The Iron Age 1899-09-28: Vol 64 Iss 13

THE Vol. LXIV: é Reading Matter Contents......... page 46 Classified List of Advertisers. .... “ t# Alphabetical Index to Advertisers ** 122 Advertising and Subscription Rates ‘‘ 53 Dynamo St. Louis, Mo. SDELTING Wow York. Boston. Republic Iron & Steel Co., CHICAGO. Manufacturers BESSEMER STEEL BARS. DISTRICT SALES OFFICES: Buffalo, N. Y. New York City. Cleveland, O. St. Louis, Mo. Cincinnati, O. Birmingham, Ala Bristol’s Patent Steel Belt Lacing, SAVES Time, Belts, Money. Greatest Strength READY TO APPLY «= FINISHED YONT )=6with Least Metal. Send for Circulars and Free Samples. THE BRISTOL CO , Waterbury, Conn. Samson SPOT CORD Also Massachusetts and Phenix Brands of Sash Cord, SAMSON CORDAGE WORKS, - Boston, Mass, TURN BUCKLES, BRANCH OFFICE: 11 Broadway, New York. Cleveland City Forge and tron Co., - Cleveland, O. DROP HAMMERS. MANUFACTURED BY MERRILL BROS., Brooklyn, N.Y. Foundry Iron. PILLING & CRANE, in Sau Apollo galvanized iron is prompt to our regular trade —can't say much more, We're doing our best for casuals though. Apollo [ron and Steel Company, Pittsburgh A Review of the Hardware, Iron and Mere i 13 New York, Thursday, zT IR SUOg; USS pew York, $4.30 a Year, including Single Copies, Ten Cents September 28, 1899. U.IN.€. “Smokeless” & “Acme” Shells With the Celebrated U. M. C. «« No. 3 Primers.”’ For For Dense A Nitro Nitro Powders. Pow ders. yee e @\e\e* wan yer?? (eamever?)| Bridgeport, More Reliable and Conn., Accurate than any 313 Broadway, other shells of the New York. same grades upon the market. 425 Market St., San Francisco. inion Metallic Cartridge Co, 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 COMPANY, HARTFORD, CONN. BRANCHES: Compare Weights WHEN YOU ARE TOLD THAT JENKINS oti IS MORE EXPENSIVE THAN OTHER PACKINGS JENKINS STANDARD gy Average we ight, } “Jenkins °96,”’ 11 lbs to the square yard. oe 6e> sar Red Packing, 14 “ S At 50c. per pound ‘“‘ JENKINS °96” is not only very much 2 a Po GENKINS & cheaper, but the best joint packing manufactured. iris: JENKINS BROS., New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicage. Brass Prices High, So Use Bright “Swedoh” Stamp- seg |] ing Steel Easily Brass Plated and Save Money. MAGNOLIA METAL Best Anti-Friction Metal for all Machinery Bearings. Beware of Imitations. Genuine Magnolia Metal is made up in bars of which this is a fac-simile : The name and trade- mark “" ar on each box and bar, and the words Manufactured in United States” and **Patented June 3, °90," are stamped ob the un- der side of each bar, ‘Magnolia Metal is still lias 0 | at she oa same price it has always sold o #3 . fhe) 2 . rades. ((3 sep 29 1898 Published every Thursday Morning hy David Williams Co., 232-238 William 8t., MAGNOLIA METAL CO., ("aaszicze.ce!*) 266 & 267 WEST ST. NEW YOR Puer Balding AGE IRON ANSONIA Brass ye i Co. O. MANUFACTURERS © BRASS AND COPPER Ingot Copper. ILE MANUFACTURERS | Waterbury Brass Co. Established 1845. Tobin Bronze Sheet, Roll and Platers’ Brass, TRADE-MARK REGISTERED German Silver, Copper, Brass and Ger- Plat man Silver Wire, Brass and a Copper Tubing. a * S, lor COPPER RIVETS AND BURS. P t Forging ton R B PERCUSSION CAPS, — TAPE MEASURES, 99 John Street, New York METALLIC EYELETS, Brass Kettles, Brass Tags, Powder Flasks, Shot Pouches, &c., R [ AND SMALL BRASS WARES OF EVERY DESCRIPTION. | PH LOWEs HICK’S PRIMERS, BERDAN PRIMERS. R AN pour Cartridge Metal in Sheets or Shells | WATERBURY, CONN, a Specialty. — MANUFACTURERS OF— DEPOTS: 60 Centre St., New York. 126 Eddy St., Provi- dence, R. |. 38 Mechanic St., Newark, N. J. MILLS AT WATERBURY, CONN, NEW YACHT COLUMBIA All Her BRONZE CASTINGS are made of our... Ordnance Bronze Bridgeport Deoxidized Bronze & Metal Co., BRIDGEPORT, CONN. yc GEETIBRAS si COPPER. S .BRAZED BRASS & COPPER TUBES. SEAMLESS BRASS & COPPER TUBES" 38"DIAM. vy ~ Py TERN DEPOT, 226 LAke Ss wt CHICAGO, ILL. 7, ek lee ee 1 POSTAL TELEGRAPH 8L06, 253 BROADWAY. ADELPHIA ROOM 320 PHILA BANA BLOG NNATL O. ROOM 308 NEAVE BLOG ANH \ eke Matthiessen & Hegeler Zinc Co., LA SALLE, ILLINOIS, SMELTERS OF SPELTER AND MANUFACTURERS OF SHEET ZINC AND SULPHURIC ACID. Special Sizes o © 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. Hardware Store Business Methods. A book describing advanced and effective business methods, and full of practical suggestions, information and facts for Merchants, Buyers, Salesmen, Clerks and Accountants. A practical guide for the hardwareman in matters of business, and a valuable aid to the clerk in qualifying for a successful career. 200 Pages, Octavo, Cloth. oe ONE DOLLAR, DAVID WILLIAMS GOMPANY, Publishers, esa 232-238 William Street, New York, HENDRICKS BROTHERS PROPRIETORS OF THE Belleville Copper Rolling Mills, MANUFACTURERS OF Brazicrs’, Bolt and Sheathing COPPER, COPPER WIRE AND RIVETS. Importers and Dealers in Ingot Copper, Block Tin, Spelter, Lead, Antimony, etc. POSTPAID. THE PLUME & ATWOOD M6, Co., MANUFACTURERS OF Sheet and Roll Brass —axND— 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 ST., CHICAGO, FACTORIES : ROLLING MILL : | WATERBURY, CONN. THOMASTON, CONN. SCOVILL MFG. CO., Manufacturers of BRASS SHEET, WIKE, TUBES, Hinges, Buttons, Lamp Goods, Nipples, Pumps and Oilers for Bicycles, Braziers’ Solder, Aluminum. Factories, WATERBURY, CONN. DEPOTS : Chicago, New York, . Boston. JOHN DAVOL & SONS, AGENTS FOR Brooklyn Brass & Copper Co., DEALERS IN COPPER, TIN, SPELTER, LEAD, ANTIMONY. 100 John Street, New York, WILLIAM S. 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. “DedlGh-Light” OIL and GAS Bicycle Laniemns. Send ter Circulars and Electrotypes,. THE BRIDGEPORT BRASS CoO., Bridgeport, Conn. 19 Murray 8t., N. Y._ 17 No. 7th St., Philadelphia. 85 to 87 Pearl St., Boston. TS aa yo ght. pai fades worn CONTRAC aces a OES pan One Ire ae, MO DELS 49 CLIFF ST., NEW YORK. zi ‘THE IRON AGB. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 1899. The Latest Roney Mechanical Stoker. The advent of exceedingly large steam plants has made mechanical stokers an absolute necessity. Fuel and labor are two of the chief items in the operating ex- penses of manufacturing enterpriges, and mechanical stokers effect important economies under both these heads. The Roney mechanical stoker was invented in 1885 by William R. Roney, and while retaining the main princi- ples originally introduced by Mr. Roney, the improve- ments since made by him and by W. W. Churchill, me- chanical engineer for Westinghouse, Church, Kerr & Co.. have greatly increased its efticiency and durability. The esteem in which these stokers are held is shown by the fact that they have been ordered by the Manhat THE LATEST RONEY tan Railway Company, New York, for 34,000 horse-power of boilers: by the Third Avenue Railroad Company, New York, for 36,000 horse-power; by the Metropolitan Street Railway Company, New York, for 23,000 horse-power. Stokers for 98,000 horse-power of boilers will be shipped to these three, the largest traction companies in New York City. But New York has no monopoly of this appli- ance, for the company have recently received orders for equipping boiler plants of over 225,000 horse-power, com- ing from all parts of the United States and for every industry. Fig. 1 shows a sectional view of the stoker in opera- tion, the details of construction being shown in Fig. 2. The stoker is usually driven by a small engine placed at one end of the battery and connected to the shafting by means of a worm and worm wheel running in an oil-tight «ase. The mechanism of the stoker consists of a hopper for receiving the coal and a set of rocking step grate bars inclined at an angle of about 37 degrees from the horizontal, and a dumping grate at the bottom of the in- cline for the discharge of ash and clinkers. The coal is fed on to the inclined grate from the hopper by a recipro- cating pusher, which extends almost the entire width of the furnace and is operated by an agitator and agitator sector, the agitator having a constant amplitude of move- ment, while the agitator sector, which is keyed to the hopper shaft, has its motion controlled by an adjustable hand wheel and receives its motion from the agitator, so that the range of motion of the pusher is from no stroke to full stroke, independent of the rotation of the shaft or of the movement of the grates; the amount of coal pushed into the furnace being therefore easily adjusted to suit the kind of fuel employed and the demand for steam. The motion of the grate bars is similarly regulated and controlled, so that for poor coals or for lignites increased motion may be had in order to burn a sufficient quantity per square foot of grate. MECHANICAL STOKER. The stoker is unique in having the grate bars run across the furnace at right angles to the incline. The movement of the grate bars thus breaks the fire in lines at right angles to the lines upon which gravity is acting, hence the constant tendency of the movement of the bars is to break the fire crosswise to its lines of motion toward the back of the furnace. while the action of gravity is to keep the broken particles of fire in intimate contact, pre- venting large access of air. The rocking motion of the grate bars constantly works the ash toward the back, where it is discharged by the dumping grate into the ash pit. The fire in one of these furnaces can be cleaned in less than one minute, thus avoiding the loss of steam pressure common to hand fired furnaces when cleaning fires. During the early stages of development of the Roney stoker the grate bars were cast in one piece, but when the fuel plate ur top burned it was necessary to discard the entire bar. Later the tops and webs were made sep- arately, and only the top discarded; this improvement combined with the fluting of the under side of the fuel eet ee ere errs: ; lsediet ieee: : *e 2 THE IRON AGE. plate gives them a large amount of cooling surface and reduces the repair item to a very low cost per annum. When anthracite coal is burned the stoker is provided With guards attached the dumping grates to prevent the fire slipping off the grates into the ash pit when cleaning tires. Either anthracite or bituminous coal may thus be burned at will without change of grates, thus re- moving the inconvenience arising when the furnace per- mits the handling of one kind of coal only. It is stated that this stoker, in combination with a modern system of coal handling machinery, will in mod- erate sized plants reduce the cost of firing the boilers to one-third, and in very large plants to one-fifth the cost for hand firing. while the saving in fuel soon pays the cost of the installation. The smokeless combustion of bituminous coals is se- cured by the use of the stoker. This is an important con- sideration, since large municipalities are forbidding the use of bituminous coals on account of the smoke nui- sance. A coking arch of fire brick is sprung across the furnace, Fig. 1, covering the upper part of the grate and — OPPER-PLAT September 28, 1899 These test holes will be 200 feet deep and have a diam- eter of 444 inches. They will be bored by diamond drills iu order that a core of rock may be brought to the surface, so that the geological conditions and rock through which the tunnel will pass will be accurately known. The sinking of the test holes indicates plainly that the Cana- dian Niagara Power Company will very soon award ex- tensive contracts for work and machinery. The site of the power station is to be in Victoria Park and the water supply will be taken from near the Dufferin Islands. The tunnel or tail race will discharge in the gorge near the foot of the Horseshoe or Canadian Fall. As yet the company have not announced the dimensions of the tun- nel they will build. It is known, however, that it will be amply large for an extensive development of power, for the possibilities of development on the Canadian side are ahead of those ow the New York side, while the cost of developinent will be far less than on the New York side. The development will not necessitate a tunnel as long as the tunnel on the New York side, and in this par ticular alone a great saving will be effected. It will be Fig. 2.— View Showing Details of Construction. THE LATEST RONEY forming a reverberatory furnace and gas producer, whose action is to coke the coal as it enters and to release its gases. These, mingling with the heated air supplied in small streams through the perforated tile above the dead-plate, are quickly burned in the large combustion chamber above the bed of incandescent coke in the lower part of the grate. This method of supplying the coal at the front and coolest portion of the furnace, presents con- ditions most favorable for complete and economical com- bustion, and in operation closely resembles a large Argand burner in the ease with which it is regulated and in its smokeless combustion of the hydrocarbons of the coal. This arrangement secures all the requisites for smoke- less combustion. There is a sufficient air supply through mingling of the air with the volatile gases, a consistent high temperature, and a uniform supply of fuel regulated as desired. A uniformly clean fire is maintained by the positive feeding device for regulating the supply of fuel, coupled with the arrangement for discharging ash and clinker from the dumping grate without disturbing the process of combustion. ee The Canadian Niagara Power Company have awarded the contract for boring a large number of test holes along the route of the tunnel which the company will build on the Canadian side of the river at Niagara. MECHANICAL STOKER. recalled that the New York tunnel is over 1 mile in ngth. It is reported that the American Bridge Company, who are to be a combination of 28 of the leading bridge building concerns of the United States, have made provi- sional contract for structural steel to the amount of $10.- 000,000 with the Carnegie Steel Company, Limited, in consideration of the agreement of that concern to sell the Keystone Bridge Works to the consolidation. It is un- derstood that the price for this material is based on a sliding scale, the contract being similar in many respects to that entered into by the Carnegie Steel Company, Lim- ited, with the Pressed Steel Car Company, involving many thousands of tons of plates, the contract extending over some years. In consideration of this contract the Carnegie Steel Company bound themselves not to engage in the manufacture of steel cars. The Columbia Mfg. Company, Niles, Ohio, have re- cently made shipment to the Philippine Islands of two large carloads corrugated galvanized sheet iron. We be- lieve this is the first consignment of material of this character that has been shipped to the Philippines from: this country. ) SS ————— -— eee err i ~ September 28, 1899 The Amalgamated Association and Trusts. Testimony of President T, J. Schaffer. WASHINGTON, D. C., September 26, 1899.—The Federal Industrial Commission gave a hearing on the 238d inst. to Theodore J. Schaffer, president of the Amalgamated Association of Iron, Steel and Tin Workers of America, who was examined at some length with special reference to the effect upon labor of so-called ‘ trusts ” or combina- tions. Mr. Schaffer’s testimony was distinctly in favor of combinations of capital in any industry, and he pro- tested against the use of the term “ trust” in describing such aggregations of producers. Referring to his practical experience in the industry Mr. Schaffer said that he went to work in a rolling mill when 14 years old, and has since been connected with the industry as 2 worker or as an officer of the association, with the exception of a few years when he was in the ministry. The Amalgamated Association, he stated, has about 38,000 members, most of whom are in the steel trade. About eight-tenths of the iron workers are organ- ized, and one-half of the tin workers, but outside of the association practically all the tin workers are organized in some form, and at least 70 per cent. of all the laborers in these allied industries belong to organizations. In re- ply to a question as to the wages paid in these industries the witness said that since 1892 some reductions had been suffered, but lately advances had been conceded which restored wages nearly to the scale in force previ- ous to 1892. In his opinion the metal trades generally were in better condition than seven years ago. The witness was asked why the employees of certain large mills were not in the unions, to which he replied that the fact bore no relation to the wages paid, but was a result of misunderstandings between the managers of the mills and the men. One of the largest mills, he said, was not now organized because its manager felt that the men had not treated him fairly. He admitted that the steel and iron workers at Homestead have not been or- ganized during the past eight years, but asserted that about 2000 men there could be organized if the company would permit it. Recurring to the question of wages the witness ex- plained at some length the character of the sliding scale of wages in force in the iron and steel industry. While this scale was satisfactory in the main it necessarily operated to keep wages stationary for some time after more prosperous conditions were reached, for the reason that wages were fixed by the scale according to the profits of manufacturers on their contracts. As such con- tracts frequently extend for a comparatively long period the work under them had to be completed at “ hard times prices.” As fast as new contracts were made, however, wages were advanced, and on the whole the sliding scale seemed to be the best possible arrangement of the wage question between manufacturers and their workmen. “TI hope,” continued Mr. Schaffer, “ that the time will come when the Amalgamated Association will be able to ‘take out incorporation papers. This would do away with strikes and would result in a better feeling between man- ufacturers and the men because incorporation would make the labor organization a responsible body. The chief obstacle against incorporation now seems to be the fact that the men are not yet educated up to it. They do not fully appreciate its obligations and respon- sibilities. During the past two years there has been a great advance in the good feeling between employers and employees in the industries with which I am identi- fied, and we look for even better conditions in the near future.” M r. Schaffer was asked if the contract labor law was being adequately enforced, to which he replied that in the main there was no great complaint, but that in iso- lated cases the association was convinced that the law had been violated, and as an instance he cited the coming of 50 immigrants, who he asserted had been brought to this country under contract to work in the tin mills. All who were familiar with these cases were satisfied that the men had come under contract and in violation of the law, but the association had failed to make out a case against these men except in two instances in which the men were forced to return to their homes. The contract labor law had been of great assistance to the American laboring man, and it was greatly to be regretted that it. was So difficult of enforcement, as every violation was an injury to the men in organized labor in this country. Replying to interrogatories as to the desirability of arbitration Mr. Schaffer said that he was not in favor of making it compulsory. In his opinion the men would not get justice at the hands of State boards of arbitra- tion, the interests of whose members were rather with the employers than the employee. His opinion on this THE IRON AGE. 3 point, he said, was formed partially as a result of observ- ing the treatment which organized labor had received in the courts in times of disputes between employers and employees. As to the displacement of hand labor and the reduc- {ion in the number of employees consequent upon the introduction of labor saving devices in the iron and steel industry Mr. Schaffer said that many improved ma- chines had been introduced during the past five years but had not caused any considerable displacement of la- bor nor reduction in wages. The capacity of the mills was usually increased by such devices, and the cost of production reduced so that no necessity existed to reduce wages or to decrease the number of men employed. Taking up the subject of female labor in the tin mills Mr. Schaffer said their employment was injurious to them, both morally and physically, though the conditions were far better in this country than abroad. Nearly 800 women and girls were employed in the tin mills, and al- though he would not urge their entire exclusion from the industry, as they were able to make a better living there than elsewhere, yet the conditions under which their work was done should be improved. In reply to questions as to what reforms could be instituted he stated that he had no special suggestions to make, as the problem was @ somewhat difficult one. It would be desirable to sepa- rate the women from the men in their work, but the rou- tine of the industry seemed to make that impracticable. No general complaint was made by the men in the steel, iron and tin industries as to their hours of work, but he thought that they could be shortened to the advantage both of the employers and their men. They were now required to work eight hours in most of the mills, but he thought that owing to the heavy physical strain on the men a six-hour day would result in an equal product and would not tax the men so severely. The association, he said, was specially desirous of doing away with Sun- day work, and had made very strenuous efforts to cause it to be abandoned in Pittsburgh. The men objected to working on Sundays, but the managers of the mills in- sisted that no more of such work was done than was necessary to fill contracts and prevent competitors from securing advantages. In the steel mills generally Sun- day work was more common to-day than formerly, but he would not say there was any general tendency toward regular work on Sunday. Recurring to the subject of immigration Mr. Schaffer said the influx of foreign labor had brought conditions to their present level, which, in his opinion, would other- wise have been much higher. This was especially true in the tin mills, where wages and standards of living had been lowered by what he called the “tin hogs.” These were immigrants. who come from Wales, where they had learned their trade, to work in the Americantin mills, with no regard for anything except to make as much as pos- sible in a short time and return to their homes abroad. Many of the Welsh immigrants were industrious and economical and regular attendants at church, but too many of them desired only to get as much money as pos- sible with which to go back to Wales. In comparing American labor with that of the immigrants of all classes Mr. Schaffer said that the former was far superior. The Americans were more intelligent, skillful and possessed greater power of endurance. They were also more rea- sonable and made less trouble in the mills. The immi- grants, with a few exceptions, do not seem able to be- come skilled workmen, though their sons frequently take up their fathers’ trade and acquire great skill at it. There was a great difference in foreigners, the Huns, Polanders, Russians and Italians being very hard to deal with, and constituting a great obstacle to thorough or- ganization on the part of labor in the steel, iron and tin in- dustries. The Italians especially were a very hard problem to deal with. English, French and German immigrants caused very little difficulty, and Finlanders and Swedes were not only good citizens, but made efficient and intelli- gent workmen. The Irish were also good workmen and good union men, comprehending the theories of organized labor and being very loyal to their unions. The witness jocularly added that he had no doubt the Irish made good ——— because there were so many of them on th _ Jlice orce. Taking up the question of industrial combinations in the manufacture of tin, the witness said that in his opin- ion the conditions that were met by the industry since its inauguration in this country were such as made a combination absolutely necessary. These conditions would have prevented the successful operation of a num- ber of independent companies, and their failure would have been a serious blow to American labor. The com- bination of the tin industries had produced far more satisfactory conditions, enabling the manufacturers to make some money and the laborers to receive compara- tively steady employment and fair wages. It probably happened occasionally that these combinations were somewhat arbitrary in their dealings, but in his opinion if they could be kept under the control of certain salu- 4 THE IRON tary laws strikes would be avoided. At this point one of the members of the Commission asked the witness if he was favorable to “trusts” generally, to which he re- plied: “TIT have such a respect for these combinations that I do not call them ‘ trusts,” which seems to be used as a term of reproach.” Continuing, the witness said the combinations were much easier for the workingmen to treat with than the individuals, and he added that he was satisfied that the Amalgamated Association could have secured a higher seale of wages if it had demanded it, but it was willing to take what was regarded as reasonable as affording the men fair living wages. Several members of the Commission asked the wit- ness whether the current reports as to the recent boom in the iron and steel trade had been exaggerated by the newspapers, to which he replied: ‘I do not think so. EKight months ago in the indus- tries I represent there were five men for every job, but to-day labor is needed everywhere, and I could easily find employment for 100 men in Alabama alone. Within the past few months mills have been obliged to close down because competent iabor could not be secured to run them. I have had applications from employers for skilled men, but have been unable to furnish them. As to present prices I think they will not be maintained after the production of crude material again reaches maxi- mum. Tin plate is now selling for future delivery at a very considerable advance, but it is being delivered to- day for a little more than formerly. I do not think the high price of tin can be maintained when the raw ma- terial comes down in price. The combination among the manufacturers, in my opinion, has nothing to do with the present price, which is to be attributed almost solely to the increased demand, growing out of the generally re- markable prosperous condition of the country.” In conclusion Mr. Schaffer said that the work of the Amalgamated Association would result in an object les- son to the people at large, showing that the organization of labor can be made to be a benefit to the country if reasonably managed. The association was endeavoring to teach the principle that labor “ must consider the in- terests of capital as well as the interests of its own skill if it is to accomplish any important results.” The association, he added, was about to establish a newspa- per, with a view to inculcating this principle, a thorough comprehension of which he believed to be necessary to the maintenance of successful labor organizations. , WwW. BL. C. => Consolidation in the Welsh Tin Plate Industry. According to the Tondon Engineer, the Welsh tin plate makers are trying to make permanent the improve- ment in trade which has appeared among them. This is very evident, and to make matters better they are trying to take their work people along with them. Herein they are wise, for the tin plate trade in the principality has suffered so much in the past through strikes and lockouts that any scheme having for its ob- ject the placing of the industry upon a more profitable basis which did not include the operatives as well as the masters would be foredoomed a failure. It was re- cently proposed to form an alliance in the Welsh tin plate trade upon much the same basis as that existing in the bedstead trade and some other industries of the country. Practical investigation, however, found this unsuited to the tin plate makers’ requirements; but the matter of combination was not allowed to rest here, and the issue is that an association is now almost com- pleted, entitled the Plate and Sheet Manufacturers’ As- sociation, which will include nearly the whole of the Welsh makers, and have for its object a prevention if possible of the hitherto ruinous underselling which has prevailed. Articles of association have to be signed by about SO firms, many of them limited liability concerns, before the project can be considered m any way com- plete, and we understand that the adherence of the nec- essary majority is being rapidly secured. At present the controllers of some 280 mills have signed, and a canvass of the trade, conducted some little time since, showed that practically all the employers were in favor of the movement. Among the earliest matters which will have to be considered by the new body are various minor labor troubles which have arisen at some of the individual works, and the representatives of the men’s unions are to be invited to a joint conference to deal with these disputes. At a previous gathering of the em- ployers, uniformity of wages was considered an essen- tial to the general welfare. But to make wages uni- form meant that the Llanelly employers and some others should give up 1314 per cent. of wages that they were en- titled to by agreement until the end of next December. This, however, they did give up, and thus established AGE. September 28, 1899 What ought to be a nine months’ peace in the tin plate trade, and an excellent foundation for the combination now being formed among the employers themselves. SSS The Yield of Coal in Coking. BY DUNCAN ANDERSON, JR., DAYTON, TENN. It is desired in this note to call attention to a few points in regard to the yield and character of coke us obtained from the beehive oven, retort oven and plati- num crucible respectively. By coke obtained from the platinum crucible is meant that obtained in the usual proximate analysis of coal. It was noticed on comparing the average of daily analyses of coal, and of coke obtained therefrom, over a period of seven months, and representing a quantity of coal of about 70,000 tons, that the quotient of the ash in the coal divided by the ash in the coke was 0.707, while the actual yield of the ovens was 61.3 per cent. For convenience let us call the figure obtained by the ash division the yield of the coal, and the figure obtained by division of the quantity of coke drawn by the quan- tity of coal charged the oven yield. The coke contained on an average 2.30 per cent. of volatile matter, which would bring the yield of the coal to 69.10 per cent. of fixed carbon plus ash. The yield of this coal in a platinum crucible was 68.50 per cent. of fixed carbon plus ash. The yield of this same coal distilled at.a bright red heat in a small wrought iron retort, containing three- fourths of a kilo of coal was, on an average 71.00 per cent. of coke, carrying 2.20 per cent. of volatile matter. The time occupied in the distillation was about four hours. This gives the yield of the coal in fixed carbon plus ash, 69.44 per cent. The yield of another coal in the same retort under similar conditions to the first was 71.50 per cent. of coke, carrying 1.30 per cent. of volatile matter, or a yield of 70.57 per cent. of fixed carbon plus ash. This coal gave a yield of coke in the platinum crucible of 68.03 per cent. These yields are brought to the same basis of fixed carbon plus ash for the sake of ready comparisons. These figures show: 1. That there is little difference in the yield of the coal in coke whether coked in a platinum crucible, a re- tort oven, or a beehive oven. 2. That the oven yield is not the proper factor to use in calculating ash of coal into expected ash of coke. 8. That in coke making by the beehive oven the coke is attacked but superficially by the oxygen of the air and burned to ashes; the portions not affected by the air give a yield as would, of course, be expected of the coal, coked out of contact of the air. Some very interesting experiments of Dr. W. B. Phil- lips in coking Alabama coals confirm these conclusions in every way. The articles describing these experiments are “ Coking in a Beehive Oven” and “ Alabama Coals in By-product Ovens.” The former is published in the “‘ Engineering and Mining Journal,’’ Volume LXIV, Nos. 25 and 26 aud Volume LXV, No. 3, also in “ Iron Making in Alabama,” Alabama Geological Survey. The latter is published in the “ American Manufacturer,’ Volume LXII, page 446, and in * Iron Making in Alabama,” Xc. The coal used in both series of experiments was washed slack from the Pratt seam. As described in his article “Coking in Beehive Oveus,”’ he charges three ovens with given weights of carefully analyzed coal, and determines the weights of coke yielded therefrom respectively and the analyses of the sane. The yields of the ovens, one of 48 hours, one of 72 hours and one of ¥6 hours, were 58.78, 59.77 and 57.51 per cent. respectively, making an average of 58.68. The yields of the coal were 69.44, 71.75 and 68.51 per cent. respectively in coke. These cokes contained 1.51, 1.71 and 1.06 per cent. of volatile matter respectively. Reducing the yield for convenience to fixed carbon plus ash, we get 68.39, 70.52 and 67.78 per cent. re- spectively, an average of 68.90 per cent. The yield of the coal in a platinum crucible was 67.52 per cent. In his article ‘‘ Alabama Coal in By-product Ovens,” he finds the yield of this same coal in the retort oven was 70.7 per cent. of coke, containing 0.98 per cent. of vola- .tile matter, making a yield of 70.01 per cent. of fixed car- bon plus ash. Let us set the results in tabular form for comparison, eliminating volatile matter: Yield of Yield of Yield of Beehive coal in coal in coal in oven Coal. Beehive oven. retort. crucible. yield. a ee 70.01 67.52 57. 2 Ee nn 69.07 * 69.44 ‘68.50 59.90 oN Re eee 70.57 68.03 September 28, 1899 Dr. Phillips forms conclusions from his experi- ments quite at variance with those induced by the writer. He notes that in the case of the 48-hour coke the per cent. of fixed carbon in the coke, after eliminating vola tile matter, is 90.26, and that if all the so-called volatile matter of the coal should escape without depositing any of its carbon, and none of the fixed carbon should be burned, we would expect to find in the coke itself 90.14 per cent. “It would thus appear that the carbon burned in the oven is counterbalanced by the carbon deposited from the gases.” He then states that this statement pre- supposes that the fixed carbon of the coke is of the same nature as the fixed carbon of the coal. This, he con- cludes may be true, but it is more likely that the coke from an oven has relatively much more deposited carbon than the fixed carbon in the crucible, and, “ taking every- thing into consideration, it would appear that the fixed carbon, as determined in the ordinary method of analy- sis, is not of the same nature as the fixed carbon of the coke.” Now the fact that the crucible coke and the beehive coke contain similar amounts of fixed carbon means that they contain similar amounts of ash (100—per cent. fixed carbon = per cent. ash); or, in other words, that the yield of the coal is about the same in both cases. Although the writer is unable to grasp the connection iu the steps of Dr. Phillips’ reasoning, as, for instance, how his final conclusion is at variance with his first statement in accounting for the facts, it may be safely said that any theory of replacement of burned carbon is wholly uncalled for, and is disproved by the fact that for 6 parts of coke recovered from a beehive oven about 1 part is burned up, the coke recovered showing practically the same yield from the coal that it would if coked in a retort oven. That there is more deposited carbon in the beehive oven coke than in the crucible coke is, of course, indi- eated by the fact that the crucible yield is lower on an average than the yield of the coal in the beehive oven; or, indeed, than the retort oven yield. The difference is, however, small, not exceeding 1.50 per cent. in the experi- ments noted, and is likely to be partly due to access of air to the coke in the crucible. To this extent the fixed carbon of the beehive oven coke would differ from the fixed carbon as found in the crucible. The same error has been noticed in two other places: Sir Lowthian Bell, in his “‘ Manufacture of Iron and Steel,” page 49, speaking of the waste of coke by bee- hive oven coking, says: “‘ The coal of the county of Dur- ham may be regarded as containing 30 per cent. of vola- tile substances; or, in other words, as being capable of furnishing 70 per cent. of its weight of coke. As a mat- ter of fact scarcely 60 per cent. is the average yield, im- plying that one-seventh of the desired product is lost.” In the calculation of heat lost in coking 100 kg. of coal by this method, besides the item, ‘30 kg. hydrocarbons,” there is included “19 kg. of solid carbon.” W. H. Blauvelt, in his article on by-product coke ovens in the “ Mineral Industry ” for 1895, and again in a paper before the Alabama Industrial and Scientific Society in 1897, makes the following statement, which the writer has not seen challenged: “ As an illustration of the difference of yield resulting from the difference in method of coking, a good yield of coke from Connellsville coal is 65 per cent., while in a good retort oven it is easy to get 75 per cent. Of course this increase diminishes proportionately the per cent. of ash, phosphorus, &c., remaining in the coke.” It suffices to call notice to the fact that the yield of the coal in the beehive oven is practically the same as in the retort oven. > A new industry that has located at Niagara Falls on the lands of the Niagara Falls Power Company is owned by the French-Hickman Fiber Company, Limited. This company have a capital of $750,000. They are an Eng- lish corporation, of which B. F. French of Boston is the managing director. The plant will be established for the manufacture of half stuffs for paper makers’ use. One building will be 384 feet long and 56 feet wide, while another will be 276 feet long and 54 feet wide. These buildings will be connected by a building 100 feet long and 48 feet wide. The site selected comprises 5 acres of land between the Carborundum Company’s plant and the power station, off toward the river. The lease also in- cludes 500 electrical horse-power, and in addition to this the company will put in a steam plant, with a capacity of 500 horse-power. Stanton Day will be the manager of the plant, and he is now superintending the construction of the buildings. The capacity of the plant at the start will be 10 tons. The company also have a plant in Fargo, N. D., and it is there the raw material will be obtained. This raw material will be flax straw, hereto- fore of little value to the farmers who have raised flax for the seed. In the Fargo branch the straw will re- ceive certain treatment preparatory to its shipment to THE IRON AGE. 5 the plant at Niagara Falls, where it will practically be inade into pulp, and this will be consumed by other mills in the manufacture of high grade papers. The St. Louis Anti-Trust Convention. The convention of State Governors and Attorneys- General, held at St. Louis last week, to consider methods of fighting trusts, was neither a large nor an influential gathering. Only 15 States were represented, some of them by persons occupying no official position. Several Governors and Attorneys-General withdrew shortly after the proceedings opened because of the evident partisan bias manifested by those responsible for the calling of the convention. Only five Governors were present at the tinal session, when the following recommendations and resolution were adopted: 1. The enactment and enforcement both by the sev- eral States and the nation of legislation that shall ade- quately and fully define as crimes any attempted monop- olization or restraint of trade in any line of industrial activity, with provisions for adequate punishment both of the individual or the corporation that shall be found guilty thereof; punishment to the corporation to extent of its dissolution. 2. The enactment by each of the States of the Union of legislation for the adequate and proper control and regulation of corporations chartered by that State, and we recommend as efficacious a system of reports to and examination by State authority of the corporations or- ganized under its laws, to the end that they be brought to a fair observance of the laws under which they are created. 3. The enactment by each State of laws that will pre- vent the entrance of any foreign created corporation into its limits for any other purpose than interstate commerce, except on terms that will put the foreign created corpora- tion on a basis of equality with the domestic created cor- poration of the State entered, and subject to the same laws, rules and regulations of the State that it enters which are applicable to the domestic corporations of that State, and to this end we recommend legislation that would make it mandatory upon corporations seeking to engage in business outside the State of their creation that they procure licenses from the foreign State as a condition precedent to their entry into such State; such license to be granted on such terms and subject to such restrictions as will place the corporation subject to the same control, inspection, supervision and regulation as the domestic corporation of that State, and to be revocable if the con- ditions thereof are violated. 4. The enactment of State legislation declaring that a corporation created in one State to do business exclusive- ly in other States than where created shall be prohibited from admission into any State. [This proposition is sup- ported by decisions of the Supreme Courts of several States, but we believe it should become legislative enact- ment, uniform throughout the States.] 5. That po corporation should be formed in whole or in part by another corporation. 6. That no corporation shall own or hold any stock in another corporation engaged in a similar or competitive business, and that no officer or director of a corporation shall be the officer or director or the owner of stock in another corporation engaged in a similar or competitive business, the object or result of which is to create a trust or monopoly. 7. Recognizing that trusts are usually composed of corporations, and that corporations are but creatures of the law, and can only exist in the place of their creation, and cannot migrate to another sovereignty without the consent of that sovereignty, and that this consent may be withheld when desired, we recommend as the sense of this conference that each State pass laws providing that no corporation which is a member of any pool or trust in that State or elsewhere can do business in that State. Resolved, That it is the sense of this conference that all the capital stock of private corporations should be fully paid either, first, in lawful money, or, second, in property of the actual cash value of the amount of the capital stock; and that in all private corporations with a capital stock issued in excess of the amount actually paid up as,above provided the shareholders shall be liable to the extent of twice the face value of the stock held by each. ———————— ag $$$ The Acker Process Company of Niagara Falls will soon let the contract for a large new factory building to be located in the rear of their present buildings on the lands of the Niagara Falls Hydraulic Power & Mfg. Company. The tenants on the site of the proposed build- ing are being moved as rapidly as possible in order that the Acker company may not be delayed in their build- ing operations. The Gorge road tracks at this point may have to be moved to the westward in order to clear the site. ~ = : ; ; ‘ 6 THE IRON A Great Plow Making Plant. \ recent issue of the Chicago Farm Implement News contains the following statement relative to the plans of lbeere & Co., Moline, LIL: The stupendous plans which Deere & Co. have in muind for the reconstruction of their plant are beginning to take tangible shape as they appear wrought out in the form of great structures of steel and brick. The present scheme of rebuilding which has been started contem- plates as its ultimate end the greatest plow factory in the world, and such it will be, for the present capacity will be more than doubled and the number of workmen increased to twice what it is now. The latest building to be erected is a fitting shop to cost $50,000 and to be four stories high, built of steel and brick, and 268 x 56 feet on the ground. It will be located between the new blacksmith and grinding shops, taking its place in regular order in the row of buildings which The are to be grouped around a central court or park. AGE. September 28, 1899 teenth west to Fourth streets, and the tail race is a nar- row waterway in their rear wherein the water ran which formerly gave them power. ee The Perkins Friction Shaper. The new shaper designed by the Perkins Machine ‘omnpany of South Boston, Mass., is simple in construc- tint and operates without noise or jar. It will take a chip in cast iron % inch wide by 1-16 inch thick. The eylindrical form of the ram insures the strength neces- sary for heavy service and makes the head rigid when planing angles. The space under the ram allows for keyseating a shaft 2% inches in diameter and the full length of the stroke of the machine. The friction is di- rect acting and constructed in such a manner that it will not slip or relax until the end of the stroke. The cross feed mechanism makes it possible to run the carriage either to the extreme right or left 22 inches, thereby al- lowing for a large variety of work when using the side THE PERKINS FRICTION titting shop to be thus deposed is but half the size of its successor and will be transformed into a warehouse. The contract for the new structure will be let at once, and with the work upon it rushed through the company hope to be using it within three months. The buildings already erected of the new plant to rise ut of the present one are the blacksmith shop, 269 x 198 feet, and the grinding shop, 265 x 100 feet. In these new shops only the latest and best machinery is being in- stalled and every improvement for advantageous and swift handling of iron and every device for the comfort ind safety of the employees are being taken advantage f No expense is being spared to make the completed whole the best and largest plow factory in the world. With the recent unification of the company and their branch and the completion of the new plant, which, however, cannot be done within a year or two. Deere & Co. will stand as the magnates in the plow world. In the plant steam will be supplanted by electric- ty as powel! houses Another building rapidly nearing completion is a steel covered warehouse, 265 feet long and averaging in dth 150 fee Which is being put up on the tail race. he factories are all located upon the river from Fif- SHAPER. of the table. The swivel vise No. 1, with tool steel jaws, can be used on the top or sides of the table. It is oper- aicd by a single screw, and is intended mainly for quick work. The No. 2 vise can be used in the same way, only it is operated by four screws, thereby resisting the lift- ing er work held in the jaws. The machine will take any strcke from \& inch to 15 inches. It will plane 18 inches high, and the head has a vertical movement of 4 inches, the cross head feed being 22 inches. The tool post takes ii, x 1 inch steel. The countershaft has self oiling boxes, tight and loose pulleys 8 inches in diameter, from a 3- inch belt, and runs 300 revolutions per minute. so Geo. F. Evans, manager of the Westinghouse Mfg. Company of Hamilton, Ont., was in Pittsburgh last week. Mr. Evans has recently returned from St. Petersburg, Russia, where he superintended the construction of the new Westinghouse air brake plant that has recently been put in operation at that place. Mr. Evans is quoted as saying: ** The Russian Government wants 700 loco- motives for the Trans-Siberian Railroad, and it has as vet been unable to find out where they are coming from. Phere are po locomotive works in America that could September 28 1899 handle the order for several years to come, and the works of Europe are in the same congested condition, with facil ities that are inferior to those of the United States. While the Trans-Siberian Railroad is yet far from being com pleted, if the present rush of orders throughout the world for iron and steel products continues the road may be hampered for a long time on account of insufficient equipment.” en The Niagara Falls Power Company. The Niagara Falls Power Company have called for bids for the construction of a