The Iron Age 1899-05-25: Vol 63 Iss 21

THE A Review of the Hardware, Iron anne Vublished every Thursday Morning by David Williams Co., IRON: AGE Oo a UOITHT EyseaAL 66 Zi jo Uniting 232-2383 William st., New York Vol. LXIL1: No, 21. New York, Thursday, $4.50 a Year, including Postage. Single Copies, Ten Cents May 25, sie Reading Matter Contents Classified List of Advertisers. .... ss Alphabetical Index to Advertisers ‘ Advertising and Subscription Rates ‘‘ 118 61 St. Louis, Mo. New York. TUDOR IRON | WORKS. ST. LOUIS, MO. MANUFACTURERS HARROW TEETH. Bristol’s Patent Steel Belt Lacing, SAVES Time, Belts, Money. Greatest Strength READY TO APPLY FINISHED VOWT with Least Me Send ter Circulars and Free Samples. THE BRISTOL CO., Waterbury, Conn. SAMSON SPOT CORD Also Massachusetts and Phenix Brands of Sash Curd. SAMSON CORDAGE WORKS, - Roston, Mass, TURN BUCK LEs, RANCH OFFice: 11 Broadway, New York. — City Forge and iron Co., - Cleveland, oO. DROP HAMMERS. MANUFACTURED BY MERRILL BROS., Brooklyn, N.Y. Foundry Iron. ir ILLING g CRAN Girard Buliding, Philada. Lewis Block, sburgh. Better use good galvan- ized iron—you know the difference, don’t you ? Apollo Iron and Steel Company, Pittsburgh. Interesting Facts and Official Data Pe) taining to the 1899 GRAND AMERICAN HANDICAP; Number of full entries, 251, at $25.00 ..$6,275.00 ** post 6¢ 1; * $6060.... 385.00 a ** forfeit * 16, * kt): 160.00 Total, - - 278 $6,820.00 Of which total number 179 shooters used U, M. C. factory loaded Shells, being 64.39% of the entire attendance and drawing $4,955.25 of the purse of $6,820.00. This is certainly an elegant showing and does not need any further comment. Above speaks for itself as to the quality of the goois used by the winner, the HON. THOMAS A. MARSHALL OF KEITASBURG, ILL., Who won the handicap for the second time with goods made by the UNION METALLIC CARTRIDGE CO., BRIDGEPORT, CONN. Winners of Handicap, 1893, ’94,’95,’ 7, ’98, ’99. GAHALL BOILERS » CAPEWELL HORSE NAILS. NEW YORK, PHILADELPHIA, CHICAGO, ST. LOUIS, BOSTON, DETROIT, CINCINNATI, SAN FRANCISCO, PORTLAND, ORE., BUFFALO, BALTIMORE, NEW ORLEANS. THE CAPEWELL HORSE NAIL COFPANY, HARTFORD, CONN. BRANCHES: Compare Weights WHEN YOU ARE TOLD THAT JENKINS ’96 18 MORE EXPENSIVE THAN OTHER PACKINGS. 6 Ave rage weight, y%" “Jenkins °96,” 11 Ibs. to the square yard. iy" Red Packing, 14 At 50c. per pound ‘‘ JENKINS °96” is not only very much cheaper, but the best joint packing manufactured. JENKINS STANDARD PACKIN > Brass Prices High, So Use Bright “Swedoh” Stamp- sep tp ing Steel Easily Brass Plated and Save Money. MAGNOLIA METAL Best Anti-Friction Metal for all Machinery Bearings. aS A Se are stamped on the un- Genuine Magnolia Meta! is made up in bars of which this is a fac-simile : United States” aad ol der side of each 1a Beware of Imitations. box and bar, and the words one dat oO Asher Building MAGMOLIA METAL 6O., (SrzocitcntSet) 266 & 267 WEST ST., NEW YORK si'artom$ THE IRON AGE MANUFACTURERS OF BRASS AND COPPER Seamless Tubes, Sheets, Rods and Wire. ingot Copper. SOLE MANUFACTURERS Tobin Bronze (TRADE-MARK REGISTERED.) Condenser Plates, Pump Linings, Round, Square and Hexagon Bars, for Pump Piston Rods and Bolt Forgings. anol. pH &CLOWts —MANUFACTURERS OF— EETIBRAS SH COPPER>> BRAZED BRASS & COPPER TUBES. SEAMLESS BRASS & COPPER TUBES”38"DIAM AN DEPOT, 226 LA -CHICAGO, ILL. W YORK Waterbury Brass Co. Established 1845. Sheet, Roll and Platers’ Brass, German Silver, Copper, Brass and Ger- man Silver Wire. Brass and Copper Tubing. COPPER RIVETS AND BURS. PERCUSSION CAPS, TAPE MEASURES, METALLIC EYELETS, Brass Kettles, Brass Tags, Powder Flasks, Shot Pouches, &c., AND SMALL BRASS WARES OF EVERY DESCRIPTION. HICK’S PRIMERS, BERDAN PRIMERS. Cartridge Metal in Sheets or Shells a Specialty. DEPOTS: 60 Centre St., New York. 126 Eddy St., Provi- dence, R. |. 38 Mechanic St., Newark, N. J. MILLS AT WATERBURY, CONN. THE NEW DEFENDER All Her BRONZE CASTINGS are made of our... Ordnance Bronze Bridgeport Deoxidized Bronze & Metal Co., BRIDGEPORT, CONN. MATTHIESSEN & HEGELER ZINC CO,, LA SALLE, ILLINOIS, SMELTERS OF SPILTEIER AND MANUFACTURERS OF GHBBHT ZINO AND SULPHURIC ACID. Special Sizes of Zinc cut to order. Rolled Battery Plates. Selected Plates for Etchers’ and Lithographers’ use Selected Sheets for Paper and Card Makers’ use. Stove and Washboard Blanks. ZINCS FOR LECLANCHE BATTERY. BRASS GOODS MFG. 00. Mire. ot Odin Witt tate ea _Nickelea New York. soak ROOM 2 OSTAL LEGRAPH 253 BOAO aT PH/iiA BANK BL06 08 NEAVE BL OG Address all | SPECIAL semmunice - GOODS tions to the MADE TO factory. ORDER, BRONZE DOOR ENOBSB, Bromze and Plated Roses, Combined Rose and Escutcheon Plates, Socket Shells, &c., Patent Mirror Pin Cushion Business Cards, Mucilage Brushes. Novelties of new design made to order. SALESROOM: 117 Chambers St., New York. FACTORY: 86-92 Third St., Se. Brooklyn, HENDRICKS BROTHERS, Belleville Copper Rolling Mills, Brasiers’, Bolt ana Sheathing COPPER. COPPER WIRE AND RIVETS. Importers and Dealers in ingot Copper, Block Tin, Speiter, Lead, Antimony, ctc. 49 CLIFF ST., NEW YORK. THE PLUME & ATwooo M6. Go., MANUPACTUBERS OF Sheet and Roll Brass WIRE PRINTERS’ BRASS, JEWELERS’ METAL, GERMAN SILVER AND GILDING METAL, COPPER RIVETS AND BURRS. Pins, Brass Butt Hinges, Jack Chain, Kere- sene Burners, Lamps, Lamp Trimmings, &c. 29 MURRAY ST., NEW YORK. 144 HIGH ST., BOSTON. 199 LAKE 8T., CHICAGO, ROLLING MILL : THOMASTON, CONN. | FACTORIES : WATERBURY, CONN. SCOVILL MFG. C0., Manufacturers of BRASS SHEET, WIRE, TUBES, Hinges, Buttofis, Lamp Goods, Nipples, Pumps and Oilers for Bicycles, Braziers’ Solder, Aluminum. Factories, WATERBURY, CONN. New York, JOHN DAVOL & SONS, AGENTS FOR Brooklyn Brass & Copper Co., DEALERS IN COPPER, TIN, SPELTER, LEAD, ANTIMONY. 100 John Street, New York. WILLIAM §. FEARING, 256 Broadway, NEW YORK, SELLS TO THE TRADE Sheet Brass, Fancy Sheet Brass, German Silver, Copper, Brass and German Silver Wire, Brazed and Seamless Brass and Copper Tubes, Brass and Cop- per Rods, Brass Ferrulea, Pure Copper Wire, Sheet and Ingot Copper; Spelter, Tin, Antimony, Lead, &c. Dealeh-Light” OIL and GAS Blcycle Lantems. Send ter Circulars and Electrotypes. THE BRIDGEPORT BRASS CoO., Bridgeport, Conn. 19 Murray 8t., N.Y. 17 No. 7th 8t., Philadelphia. 85 to 87 Pearl St., Boston. @ ‘WESSEMER STEEL, GRASS AND OM. TEMPERED SPRINGS. . Ne 1 ( Rees © Lae Ce GEA, QUANTITES TO CEDER \a_§_ SES SS OL 69 supecer . . s ‘ | 4 } g , I - | i t ’ ‘THE IRON AGE. Tuurspay, May 25, 1899. A New Type of Air Compressor. tools, as applied to ship work, further than any other cmeiceaiied imme concern, and it is in their works that such tools have Pneumatic appliances are becoming such an important reached their highest development. Three years ago the factor.in ship construction that the accompanying descrip- company had in operation one 124 x 14 inch belted Inge. 2 —_ BOCES Mi ee iit AI A htt aT es a = - 7 4 ” if if a 8 1 a rl <i aS Bet: Se Se Fig, 1.—General View. ————— COMPOUND TWO-STAGE AIR COMPRESSOR, BUILT BY® THE CHICAGO SHIP BUILDING COMPANY, CHICAGO, ILL. tion of a new type of compressor now in successful opera- tion should be interesting. As is well known the Chicago Ship Building Company, Chicago, Ill., have gone into the matter of pneumatic soll-Sergeant compressor. A year later they had added another machine of the same make 204, x 24 inches, steam driven, though it was at the time far larger than actually required. One year ago both compressors, even though THE IRON AGE. May 25, 1899 oP Re operated at speeds up to 50 per cent. above builder’s rat- of water used is very small, and that the arrangement of ing, were found totally unequal to the demands. [twas jackets is efficient is shown by the low temperature of the calculated at that time that 1000 cubic feet per minute air at discharge, which is not over 125 degrees. This will compressed to 100 pounds was a minimum to be provided be lowered somewhat when the intake pipe is completed, for. It was then decided to provide increased compressor _ so that air will be taken from outside the building. capacity, and in view of the rapid extension of the appli- The long stroke employed also is an advantage in this ances of compressed air it was decided to provide a liberal respect: that the cooling surface for a given capacity is margin. Higher pressures having also proved advan- greater than with shorter stroke and larger diameters. It tageous, a machine capable of compressing 3000 cubic feet is of advantage also in other respects—namely, the per- per minute to a pressure of 125 pounds was fixed upon. centage of clearance is smaller, the life of valves is ex But here a difficulty presented itself. Two-stage com- pression was a necessity, and economical operation of course demanded that the fullest advantage be taken of expansive steam working. All of the machines presented —L— fulfilling these requirements required so much floor space. with the entailed size of building, besides requiring such extended foundations, that the company decided to design and build for themselves a vertical compressur, and the machine herewith illustrated is the result. It has now heen in successful operation for some months, and with an entire absence of any of the minor difficulties which are usually attendant upon a new design. The machine, as may be seen, is of the three crank type, with compound steam cylinders placed tandem over the center crank, and is operated condensing with a steam pressure of 125 pounds. The steam cylinders are respec- tively 19 and 42 inches diameter with a stroke of 42 inches. All steam and exhaust valves are of the semi- rotary type. The steam valves for the high pressure cyl- inder are driven by a separate eccentric and Corliss releasing gear is employed. The range of cut off is from 10 to 80 per cent. of the stroke, and is controlled by the air pressure acting on a smail counterweighted piston operating the cam adjusting gear. The high pressure exhaust valves and the low pressure steam and exhaust valves are operated by a second eccentric. All valves can be operated by hand in the usual way. The air cranks are opposite each other, the steam crank being at right angles with them. The effect of this ar- rangement is to give a very uniform turning movement, the maximum turning effort of the steam crank coinciding with the period of maximum compression and consequent resistance. The air cylinders are placed over the outer cranks. The low pressure air cylinder is 33 inches diameter and the high pressure air cylinder is 19 inches diameter, the stroke of both being 42 inches. The low pressure inlet valves are moved mechanically by an eccentric and are of the semi-rotary type. The low pressure discharge valves and both inlet and discharge valves of the high pressure cylinder are of the poppet type, spring loaded. The whole set have been taken out, examined and replaced in less than two hours by two men. The poppet valves are forged solid, of nickel steel with steel seats, and are of large area. Clearance in all cylinders is of course reduced to the very minimum. The system of cooling employed in this machine is deserving of mention. The usual water jackets are pro- vided on the cylinder, but a positive effective circulation ‘coped - ge of wees . re Aap, 2 = i is obtained by the manner of coring the jackets, by which < 6/434 TO. CEN.OF AIR PUMP. > the cooling water is compelled to make the complete cir- a cuit of each cylinder four times. A large intercooler is ‘Fg. 2.—Elevation. provided, which is 45 inches in diameter and 13 feet 8 inches high, containing 841 14-inch tubes, with 415 square feet of cooling surface. The cooling water enters first the jacket of the high pressure air cylinder, thence to the bottom of the intercooler, through the tubes of which tended, working strains are reduced and quiet running is it passes, and from the top it flows to the jacket of the more easily secured. low pressure air cylinder. The water is afterward used The crank shaft is of steel 11 inches diameter in jour- for boiler feed, thus utilizing the heat it absorbed in its nals, 18 inches at the wheel seats, with journals 19 inches passage through the machine. The air is compressgd in long. The cranks are steel castings. The steam cranks the first cylinder to a pressure between 25 and 40 pounds, are counterbalanced and the pins are of forged steel depending upon the speed at which the machine is oper- 9 inches diameter 10 inches long. COMPOUND TWO-STAGE AIR COMPRESSOR. ’ x | he ated, and is delivered to the intercooler, entering it at the The bed plate is in one casting with four main jour- : i‘ top and leaving it at the bottom. There are thus no nals; an outboard bearing is also provided outside of each 'y pockets or dead spaces in either the water or air passages fly wheel. The wheels are 15 feet in diameter and weigh through the intercooler, each flowing in the direction 15,000 pounds each. The total floor required for naturally due to its changing temperature. The quantity this machine is 15 x 22 feet and the total hight from floor May 25, 1899 line as shown is 29 feet. As can be seen, every part of the machine can be got at freely, whether in motion or not. It should be noted that the slides are also water jacketed, a portion of the cooling water flowing through them on its way to the high pressure cylinder. This machine is now compressing about 2900 cubic feet per minute to 100 pounds at an average speed of 70 revolutions, and does this work on a steam consumption not much in excess of that of the old machine delivering S00 cubic feet at the same pressure. THE IRON AGE. 3 peared, Chairman W. B. Banks of the Reorganization Committee bid the property in for the bondholders at $60,000. The bid was in behalf of the bondholders who have gone into the reorganization plan, some $600,000 out of $800,000, and the proceeds will apply to them, but in reality they will own the docks. The stockholders are out. tii -_ The Plumbers’ Supply Combination. The organization of the American Plumbing Supply & Lead Company, recently incorporated with a capital 16 144." - Fig. 3.—Front Elevation. COMPOUND TWO-STAGE AIR COMPRESSOR To the Chicago Ship Building Company, with their fine machine shop equipment, the building of this machine presented no particular difficulties of a mechanical nature, but it is safe to say that not many concerns would have so readily grappled with a new problem, at a time when difficulty or failure meant practically suspension of opera- tions in the yard, and so successfully solved it. — At West Superior, Wis., on the 18th inst., the docks, machinery, coking ovens and real estate of the Lehigh Coal & Iron Company were sold at receiver’s sale under the decree of foreclosure brought by the American Trust & Savings Bank of Chicago. As no outside bidders ap- of $35,000,000, is making good progress. A temporary organization was effected last week, which will hold good until the regular meeting, to be held as soon as all the preliminary details are completed, probably about June 1. The leading ofticials of the new company have been selected, and it is understood that Francis J. Tor- rance, president of the Standard Mfg. Company of Pitts- burg, Pa., will be the president of the concern. B. Frank Hooper, president of the Colwell Lead Company of New York, who is now acting as treasurer pro tem. of the company, will continue in that office, and E. H. Murdock of the Sportsman’s Shot Works of Cincinnati, Ohio, is mentioned for the secretaryship. The new company, we are advised, will be in actual operation by June 1, at which date all those concerns who have already given | piel — a ‘i st FS [fi IEEE ene » ALI ee - yee 4 THE IRON AGE in their adherence will turn over their plants to the com- bination. It is likely, however, that not all the firms expected to be included will be absorbed at that time, as some of them have options running until July 1. But a majority of them, embracing the more important con- cerns, will join at that time. From the present outlook it seems that about 36 differ- ent plants will form the constituency of the new combi- nation. An important development, made known this week, was the acquisition by the company of the J. L. Mott Iron Works of New York, one of the very largest plumbing supply concerns in the trade. In addition to that interest, we learn that options on the following con- cerns have been accepted: Standard Mfg. Company, Pittsburgh Supply Company, Mansfield Mfg. Company, Bailey-Farrell Mfg. Company and W. B. Scaife & Sons of Pittsburgh, Pa.; the nine plants of the American Shot & Lead Company of St. Louis, Mo.; Colwell Lead Com- pany of New York City; Dawes & Myler of New Brighton, Pa.; Raymond Lead Company and the EB. W. Blatchford Company of Chicago; the E. Stebbins Mfg. Company of Brightwood, Mass.; the Pierce, Butler & Pierce Mfg. Company of Syracuse, N. Y.; the Ahrens & May 25, 1899 duced at considerable expense by the International Express Company. To those interested in foreign trade it will be of great value. In addition to the map numerous tables are given, showing the distances by sea between all the principal ports of the world. ———————————— The Allen Valve for Locomotives.* BY C H. QUEREAU, DENVER, COL, ™ There are decided differences of opinion among railroad mechanical men as to the value of the Allen, or double ported valve, a diagram of which is given in Fig. 1. Those who favor its use claim that it secures a greater mean effective pressure than the plain valve by giving a more prompt and full admission, thus increasing the power of locomotives on which it is used. Those who oppose its use claim there is no difficulty in getting all the steam into the cylinders that is needed without the Allen port, the main difficulty being to reduce back pressure and com- pression; that if the Allen valve gives a freer admission 1 iz mie 1 le SIZE OF CYLINDERS STEAM_____19 AND 42°) . ~ X 42 STROKE _ ——— 33 AND 19) Fig. 4.—Plan. COMPOUND TWO-STAGE AIR COMPRESSOR. Ott Mfg. Company of Louisville, Ky.; Buick & Sher- wood Company of Detroit, Mich., and, probably, the Hoffman & Billings Mfg. Company and Rundle & Spence Company of Milwaukee, Wis. By this list it will be seen that the combination will embrace plants manufacturing substantially everything in the whole range of plumbers’ supplies, including cast iron pipe, brass goods, bathtubs, kitchen boilers, tanks, gas and steam goods, plumbers’ wood work, and all lead and copper goods and material. The lead interests, however, will predominate very materially. The new company will have plants in a dozen different States, and arrangements will be made for the distribution of sales so as to economize in freight charges, and in every direction reduction in the cost of operation and of trans- acting business will receive close attention. The executive heads of the concern will all be men of practical experi- ence in the business. The company will have head- quarters in New York, Chicago and Pittsburgh. Offices have already been secured in the American Surety Build- ing, Broadway, New York. i _ _ We are in receipt of a handsome chart of the world ust issued by the International Express Company, 52 roadway, New York, showing all the lines traveled by ships employed in the world’s commerce. The chart, which is 55 x 50 inches in size, was prepared by the Hydro- graphic Department of the United States Navy and repro- its use necessarily increases the difficulty of getting the steam out of the cylinders, increasing back pressure and compression and causing the engines to pound badly. Objections, Strictly speaking, compression is the period of the stroke from exhaust closure to lead opening. The term ‘“‘ excessive compression ’’ is commonly used to denote a suddenly rising pressure at the end of the return stroke, which takes the form of a loop on the indicator card, and is usually wrongly assumed to be caused by the compres- sion of steam remaining in the cylinder at the time of ex- haust closure. If exhaust closure takes place at half stroke with 3 pounds back pressure and 8 per cent. cylin- der clearance, the pressure in the cylinder at the end of the stroke will reach only 113 pounds. If the back pres- sure is 12 pounds and compression begins at 15 inches, the full stroke being 24 inches, the highest pressure attained at the end of the stroke will be but 137 pounds. With the usual locomotive valve gear and the valve line and line in- side, compression begins at about 15 inches of the return stroke. These facts remain trne whether the valve is of the common type or an Allen valve. From the foregoing it is quite evident that the Allen valve cannot produce a compression equal to the boiler pressures commonly used, and we must look elsewhere for the cause of the so-called excessive compression complained of. That this cause is * Presented at the Washington meeting of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. May 25 1599 excessive lead I believe will be clearly shown by the cards in Fig. 2, which were all taken from the same engine, baving Allen valves, under practically the same conditions except a difference in lead, and which clearly prove that the Allen valve can be so set as not to produce excessive compression. (The engine from which these cards were taken had drivers 68 inches in diameter. valves with }-inch travel in full gear, %-inch outside lap, and Allen ports 144 x 174% inches, inside clearance , inch on either end, cylinders 19 x 24 inches, and steam pressure 165 pounds. ) In view of the preceding it seems to me clear that those who criticise the Allen valve have made the mistake of assuming that the excessive compression frequently found to accompany its use is due to so free an admission / of steam from the beginning of the stroke up tothe cut | off as to produce abnormal back pressure and compressinn, while the facts in the case are that the objectionable re- I Boiler Pressure 55 M.P.H. | sults are caused by too much lead, which can be easily | Ky remedied without losing the advantage claimed for this | 4 y valve. That the objectionable feature of undue compres- \V \ | | tion can be obviated seems evident from card 9 of Fig. 2. ow : | _ On this card the average back pressure from the be- eke. Card ginning of the return stroke up to the point of exhaust iss closure is 7 pounds. Taking into consideration the fagt that 1) \ Pr } . 20 the drivers were making 267.6 revolutions per minute when ~~ * the card was taken, and that these are representative cards among hundreds taken under similar conditions, it 4 ” i gues seems evilent that the Allen valve cannot justly be con- ‘ at cut off — as producing more back pressure than the plain 7 Me" valve. _ From the foregoing 1 feel warranted in drawing the er "aia conclusion that the Allen valve, when properly set, does —_—" <ol io — : not produce more back pressure or compression than a ——_—_—_—_—_——___ meen plain valve under similar conditions. It is sometimes objected that the Allen port necessitates ~” | a weak design, or the valves must be made very heavy. For about ten years the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad has been using, very successfully, on 19 x 24 A fie tae Rinemeinne 55 M.P.I Hy inch engines, having steam ports 1% x 17% inches, Allen ee ee valves weighing only 112 pounds without packing strips. = Advantages. } . Card It is evident that the Allen valve doubles the speed of | =— the steam port in opening and closing for all cut offs, and | \ ) 62 \ ei - Lead m at cut off ad a ; c? 793 “ee wt a i, ae a ——<= “ * ll — — - = * —_ => \\ Boiler Pressure 55 M.P.H. \ | | ‘ j gy ’ Card a Fi 100 \ wra\ / . - Lead \ ting ait ail at cut off ‘ %! Fig. 1.—The Allen Valve. THE ALLEN VALVE in this respect more nearly approaches the advantages of the Corliss valve gear than does the ordinary valve. That this is a decided advantage can hardly be successfully dis- puted. It is equally evident that for all cut offs, where the maximum port opening does not exceed the width of the supplementary port. the Allen valve doubles the port opening. As the width of the Allen port is quite com- monly % inch, and a’ maximum port opening of this amount corresponds to a cut-off of 9 inches with the usual locomotive gear, it follows that the Allen port doubles the steam opening for this and all shorter cut offs, or for all those commonly used for speeds higher than 10 or 15 miles an hour. It therefore appears evident, on theoret- ical grounds, that the Allen valve increases the power of a locomotive for all speeds above very moderate ones, and that this advantage will be marked for high speeds. THE IRON AGE. 5 In the Proceedings of the American Railway Master Mechanics’ Association for 1896 will be found the report of their Committee on Slide Valves, from which I quote: ‘* From this (table) it will be seen, as might have been expected, that the mean effective pressure with the Allen port is greater than without it at the ordinary running positions. The average value of all the figures shows 20 per cent. greater mean effective pressure in favor of this valve. It can be considered that the Allen port has ena- bled the piston to exert 20 per cent. more useful pressure on the crosshead at each stroke. It is also readily ap parent that the earlier the cut off the more is gained by a ~~ al an F ig. 2.—Cards. —— at ~ cl 4 i a FOR LOCOMOTIVES. the Allen valves. This is also true in a measure of the in- crease in speed. It is also clearly demonstrated that a better steam line is obtained.” he indicator cards on which these conclusions of the committee were based were made on the Purdue University mounted locomotive, at six different cut offs, varying from full gear to one-sixth stroke, and at speeds of 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 miles an hour, with the same valve gear and setting for both the plain and Allen valves. For engines which are already built it seems plain that the Allen valve furnishes a simple method of increasing their power, and in designing new engines will produce a given power with smaller and lighter valves, because of the shorter ports in the valve seat necessary with this valve, resulting in less strain and wear on the valve gear and seats. It may be urged that a plain valve with longer ee ae = ~ LE PELE AEB SS <p hoe 6 THE IRON AGE. travel will give as great a mean effective pressure as the Allen valve, but this necessitates a heavier valve and con- sequent wear to the valve gear, and more power wasted. In this connection it should not be forgotten that the Al- len valve enlarges the port opening by a given number of square inches for all cut offs, while a longer valve travel enlarges it a certain ef cent., the number of inches de creasing as the cut off becomes shorter Economy. Assuming it to be proved that the Allen valve will give greater power than a plain valve, it does not necessarily follow that the economy of the engine will show a corre- sponding improvement. This will depend on the condi- tions under which the engine is working. If with the plain valve the conditions are such that the work is done at the most economical point of cut off we would not ex pect any saving in coal by increasing the power; possibly the reverse ‘if the basis of comparison is the pounds of water per indicated horse-power hour. But if the basis is the cost per ton mile there can be little doubt that the greater power will secure a saving. That a fuel economy inay be the result is shown by Mr. Herr’s remarks before the Western Railway Club: ‘‘1 have endorsed the Allen valve pretty strongly, and I want to say that my experi- ence is just the reverse of Mr. Barr’s. The engines in which we; put the Allen valve showed quite an apparent fuel economy.” Lead, Inasmuch as the Allen valve gives a quicker and larger steam admission than the plain valve it follows that the lead for the former should be less than for the latter. In my opinion it has been the failure to appreciate this fact which has caused many to conclude that the Allen valve has no advantages, but rather the contrary. Not only should the lead for the Allen valve be less than for the plain valve, but must be if the best results are to be ob- tained. The smaller Jead which the Allen valve requires is a decided advantage in several directions, as will be seen by a study of the following table, taken from Zeuner valve diagrams of a gear baving % inch outside lap. \4 inch inside clearance, 4834 inches link radius, 5 inches travel in full gear, and is for 6-inch cut off: Plain valve. Allen valve Se Siied i 4 inch fs inch Lead opens at : ans - . 22% inches 23% inches Maximum port opening eo Yes inch tio + th 4% inch Release begins at ‘ ...--. 13% inches 13% inches Compression begins at -oeeoee «18 inches 18% inches If we assume that the Allen port is half as efficient as the port opening at the end of tne valve, the Allen valve has increased the steam port opening 20 per cent. even after the lead has been reduced nearly 38 per cent. The reduction in lead made possible by the use of the Allen valve has delayed exhaust opening, thus increasing the period of expansion *¢ inch, or 3 per cent., has also de- layed exhaust closure *4 inch, or 8 percent. These re sults, due to the reduction in lead, are equivalent to re- ducing the inside clearance from 4 to ,, inch so far as expansion is concerned, and increasing the inside clear ance from }; to 5, inch so far as the effect on comparison is concerned. There can be no reasonable doubt that these changes introduced by the Allen valve will increase the power of an engine except at very slow speeds, and will favorably affect its economy except when the engine with plain valves is working under the most favorable conditions, which are rare in railroad service Indicator Cards, It may be of interest to some to know that cards taken from Allen valves on single expansion engines can be dis tinguished from those taken when plain valves are used. Those from Allen valves have a wavy compression line, such as may be seen on the cards in Fig. 2, while on those taken from plain valves the compression line is a simple curve. The cause for the compound curves on the Allen valve cards I believe to be explained as follows: Fig. 2 shows an Allen valve and seat. Cut off has just taken place at steam port B, and the supplementary port is filled with steam at nearly boiler pressure, perhaps 170 pounds. At A exbaust closure is about to take place, when the port and that end of the cylinder will be filled with steam at exhaust pressure, say 10 pounds. As soon as the valve has moved a little further to the right the supplementary port will be brought into communication with port A, when the high pressure steam in the supplementary port will expand through A, increasing the pressure there and giving the indicator piston a sudden impulse which will cause it to vibrate till lead opens. This explanation is substantiated by the fact that the greater the cubical con- tents of the Allen port the more pronounced are the re- verse curves. a The Youngstown Steel Roofing Company, Youngs- town, Ohio, have just installed a second expanded metal lath machine, with a capacity of working 700 yards of ex- May 25, 1899 panded metal lath in ten hours. The company have enough orders on their books to keep both mgchines at full work for a long time to come. —— The D’Esté & Seeley Air Spring Pressure Regulator. In the pressure regulator made by the D’Esté & Seeley Company, 29 Haverhill street, Boston, an air spring is substituted for the usual method of regulation by means of weights and levers or springs. As shown in the sec- tional cut, the air spring is formed in an air tight cham- ber, of which the diaphragm (which carries the main valve) forms one side. With a bicycle pump air is pumped into this chamber, and its pressure on the dia- phragm pushes the valve open and holds it open until the low pressure on the opposite side of the diaphragm forces it to its seat. It is thus seen that any high pressure is reached by simply pumping into the chamber, and any low pressure by letting air out of the chamber, while the air itself forms a singularly elastic and perfect spring, fully supporting every part of the surface of the diaphragm on one side, against the equal pressure of the fluid on the THE D’ESTE & SEELEY AIR SPRING PRESSURE REGULATOR. other side. The diaphragm is simply an elastic partition between two equal pressures, a very different thing from the ordinary arrangement, in which the flexible portion of the diaphragm is entirely unsupported on one side. The valve itself is double seated, balanced and friction less, and can thus be influenced by the shghtest change in pressure, while the sensitiveness of the air spring is en tirely controlled by the size of the air chamber. Another valuable feature (especially for steamships) is that the air chamber need not, of necessity, be bolted on to the valve, but may be placed in any convenient position and at any distance away, if it is only connected by a tight pipe to the cover which clamps the diaphragm to the valve. It may be placed where the external temperature is uniform. Another convenient feature is that the filling pipe of the air chamber may be brought down on the wall or support- ing column to a convenient point, with the fitting (to which the air pump is connected) on the end of it. The most common and obvious use of the regulator is in steam heating, where it is used to reduce any varying high pres- sure to any constant low pressure that may be desired. By its use steam may be maintained in the boilers at high pressure sufficient to run a steam engine or elevator, and yet be reduced for heating to atmospheric or very low pressures, thereby entirely preventing the snapping and cracking in radiators and heating pipes, also preventing the wear and cutting of the seats of the globe valves. In exhaust steam heating the regulator automatically sup plies just the amount lacking to maintain constant low pressure, say at atmospheric or even below. May 25, 1899 Jones and Laughlins, Limited. The American Iron and Steel Works. Through the courtesy of W. L. Jones, general superin- tendent, a representative of The Iron Age was recently shown through the large works of Jones & Laughlins, Limited, located on the South Side, Pittsburgh. It is hardly necessary to state that this firm are known all over the United States wherever iron and steel are used, and in the last couple of years they have developed a very con. siderable foreign trade on some of their finished products. The works are located between Carson street and the Monongahela River, and extend from Twenty. fifth and Sidney streets up Carson street to Thirty-second street and occupy nearly 50 acres of ground. The firm have added very largely to their property holdings in the last year and now have a good deal of vacant ground, which will be used for extensive additions to the plant, some of which have already been commenced. We shall first describe the Bessemer Plant. This was erected originally in 1886 and contains two 9-ton vessels 8 feet 6inchesin diameter. Cupola metal is used, but it is proposed to use direct metal, bringing it across the Monongahela River in mixers from the Eliza furnaces by way of the Monongahela Connecting Railroad and bridge owned by Jones & Laughlins, Limited. The pouring ladles are transferred to an overhead pouring arrangement, leaving the cranes free to be used for other operations. There are six 10 foot cupolas which are served by a steam hoist, and the metal is tapped directly from the cupola into ladles, from which it is poured into con. verters without the interposition of runners of any kind. Casting is done on cars, and ingots are stripped by au inclined stripper which delivers the ingot directly under the transfer, which charges it into the pit furnaces. These furnaces are so arranged that ingots may be deliv- ered from any pit to either of the three blooming mills with which the plant is equipped. These Three Blooming Mills are numbered 1, 2 and 3 and are in many respects alike. In the practice at mills Nos. 1 and 2 the transfer draws the ingots froin the pit and delivers them onto the table rollers without rehandling of any kind. In mill No. 3 the ingots are placed ona car and conveyed to the blooming mill, being delivered in the tables in a horizontal position by means of a tilting arrangement. Mills 1 and 2 are practically duplicates, all working parts being inter- changeable. A continuous billet mill is connected to No. 1 blooming mill, making billets of all sizes down to 1\¢ inches square, the whole ingot, after being roughed on the blooming mill, being finished into billets without reheating. On leaving the continuous mill the billets are sheared by a flying sbear, which cuts the moving piece into the desired iengths as it leaves the rolls. After being sheared the pieces are carried by rollers and a chain ele- vator to a cooling bed and after inspection are loaded directly into cars for shipment, auy rejected billets by an ingenious device being loaded into separate cars. The entire arrangement makes a complete and efficient mill and a very economical one. Some excellent records tor production have been made on this mill. Blooming mill No. 2 is used for supplying the various finishing mills with a great variety of blooms and billets. No. 1 mill is driven by a pair of 28 x 48 engines and No. 2 by a pair of 30 x 60 engines, the gearing of both being in the ratio of 2 to 1. No. 3 blooming mill is a powerfal modern mill with a pinion diameter of 40 inches and rolls 7 feet long between bearings, counterbalanced by hydraulic pressure. It covers a wide range of work, making billets and slabs from 4x4 inches up to 24x 10 inches, and also a large variety of beam shapes. The mill is notable for its sim- plicty and strength, the only gears about it being the miter gears, which drive the table rollers, and the gear and pinions which are a part of the screw actuating device. The tables are very strong but simple in construction, each being driven by a separate engine connected directly to the side shaft of the table without a countershaft or gearing. This method has also been applied to the tables of the other two blooming mills. The ingots are handled on the tables by a very simple manipulator, which consists of two hydraulic cylinders, one situated on each side of the table, the piston rods of which carry suitably shaped heads, and these are forced against the ingot onthe table, or hold it, as the roller may desire. This mill is driven by a powerful Mackintosh-Hemphill engine of 10,000 horse- power, with cylinders 50 inches diameter and 72-inch stroke, the engine being coupled directly to the wall with- out gearing. This engine was fully described in The Iron Age of November 5, 1896. After leaving the blooming mill the blooms and slabs are cut to the required lengths by a hydraulic shear, which is arranged to use two pressures, a low one for the smaller pieces and a high one for the larger ones, this arrangement greatly economizing THE IfRON AGE, 7 the power. This hydraulic shear is also fitted with a com- plete table, which does away largely with the labor and enables the shear to make a square cut by holding up the ends of heavy slabs outside the shear knives. The table is arranged to move away from the shears when an end is to be cut in such a manner that the scrap falls directly into a chute, which delivers it into scrap cars by a con- veyor. The finished material passes directly to another table, from which it is pushed by a hydraulic cylinder directly into special cars, each car holding from 10 to 20 tons, where it is allowed to cool, and is then transferred by traveling cranes directly into cars for shipment. All sizes of billets and slabs are handled by this device, and on account of the great variety of sizes made it has proved its entire efficiency. The Open Hearth Plant, The open hearth plant consists of six 40-ton basic open hearth furnaces built by the S. R. Smythe Company of Pittsburgh. They are arranged in two parallel rows in such a manner that either of the two 75-ton electric over- head traveling cranes can be used from the ladle of any of the furnaces. The furnaces are placed on the general level, the ladles being lowered into a pit to receive the metal when the furnaces are tapped. The casting is on cars and the ingots are stripped by an overhead stripper, from which they go directly to the same transfers and are charged in the same pit furnaces as the ingots from the Bessemer plant. The furnaces are served by two Well- man chargers, one being arranged for each three furnaces, a large proportion of the scrap boxes being filled at the different places in the mills where scrap originates and are conveyed directly to the furnaces without rehandling. Finishing Mills. After leaving the blooming mills a very large propor- tion, in fact nearly the entire output, of the Bessemer and open hearth plants, is made into finished material, Jones & Laughlins being one of the largest producers of iron and steel in finished forms in the world. These finishing mills consist of four 8-inch trains. one 9 inch, one 10-inch, two 12-inch, two 16inch, one 20-inch and one 26-inch mill, besides a sheet train, a small plate mill and a com- bination mill for small sizes of steel. The product of these finishing mills covers a very wide range from half rounds 8-16 inch in diameter up to 20 inch beams. A feature of the business of this concern is the great variety of special and agricultural shapes which they make. With sucha large number of finishing mills it is possible, and the plan has been adopted by this concern, of having each mill adapted to a particular class of work. Advantage of this practice has been taken throughout the entire plant, nearly every mill being possessed of special features for the roll- ing of its own particular class of product. A striking example of this is seen in the combination mill, which makes great quantities of small rounds, squares and flats. On this mill the billets from the continuous heating fur- naces are fed directly into a continuous roughing mill and finished in the ordinary manner in very long lengths, while the 20-inch mill, whose product consists of beams, channels and angles, is fitted with tables operated entirely by electricity which require but a single man, the operator on each side of the rolls. The changed conditions which have come into the manufacture of structural material during the last few years require work to be done by the makers of beams and channels which was formerly performed by the pur- chasers at their own shops. To meet the demands of cus- tomers who must have their material ready for erection this firm have installed in the last few years a great variety of shears, punches, straightening machines of all descriptions and special tools. The equipment of these works in this respect is most complete, and too extensive to describe in detail in this article. In connection with the structural department is a separate shop devoted to the manufacture of ‘‘ Larimer ’’ columns, which have been used extensively for some years and of which Jones & Laughlins are the exclusive manufacturers. Shipping Facilities, The handling and shipping of material when finished is an important factor in economical operation of a large works, and the greater the tonnage the more important this item becomes. This department has been given the closest attention and the very best results secured. The firm have recently completed an extensive shipping yard covered by anetwork of electric overhead traveling cranes, and which is a model of its kind. Including these yard cranes there are in use throughout the works for various purposes 25 electric traveling cranes, besides steam loco- motives and hand cranes in great variety, including a cantilever crane of 312 feet span, which was until recently the largest span crane in the world. It was built by the Brown Hoisting & Conveying Machine Company of Cleveland, Ohio. There is probably not a concern in the United States engaged in the manufacture of iron and steel, or for that -_ LP pahPe ae Bez te fas Soe: a! ein a & = gh +4 - Ms ae aes # SS} , ie > ee BP SF tae tae ie! 5 THE IRON AGE. matter anywhere in the world, whose diversity of product is SO great as that of Jones & Laughlins. Of the various forms of finished steel made by this concern we can men- tion steel bars, rails, plates, sheets, structural shapes, steel billets, railroad splice bars and bolts, boat and railroad spikes, machine and bridge bolts, chains, railroad coupling links and pins, forgings, steel castings, cold rolled shaft- ing, finger bars, couplings, hangers, pillow blocks and pulleys. Connected with the plant are two large found- ries, the firm making all their own castings. chain fac- tory, a bolt factory and machine shops. The annual capacity of the foundries is 17,500 gross tons of iron and 2500 tons of steel castings; of the cold rolling department, 25,000 tons of shafting and finger bars; of the chain fac- tory, 25,000 tons of chain and railroad coupling links; of the bolt factory, 8000 tons of bolts, spikes and railroad coupling pins, and of the shops for fitting structural May 25, 1899 manufacture of steel in finished forms, but it is mtended to increase the finishing capacity so as to consume the entire product of pig metal. Proposed Improvements, As noted in the beginning of this article, the firm have bought within the past six months or so a very large amount of ground adjacent to their plant which will be utilized for extensive additions, some of which are now under way and others in contemplation. Two new fin- ishing mills are now being built, while others will prob- ably be commenced before long. It is also likely that a complete new Bessemer plant will be erected, much larger than the present one. It is also proposed to install before long the use of direct metal. In the shipping yards very extensive improvements are under way, and when com- pleted will give this firm additional facilities for receiving -_- te ya ak a o J Oita THE DAVIS KEY SEATER. material, 24,000 tons. The firm also have large machine shops which are equipped with tools of modern design, and they have facilities for producing pulleys and balance wheels up to 30 feet in diameter, and can handle castings up to 50 tons. The firm are an identified interest of Laughlin & Co., Limited, and are large manufacturers of Bessemer pig iron and also purchase in the open market. At the present time Laughlin & Co., Limited, are operating three blast furnaces, rebuilding a fourth and constructing a fifth. It is the intention to rebuild three of the present stacks, mak- ing them the largest in the world, and also to build an entirely new stack, which will give them a comple- ment of five, each with a daily capacity of about 600 tons. One of the furnaces to be rebuilt is Soho, which this con- cern have operated under lease for two years, but now own. It should therefore be added to the number of stacks owned and operated by Laughlin & Co., Limited. With these five furnaces completed and in operation Laughlin & Co., Limited., will be able to supply Jones & Laughlins, Limited, with over 2500 tons of Bessemer and basic pig iron every 24 hours, sufficient to meet their requirements. The daily capacity of Jones & Laughlins, Limited, in Bessemer and basic steel is now about 2000 tons, and more than three-fourths of this is used by themselves in the and shipping product. The original plant of this concern was established in 1852 and the firm have had a long and honorable career in the iron trade of nearly 50 years a The Davis Key Seater. The engraving represents the No. 1 key seating ma- chine, built by the W. P. Davis Machine Company of Rochester, N. Y., which will cut seats from 4 to 1 inch. The machine is complete with heavy clamping bar for large work, also special clamping lever for small work. The feed has automatic release which prevents the breaking of cutters. The table is provided with end adjustment, and there is a graduated scale for the depth of the key seat and also a scale for regulating the taper of the seat. For centering small work there is an ad- justing chuck and an adjustable clamp arm for holding small work. These attachments insure the cutting of any number of key seats of any given depth and taper. —e > It is announced that tne Johnson Steel Company, Lorain, Ohio, will this summer spend $200,000 on homes for the workmen, office employees and officers of the com- pany. ; May 25 1899 THE IRON AGE. 9 4 Handling Materials in a Foundry.* devise new methods for manufacture. Probably the only portion of these improvements that would interest the general founder would be the method of handling mate- The Methods in Use at the Works of the Michigan ‘!@! and the management of cupolas. Stove Company, Detroit, Mich The space available for storage of flasks, coke, iron i y ‘ . and sand is very small, which was for years considered ! nied aie are a disadvantage, but under the changed methods it is a | BY W. J. KEEP, DETROIT, MICH. positive advantage. Fermerly all cupola supplies were eta Bie wheeled to elevators and were hoisted to the platforms One of the results of a series of years of business de- and unloaded, then when the cupolas were charged the pression is that those in charge of manufacturing will materials were placed on scales and weighed and | ————= , | 1 Saar | lca) \g Tae : ce if } um | en et | WL Pee ee ee ee “ - - ~~. as A TS Ee eS - Ve: SS <== : —————— nn 3 4 wm 2S Fig. 2.— Flan of Industrial Tracks on Second Floor. ORIGINAL METHODS FOR HANDLING MATERIALS AT MICHIGAN STOVE COMPANY’S WORKS. 2 Se : . & have time to devote close attention to each department handled again in charging. While using