The Iron Age 1892-12-15: Vol 50

‘THE The Webber Side Self-Dumping Car. The accompanying engravings show very clearly the principal features of a side self-dumping car built by the Trenton Iron Company of Trenton, N. J. The car was designed by 8S. 8S. Webber of the above company, by whom patents have been applied for. The capacity of the car is 2800 pounds of coal, the gauge of the track is 30 inches, and the weight of the car empty is 2000 pounds. of these cars have been built for other parties. I — Weight in Marine Engines. Commodore Melville discusses the weight of marine engines as follows in his annual | I am glad to be able to report that we are |8 feet of coke at a white heat. A number | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 15, 1892. selves, but the foundation upon which it rests is necessarily yielding and unstable, facts that subject the various parts to many variable and severe strains. A rod or bolt which in a bridge will resist a cer- tain load with absolute safety would, if in- | troduced into a marine engine to bear an exactly similar load statically considered, have to be considerably strengthened by weight. TT | Melville on Steel Castings. Commodore Melville, in his annual re- port just issued, makes the following refer- | ence to steel castings: | In regard to the matter of steel castings, increasing its size and consequently its | IRON AGE |® heavier pressure than any of the wells ever struck in that region. Drilling oper- jations are being pushed vigorously and | Several other wells are expected to be | brought in within a few weeks. EI A Fuel-Gas Plant Tested. Advices from Greensburgh, Pa., state |that a successful test of a new fuel gas | plant built by the Greensburgh Natural | Gas Company, at Greensburgh, was made | last week. The process is known as the | Askin method, and is the invention of Jos. | Askin, a former oil producer in the Lima, | Ohio, field. In manufacturing fuel gas by this process a water gas was generated by | passing superheated steam through 6 and The car- report: The general use of steel forgings'now having less trouble in obtaining 'bon which was added was obtained by and castings for the important parts of a marine engine in place of the heavy iron forgings and castings formerly used, the | abandonment of the old cast-iron, box- shaped condensers, the adoption of hollow shafting, and many other improvements have all contributed toward lightening our machinery, but there is a limit beyond which it is not prudent to go, even with greatly improved material ; and it is surely better to carry the necessary weight in the engines than to be constantly called upon to repair serious breakdowns, not to men- tion the risk of a dreadful calamity, in- volving loss of life and property of enor- mous value. Another thing to be borne in mind is the fact tbat we cannot approach as close to the limit of strength in marine engine design as is possible in designing structures on shore. A steel bridge and a marine engine may have to resist the same load or bear the same work, but the factor of safety used in proportioning the parts of the statical structure would be much too small in designing the engine, because the work of the latter is done under very different conditions. Not only are the parts of the enginein active motion them- Ra be THE WEBBER SIDE¥SELF-DUMPING CAR, | them, showing that considerable experience has been gained and progress made in this art since we first began trying to get such work done for our new engines. That there is still considerable room for im- provement in the art of making steel castings is shown by the following experi- ence. The bureau recently sent two de signs for engine columns—one a modified form of box girder, the other a form of I beam—to four of the most promi- nent steel casting establishments in the country, asking which of the two forms was regarded as the simpler to cast. One firm reported that it could cast either without difficulty; another said that it could cast the I-beam, but that the girder was impossible; the third firm of- fered to make the girder but not the I- beam, saying that the latter was a form that no one could make, while the fourth establishment claimed that both forms were impossible to cast in steel. —— The Pennsylvania Natural Gas Company of Pittsburgh brought in a gas well at Eliza- beth, Pa., last week which is said to show spraying hot oil on fire brick at a white heat. The two gsses are fixed and become thoroughly mixed by passing them over a large surface of fire brick at a great heat, the brick being ingeniously arranged over and close to the coke fires. The two hot gases were next passed through a water seal and a series of scrub- bers and into the gasometers, or, as Mr. Askin called them, ‘‘ gas holders,” per- fectly cold and ready for use. Mr. Askin employed two sets of generators, which he used alternately for about 30 minutes at a time. The coke fires were replenished and rebeated when not used. The oil used was the McDonald product. Mr. Askin ex- plained that to produce a light of 12 candle-power he would use 25 pounds of coke and 2 gallons of oil, and for an 18 candle-power gas he would add 1 gallon of oil. To obtain a light of 22 candle- power intensity Mr. Askin stated he would use an extra gallon of oil to the quantity burned when he produced the 18 candle- power light. As the tar in McDonald oil is less than 5 per cent. it may be seen that but little waste of materiel is expended by the Askin method. mike | e a re” ——s — =. ee ——_ ale ae ia ach. % a st al + oem AY a \ 543 x a 1152 THE [RON AGE. December 15, 1892 WORLD'S FAIR NOTES. Contract Signed for a Tower. On November 22 the Phenix Bridge Company of Philadelphia signed a con- tract with a corporation known as the World’s Fair Tower Company for the erec- tion of a steel tower 560 feet high and 210 feet in diameter. The location of the tower will be inside the fair grounds inclosure, on the Midway Plaisance, not far from the Woman’s Building. De- liveries of material on the contract are to begin this month, and the entire work is to be completed by April 1, 1893. The project has been under contemplation for some time, but it has been delayed by concessions made to other parties for simi- lar purposes, on which the prescribed time had first to be permitted to expire. The capital stock of the company is placed at $2,000,000. Wm. Hampden Johnstone of Philadelphia is president, Charles P. Platt is secretary, Charles L. Eaton is trustee for subscribers to stock, and Karl L. Lebman is engineer in charge of construction. The office of the com- pany is in Portland Block, Chicago. An illustration of the tower is herewith presented. The type of construction is original with Mr. Lehman, by whom the design has been patented. Standard shapes of structural material will be used exclusively. The tower will rest directly on 2000 piles, with no masonry interven- ing. The structure will be anchored securely to the piles, the absence of ma- sonry enabling the anchors to be easily in- spected, so as to guard against weakness in case of rust. An inclined railway will extend from the bottom to the top of the tower on the outside, which will beof truss construction, and will add to the strength of the structure, bracing it against wind storms. The inclined railway will also be used from the start to support a trav- eler designed and patented by Mr. Leh- man, which will be used for elevating and placing construction material. The adop- tion of standard shapes and the use of the traveler in this way will make the erection of the tower possible in the short time specified. The diagonal braces seen in the cut, which are used to stiffen the struct- ure, have been the subject of a very labori- ous investigation in order to secure the requisite number and yet avoid a super- fluity. Tie railway is placed on the out- side of the tower to enabie passengers to have a clear view of the surroundings. The grade is a little less than 8 per cent., the track isa mile in length from bottom to top, and nine complete turns are taken in the ascent. An observatory is located at the top. The quantity of material to be used is from 3000 to 3500 tons of structural iron and steel, 200 tons of ornamental iron and 500,000 feet of lumber. The lumber will be used mainly in the construction of arestaurant to occupy the ground space. For a portion of the ascent hanging gar- dens will be arranged along the railway. Contracts are now about being closed with the General Electric Company for the electric equipment. The cars, designed by Mr. Lehman, will be propelled by elec- tricity in trains of five and a motor. Each car will hold ten persons. Ninety trains are expected to be in continuous operation, half of them ascending and half descend. ing. The power station will be located outside the grouncs. It is estimated that 10,000 lights, principally incandescent, will be required to properly illumi nate the tower. A _ Siemens-Halske search-light of great power will be placed on the top. It is the intention of the company to make the tower a per- manent institution and not merely a feature of the fair. The Committee on Awards, A special meeting of the Committee on Awards is being held this week, having been called together on the 13th. This committee is now the most important one of the National Commission. Unfortu- nately, its members have done nothing more than hold inconsequential meetings. As a result the entire matter of granting premiums has been in abeyance so long that quick and imperative action is de- manded., Some idea of the importance of the work devolving upon the committee may be gathered from the action of the last Congress, which appropriated $103,000 for striking off 50,000 bronze medals and 50,000 diplomas to be awarded to exhibit- ors. How to distribute these medals and diplomas is the problem now before Di- rector-General Davis and the exposition management. It is conceded that the judges or jurymen, by whatever term they may be known, must be selected from both the United States and foreign countries. The time is regarded as none too long for securing foreign judges, and there is little time to waste in selecting Americans to serve, Just here a wide difference of opinion prevails among members of the committee as to the system which should be adopted in the appointment of persons to make awards. Commissioner John Boyd Thacher of New York is an influential member of the Committee on Awards. In his opinion ex- perts should be appointed to pass on all ex- hibits of a similar character. Othermem- bers of the committee think that instead of an expert judge thereshould be a jury. Director-General Davis favors the jury rather than the individual expert judge system, and he has so recommended. He says it will cost considerable more money to have juries instead of experts. The general idea is that $700,000 will be necessary to cover the expenses of the jurymen. At the Philadelphia Centennial there were 250 jurymen. One-half of the num- ber were American and the other half foreigners. The American judges received $600 for their services and the foreigners $1C00 each, making an outlay of $200,000. The Chicago Exposition will be much larger than the Centennial and a greater expenditure is necessarily contemplated in making awards. Director General Davis estimates the number of jurymen at 659. He thinks, however, that these jurors, outside of the live stock judges, should be paid $6 per day for every day, not exceeding 40, in which the juryman is employed in the work of examining exhibits, preparing re- ports, and sitting with the jury in con- sidering the same. The idea of the Director-General in limiting the expense of the jury is indicated in his expression of belief that honor should count rather than pecuniary benefit. Commissioner Williams has been busy for two weeks securing from the chiefs of departments the names and the post office addresses of intending exhibitors at the fair. Mr. Williams is taking this pre- caution in order to prevent any exhibitor being chosen for a juryman. When the Committee on Awards is fortified with the addresses of exhibitors, it will be ina position to reject any of their names in case they should be proposed for judges. After the meeting of the committee President Palmer will make up an esti- mate of the expense attending the employ- ment of jurymen and send it to President Harrison, with the request that it be rec- ommended to Congress for an adequate appropriation, One Building Soon to be Opened, The Horticultural Building will be for- mally opened asa winter garden December 20. The finest plants that have been re- ceived are now being installed, and the great glass building is already a bower of beauty and fragrance within. Under the immense crystal dome, that is to many the most striking feature at Jarkson Park, a miniature mountain has been constructed, and on its sides rare flowers are now in bloom. John Thorpe, of the Bureau of Floriculture, has so ar- ranged the plants that the species present themselves in the same order as they are found upon the side of some real mount- ain. At the base are the representatives of the plant families that flourish in the equatorial regions; further up are the specimens often found upon the Rocky Mountains, and so they are graded until at the top are the hardy plants that grow near the snow line of all mountains. In the pavilions of the building are now being installed the exhibits sent from American greenhouses. In the forcing house are the plants that have been re- ceived from foreign lands. Most of these are being kept so that they will bloom early next summer. In the north wings of the forcing house are some rare chrysan- themums which are expected to prove prize winners next year. Chemists from All Lands, Chicago is to have a big congress of chemists next year. While it is expected that a general attendance of Americin chemists will be secured at the congress, it is hoped that a large number of foreign colleagues will take part in the discussion of topics. The preliminary address, setting forth what is to be done, has been issued by J. Hi. Long, chairman of the special com- mittee having the meeting in charge. Mr. Long says, among other things, that two classes of sessions will be held. The first will include international scientific meet- ings for the discussion of questions of in- terests to specialists. The programmes will be arranged by the committees after they shall have received the advice and suggestions of persons interested. To these meetings all chemists and others working in scientitic fields are invited. The second will embrace popular lect- ures on scientific topics of general interest, to be given by men of recognized prom- inence in the profession. It is expected that most of these lectures, which will be open to the general public, will be given by chemists from foreiga countries. The exposition management will provide Vecember 15 1892 THE IRON AGE. suitable halls for the discussions, so that | mit its orders to be defied with impunity; no expense will be entailed upon mem- bers, Commercial Travelers? Day at the Fair. J. C. Fenimore, 8S. C. Pease, John Dickey and F. A. Sells, Executive Com- mittee of the Order of United Commercial Travelers of America, have sent to the commercial travelers of the country a cir- cular urging the propriety of observing July 26, 1893, as commercial travelers’ day. The committee addressed Chief M. P. Handy, expressing the desire of the commercial travelers that the exposition authorities designate some special day for their visit to the exposition, and Director- General Davis indicated Wednesday, July 26, as the special duy to be used and set apart for the purpose. The letter sentout by the Executive Committee to the com- mercial travelers of the country makes a strong appeal for a thorough co-operation in the matter, and they have called a meet- ing of delegates from the association to be held at the Tremont House January 14 for the purpose of forming a permanent World’s Fair Executive Committee. Miscellaneous, A large quantity of the iron girders for the intramural railway has been bolted in position on the southern end of the line near the Forestry Building. Work on the machinery foundations for the power house is nearly completed, and the work of erect- ing the walls of the building has been be- gun. The generators are now on the way, and as some of the locomotives and cars are now ready in the Eastern shops it is possible that a train may be running in three or four weeks. The conductors will be between the rails, and the girders will be used for the return circuit. Ohio will build a mineral cabin in the Mines Building to illustrate its mineral re- sources. Arrangements for it were com- pleted last week by Executive Commis- sioner D. J. Ryan and National Commis- sioner William Ritchie of the Buckeye State. The cabin will be 32 x 61 feet, and 23 feet high. It will be constructed entirely of Ohio building material, the principal elements being the mineral prod- ducts of the State. What is said to be the first incandescent lighting plant turned out of Edison’s shops at Menlo Park will probably be on exhi- bition in the Electricity Building at the World’s Fair. It is now used in lighting the steamer ‘‘ Columbia,” plying between San Francisco and Portland, Ore., where it was placed in position in May, 1880. It has been in satisfactory operation ever since, with no alterations, Kentucky’s highest court has decided that the act of the Legislature appropriat ing $100,000 for an exhibit at the World’s Fair was illegally passed. The decision will knock out for the present Kentucky’s appropriation, but ardent friends of the fair think a successful attempt may be made to get a bill through the Legislature now in session making an appropriation. The total expenditures for the fair up to December 1 are reported by Treasurer See- berger to have been $12,784,322.78. EE ae During the Reading combine examina- tion at Trenton, N. J., last Friday the ar- gument closed with a speech by Attorney General Stockton, who at times became dramatic in his denunciation of the alleged conspiracy to plunder the people. He said, in conclusion, that the injunction has been wilfully and deliberately violated by the use of the Central Railroad under the agreement set out to carry its own coal, by means of the disguise of the agreement between the coal companies and by pre- venting legitimate competition. |The question was whether the court would per- whether law or anarchy should prevail in the State of New Jersey. I Basie Steel Manufacture in Belgium. F. Tordeur of Monceau-sur-Sambre con- tributes to the Revue Universelle des Mines a paper on the manufacture of basic Bes semer steel, in which he deals with esti- mates of cost, which are doubly interesting since they at the same time include data concerning the wages paid. The trade of Belgium has largely been in iron T-beams, which is now threatened by the basic steel beams, which can be manufactured to better advantage in other districts, M. Tordeur’s object has been to estimate the relative cost of basic ingots in Belgium, in Luxemburg and in the Longwy district. He starts with the assumption that a plant of three 10-ton converters, taking metal direct from a blast furnace plant, could produce 150 tons in 12 hours, or in 300 working days 90,000 metric tons. He figures the labor cost of unloading raw materials as follows, per 24 hours: Francs. {5 tons coal at 0.10 francs a $50) 54 tons limestone at 0.16 franes . 8.64 164% tons dolomite at 0.125 franes. . 2.06 15 tons coke at 1.50 franes.... 1.9 i . . 5.00 Total.... ia naan te gutters « +ete de Per 12-hour turn «11.085 Charleroi, France. Belgium. Francs. Francs. Chief engineers ae 10 7.00 Four engineers at5fr... 20 At 4 fr. 16.00 Totals sual wbe da ee 23 00 Per 12-hour turn.......... 15.00 11.50 Labor Per 12-Hour Turn. Francs. Francs Two boilermen at 4 fr £.00 At3.50 fr. 7.00 One water tender at 4 fr $.00 At 3.50 fr. 7.00 Two ashmen .... 4 . 6.50 6.50 One cupola tender 5. 00* *1 50 One cupola helper... ~» 3.20 3.00 One engineer, pig-iron BG csliunvndeeaeiccuca i oe $.00 One weighmaster,.......... 3.75 3 50 First vesselman ............ 6.00 1) Second vesselman.......... 5.00 3.80 Two helpers. ae: 7.50 7.00 First ladleman 5.75 5.00 Second ladleman . 5.00 4.25 RGN UCUOENOE.. ccc cvecces 4 75 $1) First pitman ... ... ... 6.50 5.50 Second pitman...... .. ... 5.50 t.75 Third pitman ; . §.25 4.25 Fourth pitman 5.00 + .00 Fifth pitman. icaevcede See * 4.00 Four ingot pushers... 17.00 16.00 One weigher and marker... 4.50 $.25 One distributor....... ..... 5.00 4.50 One distributor........... - 4.75 3.75 Two boys ..... eae 4.00 00 One blowing engineer 5.00 Ww) nen ~ CO RN ded cctasdcnens. acne ae Gis beckdicanadnexeena Ge One pump engineer........ C2 CS CODON CO = 4.25 ) One engineer.........00.: . 4.00* *3 00 One cinderman.... .... .. 4.00 » Four scrappers under ves- OR eres 14.40 COG BINGE ce wi cose reas 3.35 3.10 One lime charger....... ... 4.50 4.00 One messenger for two a 1.75 One smith on samples... . 5.00 4.25 SON iscx bccencces ss 2.00 1.75 One blacksmith... . a 3.30 One blacksmith’s helper... 3.25 3.00 One foreman refractories . 8.(0* *5 00 First dolomite cupolaman. 4.75 3.75 Second dolomite cupola- ae aad a Oe 3.25 Two third dolomite cupola- cisely: peeh as. ave. 6 Coe 6.00 Engineer dolomite grind- ED 50 acai W-ddene cena ee 3.00 Three heipers..... ......-..11.@ 9.00 First bottom man ......... 6.00 4.50 Second bottom man.... ... 5.00 4.10) Two third bottom men.....10.50 9.00 One heater ........... Baca ae 2.00 First dolomite brick maker 5.00 4.00 Second dolomite brick- a a wie ee 3.50 Third dolomite brick- WN ee 4 pickaetinedcowacs Oe 3.00 Fourth dolomite brick- EY utes aueaeaee«ed 3.25 3.00 UN, OUD. coc cscc caus 5.00 4.00 Chief mason..............-. 8.00 *65.00 Four masons................20.00 16.75 (i... errr 7.00 6.00 Four helpers ......... -+++13.00 11.00 Foreman repair gang...... 5.00" *4.00 Four helpers .......... ... 13.00* *13.00 Unloading materials....... 11.08 11.08 NN. eal dole seas . 370.08 317.58 1153 On the night turn the items marked with an asterisk may be omitted, which makes the totals: France Charleroi. Fr. Fr. Day turn 370.03 317.58 Night turn . 7.08 281.08 Total, 24 hours 697.06 598.66 Per ton, in 300 tons, daily MEW inns + ic acadeaxodan 2.33 2.00 Cents. Cents Equal to per gross ton ; 15.6 39.2 Add Sunday maintenance. .. 0.2 0.2 So far as the wages of individuals are concerned, the above estimate gives a safe basis for figuring. Roughly, a franc is 20 cents, so that the rates may be divided by five to get at the dollar, or rather cent rates. The following is M. Tordeur’s estimate of the cost of ingots, taking coal at 8 francs on cars at pit, and the coke at 14 francs on cars at Bracquegnies, Belgium. Cost of Basie Ingots at Charleroi. Fr Fre Pig, waste, 160 to 200 kilos per ton, at 52.55 10.51 Coal, 150 to 165 kilos at ¥.50 1.40 Coke, 49 to 45 kilos .. ......... at 16.00 42 Dolomite, 55 to 60 kilos .. ‘ti at 5.00 030 Lime, I80 to 1% kilos ; at 8.00 1.62 Coal tar, 5 to6 kilos. ...... ‘ ut 7.00 0.42 Refractives O85 Ingots, molds and bases.. 0.95 Plumbago 0.35 Miscellaneous and repairs 1.40 Handling cars and switching 0.10 Wawyes.... ~~ 2.09 General expenses... . 0.50 Sinking fund ‘ 0.50 Ferromanganese (5 to6 kilos) 1.50 Total “a 3.12 Deduct value of slag 3.00 Net cost of converting 20.12 Add cost of pig 92.55 Total 72 6F For Dudelange M. Tordeur figures out the first items as follows: ° Fre. Fr. Pig iron, waste..... ...... at 43.30 8.66 Coal . é ewaees . at 14.035 2.22 Coke Bi ‘ oceee Ot 20.055 0.90 Dolomite F ‘ .. at 5.00 0.30 LAO occ ssickiniuccee SOS 2.09 To all the other items he adds 0.30 francs for higher labor, and thus reaches a net total for conversion of 20.23. It is then, however, that the cheap local pig tells for it adds only 43.30 francs, making the total cost of ingots 63.53 francs. For Longwy the net cost of conversion is 21.19 and the cost of ingots 67.79 francs. Converted into our currency per gross ton of 2240 pounds, these figures are: Net Cost cost ot Price of soft Cost of convert-_ in- of pig. ing. gots beams. Charleroi ... $10.29 $3.94 $1423 $16.78 Dudelange 8.46 3.96 12.42 15.36 Longwy 9.13 4.15 13.28 16.22 M. Tordeur states that with soaking pits and reversing engines the cost of rolling beams is 13 francs per ton, or $2.55 for the Charleroi and Liége districts, provided that the weight does not go be- low 30 to 40 pounds per running yard. At Dudelange and Longwy the cost is 15 francs, or $2.94. This would make beams cost only $16.78 at Charleroi, or only % cent a pound, while at the other points it would be even less. If they are attain- able, then the districts named could meet competition in any part of the world. We have never heard of selling figures, even at times of the fiercest competition among the great German works, which even ap- proach them. cg Postmaster General Wanamaker, in his annual report, shows that $5,000,000 have been added to the gross revenue; the defi- cits reduced nearly a million; money order offices increased two thirds; 82 cities given free delivery ; 2790 new offices established ; 16,750,000 miles of additional service; ocean mail service extended, and pneu- matic tube introduced. i a eee ee a me hd a ma LY hill) , ect a Z tp» pe : _ ae ee ee = THE IRON AGE. December 15, 1892 TIN PLATE.—I. The Methods of Manufacture in Wales. In the following articles it will be the writer’s aim to present as succinctly as pos- sible a view of the process of manufacture as carried on in the most modern estab lishments in South Wales, and although several of these will be referred to directly in the course of description, they will not be identified byname. The large tin-bar works referred to in the present article will be recognized by some, but the tin plate works forming the groundwork of the communications by none, for it is a| fictitious plant, embracing the general | features of several establishments. This | works will be described with a little’detail, but any considerable variations in prac- tice will be noted from time to time. The Tim Bar. Bessemer or Siemens steel bar for the manufacture of tin plates should have the following chemical composition: Per cent. RN is ncscaKeuesan cess ae wapet 0.10 to 0.12 NUR cx Sibiu whee newadned uaa under 0.06 DNR icasiccs nn pkessuncecnwe 0.35 to 0.45 Phosphorus and Sulphur.... ....... under 0.06 In South Wales the Siemens bar costs | about $1.25 per ton more than the Besse- mer, and is generally quoted with that Fig. 2.—Section through A B, Fig. 3. A- bs eee pi ty | Fig. 3.—Sectional difference in the market. The buyer ex- pects that it will make a better plate, softer and more uniform in quality than the more uncertain Bessemer process yields; but, as a matter of fact, it is im possible to beat a large proportion of the Bessemer bars produced, and especially those produced at the Cyfartha Steel Works, where, by exclusive attention to this branch of the steel trade, they have | | years formed a strong association ruling | | established a reputation which puts their Birchgrove Steel Company, Limited...... .480 | product quite on a level with the Siemens | oe yr neers “ os |makers. The tin-plate makers of Wales, | Js Tecomsian & sone mrad natair eae 350 however, in order to be'independent of the | i PE ecnixdocnnstitedesdasineits 1000 tin-bar manufacturers (who have for some It is more than doubtful whether any of the price), have little by little added these have succeeded in making, onasmall Siemens furnaces to their works and now! scale, a cheaper bar than the large makers Fig. 1.—Side Elevation. Fig. 4.—Section through C D, Fig. 3. Plan. Fig. 5.—Section through E F, Fig. 3. Tin-Plate Ingot Heating Furnace. !roll their own bars. The tin works that | offer, and it is certain that few of the have done this are as follows: above plants are worked to their full ’ ‘capacity. The immediate effect of erect- Capacity per week, | ; m iene til tommetin, | ing steel plants has been very much to Leach, Flower & Co.. Limited ~ 490 | disturb the Steel Bar Association and to Copper Miners T. P. Company, Limited... 400} prevent their ruling the prices in future. Lantore Tin-Plate Company..........++. on Whether it be Siemens or Bessemer ae wane apa o0e seceerecceecsces ae steel, exceptional care has to be taken in Cwmfelin Tin-Plate Company............ 750 | the casting of the ingots, and particularly Wm. Gilbertson & Co..........cceceeeees 450 to avoid sand or ganister from entering December 15, 1892 THE IRON AGE. 1155 the metal. Small quantities of sand in a rail or bar may make little difference, but when rolled out into sheets the streak will occur in a very large number of plates. When casting the ingot a piece of thin boiler plate cut from scrap to the size is placed on the top of the ingot and the sand shoveled in. Another plate is thrown on top of the sand andthe whole clamped and wedged securely down tothe lugs of the ingot mold. A brick __#-—LIVE ROLLERS TO SHEARS I = LIFTING pressure, and rolled off in a 24-inch three- high train usually driven by a compound condensing engine. On one side of the roughing rolls is a steam or hydraulic lift- ing table. Having a very small output to deal with, it is not usual to work the bar mill full time in some of the tin works, and it is extremely doubtful whether they can turn out socheap or so good a bar as many of the large makers. A heating fur- nace used at several tin works and having TABLE UOTE BJ] 24" BLOOMING Fig. 6.--Three-High Blooming and Finishing Tin-Bar Mill for 1900-Pound Ingots. through the flues in the floor of the fur- nace, as shown by the arrows in Fig. 2, into the arched flue to either the overhead steam boiler or direct to the chimney flue. In the best instances of this design of fur- nace the waste gases pass into a double flue Beesley boiler, 7 feet 6 inches diame- ter by 24 feet long, and from thence through a Green’s economizer to the stack, both boiler and economizer being super- posed on every furnace and carried by columns and girders independently of the brick work walls, The other views will explain themselves. Certain of the tin works, instead of buying finished bar, prefer to buy billets about 74 inches by 34 or 4 inches in sec- tion, and these are rolled into bars in their own works. Such billets should have the analysis already specified, and the edges should be strongly beveled, as sharp edges are apt to fin in rolling, particularly in box grooves. The sheared ends must be free of sand and overlapping, and cracks in the edges must be chipped out. Tin-Bar Rolling. There are several of the large iron and steel works that make a specialty of bars for the tin-plate market. The three most successful of these turn out about 1200 tons per week each, rolling off from the ingot in one heat in bars of 100 to 140 feet. and shearing into lengths of about 16 feet. 3y the use of magnificent machinery, la- bor and heat-saving appliances and rapid working, this product can be turned out at a very low price, ranging from $22.50 to $24 per ton at the present moment, which at one works leaves a profit of over 50 cents per ton. Such a plant is sketched in Fig. 6. Here there is a fast running three-high train, consisting of roughing rolls served on one side by a hydraulic lifting table, a pull-over gear and a set of finishing rolls. The train is worked by a pair of 40-inch vertical engines, which, Fig..7. Vertical Section. Figs. 7 to 9,—Tin-Bar Heating Furnace, or cast-iron cover is sometimes used in-| perhaps novel features is shown in Figs. 1 stead of this, and they will serve the same end, to keep out sand and to give a clean, straight top to the ingot. the crops in the bar mill can be kept low. The majority of the tin works enumer- | tional plan),4 and 5 (cross section). By this means | > (side elevation), 2 (ditto in section), 3 (sec- In this furnace the ingots rest on two transverse walls having cooling boxes through their centers, and the ingot coach when ated above, having no heavy rolling ma-| charging or drawing may travel between chinery and wishing to roll off in one heat, have adopted a small ingot about 10) inches square at the butt and the top. into ordinary reverberatory heating fur- naces, having in the best plants overhead steel ‘boilers giving steam of 90 pounds | these walls on the floor of the furnace, level with the mill floor. The coach is 7 inches at | made with a long handle and projecting Three of them, however, have | nose, and may serve for charging, drawing 12-inch ingots. The ingots are charged | or turning the piece. The grate is c!osed with sheet-i iron doors and the draft is forced by two steam jets. The flame travels over the top of the ingots and Fig. 9.—Cross Section. though obsolete and not economical, do their work very well. The ingots weigh about 1900 pounds and are heated for roll- ing off in one heat in furnaces with super- 'posed steam boilers, giving steam of 60 pounds pressure. These boilers give all the steam required in the mill, and the total fuel is 308 pounds per ton of bars produced. One type of such furnace and single-flue boiler is shown in Figs. 7, 8 and 9, where the boiler is suspended from a pair of 4 foot 6 inch lattice girders, carrying also the brick work of side flues, A still better form is that of Beesley, which is probably well known. The fur- ee ee ee | | ¥ oi Pe t : : 5 Ss ee ae i. ’ es eed 2 A we a . y , e Sodh = | ‘) AE 1156 THE IRON AGE. December 15, 1892 mace has four charging doors, and it is bound by cast-iron plates and rail buck- staves, and the flame is kept well to the sides of the furnace by means of a center rib in the exit flue, from whence it is led by ashort brick work stack into the boiler flue, which also is brick-lined for about six feet. In regard to rolling off with initial heat, by the use of soaking pits, this has been very fully tried from time to time, and has not been found feasible. The bar loses its heat very rapidly when it becomes thin, and ‘‘soaking” is not found to give the mild heat required. Fig. 10 is a sketch plan of another well- known bar mill. The ingots are rolled in a 33-inch reversing mill, driven by a pair of fine 40-inch engines fitted with a Bulke- ley Condenser. From the cogging the piece is conveyed by live rollers to the roughing rolls, which stand in the same train as the finishing, the whole being driven by a pair of 50-inch reversing engines. Steam for these mills is largely supplied | Tongsing ..............ccccc cee ceeeeeces NOT USED FOR TINBAR very materially. It is preferable to shear rather than saw the hot bar, and such a shear must be rapid—a condition which direct-acting steam best fulfills. The shear used is shown in Figs. 12and 13. It is made by Davy Brothers of Sheffield, and consists of a hollow shear block, A, mov- ing vertically in a guide box, and attached by a short link to a lever B B, the longer arm of which is connected by a rod to the trunk piston of the steam cylinder C. The lever is mounted between the cheeks of a self-contained standard; which is made to rest on the girders carrying the live-rollers D from the finishing pass to the bank. The following is the labor cost per ton, taken from the pay-sheets of a large tin- bar mill: NI ie pce ae ei eens NE 0.5.8.0 cWeen <i aankuaieew es aakake 3.60 ND ing. Acs Na aera es Kena elie 2.61 ON Sree COP er er rere 1.50 SN s.6:6. sa kd. Oh a wrecnpnals Ma Kaha belle ee 1.14 TE... <ctn sakes ae Reeaekkos eeki eee 0.62 NE: 4 cons eaamceataee san ena ares 1.59 0.49 | Jeon BOX 36° BLOOMING TRAIN Fig. 10, In regard to the cost of finished Siemens bars, at a certain works the ingots are at present produced for $17.65, and rolled for an additional $3.84, making a total of $21.49 per ton. The cost of rolling is divided thus: Coaching, heating, rolling, shearing sort- errr - $1.08 BEORM BING TROCRABICR «206 cncc csc tescccecnese .60 CORT GEE GEE DOP TOU) acco ces ccccvevcccccsvcces 1.68 Office, management and general expenses... .48 UN 85h kn io tha ideals een eh Ce haeaed $3.48 Telegraphy by Induction. Some very interesting experiments made by W. H. Preece, the chief engineer and electrician to the Post Office, with a view to establishing telegraphic communica- tion between lightships and the land, are thus described in London Engineering : ‘* If a cable is used in the ordinary way, trouble is experienced from the fouling of this cable with those anchoring the ships, PINION BOX 27" ROUGHING, 7 PASSES 25 FINISHING, 5 PASSES General Plan of Reversing Tin-Bar Mill for 2900-Pound Ingots. from the boilers over the heating furnaces, which blow off at 80 pounds pressure. In rolling tin bar there are one or two things to be observed. When the bar gets thin and has only two or three more passes to make it is apt to ‘‘draw” to one side or the other, and as a good edge is one of the first things to be aimed at the guides should be made longer than usual and with a rounded ‘ lead,” so as not to cut the edge of the bar. The de- sirability of beveling the edge has already been referred to, and a section is given of a finished bar, half size, Fig. 11. The bar should be turned over each time for the passes in the finishing, in order to give the scale which forms an opportunity to drop off, as, if it is rolled into the bar, it not only spoils the surface but occurs again in the sheets, Water on the last two grooves is a great assistance in remov- ing scale besides preserving the smooth- ness of the roll surface, and as the bar leaves the last groove it is usual to impinge jets of high-pressure water on both sides, or failing that, to dip each section of the bar as cut up and while still hot into a bosh of cold water. At this stage the surface should be perfectly smooth and glossy and the fiber silky. The steel should cut cold in the shears without hardness and softly, and it must bend cold until daylight cannot be seen through the two surfaces. The mechanical tests should show 33 tons per square inch ten- sile strength, 25 per cent. elongation, and 45 per cent. reduction of area at fracture. Tin bar is generally rolled to weight— that is to say, so many pounds and ounces Per foot run. It is not easy when rolling & thin bar over 100 feet in length, espe- Cially with the lighter weights, about 11 pounds per foot, to keep the exact weight, but it has to be done, because every ounce heavy adds to the waste in the tin mill Fig. 11.—Section of Tin Bar, 14 Pounds per Foot Run, Half Size. Ns idckchwaascceeneeeteeeakwent 2.97 PE cc ccacisGehe beentns kemeennee 0.81 PE cciv er sdexeberhopvencoseecesaenes 3,89 I ie ivdw weatueearceeenke eens 0.46 a ae [ROCESS RLAAkEd ORES 1.74 DUR «cow usin buaees! WASHEAN KEEN R 1.09 Greasing and cleaning................+5 1.08 EE ce kscitow seaicrtesesens swede 2.40 ee ee ee 3.25 Inspecting and loading...............++: 4.80 CIE QUNIND sc hsas0 2006 cascecsuexane a rere ree 1.05 Live rollers, &c., engines ..............- 1.24 ER VOUGMIG DUBREES ...60cccccisscncesesves 0.68 Dragging and skidding...............++. 1.53 NE acon as ahd censanank busaevee ewes 0.98 I rs aa acta e alse te eh ace Scals Ae 3.04 DEER icksanx weksannchanes sso weeees 0.45 ES cate. phrase wakhbn KA daa Relea 0,95 NE: cS ennsarcxwinbeereReaaaes 4/3.05 The yields for the same week were (in this case the blooms were reheated) : Cwts. per Tons. Cwts ton. Ingots charged... ......5,021 0 21.41 CE -dawesdvcneenixe . 193 1 0.82 4,827 19 20.59 Blooms made........... 4,690 6 Direct loss... ...... 137 13 = 2.74 per cent. Blooms charged for tin Pes ten paendeennccesoue 5 21.91 Tons. Cwts. Deduct : Bad bars...21 13 Crops...... 18 u4— 4 7 0.67 1,263 18 21.24 Tin bar made......1,190 10 Direct loss........ 78 8 = 5.62 per cent. 8|!tested in turn. | current. | methods of communication a short line is |on each other inductively. and communication with the shore is thus liable to be interrupted just when most required. To avoid this difficulty Mr. Preece has proposed three different methods of communication which will be The first of these plans consists in running a line along the shore for the distance of about a mile or so, and 2|a second wire from the stem to the stern of the ship. Currents in one of these will, of course, induce similar currents in the other, the strength of which will depend 'on the length of the wires, their distance apart, and the strength of the primary In the second of the proposed to be suspended over the side of the vessel, so that its end may dip into the sea in the direction of the shore line, and the current will then be conveyed to the re- ceiver instruments by conduction through the sea. The third plan consists in run- ‘ning out a light cable from the shore terminating in a coil near the ship, from which, however, it is quite detached, while another coil is placed on board the vessel. The two coils are intended to act As yet the first method only has been put to a prac- tical test. A line was erected along the north shore of the British Channel near Cardiff, and a second line on the island of Flatholme, which in this case did duty for the lightship. The two lines were about three miles distant from each other, yet no December 15, 1892 THE IRON AGE. 1157 difficulty was experienced in communicat- ing between the two. In principle, of course, there is nothing novel in the ex periment, as for some time past it has been customary to dispatch and receive messages from moving trains in the States by similar means, one of the Willoughby Smith describes some ex- periments of a similar nature which were commenced by his father before the year 1887, and have since been brought to a successful issue by himself and his assist- ant, W. P. Granville. These experiments have been made at the Needles, Isle of Fig. 12.—Side Elevation | | | | | | Gane Fig. 13.—Plan. Figs. 12 and 13.—Hot Bar Shear. wires being strung along the top of | Wight. An ordinary submarine cable has the train from end to end, and in| been laid in Alum Bay to within 60 yards this way communication is established | of the Needles rock, where it terminates, by induction with the wires beside the/| its end being attached to a small anchor, track. The distance is, of course, quite | sunk in 5} fathoms of water. The shore insignificant in this case compared with | end of the cable is attached to the signal- that between the wires in Mr. Preece’s ex- | ing instruments, while, to establish the periments. In a letter to the Times, ' circuit, a simple earth plate is immersed in the water close totheshore. On the light- house rock two strong bare copper wires dip into the sea about 10 yards apart, which are in connection with the signal- ing instruments in the lighthouse. The ends of these wires are about 60 yards dis- tant from the end of the cable, yet signals can be sent from the rock to the shore, with only a single Léclanche cell.” ee STEAMSHIP EFFICIENCY. BY A NAVAL OFFICER, A technical article by George Herbert Little which appeared in a recent issue of the English Nautical Magazine gives some interesting figures, affording a compara- tive view of the performance of a number of modern mail steamers as regards the relative degree of economy with which they do the work required of them. A simple comparison of the speed of two vessels gives no real idea of the value of their performance. In order to compare them rigorously, a most difficult thing to do in a satisfactory way, it is necessary to take as a basis of comparison the greatest weight moved, the distance through which it is moved, the rate of moving and the cost of moving. A coeffi :ient based on all these elements may be obtained by employing the for- mula, in which D is the displacement, V the speed, and K the fuel consumption. It is of course essential that the data should be accurate. Although shipbuilders and shipowners are generally averse to furnish- ing exact and reliable figures showing the relation between speed, power, and coal consumption, yet tke information is ob- tainable. The following results are found, for the steamers named, by the applica- tion of the formula: Coefficient of Steamer. performance, CI ac odedids's ce ewabennaes 14,900 po eee re aces 11,300 CRs kuwenccecawernsaueaiees 11,240 Umbria and | ewdd Neeiewatecees 9,467 Etruria \ City = Paris and usu utes 15,270 City of New York \ Teutonic and} _ 15.860 Majestic a - CNM Kn temdecseecedes awa 13,730 Empress of India ; Empress of China - ..........-- 15,230 Empress of Japan | PE tigan cebenandenethanenaenes 15,000 CHOMP i cicvinceeuvensincakecascasvs 12,760 While there has been a marked advance in the speed attained by the more recent mail steamers, it is evident from the fore- going tabular statement that this gain in speed has not been accompanied by any great increase in their efficiency as ma- chines for the economical performance of work. It may be added that from the standpoint of economy the mail steamer of to-day compares very unfavorably with the modern ‘‘ tramp” steamer of the most approved type, the coefficient of perform- ance being as high as 22,000 for the latter. As it will conduce to a clearer under- standing of the figures presented, a few particulars drawn from various reliable sources may be added concerning these steamers. The tonnage given is gross ton- nage. The ‘‘Oceanic,” of 3808 tons, gross measurement, wes launched in 1870 for the White Star Line, being the pioneer vessel of the fleet belonging to this line. She may be regarded as having inaug- urated a new type of ocean steamer. In her proportions and general design she ‘differed greatly from earlier vessels and ak A Ow - J o3 - = _ tT a , SS wr. ee ——— MA sae a . : ' = Me phs -_, oe tial Mba ae ITT eee eee ne. 1158 many of the improvements in internal ac- commodations found in Atlantic passenger steamers originated with her. Although she was at first much criticised on account of her great lengtb, the generally accepted type of mail steamer at present is but a modified ‘‘ Oceanic.” This vessel is still in active service in the Pacific. The ‘** Arizona,” an iron steamer of 5164 tons, was added to the Guion Line in 1879 and soon proved herself to be the fastest passenger ship on the Atlantic at that time. She was a pronounced ccmmercial success and the patronage she secured from the traveling public incited a spirit of rivalry which led to the building of a number of fine steamers by several lines. The ‘* Orient,” an iron steamer of 53865 tons, was built in 1879 for the Orient Steam Navigation Company’s line of steamers between England and Australia. The estimation in which she was held is shown by the fact that she was selected by the British Government to take out some of the principal officers of the army dispatched to Egypt in 1882, among them being H. R. H. the Duke of Connaught and his suite. The ‘‘ Etruria,” of 8120 tons, and the ‘* Umbria,” of 8128 tons, two well-known single-screw steel steamers built in 1884 for the Cunard Steamship Company, were, for several years. the fastest ocean steamships afloat. While they do not make a good showing in the tabular statement as re gards economical performance, they served & most impcrtant purpose in advancing the interests of their owners, the Cunard Company having been enabled to resume the payment of dividends after these steamers entered on active service. As the company had paid no dividends for the preceding three years, the practical importance of securing an additional half- knot in the speed of ocean greyhounds is apparent. The ** City of New York,” built in 1888, and the ‘‘City of Paris,” builtin 1889, both of the Inman Line, are about to pass under the American flag. The ‘‘ Majestic,” of 9861 tons, and the ‘‘ Teutonic,” of 9686 tons, were both built in 1889 for the White Star Line. These four steamers are all well known for the remarkable trans- atlantic records they have made during the past two years, being the four fastest ocean steamships now under the British flag. All of them are built of steel end all have twin screws. The ‘‘City of New York” and the ‘‘City of Paris,” each of 10,508 tons, are the two largest passenger steamers yet in actual service. It wil) be remembered that the ‘City of Paris,” after breaking the previous transatlantic record, has exceeded even this achieve- ment by crossing in 5 days, 14 hours, 24 minutes, or at an average speed of 20.76 Knots, The ‘* Columbia,” of 7363 tons, built in Great Britain in 1889, is under the Ger man flag, belonging to the Hamburg- American line. She is an admirable twin- screw steel steamship. The ‘‘ Empress of India,” the ‘* Empress of China’ and the ‘‘ Empress of Japan,” each of 5905 tons, all builtin 1891, belong to the Canadian Pacific Railway Company. They are of steel, have twin screws and maintain a heavily subsidized service across the Pacific, coming in active com- petition with a line under the American flag. They have an average sea speed of about 163 knots, The ‘* Scot,” a steel twin screw steamer of 6844 tons, built in 1891, is the latest, largest and finest addition to the fleet of the Union Steamship Company, and is en- gaged in the mail service between England and South Africa. Originally designed fora maximum speed of 18} knots, she made on trial 19} knots and has establish- ed anew the record between Southampton and Cape Town, having made the voyage in a little over 15 days at an average speed THE IRON AGE. of 16.6 knots for the whole trip. A marked feature of this vessel is the un- usually great hight of her smoke pipes, 120 feet above the furnace grate bars. She .s the largest and most powerful steamer in the South African trade. The “Ophir,” built in 1891, is a fine steel twin-screw steamer of 6910 tons. She belongs to the same line and is en- gaged in the same