The Iron Age 1892-08-18: Vol 50

‘THE The Turner Rotary Motor, Pump and| case, have depended upon springs for the Meter. Several new features are embodied in the device of which several engravings are here presented, and which is the in- vention of T. G. Turner, and is manufact- ured by the Turner Machine Company of 35 West Fourteenth street, New York. The principal characteristic of the machine is to be found in the fact that the two dia- metrically placed blades which constitute IRON AGE TuurspAy, AuGustT 18, 1892. pressure, or the medium operating the culty has been experienced in maintaining motor, to force them out through the the gauge at the 29-inch mark. This, carrying hub, in order to present perfect | perhaps, demonstrates more conclusively contact. It may, perhaps, be well tomen-|than any other application the closeness tion what this machine has done s9 far, | of the fit between the fans and the casing. before entering into a detailed description | This vacuum can be maintained at a nor- of its construction. Fig. 1 represents one | ma! speed and is more dependent upon of the machines arranged as a pump, the | the close fit referred to than upon a high supply being furnished by and returned to | speed of revolution. Running as a blower, the barrel shown. The interior dimension |a pressure of 200 pounds of air has been of the casing is 14 inches and the drum 12| obtained with a machine 44 inches in Running as a vacuum pump no diffi- Fig. 1. THE TURNER ROTARY MOTOR ARRANGED AS the four working fans of the motor are made in solid pieces, and neither their length nor their width is altered during operation. Further than this, the hub or true cylinder carrying these blades is mounted eccentrically in relation to the casing in which the blades operate. Never- theless, at each point of the casing all the ends and sides of the fans are in contact with the surface of the casing. It will now be evident that this casing is not a true circle struck from one center, neither is it an ellipse or an oval. The method of scribing this circle will be mentioned in the proper place. Rotary motors, blowers and pumps have for a long time been built with an inner hub mounted eccentrically as regards an inclosing circular case, but the blades, in order that they might form close contact with the circular and side portions of the inches, and width of drum also 12 inches. Since the drum touches the casing at one point this gives a maximum exposure of each fan at each stroke of an area 2 x 12 inches, . The inlet and delivery pipes are each 5 inches inside dimension, and the machine was arranged to be driven by the belt shown, at’a speed of 150 turns per minute. The main idea in showing this is to clearly bring out the fact that a pump weighing only 600 pounds, and running at the rate given, had ample power to completely fill a delivery pipe 5 inches in diameter. A gauge placed on the delivery pipe showed that without contracting the nozzle the pump could be worked to the equivalent of a 50-foot head. The driving pulleys were 24 inches diameter by 6 inches face. The floor space occupied by the pump proper is 24 x 32 inches, and the hight over all 20 inches. A PUMP diameter by 2 inches between the heads running 400 revolutions per minute. Its Construction. Fig. 2 is a section at right angles to the shaft carrying the inner hub, while Fig. 3 shows the method of scribing the casing. Fig. 2 is not presented as showing with great exactitude the construction fol- lowed in actual practice, but is intended to show accurately the principles under- lying this construction and will serve all necessary purposes. The inlet and out- let, whether the machine be run as & pump or motor, are placed at diamet- rically opposite points in the casing. The hub is so mounted that it bears against the casing at the upper part, and in the machine having a diameter of casing of 14 inches the center of the hubis 1 inch to one side of the center of the casing, this ie — cs - os > hme os hs | . ‘A an a oa 2 hz A \) a Be 2 im = Wy Why % - PaRer > 4 a a WE BPSD) THE IRON AGE. August 18, 1892 giving a width of fan of 2 inches. The fans are operative during one-quarter of a revolution, a recess being cut from the main opening down each side to the point marking the ends of the lower quarter of the casing. An extended series of experi- ments showed that with this arrangement the machine could be worked as a water motor or pump without any shake or jar and without the necessity of an air cham- ber. Making the effective working space less than a quadrant means the loss of so much stroke, as we might say, while mak- ing it more than a quadrant lessened the effect by reason of the medium operating, or being operated upon, choking in the recess formed by the fans between the two main openings leading into and out of the casing. We may add that no provision whatever is made for packing either the ends or sides of the blades beyond the in- sertion of astrip of fiber gasket impreg nated with graphite, but simple provision has been made in order that the length of the blades may be increased in order to compensate for wear when it occurs. Referring now to Fig. 3: In laying out the curve of the casing the perfect circle A G (dotted line) B and I is first struck from the center D. Then a rule having the exact length of the diameter A B is mounted so as to,move longitudin- ally on the center C, which is to become the center of the working drum. Then one end of this rule being always kept in Fig. 2.—Section through Cylinder and Drum. is but 4 inch. It should be noted that at the meeting points A B of the two curves there is no abrupt or sudden de- parture from one curve into the other. he change takes place gradually and is so slight as to produce no difficulty whatever in running the machine at what would at first seem to be an excessive velocity. In the 14-inch machine, during the quarter stroke at which the blade projecting from the hub is under greatest pressure and when it would be supposed that it would bind J Fig. 3.—Development of Curve of Cylinder. Fig. 4.— POSITIVE SPRINGLESS ROTARY MOTOR, PUMP contact with a half of the true circle rep-| in the guides formed in the hub and along resented by A I B, and moved along} which it is adapted to slide, and that ex- this semicircle, the other point of the rule will describe the other half of the casing represented by the full line AH B. It will thus be seen that the same diameter revolved about and moving freely (longi- tudinally) on the point C will be in con- tact at both its ends on all points of the new curve AH BI. It will be further observed that although in the drawing we present the distance between the centers C and D as ,', inch, the maximum distance between the curves G and H is less than ,'; inch. In other words, to give this a practical application in a 14-inch ma- chine where the hub center is1 inch from the center of the casing, the difference between the true circle of the casing and its operating curve cessive friction would be set up which would materially interfere with the economical operation of the machine either as a motor or pump; but by reference to Fig. 2 and by the statement that in a 14- inch machine the total distance moved by the blade during its working travel is but the 4 part of an inch to and fro, the blade is compelled to travel but a very slight distance longitudinally, and this distance | being at such a large angle to the blade | itself, the matter of friction 1s of but little moment. Fig. 4 shows the machine arranged as a marine governor, controlling the throttle valve. The motor shown in the center at’ the bottom is driven from the propeller shaft, and is arranged to receive its supply of liquid from the lower portion of a cyl- inder and to deliver into the upper por- tion of the same cylinder. In this cylin- der is 2 piston held in a certain position by the spring indicated, and the upper end of whose rod is connected to the throttling valve, as shown. Through the piston are openings which are so gauged that when the propeller shaft travels at a certain speed the amount of fluid delivered by the motor will pass through the piston with out moving it against the tension of the spring. Should the shaft begin to race the motor would travel quicker, the tend- ency being to take from the under side of the piston and deliver to the upper side more liquid than normal, thereby having a tendency to pull down the piston rod and act to close the steam valve. The device we have described has been used as a motor propelled by liquid and gas, as a vacuum, air and liquid pump and as a water meter, for which purpose it is peculiarly well adapted because of the ex- ceedingly small amount of friction in its parts in contact with each other. —$ —{[——— A Boom in Shipbuilding. A Detroit press dispatch says that the boom in lake shipbuilding, which was never at higher tide than at the present time, has extended to the lake and rail lines. The New York Central (Western , Motor Arranged as a Steam Governor. AND METER. Transit) Railroad Line has closed a con- tract with the Detroit Dry Dock Company for a steel merchandise boat on the same general lines as the Hudson and Harlem, with the exception that she will be about 2 feet longer and 6 inches wider. The contract price for the new steamer is about $222,000. She will be completed at the opening of navigation next spring. The Union Line is quite certain to build two large steel steamers at Buffalo in the com- ing winter. Two immense passenger boats superior to anyching now on the great lakes will be built at the Detroit | Dry Dock Company’s yard the coming winter. They are for the Detroit & Cleve- land Steam Navigation Company, and will go on the route between Detroit and Mack- inac Island. The City of Mackinac and the City of Alpena, the two steamers which August 18, 1892 THE IRON AGE, 277 have been on that run for a number of years, have been sold to a Cleveland syn- dicate. Next spring they will form a line between Cleveland and Buffalo. The price paid for the two boats is reported to be 275,000. EE The Hatch Drop Hammer. W. H. Robertson of 65 South Canal street, Chicago, general sales agent of the Hatch Hammer Company, is introducing an improved drop forging hammer, illus- trated in the accompanying engraving. The drop is raised by two involute cams, keyed to a heavy shaft passing through the anvil and running in large brass boxes. These cams work against rolls turning on the end of brackets attached to the THE HATCH drop and extending through the uprights. The cams run continuously and are covered by cast-iron shields not shown in the en- graving. Placing the foot on the treadle releases the dog holding the drop, and by holding down the treadle the drop continues to rise and fall. By releasing the foot it gives a single blow. When run on short stroke 200 blows per minute can be struck, which makes it desirable for welding thin steel and for other work requiring a quick blow. The stroke is varied by various devices furnished by the makers from 6 to 36 inches. It will be readily understood that the rotary motion of the cams gives a uniform, positive and quick lift, without jerk or strain on the uprights. The drop has square bearings in the up- rights and on the sides, with sufficient surface at top and bottom to insure ac curate working and without too much friction. It is claimed that this form will DROP stand ‘‘side blows” and will not cut or nick and scon break the guides, as is the case with the V-shape in general use. The guides are heavy and have the usual ile adjustment at base and a bind- ing rod at the top, and have greater dis- tance between than usual for die space and bulky work The anvil is made extra heavy and is cored out for the driving shaft and brass boxes. It is claimed that this hammer is very economical on power, and that two 4- inch single belts will perform the work on this hammer. It is made in sizes from 100 to 2000 pounds weight of drop. a The nautical world was startled by the announcement that the single-screw Cu- nard steamship Umbria, which arrived HAMMER. here early Saturday morning, had made the run from Queenstown in less than six days. She now stands peerless among the single-screw speeders. Her time was 5 days 22 hours and 7 minutes. She cov- ered 2780 knots, at an hourly average of 19.56 knots. Her daily runs were: 461, 502, 500, 427, 502, and 388 knots. No other single-screw steamship has made 500 knots a day or more on three days of her voyage, and only a few of the twin-screw fleet have done as well. To ‘‘ break the record’ appears to be one grand object this season among the ocean liners. The City of Paris, Teutonic and Umbria have each made wonderful trips. hh A mining company of pretentious pro- portions has secured articles of incorpora- tion in Illinois. It will be known as the Itasca Iron Company of Chicago, and its authorized capital stock is $5,000,000. Among the persons interested are under- stood to be ex-Governor James E. Camp- bell and Allen W. Thurman of Ohio, Robert J. Dean and William Allan of New York, W. W. Borden and Frank Barrett of St. Paul, together with other capital- ists. The purpose of the projectors of the company is reported to be to acquire con- trol of iron ore properties in Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota now owned by several corporations. The principal office of the company will be in Chicago—with branches at St. Paul, Duluth and New York. RE How Declining Silver Affects Trade. The way the fall in silver may, and un- doubtedly does now, hurt us is indirectly, in the adverse effect it has on the trade of our largest customer, England. A finan- cial writer says: We sell the bulk of our immense cotton crop to the manufacturers of the North of England, who sell the finished fabrics to India. The trade of India has been seriously disturbed by the fall in silver, and its ability to buy has been greatly curtailed. Diminish the power of your customer to buy, and you must either sell him less goods or the same amount at a diminished price. In practice, trade generally adjusts itself by dividing the two, part of the loss being on the bulk and part on the price. The English manufact- urer, having this loss on the marketing of his products, cannot take as much raw cotton from us as he did before, or must take it at a less price. So the cotton planter here is adversely affected. Nor is he alone in this. The manufacturing population of the North of England are immense consumers of our food products. Their wages and their hours of work have been reduced, and consequently their ability to buy those food products. Here is one of the principal causes of the low price of wheat. Our surplus wheat is marketed at Liverpool, and the price of the surplus is the price for the whole crop. So not only the Southern planter, but the Northern farmer, is hurt. Though our cot- ton exports in July were larger than in the same month last year, we may imagine that exports during the last half of the year will show a falling off, because there are so few exchange bills being made against future shipments. Three of the largest cotton houses report that they have drawn bills against cotton shipments for October, November and December to the extent of only 10 per cent. of the amount they had drawn at this time last year. This may help us to understand why it is that commercial bills are so scarce in the market that gold is still dribbling out. — SE The Pacific Mail Company’s new steamer Peru, just completed in California, on her trial trip, 3d inst., maintained a speed of 14.96 knots per hour, at least equaling that of her consort lately built on the Delaware. Pedro G. Salom is an earnest champion of the storage battery system of street railway propulsion. Ina lecture delivered before the Franklin Institute in June Mr. Salom, who is widely known in the iron trade, accounts for the delay in introduc- ing storage batteries by the intense patent litigation on the subject during the last five years. He cites a record at the Citizens’ Passenger Railway in Indianapolis show- ing that a single set of 108 accumulators made over 6000 car miles. On the basis of this achievement he places the cost at 3.85 cents per car mile. He urges that there are no insurmountable difficulties connected with the storage system beyond the fact that it costs a few cents more per car mile than the trolley, and holds that the demand for its introduction will be irresistible when she disadvantages to the public of the trolley system are taken into account. ;_ SN “SY . a>- - ee or, wa” I SE 1) RR Tey » Of Mima - ~~ YH}; “ » > 2 278 THE IRON AGE. August 18, 1892 ’ yond this, and an attempt was at that time SEABURY'S BREECH MECHANISM FOR | made to adapt the rapid-fire system to 6- RAPID-FIRE ARTILLERY. | inch guns and others capable of attacking armored structures. This ambitious idea received a serious Some ten years ago ordnance experts in| check, however, when the weight of the France, Germany and elsewhere on the ammunition became too great for success- Continent were impressed with the necessity | ful manipulation without the aid of me- for an increase in the caliber of rapid-fire | chanical devices. Just so soon as the artillery in order that projectiles of sufti- | projectile and powder must each be in a cient power to penetrate the sides of the|separate package the time element is newer types of torpedo boats might be/| seriously attacked, as the number of mo discharged in a continuous stream at those | tions required to load are doubled, and swiftly moving vessels. In order to carry|the few additional seconds lost are just out this idea they advertised for a 3-| sufficient to take from the system its great pounder gun that was to have projectile Fig. 2.—End Elevation THE SEABURY and powder charge formed in a single car- | tridge and that would require but three | men to load, train and fire. It was also | to be able to fire 12 aimed shots per| minute, particular stress being placed on | the matter of aimed shots, the capacity of | the gun for actual rapidity of fire being considerably in excess of that rate. The outcome of these efforts were the | Nordenfeldt and the Hotchkiss types, one | or the other of which may be found in| vessels belonging to nearly every one of | the great European powers, Germany with her Krupp system being the most prom. | inent exception. For some time it was considered that a projectile weighing 6 pounds had suffi- cient power to pierce the hulls of the torpedo boats, and for two or three years that limit was not exceeded. It was not very long, however, before gunmakers and breech-mechanism inventors aspired be- Fig. 1.—Seabury 6-Pounder R.-F. essential of rapidity. Gun BREECH For our own navy we are making guns of 4-inch caliber, which are powerful enough tu pierce the sides of an unarmored cruiser, and which can be fired almost 20 times perminute. Experiments abroad with guns of a little less than 5-inch caliber show that a target 6 feet square /can be hit five times in 31 seconds with a 45-pound shot, which when it leaves the muzzle of the gun travels at the rate of 2356 feet per second, and goes with force enough to penetrate 104 inches of wrought iron. The great advantage of the rapid-fire system is due solely to details of breech mechanism and ammunition. We are fort- unate in this country in possessing the requisite plant for making metallic ammu- nition, which in its finish and general make up places us easily ahead of the rest of the world. Smokeless powders will soon contribute their share toward increas- MECHANISM FOR RAPID-FIRING ing the power of the charge while dimin- ishing its weight. What remains to be done, therefore, is to modify the mechan- ism about the breech so that there will be greater simplicity of parts with lessening of weight, while the strength is increased and the guarantee of safety from accident is assured It is beyond question that the condition of combat between ships and forts is defi- nitely changed by the advent of these guns. Even armored vessels with covered batteries are at a disadvantage, as a hail of missiles will seek the gun ports and conning towers wherever an enemy, from the nature of circumstances, takes close Fig. 4.—Side Elevation. Fig. 3.—Plan. GUNS. quarters. Experiment has also demon- strated that the extreme length of the guns forming the main battery of a war ship offers a most excellent target for the projectiles of the rapid fire guns. This system, which is now so important an adjunct to the armament of a fighting ship, is generally spoken of as the vessel’s secondary battery. The first order received for a weapon of this kind came from ‘he United States, and the guns now mounied aboard the cruisers Chicago, Boston, At- lanta and Dolphin were delivered under it. Three calibers were obtained, the 6, 3 and 1 pounder, as they are known in the United States, their usual names in coun- tries using the metricsystem being the 57, 47 and 37 mm. gun. The growth of the rapid-fire gun has been remarkable, and we find it has become almost the universal practice to reduce the caliber of the guns in the primary battery August 18, 1892 THE IRON AGE. 279 of the vessels, while the secondary batteries are rapidly increasing. Smaller guns against unarmored cruisers do their work equally well, if not better, for the greater intensity of fire secured by the certain action of a large number of easily handled small-caliber guns is surely more valuable than any probable advantage which might be derived from heavier projectiles fired under conditions that make their effective- ness doubtful. The qualities of these guns will be fully brought into play when there is no delay between fires beyond that actually neces sary for aiming. The degree of rapidity of fire possible with this system is now sufficiently great to satisfy the most exact- ing artillerist, but this rapidity can only be obtained when the supply of ammuni- tion is rapid and continuous, and the pro- pellant used does not give off sufficient smoke to obscure the target. These two factors are absolutely essential to a maxi- mum rapidity of fire. In the armor-piercing caliber of rapid. fire guns in use abroad, such as the Canet and Armstrong, the high velocities ob- tained with smokeless powder charges give such flat trajectories that point-blank aiming is possible up to very long ranges, a decided advantage in opposing torpedo- | withdrawal until it is entirely outside the boat attacks, as the more direct and more Fig. 5.—End Elevation. THE rapid the gun fire the greater the possibility of hitting. The increasing demand for guns of the quick-fire type and the declared intention of Congress to have every feature and por- tion of the equipment of the new naval vessels of domestic manufacture, have in- duced ordnance experts and inventors in this country to look carefully and critically into the matter with a view of improving upon existing types. The result has been that they have evolved mechanism that is more practical and that can be more quickly worked than any in use abroad. One of the newest types is that invented by Lieut. Samuel Seabury of the United States Navy, and it is considered to an- swer most satisfactorily the requirements of combining simplicity and lightness with safety and rapidity. It is on the inter- rupted screw principle and can be applied to any gun the breech plug of which is operated by manual power. A great deal of time is saved by this system in opening and closing the breech block, as but a single movement of a lever arm is neces- sary. The great advocate of the wedge system for closing the breech of guns has been Krupp, whose gun system is in use in Ger- many, and who has supplied various other countries with weapons of his make. When converting some of our army guns from muzzle loaders to breech loaders this same general system was adopted ; but the navy preferred the French slotted- crew method; and in designing his SEABURY mechanism Lieutenant Seabury followed the same idea The slotted screw, as the breech-closing block is called which has alternate lands and grooves, three or four of each, admits of agreater length of bore to the gun than do any of the systems which have a hole cut through the side of the breech for the insertion of breech wedge. This is a very decided advantage, as it admits of greater power being obtained, besides which the mechanical work of cutting the screw box from the rear is simpler than cutting through the sides, and the gun, in con sequence, is much less weakened. The idea of the inventor is to shorten as much as possible the time necessary to remove | this breech block from its seat in the gun, to admit of the insertion of the projectile and powder both in the one inclosure like ammunition for a shoulder rifle, to close it after the ammunition is in, to lock it and fire without running any risks from pre- mature explosions. All of this with due regard for both lightness and strength of the parts. In such a gun there have heretofore been three movements necessary to open the breech, namely: 1, turning of the breech block to a position in which it can be withdrawn directly to the rear; 2, its BREECH MECHANISM breech face of the gun and resting upon a carrier or tray, which is hinged to one side of the breech, and, 3, the swinging aside of the carrier with the block in it until there is space sufficient for the in- sertion of the ammunition. All three of wbich movements must be reversed in order to close the breech. It has been the principal object of the inventor to accomplish this opening and closing in a more simple manner than has ever before been done. He has suc- ceeded in effecting all of these movements in proper succession by the continuous action of a single lever, which lever is em- ployed to effect the cocking of the firing pin used for the ignition of the charge and the operation of the cartridge shell ex- tractor in guns using fixed ammunition. In the smaller gun the operations are generally the same, being as follows: If we suppose the gun to have been fired and that the breech block is still closed, all that has to be done for perform- ing the several operations is to puli back the lever, the handle of which is just clear of the left side of the breech of the gun. During the first part of the rearward movement of this lever it works the plug around to the left until its threads and those of the screw box are clear of each other, and the plug is in a position for withdrawal. At the same time it draws back the firing pin to the position to be caught by the gear, the unscrewing of the block at the same time starting the car- tridge shell. FOR RAPID-FIRING The latter is accomplished in this way: The cartridge-shell extractor consists of a slide, which works back and forth in a guide in one side of the cavity which re- ceives the breech block. The extractor is provided with a flange which engages with a corresponding flange on the front of the breech block for the purpose of starting the cartridge shell by the slight backward movement given to the block by unscrew- ing it, the flange of the block being slightly cut away to allow it to escape from the extractor flange as the unscrewing of the block is completed, and to permit the block to move back without taking the extractor with it. The curved slot in which the iever works is so designed that the lever operates most effectively to turn the breech block in be- ginning to unscrew it and in completing the operation of closing it up. Moreover, in firing the gun there is a tendency to turn the breech block. This tendency is resisted normally by the lever, which serves as an abutment. In this resistance the lever is sustained in part by the long support which is provided for it on the fulcrum pin, and in part by engaging with the breech in a notch provided in the latter to receive it. The continued movement of the lever withdraws the breech block from the gun, Fig. 6.—Side Elevation. GUNS. Just before this withdrawal is completed the wedge-like portion of the block acts upon a lever which draws in a latch bolt and unlocks the carrier in which the breech block rests, and allows it and the block to swing around to the right until the base of the old cartridge shell in the gun is clearly exposed. The still further movement of the lever works the extractor lever, pulls back the extractor, and with it the empty cartridge shell. It must be clearly understood that the movement of the lever is not intermit- ted between the several operations above described, but is continuous. The car- tridge shell having been removed and a new charge having been inserted into the chamber of the gun, the lever is returned to the locking position. During the first part of this return move- ment a spring* works against the extractor and returns it to its seat, and as by the continued movement of the lever the car- rier passes into the cavity of the breech, it works the latch bolt until it liberates the breech block and allows it to move for- ward, while the latch bolt springs into the notch that is cut for it in the breech and so locks the carrier. The arrangemert is such that the firing cannot take place until the lever has entered a notch in the breech and the block has been securely locked, for should the firing pin be accidentally let off while *This spring is only required to carry the extractor plate sufficiently toward its seat to clear the carrier ring on its return. ' = eg 280 THE IRON AGE. August 18, 1892 the lever is not locked, the crosshead of the pin would strike the lever and the pin would be arrested with its point short of the cartridge priming. There is only one other system existing tor handling the breech blocks of the larger calibered rapid-fire guns in one motion— that of Canet in France. Even in this method, however, there does not exist the simplicity that is found in the Seabury system, for strictly speaking there is a combination of three separate motions, as the Canet lever works upon three distinct centers in opening or closing. In the Seabury extractor there is also a great advantage over other rapid-fire sys- tems, the sliding plate being far more re- liable in its action than the spring locks at the sides of the cartridge cases. The rapid rearward motion given by the action of the mechanism in opening against the short arm of the extractor lever serves to throw the cartridge to the rear as effect- ively as in the smaller calibers of rapid- firing guns. One of the most objectionable features of rapid fire mechanism is the larger num- ber of parts of which it is usually com- posed. These add greatly to the expense and to the difficulties of manufacture. It has been the aim of the inventor of the Seabury mechanism to make a reduction in the number of parts wherever possible, until he has now succeeded in reducing the number below that of any other sys- tem, while at the same time he has greatly lessened the time required in their manipu- lation and has so distributed the power as to best meet resistance whenever required. The lever swing is less than 180° in opening and closing, and, as has been said, there is absolutely but one motion, and that in as small a compass as is possible. The lever and the slotted cam plate are absolutely the only working parts required to operate the block. The chief point in which the two sys- tems differ is found in the means of com- municating the power of the lever to the motions of the block. The smaller sys- tem we have already described; in the larger it has been found necessary to intro- duce an additional piece to secure the strength and ease of manipulation within a small compass. This additional piece consists of what is technically known as a slotted cam piece. This piece has two slots, one of the slots is for the reception of the main pivot to which the lever is rigidly attached, while the other receives a steel guiding pin which is also rigidly attached to the lever and serves to convert the curvilinear movement of the lever into the combination movement required for opening and closing the breechlock. The coupling connection between this cam piece and the breech block is made to serve as a means for cocking the firing pin. It also prevents the firing pin from accidentally reaching the priming and cartridge until after the block has been locked. This mechanism has a triple security against accidental firing : 1. In the means above referred to. 2. Because the trigger does not come in contact with the seat until the block is fully locked, the trigger being on the body of the gun and the sear slotted in the rear surface of the block. 3. Because of a safety latch which engages the sear to lock immediately after the lat- ter has made its connection with the firing pin after cocking and is only removed from the safety position when the block is locked .by an independent part of the mechanism. The heavier calibers may be supplied either with the carrier rig, similar to that for the smaller guns already described, or may have the block borne to one side by a tray hinged to the breech. As arule this confining the entire motion of opening and closing the breech lock to one pivot has been a distinguishing feature of this mechanism. In this last improvement for guns of larger caliber, the angular move- ment of the lever has been reduced to less than 180°, working entirely on a sin- gle pivot. Probably the most important feature of this mechanism is that it requires no lever- locking device whatever, the reason being that when the mechanism is closed, its two operating pins (the main pivot and the working pin in the cam) are in line, hence there is no tendency to rotation. Not only is there a smaller total number of pieces in the make up of this mechan- ism than is found in that of other systems, but the parts employed occupy less space both within and without the breech in- closure, and there are fewer of them out- side the breech when the block is closed than in any other system. In previous forms of the Seabury mech- anism the ordinary well-known tray latch for holding the breech block in its position on the tray, when the breech of the gun was open, was adhered to, but experience has proved that this method was not sufliciently to be relied upon to hold the block during rapid handling. The improved form of latch embodied in the most recent design provides a resisting surface at right angles to the motion of the breech block when about to be pushed into its seat in the gun, and this resistance is only done away with at the proper instant for the block to pass over. In almost all the mechanism for rapid-fire guns the application has been largely re- stricted to the smaller calibers, but, as has been said, the Seabury system contem- plates covering a larger field, and one of its great points of usefulness is found in the methods employed for obtaining more rapid and satisfactory work with the large- calibred guns. This mechanism offers a wide scope for application to field guns which do not necessarily use fixed ammunition. In fit- ting the Seabury system to this class of artillery it simply requires the fitting of a cam piece to the breech block as it exists, with no change of gas check. The same carrier ring and its connections with the gun would also be available, the only other addition being a lever so pivoted on the carrier ring as to operate the cam piece to open or close. In the larger of the two systems pre- sented the breech block is operated both to lock and unlock, to enter and to with- draw, by the single curvilinear movement of a horizontal lever, which transmits its power, through a pin rigidly secured to it, to a cam piece, which is in turn coupled to the block. This cam piece is constrained to move across the face of breeeh to lock or un- lock by its coupling to the breech block at one end and bya slot through which the lever pivot passes at the other end. In entering or withdrawing the block the cam piece is acted upon by the same pin on the lever which serves to lock or unlock. The coupling piece securing the cam to the block is made to serve as a means for withdrawing the firing pin for cocking. The extractor plate, which is recessed in the gun below the lower blank in the screw box, is worked by a lever which re- ceives its movement to the rear from a projection on the tray when swung aside after opening the breech. Supposing the gun to have been dis- charged, to open the breech pull the lever around to the right about 180°. The first part of the movement (which is continu- ous, unbroken, and from the same pivot) unlocks the breech block and cocks the firing pin, at the same time moving the sear away from the trigger and causing a safety latch to engage the sear to lock it. The block in unlocking also starts the extractor plate to the rear. The second part of the movement pulls the block back into the tray and unlatches the latter from the gun. The third part swings the mechanism around to the right and rear to leave the bore clear for load- ing, and at the end of the movement pulls back the extractor plate to eject the empty cartridge case. rh — The Corning Steel Company. The new sheet mills of the Corning Steel Company, now in course of erection at Hammond, Ind., are expected to be in operation early in September. The com- pany are erecting a very fine plant. The principal building is 300 feet x 160 feet, with a boiler house 200 x 60 feet ad- joining it at one side, which will also be used as a dynamo room, smith shop, &c. The main building is of peculiar con- struction. The walls are of heavy brick work, pierced with numerous doors on all sides, giving an excellent circulation of airin the summer. With the exception of a row of posts down each side, about 16 feet from the walls, the whole interior is free from all obstructions. The roof is broken by a line of vertical windows half way from the eaves to the ridge, and there is also afull deck extending the whole length of the top, which together light up the interior most effectively. The floor of the entire mill is elevated and is on a level with the floor of a freight car. Tracks extend along the sides of the building, giving excellent shipping facilities. There are no stationary cranes for changing rolls or doing other heavy work, but tracks have been laid through the mill wherever needed, with turntables at intervals, over which a locomotive crane with a 16-foot swing will run. These tracks will be covered with cast-iron plates when not in use, making a perfectly smooth mill floor. Steam will be supplied by a 1500 horse- power Stirling boiler to the rolling mill engines, which are 30 x 60 inches, built by the Boss Foundry & Machine Works of Fort Wayne, Ind. The engines will oper- ate light sheet mills and one three-high bar mill, built by the Lloyd Booth Com- pany of Youngstown, Ohio. The capacity of the works is rated at 100 tons per day of sheets running from No. 30 gauge to & inch thick, inclusive. The entire product will be steel, no provision being made for the manufacture of iron. The plans con- template in due time the erection of two 20-ton open-hearth steel furnaces, but for the present the works will be operated on steel specially made for them by outside steel works. The main office of the company is in rooms 418 to 420, Phenix Building, Chi- cago. Franklin T. Corning is president, Charles 8. Corning secretary and treasurer and Ambrose Beard is superintendent. Mr. Beard was formerly connected with the Cambridge Iron & Steel Company of Cam- bridge, Ohio, and under his management the plant attained its great success in the manufacture of sheets. He is a son of George Beard of Gartcosh, near Glasgow, Scotland, a very successful sheet mill manager, whom many of our readers may remember as among the visitors to this country with the Iron and Steel Institute in 1890. Rm The illusory character of estimates and contracts in great engineering enterprises has seldom been more strikingly illustrated than in the case of the Manchester Ship Canal. The London Times says that when that undertaking was originally sanctioned by act of Parliament, just seven years ago, the cost of constructing the waterway and incidental works was computed to be £5,- 750,000, which with expenditures for other purposes brought up a total of nearly £8,- 500,000, and the latter calculation in- creases these figures to nearly or quite £14,000, 000, August 18, 1892 Ridgway Steam-Hydraulie Crane. Within the past few years a style of crane which has met with much favor and become very popular is the Ridgway | ‘*steam-hydraulic.” A large number are now in use in the principal iron and steel | works, and consequently are more or less | familiar to many of our readers. The usual style of the Ridgway crane is that in which the lifting cylinder and the | jib are hung from chains and balance each | other about the pivot of the crane. This, ' Fig. 1.—Section of Five-Ton Crane. THE RIDGWAY STEAM-HYDRAULIC CRANE. however, is by no means the only style of Ridgway cranes, as the ‘‘ steam-hydraulic ” principle of this firm is applied to all types of cranes and elevators. We show in the accompanying cuts the steam-hydraulic as applied to the usual type of high-pressure hydraulic crane. The crane shown, while designed particularly for the steam-hydraulic system, is found to THE IRON AGE. to the jib. Between these two plates is a nest of polished steel balls, as shown at M, Fig. 2. Upon these balls rests the whole load carried by the crane, and upon them the crane principally turns. No downward stress comes on the mast save that of its own dead weight. There is, however, a side pressure due to the overhang. These stresses are taken upon a larger nest of 3- inch balls, which are shown at B in Fig. 2. These balls turn in steel rings. The result of this arrangement is an easy turning crane, and the still further important ad-| 281 SE filled with greasy waste, so that they are self-oiling and need oiling only once a year. The trolley wheels are furnished with steel anti-friction rollers without cages, and so move with ease and require no oiling. From the bottom of the lifting cylinder La 4-inch pipe is run to the bottom of another cylinder, W. This second cylinder is called the water cylinder and may be set anywhere either in or above ground, and any distance from the crane. When it is desired to operate a number of cranes from a common pulpit the water cylinders are grouped together and the pulpit is made | on the flat tops of them. To operate the crane, water is placed in the cylinder W to within 1 foot of the top. Above the water there will thus be a large body of air. On top of the cylinder is an ordinary plain D slide valve, which is attached to the steam supply. To lift the crane steam is admitted to the water cylinder and passes in on top of the air. The air, being twice as heavy as the steam, keeps its position next to the water, and being a good non conductor of heat, the condensation of the steam by the cold water is prevented, and the water at once possess so many valuable features in con- | vantage is obtained of having these vital | takes the same pressure as the steam and struction that it is also used on high-! parts of a crane at all times under eye and | flows to the lifting cylinder, where it pressure systems. Fig 1 is a view, partly in section, of a5- ton steam-bydraulic crane, and Figs. 2 and 3 are enlarged sectional views, showing some of the important details. L is the lifting cylinder, which is set in between the two beams of the mast and rests in a seat turned for it on the bed plate. This cylinder is supplied with a suitable piston and carries on the latter a rod, which isa piece of 6-inch ordinary rough pipe. Upon the upper end of this pipe is a casting, which holds a hardened steel plate. A similar plate is carried by acasting fastened | at hand, so that the crane does not have to | forces up the piston and raises the load. | be taken to pieces to examine them. | To lower the crane the steam is exhausted, In this crane a notable improvement has | and the pressure being relieved, the water been made in the manner of mounting the | flows back to the water cylinder again. wheels that travel on the mast. In most hydraulic cranes the axles are fixed and the wheels turn loosely on them. In a short time, when slightly worn, the wheels refuse to turn and go sliding up and down the mast with a great waste of power and rapid destruction of both wheels and mast. In this crane the wheels are firmly keyed to heavy steel shafts, and these turn in brass bushings, having oil chambers The same water is used over and over in- definitely. This is what has now become known as the Ridgway steam-hydraulic system, and its whole success depends upon the simple matter of interposing a body of air between the steam and water, the patent of W. H. Ridgway & Son, Coatesville, Pa. As these cranes use the ordinary steam pressures of 60 to 100 pounds, the lifting ta F iad t Pa lap gis rary arr FF a Te 4B? mm % Ra) Perr we 282 THE IRON AGE. August 18, 1892 Imperial German Commissioner, were here last September, they laid the greatest stress on the proper adjustment of this matter. At that time the railroads could scarcely be induced to do anything. Mr. Jaycox, together with Commissioner V. D. Groner, chairman of the Committee on Tariffs and Transportation of the National Commission, has since then induced the railroads to make no charge for the trans- fer of exhibits from steamer to rail at the port of entry in the United States. How- ever, on exhibits returned to the seaboard free there will be the usual charge of 5 cents for transfer from rail to steamer. Lastly, the railroads have agreed to make no charge for brokerage fees, and the Treasury Department will both hurry along consignments and aid in other ways their prompt delivery at the exposition grounds. cylinders have to be larger in diameter as compared with hydraulic, and so a piston is found desirable rather than aram. The piston is easily accessible for packing, and as the pressure is low, does not need pack- ing oftener than once a year; which is in striking contrast to high-pressure bydrau- lic, which require packing once a week and oftener. As compared with the ordinary hydrau- lic system the steam-hydraulic is said to possess many advantages. All pumps and accumulator are unnecessary, and their cost and maintenance is saved. There is no trouble in keeping up packings, and all the trouble with valves is saved, All danger of freezing is avoided even in the coldest places. They are smooth and easy in action, and free from all shocks and jars, owing to the fact of having both elas- tic air and steam behind the water. They are economical in the use of steam, as when empty crane or light load is lifted the steam works expansively, with other minor advantages. This provoked some little discussion, which finally resulted in a reference of the resolution to the Finance Committee. It was also decided to refer all communica- tions containing offers for these coins to the same committee, and request it to bring in a report as to the best method of disposing of them at a profit. The Electric Fountains, Two electric fountains are to be con- structed at Jackson Park, compared to either of which the one in Lincoln Park will sink into insignificance. A bid for the construction of these fountains was offered the Grounds and Buildings Com- mittee last week by Lieutenant Spencer of the Edison General Electric Company. This bid, which was about $48,000 for the two fountains, was referred to Chief of Construction Burnham. The fountains will be located east of the Administration Building, one on each side of the larger fountain at the west end of the basin. They will be much larger and much more beautiful than those at the re- cent Paris Exposition. To supply them with water there will be a 24-inch main for each and a pressure of 100 pounds to the square inch will be supplied. This will force the water 175 feet into the air. The jets will be in thfee rows and will number several hundred. Some time ago it was thought that it would be necessary to give up the idea of having electric fountains. The English companies that have heretofore built them seemed to be banded together to extort an unreasonable price from the exposition. Just as it was decided that it would be necessary to give up the fountains L. Steiringer, consulting engineer, volun- teered to draw plans. His offer was ac- cepted, and within six weeks he had com- pleted his work. Then the Edison people took it up, and made their bid. They propose to construct and operate the fountains, furnishing the workmen, for the price given above. As the English builders demanded $100,000 for the mere construction work, the Edison bid seems to be quite reasonable. The foundation work will be done this fall, but the pipes will not be put in until next March. The test will be made in April, and every night after May 1 the fountains will play, blend- ing their colors in every possible manner for the benefit of Chicago’s guests, The Congressional Appropriation. An unexpected turn has taken place in financial matters connccted with the fair. The managers now are quite confident that they will realize the full $5,000,000 ex- pected from Congress. The appropri- ation of $2,500,000, it will be remem- bered, is to be paid over in silver tokens, of a special design, of the legal value of a half dollar. It is expected that these can be sold as souvenirs at not less than $1 each. The managers have already received offers from responsible parties of $5,000, - 000 for the entire issue, but there is ob jection against putting them in the hands of speculators. Bids have been made up to $250 for the first souvenir coined, $25 for the 1492d