The Iron Age 1891-08-06: Vol 48

{LEG IILI J = QZ —< Improved Straight-Line Engine, The first straight-line engine was an ex- perimental one built in 1871, the second at Cornell University in 1875, the latter ‘THE TuHurspay, AuGusT 6, 1891. IRON AGE ized and since that time have been build- ing the engine known by that name. The following description, together with the accompanying drawings, show all the latest modifications of the engine as now built. Although this engine has always main- tained the original characteristics—that is, Sootiss a ASS = me H $ H 4 H rid ‘ PAAennds BARR AAR dds d bbb bbdadaddddaddiédddddd K B SL So aaa ao ow te rs SO ? "a ; 1 ______]} Z Goon o ecco laa Rss SWSStss being still in use. In 1879 the first engine was chan by the introduction of a gov- ernor of the present form, and on January 1, 1880, an upright rolling-mill engine was built by Sweet’s Mfg. Company, which has been in constant service since. On February 1, 1880, the Straight-Line En- gine Co. of Syracuse, N. Y., were organ- SSL SsSaSSsSoS SSS Fig. 1.—Sectional Plan, SSS dda . SEMIS LSS SESS Sab basshn inns Fig. 2.—Sectional Side Elevation. THE STRAIGHT-LINE ENGINE, a frame consisting of two straight arms rupning from the cylinder to the main bearings with the balance wheels between, and the whole resting on three self-adjust- ing points of support—such changes have been made as experience indicated would make a more perfect machine. The de- scription and drawings here presented are E taken from a handsome catalogue, which has just been issued. THE DESIGN. This, differing as it does from all others, admits of some explanation. Any struct- ure having considerable length and ETTESEEEE LS Feet en Shae ennennn shay breadth in proportion to its depth must be supported on three self-adjusting points of support, to be free from torsion when rest- ing upon an unstable foundation ; all strains go in straight lines, and the plan of this engine conforms to these two leading ideas. The design is believed to be con- sistent in that all boundary lines are 1 i SASS WOVE PR OYE EoeTA Sar 306 straight, ending in graceful curves; all cross sections of stationary parts rectangu- lar, with rounded corners, and all moving arms and levers double convex, wide and thin, with the longest axis in the direction of the greatest strain. It is believed that there are but few points where the design can be improved by dispensing with any of the features. THE FRAME, as will be seen in Fig. 1, is cast in one piece with the cylinder and steam chests. While this proves to be an expensive way it has the merit of remaining true if once made so, and the form being such as to place the metal in the best possible posi- tion to resist the strains, and as the amount of metal is enormously in excess of that required, it is believed no occasion will arise when any one having one of these en- gines will wish it made otherwise. No wear can take place at the main journals; provision is made for facing the valve seats without interfering with the valve adjustment; the lower guide for the crosshead is a separate casting, so no wear comes on the frame except in the bore of the cylinder. THE PISTONS in engines smaller than 10-inch cylinder are solid, with rings sprung in, but for 10- inch and over they are as shown in Fig. 3. The main characteristic is that the pack- ing rings are what the makers have desig- nated ‘‘ limited expansion ’—that is, the rings are made much too large for the cylinder, sprung in with considerable force, and pinned in that position and the . outside turned to a_ perfect fit to the cylinder. After this, the pin holes in the rings are filled to admit of the rings being compressed, while not allowed to expand, These pistons do not lead, nor do they cut the cylinder, and, as will be un- derstood, run easier than pistons having their rings forced against the surface of the cylinder. As will be seen by examin- ing the drawing Fig. 3, only a part of the thickness of the piston is used to secure it to the rod, this being done to give addi- tional length to the piston-rod bush. The castings are very thin and light, and are thoroughly ribbed for strength. The only part that can wear is the bull ring, which is packed down to keep the piston in the center of the cylinder by liners made of narrow strips of sheet metal. Flanges cast on the spider and follower inside of the piston rings make them so stiff that only four studs are used. The pistons are secured to the rods by two taper fits, a parallel thread and shrink fit. THE [RON AGE. N iy N ‘ N Semanal SSS 7 : SECTION THROUGH A.B. Fig. 3.—The Piston. EEA ZZ fi N \ \ Vi dldddddddaadaadaaddu = S Will Fig. 6.—Crank Shaft and Wheels. THE STRAIGHT-LINE ENGINE, August 6, 1891 August 6, 1891 THE IRON AGE, 207 PISTON RODS AND PACKINGS. The piston rods are of steel, are ground|is too short for the leakage of steam by their length, as the brief time the piston in making a stroke steam to work and finished, and have their ends reduced, | through. With perfect alignment be- so that the babbitt bushings which form|tween cylinder and guides, the piston the steam-tight joints overrun at the ends. | rods pass through the bushes without con- ae a aaa AEZZZZZLCECCKEKEEED} ccc Uerere eet HE Yj) WK ‘ \\s3 \\ Wns VW SEG . \ ‘A = ASS Fig. 9.—Valve-Rod Slide, THE STRAIGHT-LINE ENGINE. The piston-rod packings, Fig. 4, are simply babbitt metal bushings, with reamed holes slightly larger than the rods, so as to be a free sliding fit. They rest in spherical seats, which are free to move in any direction. The bushings are made long and light, and are held in place by gland and screw cap. They prevent the tact, and when this is maintained the wear is imperceptible. Under less favorable condi- tions they wear, but they can be compressed, when worn, so as not to leak, until they are worn out, and the cost of new ones is less, when taking inte account the cost of working, loss of time and friction, than the cost of the ordinary hemp packing. THE CROSSHEAD is fully shown in Fig. 5. Its principal peculiarities are that it is of steel or mal- leable cast iron; it is threaded on the piston rod and secured by being split and clamped by the binding bolts, The wear- ing surfaces of the steel castings are faced with babbitt. The crosshead pin is a hollow steel casting made fast to the con- necting rod and turns in two adjustable babbitt-lined boxes in the crosshead. The object of this is to secure lightness, extra wearing surface, to prevent side swinging of the connecting rod at the fly wheel end and to give ready means of oiling. The method shown for adjusting the half boxes used in the larger engines has proved to be very satisfactory. The long wearing surface of the crosshead adds greatly to its easy running and durability. The crosshesd is what is known as the slipper guide sort, the lower guide being adjustable in the vertical direction. It rests upon and is bolted upon two inclined planes. By loosening the bolts and ad- justing the screw at the end, the cross- head may be readily raised or lowered to bring the piston rod in perfect alignment. The method of oiling is by two fixed sight-feed oilers without wicking. The oil from the metal points is taken off by metal channels and conveyed to the cross- head pin, from which the drip is conveyed to the lower guide, and all waste oil and water is retained in the basin or conveyed. away in an overflow pipe. THE CRANK SHAFT AND WHEELS are shown in Fig. 6. The steel crank pin and shafts forced into the large bosses of the two wheels form a solid structure, dividin the strain equally between the bearings, an give an opportunity to balance the recipro- cating parts properly, furnish a support for a governor and relieve the main bearings of a good part of the thrust of the piston. The method of construction is one calculated to insure absolute cor- rectness. Thecrank pin is oiled while the engine is in motion by means of the eccentric chamber on the outside of one of the balance wheels and the holes drilled through the crank pin. The waste oil from the inner end of one of the main bearings finds it way to the crank pin also, so that the main bearing is sure to run dry before the crank pin does. The wearing surface of the crank and main journals are made exactly of the same length as the wearing surface in the babbitt-lined boxes, : ' — SS. PS Se Pye See oe ee pene . 208 and as the main shafts and crank have }-inch play through the boxes, grooves are turned in the shafts and cranks so that the boxescan overrun, The ends of the shafts are reduced to the size of standard shafting, one size smaller than the bear- ings. The waste oil thrown from the cranks of high-speed engines has always been a source of great annoyance, and one we have finally succeeded in pretty effectually overcoming by recessing the inner surface of the wheel rims so as to catch the oil and there retain it until the engine is s'opped, or from which it can be wiped while the engine is in motion. THE MAIN JOURNAL BOXES will be understood by reference to the several views shown in Fig. 7. These sleeves A are made eccentric and lined with babbitt metal cheek pieces B, which bring the shaft concentric with the outside of theshell. The cheek pieces are retained in place by babbtit metal feather, C, at the bottom, anda brass wedge, D, at thetop. This furnishes a complete bear- ing at the bottom and sides, and one in which the wear can be compensated for. Narrow metal liners are introduced at the bottom, which can be removed and placed by the side of the wedge at the top. By this change the cheek pieces are shifted down, and being wedge shaped, the open- ing is closed. When the cheek pieces are worn out they can be duplicated with as much certainty of their fitting as any feature about the engine, and there is noth- ing but the babbitt metal lining to be changed, with no loss but the work and so much of the babbitt metal as is worn away and lost in remelting. It will be noticed that gaps about 1 inch wide are cut through the top of the boxes, leaving a portion of the shaft journal exposed, Babbitt metal rings, large enough to slip over the boxes, are dropped into these re- cesses and hung upon the lower sides, drip- ping into the recesses before mentioned. When the waste oil in the recesses reaches a proper depth, these rings, rotating with the shaft, lap up the oil and deposit it on the upper surfaces continually. ‘When the oil by its continuous use becomes foul, the pockets can be cleaned easily, as screw plugs are provided for that purpose. The method of returning the waste oil to the journal is entirely mechanical and constant during the lifetime of the engine. THE GOVERNOR, as shown in Fig. 8, which shows all the elements from eccentric to valve, consists of a single ball linked to the eccentric and connected to a spring by a metal strap, and so located and weighted as to counter- balance the eccentric and its attachments, and which controls the speed of the engine in this way: When the speed of the engine reaches the point where the centrifugal force of the governor ball overcomes the resistance of the spring the ball moves away from the center of rotation and in doing so 1t carries the eccentric nearer the THE IRON AGE. a —— = Fig. 10.—Section through Cylinder. = = es = pore erence ee ead tet + SS EE MOQ . . Fig. 12.—The Throttle Vaive. THE STRAIGHT-LINE ENGINE. shaft, shortens its throw, and the travel of | heavy, located some distance from the the valve, and reduces the steam admitted | center of the wheel and running at a high to the cylinder. velocity, has great centrifugal force and re- The ball is malleable iron, cast hollow, | quires a strong spring to resist it. This and loaded with leadand shot. It being ' forms a powerful governor, August 6, 1891 THE IRON AGE. 209 The pin upon which the balls swing is secured to an arm of the fly wheel and is hardened and ground. The arm of the governor ball is bushed with a hardened and ground bush. A large hole is bored im the center of the pin and plugged at the outer end, forming an oil chamber; small holes drilled from this chamber to the wearing surfaces insure thorough lubrica- tion. The metal band connecting the governor ball to the spring is for the purpose of re- ducing the number of pieces, avoiding friction and relieves the central pivot of a large part of the strain. THE ECCENTRIC is cast upon a swinging plate, which is pivoted to the boss of the fly wheel, special pains being taken to make it both light and strong. The pivot orstud upon which it turns is made long and fast in the eccentric plate, and is provided with the same means of oilirg as the governor ball— that is, with a chamber in the pin and holes for the introduction and passage of the oil. The eccentric plate is subject to a twisting strain, to resist which, in addi- tion to the long stud and journal, there are two links connecting it to the governor ball. The eccentric face is flat, with ledges on the strap to hold it in place, and the wearing surfaces are lubricated from the inside when in motion, and an oil or tallow pocket is cast on the strap and fitted with a cap, as shown. THE VALVE MOTION. has two peculiarities: The position in which the eccentric plate is pivoted to the wheel, which gives a variable lead to the steam admission, and the direct connection between eccentric and valve. The valve rod slides, Fig. 9, are of unusual length, and large on their wearing surfaces, with provision for compensating for wear, and the connections are hardened and ground steel bushings, both in rod and on the pins, interchangeable so they can be re- newed and the joint made new. The method of securing the slide to the valve rod is shown in Fig. 9. This gives deli- cate adjustment, maintains absolute align- ment and absolute security, except from breakage. The method of securing the rod to the valve admits of the valve being removed and returned without disturbing the adjustment. The valve rod packing is simply along babbitt sleeve made in duplicate. THE VALVE controls the distribution of steam very much as is done by the common D valve, but having a variable travel controlled by the governor, it varies the amount of steam admitted as the work imposed on the en- gine varies. The valve, as will be seen in Fig. 11, is a rectangular plate, quite thin and with five openings through it. It is made flat on its two sides and of uniform thickness. The valve works within an opening formed by the valve seat and a pressure plate and two distance pieces laced above and below it. (See Fig. 10.) e pressure plate has recesses in it oppo- site the ports in the valve seat, and the distance pieces are made about ;;%,5 inch thicker than the valve. The pressure plate resting against the distance pieces relieves the valve of all pressure, and it works within its opening the same as a piston valve. By the recesses in the press- ure plate and the small openings through the valve double ports are opened both for steam admission and exhaust. The valve being thin, and the distance pieces being exposed to the steam the same as the valve, no trouble is experienced by having the valve bind by expansion. Overpressure by water in the cylinder 1s relieved the same as by a slide valve lifting from its seat, and while the valve is lisble to wear down by riding on the lower dis- tance piece, it does not open a leak over the top, as is the case with piston valves. An allowance of about ; inch is made be- tween the valve-rod coupling and valve for the valve to wear down, after which, as wear occurs, the lower distance piece can be raised up by thin packing pieces, so as to restore the valve to its original po- sition As wear occurs, it is but the work of an hour or two to reduce the distance pieces to and maintain a steam-tight, free- work- ing valve. The advantage of a balanced valve is not simply that of avoiding the loss due to friction, thus preventing wear, but it admits the use of a large valve and a large travel, giving ample port openings both for admission and release of the steam. Such a valve possesses all the requisites for a perfect distribution of steam, and is only limited by the perfec- tion or imperfection of mechanical devices by which it is operated. THE THROTTLE VALVE, as will be seen by referring to Fig. 12, consists of a flat seat, circular in form, having a semicircular opening through it, and a valve whose face is a counterpart of the valve seat, and by means of a semi- circular bevel gear on its upper surface and a pinion it can be rotated half way around. When the valve is set in such a position that the two openings coincide, there is a straight way passage for the steam, and when turned in the reverse way the valve is closed. There is no face exposed to the action of the steam when the valve is open, and when reversed none exposed to rust. Thus, protected from both the action of steam and rust, the faces remain perfect and steam tight for a long time after the warp by changes of temperature has been taken out. The faces being flat, they can be refitted by either scraping or grinding mere readily than any other form. The pinion by which the valve is rotated is cast on the stem, and that made a steam-tight joint by a good fit of the stem and a ground jomt at the shoulder, or packed in the usual way. The threads on the bush which screws in the casing being larger than the pinion, the whole handle ar- rangement is removed together for ship- ment. The cylinder oiler should be placed in the pipe above the throttle, so that the throttle is oiled as well as the other working parts. The cut shows the throttle half open. I The third and last of the three steamers contracted for by the Canadian Pacific Railway Company, named the Empress of China, recently made her trial trip and attained a speed of 19 knots. The follow- ing is the official data concerning the trial: Mean draft, 22 feet 6 inches. Steam in boilers, 160 pounds per square inch. Steam in I. P. receiver, 7» pounds port, 72 pounds starboard. Steam in L. P. receiver, 19 pounds port, 18 pounds starboard. Vacuum, 27 inches port, 27.5 inches starboard. Mean revolutions per minute, 89.47. Mean speed, 19 knots. Maximum I. H. P. on 1 mile, 10,128. Maximum revolutions, 282. Mean I. H. P. on 2 miles, 10,068.5. Mean I. H. P. in consumption trial, 7,979. Consumption per hour—pounds per I. H. P., 1,594 Mean speed on consumption trial, 16.6. The gross tonnage is 5920, and the total dead weight capacity, with a mean draft of 24.6, is 4000 tons. The wheat crop of the United States is moving to market at a rate not equaled since 1886. The receipts at the nine large primary points for the first four weeks of the cereal year, which begins with July, were 12,658,000 bushels, against 5,860, - 000 in the same time last year, and little more than 6,000,000 in each of the two years preceding. Of course these figures do not represent the present average, the initial movement being a small one. The receipts now exceed 1,000,000 bushels per day, and are apparently still on the increase. Evidently there is not yet any of the hold- ing back that some members of the Farm- ers’ Alliance are said to have advised. The grain is being sent forward as rap- idly as possible, and sellers are realizing for it prices which they must admit to be ‘** good ” when the magnitude of the crop is considered. And the wheat is being taken freely for export. Vessel room on the ocean chartered several weeks ahead is filled up as fast as it arrives in port, and it is said the arrangements already made cover most of the tonnage that will be availa le for several weeks to come. ‘Steel Chimneys for Mercantile Buildings. Steel chimneys are being erected in con- nection with some of Chicago’s tall build- ings. The Fair building has at present the tallest under construction. The chim- ney, when completed, will be 250 feet high, being considerably higher than any other in the city, the highest at the pres- ent time being the one at the Gottfried Brewing Company’s plant at Archer and Stewart avenues, which is 175 feet. The outside diameter is 9 feet 5 inches, while the steel varies in thickness from ,', at the top to inch at the bottom. The lower 75 feet of the chimney is lined with fire brick 8 inches deep, formed to fit the shell compactly all around. Above this it is lined with hollow tile. This lining is supported at intervals of 25 feet by angle iron riveted to the steel shell; in other words, the chimney is lined in a manner similar to blast furnaces and foundry cupolas, and no expansion by heat can lessen its strength. The joints are all hot riveted. The steel shell is carefully pro- tected from corrosion and from any attacks by the weather by painting inside and out. The weight of the chimney is spread to the foundations in the same general way as that of the columns of the build- ing, the base or foundation on which it rests being constructed in the same man- ner. The ground is first covered with a layer of cement, then two layers of steel rails in cement and one layer of I beams, on which the cast-iron shoe which takes the shell of the stack rests. The capacity of the chimncy is 12 60-inch boiiers 20 feet in length. This is the first time this material has been used in the construction of the chim- neys of mercantile buildings. The mag- nitude of the building and the necessity of economizing in space, the foundations for the columns occupying about all the ground, led the architects to adopt steel as the material for this purpose. Brick has been used almost entirely heretofore, but upon investigation it was found that the weight of a brick chimney of this size would be almost 700 tons, while of steel construction it would weigh, including the linings, a little less than 250. The outside dianeter of the present chimney is 9 feet 5 inches, while were it constructed of brick it would be 16 feet 6 inches, thus making a great saving in space. Another consideration was the time consumed in construction. A brick chimney of this hight, 250 feet above the sidewalk, should not be built faster than 24 feet a day on account of the settlement and the setting of the mortar, while of steel it can be erected at the rate of 20 feetaday. An- other important consideration is that it costs only about 60 per cent. of what a brick chimney would cost. Steel has been used in the construction of chimneys for iron mills and factories. pt Be 3 Bei) $3. | Z “SPS FS s. Fae Te Ce ea ey i i yen oie ieee r eee 77m: Ee [ao po * 7 ee ~—— = ate An Improved Screw Machine. We herewith illustrate the latest im- proved pattern of the No. 114 screw ma- chine built by the Jones & Lamson Ma- chine Company of Springfield, Vt. The| machine has been increased so greatly in | weight and capacity that it is practically a tool of new design. The principal di- | mensions are: Spindle hole, 2} inches in diameter; working length, 14 inches; | swing, 20 inches; belt width, 44 inches; | bed length, 6 feet 7 inches; weight, 4000 pounds. The head is very compact, with the back gears beneath entirely inclosed | and a gear cover for the large gear on the | spindle. The back gears are operated | while running by means of the left-hand | lever on the head. They are of the fric- tion-positive type, a friction clutch lock- ing the spindle to cone and a positive | clutch locking the spindle to back gears. This gives smooth running—no slip and no intricate mechanism. The automatic chuck and revolving roller feed are operated at the same | | all Sena 5S ck ie THE IRON AGE. through the turret when desired, and there is no yoke or eye to hinder the proper setting of the tools. All sizes of work have their proper speeds for cutting and threading and the feeds are graded according to the latest screw machine practice. The levers are ali conveniently | located so the operator need not leave bis post. An oil pump supplies the oil. No | pains has been spared to make the tool modern in every respect. EE Bidding for Heavy Guns. Interesting diseussions are said to have taken place in the Board of Ordnance at Washington since the opening of the bids for the construction of high-power guns, about three weeks ago, and the causes for delay in making the awards are | the subject of conjecture: The call was for 25 8-inch, 50 10-inch and |25 12-inch breech-loading steel rifles. The first appropriation for this purpose was $3,775,000, and the result showed August 6, 1891 plant. Their work, therefore, for the army would not be experimental, but the result of estimates founded on their present opera- tions not only for the navy but for the army also, since they are furnishing gun forgings for the latter as well. We may assume, accordingly, that the delay in awarding the contracts is sufficiently accounted for by the need of careful deliberations in a matter involving nearly $4,000,000, by the necessity of deciding whether it will not be better for the country to accept the higher set of offers in order to get the guns sooner, finally, by the propriety of waiting for the presence of the president of the Board, General Schofield, who was not able to attend the earlier sessions for the con- sideration of this subject. With the award of this contract there will be a prospect of getting a prompt supply of guns for coast defence, such as there could not be with reliance on Watervliet only, or even on an additional Government gun factory. Indeed, these 100 guns will form only a small part of what are imperatively SCREW MACHINE, BUILT BY THE JONES & LAMSON MACHINE COMPANY. time by the right-hand lever on the head. When thrown toward the turret the chuck opens and the roller feed pushes the bar against the stop gauge. The lever is then thrown back and the chuck grips the bar. A new length of work is thus almost in- stantaneously procured without stopping the machine. This gives from 30 to 50 per cent. more actual cutting time for the tools. This chuck is very short, stiff and powerful. The roller feed is a notable improvement over either the old style weight or ratchet feed. In the automatic feeding device there are two rollers bearing on the stock, one on each side. These hold the work cen- trally in the spindle while the cut is being made. When the right-hand lever above mentioned is moved beyond the . point necessary to open the chuck, the rollers are made to revolve and thereby feed for- ward the stock. The cut-off carriage has reversible power longitudinal feed oper- ated by the hand wheel and nut on bed. The turret slide is provided with a power- ful automatic feed with the new sensitive knock-off. It is operated by the curved that no private factory would undertake them at that price. The South Boston Iron Works and Midvale Steel Company proposed to furnish them, with the speci- fied ammunition, but the smaller of the two bids exceeded $5,000,000. Accord- ingly Congress raised its maximum to $4,250,000, with certain modifications as to time and other particulars. In the bids of July 13, the Midvale Company stood by their old bid of $5,359,500, and the South Boston Works, now established in Kentucky, made a still higher one. But a third competitor entered, the well- known Bethlehem Company, which sub- mitted five distinct bids under each head, the difference being made to depend upon the times of delivery. The lowest totals were $3,694,838.55, and the highest only $3,989,000, so that both were well within the amount which Congress had authorized the Board to expend. With this great difference in the bidding goes the other fact that the Bethlehem Com- pany is of unquestioned capacity and actual experience. They arenow furnishing the forgings for millions of dollars’ worth lever back of the pilot wheel. The| of steel armor and guns for the navy, and binder bolt to turret gives clear way have themselves laid out millions on their needed forour ports. Should the Fifty- second Congress call for another 100 guns from private contractors, the bidders of July 13 would have a chance to enter the lists again, re-enforced, thaps, by Carnegie, Phipps & Co. of Pittsburgh, or by other works extensive enough to under- take so great a task. EO Omaha’s Bridge Case Decided. — Gould’s bridge case at Omaha, which has just been decided against the Union Pacific Company by Judge Brewer, and iv favor of the i Island, ’ re and other companies is of no ordin mportance. The cosepioieatie ciintseated with Charles Francis Adams, president of the Union Pacific, for the joint use of the bridge at Omaha, which action Mr. Gould, who subsequently came into control repudiated. The position taken by the Union Pacific was that the contract was one get od company had no power to make, beyond their corporate authority ; that the consideration was inadequate, and that a court of equity had no power to specif- ically enforce such a contract. The de- cision of Justice Brewer has denied the August 6, 1891 THE IRON AGE. 211 several positions taken. By the contract as interpreted by the court the railway systems of the Rock Island and Milweukee and St. Paul are admitted into the city of Omaha, -In addition to this, Lincoln, the capital of Nebraska, secures a new rail- way, and Denver, Colorado Springs and Pueblo a new short line between those points and Chicago and the East. It is understood that an appeal will not be allowed to operate as a stay of proceed- ings. oo — The Hereules Electric Motor and Dynamo. The accompanying cut illustrates a new motor which is placed on the market by the Zucker & Levett Chemical Company of New York. As can be seen, the motor is of the inverted horseshoe type, in which the whole of the magnetic circuit is stamped out of one sheet of best Swedish iron, the number of sheets being bolted together to form the magnet frame. The | plates are thoroughly insulated to prevent the generation of Foucault currents and consequent heating. The field coils are ; have been very carefully worked out and all parts are adjustable. Quite a number of the Hercules fan outfits are in daily use, and, it is said, are giving thorough satisfaction. These machines will be man- ufactured in all sizes from 4 horse-power up for both light and power. EEE The Short Cut in Steel Rolling. | Attempts have frequently been made | by American steel manufacturers to avoid the use of the blooming mill or ingot /hammer. Thus far, however, the only | works to our knowledge in which it is done successfully in this country are the | Atkinson Steel and Spring Works at Harvey, Ill. These works have not merely experimented with the process, but they are now making their entire product in this way, and have been doing so for several months. Difficulties were encountered at the outset which were pronounced insurmountable by practical steel rollers of long experience, but the pluck and perseverance of the president of the company, F. M. Atkinson, and the untiring efforts of his very capable mill THE HERCULES ELECTRIC MOTOR AND DYNAMO. separately wound on brass spools and the distance between the magnet cores is slightly larger than twice the depth of one coil, thus allowing the same to be slipped over the core. The plates of the arma- ture, which is of the modified Siemens t have teeth forming longitudinal channels on its periphery, in which the coils are wound. These teeth, besides re- ducing the magnetic resistance to a mini- mum, prevent the coils from flying out due to the centrifugal force, and the consequent burning out of thearmature. The magnet frame is bolted to an iron base, having iron standards and self-oiling bearings even in the smallest size of machines. By this method of construction the makers say they obtain a highly efficient and simple form of motor. There is said to be abso- lutely no sparking if the commutator and brushes are kept in fair condition, the magnetism of the field greatly overpower- ing that of the armature even when the machine is working at full load. The au- tomatic motors are mostly plain shunt wound with an armature of extremely low resistance. The fan motors are plain series wound and run a six-blade 12-inch propeller fan at 1600 revolutions minute, taking one ampére at 120 volts. The mechanical details of these machines staff overcame all troubles, and the process now seems as well established as the regular method of hammering or blooming large ingots into billets before rolling into bars. These works were formerly known as the Atkinson Car Spring Works, and for years were located within the city limits of Chicago. Spring steel was purchased from steel manufacturers. Last year the com- pany decided to manufacture their own steel stock, and having secured a site at Harvey proceeded to erect open-hearth furnaces and a rolling mill. When this part of the plant was completed, early in the present year, the spring shop was re- moved to the same location. In erecting the steel works President Atkinson deter- mined to avoid the heavy investment of capital required for the erection of a blooming mill, and arranged for casting small ingots of billet size. The production of steel has hitherto been limited to the output of a single 15- ton Siemens-Martin furnace, but the com- pany have just erected another 15-ton fur- nace of the Swindell pattern, which will shortly be put in operation. Ingots are cast in a semicircular pit. The ladle is ° SS pillar in the center of the pit and at the other end runs on wheels on a rail which skirts the edge of the pit. The ladle can thus be shifted easily over the whole area of the pit. The molds are set in the pit in groups of 30, with one pouring hole for each group. A heavy cast-iron plate, with gutters running from the center to the ends, forms a base for each group. The metal enters each mold at the bottom, fill- ing the entire 30 molds simultaneously. At present 150 ingots are cast with one ladleful of metal. The ingots are usually 4 inches square, sometimes 5, and about 3 feet long, weighing about 200 to 250 pounds each. The casting pit is further served by a crane of excellent design. This crane is operated by steam power, swings in a circle, hoists, lowers, &c., at the touch of the lever, and is especially serviceable in the rapid work required of handling so many ingot molds in and out of the pit for three heats daily. The ingots as cast here are high in carbon, being ex- clusively intended for springs, and by the patented process adopted in the casting are remarkably free from blow holes and piped ends. The rolling mill used is simply a train of 12-inch three- high rolls, such as would be required for breaking down and finishing billets. The ingots are heated in a gas furnace with four doors, care being taken not to get them too hot. They are then rolled into rounds ranging from 1} inches in diam- eter to 4 inch, according to the require- ments of the spring shop. Flats can be and are, however, rolled equally well. The bars rolled in this way will bear the closest inspection, notwithstanding the defiance of ancient methods in steel-roll- ing practice. They are free from flaws and well surfaced. When coiled into springs they endure the rigid tests applied with a remarkably low percentage of fail- ures, showing better results in that respect, according to the records of the company, than when they were running on pur- chased steel. Due credit must, of course, be given in this connection to the steel-melting department, where a mixture is made with special reference to the requirements of the railroad spring trade. But the steel certainly would appear not to be impaired in quality by the short cut taken in rolling. The spring shop of the company is fitted with helve hammers, coiling machines, shapers, &c., and is served by a separate gas heating furnace. The spring shop at present is hardly equal to the capacity of the steel works, but improvements are being made which will when completed test the capacity of even the enlarged steel plant. LL Importing Tin-Plate Workers. The Secretary of the Treasury has writ- ten the following letter to Hon. F. G. Niedringhaus of St. Louis, in regard to the importation of skilled workmen for his tin-plate mills: Replying to your letter of the 2ist inst., in which you ask, on behalf of the St. Louis Stamping Company, ‘‘ whether you must go through any particular form to import skilled labor for your tin-plate mills,” I have the honor to say that no regulations have been issued by this De- partment prescribing forms relating to that subject. It is not the practice of this Depart- ment to express opinions or to make ad- vanced rulings on hypothetical cases that may possibly arise; but lest you might draw improper inferences of permission from the above answer to your question, your attention is called to the fifth section of the act entitled ** An act to prohibit the importation and migration of foreign- ers and aliens under contract and agree- supported on a truck which in turn rests|ment to perform labor in the United on a framework pivoted at one end on a! States, its Territories and the District of * . * pice) 30 Se + Baal ake ee i ayy Sah SHS 212 Columbia,” approved February 26, 1885, and the suggestion is made that I am not prepared at this time, and with the data before me, to express any opinion as to whether skilled labor for the St. Louis Stamping Company cannot be otherwise obtained than by the importation of alien laborers. I do not understand that it was the pur- pose of the honorable Superintendent of Immigration, in his recent letter to you, to express any opinions other than those in- volved above. EE A Chicago Workingman’s Hotel, When the new seven-story building at School and Clinton streets, half a block south of Madison street, Chicago, is com pleted it will be opened up as the model lodging house of the country, under the name of the Friendship Hotel. The build- ing is being constructed by John M. Clark, Collector of the Port, but all the interior work and finishing will be done by Alam Moris and W. J. Foy, who will be the landlords. Prior to arranging the plans for the in- terior Mr. Moris went to Europe and in- spected the lodging houses of all the great cities. He found those of England and | Scotland superior to all others, and es- pecially profited by his visit to the Sea man’s Home in Liverpool. After his re turn he employed an architect, who fo'lowed out his ideas in planning the in- terior arrangement of the Friendship Hotel, Mr. Clark having previously agreed to erect the building, which covers two city lots and is a substantial structure, with fair architectural pretensions. The hotel, which is intended for the ac- commodation of unmarried men from the ranks of mechanics and laboring classes, will have 540 rooms fitted up on the six upper floors of the building. Each room is intended for the accommodation of but one guest, and each will be furnished with an oak bedstead, with wire springs and moss mattresses, a table, a chair and a wardrobe. The rooms will be 6 x 7 feet in dimension and be divided by partitions 8 feet high, and a clever device will be utilized to keep each guest’s room sacred from intruders and thieves. The coping of the partitions will be covered with cop- per, under which will run a wire connected with an electric contrivance in the office. The weight of a finger placed on the cop- per band will be sufficient to send an alarm to the office and to notify the watchman on the floor that some one is up to mischief. By means of this contrivance Mr. Moris holds that every guest’s room will be as secure as though it were sur- rounded by walls of steel. The office will be located on the first floor, on which also will be arranged a reading room and a library, which will be one of the features of the hotel. No liquor or card playing will be allowed in the hotel, but a room will be set apart for players of chess, checkers and dominoes. A barber shop, where the patrons of the house will be given special rates, will also find space on this floor. In the basement there will be a lunch room with prices as low as possible, and also a bathroom with six tubs, which will be at the services of lodgers from 5 o'clock in the morning until midnight. New applicants for lodg- ing will be required to use the bathroom the first day they are inmates of the hotel —just as a guarantee of good faith. On the six floors on which the rooms are located there will be a lavatory with marble basins and all the things necessary to promote cleanliness, including hot and cold water, soap, towels, shoe blacking stands, clothes brushes, &c. The whole building will be heated by steam and lighted by gas and electricity. THE IRON AGE. attention, and on each sleeping floor will be 12 ventilators 12 x 18 inches and with a capacity of changing the atmosphere of each floor every 20 minutes. On the top floor will be a hospital ward of two rooms, which will be in chargeof competent nurses and under the supervision of a regular medical practitioner who will be retained by the owners of the hotel. This hospital will be open to all regular patrons of the house. Those who are able will be ex- pected to pay for their treatment and the necessary medicines, but none will be re- fused admission to the hospital on account of lack of means. An elevator will be one of the luxuries of the establishment. Rooms will be let at 15, 20 and 25 cents a night, or $1, $1.25 and $1.50 a week. The Friendship Hotel will be ready to re- ceive lodgers September 1, when it will be formally opened with music, literary exer- cises and other big doings. Messrs, Moris and Foy are already operating three Angust 6, 1891 being made long or short by simply pressing more or less upon a conveniently placed treadle, in all cases the movement of the plungers being equally positive. When the treadle is pressed downward a wedge is introduced between the slide and plunger, the distance the wedge is moved governing the point to which the slide descends. This places the machine under the perfect control of the operator, whose hands are free to handle the work. The lower end of the plunger is formed iato steps of 5, inch rise, the wedge or ‘‘step clutch” being correspondingly stepped. It is evident that when the wedge is intro- duced as far as it will go the maximum stroke will be obtained, the stroke being lessened if the wedge is not introduced so far. As will be observed, the press is built in a substantial manner, and its solid rectangular ‘‘ housings,” of great weight and strength, adapt it to the severest kind of work. THE BEAUDRY lodging houses on the West Side and are caring for 725 rooms. Mr. Moris said : ‘* We will make the Friendship the model lodging house of the world. It will bea home for our men, and we expect to take our guests from the best classes of labor- ing men and single men with trades.” Duplex Forging Press. Beaudry & Co. of 70 Kilby street, Bos- ton, have just brought out a special press, intended for heavy forging, which is illus- trated in the accompanying engraving. The machine is noticeable for its great strength and for the comprehensiveness of the plungers’ stroke—that is, the stroke of the plungers can be easily and readily varied from 0 to 44 inches, the machine in the mean time being in full oper- ation, so far as the main shaft is concerned. Incommon with the smaller presses built by the same firm, it con- consists of two plungers on one crank shaft, so constructed that they may be run inde pendently or together. By a patented In the construction of the building the| *‘ step clutch,” the throw of the plungers subject of ventilation has received special | can be varied at the will of the operator, DUPLEX PRESS. An important item is the fact that this machine gives a powerful but steady pressure instead of heavy jarring blows, and thus cast-iron dies may be in the great majority of cases, a saving in the cost of producing thus being possi- ble. Another point is that several dies may be used at once, thus avoiding the usual delay required for changing, and frequently enabling the operator to finish a piece of work requiring a number of dies at one heat, and without moving from his place. All dies are adjusted by means of set serews rather than keys, consequently reducing time required for setting to a mivimum. By means of a patent safety attachment, the machine is stopped auto- matically in case of the accidental intro- duction of too heavy work, thereby avoid- ing breaking or damage of any kind, Should this device be called into use, it needs but the tightening of a nut to put the machine in running order again. The machine occupies a floor space of only 7 x 83 feet and weighs 30,000 pounds. While it is particularly intended for forging, it can do shearing up to 48 inches wide by 14 inches thick, in two strokes, 24 inches at each stroke, by shifting the plate laterally. August 6, 1891 THE IRON AGE. 213 It can do punching in plates up to 53 {or segemental rails A’ B. The chassis is | front with a pair of rollers or trucks, O, inches in diameter, 1} inches thick, with | connected by a strong bolt, F, to a pivot, dies ranging up to 8 inches in diameter, | link, G, upon whichis formed an eye, G,’ which can be set to strike at any point. —— The Canet Gun Carriage. In our issue of July 9 we described and illustrated the Armond turret invented by J. B. G. A. Canet of Paris, and one-half of which was assigned to Sir Joseph Whit- worth & Co., Limited, of Openshaw, Eng- land. We now describe and illustrate a gun carriage originating from the same SSS wu ‘4 fre Rt. S ad SSS st SS ZEB ooncteecaaee SS . SSS aes a eee. ———— ee rrr aia LA LELZIEEEEZZEZZZZZZ LL AA LEE Kc £ I Sol Hee: Oy for the pivot pin, and also a clip, G*, which engages with a projection on the base plate, and prevents the tilting of the frame. The training or traversing of the gun is effected by turning the frame or under carriage upon the pivot H by means de- scribed below. The mechanism for effecting the housing | of the gun and mounting so as to bring the gun entirely to the rear or inside of the wall or parapet comprises a_ strong screw shaft, J, working in two nuts K L. ae dee} = BP 1 =e — Cs ae SO heh ied +7 " P A ia. | - " O 1 afi ll of See | I “ ey eld oe ae rl, rhe A P ¥ Fig. 2.—Plan. THE CANET GUN CARRIAGE, source. These subjects are now of vast interest, because of the attention they are attracting in Europe and because of what is being done in the same line in this country. The present invention com- prises means for housing the gun and its mounting entirely behind or inside of the armor, so that the gun port or opening can be closed; means are also provided for readily running out or returning the gun and mounting to the firing position.. In the accompanying drawings A is a strong base plate, to which is attached a segmental rail, A’. Another rail or roller —* is also rigidly secured to the plat- The chassis or frame C rests by means of rollers D and E upon the circular The nut K is firmly secured in a bracket firmly attached to the pivot link G, and the nut L is firmly secured in the frame or under carriage C. The screw shaft J has a right and left hand screw thread, the nuts K L being correspondingly screw threaded. Upon the screw shaft J is mounted a worm wheel, M, provided with a key which is fitted to slide in a longi- tudinal groove or keyway formed in the screw shaft and extending to the rear end. This worm wheel is geared with an endless screw, N, the shaft N’ of which is provided at its extremities with suitable driving cranks or handles. To facilitate the backward movement of the under carriage C, it is provided in F which rest upon straight rails secured to the deck or firing platform. The trav- ersing rollers at the rear of the mount- |ing are carried by pivoted blocks Q, so | that by turning the blocks through an | angle of about 90° the rollers or trucks E |can be adapted to run upon the ways P. | Each block Q is provided with a pivot pin, 'Q’, which extends upward through a bear- ing on the frame or under carriage C, and which has fixed upon it acollar, Q’, Fig. 3, having a projecting arm, Q’, whereby the block may be turned for the purpose above mentioned. Each block is, moreover, SalZ= Iq AP At eo) \ WURDE : Ll TI Fig. 3.—Rear Elevation. | provided with a hook or clip, R, pivoted at R’ to the block. These hooks or clips | may be turned down so that they will en- gage with the flanges P’ of the rails P, and will guide or hold down the rear of the frame C in its backward movement, or they can be turned up so that they are clear of the rails. To provide for retain- ing the hook or clip R at either extremity of its movement, two holes are formed in the block Q and a pin is passed through a hole in the hook or catch R and into one or the other of these holes. The running in or housing of the gun and mounting is effected as follows: As- suming the gun to be in the firing position on the mounting, the frame or under car- riage is so adjusted upon the rails A’ B and the blocks Q, carrying the rollers or trucks E, are so turned that the said rollers or trucks may run upon the straight rails or ways P, thehooks R being turned down so that they engage with the flanges P’ of the rails or ways P. The gun and the top carriage C* are then run back by any convenient means to their rearmost posi- tion upon the chassis or under carriage C, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1, and are held in this position by means of locking bolts. The bolt F, which con- nects the frame or under carriage C with the pivot link G, is withdrawn, and the cranks or handles, which actuate the screw shaft J through the medium of the worm N and worm wheel M, are turned in the proper direction to move the frame or under carriage backward along the straight rails P upon the rollers or trucks O E. The screw shaft J is made of such length that when it has moved the frame or under carriage to th