The Iron Age 1890-01-02: Vol 45

THE IRON AGE. A | 7 iH VOL." Gailey. a JANUARY-JUNE, 1890. NEW YORK: DAVID WILLIAMS, 66 & 68 DUANE STREET. ‘THE IRON AGE Tmunapay, oaiedaiata 2, 1890 Sheet-Metal Drawing-Press. | in its practic al applic ation. All machines | ated on, and a metallic ring which sur- | designed to do this work contain three | rounds the punch and presses the sheet of While the principle of drawing sheet- | esse intial features: a hollew die, whose in-| metal, or ‘ blank,” against the flat face of meial into cylindrical and various other | side form is that of the article to be drawn; | the hollow die, from between which two forms is in itself exceedingly simple,'a punch, or male die, which enters the | surfaces the blank is drawn as the punch various mechanical difficulties are met with : other and presses into it the metal oper- | strikes it and carries it into the die. If Se | | STIMU sannnennn seen AEH amen 1 ‘i i ail ik Sian | cect ry i) Se Tt il | it il in ! i eer kh ee SHEET-METAL DRAWING-PRESS, BUILT BY E. W. BLISS COMPANY. 2 * THE IRON AGE. January 2, 1890 the punch and hollow die should be used alone it will be readily seen that the thin, flat sheet of metal lying on the die would be at once doubled and crumpled up when the punch forced it iuto the hollow open- ing, and the function of the blank-holder, as the ring is called, is to hold the blank smooth and prevent wrinkling. In all ‘drawing-presses, therefore, there are two distinct mechanical motions to be provided for. The lower, or hollow, die is gener- ally secured to a stationary bed and the punch and blank-holder given the neces- sary motion, though occasionally a press is met with in which the blank-holder is place the crank-shaft and gearing in a pit below the dic-bed, on the plan known as the ‘‘Marchand.” By the arrangement here shown a great saving of material and expense is obtained over the other plan, amounting, both as regards weight of machine and cost of construction, to about 30 per cent. This is the only press of its size, as faras we know, where the main trame, or housing, had been cast in one piece, thus securing an amount of rigidity and compactness not to be had by the other method. Not only is there a saving in the cost of the machine itself, but the expensive foundation and pit required in stationary and the lower die rises to it. | the old Marchand press is doneaway with, This, however, is not good practice, as the | this machine being machine is much less convenient for the operator. To obtain the motion necessary for the punch is a very simple matter, as nothing more is required than the reciprocating action of a cross-head driven by a crank on the main driving-shaft of the machine. That required for the blank-holder, how- ever, is more difficult to obtain. This re- sults from the fact that it ix necessary for the blank-holder to first quickly descend ahead of the punch; to press the blank firmly against the lower die; to remain at rest, with full pressure exerted, while the punch comes*dowi and does its work, and then to return to its upper position along with the punch, to enable the finished article to be removed from the die and a fresh blank to be inserted. The obvious method of obtaining this action is by the use of a cam mechanism, and for many years this was the only method employed. But the pressure required to prevent wrinkles forming in the blank is so great that it is avery difficult matter to con- struct a camand roli which will stand the abuse. Moreover, this pressure being brought against the main shaft causes frequent breakage of the latter, und by reason of the pressure brought on the main journals and the rolls causes great waste of power in friction. An adequate idea of this great pressure may be had when it is stated that in draw- ing up articles of tin-plate in a press of the capacity of the one here illustrated and in which two steel cams were used having an aggregate width of face of 12 inches, the rolls against which the cams operated being made of cast-steel, journal- shafts 4 inches diameter working in gun- metal boxes, with an aggregate length of bearing of 20 inches, it has been impossi- ble to prevent the bearings from cutting more or less and the face of cams and rolls from giving way by crushing, so that re- pairs on the old-style cam-presses are frequently required. The machine here shown is the develop- ment of the original mechanism designed by E. W. Bliss Company, Brooklyn, N. Y., and referred to in The Iron Age of November 8, 1888. The peculiarity of this device lies in the fact that the blank-holder is given an intermittent motion, the time of pause, or dwell, being about one-third, this mo- tion being obtained by means of a system of link-work from a reciprocating cross- head driven by a continuously rotating crank-pin. The relation between the two motions of the press is graphically shown in Fig. 4, in which the horizontal ordinates represent degrees or the angular motion of the main shaft, and the vertical ordinates representing the vertical distance traveled by the punch and blank-holder, respect- ively, on the downward and upward stroke. By consulting the drawing it will be found that the blank-holder travels down with but in advance of the punch and that at a certain point—about half way—it stops, while the punch continues its motion. The punch is thus enabled to perform its work on the blank while the latter is firmly held by the holder. In building presses for large work, the practice heretofore has generally been to self-contained and plunger, to which the punch is attached, is guided in ways planed on the inside of the blank-holder slide, and is operated by a pitman from the main crank. This yitman has a steel adjusting-screw, 5 inches in diameter, to regulate its length, and is held in the plunger by a ball- and-socket joint, as shown in Fig. 8. The ball forged on the end of the adjusting- screw is 74inches diameter. Two collars are provided on the screw in which are placed ratchet-pawls, placed reversed ways, the collars having holes for the insertion of a round bar. By operating one coliar or the other the pitman may be lengthened or shortened to give the required adjust- ment. UU, Fig. 2.—End Elevation. requiring nothing more than a good solid floor of sufficient strength to carry the dead-weight. The details, Figs. 2 and 3, may be des- cribed as follows: The main frame, or housing, cast in one piece, is provided with a planed bed at the bottom, on which the die rests. Two uprights, each with a section of 18 x 5inches, serveto take the ten- sile strain produced in doing the work and also serve as guides for the blank-holder and for carrying the various shafts and other attachments. At the top of the frame are placed three pairs of journals, the center one carrying the main shaft and the other two the rock-levers for working the blank-holder. The main shaft is of hammered steel, forged from a single billet, and the crank slotted out. It is 74 inches diameter, with a throw of crank of 17 inches. The cross-head, or On the left-hand end of the crank-shaft is placed a crank-disk having a steel crank-pin 5 inches diameter and 20 inches throw. This operates the outside cross- head, which is carried by a_ vertical wrought-iron guide attached to lugs on the housings of the machine. The cross- head, therefore, has a reciprocating mo- tion of 20 inches in a vertical direction. Two links connect the upper part of this cross-head with arms on the rock-shafts before mentioned, imparting to them a vibrating motion. Between the uprights of the housing similar arms on the rock- shafts are connected by four links to two yokes extending front and back; and again, these yokes are connected by four 24 inch steel screws with the blank-holder slide, thus imparting to it tue necessary motion. By examining the construction of the machine it will be seen that when the January 2, 1890 THE IRON AGE. outside cross-head i at the upper end of its stroke, the links connecting with the rock-shafts are in a p very little motion to the rock-shafts. 3 | olutions to one revolution of the main |tion the main skaft makes nine revolutions | Shaft. Fig. 3.—Side Elevation and Section. a matter of fact, while the crank is passing through one-third of its revolution (one- motion imparted to the link-pins in the rock-shafts is only about ,*, inch, and as in this position the links on the inside, at- tached to the yokes, are on the dead-cen- ter, there is practically no motion of the yokes during the period of the revolution. ¥rom actual calculation the vertical mo- tion of the yokes and blank-holder slide at this time is 5.55 inch, which is far within the ordinary spring of the iron, and not the slightest trace of motion can be de- tected in the machine or from its results in the work produced. As the outer cross-head travels toward the lower end of its stroke the arms on the rock-shaft are drawn off the center and the blank-holder raised. It will be seen from this construction that an enormous press- ure can be obtained with little strain on the operating mechanism and no cause for wea or breakage, while at the same time | the pressure being taken off the shaft and journals little power is lost through ex- cessive friction. In order to regulate the pressure necessary to do the work the holding-down screws pass through clear- ance-holes in the lugs on the blank-holder slide and are provided with lovk-nuts, as shown. The driving mechanism consists of a train of gears placed at the back of the machine. the pulley-shaft making 28 rev- cul ! t The large gear on the main shaft|per minute, which gives the operator osition which give 'is 6 feet in diameter. The machine is ample time to remove the finished work As | driven by a friction-clutch, a lever operat- | from the die and insert a fresh blank with- out stopping the press. In order to facili- tate the operation of removing the work from the die an additional motion is sup- plied. The crank-disk on the outer end of the main shaft is cam-shaped. Against the periphery of this cam is placed a roll, carried by a vibrating-lever attached to the main frame. This lever imparts motion to a rock-shaft placed across the bottom of the machine near the center of the press, and attached to this rock-shaft is a lever which operates a knocking-out pad, which at the proper time lifts the finished work clear of the die, so that it may be easily and quickly removed by the operator. This attachment is not shown in the per- spective view; its construction will be un- derstood from the drawings of the front and end (Figs. 2 and 3). The general di- mensions of the machine other than those mentioned above are: Lift of blank- holder, 12 inches; largest size of blank the press will take, 30 inches round or 36 inches x 30 inches oblong; total weight, 30,000 pounds. ; —_—_— The Milwaukee owners of shares of stock in Gogebic iron mines are realizing some return on their investments at last. Sales are being made to a syndicate acting in the interest of the Wisconsin Central Railroad, to control shipments of ore over , that route, and quite a number have passed under their control. According to a dis- patca from Milwaukee, dated the 26th ult., the Wisconsin Central syndicate have just purchased the Palms Mine, which adjoins the Colby Mine on the east. The price paid is not stated, but it is understood to be practically the same as was paid for the Superior, the stock of which was taken on | the basis of $200.000 for the entire prop- erty. The Palms is said to be the cheapest purchase yet made by the Wisconsin Cen- tral people, as it promises to be one of the best producing properties on the range, be- sides turning out a very high grade of ore. It is intended to take 100,000 tons of ore out of the Palms the coming season. The annual output of the iron companies of Minnesota will amount to about 860,000 ‘tons. The Chandler Iron Company, of ing which is placed in a convenient po-| Ely, reports that their shipments for the sition for the operator to stop the machine sixth on each side of the vertical line), the | instantly at any part of the stroke and to Lunches | | | | VSALGIELS SONIQKE DAS 9 730 | year amounted to 308,744 tons. A short time ago the Minnesota Iron Company filed %8O 20 Degrees. Fig. 4.—Diagram Showing Movements. | insure prompt stoppage when the clutch is thrown out. The lever automatically ap- plies a powerful brake to a brake-wheel provided on the pulley-shaft. In opera- astatement that their annual shipments had been 535,711 tons. These two reports contain about all the iron that has been shipped for the year ending last July. e4 THE IRON AGE. January 2, 1890 The Hammer Versus the Press. BY FERD. GAUTIER. One of the most difficult questions to | discuss is the relative efficiency of the ham- mer and of the press in forging, particu- larly since those concerns who possess both classes of machinery are not numerous and do not freely communicate the results ob- tained by them; besides, the effect of shock in producing molecular displacements is difficult to calculate. The impression, however, cannot be put aside that the press has an advantage. The large works whose names are given below, and who were equipped with powerful hammers, now possess or have ordered great probably because they expect to find an ad- vantage in using the latter: ham- . as rece sz _— i Firm or works. Sec se 5,000 | 1507 F. Krupp, Fssen .......... 50 4,000 | 1207 J. Prown, Sheftield........ 50? 4,000 | 120? | Societé de Chatillon et Com - DET bs. cckwiahon ena otee = 2,000, 75?) F. Krupp. ... 40 2,000! 75? | Le Creusét .. .. 6 ew. 80 2,000 | 75? | Aciéries de ‘Terni, Italy .. 100 2,000 75? Acieries de Witkowitz, Aus-| cds. <checennas ake Rn eaty 1,200 30? | Bell pros., Middiesborough...|... .. | 1,200 307 | Baltic Company, St. Peters- 3 NE 5 6055. v5cemanekeewaciagechogxe 1,200 30? | Taylor Bros., Leeds ... pe csivia 1,200; 30? | Monkbridge tron Works,! EE civ wc ita cae ike Rebs 1,200' 30? > Barrow Works. Engzland.. ... | 100 1,200; 30? Trubia Arsenal, Spain........)...... 1,000 25 ? J. Brown, Sheffield ........... oO 600, 20? K. Wittgenstein, Vienna..... - This list includes only the presses made | or under construction by the single firm Tannett, Walker & Co., Leeds, England. | Davy, of Sheffield, who had constructed | the 4000-ton Cammell forging-press, could | furnish his contingent to this extension of the new method of forging. It will be ob- served, therefore, that the larger establish- | ments, those who have been most thor- oughly equipped with hammers, have or- dered powerful presses ; besides, those who have had the longest experience in handling hammers, like John Brown and Krupp, have ordered additional ones, being un- doubtedly satisfied with their working. It is evident that this is a distinct movement which must have some special reason. A question which seems to us to occupy a prominent position in this matter is that relating to quality. It was possible to speak disparayingly of the press when it was employed in working puddle-balls. The reproach was made, justly that it did not sufficiently well expel the cinder in- terposed between particles of iron, and | 3 ° P I and | substance requiring careful heating lke that it left the metal in an impurer con- dition than it would have been had the hammer been employed. In this case the shock is necessary to eliminate a semi- fluid silicate whose tendency it is to quickly congeal between the particles of iron. As S Sears ae SSeS Saperaney e Sae ing the 15-cm, gun that for the same piece hammer for this class of work is generally recognized. The question naturally arises whether this is not also true of certain iron forg- ings obtained by gradually adding pieces, the object being to weld them tothe body of the article. It may be feared that the oxide of iron produced during long con- tinued heating is with difficulty displaced by simple pressure when it is in contact with a material already rendered dense and a more porous mass which it is the aim to weld to it. This difficulty will occur anyway, considering the work of gradu- * Presented at the Paris International Con- gress of Mining and Metailurgy. presses, | * | ally piling up the iron to produce a forged | shaft with several throws. | But when the problem of forging steel | is approached the press no longer has this apparent inferiority, and it is difficult to see why products so forged should not be at least equal in quality to those obtained }under the hammer. One ot the points af- |fecting quality seems to be, at least for steel, the lessening of the number of heats. It has never been claimed that undue length of heating could possess any ad- vantage whatever for steel. A 15-cm. steel gun, 36 calibers in length, produced | from an ingot weighing 364 tons, required /in Sheftield three weeks’ work under a 50- /ton bammer and called for 33 reheatings. An ingot weighing 37} tons has furnished the same gun in 15 heats and four days’ work with the 4000-ton press of John | Brown & Co. As indicating the shorten- ing in the time of work these figures are eloquent. Incidentally reference may be made to ‘the reproach entered against hammering that it gives the faces parallel to the di- rection of the shock » concave form, while the press through its more penetrating ac- tion yield faces convex in form. This isa fact well known, and it is striking particu- larly when the piece to be forged is con- siderable in weight as compared with the power of the hammer, The reason for it lies in the inertia of matter. the hammer first of all spreads over tue surface and by reaction upon the face which rests upon the anvil. | | } | } The blow of | same precaution is not necessary for it, since the influence of a blow inaccurately struck is not of the same importance, and since whatever errors there may be in it can be corrected as soon as the first im- pression is made by stopping the move- ment. That cannot be done with the hammer. Among the elements of cost in the forg- ing the consumption of steam must be considered. In hammers higher pressures without expansion and without condensa- tion are employed, conditions which have never been considered economical in the utilization of steam. In modern presses pumps and accumulators are used. In this case relatively weak pressures may be em- ployed acting continuously and under the modern improvements reached in the use of steam by compounding, expansion and condensation. In this case the advantage is certainly on the side of the press, and, | like all economies which are repeated a good many times, this must in the aggregate be considerable. It is not questioned that if the Terni Works, which in so remarkable a manner utilize hydraulic power to operate a 100-ton hammer. with compressed air, had the chance they would not give up this apparatus. Still, they do so indirectly by aaee a 2000-ton press, in spite of the heavy outlay it involves. Nor is it just to reproach the forging-presses as counterbalancing their economy in steam with a large consumption of water, which might be troublesome in certain cases, There is no waste of water, since it is al- The intermediate layers simply transmit | ways the same which comes from the the vibrations produced like suspended | pumps to the accumulators, from the lat- billiard-balls, the last of which is moved | ter to the large cylinder and from there when the first in the row drops back after|to the tank, from which it is again being pushed from its vertical position. | pumped. It is only, therefore, by a gradual diminu- It has been observed that in a general ‘tion of the thickness of the piece that | way, and particularly for forging steel, hammer forging can produce an effect|the press seemed to possess advantages upon the interior particles. torgings which must, iike guns, he bored subsequently the removal by tooling of the central part may partially cause this in- equality of work to disappear, but it must invariably exist, for all solid pieces, for instance, like shafts. In the case cited above of a gun of the same shape and the same dimension ob- tained with a 50-ton hammer and a 4000- ton press, it would have been interesting to compare the tests of pieces cut from the central core in boring. It is to be re- | gretted that these figures cannot be sub- mitted. It is difficult to see when the case of quality arises where the press when it acts upon a homogeneous substance like a steel ingot slowly and gradually has not marked advantages over the results of sudden and invariably unequal work. One _ point further may be added in favor of the press, and that is that the temperature at which the metal can be worked is notably lower than it is forthe hammer. With a steel this must be an advantage. Whatever may be the points, when quality is considered, which a forging with the press possesses, it is necessary to consider the question of comparative cost. It has been noted in quoting the example of forg- the number of heats was reduced by half and the time of work by at least three- quarters and very close to four-fifths, This represents a saving of labor and fuel with- out counting the proportionate waste by oxidation. It is incorrectly believed that the powerful presses now being built must naturally be slow in their action. This is a mistake, These presses strike 10 to 12 blows a minute and could undoubtedly go beyond that speed. Considering the fact that with powerful hammers the tup must first be placed on the forging to make sure that the blow will strike the correct | retically there is none. point, it is not believed that the hammer] compared to surpasses the press in this respect. For certain | over the hammer so far as quality of the product was concerned. It has been ob- served, too, that so far as the cost of forg- ing itself is concerned—the cost per hour of forging, without counting cost of sink- ing fund for raw material, the press seemed to appear more economical. It only re- mains to ascertain how for the same work- ing capacity the cost vf the two tools compares. The real power of the hammer is measured by the weight of its anvil and bed. If the hammer acted on soil which escaped the action of the blow the fact would be always ni/. The rapidity with which it absorbs the momentum of the blow measures the useful effect. Natur- ally, then, the anvil of a 100-ton hammer is an important part of the apparatus. The one at Creusot has a weight of 720 tons, and that at Terni 998 tons, resting upon close piling covered by a thick layer of beton. The whole is surmounted by cut-stone masonry with timber. The cost of these large tools is great, and is cer. tainly much larger than that of a press. The 4000 Tannett, Walker & Co. press may be purchased for 700,000 francs, with- out counting cranes and buildings, which would be the same in the case of a 100-ton hammer. It is not believed that such a hammer with its anvil could be produced at such a price. The press does not needan anvil, It can work anywhere where the ground is capable of carrying it, since its slow and gradual action operates through parts solidly unitefl with one another. Another con- sideration which possesses importance is that forging with the press is believed to be able to operate practically three aud one-half times more effectually than a ham- mer of equal power. It is true that some uncertainty exists on this point. What rule 1s to be followed in comparing the power of a hammer a given number of times with an equivalent press? Theo- A blow cannot be slow progressive action, The! which causes the metal to flow when its January 2, 1890 THE IRON AGE. 5 temperature is not too low. given in this paper an effort has been made to fill this gap, but it has been impossible to give aaything but the opinion of build- ers of presses, whose ideas tend to exag- gerate the power of their tools to the ( \ QUICK-RETURN CRANK SHAPER. In the table | Quick-Return Crank Shaper. lever to the bolt in the ram. and conse- quently the only wear possible is due to The accompanying cut represents a new | the turning of the wrist-pin in the links. quick-return crank shaper, built in three| By this arrangement the forward and sizes, 12, 15 and 20 inch stroke, by | quick-return motion are in the same ratio George Juengst & Sons for the Prentiss | to each other at all lengths of the stroke. / The changing of direction of stroke while the machine is in motion is done by a pair of twin screws, one operating on the sad- dle-lever while the other acts on a wedge | in the same to bind the saddle to the lever. |To change the stroke, the crank on the screw is turned backward one or two ‘turns to release the wedge, when the | gear, which is splined on the adjust- ing-screw, may be thrown in contact, | after which the stroke can be set to the required length. After having been ad- justed, the gear is disengaged and the 'wedge forced back to bind the saddle ‘firmly to the lever. The graduated plate on the ram is designed for the purpose of | indicating the length of stroke. The feed mechanism in traverse is so constructed as to avoid bendjng or breaking of the parts |in case the table should run out at either end. The head has a feed of 54 to 74 jinches at any angle. Two styles of graduated faces are provided with the machines, one having parallel jaws and /centers, while the other has swivel jaw | and two screws for adjusting. The gear- |ing of the machine is unusually powerful, | being on the 12-inch stroke up to 13, on the 15-inch stroke up to 14 and on the 20- inch stroke up to 20. All are driven by four-step cone-pulleys, the larger having |3-inch faces and the smaller 2}. The shaft, screws, links, &c., are made of steel and the T-slides are cut from the solid. | The weights of the machines are 1000, | 1500 and 2800 pounds respectively. cidhiecenialigiitatiptamenis An electric snow-plow was brought out for the first time in Boston during a recent |storm and is said to have worked well. The Transcript says the plows are built by Louis Pfingst, master-mechanic of the West End road. Each sweeper consists of a platform car mounted on a four-wheel truck, two Thomson-Houston motors con- nected with the axles furnishing motive | power. Underneath each end of the car detriment of their adversaries. The build-| Tool and Supply Company, 115 Liberty ers insist that with a 1200-ton press as/ street, New York. By referring to the much as 18 tons of ingots may be forged | sectionai view shown in the cut below it | per hour, or about 3 tons every ten minutes. | will be seen that the quick return is ob- It is understood that the work begins} tained by a lnk motion instead of a with 400 mm. square ingots, weighing 14| sliding-block. The motion is brought to tons, forged down to 200 mm. square} the ram by two steel links, one of which } These are at Jeast the conditions of the con- tract with Bell Bros., of Middlesborough, and if they are not carried outthe order 1s canceled. In the opinion of the builders a 30-ton hammer, which approximately would correspond to the press in power, certainly would not do such work. With this same 1200-ton press an ingot 700 x 470 x 1200 mm., weighing 3} tons, can in ten minutes be forged to an average dimension of 660 x 180. It will be understood that with such power the cost of installation is in favor of the press, since it is interded to replace several hammers. There are two classes of work which can be carried out in presses, the work of forg- ing, properly speaking, and the work of bending or shaping. Originally the Tannett presses were specially built for one or the other of these purposes, and the Davy press alone could be considered as applied to both ends. This fact may be explained by the circumstances that the first forg- ing-press was ordered by John Brown & Co. and that as they already possessed a bending-press they called specially for their new press for forging. As a matter of fact, the tendency, at least among con- sumers who have the intention of putting in only one press, is to so arrange it that both classes of work can be carried out, PLAN SHOWING DEVICE connects the worm-wheel driven by a), worm running in oil to the outer end of a | saddle-lever which at no time is subjected | is a large cylindrical brush reaching across the track at an angle of about 45°. Upon the car is an electric motor of 15 horse- power which runs three brushes at a rapid rate of speed. An upright standard in the center of the car supports the trol- ley, which is similar to those on the box FOR CHANGING STROKE. cars, and around it is a groupof incandes- cent lights. The motors which run the car are of 30 horse-power. The car runs For large establishments it is better natur- ally to adopt special tools for each work, as is done at Krupp’s and at Brown’s. to more pressure than is brought to bear | either way, and the brushes are so geared on the cutting-tool. A second link con-| that the one on either end can be oper- nects the adjustable saddle on the saddle- | ated while the other is lifted from the track 6 THE IRON AGE, January 2, 1890 The U. $. Torpedo-Boat Cushing, In the southern shop of the Herreshoff Mfg. Company, at Bristol, R. I., the United States sea-going torpedo-boat No. 1 1s fast nearing completion. Secretary Tracy has recently issued an order author- izing the naming of the craft the Cushing, in honor of the brave Commander William B. Cushing, U. 8. N., who blew up the rebel ram Albemarle at Plymouth, N. C. in 1864. The prime purpose of the Cushing is to discharge auto-mobile torpedoes—that is, ’ those carrying their own propelling-power —while traveling at a high speed. It will also carry such other torpedo-tubes and rapid-firing guns capable of discharging 20 shots per minute, mounted upon its deck, as shall be determined after the vessel is afloat and its speed tested. This vessel, which will be one of the most re- markable ever turned out of any ship- yard, has a length of 188 feet, a beam of 15 feet, a depth from deck fo keel at the highest point of 10 feet and a draft of 4 feet 4 inches loaded. The contract upon which the Cushing was built requires a speed of 22 knots per hour. It is certainly expected that the vessel will develop a high speed. The steam-ship City of Paris, the Transatlantic greyhound and the holder of the cham- pionship for Transatlantic speed, has a dis- plucement of 10,000 tons and its max- imum horse-power does not exceed 16,000, showing a ratio of horse-power to dis- placement of 1.6 to 1. The Cushing’s displacement will be about 103 tons, its maximum horse-power, to displacement of 16 to 1. CONSTRUCTION OF HULL, The hull is built of steel plates of vary- ing thickness. Every plate in hull and deck is galvanized, as are anchors, railings and all exposed metal-work. The keel is of flat plate, worked to form; the ram-stem is a steel forging extending from the spar deck to 8 feet along the keel from the spur of the ram and the stern-post is another steel forging. The plating is let into the steel forgings, and seen from in front the vessel appears to be as sharp as a cimeter and as smooth as polished wood. The hull is divided into 11 compart- ments, separated by water-tight bulk- heads, the openings in which close on rub- ber gaskets with wedge locking devices, which secure them from opening against any pressure. The compartments are oc- cupied, beginning at the bow, 1, the colli- sion compartment; 2, a steam-winch, steam-reel for anchor-chains and will be fitted with a magazine for explosives for the torpedoes; 3, the breech or rear end of the torpeao-tubes, with arrangements for firing and reloading, also quarters for the crew, conveniently fitted up with berths, which tilt up out of the way, lockers for each of the 12 men who will occupy it, a mess-table, &c.; 4, the galley, lavatories, &c., for the crew; 5, forward boiler-room ; 6, engine-room; 7, after boiler-room; 8, engineers’ and helmsmens’ quarters; 9, officers’ quarters; 10, pantry, store-rooms, &c.; 11, stearing-gear, paints, &c. Each compartment is fitted with steam ejecting apparatus, the larger ones with two, so that in case of a leak each would have a capacity of 25 tons of water an hour. In connection with the bilge sys- tem of centrifugal and donkey pumps, the Cushing should be able to blow out a volume of water equal to its own bulk in eight minutes. The flooding of any com- partment except the engine-room would not materially interfere with the working of the boat. For 61 feet of mid-ship length the hull is practically double, the coal-bunkers extending for that distance on either side of the stoke-holes and en- gine compartment, divided by the bulk- heads, the whole forming a material stif- fening of -the frame of the vessel and affording at the same time an additional protection to its vital parts. OUTSIDE APPEARANCE, The Cushing will be very plain above the water and will offer little which can serve as a target for an enemy’s guns. The most prominent are two conning- towers and two stacks. A whale-back extends from the forward conning-tower to the bow, and the whole deck is curved so as to deflect shot. A light hand-rail of gal- vanized steel is erected between the tow- ers, inclosing a deck made up of sectional wooden gratings, secured by easily de- tachable clamps, and the same kind of railing is continued on the whale-back forward to the steam-capstan and aft to the officers’ companion-way. Two gal- vanized-steel anchors will be carried for- ward, the ship will ride by a hawse-pipe piaced exactly on her center-line, and on deck, aft of the officers’ companion-way, will be carried a roomy 11-foot row-boat. BOILERS. The Cushing is a twin boat in every- thing—in boilers, engines, screws, pump- ing machinery, torpedo-tubes and steering gear, the condenser being the only part of the mechanical equipment which is single. The boilers are the Thornycroft water- tube boilers, which are used in the tor- pedo-boats built by that firm abroad, and are the first of that pattern made in this country. They were constructed by the Continental Iron Works, of Brooklyn, N. Y. Their essentials are two cylindri- cal water-legs and a-cylindrical steam- drum, which are placed in relation to each other like the two feet and the head of the cxpital letter A. Between the water-legs and the steam-drum run the water-tubes, so bent as to present the greatest amount of heating-surface, and recurved so as to enter the steam-drum at the top. -At the water-leg the courses of tubes are staggered so as to present an opening for the up- take, but they are brought together a short distance higher, the result being to inclose the draft between the two series of tubes on each side, which by their windings considerably increase the surface over which combustion occurs, Each boiler has about 34 square feet of grate-surface, a heating-surface of about 1800 square feet. The boilers weigh 8 tons each, will each develop 800 horse-power, are in- tended for a maximum pressure of 250 pounds of steam and will be tested with 500 pounds to the square inch hydrostatic pressure. The fire-rooms are arranged on the closed stoke-hole principle, for they will be closed nearly air-tight, and an ef- ficient fan-blower will force air down from an opening in the deck at a pressure equal to that of about 4 inches of water. Every inch of spacc aboard the vessel is utilized, but this is almost the only place where the idea of crowding obtrudes itself. THE ENGINES. It is doubtful if in any other place in this country is so much power concentrated in so small a space as in the engine-room of the Cushing. The main engines are two sets of five-cylinder quadruple ex- pansion engines of 800 horse-power each, and with pumps, blowers, winches, &c., there will be a total of 25 steam-cylinders on board, which will probably be increased to 28 by the time the vessel is fitted with her lighting mechanism. The cylinder di- ameters of the main engine are: high pressure, 11} inches; first intermediate, 16 inches; second intermediate, 22 inches; low pressure, two cylinders, 22 inches each. The stroke is 15 inches, and the five cranks are so set in relation to each other as to give the least vibration to the hull. The main shaft is 54 inches in diameter, of forged steel and is 61 feet long. In the engine-bed it carries only the cranks and runs through large bearings. The bal- anced piston-valves are operated by a shift- ing eccentric on the main shaft without the aid of links. A reducing-valve allows the use of direct steam in starting. Tue — will run practically without noise and can be easily reversed by one man. All the parts are tested to pressures at least twice the estimated working pressure or to a tensile strain of at.least three time the es- timated working strain. The engine-room will be manned by six men while running. The main steam-pipe is of steel, but the piping between the cylinders and the ex- haust into the condenser is of copper and was made in this city. The copper con- denser is in the after part of the engine- room and just forward of the bulk-head, separating that from the after boiler-room. It contains 1022 tubes, aggregating more than a statute mile of tubing. The water for the boiler supply will be distilled from the sea-water by Herreshoff’s improved distiller, located in one of the forward compartments. This will store fresh water in a supply-tank. The main feed-pumps are worked by independent engines, one for each main engine. There are two com- pound blowing-engines for the forced draft, and one compound engine to work centritugal circulating-pump, all carefully balanced and connected to exhaust into the main condenser. A donkey-pump in each tire-room is connected to draw either from condenser, supply-tank, the sea or bilge suction-pipe, and to discharge into boiler, on deck, fire-room, or overboard. The main engines work twin propellers of manganese bronze, galvanized, each 4 feet 2 inches in diameter, with about 8 feet pitch. For about 32 feet of its length the shaft runs outside the hull, supported by suitable bearings. At its stern the vessel carries a strong frame-work guard, built out to prevent it from getting so close to a dock as to foul or damage the propellers. CONNING-TOWERS. The movements of the vessel are con- trolled from the two conning-towers. These are circular, built of }-inch steel plates, and have double sliding-doors with quick-acting appliances for releasing one door if injured in action and instantly substituting the other. The towers are lighted by five bull’s-eye windows each, but the domed tops are arranged to be ele- vated by hand-wheels operating screws through crowned gears, so that a clear out- look through a 4-inch space ell around tbe horizon may be had. This will be neces- sary for use in crowded harbors, but in battle the top will be shut down upon its rubber gaskets, making it water-tight. Both towers are fitted with steering appara- tus, engine-room telegraph al voice- tube between towers and engine-room, and signal-gear and speaking-tube between the two conning-towers. Each will be manned while the vessel is under way. The forward tower has a steam steering- engine which develops 6 horse-power. It can throw the wheel from hard-a-port to hard-a-starboard in three and a half seconds—that is, before the vessel can traverse her own length at full s . The after tower has a manual steering-wheel. The engine-room telegraph is comprised in a couple of polished- ronze levers, work- ing over 180° of a sector, controlling star- board and port main engines respectively. Both levers thrown forward on a horizontal line mean full speed ahead; both vertical mean stop; both on a hori- zontal line pointing aft mean full speed astern. They may be moved together or singly. The rudder-wheel ropes are of wire, and run straight to the tiller. Aft the after conning-tower detachable crane hooks connect the steering mechanism for that tower, which moves in unison, as already described, and the only sheaves in the wheel-rope systems are the four neces- sary to change the transverse motion at January 2, 1890 THE IRON .AGE. ~ the conning-towers into a longitudinal pull. The rudder-post is a steel forging 64 inches in diameter, and the rudder is overhung, and is of such size and shape as are calculated to give the boat the maximum maneuvering qualities either going ahead or astern. AUTO-MOBILE TORPEDOES, The auto-mobile torpedoes to be used will probably have a velocity of 40 feet per second, and will be discharged from the Cushing when she is traveling at a speed of 38 feet per second. Various methods are in use for discharging these projec- tiles, one method being by compressed air, another by piston, and again by an ex- plosive charge. The last method will probably be the one used on board the Cushing. The two bow torpedo-tubes are arranged under the whale-back in a parallel line, and incline toward the horizon at an angle of about 3°. The tubes are 14 feet long and 14 inches in internal diameter. Nothing but their muzzles is visible from without, and within the vessel their breech will come chance of converting new bonds into stock so as to secure this dividend, for the first payment of the bond subscription is due January 2, and prepayments of the whole subscription canrot be made before that date. Thesecond payment is due Febru- ary 1, the third March 1 and the fourth April 1. Conversion of bonds into stock can be made in season to participate in the next dividend. The company would have earned more than they have had not mostof the rails manufactured been on last spring orders and at prices then current. The later orders which run into 1890 are at ad- vanced prices. The companyhave their 1890 ore already in stock, and this stocking up |’ in advance calls for a large working capi- tal and exhorts to conservatism in present dividends. The 4 per cent. applies to about $17,000,000 stock. The company expect to derive a temporary advantage not only from the rise in steel rails but in the probably cheaper ore transportation | rates in 1889 than in 1890. This company have a wage arrangement with their em- | ployees which insures immunity from \labor strikes. An upset price is paid PUNCH FOR LIGHT SHEET-METAL. just above the head of a man of average hight standing on the floor of compart- ment 3. Two torpedoes will be kept in tubes and two more in suitable recesses left in the floor of thiscompartment. The explosive charge which ejects the torpedo is kept in compartment 2, and after a tube has been discharged a torpedo is raised from beneath the floor and by means of a parallel motion raised to the hight of the breech and slid into the tube. The rapid-fire gun equipment is yet to be decided upon. The guns will be mounted on deck and their magazine will be under the after conning-tower. The Cushing may be ready for the water early in the year 1890. If the winter should continue to be open the boat will be launched when ready, and will be sub- jected to her speed trials in the Narra- gansett Bay. She will not, however, be run at high speed among floating ice. EE The Illinois Steel Company’s 4 per cent. dividend is payable February 2 to stock of December 31, the books to reopen Janu- ary 7. This dividend is for eight months ended December 31, and while the com- pany expect to earn over 8 per cent. for the year to end April 30, it is not in- tended that payments on the stock shall exceed 6 per cent. per annum for the resent. Four per cent. for eight months is at that rate per year. The closing of the books for the dividend shuts off the for tabor and a higher price dependent upon the advance in steel rails. I Railroad Building in 1889. The Engineering News prints the follow- ing summary of the railroad construction of the year. The list of new railway lines con- structed during 1889, which we pre- sent with this issue, shows that the total addition to the main-track railway mileage of the United States during the year will vary very little from an even 5000 miles. This is the smallest construction recorded in any one year since 1885, when the total increase was but 3588 miles. The construction in the intervening years has been : In 1886, 7471 miles; in 1887, 12,668 miles; in 1888, 7284 miles. The bulk of this year’s construction has been dene in the South. Over 2000 miles of the new lines reported to us lie south of the latitude of Cincinnati and cast of the Mississippi River. Washing- ton, however, has had the greatest increase of railways of any single State, 353 miles having been built there in 1889. Georgia comes next with 315 miles, and then fol- low North Carolina with 279 miles, Texas with 270 miles and Mississippi with 212 miles. Sixteen other States re- port between 100 and 200 miles and in Vermont, Rhode Island, Mexico, Arizona light sheet-metal work. and Nevada no new track-laying has been reported. Very few long lines have been built this season, but there has been a great number of short branches and extensions, especially in the East. The total number of separate lines on which track was laid during the year was 253. This work was done by 197 different companies. The av- erage length of each extension, therefore, was almost exactly 194 miles. In Canada, during 1889, 733 miles of track were laid, and in Mexico the construction amounted to 369 miles. a Punch for Light Sheet-Metal. This machine is especially adapted to It will punch a }-inch hole in 4-inch iron or its equiv- alent. The depth of jaw is 15 inches, and the machine will punch anywhere in a sheet 30 inches or less in width. In ad dition to the regular sheet-metal work it can be used for punching holes in pipes 44 inches or larger in diameter 8 inches or less from end of pipe. The plunger that holds the punch is operated by an eccentric, which 1n turn is worked by a hand-lever. This lever can be worked either at the front or rear. The machine is provided with a stripper that can be adjusted with accuracy, also with gauges and with one each }-inch, ;4,-inch and 4-inch punches and dies. It is made by the New Doty Mfg. Company, Janesville, Wis. a Rapid Transit Plans. Rapid transit for New York City will soon be a prominent topic in the discus- sions of the Legislature. Mayor Grant’s bill places the whole subject in the control of the Sinking Fund Commissioners. The People’s Rapid Transit Company are the only railroad corporation left amid the many that have sprung up in this city who are distinctively characterized by their announced purpose to buy the right of way through the blocks. This com- pany were organized some 18 months ago, through the efforts of D. C. Linsey, a well-known railroad engineer who died recently. The company propose to build a viaduct road parallel and near to Broad- way, just west of that thoroughfare, be- coming a sunken road at the Boulevard and running up that street to the Harlem, then crossing and extending to Tarrytown. Its bed will be some four stories above the street and so constructed as to prevent vibration and sound from annoying resi- dents. The arches beneath it are to be rented for store purposes, as under the bridge approaches and as in London and Berlin. Hugh elevators will take passen- gers to and from the station platforms. The road will have four tracks, two local and two express, the latter carrying pas- sengers from City Hall to the Harlem River in 20 minutes. This company have made preliminary arrangements for their right of way, and there are signs just at present of a vigorous prosecution of the enterprise. ST Hamilton Disston, the saw manufacturer, of Philadelphia, distributed nearly $17,000 in Christmas presents to his employees, visiting the works at daylight and per- sonally superintending the giving out of 1400 turkeys. These gifts were regulated according to the merits of individual cases, the largest fowls going to the men with the largest families. There are 1700 employees at the works, and the boys or single men who did not desire turkeys were given money. In addition to this the firm distributed nearly $15,000 in cash to their employees, individual merit also being the basis upon which the money was given out. 8 THE IRON AGE, January 2, 1890 building yards both at home and abroad. But when due allowance is made for all this it would seem doubtful whether the shipping trade can long take up the large tonnage now building. There is, of course, the gratification of knowing that the ton- nage which is removed from the register is being replaced by other vessels more Chimneys at Edison’s Central Station, Brooklyn. Through the courtesy of the Hlectrical World we are enabled to present detail drawings of the chimneys constructed for the plant of the Edison central station in Brooklyn, N. Y., our data being taken from an article in the same journal by C. J. Field. The main building, in which the plant is located, is about 80 feet high and provided with two stacks at the rear, 160 feet from the base, with a flue 150 feet in hight and 50 x 120 inches in area. The article states that these stacks have already quite fulfilled the expectations of the de- signer. The boilers connected with the stacks are eight in number, each of 450 horse-power, the engines used being 12 in number, each of 300 horse-power. The plant is designed for an ultimate capacity of 36,000 lights of 16-candle-power each. Although the building was designed to accommodate this number of lights and has been completed for the full equip- ment, but one-third of the electrical and steam plant has been installed, that being deemed requisite for present requirements, The remainder will be put in place as needed by the development of the station. —_—_———E—E—EE Ship-Building in England. The ship-building returns which are now being compiled in England suggest to the Engineer th