The Iron Age 1892-06-23: Vol 49

‘THE IRON AGE THURSDAY JUNE 23, 1892, The Niles Boring an terior of the column, to facilitate its easy A new type of small boring and turning | and rapid adjustment by hand. The sad- mill for general work has been brought dies are made right and left, allowing the out by the Niles Tool Works of Hamilton, | boring bars to work close together. Ohio. They build two sizes of this design,| The boring bars are of occagonal section to swing 37 and 51 inches respectively,|and may be set over to operate at any the cut representing the smaller size.| angle. Both are counterbalanced by a Although differing somewhat in design | single weight so arranged as to render the from the boring and turning mills hereto weight of the bars absolutely inert, no fore built by this company, these machines | matter how much one or both may be set possess the same general characteristics ' over for angular work. ring and Turning Mill. | balanced by weights suspended in the in- , secured to the table. By its use both holes in engine cranks may be bored at one setting, and absolute parallelism insured. a The statement that Russia had concluded to stop work upon her Trans Siberian Railway, from Vladivostock to the Ural Mountains, and which has gained wide circulation, is denied. So long as Russia is unfettered by a war in Europe all the money she can divert to this use will be THE NILES BORING AND TURNIVG MILL. which have made their larger predecessors so popular. Advantage has been taken of the com paratively small swing of these mills to employ a form of construction insuring strength and rigidity. A single casting forms what would otherwise be the bed, housings and top brace. The column is of a shape which partially surrounds the table, and in its front and rear webs occur suitable apertures for the admission of light to the table from the bac‘. The driving cone is placed at the back and transmits motion through accurately cut bevel gearing to the table. The cone is strongely back geared, which, with the two speeds available from countershafts, affords 16 changes of speed to the table. The cross rail is bored out in box girder form with wide bearings. It is counter- The feeds are operated by a friction | employed in carrying on the work. A new disk, which permits instant variation of the feed to any degree within its range. The feeds are independent, and the sad- dies or bars may be fed in the same or op- posite directioas at the same time. By means of suitable but simple mechanism, the feed may be instantly reversed without shifting the friction disk. In place of one of the regular heads, this machine 1s sometimes provided with a special boring head. This consists of a saddle mounted on a rail and carrying a boring spindle driven from a_ separate cone. It operates while the table remains still and has all the necessary adjustments and changes of feed and speed to make it a complete boring machine. It will be seen that such a head would be capable of boring at any point on a piece of work incentive to its prosecution is found in the fact that a counter line along the northern Chinese froatier is already well advanced in construction. The new Russian rail- way, when completed, will put Viadivos- tock, the naval station of the Czar’s Em- pire on the Pacific, within 14 days of St. Petersburg and within 10 days of Odessa and Sebas:opol. The work on the improvements to the gun shop of the Watervliet, N. Y., arsenal are progressing nicely. The capacity of the plant will be increased about one-third by early autumn. It is thought Congress will make an appropriation soon for the |coastruction of a 16-inch gun at Water- vliet. This is the largest caliber in the | world, eas carmen etn eae a 1212 THE IRON AGE. June 23, 1892 The Recent Development and Prog- ress of Gun Manufacturing in the United States.—II* BY W. H. JAQUES (LATE U. 8. NAVY), Ordnance Engineer of the Bethlehem Iron Company. A variety of materials has been proposed and advocated for heavy gun construction, but steel, advocated by Whitworth and Krupp as early as 1860 and still employed by them, has vanquished all others in the race and seems likely to te retained for as long a period to come. Armstrong accepted steel and breech loading with other early advocates, but abandoned the steel barrel in 1861 as being untrustworthy and difficult to produce; and substituted the very justly criticised wrought-iron coil. Although Armstrong was knighted for this wrought-iron coil breech loader, it was abandoned for a re- turn to muzzle loadiog. The coil, which ought never to have been accepted, was re- tained while that feature which was a marked advance in artillery—breech load- ing—was abandoned. Captain Eardley- Wilmot considers this was not a retro- grade step at the.time, when guns were short and could be more conveniently loaded with simpler means, but thinks that England’s fault was in returning to the system of muzzle loading, to which she reverted, after the introduction of slow- burning powder, which requires a long gun to utilize all its energy. Whitworth and Krupp, however, stuck to steel and breech loading, and history has well indorsed and proved their fore- sight and judgment; and, although Great Britain waited a quarter of a century be- fore she acknowledged Whitworth’s su- premacy in gun making, she has at last done so, and Mr. Gledhili’s (Whitworth & Co.) type of gun and the material of which it is made stands in the front rank to-day. Both branches of our Government use a’most exclusively for their heavy guns fluid compressed hydraulic forged steel, and as they have become assured of the soundness of the material when produced in larger masses, have decreased the num- ber of parts of the guns. For example, those of the 8 inch gun, numbering ten in 1887, to three parts in 1892. In connection with gun construction it may be interesting to you to recall some of the earlier breech-loading guns, in or- der that you may recognize the progress that has been made. The original Arm- strong gun contained practically nothing that has been retained, while the Whit- worth gun, made in four parts, contained, with the exception of the mechanical shape of its bore, much that is in use to- day. It is madeof steel, of few parts, and had great strength and high power. It is true it is a later design than the original Armstrong gun, but the earliest Whit- worth guns were made of steel, were strong and had a very efficient wedge for closing the breech. Passing from the Armstrong gun of 1861 to another of that famous estab- lishment’s productions 30 years later, we bave for consideration the 110-ton breech-loading rifle, which, with 960 pounds of powder discharges a steel projectile weighing 1800 pounds. The British 110-ton guns, about which there has been so much discussion, are not only faulty in construction, but are com- posed of too many pieces, the chase hoops particularly being too numerous and short to be of any use in supplying the longi- tudinal support which the long tube re- quires. The original design has under- * A lecture before the Naval Reserve Asso- ciation. gone two marked changes, substitution larger hoops, but even these were not of suf- ficient proportiors to entirely remedy the defects of the separation of the remaining short hoops on the upper side caused by the dropping of the muzzle. The gun, even as it now exists, should not be imi- tated, and will not be by such gun factors as Whitworth and Bethlehem who pos- sess the powerful appliances requisite for shaping, treating and assembling the few heavy parts that should make up guns, even of such heavy calibers. Whitworth’s new 35 caliber 12 inch 50-ton breech load- ers for the British War Office, composed of three pieces only, are but a precursor of as simple and strong a design for the heavier calibers. I desire to especially emphasize the causes of the mishaps to the British 1104-ton guns, because their failure does not convey to my mind any reflection upon the usefulness of such large calibers, for it is quite as simple for the steel works I have just named to construct a sound 110 ton gun as it is for smaller establish- ments to make a 1-pounder, and there can be no doubt that the more powerful the guns of a battleship are the more formid able an enemy she will be. In my paper on the *‘ Recent Progress in the Development of War Material in the United States,” read at the annual meeting of the British Iron and Steel Institute, in London, in May, 1891, I referred to this question in the following words : At the Institute’s autumn meeting of 1886 Charles Markham said: ‘ Rightly or wrongly the strong feeling generally pre. vailed that the manufacturer of our (British) guns was not worthy of the mechanical reputation of the country.” I deem the failures mechanical only, and if the guns are constructed in a manner equal to many of the modern marine en- gines that have been built in Great Britain, they will be equally efficient and service- able. The efficient service of these guns must not be compared directly with the num- ber of rounds that can be fired from smaller calibers, but rather from the effective amount of destructive work th it can be got out of them, The tendency to substitute for the larger armament ao increased number of guns of reduced caliber, notably of the rapid-fire class, will, no doubt, soon meet with a reaction, because of the lo:s of that powerful element of destruction, the shat- tering power so necessary in combat with heavily armored ships. A mixed battery of large and small guns is, no doubt, the most useful compromise—for what is a ship to-day other than a compromise—in fact,a combination of compromises ? Of other systems of gun construction and other material than forged steel recommended for trial within the last few years, may be mentioned the Woodbridge wire-wound guns of 10-inch caliber (em- ploying longitudinal bars and soldered wire) for the army and 6-inch for the navy ; the Crozier 10-inch wire wound guas (jacketed and hooped with steel eastings) ; the Haskell multicharge gun; the 12 inch cast-iron mortar, and two 6-inch steel cast guns. Three of these have been tested and failed; viz., the two steel cast guns and the 12 inch cast-iron mortar. In Decem- ber, 1888, the Bessemer steel cast gun went to pieces at the first round witha full charge, doing considerable damage to the proving ground. In February, 1889, the open-hearth steel gun was tested, the re- port of the trial stating that although the gun escaped rupture the test demon- strated, as calculated, that the service pressure, while less than 15 tons to the square inch, was too great for the elastic limit of the metal, and that the permanent enlargement of the bore was greater than could be admitted in a gun issued to serv- ice. The 12-inch cast iron mortar burst explosively and violently in October, 1889, on the twentieth round, and a long fought. battle for cast iron was finally decided Some of you will recall that a gun of the peters type, and one of the Haske!| type, failed a few years ago, and although slow-burning powder has in a much sim- pler way supplied what the Lyman Haskell} type was designed to accomplish, Con- gress authorized the construction of an. other gun, which is now being built from designs possessing a little less architectural beauty than the former. In regard to the development of our in- dustries for the supply of -heavy ordnance a most satisfactory account can be ren- dered. In 1886 we had practically nothing. To-day steel for guns of any caliber can be supplied by the private steel industries of the nation, and two splendid gun factories have been built and equipped where the forgings can be quickly machined and as- sembled, and the guns rapidly fitted for service. Not only all this has been accom- plished, but from the great establishment at Bethlehem alone (built up and equipped without any financial aid from the Govern- meat) the Government has received over 250 sets of gun forgings (including those of 13-inch caliber) and armor plates of 104 inches and 14 inches thickness, whose resist - ance has astonished the world; while the Navy Department and our splendid ship- yards depend almost solely upon it for shafting and other heavy forgiogs. There are many to whom much credit is due for this splendid progress, many spokes of the wheel that is running so smoothly and successfully now, but most credit seems due to the organization of and encouragement given by Secretaries Chandler and Lincoln to the Gun Foundry Board appointed by President Arthur in 1883. This board after familiarizing it- self with the situation at home, gleaned from the Old World all that was needed to frame recommendations adapted to our own resources and requirements. Its suggestions were so comprehensive that we find the policies of the two depart- ments to-day encompassed by them. This report and the subsequent legislation based thereon marked as distinct an era in the restoration of our prestige as producers of war material as the Registry bill just passed bids fair to record in the rebabili- tation of our merchant marine. Mr. Jaques showed the effect of modern steel projectiles when fired at high veloci- ties against steel plates by reproducing the results of the test of a Bethlehem 114-inch plate. These results have been surpassed, however, by the Bethlehem nickel steel ‘* Harvey ” 104-inch plate, tested October 31, 1891, and by Bethlehem’s 14-inch nickel-steel plate (representing the diagonal armor of the battle ships now building), which passed the ballistic test so splen- didly recently at Indian Head. In de- scribing the test, the New York Sun said: ‘It was subjected to an unusually severe test—more severe, in fact, than the standard tests adopted by foreign coun- tries. A 10-inch gun was used, the pro- jectile weighing 500 pounds, with a pow- der charge of 140 pounds, giving a striking velocity of 1410 feet a second. None of the three shots fired succeeded in getting far enough into the plate to show the backing. All three shots rebounded, one of them back to the muzzle. The deepest penetration was 14 icches. One of the projectiles—an imported Firth— broke.” It was perfectly uniform; there were no cracks, and not even a bolt or washer was started. Recalling my reference to the fund of information which the press controls, the New York Herald of the 14th inst. informs us that ‘‘ nickel steel for high-power can- non is the latest fad engaging the atten- tion of the ordnance experts. The Naval Ordnance authorities have decided to build an experimental 8 inch gun made of this material. A con:ract will be entered into June 23, 1892 THE IRON AGE. 1218 with the Bethlehem Iron Work in a few days for the necessary forgings. These forgings are to contain about 8 per cent. of nickel, uniformly distributed through the mas. The physical characteristics of a gun made of this material, it is estimated, as a result of the armor plate trials, will be increased 15 per cent. over ordinary gun steel, thereby increasing the pressure limit to 20 tons, as against 15 tons fixed for the safety limit of guns made without the nickel alloy. A corresponding increase of 150 feet per second in velocity should fol- low, thus making the gun the most efficient ever built if it comes up to the calculations of the ordnance experts. It is the opinion of ordnance authorities that the time is not far distant when nickel alloy will be used as generally in gun construction as in the manufacture of armor plate.” Whether these predictions will be real- ized time alone can tell, but I have suf- ficient faith in the possibilities of such a gun to present your association with the first pickel-steel gun manufactured in the United States and as far as I know the s2cond one ever constructed. a. EXHAUST TUMBLING BARREL. Mr. Hall of Messrs. Jessop’s Works, in barrels from contact with the friction Sheffield, England, claims in 1888 to have | wheel. The Smith Exhaust Tambling Barrel. | ©#pacity of fresh-water tanks, 2000 gallons, and a complete outfit of suction hose and pipe for wrecking purposes is supplied. The engraviog shows an improved tumb-| She carries a powerful steam capstan aft ling barrel made by the J. D. Smith|for working two lines and warping boat Foundry Supply Company of Cincinnati, | when necessary. H2r machinery is of the Ohio. The staves of the machine are| most modern design for economical coal made of 2-inch well-seasoned oak timber| consumption. The engine has steam re- lined with hard steel plates. Each stave |versing gear, complete lubricating arrange- is so bolted that, no difference where the| ments and water service through main machine stops, the staves can be taken out | bearings and slides, the pump which sup- and replaced without trouble. As soon as/| plies this water also supplying the water- the sand is loosened from the castings and | closet tank. Steam is supplied to heat the is pulverized sufficiently fine for the ex-|boat throughout. The living accommo- haust to lift it, it is immediately carried | dations or general outfit compare favor- away to a box or receptacle, which may|ably with first-class passenger steamers. be placed at any point in or out of the} The Penwood was built for and is owned mill room. This taking away the dust is| by Joseph R. Ford Company, 11 South where the saving of time in cleaning is ac- | Gay street, Baltimore, Md. complished. The barrels are operated by belt to the first one, the rest of the barrels being run by friction gearing. As many barrels as are needed can be placed side ; by side and operated by the same belt. , Any one sone oa be stopped or started| A full report of the proceedings of the at will by turning the wheel handle shown | recent London meeting of the Iron and in the cut, which raises or lowers the | Steel Institute comes to hand through the enterprise of the London Jronmonger. The meeting was held on Thursday and Friday, May 26 and 27, at the rooms of the Institution of Civil Engineers, 25 Great George street, Westminster. There was a large attendance of members and visitors. Sir Frederick Abel, the pres- ident, occupied the chair and delivered a most excelient address. A considerable part of it was devoted to a review of the progress made in the iron and steel indus- tries since 1867, which was recalled by the recent death of the Duke of Devonshire, the first president of the Institute, who in that year had made a number of state- ments which have been completely over- turned by the changes in the manufacture of iron and steel throughout the world. A considerable part of the address bore upon the remarkable progress made in the United States within that time, but the speaker hardly gives full credit to this country for the position which it now oc- cupies smong the iron producing countries of the world. His references to the prog- ress of science in connection with problems in iron and steel making were very thor- ough and exceedingly interesting. Among the new members elected as members of the Institute at this meeting were the following gentlemen from the United States: Henry D. Booth of the Midvale Steel Company, Philadelphia; Edward Livingston Ford of Youngstown, Ohio; Henry Denning Hibbard of the cn The Iron and Steel Institute. The barrels are made either octag- made two barrels of a fowling piece of | onal or square in shape and of almost any nickel steel, which Mr. Jessop had the desired size. confidence to use the following season, and | —___- stated in 1889 that he was constructing a | soe a of — —_ Rp ro he 3 ing some unusual and valuable features, nl mot stat re wit ul charge was the abject of a through inspection . - ; | when in this port recently. e boat was on oo. a - _ hea built by the Maryland Steel Company of samaiied in shoes ” Mr Hall's oo is Sparrow’s Point, Md., and her general di- — : & mensions are as follows: Length, stem to reported to have burst at the first round, t. 101 feet: 1 h over all. 106 the rupture being due to the absence of oe alae — ae depth, suitable transverse strength. Whether this |. oided. 12 feet: draft. coal in side buvk- was due to poor steel, poor construction ... 19 feet aft. The ‘engine is 124 x 20} ee a ee ae tes x 34 by 24 inch stroke, and is fore and aft threw upon the screen views showing the oy pgp eg ees — comparative sizes of the guns used by the eles is 11 feet in diameter, 10 feet 3 Navy Department, with their projectiles ; ches long over head, and hes 6 weskisie avd powder charges, commencing with the pressure of 160 pounds Ti fe of the 1 pounder and finishing with the 16-inch Q.otch type, of open hessth oleel. end cod ae tne ot seats eee — all holes are drilled and the rivets hydrau- : 2 . ; lically driven. All the piping around the m4 = =. =" coeliac = machinery is of copper or brass. The boat inch oa her “- oe caine He sup.| ‘8 supplied with a fire pump, 11 x 18 inch shemtanad ees cae Wu ae se | water <neie, nt “ anes foun aieeae a ; z ~ | or pump through two lines of 6 inch suction taining the details of all the naval guns, hose. The hull and deckhouse are of steel commencing with 4-inch. ;throughout. The boat is thoroughly ne 5 TT lighted by electricity, and carries a Hunt- The Reading coal-deal suits will be ‘ington search light on top of pilot house. argued at Trenton, July 7. The capacity of the bunkers is 57 tons; The new tug Penwood, a boat possess- Taylor Iron and Steel Company, High Bridge, N. J., and William J. Taylor, iron and steel manufacturer, of High Bridge, N. J. The Bessemer Medal was awarded to Arthur Cooper, general manager of the Northeastern Steel Company of Middles- borough. Mr. Cooper was born in 1849, served an apprenticeship in the locomotive workshops of the Midland Railway Com- pany, subsequently acted as manager in the steel works of John Brown & Co. of Sheffield, then took charge of the steel de- partment of Brown, Bailey & Dixon, where the manufacture of steel by the basic proc- ess was taken up under his direction, and in 1881 proceeded to construct the works of the Northeastern Steel Company, where the basic process has, under his manage- ment, achieved very great success. At this meeting of the Institute consid- erable attention was paid to the basic steel question. A paper on ‘‘ Experiments with Basic Steel” was read by W. H. White, Director of Naval Construction and As- sistant Controller of the Royal Navy. His paper was very exhaustive, giving a great many tests of basic steel and showing that this steel was now receiving recognition in all classes of work requiring high-grade material. The discussion which followed the reading of Mr. White’s paper was par- 1214 ticipated in by a large number of the mem- | the Institute. THE IRON AGE, The autumn meeting of the bers of the Institute, and the general trend | Institute will be held in September, at of the remarks made was in favor of the| Liverpool, but no date is yet fixed. acceptance of basic steel for all purposes in competition with acid steel. Andrew Carnegie of this country was present at the meeting and stated that at his works there are now 14 open-hearth furnaces running constantly on basic steel, and an | exhaustive series of tests which had just been undertaken by the Pennsylvania Railroad Company had not only placed basic steel alongside acid steel for boilers and fire boxes, but he was informed that the question was being seriously enter- tained whether it would be generally specified that nothing but basic steel should be used for those purposes. A paper which attracted much attention was Col. H. Dyer’s paper on the ‘‘ Produc- tion of Pure Iron and Steel.” He describes experiments which had been undertaken to - produce iron and steel in the basic fur- nace. He said that although the results obtained have not absolutely solved the problem, they have approached so nearly to a satisfactory solution that there is every reason to hope that success is not far dis- tant, and that pure iron and steel may thus be produced at a reasonable cost. In close connection with this subject was a paper describing ‘‘Experiments on the Elimination of Selphur from Iron,” by Edward J. Ball and A-thur Wingham. The discussion which followed the reading of these two papers brought out the fact that considerable uneasiness exists in the English iron trade from the continuous importation of Swedish high-grade iron in order to obtain pure materials for man- ufacturing crucible steel. It was stated that imports of Swedish iron into Great Britain now amount to £1,000,000 per annum, and it was hoped that this trade could be obtained by English works. A paper by E. Reimers, director of the Grusonwerk, Madgeburg, on the ‘‘ Manu- facture and Application of Chilled Cast Iron by the Gruson System,” attracted much attention. Samples were exhibited of chilled cast iron manufactured accord- ing to this process, and a large diagram was shown depicting a solid plate of a chilled cast-iron turret for two 15.7-inch guns. Mr. Reimers showed to what an enormous extent chilled iron by this proc- ess has been used for ordinary industrial purposes and for the manufacture of war material. He mentioned as an interest- ing fact that the manufacture of chilled cast iron is no longer absolutely de- pendent on charcoal iron, but can, with the help of chemical analyses and the test- ing machine, go its own way. A great many facts were stated showing the im- portant results accomplished under this process, but chemical details were not given nor other data showing exactly how the chilled castings were made. They were, however, promised in a subsequent paper. In the discussion which followed the read- ing of this paper, the manufacturers present were not inclined to permit Mr. Reimers to claim entire credit for the results accom- plished under the Gruson system. Facts were given to show that at a number of English works equally good results had been obtained long since. Other papers read were as follows: ‘* Platinum Pyrometers,” by H. L. Callen- dar, fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge ; ‘* Notes on Fuel and Its Efficiency,” by B. H. Thwaite; ‘‘ A Practical Slide-Rule for Use in the Calculation of Furnace Charges,” by Arthur Wingham; and ‘ Valves for Gas Furnaces,” by J. W. Wailes, The announcement was made that the Institute had just completed. under the editorship of Sir Lowthian Bell, a special souvenir volume giving full details of the visit to America in 1890, which will shortly be distributed. The meeting was one of the most successful in the series held by WORLD'S FAIR NOTES. The Storm Demage. The entire section of the north wall of the Manufactures Building between the center and the west pavilions was com- pletely wrecked in the storm of the 13th. The wall was up to a hight of about 75 feet. The wind must have been coming at a tremendous velocity, for it hurled the wall in on the floor 100 feet or more. The floor went down beneath the weight of the massive timbers, which were piled upon it in aconfused heap. The engineers who looked at it shook their heads gravely and said: ‘‘It’s a bad wreck.” The section that was swept down by the gale was completed to the roof line. It repre- sented more than 100,000 feet of lumber. Massive hemlock columns that were thought to be strong enough to stand before any hurricane were snapped off like twigs. Other supporting columus were twisted out of shape and scattered over the floor in the wildest confusion. Large quantities of window glass in strong boxes were buried under the ruins. Down in the center of the building a traveling derrick, 235 feet high, was se- curely anchored tothe floor. This derrick is used to hoist the big steel trusses for the roof, each truss weighing 200 tons when in place. The gale tore the derrick from its fastenings and drove it 50 feet or more down the center of the building. It was on wheels, and fortunately did not topple over. One of the massive trusses half way up was twisted out of shape. No other damage resulted to the building. Chief Burnham said, after inspecting the wreck, that the whole blame fell upon the contractor. ‘*He has simply neglected to brace the building properly, preferring to take his chances of escaping those gales rather than go to the expense of bracing the building. This structure is just as carefully constructed as the other build- ings, yet none of them were injured. They have come through all the storms because the contractors do not take any chances, They brace the walls before the interior supports are put in.” Cuba at the Fair, Gen. J. R. West has made a report to the Secretary of the Treasury concerning his recent visit to Cuba, when he devoted much attention to matters pertaining to the exposition. The Captain-General of Cuba assured him that it was his desire that Cuba should be well represented at the ex- position, and that he would do all he could to secure that end. Some valuable historical paintings, portraying the inci- dents in the Columbian era, will be dis played. The Marques de Apozteguia, the largest sugar planter on the island, the president of the Constitutional party and one of the most influential and energetic private individuals among the people, is alive to the situation of Cuba in regard to the exposition, and is personally taking a great interest in the efforts made to secure a good representation of the sugar in- dustry. The cigar makers and manufact- urers of fans, fancy articles. embroidery, &c., who find their best market in this country, are making good preparations. Krupp’s Gunes, Krupp, the celebrated German gun maker, 1s meeting with a good many diffi- culties in arranging for his exhibit at the fair. He expects to make the biggest show of his life, among the features of bis display being one gun weighing 130 tons. It is impossible to get a derrick in New Jane 28, 1899 York big enough to lift this gun from the ship to the cars, and Krupp is not sure that even then the guns can be shipped on any freight cars in this country. He would have to spend $60,000 to build a derrick big enough to lift his guns from the vessels, and under these circumstances the big gun maker has about decided to ship the guns on his own cars, loading the cars in the largest freight steamers. These cars are of the same gauge as American railways, and by sending them along Krupp expects to avoid the expense of building derricks at New York. Russia’s Extensive Exhibit, Alexander Dobronitzky, imperial com- missioner of the World’s Fair from Russia, has sailed for Chicago to make final ar- rangements for the Russian exhibit. Mr. Timiriazeff, vice-president of the commis- sion, has accepted the space assigned to Russia in the Fine Arts Building, and promises a number of masterpieces from the artists of that country. Ivanovski, a noted artist, wants to exhibit several of his best works, among them ‘* The Landing of Co- lumbus ” and ‘‘ The Discovery of America.” In the Transportation Department Russia will have a display of street cars, droskies, troikas, dooikas, carriages, carts, sleighs, canoes, railway engines, engines of the |o- comotive sort and vehicles of many forms, old and new. The marine section will have a large exhibit for transportation de- vices of all sorts, as also a full exhibit from the War Department, Large exhibits are also promised for the Forestry, Fish. eries, agriculture and Mines Departments. Brevities. The Royal British World’s Fair Com- mission has appointed a Photographic Committee, consisting of Captain Abney, Francis Cobb, James Dredge, G. Davison, Col. J. Gale, H. P. Robinson and Sir Henry Trueman Wood, to form a collec- tion of photographs representative of the best work which is now being done in England, both by amateurs and profes- sionals, for the Photographic Department of the forthcoming exposition. The pict- ures lent for this purpose will be trans- mitted to Chicago and taken back free of charge to the exhibitors; and the Royal Commission will also undertake their care while they are in the exposition. The committee proposes to send an invitation to a limited number of photographic art- ists, and hopes to be able to get together a collection which will be, worthy of the present advanced condition of photo- graphic art in England. Pictures will only be received from those to whom invi- tations have been addressed. In addition to the selected collection, there will be many photographs sent by exhibitors at their own cost, and for these space will be allotted in the usual way. One of the most interesting exhibits in the Government Building at the World’s Fair will be a display of arms, uniforms, tents and flags in use in the United States army at various times since 1776. This display is being prepared in one of the Gray’s Ferry arsenal buildings. A space of 6000 square feet has been set aside for this exhibit. Tne uniforms will be draped upon lay figures and arranged in realistic attitudes, The one particular group in which especial pride is taken is to consist of seven figures on horseback, representing a general of the present army and staff. The central figure will be as nearly as pos- sible an exact likeness of Major-General Schofield. All the articles were made en- tirely by Americans and of American ma- terials. The progress of shipbuilding from ear- liest times up to the present will be shown by a very extensive exhibit which will be made by Laird Bros., the big English shipbuilding firm at Birkenhead. The 5 i June 238, 1892 firm’s exhibit of like character at the re- cent English Naval Exhibition attracted a great deal of attention. In a private letter from Rome, received by Walker Fearn, announcement was made that Pope Leo intends sending to the exposition two celebrated geographical charts preserved in the Borgia museum of the Propaganda. One by an unknown author is traced with the first discoveries made in America four centuries ago, indi- cating the order in which they occurred. One of these charts, by order of Pope Alexander VI, was traced to the thirtieth degree of latitude, the line of division be- THE IRON AGE. melting furnaces, 5 heating furnaces, 8 single and 11 double mills, and used 38,- 922 tons of spelter, with a consumption of fuel of 41,788 tons. The product was 37,669 tons of sheets, the average value of which was 450.70 marks. rr Upright Drill. The 26-inch stationary head, back- geared and self-feed upright drill which we illustrate is designed for rapid, accu- rate and heavy work. The patent feed and quick return is of new design. A UPRIGHT DRILL. tween Spain and Portugal, who were dis- puting for possession of the new lands, The other chart was executed in 1529 by Diego Ribero, and comprises the whole world known at the time, including those parts of America which had been explored. Recent statistics which have come to hand in German periodicals give the fol- lowing data relating to the zinc industry of Silesia. There are 23 zinc works, 6 sheet rolling mills and 1 zinc white works They worked 297,260 tons of calamine, 186,698 tons of blende, 894 tons of furnace scrap, 10,458 tons of oxide and dust and 225 tons of scrap, a total of 568,246 tons of material, the consumption of fuel being 878,815 tons. The production was 88,420 tons of spelter, the average value of which is 443.09 marks. The rolling mill had 14 horizontal shaft is journaled in the head 1215 lever to rotate the shaft without loss of time. It can be operated with one hand when the machine is in motion and the spindle raised and lowered the full length of the quill. The feed can be instantly changed, when the drill is running, from hand to self feed or self to hand feed, by turning the knob at the center of the front of the hand wheel to the right or left, as may be required. The patented screw de- vice for operating the table enables the operator to raise or lower with ease to any desired hight. The bevel gears and pinion are nearly 24 to 1, which, without the back gears, affords the drill great power. The gears and racks are all cut from the solid and the spindle is balanced by weight and chains. The cones being the greatest distance apart possible, there is the advantage of having a long belt, which increases the power and lessens the wear of the belt. These drills are made without back gears or self-feed when so desired, or with sliding heads. The makers are Sibley & Ware of South Bend, Ind. i Thomas Devlin & Co., National Hard- ware and Malleable Iron Works, Philadel- phia, have lately been entering extensively into the manufacture of malleable steel castings for machine and other work. Malleable steel is found to be espe- cially adapted for machine work, being stiffer than malleable iron, and wearing better for bearings, journals and other parts which are subject to more than or- dinary friction. This material is also obtaining greater demand in the shape of fittings for steam, water and gas piping, and a considerable quantity of these goods in malleable steel are now being turned out in response to orders, in addition to those in malleable and cast iron. In the produc- tion of malleable steel the castings sre re- carbonized. The company are now pre- pared to build small experimental ma- chinery to order, and are constantly adding to and filling out their staple lines of saddlery, carriage, builders’, trunk and tinners’ hard ware, of which they producea very full and high-class assortment. The works at Lehigh avenue, American and Third streets, Philadelphia, are very ex- tensive and complete, the buildings cover- ing a space of 252 x 250 feet, while ample space is available on the company’s adfoin- ing property for future extension of plant. The most noticeable feature of the estab- lishment is the foundry, which is particu- larly efficient and well —— It is placed ina substantial building of 252 x7 feet measurement, and gives employment to 90 molders. Two 54 inch beam cupolas are attached to the foundry, as well as an air furnace for treating the refined malle- able iron. From 3000 to 4000 tons of pig iron are used here annually, the castings being generally of very small size, some of them the minutest articles ever produced in this manner, such as small strap buckles of which three or four would go to an ounce weight. A small brass foundry is and has formed integrally with its inner | also attached to the main building. For end a pinion, constantly engaging the|the malleable iron castings Western pig rack on the quill. This shaft is arranged above and at right angles to the worm and has mounted on its projecting portion a worm gear, which is secured on the shaft by a spline and groove, so as to rotate with it but have a limited endwise movement independent of it. This worm gear has a tubular hub which projects out beyond the end of the shaft and has its end closed by acap. A radial lever passes through this hub and is fastened to the end of the shaft. This lever is used to slide the worm gear on its shaft and to engage it with or disengage it from the worm. In doing this the operator does not have to loosen the friction devices. This is also so when the tool is raised or lowered rap- idly. The lever serves as a convenient iron is exclusively used, while metal from the Pennsylvania furnaces with a small proportion of Western and Southern is used for other purposes. The company carry avery large amount of manufactured goods in stock, particularly in the lines of malleable and cast-iron fittings, as well as sash pulleys. The whole are very well arranged, with space economized judi- ciously in all parts. Workshops, store- rooms and offices occupy a large four-story building fronting Lehigh avenue, while smaller buildings between it and the foundry contain engine and boiler house, five annealing furnaces, and the tinning, japanning and electro plating departments The shops are admirably equipped in the way of machinery, a set of five machines ee 1216 for drilling the holes in pulley wheels being especially noticeable on account of their ingenious construction and rapid work. Each machine operates upon eight wheels at once, and is capable, with the care of a single man, of turning out over 4000 pierced wheels a day. About 20 machines are in use fortapping fittings, some of them cutting three or four threads in one cast- ing simultaneously by means of adjustable taps placed at different angles, and in many cases differing in size as well. In addition to the ordinary fittings they are turned out with English standard threads if required. The firm is composed of Thomas Devlin, president and geveral manager; William McGrath and Louis J. McGrath. S$ —— EE The Position of Spelter. The Jronmonger prints the following editorial reviewing the influences at work in the European spelter market : One of the anomalies of the hour, which is sorely exercising the minds of produc- ers, more particularly in the Midlands, is the rising tendency of metals in the face of diminishing consumption. Commodi- ties of nearly every other kind, and es- pecially manufactured goods, have fallen heavily during the past six or eight months, but metals, on the contrary, have ad- vanced. Chili bars lave risen from £45. 17/6 in November last to something over £47. Straits tin, which was quoted £90. 6/3 six months ago, is now over £97. Even Scotch pig has recovered a few points from its March minimum. Lead is the only metal which has gone back, and that reaction appears to be of a temporary character. On the other hand, manufactured iron, brass and copper are all cheaper, as might naturally be expected from the general slackness of demand and the special curtailment of consumption in Durham, South Wales and other places where trade is affected by strikes and labor disputes. Perhaps the greatest anomaly, however, is that furnished by the position of spelter, which enters so largely into the composition of brass and galvan- ized iron. But a few months ago this metal might be described almost as ‘‘a drug in the market” at the low price of £21. 10/. It is now scarce at £23. 7/6 in Birmingham for English and £23. 12/6 for Silesian. Yet the consuming trades upon which spelter is dependent were probably never in a more depressed condi- tion. In all these cases, doubtless, combina- tions and speculative influences go a long way to explain the discrepancy between business and prices, but Midland con- sumers confess themselves fairly puzzled by the course of spelter, and the subject has lately given rise to a rather voluminous correspondence in the Birmingham papers. Consumers complain not only that prices have risen out of all proportion to market re- quirements, but that they cannot obtain the metal even at quoted prices. The London market quotations, they say, are mislead- ing. There is always a difference of 12 shil- lings 6 pence per ton between London and Birmingham delivery, to eover the cost of carriage, but even when this difference is allowed for, they say, the actual price of the metal is from 5 shillings to 7 shillings 6 pence above that quoted in the market reports. In other words, they charge the London dealers with endeavoring to ‘*bear” the market for their own ends, This is a subordinate matter which the London and Birmingham metal houses may be left to settle between them ; but it is of real importance to the trade to know what are the causes of the artificial dear- ness of spelter, and whether it is likely to continue. On this point all that can be positively affirmed is that an agreement was entered into some time back by the principal European producers to limit the THE IRON AGE. June 23, 1892 production of spelter to the quantity pro-|the manufacturers’ scale would give Mr. uced in 1884 plus 15 per cent., and that the Rhenish and Silesian producers have concluded among themselves a separate agreement to sell no spelter under £23. 12/6, delivered in Birmingham Under cover of this arrangement. the Belgian and British smelters have been able to raise their price to within 5 shillings of the German minimum without losing any of their trade. The all-important question for consumers, and especially galvanizers, is, Will this high price last? Will the Silesian producers adhere to their resolu tion to sell nothing under £23. 12/6 in Birmingham ; and if so, is there any reasonable prospect of obtaining supplies elsewhere ? On these several points the information at present forthcoming is by no means re- assuring. The Silesian agreement for a minimum price is made for six months at a time, and it expires at the end of next month. If the supplies of Belgian and British spelter were adequate to the re- quirements of the English market, the Silesian producers could hardly be ex- pected to adhere to a minimum which must give the virtual monopoly of our trade to their competitors. But experi- ence has shown that even in these dull times we cannot get on without a certain quantity of Silesian spelter, and that quantity must increase as trade revives and British supplies become exhausted. It is by no means certain, then, that the Silesian spelter producers will abandon this minimum. It might pay them better to do a small trade at a high price than a large business at a lower figure, more especially as the reputation of their metal stands high, and they have a practical monopoly of their own market. If the minimum agreement is renewed next month, it will govern the price of spelter till the end of the year, unless, indeed, the Americans, who have lately been send- ing some experimental consignments to this country, can see their way to increase their output and to undersell the British and Continental producers. Midland con- sumers are now discussing the practica- bility of a counter combination amon themselves to produce the spelter need for their own requirements, so as to be independent of foreign ‘‘rings,” and though there are unquestionably great difficulties in the realization of such a scheme, the contingency is one which neither foreign nor British smelters can afford to leave out of account. The many discussions now going on in Pittsburgh between the manufacturers and the officials of the Amalgamated Associa- tion are resulting in a number of state- ments being made by employees which are strongly denied by the manufacturers. A case in point is that made by a mill worker, who is also a prominent official of the Amalgamated Association, in an inter- view with a representative of the Pitts- burgh Dispatch. This statement has been denied by Frank E. Richardson, secretary of the Pittsburgh Forge and Iron Com- pany, in a letter addressed to the Pitts burgh Dispatch, which reads as follows: ‘*Ta an interview published in this morn- ing’s issue of your paper, Mr. Edward A. Keil, treasurer of the Amalgamated Asso- ciation is quoted as saying that under the scale of wages proposed by theiron manu- facturers, to take effect July 1, 1892, his wages will be cut down to $4.50 per day. I have taken the trouble to look over the books of the Pittsburgh Forge and Iron Company, where Mr. Keil is employed, and find that from January 9 to April 30 of the present year the average product of his furnace was 11 ,°; tons per turn, for which he received 70 cents per ton or $8.33 per turn or day. The same average product, at the rate of wages proposed in Keil the sum of $5.95 sy day instead of $4.50 as stated by him in the interview.” The Vanderbilt Bronze Doors. The great bronze doors for the resi- dence of William K. Vanderbilt, at Newport, designed by Richard M. Hunt, were recently completed by John Williams, whose works are at 544 to 556 West Twenty Seventh street, thiy city. These doors are magnificent speci- mens of grille work, far surpassing any- thing of like character hitherto attempted in this country. It is further asserted by those who claim to be in a position to known that nothing so elaborate has been done in Europe in the last 25 years. There are really two grilles, the exterior one being of bronze and the interior of forged steel. The ornamentation of the exterior is duplicated on the interior. As these grilles form the entrance doors to the house, heavy plate glass will be placed be- tween the bronze exterior and the forged steel interior, thus making a weather-tight door. The plan comprises four panels, two stationary on the outside and thetwo next the center forming the doors. The hight from the floor to the top of the metal work is 16 feet, and the breadth over all is 25 feet 4 inches. The doors are 10 feet 8 inches high and each opens 6 feet, mak- ing a total openiag of 12 feet. The chief lines in the work are vertical, thus giving an effect of greater hight. Six tons of bronze and 8 of steel were used in the con- struction of these grilles, but finished down to about 10 tons. The doors them- selves weigh 14 tons each, but have been so nicely poised that they can be swung with a touch of the finger. They were set on pivots, as the weight precluded the use of hinges. Notwithstanding these details as to weight, there 1s no sense of massive- ness in the work. Even the four columns surmounted by Corinthian capitals are in open work. Each door is so designed that nearly the whole of its reverse side will be covered by a single huge plate of glass. A bronze frame to hold the glass is hinged to the door on the side near the door post. Outside of this frame is again hinged a steel duplicate of the bronze work of the door itself. When all are opened they are like the leaves of a book, but when closed the door appears as a solid structure. These doors are fitted so nicely that when closed the crack between them will admit the edge of a single leaf of writing paper, but not the thickness of two leaves. When put permanently in place, however, they will not be set so close together. As before stated, the chief lines of the plane are vertical. Over the two doors are lions’ heads with lions’ skins and claws in festoous. In t