The Iron Age 1891-11-05: Vol 48

‘THE THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 1891. Machine for Threading Bolts. 2 is a plan view, and Fig. 3 a vertical sectional elevation through one of the The New York City Bolt and Nut Com- | threading shafts. any, Limited, of 38 and 35 Desbrosses The bed A of the machine is box-like in street, New York, have recently completed | form, comprising a continuous bottom with a bolt-threading machine of new design | upright sides and ends. It is rectangular and unusual capacity. Itis the invention | in general outline and atone end is formed of Emil Hubner, superintendent and man- | with an extension, A’, of less w dth than ager of the company. It will thread four/the main bed. The latter is also provided different sizes of bolts at the same time and | with three transverse partitions, as shown four different kinds—viz., fish plate, ma-|in both drawings. The driving shaft B is chine, countersink and button head. It is| mounted as shown, and extends centrally stated that one man can thread 15,000! part way through the bed. On the outer a ul un lis — ! ! i uN Hi ll | | : MACHINE FOR THREADING BOLTS bolts during a day of ten hours with this | end of this shaft are secured a suitable machine. A registering attachment ac-| driving pulley and fly wheel. In bear- curately counts the number of bolts| ings formed near the upper edges of the threaded, thereby doing away with the| partitions referred to is a series of tubular necessity of having a man count the work | shafts, C, D, E, F, each of which at its performed. forward end is provided with a head, to _ In general the machine consists of four| which is attached any improved form of shafts, each of which carries a threading | die adapted for cutting a thread. Each die. The bolts to be threaded are held in | shaft is further provided with two gears, suitable recesses serving as chucks, the a large one, G, and asmaller oneor pinion, dies are advanced to thread the blank and| H. In order to economize space and ob- at the proper time the motion is reversed | tain differential speed the gears are alter- automatically and the die withdrawn at nately arranged, the pinion on-one shaft twice the speed at which it advances. It) being transversely opposite the spur is evident that the dies may be changed to gear upon the next shaft, as illustrated suit the bolt it is required to thread, and | in the plan view. Between the gears of that practically the four are independent | each shaft is a sleeve, I, having clutch faces in operation, Fig. 1 is a perspective view | at each end, and which is splined to the of the machine, taken from the front; Fig. ' shaft in order to permit longitudinal move-' bed extension. E | IRON AGE ment thereon and at the same time impart a rotary motion. The faces of the gear hubs opposed to the clutch faces of the sleeves are constructed to receive these faces. The large gears are the driving gears while the thread is being cut, and are calculated to drive the tubular shatt at a predetermined speed ; the small gears act as the driving gears upon the reverse movement of the shafts, which withdraws the bolts fromthe dies. Since the pinions contain one-half the number of teeth that the gears do, the threaded bolt is released ‘ aN \ NY : cS at twice the speed at which the thread is cut. A shifting shaft K is held to slide in bearings beneath each tubularshaft. These shafts are operated upon to reverse auto- matically in substantially the same manner, but they are differently operated upon to impart to the tubular shafts a movement for cutting the thread. A description of one will therefore suffice for all. Within the tubular shaft a rod is held to slide, the forward end of which is provided with a pin, while the rear end extends beyond the shaft and is arranged to strike against the head of a stud shown plainly in the ver- tical section, Fig. 3, adjustably secured to the upper end ofa vertical lever, pivoted at its lower extremity upon one side of the Upon the pivoted end of » s > 4ihi~ J) 774 the lever a horizontal, upwardly extend- ing latch is attached which engages with a head upon the rear end of the shifting shaft K while the bolt is being threaded. This shaft is encircled by a spiral spring, as shown. When the head of the latch and shaft engage the spring is compressed and when the head of the shaft is released, the spring throws the shaft forward. The shifting shaft and the clutch I of the tubu- lar shaft D are rigidly connected by a bar secured to the collar L. The forward end of the shifting shaft is connected by a link, M, witha fixing lever. When the fix- ing lever is pushed forward the shifting shaft is forced to an engagement with the latch. Around the fixing lever a hollow base block is erected upon the bed, having flanges at its inner edges forming slide- ways. Upon the block is a table arranged to slide longitudinally and provided with grooves in its sides to receive the slide- ways. This table bas integral with its tear end a downwardly extending arm, shown to the right of shaft K in Fig. 3. The movement of the table is accomplished through the medium of the lever N, which is pivoted at one side of the base block and attached to one side of the table. A ver- tically adjustable tail block, designed to carry the blank, is carried by the bed block. This is formed with a recess, the interior of which corresponds with the boli head it is to receive. When the head of the blank bolt is placed in the re- taining head the end of the shank to be threaded, when the socket is properly ad- justed, will be in a position to enter the dies of the cutter. In the operation of this portion of the machine, when the thread has been cut upon the bolt the desired length the bolt presses against the pin of the sliding bar in the tubular shaft D, which at its rearward movement operates the lever sufficiently to relieve the catch from connection with the shifting shaft K, which is forced out- ward by the action of the spiral spring, causing the clutch I to disengage from the large gear and engage with the pinion. The movement of the tubular shaft is thus instantly reversed and the speed increased, causing the die to rapidly leave the threaded portion of the bolt. By moving the lever N forward a slight distance the entire head with which it is connected is moved in the same direction, and the finished bolt may be removed and another inserted. The lever is then carried fur- ther forward, when the shifting shaft is moved rearward and its head engaged with the latch. This continued movement of the shaft throws the clutch into engage- ment with the pinion, and the movement of the tubular shaft is again reversed and its speed decreased The rearward movement of the shifting shaft also causes the registering shaft to revolve and the finished bolt is thereby duly counted. A headstock of the con- struction described is provided for each tubular shaft, likewise a latch, lever and post, link lever and a ratchet wheel for recording purposes. The movement of the shifting shaft of the second tubular shaft is the reverse of that just described, the difference in operation of the two shafts being made necessary by reason of the difference in the position of the gears upon the driving tubular shafts. In operating the machine the attention of but one man is needed. Starting at the shaft C, for instance, the bolt is placed in position to be threaded, and when it has been cut by the dies a second bolt is placed so as to be operated upon by the next shaft, D, and when this has been cut a bolt is placed in the shaft E and then in the shaft F. It will be noted that by this time the first bolt placed in posi- tion has been threaded and is ready to be removed and another one inserted. The only work required of the attendant is the insertion and removal of the bolts, THE IRON AGE. and the machine can be so speeded that his entire time will be taken up with this work. The machine is provided with an oil reservoir into which all oil drains, and from which it is conveyed to the dies by means of a pump and suitable pipes. — Trade Demoralization in Argentina. A Buenos Ayres correspondent of the Manchester Guardian gives a dishearten- ning account of the condition of trade and finance in the Argentine Republic. The worst is yet to come. At the begin- November 5, 189] merce, shipping, insurance, &c., have col- lapsed. The private and foreign banks, fearful of another run upon their reserves sueh as was experienced a few months since, and the like of which has not hap- pened in any other city, have practically suspended discounting operations. Firms | without available cash to buy gold with to cover their sales in paper, on credit, are compelled to buy ‘on time,” and for this accommodation they have had to pay at the rate of 24 per cent. per annum. Credit is at a standstill, distrust is evident on every side, operations of every kind are restricted to the smallest possible dimen- ‘sions, and the anxiety and tension which Fig. 2.—Plan. 7 Ss N > = N Cul SSS Fig. 3.—Vertical Section Through One of the Threading Shafts. MACHINE FOR THREADING BOLTS. ning of the year the Banco Nacional and |exist on account of the uncertainty of other great financial institutions were | what may happen next make life from 4 apparently prosperous, and every one looked with certainty to the gold premium fall- ing as soon as the agreement with the foreign bondholders for the three years’ moratorium had been completed. Now the majority of these firms have either be- come bankrupt, made private arrange- ments with their creditors, or are still waiting patiently with their paper money in the banks for the gold rate, which stands at 410, to decline to 250. In ad- dition to the collapse of the two State banks, other banks, which were certainly of some use to the commercial community, have closed their doors, hundreds of com- panies more or less concerned with com- business point of view almost unbearable. The civil and commercial courts are over- burdened with work, and when it is known that 30 years ago there were two judges of commerce and that to-day there are still only two, the pressure of work is no matter of surprise, and the difficulty and delay in obtaming judicial decrees is not to be wondered at. This is in addition to the ordinary delays which seem insep- arable from foreign tribunals in normal times. The cost of living, when meas- ured in paper, has increased tremendously, and as wages, which are paid in paper, have not advanced in proportion, distress and starvation are prevalent. November 5, 1891 THE IRON AGE, 775 BY GUS. C. HENNING. A. E. Hunt remarks that his paper on ‘‘Tests and Requirements of Structural Wrought Iron and Steel,” * was suggested by the appointment of committees by the American Society of Mechanical Engi- neers and the American Society of Civil Engineers, upon the subjects of ‘‘ Stand- ard Tests and Methods of Testing” and ‘¢ Uniform Methods of Tests of Material Used in Metallic Structures” respectively, and by a study of the reports, appendices and statements proceeding from these committees. As far as the writer is aware the Civil Engineers’ committee has not to this date reported or published anything whatever. The author sees fit to criticise certain paragraphs in the preliminary report of the Mechanical Engineers’ Committee, on the assumption that the recommendations made are for routine testing, while the title is ‘‘ Proposed Recommendations for Standard Testing,” Vol. XI, page 613, and this difference was clearly explained in presenting the report to the society, as stated in Vol. XI, page 587, Trans. A. 8. M. E. All the strictures made on this re- port by the author, are due to a most superficial reading of the report. The ‘‘ drifting test” is dwelt upon as ‘‘a practical test that shows the actual behavior of the metal, and can be made upon scrap pieces without wasting mer- chantable stock and without expensive machine shop work upon the test speci- mens.” , Inasmuch as a rough sheared scrap piece with a hole punched in it is used for this test, it will be readily seen that it can be made a correct test only when testing very low steels, as all wrought iron and other steels are considerably (injuriously) affected by punching and _ shearing. Furthermore, the number of blows of sledge, weight and hight of fall or force of blow are not mentioned; nor the time of test or rapidity of repetition of blows, and hence it is preposterous to claim for this test that ‘‘it presents the further advan- tage that exact data can be obtained for records regarding it,” and that ‘‘ the writer believes it should be one of the standard tests of wrought iron and steel plate and shapes.” The committee of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers does not propose to recommend the hobbies of certain in- spection agencies. The author further says that ‘‘the hardening or quenching test as proposed by the committee of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers is of doubtful utility, except when care- fully made : the amount (of hardening) depending not only upon the hardness in the steel, but also upon the temperature to which it is heated and the character of the solution into which it is plunged to quench it.” In describing the hardening test the report says, Volume XI, page 628: ‘*9. Hardening tests are to be made by making the foregoing bending test, only carrying it on to rupture, and read- ing the angle at which rupture occurs ; then other pieces exactly similar to those thus tested are to be heated carefully to a fair red heat and then plunged into water at a temperature of 32-40° Ft. These quenched pieces are then to be tested pre- cisely as those tested in their natural con- dition, and the angle through which they bent before fracture occurred is to be caretully noted; the difference in the amount of possible flexure in the two cases iatR MOO 2. Deck | SET eee er bs ante Iron Age, October 22 and October 29, + This should read 70-75° F.—G. C. H. a It will be generally admitted that tests | centage of rejections are available. are worthless unless carefully made, and a ‘* fair red heat” and ‘ water at a stated temperature ” are probably sufficiently clear to most enginers who know how to test to prevent errors or misunderstand- ing on their part. As the author does not I The New Bridge at Pittsburgh. Work on the new suspension bridge over believe in the utility of quenching tests, | the Allegheny River, connecting the cities and hence rarely carries them out, his of Pittsburgh and Allegheny, is progress- opinions on this test cannot be of great|ing rapidly The plans for the new bridge weight. It is also asserted that the ‘* bulging test recommended by Kirkaldy, though not often used in this country, is a useful, practical measure of the ductility of the metal, and especially adaptable for testing of soft flange steel.” The author, to be entirely truthful, should have said that no one but Kirkaldy makes ‘‘ bulging tests.” As a bulging test is nothing but a partial and indefinite bending test of a circular disk, and bending tests of soft steel are declared not ‘‘ crucial” in another part of the paper, there seems to exist some con- tradiction. Besides, boiler plate is invari- ably flanged hot, and it will be admitted that a cold test of the material will not indicate its qualities when hot. It is, moreover, impossible to determine unit strains on the material due to the peculiar conditions of the test and shape witb any degree of certainty, and hence cannot in any sense be an ‘‘ excellent measure of duc- tility.” Under paragraph two is stated that ‘‘ the only satisfactory method of testing finished structural open-hearth or Bessemer steel must be based on the melts as the units of quality.” Whatever this may mean is very doubtful, but it is very certain that the only exact and correct method of testing structural steels (just the same as iron) is by testing pieces cut from the finished or rolled material, because heating and rolling may and do produce greater differences than exist between different heats or melts. Under paragraph five the term ‘elastic limit” is repeatedly used when ‘* yield point’ is meant, and in one line it is stated that this factor is not always a safe criterion of the quality of iron or steel,” while further on failure to observe the same is declared to be ‘‘an unwise omission ” &c., &c. The author in this section again refers to the report of the committee A. 8. M. E., and as his reference has no bear- ing upon the point discussed it is but fair to state that the reports of material tested do not at all refer to structural steels, but to special material obtained for test pur- poses. Hence the results obtained cannot be compared with those of structural material. There are so many ambiguous phrases or clauses in the paper that it is very difficult to understand the true meaning, and it is to be hoped that such scientific terms asa ‘* few units per cent. in ductility,” ‘‘ mal- treat rejected bars” &c., &c., be more fully explained. The statement that iron having a ten- acity of 52,000 pounds per square inch ‘‘should be carefully tested for welding, as it is very apt to be dry and incapable of welding ” is an unwarranted criticism of the best grades of wrought iron as made by the Catasauqua Mfg. Company and the Union [ron Mills of Carnegie Bros. & Co. These irons show unusual ductility, and elongation from 20 to 27 per cent. in 8 inch, according to the section of rolled bar from which test pieces are cut, and numerous tests of vutled members of widely varying section and shape have demonstrated them to be most easily and strongly weld- able. These irons contained no steel scrap, but a certain percentage of Bessemer pig muck was added toother good qualities of muck bar and iron scrap, producing an unusually uniform product. Numerous Tests and Requirements of Structural | represents the amount of hardening pro- | tests to prove these statements and a still Iron and Steel. duced.” greater number showing a very small per- have been somewhat revised since the original plans were drawn up. Work on the masonry has progressed very rapidly, and the middle or main piers of the struct- ure will probably be completed this week. All the masonry work will be completed within the contract time, and the last stone will likely be laid before winter weather starts. The old toll house on the Pitts- burgh end and the one on the Allegheny end have both been torn down and tem- porary but substantial buildings have been erected in their place. Of the three piers of the Pittsburgh abutment, the two out- side ones are completed to the spring line of the arches; the foundations for the in- side pier have been commenced, although the excavation for this pier will be carried on for several weeks yet. The excava- tion for the shore pier on the Allegheny side has been commenced. The final piece of masonry will be the Allegheny abutment, which will simply be a renewal of the present one. The progress on masonry has been very rapid, and the con- tractors, the Drake Stratton Company, Limited, will have it all ready for the superstructure, which will be put in place next year, although the work will not be commenced until spring. There will be no interference with either road or side- walk travel while the bridge is being built, except a few temporary suspensions for the purpose of completing the masonry. Carnegie, Phipps & Co,, Limited, have been engaged for several months making the iron for the structure and shipping to the Union Bridge Company at Athens, Pa., who have the contract for the super- structure. They have sublet the contract to Baird Bros, of Pittsburgh. The bridge will have two spans, each 445 feet long, of the bowstring girder type, and deck plate girder span of 41} feet, over the Pittsburgh and Western Railroad on the Allegheny side. The hight of the large truss at the center is 794 feet clear and the width of the roadway will be 40 feet, accommodating four lines of track, two to be used for street car traffic and two for wagon traffic, and the two sidewalks will be 9 feet each in the clear, protected by hand railings. The engineers are Wil- kins & Davidson of Pittsburgh, who have charge, but are working under the in- structions of Theo. Cooper of New York City. As stated above, the bridge will have four tracks, two to be used for street car purposes aad two for wagon traffic. The street car tracks will be occupied by the electric cars of the Pittsburgh, Alle- gheny and Manchester Company, whose lines run from Pittsburgh to various parts of Allegheny. The old suspension bridge which is being torn down to make room for the new structure was built a great many years ago by Jno. Roebling’s Sons, and is said to be the first wire cable sus- pension bridge ever built by that firm. It is hardly probable that the new struct- ure will be completed before the fall of 1892. ee Announcement is made that W. H. Playford, Robert Hogsett, James White and others have just purchased 3000 acres of coal on New Creek, near Clarksburg, W. Va, for $97,663. The sale includes only the coal, and is said to be the most extensive sale ever made in that State. The company propose to start a cuke plant. , : i 176 THE IRON AGE, November 5, 1891 SSSR LLL LL The Temescal Tin Mines. Under date of September 24, Congress- man W. W. Bowers writes from San Diego, Cal., to the Chicago Tribune, describing the present condition of the tin mines in San Bernardino County. We quote from his letter as follows: The true history of the Temescal tin mines may be told quite briefly. Tin ore was discovered on the San Jacinto ranch, a Mexican grant of 48,000 acres in San Bernardino, something more than 20 years epee teased to do something with it, to develop it, set men at work, and paid them good wages. Colonel Robinson was made the general manager of the estate, and his plan for the development of this vast property was adopted by the owners. It was compre- hensive, practicable, correct. Of course it must take money to put it on a paying basis. A fine stream of water runs through the property. A natural site for a dam of less than 800 feet in length will form a lake nearly 2 miles long. The dam is nearly completed. Half a mile below the n app engueapts end enti draasensibineadicinamnatacnsigl ee ee es aes oe oe Fig. 1.—Elevation, TO TANK~<«<# 2'9—-—-— Dp) its own lands and has a ready market for all its surplus. The mines now opened are about 34 miles from the site of the main reduction works by the road, not much more than 1 mile in a direct line, and the plan proposes a tunnel starting at the re- duction works to be} mile long, which will drain the mines and through which the ore will be sent to the reduction works. A large number of men and teams were employed on the dam, which, as I have said, is nearly finished. An immense solid and costly foundation for the main reduc- Cie ennaisetian aw is mem ae am = THE AIKEN PRESS FOR BASIC BRICK. ago. The ranch was in litigation from that | dam are the foundations for the large re- time until about two years ago, when Col. | duction works; the fall between the dam E. N. Robinson—after repeated trips to England—induced English capitalists to buy the ranch. After they had sent a number of experts to examine the property they bought out every interest, getting a clear title to the 48,000 acres. The talk that ‘‘ it is unfortunate that this valuable property has passed into the hands of En- glish capitalists” is bosh. On the contrary, it is fortunate that it has, for so long as it was owned by Americans it remained as the Lord left it, and a plaything for law- vers, of no use to anybody else. When the Englishmen got hold of it they proceeded and reduction works is 60 feet. The water power thus acquired will run all the machinery that may ever be required. It is not necessary to argue with practi- cal men as to the inestimable value of this cheap power, especially in California; but below the dam and reduction works lie thousands of acres of this ranch, now com- paratively valueless, but with the water put on it worth from. $150 to $250 per acre. Thus, after using the power to run the re- duction works the same poweris sold at an immense price. The estate has five times the amount of water required for irrigating tion works is finished. At the mines’ a number of substantial buildings were erected. The ledge here for a long dis- tance stands out above the surface of the country ; two shafts were started down on the ledge and two first-class hoisting works were erected; two tunnels begun. A small test mill with a common five-stamp battery was erected to test and experiment with the ore, to ascertain the best method of reduction, for this was a new industry in this country. A new style of furnace for reducing the cassiterites and which uses crude oil for fuel was erected. Two dif- ferent patterns of concentrators were put in and other patterns ordered. The whole November 5, 1891 urpose of this test mill was to determine by actual experiment the best method of reducing the ore, the best pattern of con- centrator, and the kind of machinery to be put in the main works, and was never intended for anything else. This five- stamp battery in this experimental millhas a capacity of from 5 to 7 tons of ore per day. The one furnace can in three days reduce to pig tin all the cassiterites the battery can furnish in a month. The first pigs of tin were produced April 25, 1891, at this test mill, and within the following 65 days, or up toJuly 1, 1891, about 12 tons of pig tin were produced. This was the condition of things when the management was changed and the com- ” Dome = ~ -—29)--—-he—94- -24---4; ket THE IRON AGE, 777 Many tons of ore are on the dump ready | ported from below by tubular separators for the battery. Near it six conceatrators|E. F is the mold wheel, made in circular are being put in place—two Frue pattern, | form and arranged to rotate on the bolt G two Triumph, one Woodbury (the inventor} as an axis. It carries a series of mold of which, George E. Woodbury of San| matrices, H, bolted to the mold wheel. Francisco, we found superintending the| The base of the hub of the mold wheel work of placing his machine in position. | rests upon the surface ofa frame, at the peri- He is also the inventor of the Triumph) | phery of which is bolted a block I. The latter and one Paradox, the invention of George | is formed in the segment of a circle whose : M. Grose of Chicago, and who is to be at | center is the bolt G, and serves as a guide ; the mines this week to look after the work | for the plungers. These plungers are 3 of his machine. It is expected that the| simple blocks made substantially of the concentrators will be ready and the new/| same cross-sections as the matrices which mill running within seven days, when 45 | they fit, their bases projecting below the tons of ore will be worked by the two mills | mold wheel and resting on the surface of each day. The machinery for two more of | the guide. The guide I is not a complete these steam batteries is at the mines and! circle in peripheral outline, but the com- KKCCZZEEE KX . OKO \\ Te | - Tr a ‘ tone eed | MMMM A FN Y\ \\ :| | \\ \\ T My A cations if pe 4 ' i Uv 7) | C y / I | Yj y LAN: Y 3 = AV 3 Wf, ‘ Y 2 Yj y \ 5 - Y * 2 8 . Y ~~ 4 ] F dia, | & i Uy 4 2 4 { ** | 3 \\\ \\\ Cc | | TT “nla NaA\\ \\\\e y Ki—- Ke NT LEE wi —Kquy st \V/e YY WN \ _ FLOORILINE WW ff, yj YY HY I (Vf | | | \7///7//// | \Yyjjijjjff/ IN | WN Uy YY Ys : ; \ Hx WVI///77yjr Pei -en WG WY YN \ Yf WY Yj YN | | aa ~~” Fig. 2.—Vertical Section. THE AIKEN PRESS FOR BASIC BRICK. pany had expended over $500,000. Work on the dam and on the large reduction works was stopped and the new superintend- ent, Mr. Harris, one of the most expert tin-mine managers in England, set to work to coe enough tin to convince the stockholders of the value of their property. We found on our arrival at the mines on Monday last 100 men at work. The five- stamp battery was running, crushing ore, as it has been continuously since it was first set at work, with the exception of a few days for repairs. a mill of the latest pattern, which is set u will be erected as soon as possible. The three are capable of working 120 tons of ore perday. Fifty miners are at work in the shafts and tunnels and 50 more mes above ground running the machinery and on new buildings, and additions to the force are made as fast as possible. EE The Aiken Press for Basie Brick. The general design and detuils of the We found a new steam) Aiken press are clearly shown in the accompanying illustrations, Fig. 1 repre- at the upper shaft, constructed! senting a general elevation, Fig. 2 a verti- wholly of iron and steel, that was made at| cal section, Fig. 3 a plan and Fig. 4 Hayle, Cornwall, by Hervey & Co. in the year 1890, as the castings say for them- selves. The capacity of this mill is 40 tons of ore per day. It was tested the day before we arrived, working perfectly. details. The framework of the press con- sists of the upright rods C, five inches in diameter, which pass through winys of the cylinder A, and at their upper end are pro- vided with a cap. plate D, which is sup- plete circle is made up by the hub piece of the ram J, from the head of which the zs path may be traced, partly in dotted lines, towards I in Fig. 2. It thus constitutes a circular track lower at the point of the ram but higher at I. The bases of the plun- gers travel on this track during the rotation of the mold wheel, and by the inclination automatically effect the elevation of the matrix-plungers to eject the compressed and molded bricks and permit their des- cent to enable fresh material to be charged into the matrices. Fig. 4 more clearly shows this part of the design. The part ' d eon the ram head is inclined, e / is level, fg again is inclined and g / level. The operation of the machine may be described as follows: When one of the matrices in the mold wheel is directly above the ram J, Fig. 2, pressure is ad- mitted into the cylinder A, elevating the BIBLE eee tt a MMe ease if ‘ y oT aes!) eee reas 778 THE IRON AGE, November 5, 1892 ram and the mold plunger above it, com- pressing the basic material in the matrix against the block shown above it. The ram is then withdrawn by releasing the pressure and the mold’ wheel turned through a sixth of a revolution, so as to carry the matrix under consideration into the position shown at m', Fig. 3. In this motion the plunger passes over the in- clined portion de of the track, partially ejecting the compressed brick. The ejec- tion of the brick may be aided further by raising the hydraulic ram slightly after the mold has passed the position m, Fig. 3, an expedient which is frequently necessary when a great pressure causes the brick to stick in the mold. The mold wheel re- mains at rest until another brick is pressed, and then a second sixth revolu- tion carries the matrix portion mentioned into the position m*, Fig. 3, when the plunger rests on the inclined / g in Fig. 4. A further partial revolution brings it into the position m*, when the plunger is lifted in a flat position, g h, to its highest posi- tion, so that the brick is ejected and can be removed. Another sixth revolution brings the matrix into the position m*‘, the lowest from which also the matrix is charged with brick material. Two fur- ther revolutions carry it into the positions m’ and m consecutively, thus completing a circle of the mold wheel, during which six bricks are formed. The apparatus for rotating the mold wheel may be described as follows! with special reference to Fig. 3: A ratchet wheel, shown in the plan as rotating around one of the main bolts, has six teeth and is operated by the pawl M, which is carried on an annular collar. This ratchet is operated by the rotation of its collar in the direction of the arrow N, the rotation of the collar being effected by means of the rack O, driven by the piston P of a power cylinder. In order that the bricks may be properly formed by the ma- chine, the block above the mold wheel against which they are pressed is adjust- able, as shown in Fig. 2, by means of the wedge plate. The press is designed by Henry Aiken of Pittsburgh. —— ra EE Large Contracts for Fuel Gas Plants. Wm. Swindell & Bros. of Pittsburgh, Pa., have just finished a number of large contracts for fuel gas plants. They have constructed no less than 103 of their im- proved circular gas producers since April 1, 1891, in connection with their regen- erative gas furnaces, which are distributed as follows: Forty improved gas producers for Park, Bro. & Co., Limited, Pitts- burgh, Pa., making one of the largest and most complete fuel gas plants in the country. These producers are to supply gas for the crucible and open-hearth de- partments of the Black Diamond Steel Works at Pittsburgh. The new tube welding plant of the Oil Well Supply Company at Pittsburgh was constructed by this firm. It consists of two top weld- ing, two bending, two bell, two tagging and one socket furnaces. These furnaces are supplied with fuel by 20 circular gas producers. The plant has been in suc- cessful operation for two months. They also constructed the two large Siemens heating furnaces, five sheet furnaces and six gas producers at the W. D. Wood Company’s works, McKeesport, Pa. The sheet furnaces are run by manufactured gas direct, which is entirely new practice, and the application of the gas in this way greatly reduces the cost of construction when compared with a regenerative gas furnace. The design for this furnace has been patented by Wm. Swindell. The Spang Steel and [ron Company have given them a contract for 18 gas pro- ducers and 500 feet of 6 foot gas flues, with connections to furnaces; Wm. Clark, Son & Co., Pittsburgh, for two Swindell heating furnaces and four gas producers; Montreal Rolling Mill Company, Montreal, Canada, ove large Siemens heating fur- nace, making the ninth order from this firm; U. 8. Projectile Company, Brook- lyn, N. Y., one Siemens heating furnace and two gas producers; Pittsburgh Forge and Iron Company, Pittsburgh, two Swin- dell beating furnaces and three gas pro- ducers; Atkinson Steel and Spring Com- pany, Harvey, Ill., one 10-ton open-hearth furnace and two gas producers; Johnson Company, Johnstown, Pa., one 5-ton open- Hamilton & Co., Pittsburgh, one gas pro- ducer. This producer is supplying gas to a 10-pot glass melting furnace. The gas is applied direct to the furnace by an im- proved method recently patented by Wm. Swindell. This method can be applied to any of the common glass melting furnaces at avery small cost, and the successful working of it has been demonstrated at the above works. They have also re- modeled three circular gas producers that were recently built by other par- ties for the Tyrone Iron Company, | Wi i | \ » | \ hy N - i lgiscain fll Lo a Mn ™ sl oT any A a S = SSS >>> >>> HES Fig. 4.—Track. THE AIKEN PRESS hearth furnace, two core ovens, with beds 12 x 30 feet, one annealing furnace with bed 7 x 12 feet, and two gas producers. These producers are doing remarkable work, supplying gas to all of the above furnaces and the open-hearth ladle. They are 11 feet high and 9 feet 3 inches in diameter; J. J. Vollrath Mfg. Company, Sheboygan, Wis., have ordered two en- ameling furnaces and two gas producers; Keystone Hoop Mfg. Company, Pitts- burgh, one heating furnace; Trethewey Mfg. Company, Pittsburgh, one heating furnace; Trenton Iron Company, one 5-ton open-hearth furnace, one core oven and two gas producers; Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company, three gas producers; W. H. FOR BASIC BRICK. Tyrone, Pa., and four square?*gas "pro- ducers for the Syracuse Tube Company, Syracuse, N. Y. I The ‘‘specie room” on steamships has become an important institution. It varies slightly on different aet but is usually about 16 feet long, by 10 feet wide, and 8 feet high. It is constructed of steel plates } inch thick, and strongly riveted together. The floor, the ceiling, and the walls are all of steel plates. There is a heavy door, also made of steel. It is provided with two English ‘‘ Chub” locks, a variety of combination lock that is said to be burglar proof. November 5. 1891 THE IRON AGE, 779 Combined Shear and Punch. The shear illustrated on this page is in- tended more specially for bar iron or steel than for sheet iron where deep throats are necessary. The object aimed at is to pro- vide a shear that has all the advantages and conveniences of the well-known lever or alli- and Steel Compary, Pittsburgh, Pa.; Wheeling Iron and Nail Company, Wheel- ing, W. Va.;and Duquesene Tube Works Company, Pittsburgh, Pa. Although the above contracts have all been completed, the | firm have still alarge number of orders on hand, and are now executing the third order for the Riverside Iron Works and American AM MUTA AMEN AAA ANTE? COMBINED SHEAR AND PUNCH. gator shear without the excessive weight of the latter. -On reference to the cut it will be seen that the machine is extremely compact, and in outline is a column that takes all the strain in a straight line close tothe work. The main upright frame is recessed or hollow. In this recess is fitted and moves the plunger carrying the knife. This plunger, together with the projection or nose to which the knife is bolted, is in one piece. An elongated opening in the front side of the upright frame allows the knifeholder or nose to project through, while the main body of the plunger is con- fined in the planed recess referred to. Motion is given to this plunger and knife- holder by the crankshaft passing through the upper part of the frame, which is driven by the pulley on pinion shaft through the gearing shown. The motion of the knife is vertical reciprocating. By removing the knife and lower knife- holder and substituting a punch and die- holder, the machine in a few minutes can be changed from a shear to a punching machine. The shear arrangement is shown in the engraving. Provision is made for taking up the wear of the plunger and tae side strain of the knife is resisted by a bracket not visible in the cut. The ma chine is made by Jenkins & Lingle of Bellefonte, Pa, I Fuel Gas Contracts.—Alex Laughlin & Co., engineers and contractors, Lewis Block, Pittsburgh, Pa., have had a very busy summer. During the past six months this firm have completed furnace and producer plants for the Riverside Iron Works, Wheeling, W. Va., it being the second order from that firm; the American Wire Nail Company, Anderson, Ind., also the second order; the Baackes Wire Nail Company, Cleveland, Ohio; Lockhart Iron Wire Nail Company. They are also put- ting ina complete gas heating plant for the new bar mill of the Brilliant Steel and Iron Company of Brilliant, Ohio, and are erecting a 25 ton open-hearth furnace and the necessary gas producers for a Pitts- burgh firm. EE Adjustable Snap Flask. | The method of adjustment is very simple. |The thumb nuts on the drag are loosened, when it is placed over the pattern; as much margin as desired is allowed, when the nuts are tightened. The drag is matched with the cope and the latter’s nuts tightened, when the flask is ready for |} use. In matching the drag with the cope | it makes a perfect adjustment of “pins, | either tight or loose, as the work requires. When the nuts are tightened the pins do not shi't. EEE Sale of a Milwaukee Shipyard. The well-known Wolf & Davidson ship- | yard, at Milwaukee, was sold on the 30th ult. for $250,000 to Fred. C. Starke, who takes immediate possession. Interested with Mr. Starke in the purchase are C. H. Starke, W. A. Starke, Charles Niederman, H. F. Bues and others. The transfer in- | cludes the good will of the Wolf & David- son Shipyard Company, the dry docks, ma- chinery and about 10 acres of land. The old company was capitalized at $250,000, and Mr. Wolf held seven-eighths of the stock, the remaining one-eighth having been held by some of the older employees of the company. This one-eighth was bought up by Mr. Wolf, who makes the entire transfer, the $250,000 to be paid in cash before January 1. Mr. Wolf is Mil- waukee’s veteran shipbuilder, having be- gun business in 1858. In June last Mr. Wolf purchased the interest of his partner, Thomas Davidson, who had been asso- ciated with him for many years. Mr. Wolf’s retirement from business is due to a desire for rest. He still retains a large interest in the Wolf & Davidson Steamship Company, who have a capital stock of $510,000, and who own the steamers Fred. Pabst, W. H. Wolf, Thomas David- son and George Dyer. The new purchas- ers of the shipyard are large vessel owners and also control the tug and dredging business in Milwaukee. Fred. C. Starke will be superintendent of the yard. rr Chief Bonner of the New York Fire Department attaches little value to slow- burning structures, in which it is usual to place large quantities of merchandise. He says: ‘*Ourexperience in this city with this class of buildings is about similar to all other cities that are constructing them, and I predict that the losses caused by the erection of such structures will be jeven The accompanying illustration shows | greater than formeriy, when the old ram- the new Richardson adjustable snap flask, shackle buildings were recognized, as the of which the J. D. Smith Foundry Sup- | life of such a building was limited to a few RICHARDSON’S ADJUSTABLE SNAP FLASK. ply Company of Cincinnati are general selling agents. It is made of }4-inch gal- vanized steel plate, is light in weight and will not warp or rust. They are so hinged that they can be opened free, and are so substantially made that they will not slip or get out of order while in or out of use. minutes after a fire was under way, and when down it was beyond its power to cause further destruction.” ‘St. Louis’ first cable line of cars has been supplanted bv an electric line, after an existence of six years. a 778 THE IRON AGE. November 5, 1891 ram and the mold plunger above it, com- pressing the basic material in the matrix against the block shown aboveit. The ram is then withdrawn by releasing the pressure and the mold: wheel turned through a sixth of a revolution, so as to carry the matrix under consideration into the position shown at m', Fig. 3. In this motion the plunger passes over the in- clined portion de of the track, partially ejecting the compressed brick. The ejec- tion of the brick may be aided further by raising the hydraulic ram slightly after the mold has passed the position m, Fig. 3, an expedient which is frequently necessary when a great pressure causes the brick to stick in the mold. The mold wheel re- mains at rest until another brick is pressed, and then a second sixth revolu- tion carries the matrix portion mentioned into the position m*, Fig. 3, when the plunger rests on the inclined / g in Fig. 4. A further partial revolution brings it into the position m*, when the plunger is lifted in a flat a g h, to its highest posi- tion, so that the brick is ejected and can be removed. Another sixth revolution brings the matrix into the position m‘, the lowest from which also the matrix is charged with brick material. Two fur- ther revolutions carry it into the positions m* and m consecutively, thus completing a circle of the mold wheel, during which six bricks are formed. The apparatus for rotating the mold wheel may be described as follows? with special reference to Fig. 3: A ratchet wheel, shown in the plan as rotating around one of the main bolts, has six teeth and is operated by the pawl M, which is carried on an annular collar. This ratchet is operated by the rotation of its collar in the direction of the arrow N, the rotation of the collar being effected by means of the rack O, driven by the piston P of a power cylinder. In order that the bricks may be properly formed by the ma- chine, the block above the mold wheel against which they are pressed is adjust- able, as shown in Fig. 2, by means of the wedge plate. The press is designed by Henry Aiken of Pittsburgh. ——— EE ——— Large Contracts for Fuel Gas Plants. Wm. Swindell & Bros. of Pittsburgh, Pa., have just finished a number of large contracts for fuel gas plants. They have constructed no less than 103 of their im- proved circular gas producers since April 1, 1891, in connection with their regen- erative gas furnaces, which are distributed as follows: Forty improved gas producers for Park, Bro. & Co., Limited, Pitts- burgh, Pa., making one of the largest and most complete fuel gas plants in the country. These producers are to supply gas for the crucible and open-hearth de- partments of the Black Diamond Steel Works at Pittsburgh. The new tube welding plant of the Oil Well Supply Company at Pittsburgh was constructed by this firm. It consists of two top weld- ing, two bending, two bell, two tagging and one socket furnaces. These furnaces are supplied with fuel by 20 circular gas producers. The plant has been in suc- cessful operation for two months. They also constructed the two large Siemens heating furnaces, five sheet furnaces and six gas producers at the W. D. Wood Company’s works, McKeesport, Pa. The sheet furnaces are run by manufactured gas direct, which is entirely new practice, and the application of the gas in this way greatly reduces the cost of construction when compared with a regenerative gas furnace. The design for this furnace has been patented by Wm. Swindell. The Spang Steel and Iron Company have given them a contract for 18 gas pro- ducers and 500 feet of 6 foot gas flues, with connections to furnaces; Wm. Clark, Son & Co., Pittsburgh, for two Swindell heating furnaces and four gas producers; Montreal Rolling Mill Company, Montreal, Canada, ove large Siemens heating fur- nace, making the ninth order from this firm; U. 8. Projectile Company, Brook- lyn, N. Y., one Siemens heating furnace and two gas producers; Pittsburgh Forge and Iron Company, Pittsburgh, two Swin- dell heating furnaces and three gas pro- ducers; Atkinson Steel and Spring Com- pany, Harvey, Ill., one 10-ton open-hearth furnace and two gas producers; Johnson Company, Johnstown, Pa., one 5-ton open- | { » THE AIKEN PRESS hearth furnace, two core ovens, with beds 12 x 30 feet, one annealing furnace with bed 7 x 12 feet, and two gas producers. These producers are doing remarkable work, supplying gas to all of the above furnaces and the open-hearth ladle. They are 11 feet high and 9 feet 3 inches in diameter; J. J. Vollrath Mfg. Company, Sheboygan, Wis., have ordered two en- ameling furnaces and two gas producers; Keystone Hoop Mfg. Company, Pitts- burgh, one heating furnace; Trethewey Mfg. Company, Pittsburgh, one heating furnace; Trenton Iron Company, one 5-ton open-hearth furnace, one core oven and two gas producers; Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company, three gas producers; W. H. its atin SSS A Ty LAY Hamilton & Co., Pittsburgh, one gas pro- ducer. This producer is supplying gas to a 10-pot glass melting furnace. The gas is applied direct to the furnace by an im- proved method recently patented by Wm. Swindell. This method can be applied to any of the common glass melting furnaces at avery small cost, and the successful working of it has been demonstrated at the above works. They have also re- modeled three circular gas producers that were recently built by other par- ties for the Tyrone Iron Company, " | | i | 1 lt \ | ll \e ! \ hy ee nu - 7 - Varaeal Ve Yj i) y i Yu Wenerpel) Vee S——--- A i ri Fig. 4.—Track. FOR BASIC BRICK. Tyrone, Pa., and four square?*gas "pro- ducers for the Syracuse Tube Company, Syracuse, N. Y. A ——— — The ‘‘specie room” on steamships has become an important institution. It varies slightly on different anne, but is usually about 16 feet long, by 10 feet wide, and 8 feet high. It is constructed of steel plates 4 inch thick, and strongly oan together. The floor, the ceiling, and the walls are all of steel plates. There is a heavy door, also made of steel. It is provided with two English ‘‘ Chub” locks, a variety of combination lock that is said to be burglar proof. November 5. 1891 THE IRON AGE. 779 Combined Shear and Punch. and Steel Compary, Wheeling Iron and Nail Company, Wheel- ing, W. Va.;and Duquesene Tube Works Company, Pittsburgh, Pa. Although the The shear illustrated on this page is in- tended more specially for bar iron or steel than for sheet iron where deep throats are necessary. The object aimed at is to pro- vide a shear that has all the advantages and conveniences of the well-known lever or alli- firm have still alarge number of orders on hand, and are now executing the third order COMBINED SHEAR AND PUNCH. gator shear without the excessive weight of the latter. -On reference to the cut it will be seen that the machine is extremely compact, and in outline is a column that takes all the strain in a straight line close tothe work. The main upright frame is recessed or hollow. In this recess is fitted and moves the plunger carrying the knife. This plunger, together with the projection or nose to which the knife is bolted, is in one piece. An elongated opening in the front side of the upright frame allows the knifeholder or nose to project through, while the main body of the plunger is con- fined in the planed recess referred to. Motion is given to this plunger and knife- holder by the crankshaft passing through the upper part of the frame, which is driven by the pulley on pinion shaft through the gearing shown. The motion of the knife is vertical reciprocating. By removing the knife and lower knife- holder and substituting a punch and die- holder, the machine in a few minutes cao be changed from a shear to a punching machine. The shear arrangement is shown in the engraving. Provision is made for taking up the wear of the plunger and the side strain of the knife is resisted by a bracket not visible in the cut. The