The Iron Age 1901-06-06: Vol 67 Iss 23

THE «30 ot A Review of the Hardware, Iron, Machinery and Metal Trades. Published every Thursday Morning by David Williams Co. » 232-238 William St.. New York. Vol. 67: No. 23 Reading Matter Contents page 62 Alphabetical Index to Advertisers ‘“‘ 197 Classified Listof Advertisers..... ‘‘ 199 Advertising and Subscription Rates ‘“‘ 71 New York, Thursday, June 6, got. sa 00 a Year, including Postage, Single Copies, Ten Cents. | A New U. M. C. .22 Short Smokeless Cartridge Bristol’s Patent Steel Belt Lacing, SAVES Time, Belts, Money. . GreatestS READY TO APPLY FiNiSHEDVONT With Least Me Send for Circulars and Free Samples, THE BRISTOL CO., Waterbury, Conn AMSON SPOT CORD E Also massachusetts and Phenix SAMSON CORDAGE WORKS, Boston, Mass. TURNBUCKLES. 11 Becagaay. © and Iron es EF d, O. i 465 Kent Ave., BROOKLYN, N.Y AT A REDUCED PRICE. Little Noise. No burning grains of powder from the rifle’s muzzle. Comparatively Cheap. Your Dealer has it or can get it for you. Send for Illustrated Felder Describing the New .22 Short. THE UNION METALLIC CARTRIDGE CO., 315 BROADWAY, N. Y. BRIDGEPORT, CONN. ACCURATE, SMOKELESS, CLEAN. IGAHALL BOILERS "= BASIC PIG. PILLING & CRANE, S122 ee™sie3%, ] Lewis block, 56 Pine 8t., New York tteburgh. APOLLO BEST BLOOM GALVANIZED IRON Won't dealers in galvan- ized iron please keep on saying their brands are as good as Apollo! We ask no better advertisement, American Sheet Stee! Company Battery Park Building New York 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: ~ UN S4y, —_ TTHSONIAN DERS . Jenkins ’96 Packing. Pronounced by steam users throughout the world the best joint packing manufactured. Expensive? Not at all, as it weighs 30¢ less than many other packings, consequently is much cheaper. JENKINS BROTHERS, New York, Boston, Phitadelphia, _Chicage- Brass Price High, So Use Bright “Swedoh” Stamp- see 186 ing Steel. Easily Brass Plated and Save Money, pat MAGNOLIA METAL. Best Anti-Friction Metal for all Machinery Bearings. London, Chicago, Montreal, Pittsburgh, Boston, San Francisco, Philadeiphia. _ MAGNOLIA METAL GD., 266 ana 267 West St., Sole slanufacturers, NEW YORK. THE IRON AGE. THE ANSONIA BRASS p” COPPER CO. MANUFACTURERS OF BRASS AND COPPER Seamless Tubes, Sheets, Rods and Wire. Ingot Copper. Tobin Bronze Weiatbury ase Co. Established 1845. Sheet, Roll and Platers’ Brass, (TRADE-MaRK REGISTERED.) German Silver, Co per, Brass and Ger- mets man Silver Wire, Brass and Condenser, Plates,Pump Linings, Round, Copper Tubing. Square and Hexagon Bars, for Pump Piston Rods and Bolt Forgings. COPPER RIVETS AND BURS. TAPE MEASURES, META LLic EYELETS, Brass Kettles, Brass Tags, Powder Flasks, Shot Pouches, &c., AND SMALL BRASS WARES OF EVERY DESCRIPTION Cartridge Metal in Sheets or Shells a Specialty. DEPOTS: 60 Centre St., New York. 126 Eddy St., Provi- dence, R. [. 38 Mechanic St., Newark, N. J. 7 $9 John ‘Street, New York, wre VY Wey Randolph-Clowes Co., Main Office and Mill, WATERBURY, CONN. MANUFACTURERS OF SHEET BRASS & COPPER. BRAZED BRASS & COPPER TUBES. SEAMLESS BRASS & COPPER TUBES TO 36 IN. DIAM. New York Office, 258 Broadway, Postal Tel- egraph Bldg., Room 202 Chicago Office, 602 Fisher Bld Boston Office, Cor. Oliver and Purchase Sts. MILLS AT WATERBURY, CONN. Deoxidized Bronze Best Acid-Resisting Metal in the United States. . . Send for Price. Bridgeport Deoxidized Bronze & Metal Co., BRIDGEPORT, CONN, Matthiessen & Hegeler Zinc Co., LA SALLE, ILLINOIS. SMELTERS OF SPELTER AND MANUFACTURERS OF SHEET ZINC AND SULPHURIC ACID. Special Sizes of Zinc cut to order. Rolled Battery Plates. Selected Plates for Etchers’ and Lithographers’ use. Selected Sheets for Paper and Card Makers’ use. Stove and Washboard Blanks. ZINCS FOR LECLANCHE BATTERY. OUNDERS BRASS Fassrs RYAN & CO. THE PLUME & ATwoon Mré. Co., MANUFACTURERS OF Sheet and Roll Brass —aAXND— WIRE PRINTERS’ BRASS, JEWELERS’ METAL, GERMAN SILVER AND GILDING METAL, COPPER RIVETS AND BURRS. Pins, Brase Butt Hinges, Jack Chain, Kere- sene Burners, Lamps, Lamp Trimmings, &c. 29 MURRAY ST., NEW YORK. 144 HIGH ST., BOSTON. 199 LAKE ST., CHICAGO, ROLLING MILL : THOMASTON, CONN. SCOVILL MFG. CO., Manufacturers of BRASS SHEET, WIRE, TUBES. Hinges, Buttons, Lamp Goods, Nipples, Pumps and Oilers PACTORIES ¢ WATERBURY, CONN. for Bieyeles, Braziers’ Solder. FACTORIES, WATERBURY, CONN. DEPOTS: CHICAGO, WEW YORK, BOSTON. JOHN DAVOL & SONS, AGENTS FOR Brooklyn Brass & Copper Co., DEALERS IN COPPER, TIN, SPELTER, LEAD, ANTIMONY. 100 John Street, New York. Arthur T. Rutter, SUCCESSOR TO WILLIAM S. FEARING, 256 Broadway, New York. Sheet Brass, German Silver, Cop- per, Brass and German Silver Wire, Brazed and Seamless Brass and Copper Tubes, Small Tubing a Specialty. Brass and Copper Rods, Brass Ferrules. Sheet and Ingot Copper; Spelter, Tin, Antimony, Lead, etc. “PHONO- ELECTRIC” No better. counter | I — Pa a eee —) 3. Coseb ao] — mt — el @ieblat-t-.0) made. 4 Wheel, $3.00 Best Bronze, Babbitt Metals, Brass and Alaminum C4STINSS 5 Wheel, $3.25 0 -MEGAPHONES DISCOUNT TO HARDWARE DEALERS. R. A. HART, BATTLE CREEK, MICH | Crane Bros., - Linenoid Mfrs., - Westfield, Mase HENDRICKS BROTHERS SEND FOR CATALOGUE. PROPRIETORS OF THE Belleville Copper Rolling Mills, MANUFACTURERS OF Braziers’ Bolt and Sheathing COoOPPHR, COPPER WIRE AND HRIVETS. Importers and Dealers in Ingot Copper, Block ‘Tin, Spelter, Lead, Antimony, etc. WIRE. “1's rovan.” TROLLEY, TELEPHONE and TELEGRAPH LINES. Bridgerort BRIDGEPORT BRA BRASS ( C0, NTR OUR Sn oso peers COR OMYOUR RE mm HS 49 CLIFF ST.. NEW YORK. ER EE SET EST SSN | ‘THE IRON AGE Tuurspay, June 6, 1901. The Automatic [Machine Company’s Combined lilling and Boring Machine. The Automatic Machine Company of Greenfield, Mass., have recently installed in their works a com- bined milling and boring machine, designed with spe- cial reference to the work which they do. The engrav- ings show it set up for milling and boring speed lathes. The lathe beds are first placed upon a jig, as represented in Fig. 2, the machine having a capacity for three 11-inch by 5-foot beds at the same time. These beds are milled on the bottom and on one side, all three at one cut. They are next placed upon another jig, and the ways are milled. The mills are raised and the lathe position is practically finished before its removal. The worm driving shafts may be driven either way. The main shaft is driven by a 4-step cone, which admits of a wide range of speed to the tools. The feed is driven by a train of differential gearing consisting of the well known sun and planet train inside a cone case upon which there are three steps. This permits of three changes of feed, either fast or slow. cauicencadiaaininaesie The Lowry Compress for Baling Scrap Tin and Steel Turnings. The Planters’ Compress Company of Boston, Mass., who have been introducing the Lowry system of baling 4 | * — oie yey I» | we | , f THE AUTOMATIC MACHINE heads are milled for the caps. They are drilled and tapped by a radial drill not shown in the engraving. The boring jig, Fig. 1, is next placed in position, and the heads are bored for the boxes. In this manner there must be absolute certainty of each lathe being exactly like every other lathe, and consequently all parts will in- terchange. This method of doing this work is a step in advance of those formerly used. It enables the manu- facturers to turn out the work in large quantities, thus reducing the cost, and not only that, but it guarantees the machines to be as near perfect as possible. The machine is supplied with fast and slow speed in the proportion of 21 to 1, so that the platen may be returned quickly. This fast and slow speed will answer equally well for feeding in either direction. The hous- ings are so constructed as to permit of their being moved in and out, to and from the work, with ease and rapidity. The spindles can be raised or lowered by graduations which read to thousandths of an inch. An electric stop is used on the machine. In the manufacture of automatic screw machine frames the company use jigs to hold the frame, and the various boring bars, so that the frame once placed in Boring Bar in Use. COMPANY’S COMBINED MILLING AND BORING MACHINE. cotton, have made some interesting and encouraging ex- periments in baling scrap tin and steel turnings, of which the following is a record: Scrap tin, as received loose in crates, weighs some- thing under 10 pounds to the cubic foot. In carrying on the experiments the tin was fed to the press by means of a pitchfork, and the capacity of the machine was found to be about 1% tons an hour, and the diameter of the bales is 18 inches. The length may be made as de- sired, anywhere from 6 inches to 3 feet. On a run of about 17,000 pounds, from which 79 bales were made, the average length was 11% inches per bale, and the av- erage weight about 200 pounds, showing approximately 110 pounds density; but it is perfectly feasible to ob- tain a density of 150 pounds to the cubic foot, if that is desired. This and other lots of the same class of ma- terial have been distributed among consumers, who have spoken in most favorable terms of the results from their point of view, principally on account of the advantage in handling the material at the furnaces, and the saving from loss of material by combustion owing to its being baled so compactly. While most of the material re- ceived was jn small pieces, it was found during the ex- periments that flat sheets 12 inches wide and as long as 36 inches could be taken without any trouble. There was also in the lot a number of scrap dishpans 18 inches in diameter and 5 inches deep, which went into the press without difficulty. Some further experiments with the Lowry press are to be made, those carried out to date having been made at an experimental plant where the eonditions are not quite as favorable as they would be at a plant where the press and appurtenances were per- manently set up for this purpose. With reference to the baling of steel turnings, ex- haustive tests have also been made, as a result of which it has been found, first, that these loose turnings, as re- eeived, weigh about 14 pounds to the cubic foot. The average density of this same material, after it has been subjected to the Lowry process, is about 156 pounds to the cubic foot. The material can best be fed to the press on some form of carrier, which will deliver to the head of the press a constant supply, the capacity of the ma- ehine on this material being a little under 1 ton an hour. It should be borne in mind, however, in this connec- 2 THE IRON AGE. June 6, 1901 material caa be put into the furnace with a much less loss of heat and time than would be required in handling loose turnings. Of course there would also be a saving in the number of charging boxes required for the purpose of handling it. —————— The Brown-Corliss Engine Company. The contracts for the building of the main buildings for the Brown-Corliss Engine Company, at the newly laid out manufacturing town of Corliss, Wis., have been let to the American Bridge Company, who agree to have the work completed within four months. These build- ings will consist of a machine shop 120 x 500 feet, a foundry 350 x 115 feet, and buildings for boiler rooms, engine room, forge shop, pattern storage, pattern shop and a completely equipped electric plant. Some of these smaller buildings are not included in the contracts, but will be contracted for later. The buildings are to be furnished with the Jatest facilities for handling the large Corliss engines that are to be manufactured, and elec- Fig. 2.—Milling Machine Beds. THE AUTOMATIC MACHINE COMPANY'S COMBINED MILLING AND BORING MACHINE. tion that here again the experiments were carried on in the experimental plant, and the convenience therefore for handling the material did not probably give as good results in capacity as would be the case if the plant were set up for permanent operation. The bales made were approximately 16 inches in length and 18 inches in diameter, but, as in the case of the tin bales, the length ean be varied anywhere from 6 inches to 3 feet, accord- ing to the weight desired in a bale, the diameter being a constant of 18 inches. It was also found that from each 4 tons of the loose turnings there was extracted about 1 ton of oil, water, &c. Therefore, that the capacity above referred to is 25 per cent. higher, if figuring on the turn- ings as received. Among the advantages which are found from having steel turnings packed in Lowry bales are, first, the possi- bility of stowing a much larger quantity in a given space than is possible with the loose turnings. They can also be much more easily handled in this compact form, while the exclusion of such a large percentage of water and oil saves the heat which would be required for the evaporating process. In addition to the above, oxida- tion of the material, after it is baled, is practically im- possible, and. on account of the increased amount which can be stored in a given space, a given quantity of the tric cranes will be placed between the two main shops and along the entire length of the buildings. The total cost of the plant is estimated at $350,000, and it is ex- pected that it will be ready for operation early in September. The company, who are incorporated for $1,000,000, have 1200 acres of cultivated land at Western Union Junction, with a gradual incline to the water frontage. Already many manufacturers are recognizing the ad- vantages of this town, and it is assured that at least half a dozen concerns will be located there inside of six months. The Brown-Corliss Engine Company have platted the property and will erect commodious dwell- ing houses for their employees, as well as lighting the town by electric light. Offices have been opened in Mil- waukee in the Matthews Building. The officers are: President, Julius Wechselberg of Mil- waukee; vice-president and treasurer, Walter S. Whit- ing, a son of S. B. Whiting, general manager of the Calumet & Hecla Mining Company, and now in charge of the Oak Iron Works, Chesterfield, England; second vice-president and general manager, Walter F. Brown, who has been connected with the engine business for 25 years, and secretary, Kdward L. Keane. The subscribers to the capital stock include some oe June 6, 1901 THE IRON AGE. 3 well-known and influential business men of London, England; Boston, Mass.; Providence, R. 1.; Philadelphia, the anthracite coal regions of Pennsylvania and the iron and copper regions of Michigan, and the city of Mil- waukee. tin. Trade in Scotland. The Iron Trade. GLascow, May 24, 1901.—The situation as regards iron and steel has developed no new feature. The incident of Victoria Day and the Whitsuntide holidays have kept the markets in a quiet condition, although they do not affect production. It is in July that the working classes of Scotland take their play week—or fortnight, as the case may be. A few more blast furnaces have been lighted, but there are still some half dozen fewer in blast than at this time last year. The foreign orders for pigs show no tendency to increase—rather the reverse— but that is not surprising, considering how much relative- ly cheaper Cleveland iron is than Scotch just now. Con- sumers are only buying for present needs, not seeing in prices of either crude or finished material and induce- ment to buy ahead. Steel is dull all around. As a few more contracts for ships have been placed of late, there has been a little more buying of ship plates, but at a good deal under £6. The price in the North of England is £5 15s., less 24 per cent., which does not allow of a margin to bring to Scotland, but which prevents Scotch makers from quoting higher, even in the absence of American competition. The trade here has not been favorably improved by recent American advices, which seem to indicate that the turn of the tide on your side may soon be expected. The trouble with the machinists in the United States is being watched with the ut- most interest here, because some of the points at issue are so closely analagous to those in our great engineer- ing fight of 1897-98. On that occasion the Federated Engineering Employers held firm to a man and won the day, to the lasting benefit of the whole trade. A Turbine Passenger Boat. Great interest attaches to a turbine passenger steam- er which is to commence service on the Clyde next month. She has been built by Messrs. Wm. Denny & Brothers, Dumbarton (the builders, by the way, of “ Shamrock II”), and is engined by the Parsons Marine Steam Turbine Company, with one high pressure and two low pressure turbines. The boat has five propellers, with which she is expected to make a speed of 20 knots, and she is the first merchant or passenger steamer to be propelled by turbines. Whether she is to be the first of a new and numerous race we shall presently see, but it is interesting to note that it is exactly 100 years since the first vessel propelled by steam was put into the water at Glasgow. In the shipbuilding section at the International Exhibition here the grades of transition during these hundred years are very strikingly exhib- ited. Among examples of the latest developments of the century are the twin screw sisters, “ Zeeland” and “ Vaterland,” built by John Brown & Co., Limited, last year for the International Navigation Company, for whom the same firm have this year launched the “ Hav- erford” and are building the “ Merion,” characteristic examples of the latest type of Atlantic carriers. Boller Feeding Appliances. The Water Tube Boiler Committee have been recent- ly in Glasgow, for the purpose of witnessing some ex- periments by James Weir on the subject of corrosion or pitting owing to the presence of air in solution in the feed water, which has been particularly harmful in the case of the Belleville boiler. In evidence before the committee Mr. Weir contended that in merchant practice the use of the feed water heater had the effect of lib- erating and removing the dissolved oxygen before the passage of the feed water into the boiler. The object of the experiments has to demonstrate this. This incident lends special interest to the various spe- cialties and novelties in auxiliary machinery displayed by G. and J. Weir, Limited, in the Machinery Hall at the Exhibition here. This particular exhibit will appeal direct to Americans because it illustrates one of the most striking examples we have in this country of the modern tendency in engineering toward specialization. Mr. Weir and his firm have devoted all their attention for years past to matters relative to boiler feeding, and by industry, ingenuity and incessant experiment they have developed a perfection of gear that even Ameri- cans may admire, especially as their organization and system are based on the best American methods, and their machine tools are of the latest American type. A novelty here displayed is a compound feed pump which is in two styles—twin compound, being two pumps with high pressure and low pressure cylinders, and tandem compound, with one pump with high pres- sure and one with low pressure cylinders. The Weir feed pump for stationary requirements is a development of their well-known marine feed pump. It meets the demand for a better class of pump than has been hith- erto on the market—a demand which has resulted from the greater attention now paid to the auxiliaries in the engine and boiler room, and from the experience that it is false economy to have fast running cheaply got up feed pumps. In this pump the valve gear is positive— the steam valve can never be in such a position that the pump will not start immediately that steam is turned on. The only possible way in which the main valve can rest is at full travel either for an up or down stroke of the piston, and the valve arangement insures constant length of stroke and certainty of action. The steam valve is simple enough—merely a D slide valve with a small auxiliary valve working on the back. As these are the only two moving parts proper in the steam chest there is little opportunity for wear, and there are no delicate adjustments to get out of order. The steam is used expansively, and the cut-off can be regulated from the outside while the pump is working. It is claimed that this is the most economical pump in steam consumption in the market. Another novelty introduced by this firm is the Weir patent evaporator, called for by the necessity now recog- nized of having absolutely pure water for the feed make up, especially where water tube boilers are employed. The Admiralty type of the new and improved vertical evaporator embodies the result of Mr. Weir’s long ex- perience. It combines with high evaporative efficiency the simplest and most convenient arrangement for clean- ing and overhauling. The shell of the Admiralty evap- orator is constructed entirely of gun metal, which in- sures complete immunity from corrosion, which is such a source of trouble in evaporators with steel shells. Messrs. Weir also manufacture a special type of distrib- uting condenser for naval purposes, the feature of which is that the condensing and cooling surfaces are made uniformly efficient, so that only a comparatively small condenser is necessary. The requisite pumps are separate or combined according to the size and require- ments of the plant, and are of the direct acting type. This exhibit is mentioned here because while it is one of the most striking features in the Machinery Hall (be- ing grouped behind a picturesque cascade of water), it has a special interest in connection with the great boiler question which is now occupying so much attention on both sides of the Atlantic. » — eae — The Taylor Tin Plate Plant.—The new tin plate plant at Cumberland, Md., of the N. & G. Taylor Com- pany, Philadelphia, which has been in course of con- struction for the past four months, has been started with a full force in all its departments. The building is constructed wholly of iron and steel, and covered with iron sheeting, making it entirely fire proof. The new plant consists at present of two stands of hot mills and two cold roll mills complete, pickling plant and all necessary machinery, and with all possible improve- ments up to date. There are two doubling and two heating furnaces, and two double annealing furnaces of modern construction. When in full operation 200 men will be employed. Arrangements have been made in the new plant for the establishment at any time of two more hot mills and one more cold roll mill. 4 THE IRON AGE. The Edison Storage Battery.* BY DR. A. E. KENNELLY. It is well known that the hiscory of the storage cell is essentially that of the lead cell discovered by Planté in 1860, in which lead peroxide is the depolarizing sub- stance. An enormous amount of labor has, in the ag- gregate, been expended upon the improvement of this cell in the hands of experimentalists. As a result of that labor, the storage battery has at last become a recognized adjunct to direct current central stations, but it has limitations that seem to withstand further at- tempts toward improvement. Of recent years, hardly any success has been met with in the direction of reduc- ing its weight for a given energy storage capacity, with- out detriment to endurance, and this weight is the great drawback of the storage battery in electric storage trac- tion, and las been the principal obstacle to its advance in this Girection for the past 20 years. In practice, the storage energy per unit mass of the modern lead battery is from 4 to 6 watt-hours per pound of battery (8.8 to 13.23 watt-hours per kilogram). Expressed in another way, a battery weighs from 124.5 to 186.5 pounds per horse-power-hour at its terminals (75.5 to 113.4 kg. per kilowatt-hour); or, if its stored energy available at terminals were all expended in grav- itational work, a battery could raise its own weight Type of Metallic Cell Used with the Battery. 7 June 6, 1901 potassium hydroxide, the freezing temperature of which is 20 degrees below zero F., or 30 degrees C. Capacity. The initial voltage of discharge after recent charge is 1.5 volts. The mean voltage of full discharge is ap- proximately 1.1 volts. The normal discharging current rate per unit of active element (positive or nega- : ' illiamperes 7" amperes tive) is 60 mille I . or 8.64 P or square inch. square foot amperes ; «ae storage capacity of the cell 0.93 square decimeter The st & P per unit of total mass of the cell is 14 watt-hours per pounds of 30.85 watt-hours per kg. Expressing the same statement in another way, the weight of battery per unit of electric energy at terminals is 53.3 pounds per electrical horse-power-hour or 32.4 kg. per kilowatt-hour. Or the battery gives energy at its terminals sufficient to lift its own weight through a vertical distance of ap- proximately 7 miles, or 11.26 km. The mean normal dis- charging power rate per unit mass of total cell is 4 watts per pound, or 8.82 watts per k¢., corresponding to a normal discharge period of 3% hours. The cell may, however, be discharged at a relatively high rate, in approximately one hour, corresponding to & dis- Type of Plate. THE EDISON STORAGE BATTERY. through a vertical distance of from 2 to 8 miles (3.2 to 4.8 km.). While it is possible to increase the energy per unit mass by making the electrodes very light, yet this is al- ways found to be followed by a very heavy deteriora- tion. Objects Sought, Mr. Edison set himself the task of finding a cell which should possess the following advantages: 1, Absence of deterioration by work. 2. Large storage capacity per unit of mass. 3. Capability of being rapidly charged and discharged. 4. Capability of withstanding careless treatment. 5. Inexpensiveness. He believes that the cell here shown may claim these advantages in a very satisfactory degree. Elements of Battery. The negative pole or positive element, corresponding to the zinc of a primary cell or the spongy lead of a sec- ondary cell, is iron. The positive pole or negative ele- ment, corresponding to the carbon of a primary cell or lead peroxide of a secondary cell, is a superoxide of nickel believed to have the formula NiO,. The cell is therefore a nickel-iron cell, a name which suggests the structural material nickel steel. The electrolyte is potash—viz., an aqueous solution containing from 10 to 40 per cent. by weight, but preferably 20 per cent., of * Abstract of paper read at the annual meeting of the American In- stitute of Electrical Engineers charging power rate per unit of total cell mass of 12 watts per pound or 26.46 watts per kg. Charging and discharging rates are alike. That is to say, the cell may be charged at the normal rate in 3% hours, or it may be charged at a relatively high rate in 1 hour, with no apparent detriment beyond a somewhat lowered electrical charge efficiency. In other words, the cell does not appear to be injured by overcharging or dis- charging, and only suffers in electrical efficiency under such treatment. Constraction of Plates. The positive and negative plates are mechanically alike, and can scarcely be distinguished by the eye. They differ only in the chemical contents of their pock- ets. Each plate is formed of a comparatively thin sheet of steel, 0.024 inch (0.61 mm.) in thickness, out of which rectangular holes are stamped, so as to leave a grid or frame somewhat resembling a window frame. In the plate here shown there are three rows of eight such rectangular holes or recesses, or 24 recesses in all. Each opening or recess is filled with a pocket or shal- low box containing the active material. These boxes correspond to the panes of glass in the window frame analogy. The panes, instead of being thinner than the frame, as in an actual window, are thicker than the frame. or project slightly beyond the surface of the steel grid. They are perforated with numerous small holes to admit the electrolyte, but entirely conceal the contained active material from view. All that meets the eye, there- _—_ Rat “pag ree 15 ¥ re June 6, 1901 fore, in any of the plates is the steel frame and its im- bedded “‘ windows ” of perforated steel. The avtive material is made in the form of rectangular cakes or briquettes, and one such briquette is lodged in each pocket or “ window pane” of the plate. Each of the plates shown, therefore, supports, or contains, 2 briquettes of active material, all in rigid contact with its own substance. Each briqueite is placed in a shallow, closely fitting nickel plated box of thin perforated crucible steel, cut from a long strip of that material 0.003 inch (0.075 mm.) thick. A cover or lid of the same material is then laid over it, so that the briquette is closely enveloped by the sides and walls of its perforated steel box. The boxes are theu placed in the openings or holes in the nickel plated steel grid, and closely tit the same. The assem- bled plate is then placed in a hydraulic press and sub- jected to a total pressure of about 100 tons. This pres- sure not only tightly closes the boxes, but it also forces their metal sides over the adjacent sides of the recesses In the steel grid, thus clamping the whole mass into a single solid and rigid steel plate with the hollow “ win- dow panes” full of active material. The nickel plating of beth grids and boxes aids in securing good permanent electric connections between them. The finished plate THE IRON AGE. 5 was, however, much ditticulty from the action of tue potash on the soldered seams of the steel containing vessel. After many trials, however, Mr. Edison found a solder which seems to be entirely unaffected by the alkali. Chemical Action, In charging the current Is, of course, sent into the positive pole and its attached negative nickel plate through the electrolyte, and into the positive plate of the iron compound which carries the negative pole. This current deoxidizes or reduces the compound to a spongy metallic iron and carries the oxygen through the film of electrolyte to the nickel compound, oxidizing it to the hyperoxide of nickel, NiO,, a higher oxide than the per- oxide. In other words, the charging current simply carries oxygen in the opposite direction against the forces of chemical affinity, from the iron to the nickel, and stores the energy in the reduced iron, which is, of course, unaffected and passive in the presence of the potash solution. On discharge the current passes from the posi- tive pole through the external circuit to the negative pole, and its attached iron or positive plate, and then through the solution to the negative or superoxide plate. In so doing the oxygen moves back against the current and partially reduces the nickel superoxide NiO, while Briquettes and Plates Used in Battery. THE EDISON STORAGE BATTERY. has a grid thickness of 0.024 inch (0.56 mm.) and a win- dow or pocket thickness of 0.1 inch (2.5 mm.). This is the maximum thickness of the plate at any point, but being of steel the plate has ample rigidity. The positive briquettes (zincs of a primary cell) are made by mixing a finely divided compound of iron ob- tained by a special chemical process with a nearly equal volume of thin flakes of graphite. The graphite does not enter into any of the chemical actions, but assists the conductivity of the briquettes. The graphite is divided into very thin laminze by a chemical process, and these are passed through sieves or screens so as to leave a size or area of flake that is much larger than the area of the perforation in ihe steel windows. The mixture is then pressed into briquettes in a mold, under a hydraulic pressure of about 2 tons per square inch. The briquettes have a surface area of nearly 3 inches by % inch on each face. The negative briquette (carbon of a primary cell) is made by similarly mixing a finely divided compound of nickel, obtained by special chemical means, with a nearly equal bulk of fine flakes of graphite and solidifying the mixture in a mold into briquettes of the same size as above. A suitable number of positive and negative plates are assembled together, being separated from one another only by a thin sheet of perforated hard rubber. The assembled plates are placed in a vessel or ex- ternal containing cell of sheet steel containing the potash eolution, which, of course, does not attack steel. There oxidizing the spongy iron. The energy of burning of the iron and oxygen which would be developed as heat in the ordinary chemical process is now liberated in the circuit as electrical energy. The cell is an oxygen lift. Charging pulls the oxygen away from the iron and delivers it temporarily to the nickel, The condition is then stable until the circuit of the cell is completed. Discharge then allows the oxygen to fail back from the nickel to the iron with the natural affinity of iron and oxygen. In the new Edison cell the theoretical action of the potash solution is merely to provide the proper channel through which the oxygen ions may travel in one direc- tion or the other—positive plate to negative plate in charge, and negative plate to positive plate in dis- charge. Consequently the amount of solution needs only to be sufficient to fulfill mechanical requirements. It is believed that the weight of solution will in prac- tice be only about 20 per cent. of the plate weight, or about 14 per cent. of the cell weight. In fact, the cell may be worked in the same manner as the so-called primary “dry cells.” Moreover, if the solution should escape, or be carried away, by gasing in charging, the only detriment seems to be the loss of active surface thereby occasioned, and it will only be necessary to fill up the cells to the proper level with water from time to time as evaporation or gasing may lower the level. For the same reason the specific gravity of the elec- trolyte does not appreciably vary during charge and discharge. Se geri aoe een energie oe cee Bi SF Hida ig oma ee oe The briquettes of active material slightly expand on receiving oxygen, and slightly contract on delivering it—that is to say, the iron briquettes contract and the nickel briquettes expand during charge, while on dis- charge the iron briquettes expand and the nickel bri- quettes contract. The level of the solution is in this way scarcely affected. The expansions and contrac- tions of the briquettes appear to be well within the elastic limits of the spring steel containing boxes, and consequently the electric contact is always secure. The covers or sides of the window pockets merely approach to or recede from each other slightly during charge and discharge. Fortunately, steel is a metal which pos- sesses this mechanical elasticity in a marked degree. The action of the charging and discharging current upon the briquettes seems to be transferred from their external surfaces inward in a manner similar to the transfer of carbon and oxygen in the process of making malleable cast iron in the furnace on the principle of cementation. No active material has been found to be ejected from the briquettes through the window per- forations, even under deliberate overcharging and dis- charging. Such gas as is thereby produced makes its appearance on the external surface of the windows. Advantages. The new cell does not seem to be appreciably in- fluenced by changes of temperature, and should stand a very low temperature without detriment. The elec- trolyte—potash—does not attack any of the ingredients of the cell, nor are any of the ingredients soluble there- in. No local action occurs in the cell so far as has yet been observed, since the electromotive force is below that necessary to decompose water. The cell may be fully discharged to the practical zero point of electromotive force without detriment. In fact, a cell has not only been completely discharged, but recharged in the reverse or wrong direction, and after bringing it back to its originally charged state by proper restoration of the direction of charging cur- rent, the storage capacity remained unaffected. It would seem, therefore, that the cell should be capable of withstanding much abuse. Mr. Edison states that “the negative plate (nickel), eitber charged or discharged, can be removed from a working cell and dried in the air for a week without appreciably injuring it, and when the plate is finally replaced in the cell its charge is practically undimin- ished.” The positive (iron) plate, if similarly removed from the cell, will be likewise uninjured, but it soon loses its charge by the oxidization of the spongy iron with accompanying liberation of heat and appreciable rise of temperature extending over a period of several hours. On replacing the electrode, however, in the cell the stor- age capacity is unaffected on recharge. As regards cost, Mr. Edison believes that after fac- tory facilities now in course of preparation have been completed he will be able to furnish the cells at a price per kilowatt-hour not greater than the prevailing price of lead cells. antin J. W. Walker, formerly general manager of the Pitts- burgh district for the American Bridge Company, with Mr. Mackenzie, Mr. Connolly, Mr. Mitchell, and Henry W. Werneberg, a contractor, has formed the Pittsburgh Construction Company, with $100,000 capital, the inten- tion being to do a general construction and contracting business. The company will buy material from the American Bridge Company, and simply do the erecting. They will take all kinds of contracts. They have already contracted to build 13 miles of an extension for the West Side Belt Line at a cost of $400,000. This contract is to be completed by next January. About 500,000 yards of material will have to be moved, a great: number of small masonry and trestle bridges will be constructed, and one cut of 65 feet will be made. The line will open new coal fields, and will connect the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad with the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad at Curry Station. THE IRON AGE. June 6, 1901 Conference on Welfare of Employees. F. N. Savage, president of the Steel Works Club of Joliet, Il., who has called a national conference of firms and corporations to discuss the welfare of employees, has issued the following statement explanatory of the move- ment: There are a number of firms and corporations that have institutions and activities through which they are struggling to improve the economic, moral and social con- ditions of their employees, and there are a good many persons interested in the work. The object of the con- ference, which has been called to meet at Buffalo on June 24, is, I think, to bring together these people, exchange ideas, effect a permanent organization and ascertain, as far as possible, what can and should be done toward the end in view—viz., the betterment of the wage earner. I assume that the conference will not take up the question of wages, nor do I think it should discuss the labor unions. I also think that should we attempt to interfere with either question our usefulness would be impaired. There have been a number of efforts made toward the general uplift, in the way of encouraging men to own their homes and beautify them and the establishment of clubs, containing libraries, reading rooms, gymnasiums, billiard rooms and with educational opportunities and facilities for recreation. The consideration of such work and, if feasible, its further extension and efforts along that line will probably be the first consideration of the conference. Institutions and activities for the better- ment of employees, when supported by employers, carry with them an increased degree of responsibility. Whether you will or not, the impress of authority and in- dorsement attaches itself to whatever is done by each, and one being recognized as the representative of a cor- poration or one’s immediate connection with it prevents cur humoring people by indulging in experiments with untried theories which are calculated to disorganize in- dustry and create discontent among employees. It has been and is yet a question how far the manager of a large lirm or corporation can interest hiniself in the personal affairs and general welfare of employees, consistent with sound business principles. The creation of a spirit of de- pendence and the development of fraternalism would not only be demoralizing but destructive. We cannot be guided by efforts made in Europe in behalf of the wage earner, as the fraternal idea has generally prevailed there. Any way, the heads of large business enterprises have not the time to give personal attention to the gen- eral welfare of the great body of employees, even if their doing so were not calculated to create complications; therefore, efforts in their bebalf, I think, must necessarily be delegated to others. ——— ag A New Use for Pneumatic Tools.—One of the latest uses to which pneumatic tools have been applied is chiseling and gouging by means of properly formed tools, used in connection with the pneumatic hammer. The hammer strikes a series of very rapid blows upon the end of the chisel inserted in the hammer, and the chisel is thereby driven rapidly into the block or timber designed to be mortised or otherwise treated. The work is done much more rapidly and with greater ease to the operator than by hand, when using a mallet and hand chisel. The Standard Pneumatic Tool Company, Mar- quette Building, Chicago, are finding a growing trade in their chiseling hammers designed for this purpose. ia, —_— The Pittsburgh Steamship Company, under whose or- ganization all the fleets belonging to the United States Steel Corporation are assembljed, have established their offices in the Board of Trade Building at Duluth, Minn. General Manager A. B. Wolvin and Assistant Manager A. L. Harvey will make their headquarters there. Cap- iain Wolvin expects that the company’s ships will carry about 10,000,000 tons this year, and there have been con- tracted from Pickands, Mather & Co. and other outside parties sufficient boats to move about 2,500,000 tons more. ree as ge June 6, 1901 THE The Birmingham Scythe Rolling Machine. The scythe rolling machine here illustrated, built by the Birmingham Iron Foundry of Derby, Conn., repre- sents the latest development of the original machine de- signed several years ago by J. H. C. Bacheldor. This company have built practically all of the scythe rolling machines used in the United States since their first intro- duction, about 1870, and the last one was constructed from entirely new designs and new patterns. The chief advantage of these machines, although they effect a great saving in labor, is the fact that they do much more perfect work—namely, they produce scythes of uniform weight to the length of the blade and of a true taper from heel to point. The rolling mill shown in the illustration is not necessarily confined to scythe rolling, as it can be adapted to any metal that is to be rolled on a taper by taking into account the speed of the roll surface and the travel of the slides, and obtaining any desired proportion by the change of gears. To describe the operation of this mill we will desig- nate the handle, which is seen in front of the lower roll IRON AGE. —t Oil Superseding Coal in Texas. A press dispatch from Beaumont, Texas, says that nearly every interest formerly using coal in that section of the country is now preparing to adopt oil for fuel, and it is expected that in less than six months the whole southwestern portion of the country will be using oil in place of coal. The Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fé Rail- road system, the Kansas City Southern system, the Southern Pacific and several other lines are equipping their locomotives with oil burners, and will give the oil fuel a practical test. As the Santa Fé has already ex- perimented successfully with the liquid fuel on their California line, it is expected that the replacement of coal by oil is likely to be made general in Texas within a short time. ‘The J. M. Guffey Petroleum Company of feaumont have purchased two whaleback boats at Cleveland, Ohio, by which they propose to deliver oil at all lake points. The company have already two pipe lines from their wells at Beaumont to Port Arihur and up the Sabine Pass. The pipe lines have a carrying ¢a- pacity of 20,000 barrels of oil a day, and the ofl can THE BIRMINGHAM SCYTHE ROLLING MACHINE. in the photograph, as A, the treadle on the front and bottom of the mill as B, the treadle directly back of B as ©, the pulley at the end of the mill as D, and the dog between the pinion and the roll housings as E. First, the self acting tongs are drawn back full length, the rod passed through the jaws of the tongs into the guide boxes, close to the roll. The lever A is then pressed down, and the treadle B depressed and held down. This action brings the dog E in front of the slide. The treadle C is then pressed down, which will bring the clutch into gear, and at the same time the tongs will be advanced by means of the cam on the shaft and a latch attached to the tongs, and will enter the rod into the rolls. As the slide advances the end comes into contact with the dog E, which unships the clutch and leaves the slides in the right position for the next operation. This operation is to draw the tongs back as at first, pass the rod between the jaws (flatways this time), and then press down on treadle C, and the tongs will act. The rod will pass through the roll slides, raising the bottom roll and giving the rod a true taper from heel to point. Four passes, two edgeways and two flatways, complete the operation. The slides are then returned to place by means of the pulley D and clutch at the end of the ma- chine. The slides are made sectionally, so that any de- sired amount of taper can be obtained by putting wedges of proper thickness between the sections. thus be delivered direct from the wells to steamers at Sabine Pass. It is estimated that for fuel purposes three and one-half barrels of oil are equal to 1 ton of the best Pittsburgh coal. On this basis the oil can come in- to competition with Pittsburgh coal at lake ports and other territory where coal is worth over $2.50 a ton. It is thought possible to load tank steamers at Port Arthur, Texas, send them around by the gulf, the Atlantic Ocean, the St. Lawrence River and the Welland Canal into the chain of great lakes and deliver the oil in less than 30 days. eS oe ew The directors of the Wisconsin Graphite Company of Stevens Point, Wis., are about to erect a $50,000 plant in or near Pittsburgh. The graphite deposits belonging to the concern are located at Stevens Point, and it is their intention to ship the ore to the new Pittsburgh plant when completed, where it will be crushed and separated and prepared for the market. The officers of the Wis- consin Graphite Company, as recently reorganized, are: E. D. Steinman, president; Howard B. Swearer, vice- president and general manager; W. W. Pipes, secretary, and Frederick J. Shaler, general sales agent, who, with H. M. Bradley, form the directorate of the company. An oil gusher of large proportions is reported to have been struck 15 miles southeast of Houma; La., and 40 miles west of New Orleans. ee aiaaiibeates Ce sapmpeueinthanpeminannen ~ ve ~ RR EEE, PRE Ey en REET, RRND HE ee a oe Se LL IO ALLL LA A LEA ELL IAL, ON Commercial Reciprocity.* BY THOMAS C, SEARCH. The most serious problem that now presents itself in relation to the export trade of the United States con- eerns not only the further extension of this trade, but also the preservation of the business already established. Heretofore it has been comparatively easy for American manufacturers to secure foreign business whenever they have put forth serious effort to get it. Emergencies of unusual activity in England and Germany, which have debarred manufacturers in those countries from ag- gressive competition, have made it possible in many in- stances for American manufacturers to secure with lit- tle effort orders which under ordinary conditions could have been taken only by a struggle. Then, again, Amer- ican competition has not been regarded abroad as a very important factor in international trade by those who have encountered it. These conditions have changed very materially dur- ing the past year, and will be altered still further in the near future. Instead of a free field and open markets we are likely to encounter obstacles that will hinder very seriously the further extension of our foreign trade and threaten that which is already established. De- creasing industrial activity and declining prices in many lines, particularly in Germany and Great Britain, are making American competition oppressive where its force was not felt when business was abundant for all. Eu- rope has suddenly awakened, too, to a realization of the vast competitive strength of the United States, and those who formerly were amused and entertained by Ameri- can aggressiveness now are alarmed by our encroach- ment upon the markets which they have regarded as their own. All of this indicates that new conditions will be encountered and new problems will have to be solved in our commercial relations with other nations. The expansion of the territorial limifs of the United States has given rather a sharp wrench to our govern- mental organism, and the extension of the field of our commercial operations is likely to give a no less severe shock to the economic policy which has made possible the marvelous industrial and commercial development of the nation. So long as it was necessary to consider only the needs of the country, its industry and its com- merce, it mattered not what other nations thought or said of the American protective policy. That they considered as selfish what we deeme