The Iron Age 1892-08-11: Vol 50

‘THB IRON AGE TuurspDAy, AuGustT 1], 1892, Automatic Bolt Cutter and Nut having a fine adjustment. Every part is|two sides of a triangie. The Mexican accessible from the inside and the dies can| National runs from the Uuited States be changed in less thana minute. The/frontior down to Mexico City, and its mach‘ne is provided with a force pump| competition for traffic to that objective This machine is designed to cut bolts| throwing a steady stream of oil into the} point intensifies the general unprofitable- and tap puts for the same from % to 1} | tank over the head. The frame of the} ness. 5 Tapper. inches. It is extra heavy, the entire frame , machine is used as a reservoir into which $a being cast in one piece. The front of the; the strained oil flows after being used by machine on which the carriage slides is' the machine. With the machine are fur-| |The Suez Canal Company have informed supported by a heavy brace, thus giving nished nine sets of dies, as follows: 4, 4, %,|the Russian Government that the provis- the greatest amount of stiffness. The }, 3, 14, 1} and 14 inches, and also nine’ ional regulatiors regarding the petroleum — <\O0GERD : “new york, % | = WORKS, | CINCINNATI, by CHICAGO ; Hine ron” AUTOMATIC BOLT CUTTER AND NUT TAPPER. driving cone is of extra large diameter and | nut taps of the same sizes The machine trade through the canal will be recon- is provided with wide steps for the belt.|is made by the L dye & Davis Machine sidered; meantime the passage of petro- The gearing is proportioned 5 to 1 and | Tool Company of Cincinnati, Ohio. |leum in tank steamships will not be al- has an extra wide face. The carriage has, 7 |lowed. The decision, while most impor- a feed of 17 inches and a bearing of 13 | tant to the American trade, which sends inches gibbed to the shears. The jaws of| The principal railroads in Mexico are| two-thirds of the petroleum to the East, is the vise are arranged to take the full ca-| represented by delegates in London who/| extremely distasteful to Russia, which pacity of the machine without being| are endeavoring to establish a basis for) sends to India alone 20,000,000 gallons changed. The jaws are a'so arranged to| through rates on merchandise from Liver-| annually. Permission for tank steam- take several nuts at once, being a great| pool to Mexico City. The Mexican Rail-| ships to pass through the canal is thought saving of time in tapping. The head is| way Company runs from Vera Cruz to) in Russia to be the one thing needed to positive in motion and an automatic stop| Mexico City. The Interoceanic runs| develop the Black Sea petroleum trade and is provided for opening the dies in any| parallel with it. The Tampico line of the| to render the Baku oil fields formidable position of the carriage.. The dies have a|} Mexican Central, which is north of these, to the Standard Oil Company of the United large bearing in the barrel and ring, also| two lines, also runs to Mexico City along States. E adil wt —_~ roan, — e Soe + en Sa, -\ es “= 2s =:.4 : 2: tt ont . 2.423). 2 aT ye - ww, rw tat 6.422 Ce ae an CP MOLES LOL CE _ - b >) >> ap a ge ig apes £ = itt ik ae fi ae, Bes , goats i, re ee" ye te am ot hee ® oe a -— 220 The Sault Canal. The Iron Age of July 14 contained a very valuable article on the enormous com merce of the Sault Canal, connecting Lake Superior with the lower lakes of the great northern chain. As supplemental to this can now be given the annual report of the fiscal year ended June 30, 1892, and just issued by the canal superintendent, E. S. Wheeler. The year has seen the greatest number of vessels ever passing the canal, and the lead over the Suez Canal is increased by nearly 20 per cent. Also in proportion to the increase in number of vessels the cargo carried has grown, and exceeds any other fiscal year by 1,768,622 tons. There were 11,557 vessels passing the canal in the year, nearly allof them from or for Duluth and the head of Lake Superior. This was an increase in number of 2016. How this increase affected Duluth is shown by the fact that during the first three weeks of navigation 660 vessels arrived at that city, against a trifle over 200 the corresponding time in the preceding year, and by the further fact—one unequaled in the com- merce of the globe—that in the same three weeks, or prior to May 15, 1892, a total of 12,000,000 bushels of grain were shipped out of Duluth by water for the Eastern market and for export. The registered tonnage of vessels passing the canal was 9, - 828,894,an increase of over 2,000,000 tons, while the actual freight tonnage was 10,- 107,603 tons, an increase of 1,768,622 tons. That this increase did not keep pace and exceed that of registered vessel tonnage is due to the low water in the canal at the opening of navigation this spring. Vesse's which are uniformly built for 16 to 18 feet draft could only load to a draft of 13.6 feet. Since the opening the depth of water has increased to 14.6, but is still far below the capacity of the newer fleet. The total number of separate ves- sels using the canal in the fiscal year was 652, of which the majority, or 396, were steam vessels, and the rest were sail ves- sels and barges of the steel whaleback pat- tern. Probably fully 95 per cent. of the sail vessels and barges were towed by large steam craft. Vessels owned in the United States numbered 615 of the total 652; the rest were Canadian. In all 25,690 pas- sengers were carried through the canal. Very interesting are the figures of the value of goods passed and the rate per mile-ton under which they were carried. The total value of goods transported was not far from $145,000,000 and the freight charge, on an average haul of 820.4 miles, was $9,849,022. This makes an average ton-mile freight charge of 1.35 mills, or about one third of what the leading rail ways of the country are able to haul freight for under the most favorable conditions and under sharp competition. It is hard to estimate the saving of the Sault Canal to the country, but it muy very conserva- tively be put at the difference between 1.35 mills and 5 mills, and 5 mills is undoubt- edly lower than the railways would carry the freight for were the canal out of ex- istence. This saving in a single year is about $20,000,000. Hardly less interesting are the records of individual vessels. The Mariska of the Minnesota Iron Company, running ex- clusively in the ore trade between Duluth and Cleveland, made the greatest mileage of the year, 43,167 miles; the Castalia carried 68,943 tons of freight, and the E. C. Pope loaded the biggest cargo, 3136 tons, or 103,900 bushels, of wheat out of Duluth to Buffalo. In figuring these totals it should be remembered that for about 125 days of the year these vessels were in operation. The size of vessels and cargoes on the great lakes is being constantly increased, and with the completion of the new 21- foot canal, now beirg built by the Govern- THE IRON AGE. eee eee —_---—- ment, the tonnage carried will take a jump that will astonish every one. The successful introduction of such vessels as the Maryland, Pope, Gilbert, Maritana, Choctaw, Maripoosa, Pathfinder, Pills- bury, Washburn and others, all of which have come out in the last 12 months, is bearing fruit, and in a few seasons vessels with a carrying capacity of 4500 to 5000 tons will be more common than 2800 ton ships were two years ago. There is now on the stocks at the Wyandotte yards of the Detroit Dry Dock Company a ‘straightback ” vessel which will carry 4500 tons and may go into business this fall. Even this craft, which was thought the largest for a time, will be surpassed by one contracted for last week to be built at Bay City. It is to be 377 feet long, 45 feet beam and 26 feet deep and is to carry a cargo on 20 feet of 6000 tons. On 18 feet she will carry 5000 tons. Neither of these vessels, like those mentioned above, will be able to run into Chicago, the harbor not being commodious enough. They are and will be in the Duluth-Buffalo or Duluth-Cleve- land trade, and will still further empha- size the fact that the largest as well as the best of the lake fleet are in the Lake Su- perior traffic. A cargo of 100,000 bushels of wheat is not at all an uncommon thing even with the present low stage of water. The W. H. Gilbert, which made her trial trip into Duluth a few days ago, went out with 102,500 bushels, and no less than four of the ‘* whaleback ” type are able to load a like cargo. i... New Tin-Plate Plant. Gummey, Spering & Co. of Philadelphia have recently erected a new tin-plate fac- tory in that city at Twenty-sixth street and Washington avenue, where they are now turning out a weekly production of 350 boxes of 20 x 28 American roofing plates of the highest grade. The estab- lishment includes a tinuing shop contain- ing two Welsh tinning machines, a sorting and packing house and a smelting depart- ment The black sheets used are best quality Siemens steel plates, to which a very strong coating is imparted, the makers claiming it to be heavier than that on most of the foreign brands now imported. The plant has now been in operation for two months with most satisfactory results, and we understand that a ready market is found for all the plate produced. At pres- ent only terne is being made, but the com- pany intend proceeding with the produc- tion_of bright tin plate in course of time, when they have been able to increase their present facilities. The plates are treated with the palm-oil process, and one pot is used for operating the oright-surface sheets, such as the company’s Eagle and Liberty brands, the other being utilized for treating the Phenix or dark coated terne. The tin used is procured mainly from Australia and Eastern Asia, and is of the most select quality. The smelting department contains a large melting pot with acapacity of 12,000 pounds for making stereotype, electro- type and Babbitt metals, also two sol- der furnaces capable of melting 26,000 pounds of metal a day. The latter are so arranged that by means of a circu'ating draft round the pots a uni- form heat is always secured for all parts of the mixture. A considerable quantity of solder and other metals is produced here, a portion of which is retained for home use. In connection with the smelt- ing department we are informed that Messrs. Gummey, Spering & Co. have in use a very interesting and delicate machine for ascertaining the exact proportions of lead and tin in any sample of solder. The metal required to be tested is run into a mold which forms a conical bullet. This August 11, 1892 piece of metal is placed in a scale, the beam of which is divided into spaces of 100°. Should the sample be pure lead the pointer will mark 100, but if of pure tin it will not leave the 0; if exactly proportioned half and half 50 is marked, and so op, increasing commensurately with the amount of lead contained in the amalgam. This testing machine is the outcome of lengthened study and experi- ment, and is now so far perfected as to act with the utmost exactness, weighing to within , grain and showing to a hair the proportion of these two metals in any sample submitted to its test. This renders imposition in the quality of solder almost impossible. Gummey, Spering & Co. report that, after exhaustive experiments, they have succeeded in overcoming the ‘‘ pin-hole” difficulty in the manufacture of bright tin plates, and are now producing ‘‘ anti-pin- hole” bright plates, made of hammered charcoal bars instead of steel, for which they claim lasting qualities. ee A Pittsburgh Manufacturer’s View. In a recent interview with a representa- tive of the Pittsburgh Times, David B. Oliver, general manager of the Oliver Iron & Steel Company of Pittsburgh, gave, at considerable length, his views in regard to the arbitrary policy displayed by the Amalgamated Association since the com- mencement of the present labor troubles at Pittsburgh. Mr. Oliver also tells of the manner in which manufacturers are sub- jected to endless annoyance by that orgap- ization, and also intimates that if these abuses continue iron manufacturers will be compelled to ignore that body and oper- ate their mills with non-union men. His views are reported as follows: Iam convinced that unless the Amal- gamated Association makes a radical change in its methods the manufacturers of Pittsburgh will be obliged to free them- selves completely from its control, and that very soon. Year by year matters have drifted into the condition that brings about a total stoppage of business for from four to six weeks each recurring scale- signing period, This stoppage is accom- panied by no end of contention and dispu- tation between the management and the workmen’s committees. In my case I have eight separate scales to arrange for this year, and positively the labor and vexa- tious worry of this work, which covers a period of about two months’ time, is greater than that what comes from my regular business during the other ten months of the year. In all these scales the men are continually making changes, either in the price or the foot notes, and these changes invariably involve an in- crease of the cost. In one of thcse eight scales presented by our men this year there are no less than 49 additional items to what the same scale contained last year. If these scales are not signed by July 1, work stops and our business is inter- rupted. It is no answer to say, ‘‘ Why don’t you sign these scales and avoid this worry and stoppage?” These scales re- late exclusively to wages, and the changes the men make in them from year to year are invariably advances in some form or other. In the operation of making pig iron into bar iron and selling it (which is the iron manufacturer’s business) the item of labor alone is over 63 per cent. of the operation, exclusive of pig iron. This is a large and most importent item and must receive great care; it cannot be passed over lightly. The mode of procedure on this subject in the Amalgamated Association is about like this: Some young fellow, who works with his mouth as well as his hands, be- comes possessed with the idea that he is not getting enough money; he is not get- August 11, 1892 THE IRON AGE. 931 ting as much as some other man who pos- sibly has a better job. He works up a scheme whereby his wages will be in- creased. He talks it up quietly among his friends and others interested, and, of course, it finds favor. He then brings it before his lodge, watching his time care- fully. It is well known that, asa rule, the cool-headed conservative men are not the most regular attendants at lodge meet- ings; they content themselves largely by payment of their dues. It passes the lodge and comes before the general convention, when it is referred with hundreds (per- haps thousands) of others like it, to the Wage Committee. Unless it is outra- geously absurd, as many of them are, it is accepted and goes into the proposed new scale of wages, and once in is tenaciously adhered to. The scale, when completed, him in July. The matter is aggravated by the fact that of all the manufacturers of structural material in the country all but three or four are outside of the Amalga- mated Association and can make contracts and deliveries in a business way, and we are at a ruinous disadvantage. As matters now stand almost the entire steel and iron business of Pittsburgh is at a standstill, and has been so for a month, with the prospect of its continuance in- definitely, to the serious injury of all the business interests of the entire community. The Conference Committee of the work- men claimed to have no power to change the base of the scale, and they refused to practically change the foot notes. In this contingency the manufacturers proposed arbitration under the Wallace act, but the workmen’s committee refused until they is then presented to the manufacturers for | heard from their lodges; this they are now Fig. 2.—Vertical Section through Cylinders. SRS] SES . $ ; $ SEE ERR RRR t $ 6 LS—= QR ROK OHM fig. 3.—Sectional End Elevation. THE OHMEN COMPOUND ENGINE. their signature, and possibly the origina- tor has worked himself into a place on the Committee of Conference where he can look after it. If we do not sign be- fore June 30 work stops. In the present contest there were nine long, tedious ses- sions, in which about 30 men spent their time and took part, before one single item was agreed upon. With our works stopped, and our non union competitors here and all over the country in operation, this is a very unbusiness-like management and must be changed. In the case of structural material, these stoppages and this uncertainty are simply ruinous. Structural material is nearly al- ways contracted for in the early months of the year and deliveries made during the summer, as that is the only time of the year in which the structures, whether buildings or bridges, can be erected. The manufacturer can make no eontract with justice to himself or his customer with the knowledge that possibly his prices for labor will be jumped up on him, or his works stopped if he fails to agree to all the items of the scale that will be presented to doing, and we are to hear from them Tues- day next. The periodical interruptions and stop- pages in the current of business to which Amalgamated mills are subjected, while their non-union competitors all over the country are running, are becoming intoler- able. In addition to this, the Amalga- mated wages East are over 30 per cent. less than here for the same labor, and of late years it has become the habit of the Amal- gamated to give even greater concessions in prices to home manufacturers who put their armor on and fight. Despite the de- sire of the manufacturers for peace, all these drawbacks and discriminations are working tbe manufacturers to the non- union point, aud unless the Amalgamated changes its course we will be forced to get there. —_—SOe—--——~—~—‘—ts Johnston Island, in the Pacific, though owned by American citizens for many years past, as claimed by Captain Roberts of San Francisco, has been formally an- nexed to Great Britain. The island has a capacious harbor \cylinder is furnished The Ohmen Compound Engine. Several of these engines, built by the Ohmen Engine Works of San Francisco, Cal., have been in operation for some time, most of them running electric light plants. A test of a 60 horse-power engine, 9 x 15 and 12 inches stroke, at 200 revolutions per minute, running non-condensing, showed 19 pounds of water per horse- power per hour. The main frameof the engine is formed integrally with the low-pressure cylinder B, while the high-pressure cylinder D is joined to the others by a flanged head, F, placed between the twocylinders. In this head is formed a packing gland, as shown in Fig. 2. The pistons are of the usual construction, and both are attached to the same rod. The low-pressure cylinder is provided with a common slide valve con- tained in the steam chest L, Fig. 1, and operated by the valve rod M'. The initial with oscillating valves P and O, which are contained in the chamber N, O being the main distributing valve and Pa cut-off one for regulating the admission of steam. The action of the valve P is controlled by means of a cen- trifugal governor that determines the time of its closing in the usual manner of cut- off engines. The valves O and P are oper- ated by cranks Q and R and valve rods M? and M*, the latter passing over the top of the valve box L, as shown in Fig. 1. Steam enters at S, and after acting in the cylinder D passes through the pipe T to the cylinder B, after which it escapes at the nozz'e U. It will be observed that by employing oscillating valves O and P for the high- pressure or initial cylinder D, and a slide valve placed on the side of the expansion cylinder B, the position of the motion rods M', M? and M* for operating these valves is such that no interference results, and that these rods can extend directly from their respective eccentrics to the valves. I New Tin-Plate Works at Norris- town, Pa. One of the latest additions to the num- ber of new tin-plate industries in this country has been inaugurated in the Schuylkill Valley by Richard Lewis, lately manager of the Ely Tin Plate Works, at Ilantrisant, South Wales. Under the capable and experienced management of that gentleman, a factory was started at Norristown, Pa., on the 20th ult., under the style of the Norris- town Tin Plate Works, which bids fair to achieve good success. Notwithstanding the limited time dur- ing which the works have been in opera- tion, an average of from 900 to 1000 boxes of high-grade roofing plates are being put out weekly. Two Welsh tinning machines of the Edwards, Lewis & Jones pattern are in use, and a third is being placed and will soon be in operation, which will aug- ment the present output 50 per cent. Mr. Lewis informs us that it is intended to supplement these pots by three more shortly, making six in all. Imported black sheets are used at pres- ent, and a very high grade of terne plates are made, equal, it is claimed, to the well- known Ely or any other brand of im- ported roofing tin now on the market. The buildings are conveniently situated near the lines of the Philadelphia & Read- ing and the Pennsylvania railroads, with which they are connected by a siding. — The Mexican Government, through the contractors Corthea, Stanhope & Co., are pushing the work on the Tehuantepec Railroad, with the intention of retaining the control of that important connection between the two oceans. LES Seg! or wes il = = & - aa Leo > aee ae : et sles Bes =P) = ap rors Sele pees = oie S mers : : . 2 be ) PP PP ATE BT ame SWS Vs > oe Way , SS Recording Pressure Gauges. Considering the immense number of es- tablishments in which steam is used for power or heating purposes, the importance of having an absolutely correct record of the boiler pressure at all times can hardly be overrated. But, strange to say, while there are instruments by which such record may be kept automatically, and at but trifling expense, comparatively few are in use, and these, almost exclusively, in large establishments, It is safe to say that nine out of every ten steam users are unaware of their existence, or, at least, of their purpose. The principle of their op- eration is exceedingly simple and reliable, being merely the combination of a time movement with a pressure gauge. The former actuates a drum or disk containing a paper chart or diagram divided by grad- uations for time and pressure, the one being at a right angle with the other. An index arm, carrying a pen or pencil, is moved up or down by the pressure, accord- ing to its variations, and being in contact with the paper diagram, which is simulta- neously revolved on its drum or disk by the clock, incribes a line on the gradua- tions, which can be instantly read for as- certaining the pressure at any minute of the 24 hours. Ata regular time each day the recorded chart for the day previous is removed and a new blank substituted, thus giving a practically continuous record of the pressure at all times the boiler is under steam. As the instrument is in- tended to be located in the office, the pressure being led to it by means of a }- inch or %-inch steam pipe, and as it is securely locked, it is out of the power of the water tender or engineer to tamper with the record. As to the importance of keeping such a record there can be but one opinion, With even the most careful and skillful attendance there is always more or less danger from high-pressure steam, and any means by which this danger may ve lessened is valuable and should not be ignored. Of course this appliance can have no effect on the safety of the boiler other than as regards attendance, but in this respect it becomes an ever-watchful monitor, whose report cannot be gainsaid, and serves to inspire the attendant with the necessity for a more careful and uni- form management of his boilers, from the fact that even a momentary carelessness or neglect is chalked down against him, He realizes that any great variation shown by the pressure line on the chart means a criticism of his skill; while, on the other hand, a reasonably uniform pressure being indicated, day after day, becomes the strongest possible recommendation as to his careful attention to duty and his skill in management. The effect is as that of the knowledge of an unseen but ever- watchful eye; it puts one on his best be- havior. But over and above its value as a check upon the water tender, the record is of the utmost importance in case of ex- plosion or other accident which might be caused by over pressure. If the owner should be held amenable to the law for damage churged to criminal carelessness in operating his boilers, he could not have a more efficient witness to disprove the alle- gation of over pressure if such were not the cause of the damage. From the very nature of the record its weight 1n evidence must be great. 1, because of the impossi- bility of the diagram being doctored or fixed up for the occasion; 2, because the correctness, as to both time and pressure, may be subsequently tested and estab. lished. Another place in which its use- fulness would be manifest is in case of dispute as to steam furnished to tenants. This is a not infrequent cause of differ- ence and litigation, which could not exist were such arecord kept. As to the cost of the instrument, there is one make, quite THE IRON AGE. elaborate in its style and finish, costing about $100. Another equally reliable make, although not quite so elaborate, can be had for about one-fourth that amount. From $5 to $10 will cover the expense of their installation. — Gain from the Use of Feed-Water Heaters. Comparatively few users of steam power are aware of the amount of saving possible through the use of feed-water heaters in connection with steam boilers. The reason is that as they are used in the majority of cases, the other side of the question, nec- essary to a comparison, is not presented. That the saving is a real and not an imaginary one they accept as a fact, be- cause heaters are generally considered as an essential part of a well-appointed steam plant; and those who use them are not practically interested in the percentage of saving by means of what they would not think of doing without. Strange to say, however, there are not a few large estab- lishments in which the heater is conspicu- ous by its absence, the water being fed directly into the boilers at normal tem- perature, whether it be 34° or 80°. This is unquestionably poor policy, for, whether economy of fuel be a consideration or not, there is economy in their use—1, in the increased capacity of the boilers, and, 2, in the saving in wear and tear of the latter. While there are many different makes of heaters, they all belong to one of two classes—namely, those in which the exhaust steam is passed directly through the body of water to be heated; and those in which the heat of the ex- haust is transmitted to the water through the metal composing the tubes or shells by means of which the steam and feed water are kept separate. It is not the in- tention to allude to the comparative merits of different types or makes; at least be- yond the statement that no modern heater which will not deliver water at a tempera- ture of about 210° F. can be considered a first-class make, Also, this must be ac- complished without increasing the normal back pressure of the engine exhaust. Upon the basis of 210° as a standard tempera ture, a few figures may be given with reference to its actual economy. As to assume & mean normal temperature of the feed water might be far from the actual one for the year through, it might be mis- leading as a criterion of the facts. For this reason the quantities are figvred from the two extremes, say 34° and 78°, anda mean between the two of 56° F. The dif- ference, then, between these temperatures and that of the heated water, and the quantity of heat gained by use of the heater, will be as follows: Lowest: 34° from 210° = 176° = 176 units of heat per pound of water. Highest: 78° from 210° = 132° = 132 units of heat per pound of water. Mean: 56° from 210° = 154° = 154 units of beat per pound of water. If to these results we add 2°, the differ- ence between the heated feed water and boiling temperature, we have the quantity of heat necessary to be absorbed from the boiler fires to reach the point at which vaporization will begin, which will be 178, 134 and 156 respectively. As the quantity of heat required to convert the water at 212° to steam at atmospheric pressure is #66 units, and as after this conversion the temperature is still 212°, this quantity is used as a constant and is called the latent heat of vaporization—i.e, from the fact that itis absorbed by the water without in- creasing the sensible heat of the latter, it must necessarily have become latent in the process. Assuming 75 pounds above at mcsphere as the boiler pressure at which the temperature will have risen from 212° August 11, 1892 to 320°, the difference, 108°, represents also the additional quantity of heat neces- sary to be imparted to the water to pro- duce this pressure. The total quantity of heat then required from the fuel, to raise the water from the given temperatures to steam at 75 pounds pressure above atmos- phere, will be: Lowest: 178 + 966 + 108 = 1252 units, 16.33 per cent. more than if heated. Highest: 134 + 966 + 108 = 1208 units, or 12.267 per cent. more than if heated. Mean: 156 + 966 + 108 = 1230 units, or 14.31 per cent. more than if heated. Heated: 2 + 965 + 108 = 1076. The above are the actual percentages of saving which should be realized, as a given application of heat to the boilers will necessarily produce a given effect in heat units, whether it be in raising the feed from normal to boiling temperature or in vaporizing it after that temperature is reached. Of course, the ratios vary ac- cording to the temperatures of feed water and pressure of steam, increasing as they decrease, and vice versa. At 60 pounds, for instance, the percentage would be 16.56, 12.408 and 13.55, while at 100 pounds they would decrease to 16.09, 12.06 and 14.07 respectively. So long as waste heat only is used to raise the tempera- ture of the feed water, the economy is absolute. While the exhaust steam from the engine is the medium most gen- erally used, there are machines called **economizers” in which the heating is done by the waste products of combustion from the boiler furnaces, after they have left the latter, on their passage to the chimney. These are usually an aggrega- tion of vertical iron pipes, connected in rows at each end by return bends, and forming a continuous channel for the pas- sage of the feed water, thereby giving it along exposure to the heat surrounding the pipes and generally raising its temper- ature to very nearly the boiling point. Their efficiency is great, and were it not for the fact that they are more expensive than the exhaust steam heaters they would probably be more generally used. In large manufacturing establishments it not infrequently happens that the use of exhaust for heating the feed would inter- fere with its use for some other purpose for which it was more valuable. For in- stance, in case of a very large engine, there is undoubtedly more economy by having it of the compound condensing type, which would necessarily use all of the exhaust. Or it might happen that by working the engine as a simple high-press- ure condensing, the economy would be greater. In all such cases the use of an economizer would entirely remove the difficulty of taking care of the feed, as there is always sufficient heat in the chimney gases to give it the required tem- perature. os Although not experiencing quite such a rush of business for the moment as they have had lately, the great lncomotive works of Burnham, Williams & Co., at Philadelphia, are satisfactorily active. A contract has just been completed for 30 ten-wheeled freight engines, 20 x 24 inch cylinder, for the Missouri Pacific Railway Company, while the following orders for locomotives are now in hand. Six ten- wheeled freight engines, similar to the above, for the Texas & Pacific Railway Company. Ten passenger engines, three of 20 x 24 inch and seven of 19 x 24 inch cylinders for the Baltimore & Ohio Railway Company. Ten 18 x 24 inch cylinder, ten wheelers for New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railway, be- sides 35 compound locomotives of various types which are under construction for different railroads, mainly in the United States. Augast 11, 1892 The Wilson Planer. The accompanying cut illustrates a metal planer which has been brought out recently by William A. Wilson of Roch- ester, N. Y. The object has been to produce a planer that is quick in action, smooth running, amply strong, and which will reverse without shock or jar. The table is wide, very thick and well ribbed to give it strength, has three slots planed the entire length inside of the pockets and has {-inch holes drilled and reamed from the solid. The bed is one and a half times the length of the table, and is strongly braced. The uprights are heavy and broad at the base and are connected at the top by a stiff top brace. The cross rail is of extra length and has heavy ribs on the back, giving it great stiffness. The driving shafts are of machine steel of large diam- eter running in bearings of silver bronze of extra length and are driven by two belts, one on each side. The improved shifter is so arranged that the one driving belt is moved entirely off the pulley before the other belt starts to move on. The gears are inclosed in the bed and are protected from dirt and chips. The rack-feeding drill gives automatic feed in all directions and at all angles, and is adjustable from 0 to 3 inch wide. All screws are of steel, and the cross and down feed sccews have yraduated col- | THE IRON AGE. not been since Carnegie, Phipps & Co. | discontinued the manufacture of tire and other small sizes of bar steel. SEE Industrial Canada. The census bulletin relating to the man- ufactures of the Dominion, according to the Montreal Gazette, shows a most grati- fying increase to have occurred during the last decade. In 46 cities and towns con taining more than 5000 of population, the | number of establishments reported has increased 76 per cent., the capital invested 102 per cent., the number of employees 49 per cent., the yearly wages 74 per cent. the cost of raw material 79 per cent., and THE WILSON PLANER. lars. The lifting screws are placed out-| the value of manufactured products 62 per side the uprights, where they can easily be kept clean and away from dust and chips. All gears and racks are accurately cut from solid blanks. The bearing surfaces | are all scraped to fit. —————EEEE A sensational report was put in circula- tion last week that the Studebaker Bros. Mfg. Company’s works, at South Bend, Ind., had been closed because their workmen refused to handle Carnegie ma- and carriages and employ over 3000 men. The Studebaker Company immediately de- nied the rumor and stated that they were having no difficulty whatever with their workmen. From another source we learn that the company are not using any of the products of the Carnegie works and have cent. All these percentages are far in ex cess of the ratio of growth of population, and they indicate that, under the prevail- ing fiscal system, Canada is supplying the demand of her people for manufactured products toa much larger extent than ever before. The returns bring out in a strik- ing manner the enlarged capacity of pro- duction under improved machinery, and a higher degree of skilled labor. Thus in 1891 each workman produced an average ‘of $1600 of manufactured articles, as terial. These works manufacture wagons | against $1467 ten years ago; while the average of wages has gone up trom $284 to $343. On the other hand, the profit upon the capital investment is much less, having fallen from $1.72 to $1.38 for each dollar invested. These figures, however, do not represent the net profit, since no account is taken of cost of management, deprecia- | 233 tion, bad debts, rent, interest and other items. Despite the keenness of competi- | tion and the decline in values, the impor- | tant fact remains that the artisans of Can- | ada are better paid than ten years ago. I The results of the famous Lauffen- Frankfort transmissioa of power by elec- tricity have just been issued and show some remarkable results. The distance |was 109 miles, the horse power supplied by the dynamo ranging between 78 and 197.4 horse-power. The efficiency of the dynamo fluctuated between 84.5 and 93.5 per cent., while that of the primary trans- former ranged between 93.9 and 99.1 per cent. The loss in the conductor was from 3.1 to 25.5 horse-power, the efficiency of the secondary transformer fluctuating be- tween 92.2 and 95.7 per cent. The efficiency between the turbines and the consuming apparatus ranged from 68.5 to 74.9 per cent., being below 72 per cent. in only two cases. The average result of some 17 runs with what was, after all, only an experimental plant, shows an average efficiency between the turbines and the consuming apparatus of 733 per cent. On a shorter transmission circuit of 1} miles between the Palmengarten and the Frankfort Exhibition the average efficiency of eight runs was 83.1 per cent. The Hudson Iron Company’s mines, at West Stockbridge, Mass, have been shut down, and will probably not start up again before next spring. ee Sah Nee : 4 . Sf salen A S wr GEE MEL LLM Ls - het k ee tes fa i: ~ £ oeP 7, 2 , . r= r g i issn is Zs ‘= ee i) meee 2 ee oo ey si + dt a ee HE =e & Sey BSS SS 234 The Dodge Mfg. Company. The town of Mishawaka, in Northern Indiana, was the seat of an important iron industry 50 years ago. At that time small charcoal blast furnaces smelted the bog ores of the vicinity, manufacturing pig iron, which was afterward made into stoves and general castings to supply the needs of the growing Northwest. Considerable quantities of castings were made here for usein Chicago. The furnaces and foundries long since passed out of existence with the development of more richly endowed mineral districts, and to-day Mishawaka 1s chiefly known to the business world through the products of the Dodge Mfg. Company. Their works were established in 1878, and the incorporation of the com- pany dates from 1880. Originally designed for the manufacture of a great variety of articles from the abundant timber of the locality, the works were turned to the production of wood split pulleys as a spe- cialty, and by natural evolution the com- pany in time took up various lines in con- nection with power transmission. It is claimed that the Independence wood split pulley and the Dodge patent American system of rope transmission, brought out by this company, were the first successful devices in their respective lines, now in such general use. The business of the company has grown enormously in the brief period of their existence, and a visit to their plant is fraught with interest. The works occupy a tract of 60 acres, lying alongside the Lake Shore & Michi- gan Southern Railroad, from which a spur track extends into the midst of the build- ings, affording ample shipping conveu- iences. The buildings have a flooragespace of 16 acres, and comprise a wood-working shop, machine shop, foundry, sawmill, smith shop, engine and boiler house, ware- houses, &c. These structures, with one or two unimportant exceptions, are built of brick and are two and three stories in hight. A 240-foot addition is now being built to the wood-working shop. When it is finished the works will have a built-up frontage of 1200 feet along the railroad and a street which crosses it at rightangles. The plant has been so laid out that when other build- ings now contemplated are erected on the rear of the tract the power house will be in the center of it. At present the power house stands at one side of the works. The arrangement of the power house isa study to those interested in power trans- mission. A 400 horse-power Lane & Bod- ley Corliss engine is located on the second floor, resting on massive brick foundations. The fly wheel is 22 feet in diameter, weighs 27,000 pounds and has a 24-inch face, which carries 13 wraps of inch rope driving all the machinery about the works except in a few isolated places where in- dependent power seems preferable. The engine room is said to be the finest in the country, and the visitor 1s inclined to concede the claim. It is more like a par- lor than an engine room. It 1s about 40 feet square, with a 16-foot ceiling, a deck light being placed over the center with stained glass windows. The walls are wainscoted to the hight of 7 feet with oak and cherry, a broad frieze embellishes the upper part of the walls and the ceiling is made of wood, both frieze and ceiling being paneled in oak and cherry. The whole of the wood work has almost a piano finish. The wainscoting is so constructed that the panels can be unscrewed and taken off separately should repairing be required. The screws are concealed by movable rosettes. An artistic wood mantel with a beveled glass mirror and a brass mounted grate stands on one side of the room. The fiy wheel opening is boxed with oak and cherry 2} feet high. Lino- leum covers the floor. Sufficient space has been provided for a second engine, which THE IRON AGE. will be needed when the contemplated ex- tensions are made. The location of the engine room in the second story avoids the usual cramped wheel pit. Access is had to the lower part of the wheel in the base- ment. The pump valve, boiler valves, try cocks, gauges, &c., are arranged for the convenience of the engineer immediately in the rear of the engine room. The base- ment is used as an electric generating house. Dynamos are here located capable of running 50 are lights and about 1900 incandescent ligbts, the town, as well as the works, being lit with electricity from this station. Two double Babcock & Wilcox boilers, located in a large house adjoining the engine house, furnish steam for all purposes. In the rear of the engine room is a room for the distribution of power, the entire space being thrown open for this purpose from ground to roof. A main sbaft driven by the engine described above carries a number of grooved pulleys, each of which is fitted with a friction clutch. These pulleys transmit power by ropes across overhead sheaves to the several departments. By means of the friction clutches any depart- ment can be laid off temporarily without interfering in the operations of another department. Towers on the ground out- side support sheaves on which the ropes run to other buildings. Thus the foundry is supplied with power conveyed 600 feet, and the sawmill, operating a large band saw in cutting logs, is served at a distance of 350 feet. From the roof of the power house these ropes are seen running over the grounds to all the buildings. Ingenious devices are em- ployed to guard against accidents. An electric ‘‘ tell tale ’ at each upper sheave in the power house is thrown into action if the strands of a rope should begin to fray. The touch of a strand causes the circuit to close and a bell rings in the engine room until somebody attends to it. The *‘ let off” is another electric device by which a friction clutch automatically operates and suspends the motion of a main driving pulley in case an accident should render the stoppage of the machin- ery of a department suddenly necessary. In this case a bell in the engine room also rings until it is stopped by somebody. Passing to the manufacturing depart- ments, the chief object of interest is the wood split pulley. Facilities have been provided by which these can be turned out on a large scale of production. Special machines have been deviscd for almost every part of the work. The rims are first sawed in segments from inch stuff in such lengths that the proper number put together will form an exact circle, for which pur- pose the ends are squared at a second op- eration. Rings are then formed by glu ing the ends. Enough of the rings are taken to make a pulley and they are glued together. A boring machine next trues the interior. The rims are then sawed in two, the halves of each rim being kept together for subsequent operations. Slots are sawed in the inside of each half rim to receive the arms. Meanwhile other dextrous hands are engaged in saw- ing the arms, which are made of hard wood. They are then glued in place in the rims. Nv nails whatever are used. The balves are again brought together and fastened firmly by another rim glued on the outside. They are then perfectly centered in a special boring machine so as to balance property on a shaft, their faces are turned off smooth, the outside rim is again sawed, arms are painted, rims are varnished and the pulleys are completed. In preparing them for shipment or storage, they are wrapped in thin sheets of elm. Over 400 pulleys are manufactured here every day, varying from 3 inches to 4 feet in diameter, but any size can be made to order. The company endeavor to carry a stock of 30,000 in their warehouse, but August 11, 1892 have not been able to do so for some time, The effects of the late Indiana coal strike are still felt, as they have been unable to catch up with their stock since the stop- page thus caused. Bushings of maple are furnished to fit a shaft of any size. The company have recently made tor California a wceod split pulley 20 feet in diameter. To turn pulleys of such large size, they have built a pit lathe in which even larger work can be undertaken. Considerable export trade is conducted. Incidentally it may be mentioned that the taste of con- sumers in different countries varies as to the color of the pulley arms. The British trade calls for lead color, while America and France prefer black. The other products of the works are iron sheaves, hangers, pillow blocks, fric- tion clutches and other accessories of power transmission. For the manufacture of these articles the company have a fine pattern shop, stocked with wood working machinery, a foundry of large capacity and a well-appointed machine shop. The foundry is a brick building, 200 x 60 feet, with a 20-foot annex. The roof is sup- ported by arched wooden trusses, with a deck light running down the center. Large side windows also assist in providing abundant light. There are two Colliau cupolas of 80 tons melting capacity daily. Two swing cranes commani the entire floor. Castings have been made up to 3 tons in weight, but heavier work can be under- taken if required. A great deal of castin is done with hollow cores, the local aan standing up well under the most severe tests. ‘The machine shop is not only fur- nished with the standard machine tools, but contains numerous special tools built by the company for their own require- ments. They can turn the faces of iron pulleys and sheave wheels up to any size required. They tap all the nuts and thread all the bolts used in their work. The machine shop has a cement floor, which is regarded as greatly superior to the usual plank floor. Huyett & Smith’s system of heating is used throughout the works, delivering hot air to any point where it is specially desired. The facilities further embrace a well- appointed drawing room, a private work- shop in which experiments can be con- ducted, a photographic department and a stockroom which surpasses in complete- ness many hardware stores. For power transmission they furnish a high grade manila rope specially made for them, which they guarantee to outwear any two ropes known. The equipment of power plants is an important feature of the Dodge Mfg. Com- pany’s business. They have furnished rope transmissions to large numbers of mill owners, in some cases for the transmission of power over 1000 feet. A peculiar case 1s noted in which the water of a dam was made to do double duty. A second dam was built 1100 feet below the mill site, and the power of a second water wheel was carried back to the mill for ad- ditional work by rope transmission. Sub- sequently the first dam was washed out by a treshet, but the mill was kept in opera- tion by the rope transmission until the old dam was rebuilt. Thus the old song, ‘* The mill will never grind with the water ‘that has passed,’ was disproved. The officers of the company are as fol- lows: W. H. Dodge, president; W. B. Hosford, vice-president; R. D. O. Smith, secretary; W. W. Dodge, treasurer; George Philion, superintendent; Charles Endlich, assistant superintendent. I The secretary of the British Embassy in Rome is of the opinion that the gold spent by tourists in Italy is sufficient to pay the $10,000,000 a year due by Italy to foreign bondholders, and explains the ability of the Government to pay this amount. August 11, 1892 THE IRON AGE. 235 Spur Geared Belt Elevator. The Dean- Whiting Elevator Company of Worcester, Mass., are now building a pat- ent spur geared elevator, embodying the results of many experiments directed toward the elimination of the danger arising from the load on the car and the conversion of that load into a means of safety. Their theory has been that the stopping power should be so intimately connected with the motive parts as to act automatically, in- stantly and positively at any point, should the driving gears break or the belts part or run off—in short, that the brake should be Fig. 1.—Perspective drum, while the plate in turn is held by the grip. Thus if the cable holds the car can- not drop unless the whole machine dis- solves. —>>-_ The Benefits of Deeper Channels. The steamship Maryland, a vessel which could not carry more than 3100 tons of freight through the St. Mary’s River and the canal at Sault St