The Iron Age 1891-12-31: Vol 48

‘THE The Shanks Vertical Cylinder Boring Machine. In The Iron Age of May 21, 1891, we illustrated and described a vertical cyl- inder boring machine built by Wm. Sellers & Co. (Incorporated) of Philadelphia for the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company. That machine was ca- THE SHANKS VERTICAL pable of boring cylinders 48 inches to 108 inches in diameter and was provided with a double facing head, each having a com- pound slide rest, to face 120 inches in diameter. The vertical standards were 13 feet apart and the hight from the sole plate to the underside of the boring head, when in its highest position, was 10 feet. The boring heads could be raised or lowered by hand or power, and had feeds varying from +, to inch or more, if desired. The boring bar was so arranged that it could be lifted out through the top without disturbing either the driving THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31, 1091. or feed gear. The feed was varied by a set of change wheels and could be set for any desired motion in either direction, to bore from the top Gown or from the bottom up. The necessary power was provided by a small high-speed engine attached to one of the standards. Power was transmitted from the driving cone to the boring bar through straight spur and bevel gearivg. IRON AGE work is over 13 feet and the hight 124 feet. The traveling table for holding the work is 8 feet wide and 14 feet long. It will be seen from the illustration that no head room is required for lifting the bor- ing bar to clear the work, because when the table is traversed to the front the crane can drop the cylinder upon it clear of the machine. The boring bar, with the worm wheel attached to it, is then placed — i EA A , a7 nes CYLINDER BORING MACHINE. In contrast with this machine, which | inside the cylinder, and both are traversed may be said to represent American prac-| back into position on the machine. Any tice, we here present an illustrated de-| final adjustment which may be required is scription, taken from our esteemed con- |then performed. No alteration of the up- temporary Engineering, of a vertical cylin- | per structure with regard to the feed is re- ‘der boring machine built by Thomas | quired, as the connection is at once made Shanks & Co. of Johnstone, near Glasgow. | when the bar is fixed. Any feed and any The description is as follows, reference| driving power is obtained by a simple being had to the accompanying engraving: | change, not occupying more than a minute We believe it is the largest machine of | of time, and the boring blocks can be ele- this class ever made; it has three inter- | vated or lowered quickly by power through changeable boring bars of 18 inches, 12| friction clutehes,or slowly by hand, the inches and 10 inches in diameter respect-| attendant having full control from the ively. The width of framing for the' work table, whether the bar is rotating or 1152 THE IRON AGE. December 31, 1891 isatrest. The changes of gear allow of work to be bored varying from 11 inches in diame- ter up to 130 inches in diameter, while the surfacing range extends to 144 inches in diameter. The illustration shows only a conical socket with heavy collar fitted on four scraped surfaces upon the bar, and kept tight by gun-metal wedge strips, but the machine is fitted with a complete series of boring blocks, each bored to fit the taper socket, and with four tool holders arranged to vary the diameter of cut up to 12 inches. These blocks are further fitted with two interchangeable surfacing com- pound slide rests, which are readily de- tached after the cylinder is faced and re- cessed. The weight of the machine with the 18-inch bar is 52 téns. The two in- terchangeable smaller bars weigh 8 tons, the boring and surfacing apparatus weigh 10 tons, so that the complete weight of the machine is 70 tons. It will be noticed. by comparing the above descriptions, that the foreign ma- chine is provided with a movable table upon which the cylinder to be bored is plaeed and then brought in position to be bored, the upper bearing ot the boring bar opening to receive the bar. In the Ameri- can machine the bar was lifted out of the way. The former machine is driven by belt while the latter carries its own power in the shape of asteam engine. One of the most important differences we find in the manner of operating the boring bar. The worm gearing of the foreign machine is replaced in the American machine by spur gearing, which is considered more efficient and durable. —_—— EEE The North River Bridge. The formal breaking of ground for the great North River Bridge has just taken place and is regarded by those directly concerned as an event of importance comparing well with the laying of the Atlantic Cable or the building of the Canadian Pacific Railroad. Andrew H. Green, in his address delivered on that occasion, said: ‘‘ The illusion that the prosperity of New York depends princi- pally upon her foreign trade is being dis- sipated, and while we would, by all proper means, augment our commerce with other countries, we must no longer delay facili- ties demanded for ourown. The great- ness and prosperity of cities are not de- ndent upon foreign commerce. The istoric cities of Asia and Egypt were interior cities. Paris, Berlin, Moscow, Vienna, Madrid and Cairo are interior cities, and there are, as well, many of our own thriving Western cities that live chiefly upon the traffic that comes from their own vicinage. A view of the com- mercial development along our Atlantic Coast shows that cities that have the best approaches by land routes are necessarily the ones that have greatest growth and prosperity, and not those primarily pro- vided with best sea approaches and harbors. It is evident that bridge communications between New York and New Jersey, and her neighboring territory, have been tco long delayed. The disadvantages hereto- fore attending this condition can now be obviated by the marvelous triumphs of modern engineering. From her position New York is the entrepét and thorough- fare of the great regions to the north, east and west, and all that is needed to perfect the bounty of her opportunities is the con- summation of the work now inaugurated.” . rrr Two suits, aggregating $110,000, have been begun in the District Court at Omaha, Neb., against the American Water Works Company. On attachments issued the sheriff took ession of the entire local plant. The plaintiff in both suits is the Shiekle, Harrison & Howard Iron Company of Missouri. The Denver plant has also been attached. Production of Ammonia, Tar and Heating Gas. BY ALPHONSE HENNIN, SPRINGFIELD, ILL. The formation of ammonia during the distillation of coal in closed retorts is weil known by gas manufacturers, The phe- nomena which produce the ammonia are, however, less known, because the study of the percentage of nitrogen in the coal and of the transformation of that nitrogen into ammonia is of comparatively recent date. It is only since the practical extrac- tion of ammonia has acquired some im- portance that the scientists have given particular attention to the question. The ammonia does not exist as such in the coal, or at least, the traces found in a native state are so small that they must be considered as an insignificant quantity. Nevertheless, it is found that as soon as the coal reaches a temperature of about 1800° F. in the retort a large quantity of ammonia is present in the gas, and this phenomenon lasts as long as any volatile matter is distilling. Higher temperature does not seem to render the distillation more active nor increase the quantity of ammonia, but as soon as the temperature lowers below the bright red heat the am. monia disappears from the products of distillation. This goes to demonstrate that the ammonia in the distillation of coal is a secondary product resulting from a combination of the elements of the coal, occurring only under certain conditions. It is a well-known fact that ammonia is formed when the nitrogen meets the hy- drogen in its nascent state, or when both meet in their nascent state. The nitrogen exists in the coal in the proportion of 1} to 2 per cent., and ap- to be one of the constituents of an organic compound. The formation of am- monia takes place when the coal reaches the bright heat; a distillation made below that temperature does not produce ammonia. Some nascent hydrogen must be in contact with the nitrogen at that particular tem- perature. It is not derived from the hy- a water, for that water is vapor- zed long before the coal has reached the proper temperature for the formation of ammonia. On the other hand, the hydro- gen of the coal exists in combination with the carbon, and is set free only during the reactions known as pyrogeneous. It can- not, then, from this fact participate in the formation of ammonia. There must be another source of hydrogen, and it is found in the water of the com- bination of the coal. It is known that that water vaporizes only when the decomposition of the coal is already far advanced, From this fact and the preced- ing remarks it seems evident that the am- monia is formed during the distillation by the combination of nitrogen of the coal with the hydrogen of their water of com- biaation. This conclusion is corroborated by tae fact that only a very limited forma- tion of ammonia takes place in the closed retort; it does not exceed 10 per cent. of the total nitrogen of the coal. During the process of coking with recovery of by- products in ovens of retort type, the pro- duction of ammonia is also very low for the same cause. In blast furnaces, how- ever, where raw coal is used and although all of the coal is consumed, the production does not exceed 15 per cent. of the total nitrogen of the coal, and it seems to be in ee esenay with the increased supply of ydrogen derived from some water of com- bination existing in the iron ore and flux, and perhaps from water carried into the furnace with the air blast. The production of ammonia in the proc- ess of manufacturing gas is a matter of great interest. If all the nitrogen of the coal could be converted into ammonia the value of this product itself would give handsome profits on the operation. In- deed, a coal containing 1} per cent. of ni- trogen would produce, per ton, ammonia equivalent to 164 pounds of sulphate, which, at the actual price, would repre- sent $5. The result is, however, not attainable in practice and it is absolutely impossible in the manufacture of illuminating gas, be- cause it is not possible to reach the totality of the nitrogen without consuming the coke, which retains about 50 per cent. of that element, and because the luminosity of the gas has to be taken care of. Long ago Dr. Grouven demonstrated beyond doubt that in a large excess of steam, when the necessary conditions of temperature, time and contact are sup- plied, the nitrogen of the coal is converted into ummonia. When it is considered that this process of converting the nitrogen into ammonia involves the decomposition of water by carbon, the oxidation of car- bon in carbonic acid and carbonic oxide, and the liberation of hydrogen, it is evident that there are there the elements of a process for producing simultaneously large quantities of ammonia and heating gas of high calorific value. Between this theoretical reaction, so well illus:rated by Dr. Grouven in his analytical method of the determination of nitrogen, and an economical manufacturing process, there are, however, many difficulties to over- come. The temperature at which the nitrogeneous compounds of the coal liber- ate the nitrogen is evidently suitable to decompose the water and produce the com- bination of nitrogen with nascent hydro- gen, but that temperature exceeds 1800° F., and is considerably above the tem- perature of the decomposition of the am- monia in ordinary condition. Dr. Grouven uses quantities of steam equal to 20 or 30 times the weight of the substance. This is absolutely impossible in practice. Not only such proportions of steam could not be economically used, but it would re- quire an external heating of the coal to maintain the proper temperature, and this fact alone renders its application impos- sible. Nor can any large excess of steam be “es without decreasing consider- ably the value of the gas. In the distillation of bituminous shales in Scotland steam has long been applied with success in view of increasing the production of ammonia. It has also been applied to coal in gas generators, with the production of ammonia as the main object, the resuiting gas being of little or no value for metallurgy. Lately the use of a very limited volume of steam with air in the ordinary producers has become quite general, for the sole purpose, how- ever, of utilizing the heat of the primary combustion to disassociate water and im part to the gas a certain percentage of energy which would be otherwise lost, but without the intention or result of pro- ducing ammonia. None of these processes realized the simultaneous production of ammonia and such heating gas as is re- quired in the metallurgy of iron, steel, &c., where rapidity of heating and melt- ing with the lowest percentage of waste is the primordial condition. These results, after several years of study and experiments, encouraged and hel by Charles and Wm. Barret Ridgely, president and vice-president of the Springfield Iron Company, I have ac- complished. My process (United States patent No. 459,193, September 8, 1891) embodies the formation of ammonia equal to one-half to three-fifths of the nitrogen of the coal, or three to four times as much ammonia as is produced in the most efficient destructive distillation, the production of an almost ideal gas for regenerative gas furnaces, either for heating or melting, glass furnaces, &c., and in addition the recovery of some seventeen or twenty odd gallons of tar. I use ordinary soft coal in December 31, 1891 THE IRON AGE. 1153 an appropriate generator and when it is heated to the bright red heat needed to liberate the nitrogen from its organic com- pound, I inject through tuyeres with a limited amount of air a certain volume of steam, which, decomposed by the carbon, forms carbonic acid, carbonic oxide and a large quantity of hydrogen. All of the nitrogen present during this de- composition unites with the nascent hy- drogen to form ammonia, and the largest part of the hydrogen remains free in the gas. steam by the carbon numerous secondary reactions occur, some developing heat, formation of ammonia, &c., some absorb- | ing heat, so that when the steam is prop- erly diffused, superheated and uniformly injected through tuyeres converging to the center of the glowing mass, a very limited THE TOLEDO AUTOMATIC STEEL CHAIN amount of air is needed to maintain the constant high heat required, without al- teration or intermission of steam and air. When the operation is properly con- ducted, and skill and judgment are ap- lied in the regulation of the temperature in the different zones, with the proper depth of coal; when the gases are removed from the generator with sufficient velocity under vacuum, the ammonia formed, di- luted with the other gases in a proportion of 1 to 1000 or more, is not decomposed, and is collected during the washing, con- densing and scrubbing. Under these con- ditions the yield of ammonia corresponds to, say, 50 to 60 per cent. of the total ni- trogen of the coal, and can be collected after distillation from the water of con- densation in concentrated crude liquor, sulphate or any other form desired. The volume of the gas produced per ton of coal can be estimated at 150,000 cubic feet. The gas resulting from the opera- tion is practically free from su)phur and During the decomposition of the) possesses high calorific value, as is shown by the following analysis: link has been made. 40 strokes per minute. The speed is about Weight of this ROA MOM ou xceckacecedesscdes “as 10.50 | Press is about 7000 pounds. Carbonic oxide......... ....-- --------. 20.00] This machine was built for manufactur- Methane and homologons......... .... . 4.50}ing links patented and owned by the PD Aisserbanneeskiacenns as? eta 38.00 Dayton Steel Chain Company of Dayton, Nitrogen and oxygen...............2e08 27.00 Ohio, and the press is now in operation by ss sesieicinds nivienesciealle 100.00 | that company. In addition to the above results, some 17 to 20 odd gallons of tar are recovered, and contribute largely to defray the expenses of the operation. —$—_— EE __—————$_ The Toledo Chain Link Machine. The illustration shown on this page is a machine recently brought out by the To- ledo Machine and Tool Company of Toledo, LINK MACHINE. | Ohio, for the manufacture of link belting | made from sheet steel. The machine is automatic in its move- ments throughout, being so built that it is adjustable for different sizes of links. The steel is fed from the roll or coil by an automatic roll feed, bnnging the end of the coil about midway on the die when the first stroke of the press comes down and perforates the link. In the upward move- ment of the slide the stock is again fed forward the space of one lnk, and in the second downward stroke of the slide the link is formed and end turned down at the same time a ram on the back side of the machine is forced up against the turned end of the link, which forms the hook, When the slide and ram retract, an auto- matic knockout comes into action which forces the link from the dies at the same The Great Gossan Lead of Virginia. BY EDGAR C. MOXHAM, M.E., PULASKI, VA. The great gossan lead is one of the most interesting and most valuable of the many mineral deposits of southwest Virginia— great in view of the many millions of tons of ores it contains, remarkably interesting in its geological and mineralogical feat- ures, and valuable in the excellence of its ores from a commercial standpoint. It is unquestionably destined to play a most important part in the development of this section of the country. Traversing Carroll County, it extends from the edge of Floyd County, in a northeastwardly direction, into Grayson County, over a distance of some 23 or 24 miles, In general character it is a fissure vein, regularly developed between dis- tinctly defined hanging and fort wal.s, with a pitch to the southwest, usually of about 45°. The containing and surround- ing formation consists mostly of suapstone, micaceous and talcose slate, quartz, &c., the quartz mostly being found in and ad- jacent to the foot wall. The lead is tra- versed at intervals throughout its entire length by ravines, by which the gossan is exposed on each side of the hill, and the mundic generally seen in the creek beds. To be properly understood, the lead must be regarded as a great continuous vein of mundic (iron pyrites), the upper portion of which has become decom , and now presents itself in the form of gossan or brown iron ore (hydrated peroxide of iron). The line of decomposition at which the pyrites and the gossan separate is marked and distinct to a degree, the py- rites serving as a hard and excellent ‘‘ bot- tom” to the gossan. It is found that the chemical analysis of the gossan which lies immediately down upon the pyrites differs in no material degree from the gossan which is taken from upper parts of the vein or at the surface. Lying between the pyrites and the mundic was found the black oxide of copper, and in the past very extensive mining operations were done on the lead in quest of the copper, which is said to have been quite considerable in quantity and of rich quality, and in these operations drifts were driven on the hanging wall and upon the mundic from hill to hill along the greater part of the lead and in many places across it. The green carbonates of copper were also worked, although to a lesser extent, and it is known that the sulphurets of copper were followed down into the mundic at points to quite a con- siderable extent, and with profit to the miners. It is regarded as more than probable that valuable veins of the sul- phurets of copper will in the future be found and developed on the lead, although the bulk of the soft ores have perhaps been already removed. We will not, therefore, attach undue importance to the matter of copper, but will deal with the pyrites and the gossan, which the drifts made by the copper miners have served to so admirably develop, extending as they do for miles into and across the lead. The gossan—or decomposed sul phurets— is, as above described, a splendid cap or string of brown iron ore, varying in width from 12 to 40 feet at the surface and 40 time the stock is being fed forward for|to 70 feet at the bottom, where it makes another link. In this manner it will be noticed that one complete link is made at each stroke of the press after the first its juncture with the pyrites, and varying in hight from 40 to 175 feet, according with the hight of the hills it is travers- fe ie — Bae) esi | ae 1182 THE IRON AGE. December 31, 1891 isat rest. The changes of gear allow of work to be bored varying from 11 inches in diame- ter up to 130 inches in diameter, while the surfacing range extends to 144 inches in diameter. The illustration shows only a conical socket with heavy collar fitted on four scraped surfaces upon the bar, and kept tight by gun-metal wedge strips, but the machine is fitted with a complete series of boring blocks, each bored to fit the taper socket, and with four tool holders arranged to vary the diameter of cut up to 12 inches. These blocks are further fitted with two interchangeable surfacing com- und slide rests, which are readily de- tached after the cylinder is faced and re- cessed. The weight of the machine with the 18-inch bar is 52 tdns. The two in- terchangeable smaller bars weigh 8 tons, the boring and surfacing apparatus weigh 10 tons, so that the complete weight of the machine is 70 tons. It will be noticed. by comparing the above descriptions, that the foreign ma- chine is provided with a movable table upon which the cylinder to be bored is placed and then brought in position to be bored, the upper bearing ot the boring bar opening to receive the bar. In the Ameri- can machine the bar was lifted out of the way. The former machine is driven by belt while the latter carries its own power in the shape of asteam engine. One of the most important differences we find in the manner of operating the boring bar. The worm gearing of the foreign machine is replaced in the American machine by spur gearing, which is considered more efficient and durable. ee The North River Bridge. The formal breaking of ground for the great North River Bridge has just taken place and is regarded by those directly concerned as an event of importance comparing well with the laying of the Atlantic Cable or the building of the Canadian Pacific Railroad. Andrew H. Green, in his address delivered on that occasion, said: ‘‘ The illusion that the prosperity of New York depends princi- pally upon her foreign trade is being dis- sipated, and while we would, by all proper means, augment our commerce with other countries, we must no longer delay facili- ties demanded for ourown. The great- ness and prosperity of cities are not de- ndent upon foreign commerce. The istoric cities of Asia and Egypt were interior cities. Paris, Berlin, Moscow, Vienna, Madrid and Cairo are interior cities, and there are, as well, many of our own thriving Western cities that live chiefly upon the traffic that comes from their own vicinage. A view of the com- mercial development along our Atlantic Coast shows that cities that have the best approaches by land routes are necessarily the ones that have greatest growth and prosperity, and not those primarily pro- vided with best sea approaches and harbors. It is evident that bridge communications between New York and New Jersey, and her neighboring territory, have been tco long delayed. The disadvantages hereto- fore attending this condition can now be obviated by the marvelous triumphs of modern engineering. From her position New York is the entrepét and thorough- fare of the great regions to the north, east and west, and all that is needed to perfect the bounty of her opportunities is the con- summation of the work now inaugurated.” Two suits, aggregating $110,000, have been begun in the District Court at Omaha, Neb., against the American Water Works Company. On attachments issued the sheriff took ession of the entire local plant. The plaintiff in both suits is the Shiekle, Harrison & Howard Iron Company of Missouri. The Denver plant has also been attached. Production of Ammonia, Tar and Heating Gas. BY ALPHONSE HENNIN, SPRINGFIELD, ILL. The formation of ammonia during the distillation of coal in closed retorts is well known by gas manufacturers, The phe- nomena which produce the ammonia are, however, less known, because the study of the percentage of nitrogen in the coal and of the transformation of that nitrogen into ammonia is of comparatively recent date. It is only since the practical extrac- tion of ammonia has acquired some im- portance that the scientists have given particular attention to the question. The ammonia does not exist as such in the coal, or at least, the traces found in a native state are so small that they must be considered as an insignificant quantity. Nevertheless, it is found that as soon as the coal reaches a temperature of about 1800° F. in the retort a large quantity of ammonia is present in the gas, and this phenomenon lasts as long as any volatile matter is distilling. Higher temperature does not seem to render the distillation more active nor increase the quantity of ammonia, but as soon as the temperature lowers below the bright red heat the am monia disappears from the products of distillation. This goes to demonstrate that the ammonia in the distillation of coal is a secondary product resulting from a combination of the elements of the coal, occurring only under certain conditions. It is a well-known fact that ammonia is formed when the nitrogen meets the hy- drogen in its nascent state, or when both meet in their nascent state. The nitrogen exists in the coal in the proportion of 1} to 2 per cent., and ap- pears to be one of the constituents of an organic compound. The formation of am- monia takes place when the coal reaches the bright heat; a distillation made below that temperature does not produce ammonia. Some nascent hydrogen must be in contact with the nitrogen at that particular tem- perature. It is not derived from the hy- metric water, for that water is vapor- ized long before the coal has reached the proper temperature for the formation of ammonia. On the other hand, the hydro- gen of the coal exists in combination with the carbon, and is set free only during the reactions known as pyrogeneous. It can- not, then, from this fact participate in the formation of ammonia. There must be another source of hydrogen, and it is found in the water of the com- bination of the coal. It is known that that water vaporizes only when the decomposition of the coal is already far advanced. From this fact and the preced- ing remarks it seems evident that the am- monia is formed during the distillation by the combination of nitrogen of the coal with the hydrogen of their water of com- bination. This conclusion is corroborated by the fact that only a very limited forma- tion of ammonia takes place in the closed retort; it does not exceed 10 per cent. of the total nitrogen of the coal. During the process of coking with recovery of by- products in ovens of retort type, the pro- duction of ammonia is also very low for the same cause. In blast furnaces, how- ever, where raw coal is used and although all of the coal is consumed, the production does not exceed 15 per cent. of the total nitrogen of the coal, and it seems to be in roportion with the increased supply of ydrogen derived from some water | com- bination existing in the iron ore and flux, and perhaps from water carried into the furnace with the air blast. The production of ammonia in the proc- ess of manufacturing gas is a matter of great interest. If all the nitrogen of the coal could be converted into ammonia the value of this product itself would give handsome profits on the operation. In- deed, a coal containing 1} per cent. of ni- trogen would produce, per ton, ammonia equivalent to 164 pounds of sulphate, which, at the actual price, would repre- sent $5. The result is, however, not attainable in practice and it is absolutely impossible in the manufacture of illuminating gas, be- cause it is not possible to reach the totality of the nitrogen without consuming the coke, which retains about 50 per cent. of that element, and because the luminosity of the gas has to be taken care of. Long ago Dr. Grouven demonstrated beyond doubt that in a large excess of steam, when the necessary conditions of temperature, time and contact are sup- plied, the nitrogen of the coal is converted into ammonia. When it is considered that this process of converting the nitrogen into ammonia involves the decomposition of water by carbon, the oxidation of car- bon in carbonic acid and carbonic oxide, and the liberation of hydrogen, it is evident that there are there the elements of a process for producing simultaneously large quantities of ammonia and heating gas of high calorific value. Between this theoretical reaction, so well illustrated by Dr. Grouven in his analytical method of the determination of nitrogen, and an economical manufacturing process, there are, however, many difficulties to over- come. The temperature at which the nitrogeneous compounds of the coal liber- ate the nitrogen is evidently suitable to decompose the water and produce the com- bination of nitrogen with nascent hydro- gen, but that temperature exceeds 1800° F., and is considerably above the tem- perature of the decomposition of the am- monia in ordinary condition. Dr. Grouven uses quantities of steam equal to 20 or 30 times the weight of the substance. This is absolutely impossible in practice. Not only such proportions of steam could not be economically used, but it would re- quire an external heating of the coal to maintain the proper temperature, and this fact alone renders its application impos- sible. Nor can any large excess of steam be a without decreasing consider- ably the value of the gas. In the distillation of bituminous shales in Scotland steam has long been applied with success in view of increasing the production of ammonia. It has also been applied to coal in gas generators, with the production of ammonia as the main object, the resuiting gas being of little or no value for metallurgy. cade the use of a very limited volume of steam with air in the ordinary producers has become quite general, for the sole purpose, how- ever, of utilizing the heat of the primary combustion to disassociate water and im part to the gas a certain percentage of cnergy which would be otherwise lost, but without the intention or result of pro- ducing ammonia. None of these processes realized the simultaneous production of ammonia and such heating gas as is re- quired in the metallurgy of iron, steel, &c., where rapidity of heating and melt- ing with the lowest percentage of waste is the primordial condition. These results, after several years of study and experiments, encouraged and hel by Charles and Wm. Barret Ridgely, president and vice-president of the Springfield Iron Company, I have ac- complished. My process (United States patent No. 459,193, September 8, 1891) embodies the formation of ammonia equal to one-half to three-fifths of the nitrogen of the coal, or three to four times as much ammonia as is produced in the most efficient destructive distillation, the production of an almost ideal gas for regenerative gas furnaces, either for heating or melting, glass furnaces, &c., and in addition the recovery of some seventeen or twenty odd gallons of tar. I use ordinary soft coal in December 31, 1891 THE IRON AGE, 1153 an appropriate generator and when it is heated to the bright red heat needed to liberate the nitrogen from its organic com- pound, I inject through tuyeres with a limited amount of air a certain volume of steam, which, decomposed by the carbon, forms carbonic acid, carbonic oxide and a large quantity of hydrogen. All of the nitrogen present during this de- composition unites with the nascent hy- drogen to form ammonia, and the largest part of the hydrogen remains free in the gas. During the decomposition of the steam by the carbon numerous secondary reactions occur, some developing heat, formation of ammonia, &c., some absorb- ing heat, so that when the steam is prop- erly diffused, superheated and uniformly injected through tuyeres converging to the center of the glowing mass, a very limited THE TOLEDO AUTOMATIC STEEL CHAIN amount of air is needed to maintain the constant high heat required, without al- teration or intermission of steam and air. When the operation is properly con- ducted, and skill and judgment are ap- lied in the regulation of the temperature in the different zones, with the proper depth of coal; when the gases are removed from the generator with sufficient velocity under vacuum, the ammonia formed, di- luted with the other gases in a proportion of 1 to 1000 or more, is not decomposed, and is collected during the washing, con- densing and scrubbing. Under these con- ditions the yield of ammonia corresponds to, say, 50 to 60 per cent. of the total ni- trogen of the coal, and can be collected after distillation from the water of con- densation in concentrated crude liquor, sulphate or any other form desired. The volume of the gas produced per ton of coal can be estimated at 150,000 cubic feet. The gas resulting from the opera- tion is practically free from sulphur and possesses high calorific value, as is shown by the following analysis: link has been made. 40 strokes per minute. The speed is about Weight of this Castients act... 10.50 | Press is about 7000 pounds. Carbonic oxide......... .----- ---.--.-. 20.00] This machine was built for manufactur- Methane and homologons......... .... . 450}ing links patented and owned by the Hydrogen... ...-....-+sseeeeee+ seeeeeee 38,00] Dayton Steel Chain Company of Dayton, Nitrogen and oxygen..............e+200- 27.00 Ohio, and the press is now in operation by iin nidisies li Sceaicaadeiae 100,00 | that company. In addition to the above results, some 17 to 20 odd gallons of tar are recovered, and contribute largely to defray the expenses of the operation. The Toledo Chain Link Machine. — The Great Gossan Lead of Virginia. BY EDGAR C. MOXHAM, M.E., PULASKI, VA. The great gossan lead is one of the most interesting and most valuable of the many mineral deposits of southwest Virginia— The illustration shown on this page is a great in view of the many millions of tons machine recently brought out by the To- ledo Machine and Tool Company of Toledo, a a CT Torr gr z= | LINK MACHINE. Ohio, for the manufacture of link belting made from sheet steel. The machine is automatic in its move- ments throughout, being so built that it is adjustable for different sizes of links. The steel is fed from the roll or coil by an automatic roll feed, bnnging the end of the coil about midway on the die when the first stroke of the press comes down and perforates the link. In the upward move- ment of the slide the stock is again fed forward the space of one link, and in the second downward stroke of the slide the link is formed and end turned down at the same time a ram on the back side of the machine is forced up against the turned end of the link, which forms the hook, When the slide and ram retract, an auto- matic knockout comes into action which forces the link from the dies at the same of ores it contains, remarkably interesting in its geological and mineralogical feat- ures, and valuable in the excellence of its ores from a commercial standpoint. It is unquestionably destined to play a most important part in the development of this section of the country. Traversing Carroll County, it extends from the edge of Floyd County, in a northeastwardly direction, into Grayson County, over a distance of some 23 or 24 miles. In general character it is a fissure vein, regularly developed between dis- tinctly defined hanging and fort walLs, with a pitch to the southwest, usually of about 45°. The containing and surround- ing formation consists mostly of suapstone, micaceous and talcose slate, quartz, &c., the quartz mostly being found in and ad- jacent to the foot wall. The lead is tra- versed at intervals throughout its entire length by ravines, by which the gossan is exposed on each side of the hill, and the mundic generally seen in the creek beds. To be properly understood, the lead must be regarded as a great continuous vein of mundic (iron pyrites), the upper portion of which has become decom , and now presents itself in the form of gossan or brown iron ore (hydrated peroxide of iron). The line of decomposition at which the pyrites and the gossan separate is marked and distinct to a degree, the py- rites serving as a hard and excellent ‘‘ bot- tom” to the gossan. It is found that the chemical analysis of the gossan which lies immediately down upon the pyrites differs in no material degree from the gossan which is taken from upper parts of the vein or at the surface. Lying between the pyrites and the mundic was found the black oxide of copper, and in the past very extensive mining operations were done on the lead in quest of the copper, which is said to have been quite considerable in quantity and of rich quality, and in these operations drifts were driven on the hanging wall and upon the mundic from hill to hill along the greater part of the lead and in many places across it. The green carbonates of copper were also worked, although to a lesser extent, and it is known that the sulphurets of copper were followed down into the mundic at points to quite a con- siderable extent, and with profit to the miners. It is regarded as more than probable that valuable veins of the sul- phurets of copper will in the future be found and developed on the lead, although the bulk of the soft ores have perhaps been already removed. We will not, therefore, attach undue importance to the matter of copper, but will deal with the pyrites and the gossan, which the drifts made by the copper miners have served to so admirably develop, extending as they do for miles into and across the lead. The gossan—or decomposed sulphurets— is, as above described, a splendid cap or string of brown iron ore, varying in width from 12 to 40 feet at the surface and 40 time the stock is being fed forward for|to 70 feet at the bottom, where it makes another link. noticed that one complete link is made at each stroke of the press after the first In this manner it will be| its juncture with the pyrites, and varying in hight from 40 to 175 feet, according with the hight of the hills it is travers- 1154 THE IRON AGE, December 31, 1891 Sn eee ing. The higher and more rugged the hills the greater is the depth of the gossan, the pyrites, as a rule, remaining in place with comparative uniformity. Having little or no cover, the gossan can be traced by surface showing for miles across the country; its general character is varied, however, at several places in a most re- markable manner, as at ‘‘ Betty-Baker,” ‘* Blair,” ‘* Lineberry ” and ‘‘ Great-Out- burst,” by disturbances which appear in the form of the large bodies of splendid gossan, presenting themselves without cover and extending over many acres— immense bowlders and crusts of solid ore— making an exhibit of the most impressive character, and giving an appearance of being mountains of solid ore. Nor, in fact, does investigation rove them to be altogether otherwise. hile in some iustances the ore when so found has proved to be of less depth than was expected, and to assume the nature of a blanket of inconsiderable depth, and to be somewhat interspaced with strings of slate and quartz, still even the most disappointing of these has de- veloped a truly wonderful tonnage of rich ore, while others of such outbursts have proved to be all that could have been an ticipated. At the ‘‘ Great Outburst ” the face of solid ore which has been developed and is now being actually worked is truly surprising and certainly exceeds anything else of the kind in Virginia, while at ‘* Lineberry ” the ore is known to have a depth of in the neighborhood of 175 feet, with a fine surface showing of 100 to 125 feet in width for a distance of some 4000 feet. At ‘*Cranberry” again, the lead develops in regular fissure vein form, but assumes gigantic proportions, and will de- velop an average of 140 feet in depth, with a surface showing of 100 to 150 feet across the lead. ° But little over a year has elapsed since railroad connection was made with this lead and it is now being worked at two points, its extremities. It has not yet been fully developed (excepting by the copper miners’ drifts above referred to), and the mines are producing only 800 to 1000 tons per day, but their importance is already realized by the furnaces, every furnace within 250 miles of the lead, with but two exceptions, using from 25 per cent. upward of their mixture from this source. It is found to be a most excel- lent ore with which to mix the other ores of the district, particularly the hard, brown ores of the Potsdam series (mount- ain ores, high in phosphorus and man- ganese, but comparatively cheap in price), which could not otherwise be used to any- thing like the same extent. It is said to give character and strength to the iron, and is easily reduced, assisting the work- ing of the furnace and being economical in fuel. As it is porous in structure it contains somewhat more moisture than the limonite and mountain ores, but it is not found to be high in silica, and such gangue as it carries, being of micaceous matter mostly, is light in weight and not , costly to the furnace. It is said that is is found to assist in obtaining a uniformly large percentage of foundry iron from the furnace. Occasional samples of gossan will run as high as 47 to 48 per cent. iron in natural condition, and some disappoint- ment has arisen from the fact that ship- ments have not shown as high an average as was expected from the examination of the well-weathered samples collected from the surface before railroad connection was made to the mines, some of which samples ran as high as 50 per cent. A fair average of shipments, as sent from the mines, will show as follows: Per cent Iron, natural condition......-......... 41.28 ee ae eee 9.74 EEE LADNER 0.306 ES le IT: Re 0.064 SOME ss Foc ves uns cock adhere the teees 1.13 ia chines edhe caccasoh Ptweae es om 0.293 A great deal has been said as to the nominal figures at which gossan can be produced for the market, most of which must, unfortunately, be contradicted. The mining of this ore is not without at least a share of the troubles and expenses inci- dental to all other mining operations. In- trusions of quartz and slate are often found in the vein, which are tedious and costly to move and separate; much fine ocherous matter is found in the vein, which has to be extracted, and with other fine ore coming from the surface or walls of the cut, and containing more or less slate, &c., has to be carefully separated and either set aside or washed. The hang- ing wall of the cuts is found to be quite soft and rotten; as some of the cuts are exceedingly deep, a very large portion of this hanging wall has to be removed in order to give the cuts a safe slope. There- fore those who predicted that the produc- ing of gossan would be simply a matter of uarrying, and expected that it would be one at very close figures, are proved to have been mistaken; nevertheless the ore is being supplied to the furnaces at prices which, considering the value of the ore, must be said to be low. The mundic—or undecomposed sul phur- ets—must be considered as _represent- ing the great bulk of the mineral. It underlies the gossan as above described, is from 60 to 300 feet wide, and of depth not as yet determined, but supposed to be practically indefinite, no hole having gone deep enough to indicate any limit to its depth. It is sufficient to say that enough material lies here, exposed to sight, to furnish the world with" sulphur for years to come, and the use of it in the manufact- ure of sulphuric acid and of fertilizers is simply a question of time. As exposed by the drifts of the copper miners the mundic lies with comparatively little un- evenness, but with a slight elevation toward the center of the hill, as approached from each side. As far as investigation of the ore has yet been carried, it must be re- garded as pyrrhotite, or magnetic pyrites, as sample given as coming from the sur- face shows as follows: Per cent a. SEO CLE ete. ee 34.06 SRO 6as:6 0s 00 vpaleenss4o6000s<ceubeebee 0.866 OBPOTUB, . 0c ccorcccccvrescvccccces 0 trace. Se er eee + 0.306 Ns snnsdvsoss0nvasensteeegemkeeanane 2.99 This is, however, one among many sam- ples, and is selected more in the light of a safe sample than as indicative of the best results likely to be obtained from the sur- face, and not at all what may reasonably be looked for at a lower depth. As to whether or not richer material is to be looked for below the surface is a question which has not yet been determined. Whether or not the large amount of sulphur will be used, the main value of this wonderful lode will not become ef- fective until a process is developed by which the sulphur will be extracted from the ore upon a large scale and at such cost that the ‘* residue” or ‘* blue billy” will be available for the making of pig metal. Experiments having in view the expulsion of the sulphur in one of the improved kilns have not as yet proved as successful as could be wished, although after the ore has received a preparatory roasting in piles in the open air it can probably be successfully treated in a roasting kiln. Considerable sulphur can be driven off by such pile burning, as will be seen as follows: Lump Ore Roasted. Per cent OE 6 oct oe ekaee cea eseekes beanies 55.50 UE vnc inciecdesvan asta erskewn cans 7.69 Fine Ore Roasted. Es scans: snavussans sukhaten th cou 5.51 sinks sic ceconnies takadeae wasaeabieas 48.99 Doubtless such material as the above could be completely prepared by further -| works being located at Lake and .| has been made direct to the mines. treatment, but it has yet to be determined how to perform the whole process upon a commercial scale It is hardly neces- sary to draw attention to the importance of the solution of this problem to the iron manufacturers, giving, as it would, an ore running in the neighborhood of 60 per cent. iron, low silica and manganese, and no phosphorus—an ideal Bessemer stock, such as the South needs so badly. Whatever such matters may develop in the future, and in whatever manner these ores may be used, the importance of the Carroll County lead will certainly be closely associated with the success or other- wise of the Virginia iron business, so long as iron is made here. eS The L. Wolff Mfg. Company’s Fire. A disastrous fire, involving a loss esti- mated at $200,000, broke out shortly be- fore 10 o’clock on the night of the 24th inst., in the factory of the L. Wolff Mfg. Company on Carroll avenue, between Robey street and Hoyne avenue, Chicago. The building was a large three-story brick structure, occupied throughout by its own- ers in their business of manufacturing plumbers’ supplies. The entire building was full of metal- ware and machinery. On the first story was the warehouse, wherestored away was about $45,000 worth of manufactured stock. Above this was the factory proper, with $55,000 worth of machinery and stock, raw and manufactured. On the third floor was the foundry, where the fire broke out. Here a number of men were at work, and so as was the spread of the flames that they had barely time to make a hasty exit. The L. Wolff Mfg. Company are a corpo- ration of long standing and doing the largest business of their kind in the country if not in the world. Their officers are: L. Wolff, president; John F. Wolff, vice- president; John Clifford, secretary. The offices and salesrooms are at Nos. 93 to 117 West Lake street and at No. 84 Dear- born street. The burned factory is but a part of their Chicago plant, the —- efferson streets. L. Wolff, the president of the company, stated that the company would be in no- wise crippled. Plans had been already drawn to double the capacity of the fac- tory by building on the space now used as yard room. The building was constructed on what is known as the mill plan, and the heavy machinery ran on solid iron piers and masonry from the ground to the third story. The salvage on this will ap- proximate $25,000. Completed work is stored in the various warehouses of the company to fill all existing contracts and supply the running demand until a new factory is completed. Work on this will be commenced forthwith. — The old Butler Mine on Coot Hill, 5 miles from Port Henry, N. Y., is again in operation, The Essex Iron Company have hopes of making it one of the principal iron mines in Northern New York. The company filed articles of incorporation some months ago. Gustave Sidenthal of New York is president, W. H. Searles of Cleveland, vice-president, J. W. Lewis of New York, treasurer, and O. H. Cutler of Washington, secretary. Mr. Searles, a man of experience, superintends the mines. Moriah Village is the present office head- quarters of the company. A new road The Delaware and Hudson Railroad will put in a siding for the use of the iron company at once. The road from the pits to the rail- road is down grade, and a good place for a gravity railroad, which t