The Iron Age 1899-08-17: Vol 64 Iss 7

‘THE IRON AGB. Tuurspay, Aucust 17, 1899. The Lucas & Gliem Cold Saw Machines. The accompanying engravings show three types of cold saw cutting off machines built by Lucas & Gliem of Philadelphia. The first is designed for sawing out engine crank shafts. The feed mechanism is placed at the rear end of the machine, leaving the whole of the front end clear for work. The gearing is located under the shaft in order that the feed may be operated con- venientiy from in front of the pulley, thus giving the machine an advantage in economy of space. The tables are adjusted by the hand wheel shown on the right side of the machine, and are arranged so that both may be adjusted togetber or either table adjusted independently of the other. There is a drip pan under the saw, pro- with a strainer. All chips are caught by the vided the machine may be cut. a and also has an automatic safety stop. The machine is provided with variable automatic feed controlled by friction plates, The rate of feed is regulated by the small hand wheel shown on the end. The saw runs in a bath of oil which keeps it well lubri- cated at all times, and the pan around the table catches ll the oil from the saw, work and table and drains it back into the saw tank, thus keeping the oil from run- n e ing down the sides of the machine and onto the floor. The engraving, Fig. 3, is of a cold saw cutting off ma- hine for steel foundry use. It was designed for cutting gates and shrink heads from steel castings, and has a capacity for work up to 6-inch gates. The saw is made flush on the outside, so that gates may be cut off flush with the side of a casting. is The builders state that there a large variety of small steel castings having Crank Shaft Cold Saw Cutting Off Machines. THE LUCAS & GLIEM COLD Strainer and the water drained from them into the pan. In this way the water may be used continually and its cleanliness is assured. In sawing a crank holes are first drilled through the web of the crank, and after the tables on the machine have been adjusted so that the distance between them is a little more than the width of the piecé desired to be cut out, the crank is clamped in V-blocks and the sawing done. After drilling and saw- ing the web is broken out and the crank finished in a lathe. 'The machine has a capacity for sawing to the depth of 6 inches, and is driven with a two-step cone pulley, giving two changes of speed to the saw, one for hard and the other for soft metals. The machine has a variable automatic feed and an automatic stop. The engraving, Fig. 2, represents a bar cold saw cut- ting off machine, having a capacity for cutting round bars up to 6 inches and square bars up to 5 inches. The machine is intended principally for cutting round or square bars of iron and steel, but small I-beams, chan- nels, rails and many other shapes within the capacity of F SAW MACHINES. gates much less than 6 inches which may be cut off on the machine shown to much better advantage than on the large cutting off machines, because the saw runs at a much higher peripheral speed than on those machines, the feed is much faster and the machine may be more easily handled. <> —— Electric Power and House Industries. An account is given in the Bulletin de la Société d’Encouragement pour l’Industrie Nationale of the use of power transmitted electrically throughout the district of Saint-Etienne, France, where very important im- provements in the local industry of ribbon weaving have been effected by this means, without hindrance or op- position on the part of the work people, and to the great benefit of all concerned. It is estimated that about 30,- 000 looms are in use, 15,000 in Saint-Etienne itself, and the remainder in a radius of 25 miles round it. Until quite recently nearly all these looms were driven by 2 hand in the houses of the weavers, who worked for themselves at the ribbou trade, and sometimes employed the members of their own families or a few skilled as- sistants. Ribbon weaving is essentially a home indus- try. The Electrical Company of the Loire, founded in 1891, has had the chief share in turning many of these hand The orig- looms into power looms, driven by electricity. THE IRON AGE. August 17, 1899 and 110 volts for lighting purposes. The total power employed by the company at their various generating stations amounts to 2200 horse-power. Anaccountis given of the precautions taken to guard against accidents. There are 8000 lamps now in use, and 2500 looms are converted to power looms. It is estimated that each ribbon loom needs on the average 14 horse-power, for which the moderate charge of $2 per month has been fixed Fig. 2.—Bar Cold Saw Cutting Off Machine. Fig. 3.—Steel Foundry Cold Saw. THE LUCAS & GLIEM inal works were situated at Saint-Victor-sur-Loire, 9 miles from Saint-Etienne, and comprised three turbines each of 300 horse-power, and two 300 horse-power en- zines in case of failure in the hydraulic plant. The com- pany, who shortly after their formation united with a smaller one formed with a similar object, now serve 24 communes; the alternating three-phase current is con- veyed by 68 miles of wire. Thirty transformer sta- tions are employed to reduce the voltage of the main (5200 volts) to a pressure of 19) volts for motive power, COLD SAW MACHINES. to cover all costs. Many different types of electro mo tors are in use. oor From diferent parts of the country come reports of the temporary suspension of work owing to the scarcity of steel and delays in deliveries of material. At the Cramp shipyards recently a number of men were laid off temporarily because no employment could be found for them in the absence of structural steel. August 17, 1899 The Iron Mines of Cuba. A REPORT BY ROBERT P. PORTER. WASHINGTON, August 15, 1899.—Robert P. Porter, who recently visited the island of Cuba as a special com- missioner to gather information regarding industrial con- ditions, has made a special report to the Secretary of the Treasury upon the iron ore industry in the district of Santiago. The report has especial interest as showing both past and present conditions and the effect upon the industry of the recent military operations in the island. Mr. Porter says: “The mining districts of Cuba are confined almost ex- clusively to the mountainous or eastern end of the island, and so far the province of Santiago is the chief producer. Its leading product is iron ore, mined principally by American companies. The first real iron mining in Cuba began in about 1884, when 21,798 tons were shipped to the United States. This was the first Cuban iron ore re- ceived in this country, and was about one twenty-third of the total iron importation. In 1897 we received 397,173 tons of Cuban ore, which was three-fourths of the ore imported. During the years 1884-1897 we received 3,401,- O77 tons of Cuban ore. yy “The ore is a brown hematite, in large quantities, easy to work, of excellent quality, about 62 per cent. iron, and is especially adapted for the making of Bessemer steel. Though there are many mining properties, three American companies, the Juragua Iron Company, the Spanish-American Iron Company and the Sigua Iron Company, do all the business. The Juragua does far more than ail the others. ‘Their shipments to the United States in 1897 were 244,817 tons (5932 tons, in addition, to Nova Scotia), to 152,356 tons by the Spanish-American Company, who made their first shipment in 1895, and none by the Sigua Company, who have shipped, in all, 21,853 tons. The Sigua began operations in 1892, the Spanish-American in 1885 and the Juragua in 1884. In 1897 the Spanish-American Company shipped 51,537 tons to foreign countries, bringing their total output for the year up to 203,898 tons. } : “ Although iron ore of the best quality outcrops in many places on the estates once devoted to coffee on the southern slope of the coast range, it was not until the year 1881 that the first claim was located, or ‘ de- nounced.’ Since then more than a hundred locations have been denounced in this range (the Sierra Maestre), both to the east and the west of the city of Santiago de Cuba. Of these denouncenients the most important, and, in fact, the only ones that have ever been worked, are to the east of the city, covering a distance of 20 odd miles along the range, a few miles in from the coast. The de- posit is not continuous, but there are numerous separate deposits along the distance, some of them very extensive. “In order to encourage the mining of this ore, the Crown of Spain issued, on April 17, 1883, a royal decree to the following effect: That for a period of 20 years from that date the mining companies should be free from all tax on the surface area of all claims of iron or com- bustibles; that ores of all classes should be free from all export taxes; that coal brought in by mining companies for use in their work should be free from all import taxes; that combustibles and iron ore should be exempted from the 3 per cent. tax on raw materials; that mining and metallurgical companies should be free from all other imposts; that for a period of five years the mining companies should be exempt from the payment of duties on all machinery or materials required for working and transporting the-ore; that vessels entering in ballast and sailing with ore should pay a duty of 5 cents per ton navigation dues, and that vessels entering with cargo destined for the mining companies should pay $1.30 per ton navigation and port dues on all such cargo, and on the remainder of the cargo as per general tariff. “Under the charter the Juragua Iron Company, Liin- ited, opened mines in Firmeza, laid a railroad 20 miles long from that point to La Cruz, in Santiago Bay, where line docks and piers were built, and in 1884 shipped the lirst cargo of iron ore from Cuba. The company have a fine tleet of iron steamers. The mines of this company were extensively and successfully worked, and, en- couraged by this, the Spunish-American Company and the Sigua Company purchased mines to the east of the luragua properties and at once began the work of de- eloping them. “The Spanish-American [ron Company, incorporated under the laws of West Virginia and owned entirely by \merican citizens, built four miles of standard gauge iilroad from their mines to Daiquiri Bay, about 16 miles “ist of the harbor of Santiago de Cuba. Here the com- any constructed a steel ore dock of 3000 tons capacity, ‘ landing pier, buoys, moorings and other harbor im- /rovements, at a cost of $500,000. The work of prepar- ig this harbor delayed the opening of the mines for ship- THE IRON AGE. 3 ment, and it was not until May, 1895, that the first cargo was cleared. “The Sigua Iron Company built a standard gauge road nine miles long from their mines to Sigua Bay, and there constructed a breakwater and a wooden ore dock. This company during the first two years of operation shipped 21,802 tons. Later the mines were closed, and during the war between Spain and the Cubans the dock, roundhouse, locomotives and buildings of the company at Sigua Bay were entirely destroyed in the course of an ehugagement between the Spanish and the Cuban*‘forces. “Phe Spanish-American Iron Company and _ the Juragua Iron Company remained in operation during the entire war between Spain and Cuba, and, although lo- cated at the extreme outpost of the Spanish troops, with Cuban forces in the immediate vicinity, maintained throughout a strict neutrality, and continued shipping ore until they were closed by order of the Spanish author- ities, after the declaration of war between the United States and Spain. .“ The three companies, who are the only ones that have ever operated mines in the province, represent an investment of American capital of about $8,000,000, and the two stilt operating have paid into the Treasury of the United States more than $2,000,000 in import duties on iron ore. The following table shows the production of iron ore in the province from 1884 to 1897: - Production .- —_—_— Spanish American Sigua Juragua Iron Lron Company. Company. Company. Totals. Years ons Tons. Tons, ‘ons. 1884, wdusb ert 23,977 aan ee ae 28,977 1885, gdaaes abel ‘ou 095 Be she 80,095 | ee wawonteeienebiewied 110,880 aulmues i 110,880 REE 2 nent: 94,810 ta elie ete 94,810 i ee Sdeckeaks 204,475 baci ChE 204,475 SEM ive dn 4's ee Se eeshitws - 255,406 e4ese6h) VY )1H lereihe 255,406 ee saan 356,060 aesteuden oedies 356,060 Ee esereicece Seéccescce SOUT =—s ecece ae oawee 261,620 ph ere x ven cot ei Le A é 320,859 | ne one@ead WORE) cil" Reces ot 346,341 RE sinick eee nesite coed 153,650 153,650 Sn RR TS Be: cooes 302,050 74,991 377,041 eer coccccc. 201,061 114,110 405,671 ae cccecee 246,580 206,029 152,559 | ae a ae 3,036,314 395,130 12,000 3,443,444 “It is interesting to note that none of. the mines are worked underground. The ore outcrops on the side hills, and the mining is of the nature of quarrying. Daiquiri, the port of the Spanish-American Company, is the point at which General Shafter’s army landed, and the dock, pier, mooring, buoys and water supply of the place were of great value to the army and to the vessels of the navy. The Spanish forces, who abandoned Daiquiri when the United States troops landed, set fire to the shops, round- house, docks, pier, warehouse and ears of the company. Through the efforts of the company’s men, who were waiting in the hills and returned as soon as the bombard- ment ceased, the fire was partly extinguished, but the locomotives, shops, some cars and a number of buildings were a total loss. ‘The hospital buildings and a number of dwellings at Daiquiri were afterward burned by order of the United States officers commanding. At Siboney, the Juragua Company’s village, a number of buildings, were also burned by order of the United States officers in command. “ The following list of the mining properties, all in the province of Santiago, with the number of acres, condi- tion, &c., may be useful as reference: Number — of oO mines. acres. Remarks. Dorothea and Recrio .............. 300 For sale. COP PIUCOPO é sie 050 odd uk ded bd veadd'c 9 1,300 For sale. BP RMIC NG ss oc » epitacnceoeers a re 925 svbbdbtidescddibdes dara cos eclacs midsenceaaas ac 6 950 ee ne nee COMBE 8 Be 5k Wb cc's Vdsdbeccsaces 6 760 For sale. Ly eae des wild 9 75 Sigua Company. Uvera and Jaqueca........ hiedeens ater OO 1,557 10 for sale. eo cant cone rannusne 1 502 $150,000 refused. Ongena i. 55 0562. i tM “ For sale. BCOMOMIM: ..45.0cccccces ibaawauéaisetan 19 2,650 For sale. EN oo dle a a diweisigs O--— sexes For sale. DENS aace cen. nares acvhenee 8 1,000 4 for sale. Demajobo........ Se ee oe we i 150 For sale SUPE EENOUDS. ooo occcs vice. ccccses 17 2,500 1l for sale. BOWMO.ET! tT Ade es hott il 1,300 For sale. “* All these mining properties are from 200 to 1500 feet above the sea, and though the climate is hot the region is not affected by fevers or malaria, and it may be said to be the most healthful section of the island. This location is excellent for mining and shipping also, being from 5 to 60 miles from Santiago, and nearly all of the properties have excellent outlets to the sea or are conveniently lo- cated to rail facilities. Nature, as usual in Cuba, has done her share, except in the production of man, and the most serious drawback to mining is the want of proper labor. “While in Cuba your commissioner received one cable dispatch calling for 1500 laborers for the mines. Through the suggestion made by your commissioner to an Ameri- can corporation engaged in mining at Santiago, 400 labor- 4 THE IRON AGE ers were sent from Havana to Santiago. While there was a surplus of able bodied labor in Havana willing to go to the mines at Santiago, they had not the means to obtain transportation to the localities where they could obtain work, as will be seen from the following extract from a letter written by a prominent business man of Havana; the man, in fact, who in October was employed to send the 400 laborers from that city to Santiago: “*T advertised for laborers in the Santiago mines in our principal newspapers, and in consequence have had for the last three days at least 120 men calling at my office for situations. They are willing to accept the price offered,. but not one of them can pay the passage from this port to Santiago. ** Lots of soldiers, lots of laborers, many of whom have already worked in the Santiago mines and know all about the works, living and everything else, but were taken away trom there as guerrillas, volunteers and soldiers of some kind, are willing to go; but, as you will understand, the people here have been without work and the soldiers without any pay, and therefore nobody can pay the passage. ’ ““* While writing these lines several men have called on me, but it is the same thing over and over again; they need work and are willing to work, but they have not got 1 cent to save their souls.’ ” . The condition of affairs with regard to labor at the be- ginning of the present calendar year is graphically shown in the following letter addressed to Mr. Porter by President Rand of the Spanish-American [ron Company: “Industrial conditions at Santiago de Cuba so far as the business of iron mining is concerned are far from satisfactory. We are still engaged in putting our prop- erty in repair, but have been wholly unable to resume mining operations upon our former basis. “We have already given a partial outline of the dam- age done our property at the time General Shafter’s army landed at Daiquiri, and do not need to refer to that at length at this time. Our principal difficulty at present is lack of sufficient labor. The total number of men at work at the property of this company and that of our neighbor, the Juragua Iron Company, does not exceed 400, while at least 1500 men are required. “We have made every possible effort to get men in Cuba, having telegraphed, written and sent agents to the principal places without success. We are now ne- gotiating to get men from other West India islands, and are also in correspondence with friends in Spain, hoping to somewhat recruit our forces with experienced miners from the provinces of Bilbao and Santander, whence many of our men have come. The companies and firms operating the various industries in the province of San- tiago de Cuba have always expected that at the end of the war between the insurgents and Spain a large propor- tion of the soldiers of the Spanish army would settle permanently in Cuba as citizens, and we all felt the greatest disappointment when the entire Spanish army was so summarily exported, as having in mind the condi- tions in Spain to which many of these soldiers inevitably returned, we are confident that many thousands would have remained in Cuba had they been allowed any choice in the matter. “As thousands of Spanish soldiers remained in Cuba and the various industries through the island are sadly in need of exactly the labor that can best be obtained from the ranks of the Spanish army now there, and as in our opinion a large proportion of the soldiers will be very glad of the opportunity to remain, we suggest that this matter be discussed with the Spanish authorities so as to ascertain if some arrangements cannot be made where- by all soldicrs who desire to remain and identify them- selves with the industries of the island may do so.” The Department is advised that conditions in the province of Sautiago have very materially improved since the above letter was written, and especial efforts are be- ing made in the administration of the province by Gen- eral Wood to rehabilitate its industries as rapidly as possible. WwW. L. Cc. -— James J. Hill of the Great Northern Railroad spoke as follows in a newspaper interview: “ The crying need of the Northwest to-day is men who have the gift of contin- uance. We have sent 15,000 track laborers out in the past 12 months, and yet we have not had more than 2500 at work at any one time. The majority of the laborers now at work in the Dakotas and Minnesota are Italians and Poles. The Italians are highly unsatisfactory. As a rule their object in coming here is solely to get enough money together to support them in idleness at home, and they hoard their earnings to the last possible degree. For this reason, and because they come from a land where food is not abundant, they rarely eat enough or well enough. and so have not sufficient physical strength to stand the strain of long continued labor. The Poles are much more satisfactory. They are strong, hardy and willing; moreover, they are anxious to leave off working August 17, 1899 for wages as soon as possible. Conditions of political and personal freedom in Poland are not to their liking, and consequently they do not desire to return to the Old World as the Italians do, but are prone to settle down on land in this country as soon as they get money enough to do so. There is much talk that men cannot get work to do in this country. It is not so. Every healthy man who is idle in the United States to-day is so from choice. I do uot say that every carpenter can get carpenter work to do, or that every plumber can find a job at his trade, but if he will take what he can get, every idle man in the country can go to work as soon as he is ready to. At this moment there are jobs ranging in pay from $1.25 to $3 and $4 a day for 100,000 men in the Northwest. There are, no doubt, enough idle men in this region to till all these jobs, but they are men who have dropped out of healthy, active life into the life of the loafer.” ——— a Martin Fox on Molding Machines. Reference has been made in past issues to the posi- tion taken relative to molding machines by the twenty- first convention of the Iron Molders’ Union of North America, held at Indianapolis, July 10. President Mar- . tin Fox, who was re-elected, delivered an address in which he advised the members of the organization to work on those machines, and his recommendation was approved. Our readers wil! be interested in the full statement of his views on this subject, as follows, taken from an official copy of his address: In these closing years of the century one cannot re- view the long list of evidences of man’s inventiveness and skill without a feeling of wonder and admiration. The impossible seems in every field to have been accom- plished. The forces of nature have one by one been har- nessed for man’s use and the gratification of his wants. Handicrafts that once insured the handicraftsmen a liv- ing have been swept away, and the machine, that neither eats nor sleeps, has taken their places. No han- dicraft, no trade, is free from danger from this invader. One by one we have seen the domain of the mechanic invaded and his skill rendered valueless. Even those who felt the most secure have fallen the readiest victims. The iron molder for years congratulated himself that little danger was to be feared from the machine in his trade, but, like the many before him, he is slowly awak- ening to his mistake. The advent of the labor saving machine in the foun- dry was the signal for an outburst of ridicule and con- tempt; they were to be laughed out of court; molders refused to have anything to do with them; they were a failure already. But they have outlived that stage of their history, and are to-day a more perplexing problem with which to grapple than ever before. They were rele- gated at first to the unskilled laborer. To-day that la- borer has become a serious rival of the mechanic in many subdivisions of our trade. Machines have developed from the simple ‘“‘ squeezer ” to the more pretentious stripping plate and squeezer of later design, and while in some branches of the trade their introduction would not be a paying investment, in others they are a problem which must be met speedily and intelligently. I feel that this convention will agree that this is the case, and that the policy of detraction and opposition must be forever abandoned. It is a truth that all history can be brought to prove that if a labor saving machine have merit no opposition that the la- borer can bring to bear will prevent its introduction. I strongly advise, then, that our members agree to work on those machines and bring out their best possi- bilities, providing satisfactory arrangements can be made as to wages. The mistake was made at the begin- ning, when our members refused to work on them, but we should be guided by our experience, and without fur- ther delay adopt such a policy as will give to our mem- bers the control of the machines and retain to them the trade which they have spent the best years of their lives in acquiring. I strongly recommend, therefore, that the incoming executive officers avail themselves of every op- portunity that might present itself to further this policy, and that our members be urged to lend their assistance by sinking all old time prejudice and making the effort to control the machine that will otherwise control them. _— The Brooks Locomotive Works, Dunkirk, N. Y., are completing for the Illinois Central Railroad a locomotive which is claimed to be larger than any yet built. The engine is a 12-wheel freight with cylinders 23 x 30. It has eight drivers, 57 inches diameter. The boiler is an improved Belpaire wagon top. The waist is 82 inches in diameter and throat 9114. It has 424 2-inch flues, 14 feet and 8% inches long. The total weight of the engine is 218,000 pounds; total weight of engine and tender 330,000 pounds. August 17, 1899 Locomotives for Work North of the Arctic Circle. The Richmond Locomotive & Machine Works of Rich- mond, Va., have shipped ten six-wheel connected side tauk locomotives to the Swedish State railways. With few exceptions the engines are built strictly in accord- ance with American practice. The engine has no bell, and the reverse lever, throttle lever and all operating levers and handles are on the left side of the engine, which is the custom in Sweden. The principal character- istics are: Gauge, 4 feet 814 inches; weight on drivers, 75,- 000 pounds; wheel base, 12 feet; cylinders, 15 inches in diameter, 22 inches stroke; driving wheels, six, diameter, 48 inches; boiler of the straight top type; working pres- sure, 165 pounds; diameter, 47 inches; thickness of plates, 7-16 inch; length of fire box, 553% inches, width, 34 inches; tubes are of iron, 10% feet long, 2 inches thick, No. 12 B. W. G. and No. 146; the total heating surface is 868 square WAPADIANVAI IC MAGIA Nie! cle} any), | yi THE IRON AGE. 5 the statue in Passy, where Franklin resided when he was Minister to France over 100 years ago. Passy, then a suburb, is now in the center of the exposition grounds. The statue will be a replica of the one in Philadelphia, which cost $14,000 and stands in front of the post office. <i The Davis Cutting Off Machine. In the new cutting off machine built by the W. P. Davis Machine Company of Rochester, N. Y., the spindle bearings are large and long and the cones of ample width and diameter. On each end of the spindle is a powerful chuck. A special feature of the machine is the tool post, which is of unusual strength and stiffness, and is provided with two lateral adjusting screws, so that after once setting the tool perfectly true and square it can be removed for grinding and replaced in its origi- THE DAVIS CUTTING OFF MACHINE. feet; the grate is a cast iron rocking of 13 square feet; copper fire box, copper water space stays. Brown iron radial stays, Nathan lubricator, United States metallic packing, Richardson’s balanced .valves, Latrobe tires, French springs, Monitor injectors, Coale safety valves, Star steam gauge, screw couplings and buffers, snow plows, hand brakes, magnesia sectional boiler covering. One of the most interesting points in connection with —_ engines is that they are for use north of the Arctic Cirele. —_ —— Franklin Statue for Paris,—'The citizens of Phila- delphia will present to the city of Paris a statue of Ben- jamin Franklin for the exposition next year. When the l'ranklin statue, recently presented to the city by Justus C. Strawbridge, was unveiled United States District At- torney Beck, who delivered the oration, suggested that the citizens of the United States ought to present to the French people a statue of the great philosopher, in return for Bartholdi’s Statue of Liberty, given to this country. The suggestion has taken shape, and Mayor Ashbridge has appointed a committee of 27 prominent Philadel- »phians to carry out the idea. It is proposed to raise the money and have the work begun as soon as possible, so that the statue can be shipped to Paris in time to unveil it before the exposition closes. It is intended to place nal position without loss of time and without changing its distance from its length gauge. There is an auto- matic throw off, which stops the feed when the piece is cut off. The length gauge is provided with a finger at, its forward end, which can be thrown over, after gaug- ing the length, to prevent cramping the tool as the piece drops off. The countershaft has two changes of speed, making with the changes on the cone six different speeds for the main spindle. The pulleys on the countershaft are driven by a simple clutch, so that by an instantane- ous movement of the lever the speed may be accelerated as the tool approaches the center. Three-inch round stock and under can be cut on this machine. _—_ ter An unusually large emery wheel was recently shipped by the American Emery Wheel Works of Providence, R. 1. It measured 34% feet in diameter and was 12 inches thick. It was built up on a special iron center 31 inches in diameter, which ran on a 38 5-16-inch shaft. The whole affair weighed over 1200 pounds. The wheel was designed for grinding wooden balls. The idea is being entertained by the National Associa- tion of Manufacturers of the United States to hold a meeting in Paris next year. The Scotch Warrant Market. BY WILLARD 8S. MATTOX, GLascow, August 5, 1899.—The warrant market has been a very difficult proposition during the past week. It has exhibited runaway tendencies that were alarming to the timid and the cause of apprehension even to the sturdiest and most hopeful dealers. The unusual rise, already noted in America, was matched by the very sud- den drop witnessed in the last few days. There are as iInmany reasons given for the slump as there are diverse interests in the iron ring here. Every dealer has his own designs on the market and accounts for the changes to suit his own policy or aims. There are those who say that the “ bears” engineered the drop and “sat on” the market: Again, it was pointed out that it was a very weak “bull” account unloading that started the fall and hastened the speed of the toboggan slide. Others attribute it to Continental buyers, who held Middlesbro when it began to rise, and found it more profitable to sell their English iron at top prices and buy German or Belgian iron to satisfy their contracts. This is plausible enough and very likely one of the several causes that assisted in bringing prices down. Many conservative dealers here in Glasgow felt that the rise was abnormal and not warranted by the state of trade and that a fall was sure to come shortly, and these were wise enough to prepare for what they prognosticated. Then, again, that much abused and time worn “ prop- erty’ argument, familiar as a household motto to every *“ bear ’”’ house in Glasgow—-fear of another invasion by America—was duly dragged out onto the stage at the critical moment and had the usual effect. This, perhaps as much as anything else, contributed to the scare and helped to knock the supports from under the market. No rumor is more powerful on the Glasgow market than the “ Yankee” rumor, and if adroitly worked and intro- duced carefully at the right time it never fails. The wonder is that it has been able to serve its purpose so long, after being so often exposed. It is such a palpable ruse, in whatever dress it may appear, that it seems searcely credible that it can continue to cast the evil eye on the Scotch warrant market, but I have never known it to fail. Every villain in every drama receives his death stroke before the end of the play. Let us hope the *“ American invasion” villain will be put to a well deserved death before the end of this act. There are no inventive geniuses on the Glasgow market, or they would have created a new scare instead of playing on the old one for so long. One small sale of American iron to this district, about ten days ago, started the business and galvanized the American invasion into instant life. This sale was mag- nified several fold and the price was given out at con- siderably less than the real one. Before the startled ring knew what was coming the report was everywhere that America, for months silent, had spoken again; that American exporters were sacrificing their iron to keep their foreign trade and that they were offering freely. The specter assumed awful proportions. Britain was to be deluged with cheap American iron. How could Scotch and Cleveland makers hope to compete ? After this it required only the most ordinary “ bear” acute- ness to do the rest, and the figures tell the story. On Monday, July 31, one week ago, Scotch, cash buy- ers, Closed 72 shillings 10% pence; the next day Scotch dropped 1 shilling, to 71 shillings 10 pence. By the close of the second day it had fallen over 2 shillings, to 69 shil- lings 61. pence, and the end was not yet. Small holders began to hunt cover and commission houses were selling freely. The market grew excited and almost hysterical. The day following prices were flat at 66 shillings, a de- cline of 38 shillings 6 pence in 24 hours, and the week closed Friday, August 4. slightly firmer, with a recovery to 68 shillings 6 pence, an advance of 14 crown over the day before. Cleveland is now almost on a par with Scotch at 67 shillings 4144 pence and has fluctuated prac- tically along with Scotch. After the weak “ bull” ac- count had cleared out and the frantic sellers had ex- hausted themselves the market began to assume a more healthy aspect. There are many who still have confi- dence in its recuperative powers. The only possible interest this account of the Glasgow iron market can have for American exporters or makers of iron is the inevitable effect on our exports and selling powers. It is true that a pretended fear of American iron assisted in the recent flurry, and it is equally cer- tain that the fall in prices here, if maintained, will par- tially, if not completely, close the door to American iron. This is not so much to be feared now as it would have been a year ago. because American iron is now on a surer footing in England and sells readily at ordinary THE IRON AGE. August 17, 1599 times. But consumers watching the Glasgow market keenly hold aloof when the outlook is shaky and will not place contracts. They are not buyers as long as the purely speculative element is in command at Glasgow. The result to American sellers would be disastrous if it were not that they can well afford to wait for better prices over here. It would be folly to sacrifice iron at any price. and to try to meet the barometric changes of the warrant market and undersell such prices as have ruled here the past week would be impossible and unnec- essary. Alabama iron has been tried and not found wanting, and there is now no cuestion as to quality. The trouble is that very few iron dealers or users in Great Britain believe in the wonderful activity and unusual consump- tive powers of America. We are accused of going to one extreme or another: we are either having an inflated boom that is soon punctured or we are seized by a money panic that ruins our trade. These are familiar argu- ments to Americans used to the English methods. As a matter of fact the warrant market in Giasgow ought logically to have no influence on American trade with Great Britain; the two are quite distinct and should be kept so. I cannot believe that the Glasgow market can remain flat for anything like a. permanent period, in the face of the actual demand for iron and the real activity in all branches in Hngland, Scotland and Wales. The shipbuilders of the Clyde were never so busy as now. An impetus has been given to yacht build-, ing quite recently and several yards have contracts on. One concern alone have their books full of Government orders for cruisers and battle ships, and are doing noth- ing else. The engineering works seem full up with orders and there is no complaint on any hand. Only speculative dangers face the trade now and the Scotch market is ruthless in its machinations. Trade is healthy and flourishing; every excited drop in warrants like the last one has its effects on legitimate trade and influences, unjustiy, the prices of makers’ iron, both native and imported. Blast furnaces are sharing in the profits of the good times. The shipment of pig iron from Middlesbro and other ports on the river Tees for July was the largest ever known in the corresponding month, amounting to 121,840 tons, as compared with 135,973 in June, which was the record month. It must not be understood that the word “shipment,” as applied to English or Scotch furnaces, means exports. The above figures from the Cleveland district include 24,254 tons to Scotland, while a considerable quantity was shipped by coastwise steam- ers to other parts of England. The foreign deliveries for last July, with the exception of June, were in ex- cess of any previous month this year. Germany, besides buying largely from America, has absorbed from the Middlesbro district 61,000 tons in one month this year, though this includes shipments through Germany for Holland. Russia has taken 9000 tons from the North of England and Belgium 8598 tons, while smaller quantities have gone to other Continental ports. Italy has been a generous buyer of American iron, even at top prices, since the first of this year. Altogether the Continent has probably taken close on to 150,000 tons from America in the last six months. This is remarkable when the prices are taken into account, both at home and in Europe. The Middlesbro statistics show that foreign shipments for seven months past have amounted to 476,907 tons, while coastwise shipments have been only 322,697, or, in round figures, 800,000 tons, as compared with a total of 652.963 tons for the same period last year, an increase of 146,641 tons. Manufactured iron and steel shipments have fallen off, being 30,177 tons for July of this year, against 44,399 tons for July, 1898. Such figures as these count for somethirg as showing the country’s state of health, and a temporary speculation in Glasgow cannot even scratch the surface of prosperity. The Harding Gas Mantle.— A self lighting incan- descent gas mantle has been invented by C. Knox Hard- ing, thermo chemist, 6420 Stony Island avenue, Chicago. The discovery of the method of accomplishing this re- sult was made while studying the phenomena of spon- taneous combustion. Certain elements which enter into the manufacture of the mantle are chemically acted upon by the illuminating gas, causing ignition. The cost of the mantle is a little above that of the mantle now in common use, but the inventor claims that it is as durable as any that can be made. While the new mantle will prove a great convenience under ordinary conditions, the fact is pointed out that it is particularly desirable for municipal lighting and for illuminating halls, churches and other places in which gas fixtures are so elevated as to be difiicult to reach. All the mantles in a lighting sys- tem can be ignited at the same instant by turning on the gas in the main supply pipe. Arrangements are being made to place these mantles on the market in September. August 17, 1899 The Ormsby Ventilating System. In the device for handling window sashes manufac- tured by E. A. Ormsby of Melrose, Mass., the horizontal rod connecting with the windows is provided with pin- ‘ons Which engage racks. One end of the latter is at- tached to the window sash, as shown in the drawings. In the case of a monitor roof the sash may be hung either at the center or top or bottom. The racks, in all positions, are entirely out of the way of any crane or other machinery. The sashes may be operated through rods and beveled gears extending to a conveniently placed handle. If more convenient they may be shifted by means of a vertical rack connecting with the hori- zontal rod extending across the windows. The device may be attached to sliding sashes, as indicated in Fig. 2. — —_ Canada’s Pig Iron Production. The production of pig iron in the Dominion of Canada in the tirst half of 1899, according to reports which have been received by the American Iron and Steel Associa- tion from every manufacturer of pig iron in the Domin- jon, amounted to 43,156 gross tons. The total production in the whole of 1898 amounted to 68,755 tons, against 53,796 tons in the whole of 1897. The production in the first half of 1899 exceeded by 5327 tons the total produc- tion of the whole of 1895, when only 37,829 tons were made. Of the production of pig iron in the first half of 1899 about one-sixth was made with charcoal as fuel, the remainder being produced with coke alone or with charcoal and coke mixed. Canada produced both Bessemer and basic pig iron in the first half of 1899, all of which was manufactured by the Nova Scotia Steel Company, Limited, of New Glasgew, Nova Scotia. The production of Bessemer pig iron was less than one-third of the production of basic pig iron. Spiegeleisen and ferromanganese are now being pro- «duced in Canada, the Mineral Products Company having THE [RON AGE. T unsold iron was made with charcoal as fuel and about one-half with coke. The number of completed blast furnaces in Canada on June 30, 1899, was nine, of which four were in blast and five were out of blast. On December 31, 1898, there were three furnaces in blast and six out of blast. Of the THE ORMSBY blow n in their furnace at Bridgeville, Nova Scotia,on May ‘I, 1899. On June 30 the furnace was producing on an ‘iverage about 70 tons per week. So far as we know this < the first time that either spiegeleisen or ferromanga- ‘wese has been made in the Dominion. rhe unsold stocks of pig iron in Canada on June 30, “9, In the hands of manufacturers or their agents, hone of which was intended for consumption by the , anufacturers, and all of which was for sale, amounted » 15.954 gross tons. A small part of the total was spie- ““lelsen and ferromanganese. About one-half of the VENTILATING SYSTEM APPLIED TO MONITOR WINDOWS. total number of furnaces in Canada four use coke as fuel, four use charcoal and ove uses charcoal and coke mixed. The Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad makes a profit in carrying freight at onivy 3% mills per ton mile. On coal moved to the seaboard it realized indeed in the late year but 2.21 mills per ton mile, so that it was necessary to transport 4% tons of freight a mile in order to earn a cent! The road was able to make a profit upon the seaboard coal at that figure only by reason of the fact that SO per cent. of the haul was in favor of this traffic. Canadian News. Iron on the North Shore. ToRoNTO, August 14, 1899.—Michipicoton mining dis- trict, on the north shore of Lake Superior, promises great developments as an iron ore field. A sample of brown hematite from the claim of Mr. Clergue of Sault Ste. Marie has been received at the Ontario Bureau of Mines office here. It is accompanied by a letter from Professor Coleman, Provincial Mineralogist, who has been spend- ing some time in the district. Upon analysis the speci- men in question is found to contain 60 per cent. of iron. According to Dr. Coleman, the deposit it is taken from has an area of 350 feet by 450 feet or 550 feet. It rises to a hight of 90 feet above the lake Boya, into which it dips. So far as can be seen, Dr. Coleman says, the ore is of a high grade. If the hill is solid ore, which appears to be almost certain, the quantity above the ground line will be not less than 1,680,000 short tons. The hill is but 12 miles from Michipicoton Harbor on Lake Superior. At that point docks are to be constructed. A railway, for the building of which tenders are now asked, is to run from Sault Ste. Marie to Michipicoton. This is the Algoma Central. promoted by Mr. Clergue, president of the Sault Ste. Marie Pulp Company, who ‘proposes to establish smelting works in his town, to which this road is to draw iron and nickel ore as raw material. At the session of the Dominion Parliament just closed a sub- sidy of $5200 a mile has been granted for as long a sec- tion of the line as can possibly be built before Parlia- ment meets again. A grant of land is expected from the Ontario Government. Thus the iron ore property is likely to be developed. With the Midland furnace actu- ally in construction on Georgian Bay there will be no need to wait for a demand. Another Niagara Power Company. A. C. Denniston, Philadelphia, secretary of the On- tario Power Company of Niagara Falls, and W. M. Ger- man, M. P. P., the company solicitors, were in Toronto on the 9th inst., conferring with the chairman and sec- retary of the Queen Victoria Niagara Falls Park Com- mission. ‘Their errand was in furtherance of a proposi- tion to develop power at Niagara Falls. All such busi- ness as that falls within the province of the Park Com- mission, a body appointed by the Ontario Government, and J. W. Langmuir of Toronto is its chairman. The company represented by Mr. Denniston and Mr. German must not be confounded with the one whose latest agree- ment to produce power at the falls has recently been ratified by the Ontario Government. Until lately there was a strong resemblance in the names of the two com- panies, the one who have a franchise from the govern- ment being the Canadian Niagara Power Company, their leading members being the persons in control of the Niagara Power Company on the United States side. Mr. Denniston’s company. who have also been in existence several years, but who have so far not secured the priv- ilege to develop through the Park, were called the Cana- dian Power Company until near the end of the session of the Dominion Parliament, which closed on Friday. By an act passed in that session their name was changed to “ The Ontario Power Company of Niagara Falls.” As a result of the new arrangement with the Canadian Niagara Power Company, the Park Commissioners are now free to concede to other companies the right to de- velop power below the falls through the Park, and it is for this right Mr. Denniston and Mr. German are work- ing. The capitalists they represent are all American, Mr. Milholland of New York and Mr. Roberts of Buffalo being among them. They announce their purpose of en- tering into active competition with the Canadian Niagara Power Company. Mr. Langmuir, chairman of the Park Commission, says that the company’s proposal is being considered, but is not prepared to give particulars. Mr. Wilson, the secretary of the Commission, says that the representatives of the company have declared their readiness to begin operations at once. They say they are practically assured of a demand for several thou- sands of horse-power, and calculate ow disposing of much of it in Toronto. There was a meeting of the shareholders of the Cata- ract Power Company in Hamilton on the 9th inst. It was decided to adopt the by-laws for the taking over of the Hamilton Street Railway Company, Hamilton & Dundas Railway, the Radial Electric Railway, and to put up an additional transmitting wire between the power house at Decew Falls, 30 miles away, and the city transforming station. The building of electric lines to Galt and Guelph is also under consideration by the ecom- pany. It was resolved to increase the capital stock from 250,000 to $3,000,000. Lachine Hydraulic Company's Improvements, As a precaution against ice interfering with their power and service at Lachine Rapids, the Lachine THE IRON AGE August 17, 1899 Rapids Hydraulic & Land Company are putting in a steam plant at two of their Montreal sub-stations. Also an addition of 2000 horse-power is being made to the 500 horse-power already in use at Chenneville street, and 1000 horse-power is being placed in the sub-station at Cote St. Paul. In the city station the equipment will consist of a battery of Babcock & Wilcox’s water tube boilers, Westinghouse engines and electric rotary con- verters. ‘Lnese latter are ordinarily to supply direct eurrent to customers in the dictrict, being operated by the alternating current from the power house, but may, in the event of trouble there, be belted to the engines and serve as double current generators, delivering direct current as usual, and delivering alternating current to the main suv-station. In the Cote St. Paul station the equipment will consist of Manning boilers, Westing- house engines, two Walker and two General Electric Company synchronous motors. In case of any hitch at the power house the engines will operate the whole in- stallation, the synchronous motors in that case acting as generators, supplying current to the main sub-station. At present 750 men are employed in deepening and ex- tending the tail race and building the 1500 feet addition to the wing dam. Government Wants Telegraph Wire. In the session just closed $372,000 was voted for building a government telegraph line from Bennett to Dawson City in the Yukon, with a branch to Atlin City, also for building 900 miles ‘from Quesnelle to Atlin via Stickeen River and Teslin Lake. Tenders are now called for the supply of the wire required. Of No. 8 S. W. G. galvanized iron telegraph wire, running 354 to 365 pounds to the mile, 360,000 pounds are wanted. Also 10,000 pounds of No. 9 soft annealed galvanized iron tie wire. The