The Iron Age 1892-03-17: Vol 49

THE IRON AGE The Johnson Engine Lathe. | _—ow | ‘A new engine lathe has beea designed | and built by Israel H. Johnson, Jr., & | Co. of Philadelphia. Its features may be | referred to as follows: The lathe swings 43 inches over the ways, 18 very heavy, powerfully bac to the internally cut gear on the face plate. All driving gears are placed on the front of the headstock, where they are within convenient reach, and in which position the power required for driving is brought down to the work. The spindles are of forged steel, large | diameters, and the rack, screws, shafts, | studs and pinions are also of steel. The tailstock has a long bearing on the bed, is moved by crank, back geared to the | rack on the bed used for the carriage, clamped to the bed with four heavy bolts, and provided with a pawl to drop in the rack cast in the center of the bed, making | a firm resistance for the tailstock when carrying very heavy weights on the cen- ters. The carriage is very stiff, with long | bearings fitted its entire length to the bed, gibbed to the bed front on the outside and inside of the bed, and also gibbed to the bed on the back the entire length of the carriage. The tool rest is very stiff and solid, provided with power cross feed, and power feed to the top slide of com- pound rest; the rest may be furnished with either two tool posts or clamps for holding the tools. The apron is of entirely new design, the rack pinion being supported in firm bearing close up to the drive in the rack; all other gear studs are of large diameters, and well supported. The cross and lat- eral feeds are both driven by one friction and so arranged that it is impossible to get both feeds in at the same time, or get either feed in while cutting threads. The apron is so constructed that there is no spring under a heavy cut, thereby giving all the strength of the gears to be utilized in driving the feeds, which are driven by cone gearing on the headstock, with shift pin which gives three grades of feed with- out changing gears. These lathes are especially adapted for very heavy work. a F*Naval Officer of Customs.—The title of Naval Officer, borne by a customs offi- cer, whose duties are entirely upon the land, is a puzzle to many persons. It was not, at first, that of a civil official. Under the British system there were two treasur- ies, the general one and that of the Crown. THURSDAY MARCH 17, 1892, The customs officers, with a view to pop- ularity, would naturally turn into the gen- eral treasury whatever could be so al- lotted, while the Crown was anxious to get its share. Hence the King designated a naval officer on the station, usually the senior one, to look after the collectors’ ac- k geared and triple geared | counts and see that the proper share fell to the King. With the independence of the colonies, the customs functions of a naval officer would have expired had not our fathers had something of the zest for patronage, which has not departed from their descendants. — > Basic Steel Profits. Almost simultaneously with the an- nouncement of the decision of an English court denying an application for the ex- |tension of the Thomas & Gilchrist basic steel patent, come, through a German source, interesting details of the amounts of money realized by the inventors. Perry C. Gilchrist has sent to the editors of Stahl und Eisen . detailed tables, from which the following data are taken: At first the two cousins attempted to work Te = anusitit ‘ { SV Oe ed - a 1 ' i, \ _ if NW / patents in different countries, the figures being reduced from the German equiv- alents: COE Oe ack ko evcec en cascnndees Canada TNR < seni ddsGewednsnsedidches Germany...... France and Belgium.... Sweden Ne icacdanaedeacdaccnn 405600 Spain and Italy Luxemburg Total CORR e eee Costs on these transactions were $143,- 581, and there was paid also by agree- ment, to get rid of lawsuits and patent claims, a total of $252,905, leaving a net profit of $520,511. As compared with the results obtained by Bessemer from his invention, these fig- ures seem relatively small. ee A Convenient Table.—The Farquhar Heating Company of Chicago have in use in their machine shop a device which is probably new to many of our readers. THE JOHNSON ENGINE LATHE. the patents themselves, but from 1877 to the close of 1882 the revenue was $13,618, while outlays for experiments, patents, &c., footed up to $17,480. This unfavor- able result apparently led to the formation of acompany consisting of G. J. Snelus, Bolckow, Vaughan & Co., E. Riley, E. P. Martin, Griffith and Chaloner. In the first year of its existence the profit was $2880, which gradually increased until it rose to about $125,000 in 1891. The total receipts from 1883 to 1891 inclusive were $743,916 out of which $122,025 was paid in costs, while the total profits of Gilchrist and of Thomas’ sister were $243,378, the earnings of the associates were $342,637. In these profits there is not included, however, $342,816 worth of stock, that sum having been expended in the different English basic works, the North Eastern Steel Com- any, Dinsdale Wire and Steel Company, taffordshire Steel and Ingot Iron Com- pany, Baisley Basic Company, Brymbo Steel Company, and Acklam Iron Com- pany. Gilchrist estimates the value of the stock at $310,133, which in 1892 yielded $35,765 in interest and dividends. Gilchrist’s personal interest in English concerns amounts to $295,186, and that of Thomas’ sister to $374,366. The former drew on these investments during 1891 $17,966, and the latter $17,798. The following table presents the amounts received up to the close of 1891 for the Every shearing and punching machine is provided with a heavy wooden table to form a support for the plates which are to be cut or punched. The top of the table is cut up into compartments about a foot square by narrow strips nailed on it. Each of these compartments contains a steel ball about 24 inches in diameter. The hight of the table is such that a plate laid on the tops of these balls will be on a level with the jaws of the shears or punches. It will thus be seen that a very heavy plate can be handled on such a table by one operator, who can at the same time attend to the machine. It is quite customary in bridge shops, &c., to see two and sometimes three men holding a plate in position to be punched or sheared. The simple de- vice just mentioned not only does away with much manual labor, thus saving cost, but it holds the plate at all times in a per- fectly level position, which is necessary to secure good work. QV — Statistics given in the annual report of the Massachusetts Railroad Commissioners show there are in the State 2794 miles of overhead system electric street railways, with 13 miles under construction, an in- crease of 128 miles during the year. There are also about 10 miles of the stor- age battery system. The speed of elec- trics when unimpeded by horse cars ranges from 6 to 15 miles per hour. 496 The Strength of Car Couplers. The strength of car couplers of the Master Car Builders’ type was the subject of a paper read by W. Forsyth, mechanical engineer of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, before the Western Rail- way Club. We quote the following from it. Some couplers are admittedly weak in resistance to tensile and compression stresses, and a specification for M. C. B. couplers should provide for tests which will measure the pulling resistance, as well as to blows delivered somewhat like that when two cars are thrown in violent con- tact. To get necessary data for such a speci- fication it is necessary to test couplers of various makes in each way, and see what is the maximum that may be expected. In conducting such tests at Aurora we have two pieces of testing apparatus adequate for the heavy work reguired; a Riehlé testing machine, made for testing large bridge rods, having a capacity of 200,000 ounds, and an axle-testing machine hav- ing a drop weight of 1640 pounds, with a maximum fall of 30 feet. We have al- ready made a number of tests of M. C. B. couplers on these machines, and I will give some of the results. In the tensile machine two couplers of the same kird were pulled against each other, and Tables I and II give the re- sult of a few of these tests : Table I.—Tensile Resistance of Malleable Couplers. Ultimate Location of Date. |Type. strength. fracture. cipitl | —$——_— 1888 A 80,000 pounds. |In bar at bot- | tom lug. 1888... A 89,600 pounds. In wrougbt- iron knuckle tovgue 2 inch from end. 1889... B 102,000 pounds. |In bar at lug. 1891.. B= 112,000 pounds. |In bar at lug. 1892..; C 9,000 pounds. In steel knuckle. 1892..| KE 121,000 pounds. |In steel knuckle. Note.—The average of six malleable bars, and including four different kinds, was less than 100,000 pounds, and one-half of the bars were broken. Table 1I.— Tensile Resistance of Steel Couplers. | Ultimat Locati f imate ocation o Date. | Type. strength. fracture. 1892..| F 105,800 pounds. Knuckle broken 1891..| H 148,800 pounds. |Knuckle broken 1892../ D 98,200 pounds. Knuckle broken 1892...| I 122,200 pounds. Knuckle broken 1892..| I 108,100 pounds. Knuckle broken Note — The average strength was 116,300 unds. None of the steel bars were broken, ut all failed in the knuckles. The strength of the material in wrought- iron knuckles is not as great as the bar iron from which they are formed. Broken knuckles of this kind are invariably coarsely crystalline. I had a tensile test piece made out of one of these knuckles, and found the ultimate strength to be 48,800 pounds; elastic limit, 27,300 pounds; elongation, 15 per cent. in 2 inches. In Tables III and IV are given the results of drop tests, in which the weight of 1640 pounds struck the knuckle. Iron axles, 44 inches diameter at the center, must stand three blows from 10 feet and two at 15 feet from a weight of 1640 pounds, with supports 3 feet apart from center to center. THE IRON AGE. March 17, 1899 Table III.—Drop Tests of Malleable Coup lers with Wrought-Iron Knuckles. Date. Type. Blows and results. 1A Three blows, 10 feet —One at 15 feet bent barrel 1¢ inches out of line ; lower lug of knuckle cracked. Three blows, 10 feet.—Lower lug of coupler cracked through pin- hol 1891 1891 2A ole. Three blows, 10 feet, five blows, 15 1891 8A feet.—Arm broken by weight glancing from knuckle. 1891 4A Three blows, 10 feet, one blow at 15 feet.—lower lug of knuckle cracked. 1891 5A _ Threeblows, 10 feet, one at 15 feet. —Upper knuckle lug cracked. 1891 6A Two. blows, 10 feet. — Upper knuckle lug cracked. 1891 TA Three blows, 15 feet.—Cracked coupler arm, knuckle opening reduced from 3 1-16 inches to 2 3-8 inches, stem broken and back cracked. 1891 SA Weight striking arm only; two blows, 10 feet —Arm broken off. 1891 9B Three blows, 10 feet.—Both lugs and most of back broken 1891 10C One blow, 10 feet.—Broke tongue of steel knuckle. 1891 11E Two blows, 10feet.—Cracked steel knuckle; third blow, 10 feet, and one at 15 feet.—Broke knuckle. Table 1V.—Drop Test of Steel Couplers with Steel Knuckles. Ty ‘ Blows and results. ik One blow, 10 feet.—Broke bar back of knuckle. 13 I Two blows, 10. feet. — Broke knuckle at pivot pinhole. 14D Three blows, 10 feet, two blows, 15 feet —Broke in tongue of knuckle just above pinhole. Date. 1892 These drop tests show a wide variation in the strength in the different types of couplers, one kind breaking under the first blow from 10 feet, while others endure the full test for iron axles 4} inches in diam- eter. The fractures show also not only the weak points in the design, but the poor quality of the material in both malle- able-iron and cast-steel couplers. The steel bars were evidently made of a grade of steel not suitable for the purpose, and the castings had not been properly an- nealed. Tensile test pieces made from the same cast as Coupler I had a strength of only 42,000 and 49,000 pounds per square inch, and elongation of 1 per cent. and 2 per cent. in only 8 inches. A test of a specimen from another coupler shows that the material is much better adapted to the requirements. It is as follows: Not an- nenled. Annealed. Elastic limit, pounds per SRRTO RROD, «005s cccieves 48,000 43,800 Breaking strain, pounds per square inch......... 64,000 64,000 Elongation, per cent. in 4 Ra cnckecseanschnee 8.25 12.5 Reduction of area, per er eee 11:1 21.3 I have already said enough to show that the M. C. B. coupler as now made is a weak one, both in design and material, and as we cannot change the shape to a strong form without interfering with the stand- ard lines and destroying interchangeabil- ity, the only thing that can be done is to make the bar and knuckle of the strongest material possible. The form also requires the coupler to be cast, so the only choice lies between malleable iron and cast steel. Malleable Iron:—The report on the use of malleable iron in car construction read at the last M. C. B. Convention takes up the question as to whether malleable iron is the best material for the M. C. B. couplers, and gives a table showing the strength of thick and thin malleable cast iron specimens. The table showed a strength of 25,000 to 35,000 pounds per square inch and an elongation of 1 per cent. to 2 per cent. in 4 inches. Quite recently the National Ma!leable Casting Company have had made an inves tigation of the strength of malleableir.. castings by D. L. Barnes, commeiin oo gineer. The samples submitted for tent were from 2.63 inches to 3 inches wide and 0.247 inches to 1.03 inches thick. The ayer age ultimate strength of eight samples with skin unbroken was 27,870 pounds er square inch; 12 pieces with edges dieines averaged 27,786 pounds, and five pieces dressed on all sides averaged 25 560 pounds. The elongation of the test piece was so small that it was not measured The internal structure of the broken test pieces showed a want of homo. geneity. These bars, especially prepared for tests, and representing doubtless the best that can be done in malleable cast. ings, show as an average of 25 specimens a tensile strength less than 28,000 pounds per square inch and practically no elonga. tion. Measured by such figures we must conclude that malleable iron does not pos- sess sufficient strength and ductility to make it the best material for the severe service of the M. C. B. coupler. Steel Castings.—Steel castings, when properly made, possess a strength greater than wrought iron, and a ductility nearly equal to it. The irregular character of many steel castings made heretofore has given them a bad reputation, but the sound part of a steel casting is so superior in strength and ductility to any other kind of casting that the best efforts of our metallurgists have been directed to the problem of the production of sound stee} castings, and as a result the quality of such castings is gradually improving. I believe that finally the process will be so improved, molds and foundry manipulations so well understood, und the workmen so skillfully educated, that absolute reliance can be placed on the product. The tensile resistance of the coupleis tested did not show the superior strength to be expected from this material, but when properly made I believe there is a better prospect of getting strong couplers, made of a material which .in repeated tests has shown a strength of 60,000 to 70,000 pounds, and an elongation of 15 to 20 per cent. in 8 inches, than from one which will not average over 30,000 pounds, with practically no elongation. In making a specification for testing M. C. B. couplers I should place the figures for tensile strength of the material about as high as any bar has been found to endure, for I think the competition among coupler makers will soon result in the production of a stronger bar than they are now making, if the stronger bar is de- manded by the railroad companies. | would require them to endure a pulling load of 125,000 pounds, and in time this could probably be raised to 150,000 pounds. For the drop test I would require the same kind and number of blows as are given M. C B. 40,000 pound iron axles, two couplers out of each 200 to be tested in the tensile machine, and the one remaining unbroken to be tested under the drop. Proposed Specifications for Strength of M. B. C. Couplers.—Two sample couplers, selected from each lot of 200, when tested for tensile resistance, must not break under a load of 125,000 pounds. The coupler remaining sound must en- dure a drop test of 1640 pounds, three blows falling 10 feet and two blows falling 15 feet, the die striking the knuckle, the tail or bar to rest on a solid block of iron weighing not less than 500 pounds. A test bar made from the, same cast as the coupler, or cut from a coupler, must have a tensile strength of 60,000 to 70,000 pounds, and an elongation of 15 to 20 per cent. in 4 inches, or 10 to 15 per cent, In 8 inches. oh Boleckow, Vaughan & Co. of Middles- borough, the great North of England firm of iron manufacturers, divided only 24 per cent. for 1891. Py Fs, . Re SERS IE OT. March 17, 1892 The Reynolds Molding Machine. A molding machine embodying several new features was recently placed on the market by the James Reynolds Mfg. Com- pany of New Haven, Conn., the machine being the invention of P. O’Conner, the veneral manager of the company. The machine is so made that it can be set up on brackets or placed on a brass molder’s Fig. 3.—Enlarged Partial Seetion on Line x x of Fig. 2. bench. For pressing the sand into the flask the 80-inch lever is used, and it is stated that single handed more pressure can be obtained than the combined strength of two men can get from the ordinary hand presser, Fig. 1 shows the flask in position, filled with sand, and the pressing board and platen in position ready for pressing. Fig. 2 shows the position of the various parts when the sand has been pressed into the flask. Fig. 3 is an en- larged partial section on the line « z of Fig. 2, the parts not in section being shown in front elevation. Fig. 4 is a plan’ THE IRON AGE, view of the bail or swinging frame that draws down the pressure plate, the lugs on the main case or frame to which this bail is attached being shown in horizontal section. The machine being supplied with suitable patterns, the lever B is operated 497 Basic Slag for Fertilizing.* BY W. H. MORRIS, POTTSTOWN. I have been asked by our president to to bring it in position shown in Fig. 1, to| present a paper on the slag from the basic elevate the pattern slide so that the pat- terns will project the desired distance above the bed. The flask is then placed in posi- tion and filled with sand, the presser plate THE REYNOLDS MOLDING MACHINE. meantime being turned to the rear, as in- dicated by the broken lines in Fig. 1. After filling the flask with sand, the pres- ser board is placed on top and the presser plate thrown into position above it. The presser lever is then brought forward in the position shown in Fig. 2, whereby the toggle arms which: it operates are straightened to depress the swinging bail C and thereby draw downwardly the presser plate into the position shown in Fig. 2 to firmly pack the sand. The machine is simple in its operation and strongly and durably built. Bessemer process as prepared for fertiliz- ing. As W. B. Phillips in May, 1888, volume 17, presented to the Birmingham meeting Fig. 2.—Same as Fig. 1 With Presser Board Drawn Down. Fig. 4.—Plan View of Swinging Frame that Draws Down the Pressure Plate. an able paper on this subject as developed up to that time, there seems little for me to add, and perhaps our experience can be well expressod by the homely proverb, ‘¢ The proof of the pudding is in the eat- ing.” As the Pottstown Iron Co. are the only parties manufacturing this product in this country, it may be interesting to you to have the writer’s personal experience in the use of it. I have been using this material for some years on my lawn and garden, and have *Read at the Baltimore meeting of the Amer- ican Institute of Mining Engineers. 498 THE IRON AGE. found it better than anything I have ever had, and am sure that any of you who could see the green grass during last month as bright as in early fall wherever the ground was bare from snow would be forced to acknowledge the advantages of this soil enricher. The grass on my lawn, as well as around our office, is green the whole winter, and at our steel works we have raised very good sod by the use of this phosphate, where without it we were unable to get the grass to grow either from seed or when repeatedly sodded. The same applies to garden truck ; when the soil was first broken up a good crop of vegetables was easily raised. My own gardener has had several premiums from Philadelphia seedsmen, notably last year, The use of from 300 to 700 pounds to the acre is desirable, and it should be put into the soil at the proper depth. The full effect will not be shown the first year, but its beneficial influence will last through the second and third seasons, and by con- stant applying, its value to the soil is regularly increased. Along with suitable manure to furnish the ammonia, or with kainite to furnish some potash, it leaves nothing to be desired in the way of a model fertilizer. Up to the present time between 4,000, - 000 and 5,000,000 tons have been sold. Our slag is a by-product from the basic Bessemer converter, but, unfortunately, the | slag from the open-hearth furnace is not nearly so rich in phosphoric acid, and con- Fig. 1.—Section of Boiler. the first premium for sugar corn raised early in July, being the first sample sent them. Our method is to grind the slag very finely so that at least 60 per cent. of it will go through a screen of 22,000 meshes, and 90 per cent. through a screen of 10,000 meshes to the inch, and in this seems to be the main feature of its success. We have had several wonderful reports from various sections: Among others, where it has doubled the crop of wheat to the acre, and also in fruit-growing sec- tions it has done well. Some claim that it will kill the curculio, the enemy of plum trees, and it has done well in Florida in competition with fish phospates. The very fine powder will also destroy the bugs that infest the rose bushes and small fruits, and potato bugs are driven away by it. This, indeed, is one great merit for it, as there are no seeds or eggs of an animal character to be transmitted into the soil, it having been manufactured at a heat of nearly 3000°. We can fairly claim that there is more of this phosphate used than of any other brand, as the product of all the Conti- nental steel works is absorbed, as well as those in England. It was some years before the English (who are slow to adopt a new thing) were willing to use it, and one of the managers of a well-known English basic works expressed himself as considering it a national calamity that his slag was taken by the Germans. Since then, however, it has been absorbed at home, and I sincerely trust our own people will soon learn to realize the value of it. We are about putting in a new mill for grinding it, and hope to have a constantly increasing demand. Our phosphoric acid runs over 20 %; sometimes as high as 25, and at the price we sell it, it certainly is the cheapest phosphate in the world. In Germany it has been found by prac- tical experiment that the whole of the phosphoric acid is available, though for chemical reasons it does not respond to the same tests as the ordinary acid phosphate. March 17, 1899 1 pound fuel oil, 36 gravity evaporated 16.48 pounds water from and at 212° tem; erature 1 cubic foot gas,20 C. P.evaporated 1,28 pound water from and at 212° temperature, . The gas used was that obtained jn the distillation of petroleum, having about the same fuel value as natural or coq! vas of equal candle-power. 4 Taking the efficiency of bituminous coy} as a basis, which is not greatly at variance with the results generally claimed for jt we find the calorific energy of petroleum to be more than 60 per cent. greater than that of coal; whereas, theoretically speaking, petroleum exceeds coal only about 45 per cent.—the one containing 14,500 heat units, and the other 21,000, From this we are justified in deducing Fig, 2.—Vront Elevation of Boiler, LENGTH 2 FT. Fig. 4.—Section. THE MITCHELL sequently not so well adapted to fertilizing purposes. Dr. Wyatt estimates the phos- phoric acid withdrawn yearly from the soil in the United States at nearly 5,000,000 tons. ecucccialiainia Oil as Fuel. Max Livingston some time since placed before the members of the Engineers’ Club of Philadelphia some comparative figures, derived from careful tests under- taken to ascertain the relative value of coal, petroleum and gas. We quote as fol- lows from his paper: These tests, made under the same con- dition with a so-called double-deck tubular boiler, 60 inches diameter, 15 feet long, connected to an upper steam drum, 50 inches diameter, 16 feet long, by three necks, 15 inches diameter, 12 inches bigh, gave the following results: 1 pound anthracite coal evaporated 9.70 pounds water from and at 212° temperature. 1 pound bituminous coal evaporated 10.14 pounds water from and at 212° temperature. OIL BURNER. that the percentage of loss in heat units in ordinary working is considerably smaller in oil than coal. This result was not ob- tained under particularly favorable con- ditions. The furnace had previously been used for coal, and suffered but few altera- tions, which consisted mainly in the covering of grate barsand placing a barrier of broken fire bricks, slag, etc., against the bridge-wall, as exhibited herewith. The oil was sprayed into the furnace, mingled with steam and air at the pleasure of the engineer, by a Mitchell burner, the construction of which is shown in the accompanying figures, and does not differ essentially from that of other oil burners depending on steam and air for efficient work. Besides its higher calorific energy, which alone recommends it as a highly desirable substitute for coal on ocean steamers, petroleum has many other ad- vant , of which we will enumerate cule the following ; Reduction of labor; in many establish- ments one engineer will do the work that,. March 17, 1892 when using coal, _would require him . have several assistants. Uniformity ‘ steam-pressure, which is much ~~ - y maintained with oil than with coa - Lees cleaning of ao or tubes, and fewer re- irs to boilers. *isappearance of dirt and oe pringing in its train more comfort an petter health to the firemen. 7 Whether these advantages are sufficient to make pet roleum & successful competitor of coal depends on the relative prices of the two fuels, and as these are mainly governed by transportation tariffs, the comparative cost resolves itself simply into THE IRON AGE. attached to the bed of the lathe, to support long lengths of pipe, as shown by the heavy engraving in the accompanying il- lustration. The pipe is held securely by the vise on the carriage and fed to the revolving dies by moving the carriage by hand, or this can be done automatically by using the lead screw of the lathe, set to the number of threads corresponding to the standard of thread to be cut. When the thread is cut to the length required the dies can be opened by turning the face plate and the pipe taken out without run- ning back. All the dies are made adjust- able to any variation of the fittings and 499 Co. refused to sign the scale, claiming that the wages to be paid the plate-mill crew were entirely too high and that unless a reduction was made they would run their mill with non-union men. Several con- ferences were held with the firm, but as the scale had been signed by other manu- facturers in Pittsburgh it was impossible to make avy reduction in the scale as pre- sented to Moorhead, Brother & Co. The result of the conflict between the firm and the Amalgamated Association was that non- union men were engaged and the plant has since been operated by that class of labor. Now that Moorhead, Brother & Co. have THE CURTIS PIPE THREADING ATTACHMENT FOR LATHES. a question of arithmetic for different lo- calities. A The Curtis Pipe Threading Attach- ment for Lathes. The difficulty attending the attempt to thread wrought-iron pipe by means of any machine except a regular pipe-threading machine is well known. In most shops it is done on an ordinary lathe with the usual chasing tool. This is not only a difficult task, but it is not always possible to cut a thread that will give a good joint. they adjust from one size of pipe to {another so that each set of dies threads | several sizes of pipe without changing. | To fit this attachment to any make or size |of lathe, no machine work is necessary |except on the flange connecting the die (head to the spindle. The attachment shown in the cut has a range from 1 to 4 inches, right hand, inclusive, and is at- |tachable to lathes of any make or size | from 14 to 24 inches swing. I —— — | _ We have already made brief mention of the fact that the puddlers in the employ The lathe attachment here illustrated has | of Moorhead, Brother & Co., proprietors of been placed on the market by Curtis & |the Vesuvius Iron and Nail Works, at Curtis of Bridgeport, Conn. The lathe | Pittsburgh, have been reduced from $5 50 can be turned into a power pipe-threading |to $5 per ton for puddling. This machine, and pipe of any length can be | movement on the part of the firm is of con- threaded rapidly and correctly. The attachment consists of a die-carrying head, attached to the spindle like a chuck, an adjustable, self-centering vise attached to the carriage, and an adjustable pipe rest, | siderable importance. Last summer when the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers had formulated a scale gov- erning wages in rolling mills to be oper- ated during 1891-92, Moorhead, Brother & succeeded in reducing the price for boiling from $5.50 to $5 per ton, it will un- doubtedly give them quite an advantage over other Pittsburgh manufacturers who are paying $5.50 per ton, and will be com- pelled to pay it until the present Amal- gamated Association scale expires, which will be on June 30 nest. Predictions have been made that the action of Moor- head, Brother & Co. is but a forerunner of what will be done by other Pittsburgh manufacturers and that unless the Amal- gamated Association agrees to reduce the price of boiling to $5 per ton a strike will take place The impression prevails that a determined effort will be made this year to bring the price of puddling down in Pittsburgh to $5 on a 2-cent card. The Humboldt Chamber of Commerce of Eureka, Cal., has issued a petition to Congress setting forth the relations of deep- water harbors to the general prosperity as applied to the conditions existing on the Pacific Coast. 500 The Corliss Steam Engine Governor. Our drawings illustrate a governor which has been used for some time with very satisfactory results on the engines built by the Corliss Steam Engine Com- pany of Providence, R. I. In other forms of fly ball governors, in case of disaster to the regulator belt or operating mechanism of the governor, the fly-balls will drop, thereby holding the steam valves in an open position, admitting steam to the cylinder and causing the engine to race. In this governor means are provided, in case of accident to the belt or operating mechanism, for causing the external sleeve of the governor to rise to its extreme high- est point and thereby operate the valve- cut-off mechanism to allow the valves to close and remain closed to the admission of steam, and so to stop the engine, not- witbstanding the fallen position of the balls. A counterpoise acting in conjunc- tion with the water or steadying dash. pot affords mezns for regulating the posi tion of the governor. Upon the bed of the engine is held the regulator stand B, upon which slide an internal and external sleeve, C’, the latter having an independent sliding motion upon the other, as actuated by the helical spring D. A latch spring serves to lock the two sleeves together resistingly against the compressed spring. The latch spring is THE IRON AGE. weight and the outer sleeve, released by | The company have used the c the action of the spring latch, would rise and the valves would not be opened to admit steam. It is evident that this end must be attained by an automatic device. The self-removing holder E is pivoted to the stand B, and provided with an anti-friction wheel adapted to receive the combined weight of the locked sleeves and balls, and thereby prevent the latch from coming into operation. When sutticient momentum is imparted to the regulator balls to cause them to rise and lift the locked sleeves, the holder falls of its own weight and leaves the course free for the locked sleeves to fall to the point where the latch will operate, when the spring D will carry the outer sleeve upward and thereby automatically release the steam valves to close and re- main closed. A hood G, secured to the upper part of the inner sleeve, serves to prevent the entrance of foreign matters into the working parts of the mechanism. The compound lever I, which actuates the valve-releasing gear in the well known manner, is attached to the outer sleeve. It will be observed that the apparatus is automatic and requires absolutely no at- tention. a The New York Central and Hudson River Railroad has closed a contract for 33,500 Hartford steel ties, to be laid in the track Fiz. 1.—Side Elevation of Governor and Attachments. THE CORLISS STEAM ENGINE March 17, 1899 OUplings singe ™m attac 1017 cars and 322 locomotives. ched te April 16, 1889, and have the J Lacombe grants a decree to the compla” ants for account and injunction, The in junction provides that a ¢ couplings to be fixed u moved each week. I The Carbon Iron Company, ertain number of pon shall be Te- We have already made reference to the improvements and additions now bein made to the plant of the Carbon Iron Com. | pany at Pittsburgh. The contract for this work has been let to the Pittsburgh Iron and Steel Engineering Company of Pitts. burgh, and already considerable progres has been made. Included inthe 4 iditions to be made are two 25-ton open hearth 4. / oO OQ an *H Hs 4 i as il tik 0 | i 1 i He "ll, ate By 2. f P| E iiioc— ‘ah | | B f - TAA cy . ee | Fig. 2.—Vertical Section. GOVERNOR. so arranged that when the balls sink too! between the Grand Central Station yard | acid furnaces, which are being erected in low it will be detached and allow the outer and Mott Haven Junction. The four tracks | conjuccion with and adjacent to the pres- sleeve C’ to be thrown upward by the spring. The counterpois F is attached to the sleeve. The inner sleeve. to which the links of the balls are secured, is free to slide up and down to a limited extent on the stand, and the outer sleeve is free to slide upon the inner sleeve to a corresponding extent. The spring D is compressed by drawing the outer sleeve downward until the spring latch comes into play. The compound lever I affords the means for drawing this sleeve downward. The spring may also be compressed by raising the inner sleeve by means of the cut off lever P, When the outer and inner sleeves are thus locked together they serve in the ordinary manner as if they were a single slide; but some provision is necessary to retain them in this position until the engine has taken steam, and the balls have begun to raise the sleeves, otherwise the balls and sleeves would be carned downward by their own will be laid with this tie, and with rails of 100 pounds section. It will be remem- bercd that this tie was put in experiment- ally at Garrison’s nearly three years ago. Its service there has been so satisfactory that this further trial of it is decided upon. Judge Lacombe, in the United States Circuit Court, handed down yesterday a decree in the suit brought by the Campbell Printing Press and Mfg. Company against the Manhattan Railway Company to enjoin the latter in the use of improvements in couplings. The suit was brought for the infringement of a self-closing device, con- sisting of a compressive helical spring held with a tubular guide attached to valves for pneumatic pipes. The case was of the utmost importance to the Manhattan Rail- way Company, as all the rolling stock of the road is equipped with the appliance. }ent open hearth plant, which consists of two 15-ton and two 30 ton furnaces. A three-high plate mill, 124 inches long and 34 inches diameter, with necessary lifting tables will be erected. This mill will be ca- pable of rolling from plates 2 inches down to} inch in thickness, The cooling tables for cooling the plates will be 375 feet long. A novel feature in connection with the plate mill, is that the driving screws for regulating the rolls will be operated by electric motors instead of by engine. A lifting or tilting table will also be erected in the plate mill to enable inspectors to ex- amine the under side of the plates before being sheared. This will be a distinctive feature, as we are not aware of any such appliance being in use in any other plant at this time. Three 8-hole soaking pit furnaces will be put in, each hole measur- ing 4 feet 6 inches by 6 feet 6inches. The shear for shearing the plates is being built March 17, 1892 nee eee cnc een ee eee ee i compact body of all these organizations. py the Morgan Engineering Company of Alliance, Ohio, and will have 136 inches gap and will be capable of cutting plates 120 inches long by 2 inches thick. ‘ va shear Will be one of the largest in the country, and will be an exact duplicate of one recently furnished by the above firm to the Otis Steel Company, Limited, at Cleveland, Ohio. An electric traveling crane will span the soaking pit furnaces, while another will be built over the three- high train and engine for changing the rolls, and a third will be erected in the ing department to permit convenient All elec- ship} handling of the heavy material. tric crancs are of the Shaw type, and | the rod. THE IRON AGE. Sears’ Internal Ratchet. The accompanying drawings show a cheap and efficient internal ratchet, de- signed by W. T. Sears of 1080 Green street, Philadelphia. There are two pawls A and A, and as the rod B is rotated from the center posi- tion the segment cut from it, as shown in Fig. 1, allows one of the pawls to be pressed into engagement with the ratchet teeth by the thin, flat springs bent over rod B, also shown in Fig. 1. The other pawl is held out by the circular part of The points at each side of the are being furnished by Manning, Maxwell | segment are slightly flattened, thus holding & Moore of New York. A e J r e Yrs 5 5 fig. 1.—Section on Line X Y. SEARS’ being used largely for power, and over 200 horse-power of dynamos will be re- quired. When these additions have been completed, the Carbon Iron Company wiil have one of the best equipped and most modern plants in the country for the man- ufacture of ship plates, boiler plates, flange | stock and heavy material. When in good running order, they expect to turn out from 275 to 300 tons perday. One of the contracts secured by this firm is to furnish the protective deck plates for the Govern- | ment Cruiser No. 13. The officers of the | Carbon Iron Company are: C. M. Ray- | mond, president; H. W. Lash, geueral’ manager; and A. H, Keith, general agent. | tg | ! The Troy Malleable Iron Works. Within the next week or ten days ground will be broken for the new plant of the Troy Malleable lron Works in West Troy, N. Y. Two sets of plans for the buildings have been prepared and are now being considered by the company’s stockholders , at Bridgeport, Conn. William Sleicher, Jr., manager of the works, looks for a speedy acceptance of one of the plans. The plans will be forwarded immediately and the work of leveling the site and making necessary excavations be begun at once. The new buildings will be of brick, the majority of them two stories high. They will be large enough to employ in the neighborhoud of 400 men. The Al- bapy, N. Y., branch of the works, which is to be consolidated with the Troy plant when the new works are completed, em- ploys 125 men and the Ida Hill plant 200. These will be given employment at West Troy and seventy-five to 100 men additional. William Sleicher, Jr., manager, recently made an extensive tour of inspection through the West, for the purpose of obtaining the latest ideas oa improve- ments used in the construction of malle- able iron plants. A large number of these will be embodied in the new plant of the iron works at West Troy. It is expected that it will be in operation by fall. INTERNAL Electricity is! the pawls in center position when thrown Fig. 2.—Longitudinal Section. RATCHET. there. The rod B can be extended through the shaft and worked from either end when desired. ——————————— EE Low Prices on Cast Pipe.—We had occasion recently to comment on the very low prices being made on cast iron pipe. Within the past two weeks more orders have been taken at low figures. At Phila- delphia the Radford Pipe Company secured half of a purchase made for the municipal water works and R. D. Wood & Co. the other half, the total consisting of 300 tons of 6-inch, 400 tons of 12-inch and 900 tons of 20 inch. The Addyston Steel and Pipe Company were the lowest bidders on 1700 tons of pipe for the World’s Fair grounds at Chicago. They named $20.24, deliv- ered, for the straight pipe and $38 for the specials, while the Radford Company named $20.90 and $39.50: Rhodes & Ram- sey, $20.95 and $45; Detroit, $21 and $40; Dennis Long & Co., $22.74 and $49, and John H. Bass, $45 for the specials. Competition is as keen as ever on all busi- ness now coming uD. — > A convention of delegates representing the various machinery trades met in the St. Charles Hotel, Pittsburgh, on Monday, the 7th inst., for the purpose of forming a national organization. The pattern makers, molders, machinists, boiler makers, black- smiths, brass workers and steam fitters were represented. The new organization will be known as the National Federation of Machinery Constructors. It is said that the convention will represent about 25,000 men; all the trades engaged in construct- ing an engine will be represented in the organization. Among the delegates is Jno. H. Penton of Detroit, Mich., pres- ident of the Brotherhood of Machinery Molders. He states that the movement is one of the most important that has taken place for years in labor circles. The various branches of the trades, he claims, are or- ganized locally throughout the country. The convention will endeavor to make a 501 One of the objects of the convention is to provide an apprentice system. It also will try to prevent overproduction and will advocate eight hours and the settlement of all difficulties by arbitration. The Lunkenheimer Regrinding Globe Valve. In the Lunkenheimer valve the hub, in- stead of being threaded direct to the body of the valve, is merely fitted into 1t plain and rests upon a flange which fits upon the upper edge of the opening, asshown. The hub is then secured by a nut that fits over the flange and is threaded to the outside of the body of the valve. The result of this arrangement is that the valve can be reground at any time with the greatest facility, because all that is necessary is to loosen the nut, remove the hub, place a little sand and soap under the disk, and then replace the hub, leaving the nut loose, so that the hub is free to turn with the stem during the grinding. A piece of wire is passed through a hole provided for that purpose in the lower end of the stem and disk, so that the disk will turn with the stem during the grinding, which, of course, it does not necessarily do when the valve is in use. The hub, being in place when the grinding is done, effectu- ally centers the stem and holds it in proper place, so that the regrinding is done cor- rectly. The valve can thus be readily ground while in position, and in many cases does away with the necessity for breaking connections. The disk is also Regrinding Globe Valve. easily replaced when required. These valves are made by the Lunkenheimer Brass Mfg. Company, Cincinnati, Ohio. ——_——— EE The official report of British trade for January shows a decrease of £687,000 in value of products exported, or 3.5 per cent., notwithstanding an increase of £4,- 744,000, or 14.1 per cent., in the value of imports. Among the most important changes is the decrease of 10 per cent. in quantity and 17.8 per cent. in value of exports of iron and steel, or £376,218 in amount. The greater part of this is due to the decrease of £260,452 in exports* to the United States, most of it being in tin plates. In machines and engines the ex- ports to this country decreased, but to other countries increased about 15 per cent, James M. Swank has received from J. 8. Jeans, secretary of the British Iron Trade Association, the following statistics of the produc:ion of iron and steel in Great Britain in 1891, compared with 1890. Articles—Gross tons. 1890. 1891. Pe OR ei secccindsene's 7,875,130 7,228,496 Bessemer steel ingots.... 2,014,843 1,642,005 Bessemer steel rails...... 1,019,606 662,676 aeewuns ,564, 1,514,538 Open-hearth steel 502 THE IRON AGE. The William Cramp & Son’s Ship and Engine Building Company. rifles, twenty 6-pounders, and four Gatlings. up Whatever stagnation or depression may to protective deck. exist at the present time in most branches of the iron trade there is certainly no want of activity in the province of naval con- struction, as exemplified in the shipbuild- ing yard and engine works of the above company. A visit to their establishment reveals a perfect hive of industry—over 3000 hands busily employed on the con- struction of five irorclad warships for government, and on the repair and altera- tion of several vessels for private firms, destined for the more peaceful employ- ment of trade, The vessels are in every stage of prog- ress, from the freshly-laid keel or bare ribs of the last new cruiser to the nearly- completed form of that splendid specimen of naval architecture, the United States steamer New York, which will shortly be handed over to the government. Work has been going on busily all winter, and there is every prospect of & brisk year, several large contracts, both public and private, being in contem- plation, so that a steady and continued flow of prosperity and advance for the aims forward, deck is already on the ship. battle ship afloat. Massachusetts. details similar to No. 1. same condition of preparedness. 25,000 on each $+ knot over 15. V.—Protected Cruiser No, 13. cember. the length of the ship. breech- loading rifles, eight 8-inch breech- loading rifles, four 6-inch breech-loading six 1-pounders Is framed and plated Her armored shelf is completed and ready for diagonal Most of her protective This vessel will probably be the most formidable IV.—United States Battle Ship No. 2, Dimensions, engines, armament and all Is following closely after Indiana, and is almost in the Both these vessels are to have a premium of Sister ship to No. 12, and almost iden- tical in all respects, with the exception of a slight increase in boiler power, and a diminution of $35,000 in contract price. She is building on the same slip from which the New York was launched in De- All her keel is laid, and frames up to protective deck for more than half Messrs. Cramps are just now almost en- tirely engaged in building for the Govern- company is assured. As regards the war vessels the dates of their completion will depend entirely on the supply of the armor by the Govern- ment, as that portion of the structure is not included in the contract, but is merely put on by the builders as it is delivered. So far the supply is keeping pace satis- factorily with the progress of the vessels. The machinery for all is well forward. The following brief notes relating to the ships of war now in the hands of the com- pany will be of interest : I.—OUnited States Armored Cruiser New York. Length, 3804 feet; breadth, 64 feet; draft, 23,7, feet; tons displacement, 8150; indicated horse-power, 16,000; twin- screw, triple expansion vertical engines; speed, 20 knots; armor, 33 inch belt, 10-inch turret, 6inch deck; contract price, $2,985,000; premium, $50,000 for each extra 4 knot; batteries, six 8-inch breech-loading rifles, 12 4-inch breech- loading rifles, eight 6-pounders, four 1-pounders and four Gatlings. This vessel was launched in December last. She is well on toward completion, and will be finished within contract time, provided no delay occurs in consequence of non-delivery by government of necessary quantity of armor plating. If.—Protected Cruiser No. 12. Length, 412 feet; breadth, 58 feet; draft, 24 feet; tons displacement, 7,475; indicated horse-power, 21,000; type of engines, triple-screw, triple-expansion, ver- tical; speed, 21 knots; armor, 4 inch; con- tract price, $2,725,000; premium, $50,000 for each } knot extra; batteries; one 8-inch breech-loading rifle, two 6-inch breech-loading rifles, eight 4-inch breech- loading rifles, two 6-pounders and four 1-pounders. Will probably be ready for launching in June. The work remaining to be done before launching is the fitting of three tail shafts and screws and build- ing the struts. Her machinery is very well forward, and boilers will be ready by the time she is floated. 1II.—United States Battle Ship No. 1, Indiana, Length, 348 feet; breadth, 69} feet; draft, 24 feet; tons displacement, 10,298; indicated horse-power, 9000; speed, 15 knots; type of engines, twin-screw, triple- expansion, vertical; contract price, $3,- 020,000; armor, 18 inch belt, 17 inch tur- ret, 3 inch deck; batteries, four 13-inch ment, but have a few mercantile ships in hand for repair or alteration, notably the steamship Philadelphia of the Red D Line, plying between New