Huron and Erie to Buffalo; there it is shoveled into buckets, lifted from the hold, loaded into cars and carried by another railroad 800 miles across the Em¬ pire State, to meet practically at tide water foreign ores which pay a duty of 75 cents per ton. THE IRON BELT. The Vermillion range, from which comes all of the iron ore which has so far been shipped from Minnesota, exhibits the ore beanng rocks, extending from Tower (70 miles north of Duluth) in a north¬ easterly direction for 50 miles to the Canadian border, and the i as per formation in which the ore is found is traced also into the Dominion. All of the water from this range finds its way into Rainy Lake and river, and thence into Hudson’s Bay. The Messabi range of granite, which is 15 miles south of the Western end of the Ver¬ million range at Tower, has a more northerly trend, approaching the Ver¬ million range near the Nations boundary. It, however, extends further west than the Vermillion range, and indications of mag¬ netic iron ores are reported for 80 miles west of and 50 miles east of a point 55 miles due north of Duluth. The range also passes into the Dominion. The ore so far explored in the Messabi range occurs in jasper or quartzites in a ridge or hills just south of the granHe range. Most of these ores are magnetites, but some hema¬ tites in jasper are also found. An inter¬ esting discovery has lately been made close to the line of the Duluth and Iron Range Railroad, 48 miles from Two Harbors, which is being thoroughly explored. In¬ dications favor finding a deposit of soft hematite ores similar to some of the Me¬ nominee or Gogebic ores. The Messabi range is the water-shed between the drainage of Lake Superior and that of the Mississippi River and Hudson’s Bay; the prevailing opinion being that magnetites occur on the Superior slope and red hema¬ tites on the other. The exceptions seem too numerous to make the rule hold good, and some excellent cores of magnetite have been taken by diamond drills from the vicinity of the Vermillion range. Explorations are much less active than last season, and the Chippewa Indians who fancied that they were prospective million¬ aires, will now sell a birch bark canoe for $2, which they sold several times over in 1887 to various prospectors for from $10 to $15. The energy displayed in prospecting last year was commendable, and if “good turns ” are made on some ventures, the profit will be well earned. Access to the range was, until lately, possible only by canoe route, and as a consequence the amount of luggage was reduced to a mini¬ mum. There is considerable romance in the prospect of a ride in a real birch bark canoe, but when four or five persons get into one of these apparently frail structures bringing the gunwales into close proximity to the outside water-level by the \ ton of humanity and luggage it carries, a few hours will reduce the sentimental to the real. Kneeling at bow or stern and wield¬ ing a peddle continuously, is as monot¬ onous, and possibly more wearisome than sitting in acramped position on a “pack,” in either case balancing constantly so as to pre¬ vent the canoe capsizing by the waves on the lakes, or by sudden turns in the narrow creeks. When relief comes, it is to shoulder a rude knapsack or “pack” with head strap and assist over the portage, wading through swamps, slipping from logs or scrambling over rocks and through under¬ brush until the canoe is lifted from the head of the Indian, and again placed in the water ready for its load. Many accustomed to the conveniences and luxuries of city life have made long canoe journeys into this wilderness, tramped through rough or swampy ground in summer, or paddled over ice and snow on snow shoes in winter, seeking a paying mine, trying with com¬ pass, pick and drill to explore nature’s secrets. Up to the present time the prospects have been numerous and the mines few, but there seems little reason to doubt that development will prove the deposits of iron ore in Minnesota to be both numer¬ ous and important; the extension of rail¬ road facilities bringing into prominence mines whose names may become as famil¬ iar as those of some of the Marquette mines. At present, however, there ap¬ pears to exist no cause which would have necessitated the transfer of the interest controlled by Mr. Charlemagne Tower, of Philadelphia, other than that he received his price, and developments must increase in number and importance before another railroad is constructed from the iron range to the lake. One retarding factor to developments is the uncertainty of fee of some lands, owing to the failure of the homesteader to “ prove up,” or to the efforts on the part of speculators to question whether the land laws were fully lived up to. Several suite have been entered since the develop¬ ment of iron mines made the Minnesota wilderness valuable. It is the custom now (where any uncertainty exists as to the proper fulfillment of the Land Office re¬ quirements) for the homesteader to re¬ nounce his claim to the tract, which the purchaser immediately takes up with script issued to soldiers or to the Sioux half- breeds. This makes an indisputable title and protects the parties who are develop¬ ing tne property. There is a radical dif¬ ference in the method generally followed in opening up the Vermillion range to that pursued in the Gogebie range two years # ago. The properties in the former are to a large extent being explored by the own¬ ers, no leases of importance having been made except at the Chandler mine. Sev¬ eral syndicate operations to control large tracts of land in the Vermillion range contemplate the purchase of the land and not the lease. On the other hand, the fee of most of the territory embraced in the Gogebic range was in the hands of a few private owners, or else came into the pos¬ session by grant to the ship canal or rail¬ road companies. As a result the realty was not sold, but a lease drawn to the advantage of the land owners was the rule in the Gogebic range, and numerous or¬ ganizations called “ mining companies ” - placed stocks before credulous investors, offering as an asset an iron-clad contract by which the mining company agreed as lessee to pay a royalty (generally 50 cents per ton) on all the ore taken from the property, but in any event, whether ore was mined or not, the lessor was to receive pay for an amount which was fixed as the minimum. The wild speculation which resulting in placing over $100,000,000- Digitized by Google J October 4, 1888. THE IRON AGE. 497 nominally of “mining stocks” on the market at ridiculously small percentages of the “par value,” and the collapse of the bubble which were to be expected, will be beneficial to the Vermillion range by encouraging investments approaching more closely the intrinsic value of prop¬ erty, and by insuring development less rapid but more permanent, because it will be done by the owners of property and not by lessees. It may be paradoxical to assert the fact, but it is evident that the absence of rail¬ road facilities along the Vermillion range is to its future advantage. The Duluth and Iron Range Railroad passes over the Messabi range, and, after meeting the Ver¬ million range, follows practically the strike of the ore-bearing rocks to Ely, from which it can and probably will be extended eastward. This gives convenient access to the canoe routes, and permits of getting tools and provisions into the camps of the explorers; it can also deliver the necessary machinery for preliminary numbered as they are received. The former given an even number, the latter an odd number. Double Saw Machine. J. A. Fay & Co., of Cincinnati, Ohio, are bringing out a double saw machine especially adapted to the wants of cabinet¬ makers. The general appearance of the machine is shown in the annexed engrav¬ ings. The frame is exceptionally heavy and strong, the arbors large in diameter with long bearings, each arbor and frame being adjusted independently of the other in plane gibbed ways, so arranged as to always retain the same general tension of the belt at any point to which they may be elevated. The hand wheels for use are convenient to the operator, and the table always remains at the same hight. The top is of iron, carefully planed, and measures 4 feet 2 inches by 4 feet 11 inches. It is fitted upon one side with an adjustable fence, close of the blow he charges a few shovel¬ fuls of sand. The ferromanganese is added in a liquid state, being melted in crucibles. After the addition of the ferro¬ manganese the metal in the converter is thoroughly rabbled, and then the steel is cast as quickly as possible. At the time of our visit a number of large rolls were be¬ ing cast for Jones & Laughlins, of Pitts¬ burgh, the Troy Steel and Iron Company, and others. The blooming mill has been idle for a considerable period and the building is soon to be used for rolling cast- steel wheels. Twin-Screw Steamers. Twin screws driven by triple-expansion engines have in so many cases proved more effective and economical than the side-wheelers and propellers built a few years ago that the question of converting old side-wheel steamers into twin screws is likely to arise. The experience of an DOUBLE SAW MACHINE, BUILT BY J. A. FAY & CO., CINCINNATI, OHIO. development at points from which it can be earned on sleages in winter to most of the properties presenting an encouraging outlook. There is no doubt but what the railroad will be extended as rapidly as circumstances demand, or, if not, that other railroads will be constructed to handle the ore which is taken out in quantity from any mines which may be opened. This will encourage judicious exploitation. On the Gogebic range the railroad followed the ore strike and preceded much of the development, thereby stimulating the operators to bring the mines into the list of shippers as soon as machinery could be set up; opening some of them in a temporary manner and obtaining cheap ore for the present, which must be more than offset by augumented cost in the future. During a recent visit to the Philadel¬ phia Shafting Works, G. V. Cresson, Philadelphia, we were impressed with the methodical manner in which all the de¬ tails of a large business were being carried through in every department. Mr. Cresson has, many “wrinkles” which save time and avoid annoyance. A very simple plan has been adopted by him to distinguish between city and country orders. All are I which can be set to different angles, and is moved in planed ways to and from the saw. The other side carries a cutting-off slide, provided with stops to govern the length to be cut, which can also be set at varying angles. ^ slots for miter or cutting-off slides are placed close to each saw. The space between the two saws is of wood, and may be thrown back, allowing free access to the saws. Groov¬ ing, rabbeting, plowing and other heads can be used in place of either saw, which may be both np or rip and cross-cut, ac¬ cording to the work required to be done. The Pittsburgh Steel Casting Com¬ pany.—Under the management of William Hainsworth, who seventeen years ago be¬ gan with a single crucible, the Pittsburgh Steel Casting Company, at Pittsburgh, has acauired a national reputation for crucible ana Bessemer steel castings. During a recent visit we found the works engaged in a large variety of work in the crucible department, and had occasion to witness a blow in the Bessemer department. The latter is equipped with two converters casting into one pit. Mr. Hainsworth melts the best stock available, the differ¬ ences in his practice from that usual in Bessemer works being that toward the English railroad company in this direction is therefore interesting. The London and Northwestern Railway some months since placed their paddle-wheel steamer, “ Duch¬ ess of Sutherland ” (built in 1869), in the hands of Messrs. Laird Brothers for con¬ version into a twin-screw steamer, with the expectation that her efficiency for their cross-channel cattle trade would be im¬ proved, and that considerable gain in economy would result from the introduc¬ tion of more modern machinery. The work has been completed, and on a recent trial trip the vessel ran 14^ knots, the engines developing 1400 horse-power. The old machinery, side wheels and boxes were removed, but the forward and after sponsons or guards and their houses on each side are retained and connected, the houses forming quarters for the ship’s officers, storerooms, &c. The old siae- wheel space is decked over and formed into a large additional space for cattle. The necessary alterations have been made about the stem of the vessel, and stern tubes and brackets fitted, and the arrange¬ ment of engine keelsons, bulkheads, coal- bunkers, &c., has been modified to suit the new machinery. This consists of two sets of triple expansion engines having cylinders 16^-inch, 26-inch and 41-inch diameter, with a stroke of 80 inches, and Digitized by Google 408 THE IRON AGE. October 4, 1888. working at 150 pounds pressure, steam being provided by two double-ended cylindrical Scotch steel boilers. The carry¬ ing power of the vessel has been increased by about 100 tons, large additional deck space for cattle gained, while the net register tonnage has been reduced by 247 tons. The speed has be^n considerably increased, and the consumption of fuel reduced 60 per cent The Grading of Southern Pig Iron. In the New York market report of The Iran Age of September 27th we announced that Southern pig iron manufacturers had agreed to change the grading, the new and old grades compared being as follows: New Grade. Old Grade. No. # l Foundry.No. 2 Foundry. No.*2 Foundry..No. 2W Foundry. No. 3 Foundry.No. 1 Mill No. 1 Soft.Open Bright. No. 2 Soft.Close Bright. Silver Gray.Silver Gray. Gray Forge.No. 2 Mill. Mottled. White. The following companies have agreed to the change: Operating the furnaces. 4 Ensley. 2 Alice. 3 So. Pittsburg. v 1 Sewanee. * SI 088 Iron and Steel Co_ 4 Sloss. Tennessee Coal, R. R. Co. Iron and Nashville Iron, Steel and Charcoal Co. Williamson Iron Co. Mary Pratt Furnace Co.... Roane Iron Co. Citico Furnace Co. Dayton Coal and Iron Co., Limited. Gadsden-Alabama. Furnace Co. Walker Iron and Coal Co.. Chattanooga Iron Co. Sheffield Sc Birmingham Coal, Iron and Ry. Co.... Eureka Company. Woodward Iron Co. De Bardeleben Coal and Iron Co. 2 Nashville. 1 Williamson. 1 Mary Pratt. 2 Rockwood. 1 Citico. 2 Dayton. 1 Etowah. 1 Rising Fawn. 1 Chattanooga. 3 Cole. 2 Eureka. 2 Woodward. 2 De Bardeleben. As bearing on this subject, we quote the following from a paper read by Kenneth Robertson, general manager of the Sloss Iron and Steel Company, Birminghnm, Ala., at a meeting of the American Insti¬ tute of Mining Engineers. It deals, of course, with the evil as it existed, but— All strangers visiting this district are struck with the peculiar manner in which the pig iron is graded. There are 11 regular grades, besides which, when Gray Forge Is ordered, one-half of Nos. 1 and 2 Mill are shipped. Occasionally there is another grade known as Silvery Mill, which is made so seldom that I cannot describe it, and have no sample to exhibit. Most of you have found it difficult to grade properly and uniformly under the simpler system which ob¬ tains elsewhere, and can consequently readily imagine the increased difficulty with us. Each furnace employs an expert, and even with this precaution the system is not conducive, at all times, to amicable relations between buyers and sellers. I am told that it was adopted at the time Southern irons were seeking a market. The grades are as follows: No. 1 Foundry (no longer recognized), a large-grained, dark-colored iron with crystal¬ lization extending well out to the edges of the pig. In my experience but little of it is made, and I am inclined to regard it more as a freak than a product. An average of three analyses shows 3.66 per cent, silicon m this grade. No. 2 Foundry (new No. 1) is the equivalent of a No. 1 Foundry at the North. An average of 18 analyses gives 3.02 per cent, silicon. No. 2% Foundry (new No. 2) corresponds to No. 2 Foundry elsewhere. An average of eight analyses shows 3.02 per cent, silicon. No. 1 Mill (new No. 3 Foundry) is also known as No. 8 Foundry, and in it are included irons which are not quite good enough for 2% Foundry, and also those which are equal to what is known as Gray Forge in the Lehigh Valley and vicinity. The best of this iron is used for foundry purposes. An average of four analyses gives 2.87 per cent, silicon. No. 2 Mill (new Gray Forge) is between l Mill and Mottled, and contains 2.44 per cent, silicon as an average. No. 1 C. (now Silver Gray) is open-grained Silver Gray. I have but one analysis, which shows 5.25 per cent, silicon. No. 2 C. (now abandoned) is cloee-grained Sil¬ ver Gray. Average of three analyses, 7.09 per cent silicon. No. 1 Bright (now No. 1 Soft) is a foundry iron which is lignt in color but open-grained. It is made by every furnace in every district at times; but it is only in this section that it is separated from the foundry irons. Elsewhere it would be shipped as No. 1 Foundry. Aver¬ age of three analyses, 3.69 per cent silicon. No. 2 Bright (now No. 2 Soft) is one grade lower; is closer grained; and the average of fourteen analyses is 3.11 per cent, silicon. Elsewhere it would be a No. 2 Foundry. To complete the number, we have Mottled and White, which are the same here as else¬ where. An idea has been prevalent for a long time that Southern irons are highly siliconized and weak; that the product of the furnaces is not foundiy, but chiefly of the lower grades; and that the lower grades are sold witn difficulty. The preceding analyses show that the foundry irons do not contain more silicon than irons of the same grade in other districts; the mill irons are higher in silicon than those of Glen- don and Andover, but they are sold without difficulty. As to the product of the furnaces, I will give the percentages of each grade which one of the furnaces under my charge made dur¬ ing ten months’ working under very disad¬ vantageous circumstances. Other furnaces in the district have undoubtedly done much better; and these figures are not given as typical, but merely to show that we do make foundry iron, and that the greater portion of our prod¬ uct is not of lower grades. The average of 27 determinations of phos¬ phorus is 0.6o per cent. Percentages of Old Grades Made. No. 1 Foundry.. No. 2 Foundry .. No. 2W Foundry No. 1 Mill. No. 2 Mill. No. 1. C. No. 2 C. No. 1 Bright. No. 2*Bright_ Mottled. White. 0.27 26.23 19.48 83.82 6.85 0.56 1.39 6.07 2.76 2.38 0.19 Total. 100.00 Calling the bright irons Foundry, which they are, the proportion of foundry iron made was 54.81 per cent., probably half the 1 Mill would have been classed as foundry elsewhere. These results are not considered as the ne plus ultra of furnace work, but will show what we are doing, and also that the impression that but little foundry iron is made here was erroneous. The Waterbary Manufacturers and Lake Superior Copper Interests. larged and the capital increased, the re¬ turns being uniformly large. Of the four Naugatuck mills one failed, and its inter¬ est was disposed of to a number of parties, the remainder of the holdings being to some extent sub-divided by death and marriage. Mr. Clark was interested largely in the Osceola Mining Company, and it was through his efforts that his associates, the three remaining brass and copper works in the smelting company, entered into an agreement with him to take the product of the Osceola Mine at a price lower by 4 cent than the market price in New York between the 15th and 25th of each month. This agreement was advantageous to both parties, since it freed the Osceola Company from participating in the sacrifices made by the Lake Superior copper companies on export sales during the existence of the pool. The income of the mills in question was considerably enhanced by the results of their investment in the smelting com¬ pany, and it is this which is the only direct connection which there is now or has been between the copper and brass manufacturers of New England and the mining interests of Lake Superior. The Cost of Blooms and Billets. On page 696 of the “ Tariff Statements ” of the Finance Committee of the Senate we find the following figures of cost of converting pig into Bessemer ingots, and the latter into blooms and billets: Cost of Bessemer Ingots Waste of pig and new material .$2.80 Labor...1.12 Fuel.35 Refractories..15 Molds and stools..24 Maintenance and running expenses.75 Total.$5.41 Cost of Bessemer Blooms from Ingots. Waste of metal.$0.65 Labor.63 Fuel....25 Maintenance and running expenses.55 Total $2.08 Cost of Blooms from Pig. Pig to ingot...$5.41 Ingot to bloom.2.08 An impression widely exists in the metal trades that Connecticut and Massa¬ chusetts copper and brass manufacturers are largely interested in Lake Superior copper mining enterprises. In a conver¬ sation recently with one of the leading manufacturers of the Naugatuck Valley, we were given the leading historical facts which may have created the impression above alluded to. It appears that in the early history of the opening up of copper mines of the Upper Peninsula, one who had been connected with brass and copper manufacturing in Connecticut was struck by the opportunities offered in the way of the establishment of smelting works at Detroit. The matter was broached to Waterbury mills, and after some hesitation a committee of two was appointed by the latter to investigate on the spot the pro¬ posals made. The result was the building of a smelting plant below Detroit, the original capital of the concern, the Water¬ bury and Detroit Copper Company, being $20,000. At practically the same time Mr. J. W. Clark and others inter¬ ested in Lake Superior mining had started works at Houghton, called the Lake Su¬ perior Copper Company. Both prospered, the former concern having for its stock¬ holders four of the Waterbury mills. A few years later the two smelting works were consolidated under the name of the Detroit and Lake Superior Copper Smelt¬ ing Company, which for a good many years handled practically the entire output of mineral from the Lake Superior mines. From time to time the works were en- Total.$7.49 Cost of Bessemer Billets Waste of metal.$0.90 Labor. 1.60 Maintenance.45 General maintenance of works and run¬ ning expenses. 1.10 Fuel.29 Total.$4.34 Cost of Billets from Pig. Pig to ingot..$5.41 Ingot to bloom. 2.08 Bloom to billet. 4.34 Total.$11.83 No indication is given of the source from which these figures have come, nor is there any clew to the locality. Still they are of much interest, as showing the items of labor, of fuel and of waste. They are valuable, too, as indicating what is the cost of the forms of soft steel given over the cost of pig iron. Williamson Bros., of Philadelphia, Pa., have received an order from the International Steamship Company for a hoisting engine for their new steamship City of New York. This is doubtless the only American built engine or piece of machinery on this famous vessel. They are also building four hoisting engines for the company’s dock in New York city, two of which are double drum hoisters. They have re¬ ceived an order from the Clyde line for four hoisting engines on the steamship Benison, to replace the English ones now on board. Digitized by Google October 4, 18^8. THE IRON AGE. 409 Cost and Prices of Iron Beams. STATEMENT OF F. J f SLADE, OF NEW JERSEY. ♦ There is probably no branch of iron man¬ ufacture that requires such heavy and ex¬ pensive machinery for the output of so little product as that in question. The average output of each of the mills en¬ gaged in this manufacture in the year 1887, in which year the product was larger than m any previous year, was less than 9000 tons. This quantity is much less than the product of a steel-rail mill in a single month. This great difference is due to the fact that steel rails are rolled on orders for thousands of tons, of a single pattern and of uniform length, thus enab¬ ling every operation of the works to be systematized to the highest degree, and special machinery to be devised to reduce the cost of each item to a minimum. In the manufacture of rolled beams, .however, the orders are for quantities sel¬ dom as much as 50 tons, to be made at a given time, usually for lots of a single car¬ load or less. While the quantity of beams in large fire-proof buildings seems consid¬ erable, the fact is that, being erected only in large cities, the total quantity of beams required for them is, after all, small. Moreover, the orders are not given in such a way as to enable the beams to be rolled in quantity, as in the manufacture of rails, but are given out a story at a time, each containing a great variety of sizes and lengths, requiring constant changes of rolls, and, consequently, constantly inter¬ rupting the manufacture. The variety of regular patterns is so great that a period of one or two months usually elapses from the time any one is rolled till it can be again made, and, con¬ sequently, it is necessary, in order to ship beams as required, to carry a large stock of all sizes, and to cut from this beams of such sizes as cannot be rolled promptly. The waste in this operation is very large, and, as it applies to a very large proportion of the total business, be¬ comes an important factor in the cost. It is evident, therefore, that no two branches of manufacture could be more unlike than the manufacture of steel rails and that of rolled beams—the one the most uniform, and dealing with immense quantities, the other cut up into little lots of the most diverse character. As already stated, the machinery* re¬ quired for the production of these large sections is so expensive that the capital in¬ vested in proportion to the yearly product is very great. Hence it is impossible that any profit can be realized unless the beams be sold at a price considerably above that charged for such staple articles as rails or merchant bars. It is popularly considered an axiom that competition for orders will necessarily cease when the price obtained ceases to yield a profit, ana that, there¬ fore, unrestricted competition will insure the manufacturer as large a profit as he is fairly entitled to. Every manufacturer knows that this is entirely untrue. The cost of every manufactured product is made up of two classes of expenses—namely, those which depend upon the output, such as material, labor and fuel, and those which must be met whether or not any product be made, such as taxes, rent, interest on mortgages, salaries, general expenses, &c. There will, of course, be no competition for work at prices below those which will cover the expenses of the first class, but the price must be sufficient to cover both classes of expense before any profit can be realized, and the keenest competition occurs when the ruling price is such as to somewhat more than cover the first class * Argument before the Senate Finance Com¬ mittee. without fully meeting the second, because there is then a life or death struggle to reduce the inevitable loss which stares the manufacturer in the face. Under such cir¬ cumstances there is no escape from bank¬ ruptcy except in some means which will limit competition. It has been charged that a “trust” exists among the makers to maintain an exorbitant price for this product. It is true that to prevent ruinous competition there have during the past 16 years, with a single interval, been agreements of vari¬ ous kinds between the makers of beams to maintain the price at a figure that would yield a fair profit. We claim that the { >ublic have no right to the products of abor at a less price than will yield a fair profit on that labor. We claim also that when prices fall below the point at which this can be secured, it is the natural right of any man to agree with his com¬ petitors to maintain prices at a fair figure. We claim, indeed, that it is the duty of the manufacturer se to protect his investment, for capital invested in plant for a profitless manufacture can¬ not be withdrawn, such works be¬ ing entirely unsaleable, and, therefore, the manufacture must be made profitable or the capital is practically destroyed. That nothing more than this has been at¬ tempted by the makers of beams is sus¬ ceptible of easy proof. During the whole period referred to the profits on the cap¬ ital invested have not amounted to 10 per cent, per annum, while the public have had the full benefit of the cheapening of cost by the reduction in the cost of raw material and the improvement of processes, the prices at which beams are sold to-day being but a trifle over one-half of that pre¬ vailing in 1878. There is no complaint from our cus¬ tomers of the operations of the so-called combination (there is no “ trust ” what¬ ever) ; on the contrary, the course pursued has their support and approval. This is due to the fact that we have always made it a principle to make absolutely no dis¬ crimination between one party and an¬ other, and, therefore, every buyer is sure that he is on the most favorable basis in relation to his competitors. There has never been the slightest effort to coerce any one, either rival manufact¬ urer (of whom there have been and are sev¬ eral) or purchaser, either from engaging in the manufacture, or from buying their beams of parties not under agreement, or importing them from abroad. The beams can be and are now laid down here at less than the ruling American price. Their quality, however, is so inferior that in most cases the American beams are pre¬ ferred. We hold, therefore, that there has been nothing in the conduct of the beam-mak¬ ers to warrant a reduction in the duty on this article, and to do this because they have taken rational means to protect them¬ selves from loss would be an act of war¬ fare which Congress has no warrant for waging upon them. It is no part of its duty to destroy the reasonable profits of manufacturers, nor to take away their natural rights in order that the rest of the public may for a time profit by their ruin. It is for the interest of all that all capital invested in useful industry should be fairly profitable, and therefore where, as in the present case, no injustice can be shown, but, on the contrary, a record that has won the approval of all concerned, it would be a gross wrong for Congress to discriminate against this industry. The Michigan Central Railroad has for some time past, in connection with its track work, been operating a portable steel rail saw which was designed and built for them by the Industrial Works, of Bay City, Mich. Much remarkable work in cutting E off the ends of battered rails has been done with this machine, but the maximum yet reached was a recent accomplishment. On September 12 Mr. J. B. Morford, su¬ perintendent of the Canadian Southern di¬ vision, telegraphed the Industrial Works as follows: “We have beaten the record with our rail saw, having cut and drilled (both ends) 872 rails in 10 hours’ service on Tuesday, the 11th inst.” Machinery of the Steamship City of New York. So much interest has been centered in the new Atlantic steamer City of New York, of the Inman and International Line, and the ship herself is such a strik¬ ing example of progress in marine archi¬ tecture and engineering, that a general description oi some of her machinery will, no doubt, prove acceptable. We there¬ fore reprint the following from the London Engineer: The steering gear is Brown’s patent, made by Messrs. Brown Bros., of Rose- bank Works, Edinburgh. In each of the two main engine rooms is placed one of Brown’s hydraulic engines, which supplies a system of mains, traversing the ship fore and aft with water at a pressure of about 1000 pounds on the square inch. The engines are vertical, compound rotative, and pump the water into a steam accumu¬ lator: the steam at 150 pounds on the square inch driving down a piston, the thick rod of which plays the part of the ram of an ordinary aead weignt accumu¬ lator. The pressure water is employed for working the hatch derricks, weighing the anchor, &c., and also for steering. The City of New York has an enormous rudder, partially balanced, and of peculiar construction. It will be remembered that the ship is on the Admiralty auxiliary list, and in order to render her rudder safe from hostile fire it is wholly submerged. There is no rudder head to be seen from the out¬ side ; inside it terminates in the after peak below water-level. It is fitted with a tremendous crosshead or tiller which is operated by two hydraulic rams. Room for these could not be found sufficiently far aft, so they are linked to the crosshead or tiller, as it may be called, by a round steel bar 12 inches in diameter, and about 12 feet long The rams are about 18 inches in diam¬ eter and have tremendous power over the rudder. In order to provide against the effect of shocks caused by the impact of the waves there is a loaded relief valve on each of the hydraulic presses. The water is admitted to either press by valves which are situated near the bow of the ship. These valves are plain slides in a small box, and they are controlled by a tiller about as large as would be used in a 5-ton yacht. The tiller actuates one end of a short lever. The fulcrum end of this lever is controlled by an arm on the vertical spindle of a quadrant which lies under the deck. Two steel wire ropes, each with a breaking strength of 7 tons and stressed to about £ ton, run from the rudder head to the quad¬ rant. The effect is precisely that of the bunting gear in a steam steering gear. As soon as the steersman puts the tiller he holds to port or starboard the appropriate valve just under his feet is opened. The rudder then moves and through the medium of the wire rope it closes the valve so that the rudder is held in its new position. Another movement of the tiller opens the valve. The corresponding motion of the rudder shuts it again, and so on. Thus the great ship can be steered by a boy. The practice was so novel to the men that it was difficult at first to get a straight course kept by those who had been accustomed to a wheel, and we are told that the best steersman on board was Digitized by Google 500 THE IRON AGE. October 4, 1888. a quartermaster well up in yacht sailing The engines which supply the hydraulic power are extremely ingenious. One very beautiful device is that by which they are automatically rendered non-compound for half a stroke in order that they may start with certainty after standing. They run quite freely and steady at any speed and for any position of a stroke required to keep the accumulator up. A complete electric plant has been fitted on board, the power being supplied by five engines and dynamos placed on a platform between the two main engines and above the level of the top of the cylinders. These engines and dynamos supply current not only for light but to four large horizontal fans on the hurricane deck driven direct by mo¬ tors. These fans and motors are located in the tops of ventilating shafts extending down into the depths of the ship from which they draw air. This is, so far as we know, the first time that electricity has been used for ventilating purposes in a ship. The propelling machinery consists of two of the largest sets of triple-expansion engines afloat. They are of the usual in¬ verted vertical type. The cylinders are 45 in. -h 74 in., -f 113 in. x 5 ft. stroke. The boiler pressure is 150 pounds. The screws are 22 feet in diameter aud 28 feet pitch. They revolve out board, and there is no opening in the dead wood between them. If they worked without slip they would make 218 revolutions to the mile, and at 80 revolutions, which may be taken as the standard speed, the ship would steam at 22 knots. With a slip of about 9 per cent, therefore the speed of the ship would be 20 knots. The engines stand side by side with a longitudinal bulkhead between them. They are in every respect duplicates. A door is provided in the bulkhead opposite the intermediate cranks and the starting platforms are opposite the doorway. The reversing gear is Brown’s patent hydraulic. The engines are quite easily started, stopped, or reversed by one engineer on each platform. The engines are wholly of steel and gun metal, save the cylinders. The great “A” frames are splendid castings, each weighing 6 tons—that is, 12 tons for each cylinder. The valves are all pistons—four being fitted to the low-pressure cylinder, two to the intermediate and one to the high-pressure cylinder. The eccentric hoops are cast-steel lined with white metal, as are all the bearings throughout. The valves are disposed in the “ corners,” so to speak, and the valve-stems are united in pairs by crossheads. They work so smoothly and are so perfectly balanced that the valve gear, which is of the ordinary Stephenson link type, has really very little to do. The surface condensers are horizontal cylinders lyinj* rather high up in the wings. The air pumps are worked by back levers in the usual way. There are no feed pumps on the main engine, the boilers being supplied by five vertical Worthington donkey pumps in each engine room, standing' against the forward bulkhead. Two of these pumps will feed the boilers, but the others are for reserve, or for the countless pumping jobs wanted in a big ship. The engines actually employed at any time in feeding the boilers are controlled by an automatic arrangement, a float in the hotwell, rising or falling with the level of the water in the well, and opening or shutting the throttle-valve, an arrangement which is, so far as we are aware, quite new in marine work, and found to answer admirably; the donkey remaining steadily at work instead of tearing away for a few minutes emptying the hotwell, aud then having to stand until the well fills again. It would be difficult if not impossible to find more admirable examples of the highest type of mechanical engineering than is supplied by the splendid main engines. NEW VERTICAL MILLING MACHINE, BUILT BY THE E. W. BLISS CO. BROOKLYN, N. Y. come to be considered one of the most ef¬ ficient of labor-saving machines for gen¬ eral machine shop use. One of the most recently improved ma¬ chines of this class we show on this page. It is a very heavy and substantial machine, built with especial reference to conven¬ ience of operation. The bed and upright portion are made in one casting and well braced. The upright portion is cored out and provided with shelves and a door, making a convenient tool closet. The table has an automatic cross feed driven by a belt having four changes of speed. Independent circular and longitudinal feeds are also supplied. The cutter spin¬ dle is provided with means of vertical and side adjustment not clearly shown in the engraving, and the head which carries the spindle is counterbalanced and is raised and lowered by a screw operated by the Company, of Brooklyn, N. Y., who have 16 of them in operation in their own works. Wire-Drawing Plate Blanks.—The Treasury Department has made the iollow- ing decision in a letter to the Collector of Customs of New r York, dated September 18: “Steel-wire drawing-plate blanks which have been forged into the sizes and shapes desired preparatory to their further manufacture and completion for use as ‘ drawing plates,’but which have not un¬ dergone any such further manufacture, are held to be dutiable at the rate of 2+ cents per pound, under the provision in Sched¬ ule C (T. I., 167) for ‘forgingsof * * + steel.’ ” The City of Pans, sister ship to the City of.New 1 York, is almost ready for launching. New Yertical Milling Machine. Milling machines of various designs have, during the last few years, come into more general use than formerly. Much work that was formerly done on the planer or shaper can be done on a suitable milling machine not only better but much more rapidly. It is also a more economi¬ cal machine from another point of view*, as it does not require such skillful and high-priced labor to run it on a large ma¬ jority of the work done as does a planer or shaping machine. It has, therefore, hand wheel shown on the side of the ma¬ chine. A small blower driven from the countershaft by a round belt is attached to the machine, and a flexible pipe is con¬ nected with it for the purpose of blowing the chips from the work so that the opera¬ tor may clearly see and follow the lines marked out on it. The machine is built in two sizes, the smaller size having a circular table 20 inches in diameter, while that of the larger measures 24 inches, the dimensions of other parts being correspondingly larger. The machine is built by the E. W. Bliss Digitized by v^ooQle October 4, 1888. THE IRON AGE. 501 OoTernment Receipts and Expenses. The Warrant Division of the Treasury Department has published tables showing the receipts and expenditures of the Gov¬ ernment in detail since the year 1850. The table of receipts shows that