The Iron Age 1889-02-14: Vol 43

HE The Nash Gas Engine. erned the designing of the engineof which lates the relative proportional supply of gas and air to the cylinder, so that the charge is of uniform quality and density. we present a perspective and sectional drawings. It was aimed to operate the engine with a conbustible mixture always of uniform proportions; to provide for governing ; to supply the mixture as fast as THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1889. through the mixing valve shown in Fig. IRON AGE trolled by the valve & operated by the gov- —_ 3, which is placed externally as represented | ernor n. Several important considerations gov- in Fig. 2. This valve automatically regu-| The ignitor >, Fig. 1, and shown | enlarged in Fig. 4, is based upon a new | principle. The igniting jet of combusti- | ble mixture is caused to rotate in the cir- Air enters through the opening at the bot-| cular chamber 7, into which it enters tom, while the flow of gas is regulated by In the interior are two valve} This forms a vortex of plane which is the valve 7. laced. |through a passage tangentially used ; to prevent the premature ignition of | ports of unequal area, with which a double-| positive in its action and simple. The the charge; to prevent the flame in the ' seated valve, i, operates by its weight verti-' valve itself, B, is made of steel, and is THE}; NASH GAS ENGINE, power cylinder from being communicated back to the supply reservoir; to prevent the leakage of the supply valve from foul- ing the supply for the engine; and to pro- vide for”the admission of the charge, its ignition, prevent the fouling of the supply, and prevent the back passage of the flame by a poppet valve. aa The combustion or power chamber is formed partly in a separate hood and com- municates at one side of the latter with the supply valve port. The forward end of the power cylinder opens into a casing of the base, which forms a compression supply chamber of which the piston is the com- pressor. In this chamber work the con- necting rod and crank, and into it the com- bustible mixture of gas and air is drawn during the upward stroke of the piston AA A we r BUILT BY THE NATIONAL METER cally to control the flow of gas through the | smaller valve and the flow of air through ithe other. It is evident that the relative | quantities of air and gas drawn in by the | suction created by the upward movement | of the piston will be in accordance with the size of the air and gas openings. The valve is made of sufficient weight to greatly overcome the gas pressure, so that any slight variations in the latter will not |materially affect the proportions of the parts of the mixture. |shown in Fig. 1. Its admission to the controlled by a valve of the poppet type, having an ample bearing seat. The quan- | tity of gas admitted at each stroke is con- From the supply reservoir the mixture | | passes upward through a passage clearly | |combustion chamber above the piston is | COMPANY OF NEW YORK. | hardened and ground to size. It moves in | a reamed hole in the case, being so loosely | fitted as to drop of its own weight, and | yet making a gas-tight joint. Since the valve is perfectly balanced as to gas press- | ure, it moves without friction, and there- | fore requires a very small quantity of oil— | just sufficient to prevent it becoming dry. |The valve is made long, and the lower part has a bearing in that part of the case | kept cool by a water jacket. As oil is | only applied to the lower end, very little can work up to the hot end where the ig- nitor is heated; hence the formation of gummy oil is prevented and the valve sel- dom needs cleaning. In actual use it has | been found that the case and upper end | of the valve never come into metallic con- tact, as, on account of the looseness of fit ss i #@2 £4244 130006 | * Nh OP Bie) 5 airs “es a. : 6 ER QO ee ie 230 at that point, a scale of hard carbon is formed over the surface of each, which protects them from abrasion. The valve is positively operated by an eccentric on the shaft. The piston connection, shown clearly in Fig. 2, is unique in design, as it is not ‘‘ pin connected,” and as it operates without friction. Held rigidly to the piston is a hardened and ground steel block, against which the end of the con- necting-rod, which is also hardened, rests. The rod has no sliding movement; it = rocks on the bearing pin. It is held in place by a yoke, and as the press- ure on the piston is always downward the yoke is not subjected to strain. The engine ignites its charge at each revolution, and the amount of the charge is controlled at each stroke by a governor, as before mentioned, so that the regula- tion is as close as for a steam engine. An examination of a card taken from this en- gine shows a remarkable resemblance to Fig. 3.—Mixing Valve. DETAILS OF NASH the card of a steam engine. The pressure at the beginning of the stroke is moderate and the line of the expansion is well sus- tained throughout the entire stroke. There is no sudden shock, and the pressure on if the working parts is as easy as if steam ; were the motive fluid instead of an ex- Fig. 1.—Side Sectional Elevation, GAS ENGINE, ‘uniform speed, such as electric lighting. THE IRON AGE. February 14, 1889 losive mixture. The fly-wheel is stationed tween two bearings formed in the single base casting, and hence the alignment of the shaft is always true. The working parts are inclosed and protected from The engine shown in the engraving occu- pies a floor space of 25 x 85 inches, is 41 inches high, and will develop 2 horse- power. This engine is the invention of L. H. Nash and is manufactured by the Fig. 2.—End Sectional Elevation, BUILT BY THE NATIONAL METER COMPANY OF NEW YORK. dust, and at the same time they are readily accessible by swinging covers. Owing to the high speed attained by the engine, and also to the fact that the piston receives a positive impulse at every stroke, it is especially adapted for work requiring National Meter Company, of 252 Broad- way, New York. It is reported that the Chapin*JMine, on the Menominee range, has been leased for 30 years for a cash consideration, and subject to a royalty of 40 cents ajton. February 14, 1889 THE IRON AGE. 231 Pipe and Nipple Machine. spectively) with the front end of the|is prevented by pins bearing against the levers e¢, which are pivoted in the head d,| shoulders m of the screws, so that when The accompanying engravings represent | and carried by the chuck. The rear ends}the latter are turned the jaws will be a combined pipe and nipple machine built | of the levers are coupled together by| moved to or from the pipe as required. by the Bignall & Keeler Mfg. Company, | springs, not shown, and are provided with|The outer end of the shank & is flush of St. Louis. It is adapted to mill use| rollers, /, for riding over the cone g, which | with the outer end of the carrier, and is and common job shop work; it cuts and | surrounds the spindle h, and is moved to! formed with a key, by which the screw threads both pipe and nipples from } to 2! and fro along the latter for operating the | may be turned. When the cone g is moved ea) UH TT 4 ‘sf ia ST TT a a h a | —— ALT NIPPLE GRIPPER Fig. 1.—Perspective View. along the spindle by its clutch in the usual manner for diverging the rear arms of the levers, the jaws of the grippers are brought toward the pipe and the rear por- tions of the gripping edges of the jaws | are caused to bite into and grip the pipe somewhat in advance of, and therefore to a greater extent than, the front portion of the edges, and the pipe is more firmly held than when the grippers close upon the pipe at right angles. To increase the gripping force the inclination of the cone | at its highest pass is lessened so as to gain more power on the levers at that point. | By turning the screws the jaws can be | speedily adjusted to different sized pipes. By the use of four jaws in lieu of two, as usual, the pipe is set truer as the grippers close upon it. The slides used for hold- ing the pipe steady while cutting off are operated by a crank and right and left screw on the work side of the machine. When the machine is used as a nipple chuck, nipple grippers are inserted in place of the pipe grippers, the rest of the chuck being as described. By using four nipple grippers, or quarter sections, the nipple is readily released by operating the chuck with the lever movement and allow- ing the nipple to drop. So great is the demand upon the re- sources of the various shipbuilding yards in the Delaware River and at Wilmington that contracts for early delivery cannot be made. It is stated that the United States | and Brazil Mail Steamship Company are Fig. 3.—Front View of Fig. 2. Fig. 2.—Longitudinal Sectional Elevation of Chuck. PIPE AND NIPPLE MACHINE, BUILT BY THE BIGNALL & KEELER MFG. COMPANY OF ST. LOUIS MO. inches inclusive; no change, except of the| levers in the usual manner. The rear grippers, is required for either service. | edges of the jaws are formed with lateral The machine need not be stopped to) ribs, and are fitted within grooved recesses, change the pipe, as a simple lever move-| 7, formed longitudinally in the faces of ment opens or closes the chuck at will. | the carriers ¢, these recesses corresponding Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional elevation, |in shape to the jaws. The jaws, thus broken away, when used asa pipe gripper; | constructed, can be adjusted longitudi- Fig. 8 is a front view of the same. The} nally in the recesses by means of adjusting jaws or grippers a are fitted radially to| screws, which engage internal threads in the pipe 4, at right angles to each other, 'the outer ends of the jaws, the shanks & within the carriers or holders ¢, which are| of the screws passing through circular arranged in front of the head d of the/| openings in the outer ends of the carriers chuck, and are formed in one piece (re-|c. Longitudinal movement of the screws | unable to procure bids upon two steamers which they want unless willing to wait two | years for them to be finished. The ships | recently negotiated for include one for the | Mallory Steamship Company and two for the New York and Caba Mail Steamship | Company, which will be built at Roach’s yard, one for the Morgan Line, and two for the Red D Line, contracted for a William Cramp & Sons, and a steel steamer of 5000 tons displacement, which a Scotch firm is building for the Pacific Mail Steamship Company. ae "typhi ae eer eee = TA ke Seo €-96 aa £ £ Be ee heat aren : t 2 on ail i424 i.e &s an or tell tah & ULI) 4) hkl Hh bie aG 2 BB wie. EK os RO SRE YOR en I dhe hd fie LA ial 232 Tire-Heating Furnace. In this furnace the tires rest upon tW° parallel grooved shafts placed over each side of the fire. The upper parts of the tires are held separated by a wire frame, as shown in the cut. The outer end of each shaft is provided with a sprocket wheel, over which passes a chain leading from a suitable driving shaft. By this means the tires are kept revolving slowly, and each is brought constantly in contact with the fire. The oven itself is heated sufficiently to keep them all at a proper temperature. As fast as one is removed another is put in its place, the heating going on faster than the tires can be put on the wheels, and without the least dan- ger of burning. The fire-box is adapted to burn either coal or wood, This furnace, known as the Duffey, is made by Bradley & Co., of Syracuse, N. Y. — cr The Blast Furnaces in Allegheny County. In the future, in our monthly report of the condition of the blast furnaces of the country, we shall reduce the number of coke stacks credited to Allegheny County from 20 to 18. This has been made ne- cessary by the fact that two of the three stacks operated by Laughlins & Co., at Pittsburgh, have been dismantled. These two stacks were blown out some weeks since for the purpose of being relined, and work had already been commenced when one of the stacks fell in, and it was DUFFEY TIRE-HEATING FURNACE, THE IRON AGE, of about 500 tons per day. This entire amount, or nearly ali of it, will be con- sumed by the firm named above, who are interested in the furnaces. The two stacks which have been dismantled were erected in 1861, and have been in continu- ous operation since 1882 on one lining, which is certainly a remarkable record. In that time it is estimated that the two February 14, 1889 |their history. The two stacks of Shoen- | berger, Speer & Co., are turning out nearly 5000 tons per month. One of them 'will be blown out in the near future for relining and will also be fitted up with new stoves of the Massicks & Crooke’s design. The new Soho Furnace, of the Moorhead-McCleane Company, was put in blast on November 15 last, and thus far RATCHET DIE STOCK, MADE BY CURTIS & CURTIS, BRIDGEPORT, CONN. stacks have produced very nearly 500,000 tons of pig iron. Clinton Furnace, formerly owned and operated by Graff, Bennett & Co., but later operated by a syndicate of creditors of that firm, was banked last month, and will probably not go in blast again for some time, if it ever resumes again. It is a very old furnace and cannot produce over 325 tons per week under the most favorable conditions. Carrie Furnace, of BUILT BY BRADLEY & COMPANY, SYRACUSE, N. Y. then decided by the firm to dismantle both of them, the work having been al- most completed already, The new stack completed by this firm in the early part of last year is in operation, and is producing about 250 tons per day, which is all con- sumed by the American Iron and Steel Works of Jones & Laughlins, Limited. Work on the new stack is progressing rap- idly, and it will probably be ready for blast by the middle of March. It will also have a capacity of about 250 tons per day, giving the firm a total production the Carrie Furnace Company, continues in blast and is muking a good record. This firm are also building an additional stack, which will probably be ready for blast not later than April next. It will have a capacity of about 200 tons per day. The nine stacks controlled by Carnegie Bros. | & Co., Limited, and Carnegie, Phipps & Co., Limited, are all in blast and pro- ducing nearly 60,000 tons of pig iron per month. The two stacks of the Isabella Furnace Company are in blast and pro- ducing more pig iron than ever before in has made an excellent record. For the month of January just closed it produced 5676 gross tons of pig iron. Unless some- | thing unforeseen should occur the output |of pig iron in Allegheny County for the present year will be considerably larger than ever before in its history. Sr Ratchet Die Stock. The illustration presented herewith shows a ratchet die stock which has just been brought out by Curtis & Curtis, of Bridgeport, Conn. The hub, which is threaded at diametrically opposite points to receive the handles, is free to revolve upon the central stock. In the hub is a pawl, pressed inward by a_ spring, to engage its inner end with suita- bly formed teeth upon the stock. The pawl may be turned a half revolution, so that the hub and stock may be held to re- volve in either direction desirable. Dur- ing the reverse movement of the handles the hub, of course, turns independently of the center. The ratchet allows the tool to be worked without changing hands, and thus avoids all loss of power and dead centers, ——— The scheme for the training of mechan- ics approved by the Master Builders’ Ex- change, of Philadelphia, provides for the education of boys in a mechanical trade school until they have obtained a certifi- cate of proficiency and aservice for a term of practice with an employer, this term to be at least one year less than the usual term of apprenticeship by virtue of the holding of a certificate of proficiency granted by a mechanical trade school. | The completion of the education of the ;mechanic is to be acknowledged on the part of the employer by the granting of a certificate from the association of builders, setting forth that the holder has passed | through the prescribed course at the trade 'school and the term of practice with an ‘employer, and is entitled to be received by all builders as a journeyman. With | similar schools established in New York, | Philadelphia and Boston, this system will, | it is believed, in time afford a substitute ‘in part for the old form of agp naggeae |}and be of advantage to both the young men and their employers. It is reported from Duluth that large works for the production of aluminium jare to be erected in that city, but such stories are to be received with reservation, at least until it is positively known that the metal can be manufactured profitably. ei 14, 1889 ‘The Bugaboo ‘of. Trusts.’ BY ANDREW CARNEGIE, | uke 4 We must all have our toys; the child} his rattle, the adult his hobby, the man of] pleasure the fashion, the man of art his master; and mankind in its various divi- | sions requires a change of toys at short | intervals. The same rule holds good in the business world. We have had our age of ‘‘consolidations” and ‘‘ watered stocks.” Not long ago everything was a ‘* syndicate ;” the word is already becom- ing obsolete, and the fashion is for} ‘¢trusts,” which will in turn no doubt | give place to some new panacea, that is in | turn to be displaced by another, and so on without end. The great laws of the eco- | nomic world, like all ‘laws affe cting society, being the genuine outgrowth of human nature, alone remain unchanged through | all these changes. Whenever consolida- tions, or wi atered stoc ks, or syndicates, or trusts endeavor to circumvent these, it always has been found that the result is after the collision there is nothing left of the panaceas, while the great laws con- tinue to grind out their irresistible conse- quences as before. It is worth while to inquire into the ap- pearance and growth of trusts and learn what environs produce them. Their gene- sis is as follows: A demand exists for a certain article beyond the capacity of ex- isting works to supply it. Prices are high, and profits tempting. Every manufacturer of that article immediately proceeds to en- large his works and increase their produc- ing power. In addition to this the un- usual profits attract the attention of his principal managers or those who are in- terested to a greater or less degree in the factory. These communicate the knowl- edge of the prosperity of the works to others. New partnerships are formed, and new works are erected, and before long the demand for the article is fully satisfied, and prices do not advance. In a short time the supply becomes greater than the demand, there are a few tons or yards more in the market for sale than required, and prices begin to fall. They continue falling until the article is sold at cost to the less favorably situated or less ably managed factory; and even until the best managed and best equipped factory is not able to produce the article at the prices at which it’ can be sold. Political economy says that here the trouble will end. Goods will not be produced at less than cost. This was true when Adam Smith wrote, but it is not quite true to- day. When an article was produced by a small manufacturer, employing, probably at his own home, two or three journeymen and an apprentice or two, it was an e: isy matter forhim to limit or even to stop production. As manufacturing is carried on to-day, in enormous establishments with five or ten millions of dollars | of capital invested, and with thousands of workers, it costs the manufacturer | much less to run at a loss per ton or per yard than to check his pro-| duction. Stoppage would be serious in- deed. The condition of cheap manufac- ture is running full. Twenty sources of expense are fixed charges, many of which stoppage would only increase. Therefore the article is produced for months, and in some cases that I have known for years, not only without profit or without in- terest upon capital, but to the impairment of the capital invested. Manufacturers have | balanced their books year after year only to tind their capital reduced at eac h successive | balance. While continuing to produce may be costly, the manufacturer knows too well that stoppage would be ruin. | * Extracts from a paper printed in the Feb- ruary number of the No: th American Review. ' the same situation. | of many years, as well perhaps as the cap- qT HE TRON AGE His bestions manufacturers are of course in They see the savings ital they have succeeded in borrowing, becoming less and less, with no hope of change in the situation. It is in soil shoes re pared that anything promising relief is gladly welcomed, The manufacturers are in the position of patients that have tried in vain every doctor of the regular school for years, and are now liable to become the victims of any quack that appears. Com- binations—syndicates — trusts—-they are willing to try anything. A meeting is called, and in the presence of immediate danger they decide to take united action | and form a trust. Each factory is rated as worth a certain amount. Officers are chosen, and through these the entire prod- uct of the article in question is to be dis- | tributed to the public at remunerative prices. Such is the genesis of ‘‘ trusts” in man- ufactured articies. During the recent Presidential cam- | paign it suited the purpose of one of the parties to connect trusts with the doctrine of protection. But trusts are confined to /no country and are not in any way dependent upon fiscal regulations. The greatest trust of all just now is the Copper Trust, which is French, and has its head- quarters in Paris. The Salt Trust is En- | glish, with its headquarters in London. The Wire-rod Trust is German. The only Steel-rail Trust that ever existed was an international one which embraced all the works in Europe. portation or manufactures, are the product of human weakness, and this weakness is | co-extensive with the race. There is one huge combination classed with trusts which is so exceptional in its origin and history that it deserves a separate Standard Oil Company. So favorable an opportunity to control a product) perhaps never arose as in the case of| petroleum. At an early stage a few) |of the ablest business men that the world has ever seen realized the im- portance of the discovery, and invested largely in the purchase of property con- nected with it. The success of the pe- troleum business was phenomenal, and so | was the success of these people. The profits they made, and, no doubt, as much | capital as they could borrow, were fear- lessly reinvested, and they soon became the principal owners, and finally, substan- tially the only owners, of the territory which contained this great source of wealth. ‘he Standard Oil Company would long ago have gone to pieces had it not been managed, upon the whole, in har- | mony with the laws which control business. It is a hundred to one whether it will survive | when the present men at the head retire; or perhaps I should say when the present man retires, for wonderful organizations imply | |a genius at the head, chief, with exceptionately able corps com- | commander-in- manders no doubt, but still a Grant at the head. To those who quote the Standard Oil Company as an evidence that trusts or combinations can be permanently suc- cessful, I say wait and see. I have spoken | thus freely of that company because I am ignorant of its management, profits and modes of action. I view it from the out- side as a student of political economy only, and as such have endeavored to apply to it the principles which I know wiil have their way no matter how formidable the | attempt made to defeat their operation. We have given the genesis of trusts and combinations in their several forms. The question is, Do they menace the permanent interest of the nation? Are they a source of serious danger? Or are they to prove, }as many other similar forms have proved, | mere passing phases of unrest and transi- tion? To answer this question let us fol- low the operation of the manufacturing Trusts, either in trans- | paragraph. I refer to the| 233 trust which we have in imagination created, | salt or sugar, nails, beams, or lead or e op- per; it is ‘all the same. The sugar refin- ers, let us say, have formed a trust after competing one with another through years of disastrous business, and all the sugar manufactured in the country in existing factories is sold through one channel at advanced prices. Profits begin to grow. Dividends are paid, and those who before saw their property vanishing before their eyes are now made happy. The dividends from that part of a man’s capital invested in the sugar business yield him profit far above the capital he has invested in va- rious other affairs. The prices of sugar are such that the capital invested in a new factory would yield enormously. He is perhaps bound not to enk: irge his factory or to enter into a new factory, but his relatives and acquaintances soon discover the fresh opportunity for gain. He can advise them to push the completion of a small factory, which, of course, must be taken into the trust. Or, even if he does not give his friends this inti- mation, capital is always upon the alert, especially when it is bruited about that a trust has been formed, as in the case of sugar, and immediately new sugar manufactories spring up as if by |magic. The more successful the trust, the surer these off-shoots are to sprout. Eve ary | victory is a defeat. Every factory that the trust buys is the sure creator of an- |other, and so on, ad infinitum, until the bubble bursts. The sugar refiners have tried to get more from capital in a special case than. capital yields in general. They have endeavored to raise a part of the | ocean of capital above the level of the sur- rounding waters, and over their bulwarks the floods have burst, and capital, like water, has again found its level. It is true that to regain this level a longer or a shorter period may be required, during which the article affected may be sold to the consumer in limited quantities at a higher rate than before existed. But for | this the consumer is amply recompensed in ithe years that foilow, during which tbe struggle between the discordant and com- petitive factories becomes severer than it ‘ever was before, and lasts till the great law of the survival of the fittest vindicates \itself. Those factories and managers that can produce to the best advantage ‘eventually close the less compe- tent. Capital wisely managed yields its legitimate profit. After a time the growth of demand enables capital to re- ceive an unusual profit. This in turn at- tracts fresh capital to the manufacture, and we have a renewal of the old struggle, the consumer reaping the benefit. Such is the law, such has been the law, and such promises to be the law for the future; for, so far, no device has yet been devised that has permanently thwarted its operation. Given freedom of competition, and all combinations or trusts that attempt to exact from the consumer more than a legitimate return upon capital and services write the charter of their own defeat. We have many proofs that this great law does not sleep and that it will not be suppressed. Some time ago, as I have stated, the steel rail manufacturers of Europe formed a trust and advanced the price of rails to such an extent that American manufacturers were able for the first and perhaps for the last time to export steel rails to Canada in competition with the European. But the misunderstandings and quarrels, insepar- able from these attempted unions of com- petitors, soon broke the trust. With vin- dictive feelings, added to what was before business rivalry, the struggle was renewed, and the steel rail industry of Europe has never recovered. It was found that the advance of prices had only galvanized into life concerns which never sheuld have at- tempted to manufacture rails; and so that trust died a natural death. During the i 4 . ~ ae a te? at ae . arg hia a&s-2 er, Teton: Sis oo. we aay no © te — ne 2 ee ——— thee a % ¥ « a ee comments 230 THE IRON AGE, February 14, 1889 at that point, a scale of hard carbon is| plosive mixture. The fly-wheel is stationed | The “ee shown in the engraving occu- formed over the surface of each, which Sau two bearings formed in the single | pies a floor space of 25 x 85 inches, is 41 protects them from abrasion. The valve} base casting, and hence the alignment of | inches high, and will develop 2 horse- is positively operated by an eccentric on|the shaft is always true. The working | power. is engine is the invention of the shaft. The piston connection, shown| parts are inclosed and protected from|L. H. Nash and is manufactured by the clearly in Fig. 2, is unique in design, as it is not ‘‘ pin connected,” and as it operates without friction. Held rigidly to the iston is a hardened and — steel lock, against which the end of the con- necting-rod, which is also hardened, rests. The rod has no sliding movement; it simply rocks on the bearing pin. It is held in plore by a yoke, and as the press- ure on the piston is always downward the yoke is not subjected to strain. The engine ignites its charge at each revolution, and the amount of the charge is controlled at each stroke by a governor, as before mentioned, so that the regula- tion is <s close as for a steam engine. An examination of a card taken from this en- gine shows a remarkable resemblance to i y | yj 4 y ee YW Fig. 3.—Mixing Valve. Fig. 4.—Ignition Valve. V zie PZ / ee eet ane , MTT Les ASST ar —— 7) Bj Ud , oe ZL mints, Dy sme hhh La a if wtih Vaan Py Ll CAREC eee —~ Uda ar ZL a nts - ak? I? | = el eteeeeel SSS x Be q Pi MEH ae VL addddida Fig. 1.—Side Sectional Elevation. Fig. 2.—End Sectional Elevation. DETAILS OF NASH GAS ENGINE, BUILT BY THE NATIONAL METER COMPANY OF NEW YORK, the card of a steam engine. The pressure | dust, and at the same time they are readily | National Meter Company, of {252 Broad- at the beginning of the stroke is moderate | accessible by swinging covers. Owing to| way, New York. and the line of the expansion is well sus-| the high speed attained by the engine, and anon rey tained throughout the entire stroke. There | also to the fact that the piston receives a| It is reported that the Chapin [Mine, on is no sudden shock, and the pressure on| positive impulse at every stroke, it is|the Menominee range, has been leased for the working parts is as easy as if steam | especially adapted for work requiring|30 years for a cash consideration, and were the motive fluid instead of an ex-' uniform speed, such as electric lighting. ' subject to a royalty of 40 cents a ton. February 14, 1889 THE IRON AGE. 231 spectively) with the front end of the is prevented by pins bearing against the levers ¢, which are pivoted in the head d, pe ee shoulders m of the screws, so that when The accompanying engravings represent | and carried by the chuck. The rear ends|the latter are turned the jaws will be a combined p - an awe machine built|of the levers are coupled together by| moved to or from the pipe as required. by the Bignall & Keeler Mfg. va springs, not shown, and are provided with |The outer end of the shank & is flush of St. Louis. It is adapted to mill use| rollers, /, for riding over the cone g, which | with the outer end of the carrier, and is work; it cuts and nipples from } to 2 and common -job sho surrounds the spindle A, and is moved to threads both pipe an formed with a key, by which the screw and fro along the latter for operating the may be turned. When the cone g is moved along the spindle by its clutch in the usual manner for diverging the rear arms SECTION OF. NIPPLE GRIPPER Fig. 1.—Perspective View. Fig. 3.—Front View of Fig. 2. PIPE AND NIPPLE MACHINE, BUILT BY THE BIGNALL inches inclusive; no change, except of the grippers, is required for either service. The machine need not be stopped to change the pipe, as a simple lever move- ment opens or closes the chuck at will. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional elevation, broken away, when used as a pipe gripper; Fig. 3 is a front view of the same. The jaws or grippers a are fitted radially to the pipe 6, at right angles ‘to each other, within the carriers or holders c, which are arranged in front of the head d of the chuck, and are formed in one piece (re- ’ x KK b SS SOS of the levers, the jaws of the grippers are brought toward the pipe and the rear por- tions of the gripping edges of the jaws are caused to bite into an ip the pipe somewhat in advance of, and therefore to a greater extent than, the front portion of the edges, and the pipe is more firmly held than when the grippers close upon the pipe at right angles. To increase the gripping force the inclination of the cone at its highest pass is lessened so as to gain more power on the levers at that point. By turning the screws the jaws can be speedily adjusted to different sized pipes. By the use of four jaws in lieu of two, as usual, the pipe is set truer as the gri close aan The slides used for id. ing me re steady while cutting off are operated by a crank and right and left screw on the work side of the machine. When the machine is used as a nipple chuck, nipple grippers are ‘naeted in place of the pipe grippers, the rest of the chuck being as described. By using four nipple grippers, or quarter sections, the nipple is readily released by operating the chuck with the lever movement and allow- ing the nipple to drop. EE So great is the demand upon the re- sources of the various shipbuilding yards in the Delaware River and at Wilmington that contracts for early delivery cannot be made. It is stated that the United States and Brazil Mail Steamship Company are Fig. 2.—Longitudinal Sectional Elevation of Chuck.4 [= levers in the usual manner. The rear edges of the jaws are formed with lateral ribs, and are fitted within grooved recesses, i, formed longitadinally in the faces of the carriers c, these recesses corresponding in shape to the jaws. The jaws, thus constructed, can be adjusted longitudi- nally in the recesses by means of adjusting screws, which engage internal threads in the outer ends of the jaws, the shanks & of the screws passing through circular openings in the outer ends of the carriers e. Longitudinal movement of the screws & KEELER MFG. COMPANY OF ST. LOUIS MO. unable to procure bids upon two steamers which they want unless willing to wait two years for them to be finished. The ships recently negotiated for include one for the Mallory Steamship Company and two for the New York and Caba Mail Steamship Company, which will be built at Roach’s yard, one for the Morgan Line, and two for the Red D Line, contracted for a William Cramp & Sons, and a steel steamer of 5000 tons displacement, which a Scotch firm is building for the Pacific Mail Steamship Company. THE IRON AGE, February 14, 1889 Tire-Heating Furnace. In this furnace the tires rest upon tW° parallel grooved shafts placed over each side of the fire. The upper parts of the tires are held separated by a wire frame, as shown in the cut, The outer end of each shaft is provided with a sprocket wheel, over which passes a chain leading from a suitable driving shaft. By this means the tires are kept revolving slowly, and each is brought constantly in contact with the fire. The oven itself is heated sufficiently to keep them all at a proper ee As fast as one is removed another is put in its place, the heating going on faster than the tires can be put on the wheels, and without the least dan- ger of burning. The fire-box is adapted to burn either coal or wood. This furnace, known as the Duffey, is made by Bradley & Co., of Syracuse, N. Y. EEE The Blast Furnaces in Allegheny County. In the future, in our monthly report of the condition of the blast furnaces of the country, we shall reduce the number of coke stacks credited to Allegheny County from 20 to 18. This has been made ne- cessary by the fact that two of the three stacks operated by Laughlins & Co., at Pittsburgh, have been dismantled. These two stacks were blown out some weeks since for the purpose of being relined, and work had already been commenced when one of the stacks fell in, and it was St ae Pe eee " Ve 4 & tS Vee DUFFEY TIRE-HEATING FURNACE, of about 500 tons per day. This entire amount, or nearly all of it, will be con- sumed by the firm named above, who are interested in the furnaces. The two stacks which have been dismantled were erected in 1861, and have been in continu- ous operation since 1882 on one lining, which is certainly a remarkable record. In that time it is estimated that the two |their history. The two stacks of Shoen- berger, Speer & Co., are turning out nearly 5000 tons per month. One of them will be blown out in the near future for 'relining and will also be fitted up with new stoves of the Massicks & Crooke’s design. The new Soho Furnace, of the | Moorhead-McCleane Company, was put in ‘blast on November 15 last, and thus far RATCHET DIE STOCK, MADE BY CURTIS & CURTIS, BRIDGEPORT, CONN. stacks have produced very nearly 500,000 tons of pig iron. Clinton Furnace, formerly owned and operated by Graff, Bennett & Co., but later operated by a syndicate of creditors of that firm, was banked last month, and will probably not go in blast again for some time, if it ever resumes again. It is a very old furnace and cannot produce over 325 tons per week under the most favorable conditions. Carrie Furnace, of Py “i he ie BUILT BY BRADLEY & COMPANY, SYRACUSE, N. Y. then decided by the firm to dismantle both of them, the work having been al- most oe already. The new stack completed by this firm in the early part of last year is in operation, and is producing about 250 tons per day, which is all con- sumed by the American Iron and Steel Works of Jones & Laughlins, Limited. Work on the new stack is progressing rap- idly, and it will probably be ready for blast by the middle of March. It will also have a capacity of about 250 tons per day, giving the firm a total production the Carrie Furnace Company, continues in blast and is making a good record. This firm are also building an additional stack, which will probably be ready for blast not later than April next. It will have a capacity of about 200 tons per day. The nine stacks controlled by Carnegie Bros. & Co., Limited, and Carnegie, — & Co., Limited, are all in blast and pro- ducing nearly 60,000 tons of pig iron per month. The two stacks of the Isabella Furnace Company are in blast and pro- ducing more pig iron than ever before in has made an excellent record. For the month of January just closed it produced 5676 gross tons of pig iron. Unless some- thing unforeseen should occur the output of pig iron in Allegheny County for the present year will be considerably larger than ever before in its history. Ratchet Die Stock. The illustration presented herewith shows a ratchet die stock which has just been brought out by Curtis & Curtis, of Bridgeport, Conn. The hub, which is threaded at diametrically opposite points to receive the handles, is free to revolve upon the central stock. In the hub is a pawl, pressed inward by a_ spring, to engage its inner end with suita- bly formed teeth upon the stock. The pawl may be turned a half revolution, so that the hub and stock may be held to re- volve in either direction desirable. Dur- ing the reverse movement of the handles the hub, of course, turns independently of the center. The ratchet allows the tool to be worked without changing hands, and thus avoids all loss of power and dead centers. I The scheme for the training of mechan- ics approved by the Master Builders’ Ex- change, of Philadelphia, provides for the education of boys in a mechanical trade school until they have obtained a certifi- cate of proficiency and aservice for a term of practice with an employer, this term to be at least one year less than the usual term of apprenticeship by virtue of the holding of a certificate of ey granted by a mechanical trade school. The completion of the education of the mechanic is to be acknowledged on the part of the employer by the granting of a certificate from the association of builders, setting forth that the holder has passed through the prescribed course at the trade school and the term of practice with an employer, and is entitled to be received by all builders as a journeyman. With similar schools established in New York, Philadelphia and Boston, this system will, it is believed, in time afford a substitute in yc for the old form of agpenasioeeee, and be of advantage to both the young men and their employers. It is reported from Duluth that large works for the production of aluminium are to be erected in that city, but such stories are to be received with reservation, at least until it is positively known that the metal can be manufactured profitably. February 14, 1889 THE IRON AGE. 233 The Bugaboo of Trusts.* BY ANDREW CARNEGIE. We must all have our toys; the child his rattle, the adult his hobby, the man of pleasure the fashion, the man of art his master; and mankind in its various divi- sions requires a change of toys at short intervals, The same rule holds good in the business world’ We have had our age of ‘‘consolidations” and ‘‘ watered stocks.” Not long ago everything was a ‘* syndicate ;” the word is already becom- ing obsolete, and the fashion is for ‘* trusts,” which will in turn no doubt give place to some new panacea, that is in turn to be displaced by another, and so on without end. The great laws of the eco- nomic world, like all lays affecting society, being the genuine latent of human nature, alone remain unchanged through all these changes. Whenever consolida- tions, or watered stocks, or syndicates, or trusts endeavor to circumvent these, it always has been found that the result is after the collision there is nothing left of the panaceas, while the great laws con- tinue to grind out their irresistible conse- quences as before. It is worth while to inquire into the ap- pearance and growth of trusts and learn what environs produce them. Their gene- sis is as follows: A demand exists for a certain article beyond the capacity of ex- isting works to supply it. Prices are high, and profits tempting. Every manufacturer of that article immediately proceeds to en- large his works and increase their produc- ing power. In addition to this the un- usual profits attract the attention of his principal managers or those who are in- terested to a greater or less degree in the factory. These communicate the knowl- edge of the prosperity of the works to others. New partnerships are formed, and new works are erected, and before long the demand for the article is fully satisfied, and prices do not advance. In a short time the supply becomes greater than the demand, there are a few tons or yards more in the market for sale than required, and prices begin to fall. They continue falling until the article is sold at cost to the less favorably situated or less ably managed factory; and even until the best managed and best equipped factory is not able to produce the article at the prices at which it can be sold. Political economy says that here the trouble will end. Goods will not be produced at less than cost. This was true when Adam Smith wrote, but it is not quite true to- day. When an article was produced by a small manufacturer, employing, probably at his own home, two or three journeymen and an apprentice or two, it was an easy matter forhim to limit or even to stop production, As manufacturing is carried on to-day, in enormous establishments with five or ten millions of dollars of capital invested, and with thousands of workers, it costs the manufacturer much less to run at a loss per ton or per yard than to check his pro- duction. Stoppage would be serious in- deed. The condition of cheap manufac- ture is running full. Twenty sources of expense are fixed charges, many of which stoppage would only increase. Therefore the article is produced for months, and in some cases that I have known for years, not only without profit or without in- terest upon capital, but to the impairment of the capital invested. Manufacturers have balanced their books year after year only to find their capital reduced at each successive balance. While continuing to produce may be costly, the manufacturer knows too well that stoppage would be ruin, * Extracts from a paper printed in the Feb- ruary number of the North American Review. His brother manufacturers are of course in the same situation. They see the savings of many years, as well perhaps as the cap- ital they have succeeded in borrowing, becoming less and less, with no hope of a change in the situation. It is in soil thus prepared that anything promising relief is gladly welcomed. The manufacturers are in the position of patients that have tried in vain every doctor of the regular school for years, and are now liable to become the victims of any quack that appears. Com- binations—syndicates — trusts—-they are willing to try anything. A meeting is called, and in the presence of leone danger they decide to take united action and form a trust. Each factory is rated as worth a certain amount. Officers are chosen, and through these the entire prod- uct of the article in question is to be dis- tributed to the public at remunerative prices. Such is the genesis of ‘‘ trusts” in man- ufactured articies. During the recent Presidential cam- paign it suited the purpose of one of the parties to connect trusts with the doctrine of protection. But trusts are confined to no country and are not in any way dependent upon fiscal regulations. The greatest trust of all just nowis the Copper Trust, which is French, and has its head- quarters in Paris. The Salt Trust is En- glish, with its headquarters in London. The Wire-rod Trust is German. The only Steel-rail Trust that ever existed was an international one which embraced all the works in Europe. Trusts, either in trans- portation or manufactures, are the product of human weakness, and this weakness is co-extensive with the race. There is one huge combination classed | roun with trusts which is so exceptional in its origin and history that it deserves a separate paragraph. & refer to the Standard Oil Company. So favorable an opportunity to control a product perhaps never arose as in the case of petroleum. At an early stage a few of the ablest business men that the world has ever seen realized the im- portance of the discovery, and invested largely in the purchase of property con- nected with it. The success of the pe- troleum business was phenomenal, and so was the success of these people. The profits they made, and, no doubt, as much capital as they could borrow, were fear- lessly reinvested, and they soon became the principal owners, and finally, substan- tially the only owners, of the territory which contained this great source of wealth. The Standard Oil Company would long ago have gone to pieces had it not been managed, upon the whole, in har- mony with the laws which control business. It is a hundred to one whether it will survive when the present men at the head retire; or perhaps I should say when the present man retires, for wonderful organizations imply a genius at the head, a commander-in- chief, with exceptionately able corps com- manders no doubt, but still a Grant at the head. To those who quote the Standard Oil Company as an evidence that trusts or combinations can be permanently suc- cessful, I say wait and see. I have spoken thus freely of that company because I am ignorant of its management, profits and modes of action. I view it from the out- side as a student of political economy only, and as such have endeavored to apply to it the principles which I know wiil have their way no matter how formidable the attempt made to defeat their operation. We have given the genesis of trusts and combinations in their several forms. The question is, Do they menace the permanent interest of the nation? Are they a source of serious danger? Or are they to prove, as many other similar forms have proved, mere passing phases of unrest and transi- tion? To answer this question let us fol- low the operation of the manufacturing trust which we have in imagination created, salt or sugar, nails, beams, or lead or cop- per; itis allthe same. The sugar refin- ers, let us say, have formed a trust after competing one with another through years of disastrous business, and all the sugar manufactured in the country in existing factories is sold through one channel at advanced prices. Profits begin to grow. Dividends are paid, and those who before saw their property vanishing before their eyes are now made happy. The dividends from that part of a man’s capital invested in the sugar business yield him profit far above the capital he has invested in va- rious other affairs. The prices of sugar are such that the capital invested in a new factory would yield enormously. He is perhaps bound not to enlarge his factory or to enter into a new factory, but his relatives and acquaintances soon discover the fresh opportunity for gain. He can advise them to push the completion of a small factory, which, of course, must be taken into the trust. Or, even if he does not give his friends this inti- mation, capital is always upon the alert, especially when it is bruited about that a trust has been formed, as in the case of sugar, and immediately new sugar manufactories spring up as if by magic. The more successful the trust, the surer these off-shoots are to sprout. Every victory is a defeat. Every factory that the trust buys is the sure creator of an- other, and so on, ad infinitum, until the bubble bursts. The sugar refiners have tried to get more from capital in a special case than capital yields in general. They have endeavored to raise a a of the ocean of capital above the level of the sur- ding water