The Iron Age 1900-08-23: Vol 66 Iss 8

‘THE IRON AGE Tuurspay, Aucust 23, 1900 " Hydraulic Engineering in the Metropolitan Power House. The Metropolitan Street Railway Company have erected on First avenue, above Ninety-fifth street, New York City, a fine building of buff and Milwaukee brick, with carved stone trimmings and terra cotta ornamental work, from plans prepared by A. B. Porter, 621 Broad- way, New York. This building stands 111 feet high from the curb to the top of the parapet, and contains what is said to be the largest power plant in the world. north side are finished to be used as offices. It is ex- pected that the structure will house a working force of 300 men. There are also three suites of apartments for the families of resident engineers and operators. The Water Supply. From the magnitude of the engines and boilers and fire protection system provided, it will be gathered that an enormous water supply would be required above that which would be required for the ordinary water service of the building and for the plumbing fixtures. The water service system has been installed by the firm of STREET SUPPLY ‘en SUPPLY == = = =|] = ——4 le ee ee FISH TRAP SEWER LINE \ METER a \ es AO its w Zz a ef I no a7 SEWER LINE = FIRE LINE a CHIMNEY TANK SUPPLY PUMP J E+ TO THE PUMPS a TO THE PUMPS —— INSPIRATOR LINE (Ss 10% =— SALT WATER LINE UOT ts nn, SUCTION TANK——~, | AIR CHAMBER 4 METER] FISH TRAP AIR j/onawaee METER LiL iit a we tar, — SUCTION TANK }— AIRICHAMBER [METER Fish % METER 3 FISH TRAP SEWER LINE STREET SUPPLY STREET SUPPLY Fig. 1.—Plan of Basement, Showing Water Supply and Sewer Piping. HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING IN THE METROPOLITAN POWER HOUSE. M. G. Starrett was the consulting engineer working with Mr. Porter in equipping the structure. The build- ing is irregular in shape, its largest dimensions being a front of 201 feet on First avenue extending clear back to the East River, with 279 feet frontage on Ninety- lifth street. The building is divided lengthwise, one side being used for the engine room and dynamos. This department contains 11 Allis vertical engines of 7000 horse-power each. The other side of the building is de- voted to the boiler room and contains a battery of 87 boilers for running the engines and pumps, elevators and other apparatus requiring power in the building. Above the boiler room is an enormous coal pocket, having a Storage capacity of 10,000 tons. The top floors of the Byrne & Murphy, 690 Park avenue, New York City, the work being done under the immediate supervision of Thomas F. Doherty, who had complete charge of this contract. Supply Pipes A general plan of the basement is presented in Fig. 1, which shows the two 10-inch sewer lines at the north and south sides of the building, and the 12-inch sewer line which runs down the dividing wall between the engine and boiler departments. The water supply is di- vided into two parts. The smaller system takes water through 4-inch mains from both Ninety-fifth amd Nine- ty-sixth streets, and is used entirely for drinking, fire protection and the purpose of supplying the plumbing 5 } | | / | | 1 | 2 fixtures. There is a water meter where the service pipe enters the building and both connect direct with two small Snow steam pumps. The main supply, designed for furnishing water not only for steam making pur- poses in the large boilers, but also for cooling the jack- ets of the engines, is taken from Ninety-fifth street through a 12-inch pipe and supplemented with a 6-inch supply from Ninety-sixth street, these pipes being con- nected together, and provided with valves, so that either or both can be used. The 12-inch water service on the Ninety-fifth street side of the building makes a net- work of pipes and valves, as may be seen in Fig. 2, which is a plan showing the arrangement. Immediately on the 12-inch pipe entering the building there is found a large gate valve so that the water supply may be shut off if THE IRON AGE. August 23, 1900 the street and branches, passing reduced in size over to the pipe which drops down and connects through the fish traps to the supply system. It also shows the method of cross connecting so that the water can be pumped direct into the main in case of necessity when the meters are not in use. The left half of the plan is an elevation showing the pump connections to the suc- tion tanks. In addition to the street supply, arrangement is made for taking salt water through a 12-inch main from the East River in case of a shortage of water sup- ply from the city main, or of an accident to that system. In addition to the suction tanks, there are 14 other large tanks designed to receive the water that has been used in cooling the working parts of the engine, so that it may be used again either for feeding the boilers or for cool- —=— aS —s~ se WY R@_ “© © °©°A4 STREET SUPPLY 2— Fig. 2.—The Main Water Supply System. HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING IN THE METROPOLITAN POWER HOUSE. necessary. This pipe rises and branches into two 8-inch pipes, one running each way to a battery of Worthington water meters. Before the water enters the water meters large fish traps are provided to prevent the entrance of fish or eels or other foreign matter to the meters and pumping machinery. These fish traps have large cham- bers provided with screens for preventing any solid mat- ter from getting through. Valves are so placed that the supply can be shut off and the top of the trap removed for the purpose of taking out any matter that may have accumulated. Subsidiary Supplies, After passing through the meters the water passes into two large suction tanks, which have a capacity of 9000 gallons each and are arranged so that the pumps may have an ample supply of water to draw from at all times without putting a strain on other parts of the service system. A front elevation of two different parts of the service system is shown in Fig. 3. The part at the right shows the 12-inch service pipe as it enters from ing purposes after it has been reduced in temperature. All of these different supplies are connected by an ar- rangement of valves so that any one supply or a com- bination of them may be used or shut off as desired. Cross Connections, Another view of the water service system is presented in Fig. 4, which is an elevation through the center show- ing the large service pipe entering from the street, its branches dropping down and connecting with the fish traps, which are in turn connected with the water meter, also the ontlet connecting with the pipe which supplies the large suction tanks, an automatic cut off valve, operated by a float, being provided to prevent flooding. This plan also shows the method of making the cross connections which, with the aid of the valves, enables any part of the system to be used at will. The system is also provided with an inspirator line designed to use the steam direct for supplying water when for any rea- son the pumps may not be available. “ ab 4 Oo PUMP >) TO PUMP. TO PUMP(( be 1" [oA . 4 of AG + | es ch eh : / \% § N 4 ys NO mC z|O \ TT SALT WATER SUPPLY @)I fl 6 8° Q 12” Al i = = 0. Q \ l < | 14" HOT WELLS Q ~~ a : 2 f — (0) : === 10 eS is ti . 3 : ¥< 4 |) O) 10” rr I: aE ===3 ; ce alt os r ©) SS 10 ’ 1 Sa SZ tz Se ‘ ‘ yw . oe mt ‘e 4 =] ° 6" FISH . RAP . AP 6” FISH TRA ‘ BQUALIZING 6" FISH TRAP o ente AIR wasn / CHAMBER AIR al AIR 4 CHAMBER &) CHAMBER EQUALIZING “ = «- INLET TANK 6" METER : 6" METER > ' OUTLET — ' . fl AUTOMATIC . on a AUTOMATIC -FLOAT VALVE i 8” 3” = a FLOAT VALVE wT 5 > - i ' August 23, 1900 Unusually Large Fittings Used. A view is presented in Fig. 5 looking toward the street main, showing the fish traps and meters at one side, and the air chambers that are put on the ells which connect the fish traps with the meters. These air cham- bers are 8 inches in diameter and more than 6 feet in hight. In the supply system, shown in Fig. 2, there are included 51 gate valves, of which 11 are 6-inch, 24 are 8-inch, 14 are 10-inch, and 2 are 12-inch. There are 3 8-inch and 2 10-inch lines of pump suction pipes from the tank used for supplying the three big Snow pumps on the floor above. A 14-inch hot water line connects the different cooling tanks with the suction tanks and acts as an equalizer to all the tanks in the basement. All of the pipe and fittings in this supply system are of cast iron capable of standing a severe pressure. It may be seen from the elevation presented in Figs. 3 THE IRON AGE. 3 any other accidental cause. Valves are so placed on the main tank line in connection with a check valve on the fire line that water may be pumped direct into the fire lines in case of need. The main fire line branches into a number of branch supplies in the upper part of the building which connect with falling supply pipes pro- vided with hose connection on the different floors. Con- nection is also made with the tank for supplying the several bathrooms and toilet rooms on the different floors. Iee Water System, Another connection is made for supplying ice water to the employees in the different parts of the building by the system shown in Fig. 7. This system may be supplied direct from the tank on the roof, or, if required, the water can be pumped into it. A filter is placed on the supply side to purify the water used for drinking | Www =—”w(wW WV =a — a : . O nein ee ™\ Sy =, 71 STREET SUPPLY 6 FISH TRAP Fy. 3.—Elevations of the Water Supply System. TO PUMP] | ANK ; ECTIONS HOT} WELLS oO * LOAT VALVE OOD ie oi > 4 H" = ' 4 oy U : a T Gay) | “~ CONN } +N om | BRO} = ~ re ie == Tee io 7 VES Bees oad a oe Fig. 4.—Side Elevation of the Water Supply System. HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING IN THE METROPOLITAN POWER HOUSE. and 4 that many of these fittings are of unusual shape or angle, and in consequence all were manufactured from sketches drawn to suit the requirements. The connec- tions are made by means of heavy flanges on the fittings, ho screwed joints being used on this part of the system. lt is worthy of note that the accuracy of the sketches and the fittings completed from them enabled the work to progress without delay, only slight alterations hav- ing to be made in one or two instances. The Plumbing and Fire Protection Supply. Independent of the large supply system that has been mentioned there is another supply for fire protection and general use coming from two separate connections, one on the Ninety-fifth street and the other on the Ninety- sixth street side of the building, 4 inches in size, con- necting through fish traps and water meters with two pumps which drive the water to two 5000-gallon tanks on the roof, as shown in Fig. 6. The supply to the tanks is automatically governed to prevent overflow. The two tanks are connected together with an equalizing pipe So that the water line in both will be the same and that one tank shall not overflow before the other one is filled, in case of a stoppage in the supply pipes or by purposes. The outlet of the filter is connected with a coil of tin lined pipe placed in a large ice box in the basement, having a capacity for holding more than a ton of ice. This ice box has been located in the base- ment to avoid the labor of carrying the ice to the upper floors, from which the cold water would circulate nat- urally. To cause the cold water to flow as freely at the drinking fountains on the upper floors as at those on the lower floors there is one cold water rising pipe leading to a point above the highest drinking fountain in the building, from which it branches to the falling cold sup- ply lines which furnish water to 14 drinking fountains in various parts of the building. By this means, as soon as any drinking fountain is opened the cold water must tlow up from the coil in the ice box and fall to the faucet that is opened. The lower ends of these cold water supply lines connect together and are carried to the ice box, where they connect with the supply, between it and the filter, check valves being placed so as to prevent a stagnation of the coldest and heaviest water at the bottom of the system. The Plumbing and Toilet Rooms, Careful consideration for the comfort of the em- ployees is reflected in the plumbing arrangements of the SO FP A I RS | § 4 : i 4 4 THE IRON AGE. building. On the boiler side of the structure a number of toilet rooms have been provided, with shower bath rooms immediately above, for the use of the engineers and firemen. The toilet rooms are provided with lava- tories, urinals and water closets, as shown in Fig. 8, the arrangement of the shower bath room above the toilet rooms being shown in Fig. 9. Wherever it is possible the waste from the drinking fountains is al- lowed to discharge over a lavatory; in other cases it is connected with the house drainage system after being earefully trapped and vented. The plumbing throughout is in conformance with the regulations of the city of New York, and the fixtures used are of a high grade, earthen ware siphon closets and earthen ware urinals of im- proved type being used in connection with enameled east iron sinks for lavatories, supplied with substantial nickel plated brass work. The drinking fountains are of a special design, having nickel plated self closing fau- cets. The long lines of soil, waste and vent pipes re- Yo Wa ~ if ™“ -—— August 23, 1900 battle ship “ Hannibal” also sent and received messages to and from the battle ship “ Jupiter,” when under way, over a distance of 32 miles. One message was sent 100 miles, the greatest distance successfully covered. While there were none of his assistants with the land forces in South Africa, his system of telegraphy was used by Lord Roberts and a modification of it by General Baden-Powell. Generals White, Buller and other English officers did not take kindly to the new invention, and instead of using the instruments sent to them for all they were worth, they relied upon the old time heliograph. It was this prejudice against the new invention that kept wireless telegraphy so much in the background during the early stages of the campaign, and it is possible that it would have received scant notice in the South African campaign had not Lord Roberts assumed command. He was not a kind to keep anything that would serve his purpose in the background simply because it had never been tested in the past. Upon as- suming command in South Africa he summoned a body of wireless telegraphers and kept them in his camp all through the struggle. These experts kept him in touch with the various units of his enormous army, and some re Yi ‘SS ))}, Bal y i Pr yp Yi MY LM ALLL WLLL, Z Fig. 5.—General View, Showing Supply Pipes, Fish Traps, Meters, Air Chambers, &c. HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING IN THE METROPOLITAN POWER HOUSE quired in so high a building, as well as the leader pipes carrying the water from the roof, were all constructed of wrought iron pipe with recessed fittings.—The Metal Worker. _— ——— Wireless Telegraphy in War. A correspondent of the Electrical World and Engineer writes to that journal as follows: When Signor Marconi was in the Unted States last fall he had the opportunity of testing his wireless teleg- raphy at the yacht races for the America cup, and the success obtained then in times of peace induced him to remark, “I'd like to try the system in a war.” His sec- ond visit to this country now comes after an interval of six months of severe fighting in South Africa, where his system of wireless telegraphy has been in use on land and sea. The test in time of war has proved even more interesting and important than in the international yacht races off Sandy Hook. Signor Marconi did not go to South Africa personally, but several of his assistants went there with several out- fits of wireless telegraphy, and they operated in conjunc- tion with the fleet patrolling the coast. They confined their attention exclusively to sending messages between the several war ships and between the fleet and the shore. At Delagoa Bay the British admiral sent messages a distance of 80 miles to the fleet off shore. The British of the messages were sent overland a distance of 60 miles. There are ten sets of instruments in Lord Rob- erts’ army, and these have been developed successfully. All scientific questions and experiments made by 4 rapidly moving army are of necessity scantily reported by a commander in the field, and the accounts of the tests with the wireless telegraphy are still quite vague. One important improvement in the system in war times was made through the co-operation of the hero of Mafeking. The difficulty of sending messages any great distance in a mountainous country like South Africa was overcome by the invention of a system of kites by Baden-Powell. In order to make wireless telegraphy successful it is necessary to raise the wire attached to the instrument to a considerable distance in the air. Thus to telegraph 60 miles the elevation of the wire should be at least 100 feet above the surface. It was often impossible to find any way to secure this altitude for the wires, but by using the kites the prob- lem was easily solved. Kites of the Baden-Powell type consequently became inseparably associated with the wireless telegraphy in South Africa, and it was by this means that messages were sent a distance of 60 miles. Signor Marconi expressed himself satisfied with the experiments made in the war, and so far as the reports have been received they are nearly all favorable in their results. Both the British and Italian navies have adopted his system, and others are experimenting with it for the purpose of using it should it prove satisfactory, including the United States Navy. In the meantime August 23 1900 some of the big transatlantic steamship companies are using the system, and one of the inducements offered their patrons is of communicating with friends on shore long before the steamers reach port. Several hours are saved in this way on both sides of the Atlantic in re- ceiving the latest news of the day which may have trans- — on two continents while the passengers were on the sea. _—— a ae Lake Ore Matters. DULUTH, Minn., August 19, 1900.—Crowded lower lake receiving docks are having some effect on shipments, but these are showing little change since the month set in. The Mesaba mines that were flooded last week have overcome the difficulty and are again at work. The TANK 5000 GALS, OVERFLOW TANK 5000 GALS. ‘TANK SUPPLY OVERFLOW CHECK VALVE | CENTRE WALL LINE scsgcetialinimasiaiss: =i — x ) x — i I | SOUTH WALL LINE rm WALL LINE | w |} 2) 3 w 2¢ ie Zz <a 4 - = 3 4 ]] |Z 6 | 3 BS BS F iz rw w w i ¢€ x z z z } > & a a po ° a 77) ° Le 4 a z = 4 a ) > <3 SS a > > w x = Oo ? NORTH WALL LINE La — —_—— FF = °o ° @o Hx x . ) .. ae. an ee Oe c r z o 3 ? X . x ( ? ___ x ) x xX x ) pees - PUMP x Fig. 6.—Elevation Showing Fire Protection System and Supply to Plumbing System. Tater DRINKING FOUNTAIN TO WASTE INTO —~—~ = | a \ SINK THROUGH | 134" pipe \ \ \ 1 \ | = reesig WN ae ~Y) ¥2 DRINKING \ FOUNTAIN 4 \ \ =i 3 \ \ YY Pd ¥ \\ \ \ Hl = \ \ \ ’ 1 \ \ 2 saat \ | a = | 2" oe ’ \\ \ \ 4 “" \ \ I , \)s eat | 5 3 VENT | i ‘ { \8 sow HHL ) 3 6: = . 1 i ae | \wain VENT TO CONNECT WITH MAIN BE'.OW BRANCH SOIL Fig 8 - Plan of Toilet Rooms in Bviler Department. ° HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING IN Payal is particularly liable to trouble from surface water, as it has a mammoth open pit covering many acres and lying in a depression, from which are openings into the underground portion of the mine. Last week this pit filled so fast that before the men were fairly out their steam shovels and lcecomotives were almost buried, and by morn- ing there was 100 feet of water in the pit. It will be some time before all this can be pumped. The water came down like a cloudburst. All the steam shovel and open pit mines were seriously affected by this storm. The Carnegie Company have taken over the lease of the Ohio mine belonging to the Lake Superior Consoli- fated Mines and will hereafter operate it. There is a minimum of 100,000 tons annually and the mine is a large one. It lies between properties now held by the THE IRON AGE 5 Carnegie interests and gives them the Shaw, Mesaba Mountain, Lone Jack, Norman and Ohio in the Virginia group. The Norman is idle and the Shaw never has been opened. There is a total of 400 acres in these five mines and an enormous body of medium grade ore. Now that the Duluth & Iron Range road has completed its track to the new Fay property it has been discovered that there is no ore in the shaft that was being sunk there and it has heen abandoned. A new one will be started. In the meantime the road, built under pressure from the mine owners to get to the property at the earliest possible day, will wait for its traffic. Among the old mines of the eastern Gogebic that Corrigan, McKinney & Co. have been reopening and de- FI [= : wo ot QA | bine | SUPPLY TO FILTER AND ICE WATER COIL Lu MAIN SUPPLY DRINKING FOUNTAINS 4 J a x "4 Vv NJ ~ I. 7 ¥ a p z . q > sachin oles: 9 w FILTER | 42 ICE BOX WATER COIL Fig. %.—The Ice Water System. SHOWER BATHS ¥ esas \ i |TRAP | 2 WASTE ; \ | Serre VENT | | | {| | 5’ SOIL 3’ VENT 03 VE | a Fig. 9.—Plan of Shower Bath and Locker Rooms. THE METROPOLITAN POWER HOUSE. veloping this year the Irouton is showing up splendidly and is likely to have a large body of ore. At the various old properties around Colby which this concern are oper- ating there is likely to be a possible tonnage of 400,000 ions a year for many years to come. Drill holes sunk in the Messembria district have been abandoned on account of the quality of the ore and the machinery has been moved to Wakefield, where the Carnegie interests are working. Shipments off the range are ahead of any year and it has all along looked as if more than 3,000,000 tons would be moved. But there is a cessation of stock pile work, and at the Colby, Newport, Tilden, Mikado, Palms, Brotherton and Sunday Lake mines these are untouched now. Many of these will reduce their work- ing forces materially during this month. pee rE SER ASE IT TSS sO 7 OTe SST TSS "C SS cc ee Of all the recently revived towns on the Marquette range Michigamme alone seems not to suffer. There the Cleveland Cliffs Company are operating the Michi- gamme, Imperial and Webster mines and show no signs ef decrease; on the contrary, are increasing the forces employed. Shipments have commenced from the first named mine and ore is coming up both day and night. About 500 tons a day is now sent out. Both Imperial and Webster are shipping. It is stated that there is not a single vacant dwelling, or even room, in the village. Hoisting has been resumed at the Negaunee mine for the first time since the accident of early summer. There is something like 300 feet of water yet in the mine, but the management are now lowering it. The Princeton has not closed and will not, it is stated, but the Star West, at Palmer, is idle. It will remain so all season. The village of Palmer is again dead, both the Star West and Volunteer mines being quiescent. The former mine has been left in such shape that a resumption can take place with little delay. Some 40 men are working at the Hartford, at Teal Lake. Machine buildings, &c., are being erected. The Beaufort mine is now being pre- pared for energetic mining by the Bristol Mining Com- pany. Shipments have commenced and much new ma- ehinery will be installed. The Jones & Laughlin prop- erty at Iron Mountain Lake is showing better with depth and as the workings run under the lake. If the property becomes a mine of importance it will be necessary to drain this lake, as Lake Angeline was drained, by pump- ing. It will be a large undertaking. At the Florence mine, Menomince range, they have 130,000 tons in stock and no ore sold, and have, there- fore, reduced the force sharply. The Commonwealth, that has been mining from pillars for some time, has about reached the end and will be abandoned with this year if nothing new is found. Ore has been discovered on the Wisconsin side of the Menominee River, near Faithorne Junction, and the Pembina Creek Mining Com- pany have been formed’to explore. They are getting a satisfactory showing of lean ore, which is improving with depth. The Huron Iron Company, operating Co- lumbia mine. are to explore lands between Crystal Falls and Mansfield mine, where indications are good. In the past week 70 50-ton cars have been ferried to Michipiccton for the Clergue Company, operating the Helen mine, and shipments are now about 4000 tons a week. No mine ever did such work as this in its first season, and that this one can is an indication of the ease of handling the hematite quarry there, described in The Jron Age two weeks ago. D. E. W =_— The Paris Meeting of the Iron and Steel Institute. The autumn meeting of the Iron and Steel Institute will be held at Paris on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, September 18, 19, 20 and 21. The president, Sir William Roberts-Austen, will deliver an address, and the following papers have been promised for reading: “On the Development of the Iron and Steel Industries in France Since 1889,” by H. Pinget, secretary of the Comité des Forges de France. “On Iron and Steel at the Paris Exhibition,” by Professor H. Bauerman, Ordnance College, Woolwich. “On American Methods of Testing Iron and Steel,” by Albert Ladd Colby, South Bethlehem, Pa. “On the Washing of Iron Ore,” by Alfonso Dory, Bilbao. “On Rolling Mills,’ by Louis Katona, Resicza, Hun- gary. “On the Constitution of Slags,” by Baron H. von Jiiptner, Nonawitz, Austria. “On a New Method of Producing High Tempera- tures,” by E. F. S. Lange, Manchester. “On the Action of Aluminum on the Carbon of Cast Iron,” by Godfrey Melland, B.Se., Assoc.R.S.M.; and H. W. Waldron, Mason University College, Birmingham. “On a Microchemical Research on Iron and Phos- phorus,” by J. E. Stead, Member of Council. Tuesday and Wednesday will be given over to ses- sions and visits to the Exposition. Thursday is reserved for the Vincennes annex. On Thursday evening two ex- eursions will start, one to St. Chamond works, near St. Etienne, and the other to the Hayange plant of the Petits Fils de F. de Wendel. sakes <i -_ The Norton Grinding Company.—There have been organized at Worcester, Mass., the Norton Grinding Com- pany, with a capital of $10,000. Many of the stock- holders are identified with the Norton Emery Wheel Company. The management is in the hands of Milton P. Higgins, president; George J. Alden, treasurer; John Jeppson, Charles L. Allen and Charles H. Norton. The THE IRON AGE. Angust 2-, 1900 latter has been for several years engaged with the Brown & Sharpe Mfg. Company on the work of bringing out their universal and plain grinders. The business of the new company will be to do machine grinding. Firms who are not fully equipped for grinding operations can send their grinding jobs to the new company and have them done cheaper and better than in any other way. They are also prepared to furnish estimates on ground parts complete when so desired. It is stated that for this work stronger, heavier and better machines are re- quired than are in the market at the present time, and they shall bring out machinery for the purpose. If the machines prove successful with them and there is a de- mand for them they will probably place them on the market. _ _— Central Pennsylvania News. HARRISEURG, August 20, 1900.—There is no doubt about the existence of a better tone in the iron and steel circles of this district. Manufacturers are satisfied that the worst is past, and that from now on there will be less to disturb them. They say that already there has been an improvement in prices along certain lines, and that with the resumption of active operations in Sep- tember much of the uncertainty that has prevailed dur- ing the summer will pass away. Most of the concerns in this section report increased orders and many in- quiries, but while waiting for the adjustment of prices they expect orders wil! be placed somewhat grudgingly for the present. In every instance The Iron Age repre- sentative found confidence in the general situation. Con- servative manufacturers agree that there is plenty of business held in abeyance, and that as soon as it is once recognized that the low notch of prices has been reached orders will pour in from all directions. As a matter of fact all the plants here and in this belt have been un- usually busy for midsummer. It is true that the enforce- ment of contracts has been found difficult, but where specifications are withheld on account of the high figures at which the contracts were placed the manufacturer is getting even on concessions in other ways, so that in the end there has not been serious embarrassment on this seore. It is doubtful whether in any period of the iron and steel business there has been so much repudiation of contracts. They are broken on the slightest pretext, and manufacturers rcalize that legal enforcement of such contracts would, in the end, prove disastrous to the gen- eral situation. All are apparently satisfied to let things take their course and await developments. The Harrisburg Boiler & Mfg. Company are having a most prosperous season, and the plant has been in steady operation day and night. Large shipments have recently been made to South Africa, Peru, Mexico and other far distant points of pipe and other materials for irrigation plants, electric power plants and other like enterprises. The domestic business of the company is also large. The Harrisburg Foundry & Machine Works have more than they can do. If it was possible to take orders for instant delivery they could easily double their capacity and still not be able to supply the demand. Fortunately most of the recent orders are for rensonable deliveries, and there is plenty of busiaess in sight to keep the large plant in steady operation the rest of the year. Among recent orders are engines of different types for the Gate City Cotton Mills of Atlanta, the Pennsylvania Railroad ferry boats, the New York, New Haven & Hartford station building, at Hartford; the J. P. & W. 8S. Pyle Company, manufacturers of Pearline, and others. There has been no reduction of the force, and with the in- creased orders there seems to be no question about plenty of business months ahead. There is some trouble over the wages of puddlers in this district, but it-has not affected the rolling mills in this immediate locality. The Bellefonte Furnace Company will resume oper- ations September 12. The company’s furnace has been entirely remodeled and the output will be large. One of the Paxton furnaces is in blast, but unless the iron market improves it is doubtful about the other go- ing on at present. A portion of the plant of the Susquehanna Iron & Steel Company is in operation, and there is an increased demand for certain products. The American Iron & Steel Company’s mills, at Leba- non, are all running, and there is an abundance of work with good prospects. There is no falling off in orders at the Pennsylvania Steel Works. While this and all other plants are suf- fering somewhat from the readjustment, the various de- partments are all busy. Some large orders have recently been booked. A hurry order of 50 tons of special steel blooms for Copenhagen, Denmark, is now’ being shipped from the works. The Chesapeake Nail Works will probably resume op- erations in September. 8. August 23, 1900 The Bliss Double Crank Press for Armature Disks. In the accompanying half-tone we illustrate the latest type of double crank press especially adapted for the rapid producticn of armature disks and segments. In position in tae press will be seen a compound die for cutting at each stroke of the press one complete seg- ment, as shown at the left hand side of the press on the floor. As it is an essential feature of armature disks and segments to have the outside and inside segments exactly concentric, it has heen found best to adopt dies like the one shown, which, by cutting the edges simultaneously, eliminates the inaccuracies which are almost unavoida- ble when the cutting is done in two or more operations. Some complete disks for smaller generators, also punched at one stroke of this press, are shown in the foreground. In order to facilitate the operation of the press, it is pro- vided with throw out pads for the upper die, which work in a positive manner and consume but little power. ‘The press is also provided with a direct connected knockout THE IRON AGE. 7 sible on vessels carrying cotton. The total ballast room on such ships is estimated to be 100,000 tons per year. The regular sea freight from America to Hamburg amounts to $6.48 per ton. On account of these high freight expenses and the consequent difference in price, the import of American pig iron into Upper Silesia is impossible, Silesia itself having very large iron and coal mines and furnaces. The large industrial works on the Elbe, however, at Dresden, Magdeburg and Hamburg— perhaps also at Berlin—would be good markets, as they have no iron ores in their district. According to analyses made here, the American pig iron is said to be superior to the Upper Silesian. An order of 100 tons of American foundry pig iron has been given to the Tennessee Coal, Iron & Railway Company; but this is only to be consid- ered as 4 trial order. ——_— A New Alloy. A new alloy has recently been invented and patented by Guilliam H. Clamer and Joseph G. Hendrickson of THE BLISS DOUBLE CRANK PRESS FOR ARMATURE DISKS. for the lower die, actuated by the movement of the slide in connection with the two rods attached to the cross head under the bed of the press. Presses like this one are made in a large number of sizes. As shown, it is of the followilg dimensions: Distance between uprights, 40 inches; distance between gibs, 35% inches; standard opening in bed, 32 inches round; distance from bed to slide when up, 12 inches; standard stroke of slide, 2 inches; adjustment of slide, 1 inch; size of fly wheel, 45 x 6 inches; weight of fly wheel, 1100 pounds; proportion of gearing, 1 to 714; floor space, legs, about 46 x 67 inches; weight complete, as shown, 15,500 pounds. This press has been built by the E. W. Bliss Company, 11 Adams street, Brooklyn, N. Y. ines Desai American Pig Iron in Silesia.—C. W. Erdman, consul at Breslau, Silesia, reports as follows on July 10: Under present conditions, the import of pig iron into Upper Silesia would not be profitable. The freight from Amer- ‘ca to Hamburg amounts to $4.05 per ton, the freight thence to Upper Silesia $3.09, and the import duty to $2.38, which would be an expense of $9.52 on each ton. The local market value of pig iron is from $4.28 to $4.76 lower than the price of American pig here. But even the low charge of $4.05 for sea freight can be reckoned on only when the iron is loaded as ballast, which is pos- Philadelphia, who have assigned the patent to the Ajax Metal Company of that city. The alloy is employed in making composition castings and consists of lead, ‘tin and nickel in substantially the following proportions: Lead, 45; tin, 45, and nickel, 10, and it is used by melting it along with copper or copper bearing material in the proportion of, for example, 1 part of alloy to 10 parts of copper, more or less. An alloy embodying the invention may be made as follows: Nickel is added to tin. How- ever, the nickel is readily soluble in melted tin, so that the amount which may be added depends only on tem- perature and time given fer the solution. The temper- ature required is only a red heat, and is far below the melting point of nickel. After the tin has absorbed the requisite amount of nickel the lead is added to form the finished product. It is theu cast in suitable molds in bars of convenient size. EE ———— Carborundum Ladle Stoppers.—Stoppers and nozzles for steel ladles, we are informed, are being manufactured of carborundum and have been used experimentally with considerable success. The carborundum is mixed with clay and treated in practically the same manner as those articles made of plumbago. They are hard, smooth and of excellent appearance. These stoppers and nozzles were made under patents of Benjamin Talbot. ere cr ee nt i SR EE Re — 8 THE IRON AGE. Magnalium. The following exceedingly interesting description of a new alloy, composed of aluminum and magnesium, has been specially translated for The Iron Age from Neueste Erfindungen und Erfahrungen of Vienna, Austria, it being, therefore, understood that the prices stated are European and not American prices: . Aluminum was first produced by Woebler in 1827, but, owing to the complex processes necessary to recover even a small amount of it, no attention could be paid to its possibilities in the arts. Only after the methods of manufacture had been greatly improved by St. Clair De- ville was its worth recognized, and “ clay silver” became known as the “ metal of the future.” Napoleon III was most zealous in fostering the industry founded by De- ville. The metal was worth at first 3000 francs, per kg., but the price soon fell to 200 francs and lower. To-day, owing to the use of electrical furnaces, it can be bought for about 28 cents a pound. In spite of its low price no one can say that aluminum has fulfilled all the hopes that were cherished for it. It is, of course, the lightest of all useful metais, but its superiority in this particular is counterbalanced by lack of strength and by the fact that it is only worked with considerable difficulty. It cannot be readily filed, turned or planed into shape. It is too soft for many purposes and is not so firm as iron. Besides, its color is not particularly pleasing, being dull bluish and hard to polish. Its use in the manufacture of fancy goods is, hence, quite limited. Numerous attempts have been made to improve the quality of aluminum by alloying with other metals. The ailoys so far discovered possess more or less excellent properties, but they contain only a small percentage of aluminum, and thus the most remarkable quality of the latter, its lightness, is destroyed. Of these alloys alumi- num bronze contains 10 per cent. and aluminum brass 3.3 per cent., and when cast only 1 per cent. of alumi- num. The specific gravity of these alloys, in turn, is 7.65. 838 and $35, against 2.68 for pure aluminum. Alloys have been made with the other metals, but only a few possess any useful qualities, aluminum bronze be- ing the single alloy of technical importance. Aitempts at finding a magnesium alloy met with negative results, the compound being brittle and un- durable. Woehler was the first, also, in this field, but after him no further experiments were made until a short time ago. Now Dr. Ludwig Mach has come for- ward with an alloy which he calls magnalium. His suc- cess is to be attributed to the fact that he worked with pure materials. Magnalium is essentially different from all other technically important aluminum alloys. While the latter contain only a small percentage of aluminum, magnalinm is composed of 70 to 98 parts of aluminum und 2 to 30 parts of magnesium. As magnesium is lighter than aluminum, the specific gravity of the alloy is lower than that of the pure metal and decreases in indirect ratio to the amount of magnesium present. In its other properties, also, magnalium is different from alloys previously discovered, and from aluminum itself. It is hard, easily worked, possesses great powers of re- sistance to atmospheric influences and has a beautiful appearance. It is also ductile and can be rolled into tubes and wire just as well as aluminum. According to the amount of magnesium present in the alloy the properties of magnalium vary considerably. With 10 to 25 per cent. of magnesium the alloys are easily worked. A 10 per cent. alloy possesses the same mechanical properties as zinc. An alloy of 100 parts of aluminum aud 15 parts of magnesium corresponds to good casting brass, while with the same amount of aluminum and 20 parts of magnesium the metal pos- sesses the properties of hard drawn brass wire. For making castings a magnalium containing 10 to 15 per cent. of magnesium is especially suited. It melts at about 700 degrees (C.), remains hot for a long time, and fills out even the most delicate details of the mold in a faultless manner. It is true a rather considerable funnel shaped cavity forms at the gate, but this may be counteracted by a larger sink head. The casting is dense and free from blow holes, and the surface remains so bright that pickling is not necessary. Magnalium, indeed, pessesses a magnificent color. It is almost sil- very white, acquires a vivid luster by polishing and may even be rendered reflective. The color and gloss are not affected by the atmosphere or by water, excepting, possibly, that a dull film forms on the surface, but the resistance to tarnishing increases with the purity of the magnesium and the aluminum. The castings may be worked in the same manner as brass. Long spiral shavings may be turned off and even the finest threads be cut. It can be bored and worked with tbe finest drills, and filing may be done without the files becoming clogged or filled up, as happens in working pure aluminum. Especially the softer alloys— August 23, 1900 i. €., those containing less magnesium (10 to 15 parts of magnesium to 100 parts of aluminum)—may, when cold, be forged, drawn into wire and rolled out into tubes and plates. While aluminum castings possess hardly the tensile strength of cast iron (per square inch), at 3 per cent. elongation the strength of the alloy containing 10 to 20 per cent. of magnesium is, according to the tests conducted so far, 30 to 42 kg. per sq. mm. (42,000 to 60,000 pourds per square inch), with an elongation of 10 per cent. The strength of the alloy is, therefore, consider- able, and it increases with the proportion of magnesium; at the same time, however, the alloy becomes more brittle. When we add, further, that magnalium can, according to the experiments previously conducted, be soldered, just as well, at least, as the pure aluminum, we have probably included all of the advantages under consideration which belong to the new alloy, the most important of which are the ease with which it can be worked, its strength and-its beautiful color. For many purposes it is desirable to raise the melting point of the alloy (which lies near 700 degrees C.) with- out, however, interfering with its other valuable prop- erties. This is only partially and unsatisfactorily ac- complished by adding copper, tungsten, chromium and nickel, for, although these additions make the alloy harder to melt, they render it at the same time heavier and much more brittle. On the other hand, the melting point is raised in a surprising manner by the addition of a very small amount of antimony. A pure aluminum- magnesium alloy is a thin liquid at dark red heat, and continues in this form also when the surface begins to shine like quicksilver. Upon adding a piece of anti- mony to such a red hot alloy in a crucible it becomes at first viscous in the neighborhood of the dissolving antimony. and the area of this action increases according to the amount of antimony used until the whole mass becomes doughy and can no longer be stirred. The mass does not melt nor is ail the antimony dissolved until white heat is reached. This alloy can be cast only at white heat. The castings show the same mechanicai properties as pure magnalium and are not porous. Anti- mony gives, therefore, a means of raising the melting point of the alloy without interfering with its properties, which are so unusually valuable. It is true that the melting point of pure aluminum is raised by the addi- tion of antimony, yet in this case 25 per cent. of anti- mony is necessary. The alloy of aluminum with 25 per cent. of antimony melts at red heat, while an alloy of 100 parts of aluminum and 20 parts of magnesium has its melting point raised to such an extent by the addition of only 10 to 15 per cent. of antimony that it does not melt until a white heat is reached. We are able, therefore, on the one hand, by varying the amount of magnesium, to obtain alloys having very different properties and applicable to the greatest variety of uses, and, on the other hand, by the addition of anti- mony, to vary the melting point between certain limits at will. It is obvious that these facts are of very great importance for the utility of the alloy. Through the valuable properties of magnalium a wide field is opened for the use of aluminum. Of first im- portance is its use in mechanical work of the more deli- cate kinds, for the needs and objects of which it is es- pecially suited. It will also be of great service in the construction of many maciines, since its great strength admits of its use for such purposes, while the most notable quality--its extreme lightness as compared with other metals—plays a principal part. The production of any desired quantity of aluminum no longer presents any difticulty, as is shown by the present price of pure aluminum, which is 250 marks per 100 kg. (about 28 cents a pound). Magnesium costs about seven times as much (1800 marks per 100 kg., or over $2 per pound). This is not, however, for technical rea- sons, but only because there is very little demand for pure magnesium. Magnalium, therefore, costs—if we use these prices and do not take account of the cost of alloying, patent rights, &c.—GO8 marks (about 62 cents per pound) in the case of 30 per cent. magnesium and 452 marks (89 cents per pound) in the case of 15 per cent. magnesium. This, indeed, is considerably higher than the cost of copper or brass, but the difference in price is less notice- able if we consider at the same time the quantities. In this case, if we take the price of copper at 1.50 marks per kg. (16 cents per pound), we find that 100 marks will buy 7.48 liters ‘or $1 will buy 19.5 cubic inches) of cop- per, while the same sum will buy 7.1 liters (or $1 will buy about 17.2 cubic inches) of the alloy containing 30 per cent. magnesium. Moreover, we may expect with perfect certainty that ihe price of pure magnesium, thanks to the increased demand and greater effort along the line of its production, will decrease considerably, especially as there is no difficulty whatever in securing the raw material. Then magnalium will take its place in common use side by side with the ordinary copper alloys, even in cases where lightness is not the only con- sideration. August 23, 1900 The Philadelphia Pneumatic Hand Rammer for Foundry Use. The Philadelphia Pneumatic Tool Company of Phila- delphia are manufacturing a hammer which is designed to do a large variety of work in the foundry. In con- struction it is similar to that of the heavier type of pneu- matic rammers, but still is light enough to be easily handled by the operator. It is at the same time heavy enough so that its inertia absorbs any vibration that may arise from the rapid reciprocation of its piston and rammer head. The valve mechanism and parts are as simple as is consistent with smooth working, and are suitably inclosed and therefore free from dust and dirt. The rammer head is a hexagon and can be turned at the will of the operator. The weight of this tool is 45 pounds and it strikes 250 to 300 blows per minute, with an air pressure of 50 to 100 pounds per square inch, only 15 eubic feet of free air per minute being used when in con- THE PHILADELPHIA PNEUMATIC HAND RAMMER FOR FOUNDRY USE tinuous operation. The air is admitted to the handle on the right side, its admissiou being controlled by a throttle lever under the thumb of the user; the exhaust passes through the handle on the left. Speed and force of the blow can be varied at will. A number of different shaped heads are provided with each machine. These are attached to the rammer rod by means of a taper fit, and may be changed in less than half a minute and with- out letting go of the handle. Besides regular foundry work, these rammers have been found satisfactory for ramming up converter bot- toms in Bessemer steel plants, and have been adopted by many large plants of this kind. —_—— _ A school has been established by the Government at Fort Monroe, Va., for the purpose of instructing regulars in the application of electrical machinery used in the army. The rules, published by direction of the Secre- tary of War, provide that applicants must be under 25 years of age, unmarried, qualified as a gunner, a student of a correspondence school or the owner of electrical books, and no applicant will be recommended unless he has Sought for a year or more to become practically familiar With one or more classes of electric machinery or with Some portion of the elementary literature on electricity. THE IRON AGE. 9 Acetylene for Lighting. Before the Civil Engineers’ Society of St. Paul, A. Lipschutz delivered a paper on * The Use of Acetylene in Railway Station and Train Lighting,” which contains a good deal of information of general interest. We quote from it the following: Calcium carbide is now made by fusing 100 parts of lime and 70 parts of coke in an electric furnace. The material used for the manufacture of carbide must be of great purity; the lime should contain, on an average, 99 per cent. of CaO, and the coke should not run over 5 per cent. of ashes. The lime and the coke are crushed to nut size, then ground to powder in mills, and finally screened. ‘The materials are then weighed and mixed; the latter process is continued for at least five minutes for the sake of uniformity. The mixture is then intro- duced into the electric furnace and fused under the elec- tric are. When cold and broken into pieces, carbide has the appearance of granite, and is equal to it in hardness. A temperature of 2700 degrees C. is required for its for- mation. As carbide absorbs moisture from the air very greedily, it must be protected, in transit as well as in storage, from the influe