The Iron Age 1889-03-14: Vol 43

eee —_— THE IRON AGE ‘ THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 1889. ane ney ia rs . . - 7 . ¢ Tuyere Slagging-Valve.* | the crucible, or when, from dropping or, jacket at one side of the bottom of the jumping of stock, the molten slag is fore- water-blocks were found to be of no value ety RY EDGAR 8. COOK, POTTSTOWN, PA. |ibly driven into the belly and leg pipes. whatever. The swinging or hinged cap ' mane Various methods were proposed, but ob- | on the elbow of the telly-pipe, while con- For several years past, dating particu-| jections of one kind or another always pre- | venient to permit the removal of slag after nm larly from the days of serious ‘ore-dirt ”! sented themselves, and the subject was the belly-pipe was partially or wholly m complications at the Warwick Furnace, [| postponed to a more convenient season. filled, could not be adapted to discharge Fig. |. PLAN OF TOP SIDE. — “ee oo) eo yr oe eee td 2 “sae Bs gg P yr, “ = \ * pee a 2 a wiht | Mi: | Titer li | H i & A Hl i) 3 pe | Lee q Las} Nec Qe tee t, 2 Pea | | i | i : Ht SV VS —< ———— ___ aly ) U3 Zag e | SIDE ELEVATION. Scale: 1 in.—t1 foot. Fig. 3. PLAN OF UNDER SIDE. THREE-INCH TUYERE SLAGGING VALVE, IN USE AT THE WARWICK FURNACE, POTTSTOWN, PA. have been desirous of providing some safe, | In the summer of 1887, while running on | the slag before solidifying, except at great a quick and easy method of relieving the | anthracite alone, I found the various ex-| risk to the men and loss of time just when tuyeres of slag, when the cinder and iron | pedients in use to be so utterly valueless | the constant running of the engine and the notches are chilled through loss of heat in | that the importance of a practical tuyere | keeping of blast on the furnace was of the ~“e innate Metinie oon meeting of the Ameri- | slagging-valve impressed me more forcibly | utmost importance. By removing keys can-Institute of Mining Engineers. |than ever. The holes left in the cast-iron | from the caps and holding them in place THE IRON AGE. 388 the valve V was thrown open by pressure of air in the belly-pipe (the pressure in valve-cylinder being cut off) owing to its own weight and that of piston and piston- rod, V would partially close again, not enough to interfere with the flow of slag through the opening, but just enough for the slag to strike it and in time cut it. In with props, the slag could be discharged through the tuyeres and belly-pipes, with the engine running, by knocking the props away ata given signal. This method is) extremely hazardous to life and limb, and I have always hesitated to make use of it. When the furnace is in such a condition as to require the adoption of some method of the kind, the stoppage of the engine, cooling the blast and the contents of the crucible, always aggravates the trouble. When the caps are blown open and the slag is discharged by removal of the props it is necessary to stop the engine to replace them. An hour or more will elapse before this can be done, as the: slag must be partly removed before the tuyeres can be approached by ordinary mortals, and the caps handled and fastened in place again, Any movement of the stock is liable to burn the workman as he stands securing the cap in front or at one side of the open belly-pipe. The cooling of crucible contents and the lowering of the heat of the stoves, while thus standing, adds to the difficulty of re- storing the furnace to a normal condition and renders necessary a resort to this method a second, third or fourth time, and even oftener, the conditions growing more unfavorable each hour, and thus fre- quently causes the loss of the furnace which could have been prevented from chiliing, while the work was made safe to all en- gaged, if there had been a quick, easy method of removing the slag through the tuyeres and belly-pipes, without loss of time or heat. We attempted in 1887 to use the method just described, but our belly-pipes filled solid with slag before we could get props in place, the change in the furnace coming unexpectedly and quickly. Several hours were required to clean the pipes. Fortunately, the trouble was only temporary. On starting up again the slag Re cleared the tuyeres and ran from an en- larged cinder notch without further serious trouble. This experience brought into existence the tuyere slagging-valve now in use at the Warwick Furnace, and found to be valu- able in more ways than one. Our chief engineer suggested that a valve placed in the cap or bottom of the belly-pipe, con- nected with the piston of a cylinder of larger diameter than the valve and oper- | ated with a three-way cock placed in a pipe connecting the cylinder with the main blast-pipe, would afford a safe and sure way of flushing through any belly- | pipe without stopping the engine at all. | The three-way cock he proposed so to| locate at a convenient position that the slag discharged would not interfere with the man operating it. The idea seemed feasible, and orders were given to have one constructed and put into position. The trial of the first valve completed was so satisfactory that we arranged to put similar valves on all our tuyeres, improv- ) ; ing the mechanical construction and con- ee venience of the device as we progressed. The accompanying drawings will explain the construction, Figs, 1, 2, 3 and 4 rep- resent the ordinary 3-inch valve. In these figures, C is the leg-pipe; D, the elbow; E, the belly-pipe; F, the circu- lar casting, keyed to elbow by keys T. This casting carries the valve-seat, held in position by keys Q, and is of the same diameter, external and internal, D, as the | elbow. G is the swinging cap of the elbow, | held in position by keys. H is the valve- cylinder, with K opening for connecting pipe running to the circular blast-pipe and | order to hold the open valve in the posi a small opening, L, at bottom for the es-|tion shown in Fig. 4, a }-inch pipe-con- cape to the atmosphere of any air leaking | nection, J, was made fromthe top of the past the piston. M is the usual eye-hole, | circular casting, F, to the lower part of the arranged with a stop-cock to permit the | valve-cyJinder H. The opening in the easy cleaning of the glass. N is the guide | cylinder is immediately opposite the piston for the rack-extension, O, of the piston-rod ; | when the valve is closed. When the valve U, the sector with extended arm, carrying | V is opened and the piston of the cylinder the valve V, and fitted to work easily with | raises, air passes through pipe J to the rack O. In practice, we found that when! lower side of the piston and assists to throw SECTION THROUCH A. B. A Scale; 1}4 in. — 1 foot. Fig. 7. Scale 14 — 1 ft. ul SIX-INCH TUYERE Figs. 2. and 3, \ is THREE-INCH TUYE END ELEVATION March 14, 1889 the valve V wide open and hold it in ,the position shown. In pipe J is placed a stop-cock, R, to regulate the amount of |air to be admitted to the lower side |of the piston. A brass plug, X, is screwed into top of the tee, to facilitate the | cleaning of the pipe should it become filled with plumbago or gas-dirt. The i To Circle Blast Pipe <— need i eh 7 S — NY Ss SSS) KELL, = POLLECCLELL ee ccccccccccccccccccceceececrztctt. Wh 4 Yuh RE SLAGGING-VALVE. TT y F SLAGGING-VALVE tuyere slagging-valve 1s easily applied to any of the usual forms of belly- | pipes. The connection between it and the main blast-pipe can be made by any one ;accustomed to put up gas or steam pipe. Ore main pipe, 14 inches in diameter, is connected with the main blast or bustle | pipe, and from this }-inch branches are ‘ran to the several tuyeres, one to each tuyere-arch. A 1}-inch three-way cock is SUPPLEMENT TO THE JOHN IRON AGE, MARCH ERICSSON 14, 1889 yy 2 al es > ree ie FORE ce pag + pipes PS a 2. an al Pd - 7 y a ea = fae ae 5 Sw z , — i 4A a A a 4 Zz . o r - ee aa OE ee €5$, ne ve m £ 3 : a s 2 ‘ - 5 ll ‘ Z ma io, te — ? a ale laigge —- 5 a = aaa a a iiignimpsanis ai as es bas a TB ~~" Sg — fe Ai a 7 a . Z Fe a oeentnlihs Ad hie Mh eh OE tie by GQUMEM MME 787 eae ee (hiaGéie. anne a Si A os aad ea _ O CE fee March .4, 1889 placed in the 14-inch pipe and 4-inch three-way cocks in each of the branches, located as may be found most convenient. The 4-inch pipe of each tuyere-arch is con- nected by means of a brass union with the top of the valve-cylinder. To keep the valve closed, the furnace being in opera- tion, the plug of the 14- -inch_three-w: Ly cock is so turned that the opening to the atmosphere is closed and the passage from main blast-pipe to branches and cylinders is opened. The }-inch cocks are turned = a = |- | | oes — a ae 20 ee eer as = _THE IRON AGE. | 389 EEE ——— —__—_— _ valve the plug of the 4-inch three-way | for a moment, thus avoiding all loss of cock is turned in the opposite direction, | time and all ‘the dangers attending the closing the passage to the atmosphere and | further cooling off of “crucible and blast. opening communication with the blast-|The management of a furnace is thus, to pipe, the pressure from which, acting on| some extent, simplified, and one of the the piston of the cylinder, overcomes the | most serious annoyances attending the op- resistance of the air in the belly-pipe and | eration of an anthracite furnace is removed closes the valve. By operating the 14-|—viz., the difficulty of keeping the tuyeres inch three-way cock, all of the valves in | open. use, one or six, can be opened instantane- Flushing can be done through the tuyere ously; or each valve can be used sepa-|slagging-valves with the same facility as rately by operating the corresponding }- through the cinder-notch. occasionally ” To Circle Blast Pipe Scale 14 ~1 ft. Fig. 6. SIDE ELEVATION PLAN AND SIDE the same way. The pressure of blast in the belly-pipe is the same as in the valve- cylinder. The area of the piston being larger than the area of the valve in the belly-pipe, the latter is kept tightly closed, never leaking. If it is desired to open a valve, the plug of a 4-inch three- way cock is turned, cutting off the supply of air from the blast- -pipe and opening its passage to the atmosphere. The pressure of blast in the belly-pipe acting upon the | valve forces it open, driving up the piston | of the valve-cylinder, upon which there is | now no pressure, The air filling the cyl- | inders escapes to the atmosphere through the side opening of the cock. Toclosethe ELEVATION OF SIX-INCH TUYERE SLAGGING-VALVE. inch three-way cocks. Slag driven into} happens, even in a furnace working well, |the belly-pipes by the jumping of the] that a pocket forms under or around a cer- stock when the working of the furnace] tain tuyere, so that when the engine is is temporarily deranged can be quickly | stopped this tuyere is sure to fill with slag. and easily discharged through one or| When this cofddition is known to exist, it more of the slagging-valves, without | is only necessary to throw the blast off the loss of time or any inconvenience what-| furnace, open the valve of the tuyere, put ever. When the crucible is badly chilled | blast on again, blowing slag out, and then |the iron and cinder notches are closed | stop the engine. jand the slag melted by each tuyere} In addition to the uses mentioned, we | is prevented from distributing itself over} have found that the tuyere slagging- the area of the crucible, and confined to| valves supersede the “pricking” of tne the immediate vicinity of the tuyere melt- | tuyeres, and answer the purpose far better. ingit. This slag ean be discharge d through A ‘pricking-rod is now used only when a | the tuyere slagging-valv es with no risk to large hard lump obstructs the nose of « the men and without stopping the engine! tuyere, which rarely happens. In order z= bar ee = coed 5 es Z cad Fae P MB = Sens —— ee pif +” <- “ Sy popu + Pa , DZ a mas oF 4 y fithe . ad >. A PY pea? fF, , * ULE de CLD py Ad 4 A, 6 be fb pp he od 7 . P/ / ES [Pe 390 THE IRON AGE. March 14, 1889 Oooo TOTOTOTOTOTOTOlllllllllllllllelelelekxvo *"*=SEOeeelelele > to keep the valves in good working order, it was our custom to open them regularly once or twice per turn. In so doing, we noticed that the tuyeres kept cleaner and brighter than heretofore. Indeed, we never had such uniformly bright and clean tuyeres, under all conditions of working, as we have had since using these valves some nine months or more. Besides, we never before made so much iron in the same time. A clean, bright tuyere will certainly melt more material per hour than one furred with dirt. The frequent open- ing of the slagging-valves removes the dirt deposited in the belly-pipes from the gas and the infusible dirt that collects around the nose ot each tuyere. We have found a 3-inch valve the most convenient in size, although we have one 6 inches in diameter. This is shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7, from which it will be seen that in this form the valve V replaces the ordinary swinging cap, and carries the eye-hole M and the pricker-hole W, the latter being closed by means of a full- way valve, instead of lever and ball. This valve is located on the front tuyere, di- rectly over the iron-notch, and is made to replace the ordinary cap, the eye-sight and pricking-rod holes being in the valve. It can be easily opened to change nozzles. It is safer to operate a valve of this size independently of the others. Its cylinder is connected to the blast-pipe by a separate 1-inch pipe. We consider that the 6-inch valve would be of more value than the 38-inch one, chiefly in extreme instances of the chill- ing of the crucible and a large accumula- tion of dry ore-dirt in the furnace. As now constructed, the ging-valve can be placed in position in about five minutes, everything being got ready before the stoppage of the furnace after acast. A circular casting, about 11 inches long, of the same internal and ex- ternal diameter as the elbow casting of the belly-pipe, is keyed to the elbow in place of the cap, the cap being transferred to the opposite end of the valve-casting. In other words, the ordinary elbow is length- | ened by a separate casting 11 inches long. The air-cylinder is permanently a tached to this circular casting, carrying the sec- tor and the rack-extension of the piston- | rod operating the valve, the valve itself | being on the lower side of the casting. The seat of the valve is made detachable, so that it can be renewed should it be- come worn or cut by the action of the slag. Recently we allowed considerable slag to accumulate in the furnace. By simply operating the three-way cock of the 6- inch slagging-valve, we flushed through the belly-pipe and valve without any in- jury either to the pipe or valve. <A very slight shell of chilled slag remained in the pipe. The valve was closed easily and tightly by reversing the cock. On another occasion, shortly before the regular time for flushing, the engine sud- denly stopped, in spite of the efforts of the engineer to keep it moving. A joint in the steam-pipe had been remade earlier in the day, and we suppose a chip of wood | had somehow got into the pipe and caught on the seat of one of the valves of the engine, thus causing its sudden stoppage. The furnace being full of slag, all the belly-pipes, as the engine stopped without warning, filled immediately. The 6-inch slagging-valve opened automatically from the pressure ot the slag in the pipe, drain- ing itself and also the adjoining pipe, the only one on which we had not placed a slagging-valve. The 3-inch valves were opened as quickly as possible by the keeper, by means of a small bar, no air- pressure being in the pipes. From each the slag tlowed without difficulty. The | delay in opening the 3-inch valves caused a more or less heavy shell to form in the . | 3-inch tuyere slag- | pipes, in contrast with the 6-inch valve, which opened of itself and left but a light shell in its belly-pipe. In half an hour's time all the pipes were perfectly cleaned and we started up again. But for the slagging-valves the pipes would all have been completely filled with slag, which would have solidified before it would have been possible to remove it by means of the ordinary swinging caps, thus entailing a stoppage of four or five hours. Such a long stoppage, coming unexpectedly, might, under some conditions, cause much trouble and additional expense. We think the valves have already repaid us to their original cost. We are now making blow-off valves for our boilers, constructed on the same prin- ciple, with slight modifications to suit the different conditions. Instead of air, steam direct from the boilers is used to operate the valves. Provision is made to guard length over all is 430 feet, beam 45 feet and depth of hold 30 feet 6 inches, Al- though her net tonnage is 3046 and gross tonnage 4649, she will carry 8000 tons of cargo. Bya system of water ballast, after her cargo is discharged, she can take in 1000 tons in her tanks in a very short time and go to sea. ~~ oe Plowshare Grinder. This machine is especially adapted for grinding and polishing plows and other castings that are so heavy that it is neces- sary to handle them on a truck. It is made with a very heavy square base with sufficient spread to stand firmly on the floor and prevent vibration when being used. The arbor is made long, giving a good ‘clearance to handle work. It has four bearings, so as to run ste: uly without HEAVY PLOWSHARE GRINDER against the accumulation of water in the cylinder condensed from the steam and to avoid the possibility of the freezing of any of the parts in extreme cold weather. Letters patent have recently been obtained for the tuyere slagging-valve device. EE — The new White Star freight steamships Runic and Cufic, recently put on the line | between New York and Liverpool, were built strictly for the transportation of mer- chandise, and are navigated with such economy of fuel and low costs in other re- spects that they naturally come in sharp | competition with rival lines. The Runic | has a straight stem, iron hull, iron decks }and four iron masts, with yards on the foremast. The other three masts are fitted with four stout booms apiece, fitted into goosenecks, so that when ‘‘ peaked up” they can be used as derricks for loading or discharging cargo. Her engines are of the | triple-expansion type, and will drive her trom 12 to 13 knots an hour in fairly ‘smooth water. She is expected to make | the trip in less than 10 days. The Runic’s vibration. The weight, without wheels, is 1600 pounds; hight from floor to cen- ter of spindle, 42 inches; hight of base, 30 inches; length of two outside bearings, 8 inches, and are self-oiling; length of two inside bearings, 6 inches, located each side of pulleys—these are not shown in cut; diameter of spindle in bearings, 2} inches; diameter of spindle where wheel goes on, 2 inches; distance between wheels, 60 inches; distance spindle extends beyond frame, leaving clear space, 21 inches; en- tire length of spindle, 71 inches; spindle pulley, 8 x 6 inches; carries two wheels any size up to 60 inches diameter; floor space of base, 34 x 34 inches; driving pul- ley on countershaft, 20 x6 inches. This grinder is made by the Springfield Glue and Emery Wheel Company, of Spring- field, Mass. I — The Namaqua Copper Company, whose mines are at the Cape of Good Hope, have declared an interim dividend of 2/ per share, being at the rate of 20 per cent. per annum. March 14, 1889 THE IRON AGE. 391 A New Alligator Shear. shear are steel, and their journal bearings| order to furnish a varying quantity of are extralong. These shears are designed | water as required by hydraulic elevators. to cut 2-inch agricultural steel. | In this case the slide of the by-pass valve The accompanying illustration shows a new and recently designed alligator shear - a | is acted on by a float in one of the elevator which has just been put on the market by! @as Engine and Pump Combined. | tanks, or by a piston and weight, which Thomas Carlin’s Sons, founders and ma- }act when pressure in the accumulator chinists, of Allegheny City, Pa. The} The combination of the Otto gas | reaches its limit. main features in the construction of this /engine and pump herewith illustrated is} The makers of these pumps, Schleicher, shear are as follows: The bed is very wide ' intended to avoid the difficulties frequently | Schumm & Co., of Philadelphia, guarantee ALLIGATOR SHEAR, on the base, and has lugs for securing it to the foundation, a 2-inch bolt through the bed‘ under the pin adding considera- ble stiffness to it. The hubs of the housen are reinforced by wrought-iron links. The knives are set well back under the lever and bed to prevent spalling off, due BUILT BY THOMAS CARLIN’S SONS, ALLEGHENY CITY, PA. met with in bringing power to pumps by that they will pump more water and at less means of belting or countershafts when cost, with the size of engine attached to pumps are preferably run at slow speed them, than other pumps when driven by and with the highest efficiency. This the same size of engine. This enables the pump is also intended to take the place of makers to use smaller sizes of engines to do rotary or high-speed reciprocating pumps, | the work for which their larger sizes have chosen in order to save room. All danger! heretofore been selected in connection with GAS ENGINE to the crushing strain at these points. The lever is long and is heavily ribbed for the | it is | subjected, and for convenience in hand-| vertical and side strains to which ling an eye has been put init. Thequick- return cam is chilled on its face, and has a steel plate dovetailed into lever for it to work against, which is cushioned, and has also a safety yoke around the cam. The —_— is heavy, is 7 to 1, and is driven y 30-inch and 8-inch tight and loose pul- leys. All the shafts connected with the AND PUMP COMBINED, BUILT BY SCHLEICHER, SCHUMM & CO., OF PHILADELPHIA. of water-hammering is avoided by reason of their slow speed, and as the gears used in them are accurately cut all noise is re- duced toa minimum. By means of a by- pass valve the engine can be relieved of all work. When this valve is open the water in the pump cylinder merely circulates) from behind one end of the pump piston to the other, and thus admits of starting the engine without load. The by-pass is also used for stopping or starting the de- livery of water in an automatic manner in D less efficient and generally pumps. high-speed a About $1,000,000 will be expended by the Pennsylvania Railroad Company in elevating the surface railroad tracks in Jer- sey City. Fargo disputes with Bismarck in North Dakota in the struggle now taking place for recognition as the permanent capital of ‘the new State. *y yy he ed he Y a re xf 4 7 WA aren i 892 Sturtevant Steam Hot-Blast Apparatus. The house of B. F. Sturtevant, Boston, Mass., has just brought out a new design of asteam hot-blast apparatus, which is now well known. This design, first placed upon the market a quarter of a century ago, has been gradually improved and rapidly introduced until now about 5500 are employed for various purposes. It combines a fan and a heater, and is usually constructed with an engine di- rectly connected to the fan shaft, as shown in Fig. 1. The shell and wheel are of steel plate, and the shaft of steel, while ali stays and braces are of angle. The engine may be directly connected to THE IRON AGé. through the horizontal pipes, and down into the space connecting with the drips. By this time it has condensed, and leaves the heater in the form of water of con- densation. The sides of these heads are planed, and the joints made by copper gaskets, so that when drawn together by the through bolts there is no possibility of leakage. In connection with the sections is bolted on at one end of the group a header for steam inlet and a drip, B. 30th of these are large and allow the use of exhaust steam without creating back pressure upon the engine. The pipes C D are, respectively, exhaust-steam inlet and drip communicating with the outermost March 14, 1889 ordinary manufactory the distribution takes place through galvanized-iron piping, either in the form of upright mains extending to the various floors and having one or more outlets near the ceiling on each floor, or in other cases horizontal mains extend the entire length of the building just under the ceiling on each floor and the air is discharged through outlet in these. In _ schools, churches, &c., the air is generally conveyed through flues built into the interior walls, the vol- ume and rate of discharge being gov- erned by the register through which the air escapes. The object is always to discharge the air either at or toward the section, which has no head and is entirely | cold outer wall; but in this, experience is independent of the remainder of the group. MTT i i Hi! HHA TA! H i! fl urd Fig. 1. necessary in order to enable one to lay out STURTEVANT STEAM HOT-BLAST APPARATUS FOR HEATING AND VENTILATING. the fan shaft, or it may be independent | It is designed to utilize the exhaust from and arranged to drive the fan by belt and | the fan engine. The head end of each pulley. The advantage of a special engine | section rests upon the wrought-iron foun- for the sole purpose of diiving the fan is | dationof the heater, while the opposite ends evident. The fan may then be run at! are supported by cast-iron balls, so as to any time and speed, independent of any | allow for expansion. After continued use other source of power. Radical changes| of wrought-iron pipe the maker of this have been made in the heater, which| apparatus adopted stecl pipe as_ better forms a very important factor in the com-| adapted for use in his heaters, and has it binatior. As now constructed, the | made especially for him of standard weight heater proper consists of a series of per foot. The heater is ineased in hollow sectional bases, shown clearly|a_ fire-proof steel-plate jacket, com- in Figs. 2 and 3. #£=Their sides|municating with the inlet to the are corrugated so as to fit closely to-|fan, so that air is drawn by the _ fan gether and allow of no alternate expansion | equally across all parts of the heater, and, and contraction of the air passing between |as the pipes in the sections are set stag- the pipes. At one end of each section is! gering, the air is compelled to take a tol a circular head, Fig. 2, divided horizon-|tuous course and is brought into intimate tally by a diaphragm, so that the upper | contact with every foot of pipe. In opera- portion is in communication with the | tion for heating and ventilating, the out- steam inlet and the lower with the drip. | let of the fan is constructed with a system Steam admitted at the left through the|of ducts or pipes leading to the various steam inlet passes up the series of pipes, parts of the building. In the case of an a perfect working system. This, the | blower system, is positive in its action; the air being forced into the building must of necessity thoroughly circulate through it. As the source of supply of the air in- troduced is under control, there can be no opportunity for the presence of injurious impurities. Changes in the weather pro- duce no injurious effect upon the system, since the pressure produced by the fan is far in excess of that due to changes in the atmosphere, The large amount of air passing through the heater causes a rapid con- densation of steam, and each square foot condenses from three to five times as much steam as would be condensed by the same aurea in an ordinary coil radiator. In other words, it is claimed that only one-third to one-fifth of the pipe is required to do the same amount of heating. All the pipe is | combined in a single heater, and all valves are within easy reach, placing the entire control of the apparatus in the hands of a March 14, 1889 THE IRON AGE. 393 single individual. In addition, it isclaimed |the facilities. This factory was only that a more rapid change in the tempera- | established three years since. A business ture of the building is possible with this |is being done of $200,000 a year. James system than with any other, either direct | J. Baird is president; Orlando F. Barnes, or indirect. This method is now in use in | vice-president, and Frank E. Briggs, sec- some of the largest manufactories in the | retary and treasurer. country. The Lansing Wagon Company, with a 7 —— |capital of $100,000, turn out over 3000 Industries of Lansing, Mich. | wagons a year, and are reputed to manu- : | facture as fine a wagon as any in the coun- try. Farm, lumber and freight wagons A Western daily pablishes the follow- | are made and the works are taxed to their ing interesting information relative to the | utmost capacity. The Capital Wagon manufacturing interests of Lansing, Mich., | Company also boast of many new and im- which have been developed almost wholly | portant inventions, and claim for their within the past four years: Among the ! manufactured goods by comparison a high prominent manufactories of Lansing, fore- | position and an undoubted superiority. most mention must be made of the Lan-| Anderson & Bush’s manufactory has a sing Iron and Engine Works, which were | capacity of 3000 road carts a year. The | established in January, 1885. The com- | business was established last July. Orders | pany succeeded the copartnership of | for their goods come chiefly from the East, Jarvis, Barnes & Co., and since their in-| bt their trade reaches Kansas and Ne- corporation with a capital of $100,000, 'braska. They manufactured goods last Me LL i Me Le a * ° * . . e ° * ° ° i that kegs of 200 pounds average 15 more spikes. This spike is rolled complete at a single heat through Fowler’s patent spike rolls, forming the head without bending or upsetting the metal or breaking its fiber. This is accomplished by rolling down the shank of the spike from a bar of peculiar shape and larger in cross sections than the head of the spike itself. The method of manufacture, the machinery employed and the spike itself are covered by six distinct patents. 7 —— ~ Edison Exhibit at Paris. The Edison exhibit at the Paris Exposi- tion will, according to the New York T7i- bune, occupy nearly one-third of the entire space allowed the United States. The display of phonographs will include the original instrument now in the South | Kensingten Museum, London, together | with those showing the latest improve- |ments. The telegraph department will {contain models of all the machines Mr. | Edison has worked out. Inthe telephone division there will be a chronological ar- | rangement of all the devices from the orig- }inal ‘* Blake transmitter’ down to the | latest loud-speaking telephone. In electric | lighting there will bea complete three-wire }municipal system extending over all the ;exhibit. The principal feature of the ex- | hibit will be an enormous model of an in- | candescent lamp, 40 feet high, the globe | being composed of no less than 20,000 in- 'candescent lamp bulbs, and the carbon | filament within being indicated by a loop of red-colored incandescent lamps. The ‘effect when the light is flashed into these thousands of bulbs will be wonderfully bril- |liant. Around the base of this novel lamp | will be a series of panels illustrative of the various stages of the manufacture of in- Fig. 2.—Heater for Sturtevant Hot-Blasi Ipparatus Fiy. 3.—Detail of Heater. the expansion of the industry has been so; year to the amount of $75,000, and are| candescent lamps, and on either side will marked that its volume of business reaches| now about to build and increase their $350,000 a year. The character of the en- | facilities. gines manufactured by the company is . shown by their increasing business, and they have in connection one of the largest boiler shops in the State. They aiso manufacture compressed air-cylinder der- ricks for handling heavy machinery and mill, railroad and mine supplies. Next in importance may be mentioned the Lansing Wheel Company. Michigan can boast of only one carriage-wheel man- ufactory, and that is operated by the Lansing Wheel Company. In this factory | fy}1y 9000 additional 30,000 sets of wheels are made in a year, : and employment is given to a large num- ber of men. The making of carriage- ee wheels to-day is very different to what it! The Fowler Rolling Mill Company, 185 was in the days of old. The rapidity with | Dearborn street, Chicago, are putting ¢ which all the work is done is remarkable. | railroad spike of improved shape on the It takes the spoke driver about 15 minutes| market. The spike has a sharp chisel to place the spokes in a set of wheels, the} point, and its shaft is trapezoidal in cross ——— The blast furnace men propose at the next convention of the Amalgamated As- sociation of Iron and Steel Workers to make an effort to be admitted by that or- ganization, if possible. The furnace-work- lieve that in the major part of their work members will be gained Ky the Amalgamated Association. ers are now paid by the day, but they be- | they should be paid by the ton, as their | work requires fully as much skill as to| puddle iron. Should they be admitted, | | be the French and American flags worked | out in colored incandescent globes. One | will be inscribed ‘‘ Paris,” and the other ‘‘ Edison.” Among other nov- elties will be a huge dynamo cCa- pable of running 2000 lamps, one of the largest dynamos that has ever been constructed. An interesting feature will be a series of charts, 100 in number, show- ing the growth and development of all Mr. Edison’s inventions from the first crude idea, through all the successive stages, to the complete and perfected instrument. There will be a number of frames showing | the filaments in their natural condition, and after being carbonized, with samples, arranged in chronological order, of all the substances that have been experimented with in this direction. An interesting map of the first electric central station and district in New York will also be exhibited, with a tabular machine working on the wheel is done in| section. This form, it is claimed, presents | statement showing the growth of the busi- half that time, the rimmer does his work | greater resistance to the thrust of the rail} ness from a net loss of $4457 in 1883 to a on a set in 10 minutes, and the set is fin- ished in 40 minutes. The works are so constructed that they can turn out 150 sets a day, and it is the intention to increase | than other spikes, while the sharp point | net profit of $116,235 in 1888, and this de- tears the fiber of the tie less, Its weight! spite the reduction of gas to $1.25 per is less than that of the standard spike, as| 1000 fect, while the equivalent cost of elec- there is no waste metal in its formation, so| tric light is $2.25. ow, s ad Saad a. - a Pz SY pe i . 7D? = ae es (a ay , er s iL ee v a Sd i ~ 7 s The Pierce Air-Valve. Both the accompanying cuts are full size, Fig. 1 showing the valve provided | with dip attachment, Fig. 2 being without the dip. The valve is both automatic and positive. With this combination the pos- | itive valve can be opened to heat up the radiation at once, without waiting for the air to be forced out through the automatic. To increase the durability and _pre- vent corrosion all metal parts of the valve are nickel-plated both inside and out. The expansion and contraction of the hard | rubber body, responding quickly to heat | menage? ‘i NY Fig. |. THE PIERCE and cold, render the automatic part reli- | able, while the positive is available when- ever required. This valve is made by the Pierce, Butler & Pierce Mfg. Company, of Syracuse, N. Y. ec The Pullman Iron and Steel Company. | Seme interesting information has been given to the public relative to the Pull- man Iron and Steel Company, operating a rolling mill at Pullman, near Chicago. This information comes through the filing of a bill on the 4th inst., by Francis T. Wheeler and Lucius G. Fisher, asking for the appointment of a receiver for the com- | pany. The complainants own $5000 of stock each in the company. They say that October 8, 1883, Frank B. Felt and James P. Perkins were owners of one-half a pat- ent on railway spikes, the other half being owned by George M. Pullman and John W. Doane, Mr. Pullman’s interest, however, being in the name of James H. Smith, his private secretary. A corporation was formed with a capital of $500,000. The four stockholders contributed equal amounts out of their stock aggregating THE IRON AGE. which were to form the working capital of the company. The complainants’ in- terest consists of the purchase of $5000 each of this stock, and 1625 shares of the stock in all were sold, realizing about $100,000. George M. Pullman purchased all of Mr. Doane’s stock—about 1000 shares—although the stock has never been transferred to him on the books. Ex- tensive works were erected at Pullman for the manufacture of spikes, and a roll- ing mill was also built at Mr. Pullman’s suggestion, it is claimed, increasing the cost of the plant about $20,000. The Fig. ca] AIR-VALVE. works were completed in the spring of 1884, and have been run, the complainants say, ever since, at a loss to the company. The spike manufacture was almost entirely abandoned as a failure, and the princi- pal business of the company has been the manufacture of bar iron. The works and |machinery were found to have cost more |than the working capital, which was about $116,000, and in July, 1884, the company mortgaged their property to se- cure an issue of $100,000 of bonds. Of this issue $25,000 worth of bonds were sold at par. The company still losing money, they borrowed at various times from the Pullman Loan and Savings Bank, of which George M. Pullman is president and controlling officer, sums of money aggre- gating $56,000, for which the bank holds the $75,000 of unsold bonds as security. The Pullman Palace Car Company, ac- cording to the bill. in 1885 extended credit to the Pullman Ironand Steel Company by which the latter were enabled to purchase | $62,500, the proceeds of the sale of] company has been to furnish iron and iron- March 14, 1889 work for the Pullman Palace Car Com- pany and for their especial benefit, the latter company dictating prices below that of the market. The liabilities of the Pull- man Iron and Steel Company are stated to amount to $302,256.07, while the total assets are $279,618.19, the greater portion of which are in the plant, which cost $190, - 046.54. Of the indebtedness $180,000 is to the Pullman Palace Car Company. The railway spike patent is claimed to be worthless and to have been practically abandonded. The court is asked, there- fore, to order the property sold by the receiver, to direct an accounting to be taken, and that the proceeds may be di- vided pro rata among the stockholders according to their interest. The filing of this bill will hardly affect the credit of the company, as long as it is understood that the Pullman Palace Car Company are interested in keeping the works in operation, but the experience of these outside stockholders is very instruct- ive to others who are inclined to invest in auxiliary corporations operating in con- nection with large consumers of their products. I Upright Power Hammer. Appreciating the fact that the hammer as previously made was not quite strong enough in some parts, the Belden Machine Company, of New Haven, Conn., have re- modeled and made an entirely new set of patterns. The gearing has been simplified, the ways strengthened, and the body in- Upright Power Hammer. creased in every place where there was a possibility of its being weak. The manu- facturers now claim that this hammer can be run at a higher rate of speed and with less jar or liability of breaking, as there are no valves, rods or cylinders, than any other. As every part is plain and simple, the repairs are trifling. It is further claimed that it requires less power and oc- cupies but little space. The dies are never on the work when the hammer is still. The anvil block is made separate, and if |broken can be replaced at a small cost. materials and continue in operation up to | Stock varying from § inch to 3 inches can the present time. The complainants charge, | be worked without trouble. The changes however, that through the control of Mr. | made in this hammer were made only after Pullman as principal stockholder almost | a use extending over several years in the the entire business of the iron and steel works of the manufacturers. March 4, THE IRON AGE. 1889 | ac tive w an adie ry is paralyzed; the | ordin: ary payments in legitimate business or in settlements with labor. Obv iously designed as to Go away with the necessity | these classifications comprise elements too of disconnecting the valve from the pipe| uncertain and intangible to serve as a in case the seat becomes worn. This is ac- | basis for definite conclusions. Returns of complished by making the disk independ- | skilled labor employed, prepared at regu- ent of the stem, but held in position by a|lar intervals, as in England, are of some cast shoulder. The face of thedisk is con- | value as an index of the business situation, cave and filled with packing, which is pre- | and in the United States we have at com- vented from spreading by the metal walls|mand, in the statistics of the Labor on the disk. The advantages claimed are | Bureau, if promptly published, a source of that in case of wear the disk may be re-! information that should be availed of to The Frisbie Valve and Union. The cylinder valve here illustrated is so | THE FRISBIE VALVE. THE FRISB {the fullest extent. Reports of this char- acter reflecting the condition of a wide range of industries would become invalu- able. moved by unscrewing the nut of the valve, | | we | | | | | when the concave part can be refilled and placed in position in a short time. THE FRISBIE UNION. In the union illustrated the gasket A is held between two metal rings, B B, the space between which is filled with any suitable packing, which is held firmly in position by the rings. These gaskets are furnished the trade in all sizes and filled with asbestos, babbitt or rubber by the The Eelipse Man-Head. For the purpose of securing entrance to | tubular or flue boilers it is the custom to | shell or head large man’s body. This hole in the admit a cut a enough to ECLIPSE MAN-HEAD. THE makers of both the union and valve, the; hole is oval, and around it is riveted a Barnett Brass Company, of Mansfield, | wrought or cast iron ring of the same in- Ohio. ternal diameter as the opening. In ser- ' vice this opening is closed from the inside An improved business barometer is one| by a cast-iron plate called ‘‘ man-head of the wants of the times. Bank clear-| plate,” which is held in place by bolts ings, railroad earnings and even reports of|and crabs. To secure a steam-tight joint tonnage by the main lines of transporta-| |a gasket of rubber, asbestos, lead or other tion are all misleading as indications of | yie elding substance is placed between the the volume of current business. Bank |boiler-head or shell and the man-head exchanges are deceptive, because they | plate. In practice it has been found dif- report indiscriminately in one aggregate | ficult to secure a perfectly flat or even three kinds of transactions, viz., payments | surface, so that it has been necessary to on purchases made at any previous time, | draw the man-head plate tight against the but especially the settlements on maturing | boiler that the gasket might be forced into commercial paper,of various dates; purely | all the uneven surfaces, This gasket, speculative operations, which are often | therefore, is often forced out of ‘ies — — 395 so, after removing a few times, it is un- fit for further use and has to be renewed. At the same time this is generally the leaky part of the boiler, and is a continual eye-sore to a skilled mechanic. With the common use of steel in boiler-making many changes have been made possible and one of the most de- cided improvements is the form of man- hole opening called Eclipse man-head, which is illustrated herewith. This open- ing is flanged by a machine especially made for the purpose, the same asiif it IE UNION. were a flue-hole. The uneven surfacegis | planed level. The man-head plate has a | recess or channel, in which molten lead is |run, forming a gasket, and prevents it spreading or thinning out under pressure. | The bolts and crabs are the same as in the (old form. Therefore it will be seen that ithe flanged and planed opening presents a | perfectly level, hard surface against the perf fectly ievel, soft surface of the lead, so |there is no chance of a leak and no un- equal strain on the boiler, gasket or plate. | Where a boiler was weakest in the old form it is now the strongest, without an increase in weight. Briefly, the advan- tages gained are strength, improved ap- pearance of the boiler, freedom from leaks, economy in the use of gaskets and ease of entrance to the boiler. It has now been in practical use for over a year in many sections of the country with unquali- fied success. The Eclipse man-head and the machines for making it are patented by R. Mun- roe, of Pittsburgh, a practical boiler- maker of 50 years’ practice. Consumers or boiler-makers can obtain this improve- ment and all information regarding the same by addressing Mr. Munroe, as above, or Joseph T. Ryerson & Sor, at Chicago, the sole licensees for Chicago and the West. —— semen In the French Chamber of Deputies M. Villain moved an order of the day appealing to the Government to safeguard the interests of the shareholders of the *anama Canal. M. Rouvier, Minister of Finance, disclaimed any responsibility on the part of the Government. He said the Government had no means of interfering, although it approved of every effort made by capitalists and companies to prevent the collapse of the undertaking. Prime Minister Tirard, replying to M. de Cassa- gnac, said the Government would do its utmost for the success of the canal, but he could say no more. The chamber, then, by a vote of 344 to 185, adopted a Gov- ernment order of the day in regard to the canal. The Court of Appeals decided that the Panama Canal Company is a civil asso- ciation, thus reversing the decision of the Tribunal of Commerce that the company was a commercial society. uh sd - aii a ob sd a rE >. 7 rs —- 5 Sa et THE IRON AGE. THE WEEK. It is remarked that the Interstate Com- merce law, which provides for the regula- tion of railway traffic between the States by federal law, has come to stay, and be comes ingrafted upon the established pol- icy of the United States. Congress has shown no disposition to recede from the high ground originally taken, and Presi- dent Harrison in his inaugural address af- fords no encouragement to corporations that may have hoped to evade or prac- tically nullify the laws holding them to due accountability and restraint. The latest Havana advices report a prob- im igrants are coming than formerly, as for gn governments have learned that we | will not receive ex-convicts and paupers. The present debt of Canada, as shown by the Minister of Finance, is $236,000, - 000, an increase of 120 per cent. in 14 years; but the customs tariff now in force is expected to yield a surplus. While trade with the United States largely in- creased last year, that with Great Britain shows a marked decline. An official report of the results of the horse-car strike in this city as affecting the men engaged in it shows that not less than 2783 men lost their positions, entail- ing severe hardship. Master Workman Magee, who acted a prominent part, affirms able decrease this year in the Cuban sugar |t¢hat it is the purpose ot the railroad crop equal to 40 per cent., equivalent to about 200,000 tons compared with the pre- vious crop. The scheme for a bridge to Long Island, crossing the East River at Bilackwell’s Island, has encountered an adverse decision in the Supreme Court, Judge Van Brunt having refused an application for the ap- pointment of commissioners to acquire land. He upheld the argument of Assist- ant Corporation Counsel Twombly, in op- posing the application, that the act of 1885 gave authority to a private company to lay railway tracks over the bridge in violation of the provision of the Constitution of the State. Plans for the improvement of wharf facilities on the North River front were brought to the attention of the New York Chamber of Commerce at its last meeting by President Post, of the Department of Docks. As a large expenditure of money is involved, the approval of the chamber was desired. Some years ago the present engineer in chief of the department sug- gested a change in the original ‘‘ new plan ” so that the North River front, between Eleventh and Twenty-third streets, might be utilized, and the commercial possibili- ties of the North River increased some 25 per cent. The change contemplates the extension of West street, with a width o 250 feet in a straight line from West Tenth to West Twenty-third street. Excepting the blocks upon which the West Washing- ton Market is erected and the excavation of the land to the west of the street, the property for this improvement should be purchased by the city. This improvement gave 25 per cent. more wharf room and seemed to be the only way by which the city could be rapidly prepared for its in- creasing commerce. If it were adopted 19 large piers, 2 half piers, and 2 small piers could be built which would yield to the city a revenue of $800,000 a year. Its total cost would be about $8,861,000. Deduct- ing the yearly taxes now received by the city on the property to be purchased, amounting to $63,000, the net income to the city would be $737,000, or over 8} per cent. on the investment, without taking into consideration the increased amount of business which would accrue