The Iron Age 1901-07-25: Vol 68 Iss 4

‘THE IRON AGE Tuurspay, Jury 25, 1901. Machinery at the Pan-American Ex- oi for _. saws, optical work and other kinds ae of glass grinding. position—IlI. The Walker universal tool and cutter grinder is ex- ae hibited in operation and with it a large assortment of samples showing the quality of the work performed by this machine. There is also in the exhibit a full line of the company’s regular standard grinders. There are The Norton Emery Wheel Company. weer An exhibit unique in every feature has been prepared by the Norton Emery Wheel Company of Worcester, Mass. Their booth consists of a wooden cornice, sup- ported by six massive emery columns. These columns are built of regular solid emery wheels, there being advantage. Among the special features of the exhibit is about one ton weight of wheels in each. The cornice it the largest emery wheel ever made by the company, it self is ornamented with emery and corundum wheels, the hei ome es iInany sizes and the spindles of these machines vary in diameter from % to 2% inches. The Bath machine indi- cator is shown so as to demonstrate its use to the best - = cing 6O inches in diameter by 10 inches thick, and its an teas, an enti Coa on I *y ~ o ¥e pra? , , soupennnaener? 2”. ‘ — oa @ WHEE! a rc rm) Vv ‘ a) O $>. 4 : 5 ye > ei C, BS ki ehh = OH 3 4 fier, oe It, ley ; a 2 eee o< : 3 . i". * ie" + ie] Pod ; § ° + { ) a : x i ” 2 ~ g 4 { i | | 2% $ E> Pen . : : ess ; f “ i. _ @ s > ‘3 ; -* nese - . rm - =| oe a he : a a ay * oe | A ‘ «4 a 5 ~ 3 ne 4 Foe! 4 gp ; ord e —————— “aif 2. - ncn ¥e oe Te iy. oO Norton Emery Wheel Company Baehibit \ {i { MACHINERY AT THE PAN-AMERICAN EXPOSITION different colors of which are intended to harmonize with the ground of the wood work. Small columns placed in front serve to break the length of the main columns. ? , = Phere are six show cases on the front line. The one Detrick & Harvey Machine Company. on the right, facing the exhibit, contains emery and corundum wheels, showing the great variety of shapes, weight being 2197 pounds. This is probably the largest wheel ever made. The machines illustrated in Figs. 6 to 9 inclusive are shown by the Detrick & grades and grains that are called for. The left hand case Baltimore. For many years this company have given their special attention to the Harvey Machine Company of SEDER contains India oil stones, and rubbing and sharpening development and improve- stones, which are used for a great variety of purposes. > ment of the open side planer. These machines will take under the beam a piece of work slightly larger than the dimensions given for any particular machine, and will The Indias especially make a very beautiful exhibit. The case in front contains wheels such as are used on the Brown & Sharpe grinding machines, the Landis, the ————< io on square down the outside of the work to the planing width Walker universal tool and cutter grinder, and the Norton given, and actually planing several inches wider on a tna m3 grinding machine. There are also samples of cylindrical straight surface when the beam head is set at an angle. grinding done on the last mentioned machine. The show The bed has great depth and ample metal, the length cases on the rear line of the exhibit all contain special being slightly more than one-half longer than the table. 2 STR S. F mild ~ re — 2 THE IRON The cross girths are close together, especially opposite to and for the length of the post. Oil pockets and brass lu- bricating rollers are arranged at suitable intervals to in- sure proper lubrication of the V’s. The table is deep and rigid with broad V’s, and has the specified planing length between the pockets. It has planed T slots and cored holes which are designed for the use of standard square head machine bolts. These holes are cored through, relieving the platen of chips, and facilitating cleaning. The table is also provided with projecting lips to keep chips and dirt from the V’s. The cross beam is a right angle casting having a verti- ‘cal leg with a very long bearing on the front face of the post. The horizontal arm is supported at the back by a heavy brace bolted securely to it, this arrangement insur- ing stiffness and stability. The brace has a sliding bear- ing on the side and at the rear of the post, being rigidly clamped to it when set in position for planing. The beam and brace are raised and lowered by power. The post is of box section, well and heavily proportioned, and is guaranteed to be amply strong to overcome all strain. ‘The post is tongue and grooved to the bed, and securely bolted to it, having a bearing on it greater than the amount of overhang of the beam. The driving of the mechanism is the spiral planer mo- tion, which for power, simplicity, durability, and smooth running qualities is familiar to the mechanical world. "The pulley shaft is parallel to the bed of the planer. The table is returned without jar or back lash at from 3 to 4 to 1, depending upon the size of the planer. The belt shifters transfer one belt at a time, thus obviating the noise of belts. The reversing lever is arranged to allow the table to be run back so that the work can be ex- AGE. July 25, 1901 Detrick & Harvey Universal Drilling, Milling and Boring Machine. This machine, Fig. 7, will drill at any angle. It con- sists of a bed plate on the main portion of which is fitted a column made very stiff and rigid, two sides being straight, while the others taper to a broad base, which is gibbed down to a sliding fit on a wide scraped bearing. This column has a traverse of 40 inches or more if de- sired. It is usually arranged for drilling and boring only, the column having a hand and quick power movement, but automatic feeds can be attached for milling, if re- quired. On this column is a saddle having a long bearing scraped to a sliding fit, carrying a spindle 3 11-16 inches in diameter, provided with a geared feed motion of 24 inches, and the end arranged for a No. 5 Morse taper. Fig. 6.—Detrick & Harvey 36 #@ 36 Open Side Planer. MACHINERY AT ‘THE PAN-AMERICAN EXPOSITION. :amined without loosening the dog, and can be operated from either side of the tool. The head on the cross beam has independent auto- matic feeds in all directions, and the head on the vertical slide has an automatic vertical feed. All operations can be readily and conveniently controlled. The side head ‘has its bearing on the right angle beam casting, and not on the post, giving it a separate and adjustable bearing, which absolutely insures its planing at right angles with the main head at all times. An extra head with inde- pendent screw can be furnished for the beam, if desired. ‘The feed mechanism is simple in construction, effective and positive in practice, and consumes power only when -feeding. A supplemental rolling table, placed in front of the machine, is furnished when desired. This table moves simultaneously with the platen, and is very useful for the outer support of wide and heavy work, and of long pieces when planing off the ends. It can be adjusted to and from the table on channel] beams, which are planed. These planers are driven either by power or electric mo- tor. The planer shown in Fig. 6 planes 36 x 36 inches, and “8, 10, 12, 14 and 16 feet long. The saddle is fully counterbalanced, and is raised and lowered by hand, having 40-inch vertical movement. The spindle is moved by hand, either slowly for feeding or rapidly by spoke wheel for quick adjustment, but in ad- dition the spindle has three power feeds. Back gearing is applied on the saddle at the front end of the driving sleeve, and provision is made for taking up any lost mo- tion in the spindle. Automatic feeds can be attached for milling, if desired. To the other portion of the bed plate is fitted the uni- versal table, which is very strong and capable of han- dling work of several tons. This table has a sliding movement of 30 inches to and from the column, being operated by a rack and pinion. The top, which is 48 x 36 inches, has a pivoted movement from a horizontal to a vertical plane,and can be rigidly clamped at any angle. It also has a rotary movement, which makes it possible to drill holes in any part of a hemisphere or in five sides of a cube without rechucking the work. When extra large work is to be machined the table can be lifted off the bed plate. When this machine is to be used for bor- ing, an outside support for the bar is furnished, which can be used either with or without the universal table. The 40 x 40 inch machine weighs about 14,000 July 25, 1901 pounds, occupies a floor space 13 feet 4 inches by 8 feet 9 inches and is 9 feet high. The Adams Bolt Threader. The Detrick & Harvey Company also exhibit the Adams single bolt threader shown in Fig. 8. This ma- chine is provided with eleven sets of dies, 4%, 5, %, %, 1, 1%, 1%, 1%, 1%, 1% and 2 inch, cutting V., U. S8., or Whit- worth standard. Corresponding nut taps are also fur- nished. The head is so designed that, while the dies are fixed, they are removable and adjustable, and when ad- justed they are as rigid as a solid die. The split head re- leases the bolt when the thread is cut, permitting the escape of the chips, and as the dies are rigid and station- ary whenever adjusted, neither they nor the movable working parts of the head are interfered with or worn by the action of the chips. They are practically solid die machines, with the advantage of releasing the bolt after threading. The head is comprised of only four main THE IRON AGE. a The Paris Berlin Motor Car Race. The London Engineer discusses the great Paris-Berlin: motor car race in the following interesting manner: The great race of motor vehicles from Paris to Berlin has proved a remarkably fine advertisement for the new’ means of locomotion and also for the manufacturers. whose carriages showed up prominently in the contest,- and to this extent it may be regarded as having entirely” accomplished what was expected of it by the promoters... To say, however, that the race was nothing more thar: an advertisement in the usual sense of the word would: detract somewhat from the importance of the manifesta- tion. Manufacturers are not so enamored of racing for- its own sake as lightly to throw away sums varying from £10,000 to £20,000, us certain of them have been do- ing, for the benefit of the few orders it may bring them. If they make such sacrifices it must be for some other i} i a Fig. 7.—Detrick & Harvey Horizontal Drilling, Boring and Milling Machine. MACHINERY AT THE PAN-AMERICAN parts; it is made of steel, the wearing parts being of hardened tool steel. There is no possibility of producing taper threads unless the dies are intentionally set for that purpose, and no variations in the diameters of bolts can occur, Detrick & Harvey Nut Facer. The nut facer, Fig. 9, consists of the usual base, car- riage and rotating spindle, but with some very important improvements. The nuts are run on and off a mandrel by the machine, and it is impossible to use either ham- mer or wrench on them, which obviates the possibility of marring the nuts and springing the mandrel. The three tools usual on this type of machine are replaced by one improved cutter head, so arranged that the single for- ward motion of the carriage does the entire facing, in- cluding chamfering (or relieving) and removing the first thread. The cutters in this head are shaped cutters which may be ground on the face without altering the shape of the cut. The machine is supplied with a rotary oil pump, which throws a strong stream of lubricant on the work, permitting a rapid cutting speed to be used. The No. ft machine has a range of 14-inch nuts and under, the No. 2 a range of 2 inches and under. EXPOSITION. motive, and this will be found in the support they have given to the automobile clubs in the work of propaganda carried out by means of speed contests. The enormous. expense of organizing races does not bring in immediate results at all proportionate to the outlay, and this should: be taken into account when considering the economical. aspect of motor-car racing. In the earlier days of the industry there is no doubt that these races did a vast amount of good in enabling manufacturers to test their vehicles under the severest conditions possible, and at the same time stimulate them to a keen rivalry that has resulted in improvements to motor carriages that would probably never have been attained but for these speed contests. Having done so much, it may be questioned whether racing can do any more. In @ previous article, when dealing with the Paris-Bordeaux race, we pointed out that these contests, which at first did useful work in enabling manufacturers to discover and remedy de- fects in their mechanism, have merely had the result of turning their energies in one direction. In their re- searches for a purely speed vehicle they have evolved a distinct type, which is as far removed from the require- ments of the average user as the express locomotive is 4 THE IRON AGE. from the traction engine. The modern French racing vehicle is a magnificent piece of mechanism, not so much from the point of view of actual construction, though the workmanship is usually of an extremely high order, but more especially from the ingenious way in which makers have overcome the many difficulties which have been created in this striving after speed. The fact that from Paris to Bordeaux the winning vehicle covered the distance at an average speed of 5314 miles an hour, while the same vehicle ran from Paris to Berlin, a distance of 744 miles, at an average of 46% miles an hour, under conditions of stress and shock to which probably no other mechanism is subjected, necessarily forces one’s admiration for a class of machinery which, five years ago, was still in a somewhat rudimentary stage. The Racing ¢ ar. The racing car has now undoubtedly reached its high- est practical stage of development. Makers have got quite as much speed out of it as is likely to satisfy them, July 25, 1901 future of the industry. And besides these technical mat- ters there was the rivalry between the French and Ger- man vehicles. The success at Nice last spring of the Mercedes cars, constructed by the Daimler Motor Com- pany of Cannstatt, showed the French that they must make desperate efforts to recover their prestige, and no better opportunity presented itself of doing this than by meeting them on German soil. The primary object of the race, however, was purely one of propaganda. Though the motor car industry has reached a high state of development in France, it is still considerably re- stricted in other parts of the Continent; and apart from a few centers where factories have been established, the motor car is scarcely known except by name. It was the idea of the automobile clubs of France and Germany to awaken a general interest in the movement by giving an impressive demonstration of what the vehicles could do in the way of speed. The sending of heavy, powerful vehicles at railway speeds along the highways of three countries naturally necessitated vast precautions, and the Fig. 8. Adams 2-Inch Single Bolt Threader. MACHINERY AT THE PAN-AMERICAN EXPOSITION. sand the more they strive to build faster vehicles the more they deviate from a type of commercial carriage which must always form the basis of the industry. These racing vehicles are much too costly to find a ready sale. They are dangerous in the hands of ordinary owners, and makers even will not usually supply them except to cus- tomers who are known to be particularly expert in the iriving of motor cars. The racing vehicle has therefore accomplished its work in providing manufacturers with valuable experience, and teaching them in what direction they can profitably devote their energies in the future, and as the maximum practical speed has been attained there is nothing more to be gained in building heavy, powerful and costly cars. Nevertheless, the Paris-Berlin race had some justification from the point of view of technical progress on account of the curiosity that was manifested as to the performances of the new types of carriages that have been turned out this year, and more especially as providing a comparison between steam and “mixed” cars and the carriages propelled by internal combustion engines. The event was expected to throw some interesting light upon recent developments which ‘were believed to have considerable consequences for the organization along 750 miles of road was one of the big- gest things ever done in the way of police and military control for a purely pacific demonstration. New Types. Out of the 170 vehicles entered for the race 110 started from Champigny, near Paris, on Thursday morning, and these comprised 40 large cars, 48 light carriages, 12 voiturettes and 10 motor cycles. Great expectations had been held out as to the performances of the three “mixed” cars, which had been constructed specially for the race at Liége, but they were apparently not ready in time to be present at the start. These vehicles are propelled by an internal combustion engine of smaller power than is usually fitted to racing cars, and in the place of a fly wheel the motor shaft carries a dynamo, which serves to charge a battery of accumulators when the full power of the motor is not being employed for driving the vehicle. Thus when the motor is not runuing on a full load the energy is stored in the battery, and when extra power is needed the electrical energy comes to the aid of the motor. If the system be not condemned by its complication, it can obviously only prove satisfac- July 25, 1901 tory in hilly districts, and it is difficult to see how the makers can establish their claim that the combination of the internal combustion engine and the electric motor will allow of phenomenal speeds, when it is evident that the small battery would be speedily discharged without any hope of its being recharged while the vehicle is con- Stantly propelled at full speed. It was also expected that steam would show up prominently, as the Gardner- Serpollet Company had built vehicles for this event with 4 new type of condenser, which, they claimed, would enable the car to run nearly 300 miles without filling the water tank, and after the remarkable speeds attained by these vehicles at Nice in the spring it seemed quite feasible that the steam engine would be able to hold its own with the petrol motor if the steam could be con- densed sufficiently to allow of the car running long dis- tances without stopping. Unfortunately, the vehicle started in an unfinished state, and M. Serpollet spent most of his time on the road in carrying out repairs. The THE IRON AGE. 5 have we seen anything like it, and that was on the occa- sion of the record ride over a 2-km. course with the elec- tric torpedo shaped vehicle La Jamais Contente. Four- nier dropped down a hill % mile in length in a few sec- conds, and, nearing the bottom, suddenly stopped without any appreciable slowing down. There was evidently something wrong with the vehicle, and when, after a lapse of less than half a minute, it started again, it got almost instantly into its full speed, and rushed up the opposite hill at such a rate that the eye could take in no detail of either the car or the rider. However much one may object to excessive speeds of motor cars, and argue the inutility of manufacturing this type of racing vehicle, it is impossible not to experience a profound admiration for the work of motor car engineers who have been able to get so much out of the internal com- bustion engine and accomplish on the road what has rarely been attempted even on the railway. And still more remarkable is the skill and nerve of the drivers, Fig. 9.—Detrick &€ Harvey No. 1 Nut Facer. MACHINERY AT THE PAN-AMERICAN EXPOSITION. wace, therefore, resolved itself into a duel between the Jeading makers of petrol vehicles, of whom Panhard and Levassor sent 22 and the Société Mors half a dozen. The only English built car was a 50 horse-power Napier, which recently did some very fast private trials in France, and covered a stretch of 5 miles at the rate of 67 miles an hour. The vehicle, however, gave a lot of trouble on the first day, and when at Sedan Mr. Edge found that he was hopelessly out of the race he with- drew. Speed and Its Dangers. The speeds attained on the French roads by the 50 horse-power Mors, driven by Fournier, the same which won the Paris-Bordeaux race, and the 60 horse-power Mors of Gilles Hourgiéres, were simply terrific; and in the Forest of Rheims, where the roads are absolutely straight and level, the kilometers were timed unofficially, and they were said to work out something like 75 and 70 miles an hour respectively. We do not think that there can be much exaggeration about these figures, for on approaching Aix-la-Chapelle we saw Fournier driving at a speed which was positively sensational. Only once who know as well as the onlookers that they are con- stantly running into danger. Not the least of these sources of danger are the vast clouds of dust that rise up on the German roads after the passage of each v¥e- hicle. Hven the touring car leaves in its wake a cloud of dust that obscures everything for several minutes; but when a racing vehicle passes like a tornado, it literally sweeps up the dust, and a car following close behind finds itself in constant peril. In Germany, where a mo- tor car race is something new, and speeds like those at- tained by the French vehicles had been undreamt of, the spectators were entirely ignorant of the danger, and after each car had passed they closed up behind in the dust quite oblivious of the fact that if a vehicle were behind it would have been impossible to avoid a terrible accident. It is for this reason that the German organizers were extremely nervous under such a responsibility, and the police and military had a heavy task in keeping the roads clear. The dust was chiefly the cause of a fatal accident at Rheims, when a boy ran out behind a vehicle and was not seen by the driver of a car which followed until it was too late to save him. On approaching Berlin, M. Degrais, the driver of a German Mercedes vehicle, who 6 THE IRON AGE. was accompanied by an Austrian sportsman, Count Schwiter, was in the wake of another car, and could con- sequently see nothing for the dust. The leading car took a sharp turning, but the German vehicle continued straight ahead and crashed with terrific force into a tree. The two occupants were thrown out, Count Schwiter having his arms and legs broken in several places and sustaining a bad wound in the head, while M. Degrais happily escaped with a few bruises. Break Downs and Repairs. In a race of this description it is only natural that there should be a heavy proportion among the vehicles of failures to get over the course, and the liability to accident is so great that all the firms enter several ve- hicles in the hope that one or two will have the luck to get through without losing time on account of tire or mechanical troubles. The chief trouble is with the tires; but the mechanics who accompany the vehicles are so expert that they can usually change a cover in a quarter of an hour, and as the tire firms have supplies ready all along the road, the loss of time is reduced to a minimum, though it is obviously very appreciable in cases where a competitor is frequently stopped with punctures. The manufacture of motor car tires has, moreover, been brought to such a state of perfection that they rarely burst, but they are cut up very badly by the flints and asperities of the road. A tire is considered to do good service if it lasts more than 100 miles on a heavy car in a race. With these facilities for replacing tires, punc- tures can hardly be regarded as a reasonable excuse for the failures of cars to accomplish the journey, and of the 110 that started from Paris only 77 were dispatched from Aix-la-Chapelle, of which some had arrived the same morning, so that 22 competitors were unable to cover the first day’s stage of 288 miles. The gripping of motors and breaking of springs seem to have been a prolific source of withdrawals, and several competitors damaged their cars through collisions, while the consider- able strains and jolting caused by traveling at high speeds on indifferent roads found out many a weak spot in the mechanism of the cars. Records. The best performance in the first day’s race was ac- complished by Fournier on his Mors car, when he covered the 283 miles in about 8% hours, but to secure the net racing time it is necessary to deduct the times occupied in passing through the different towns, when the vehicles had to be preceded by the police. From Aix-la-Chapelle to Hanover the powerful Mors vehicles again showed their superiority in point of speed, and the fastest time was done by Antony, who drove the famous vehicle which was expected to win the Gordon Bennett cup in the recent international race, but it had no more luck in the Paris-Berlin than in the Paris-Bordeaux contest, for while doing a remarkable performance by covering the 27614 miles between Aix-la-Chapelle and Hanover in the net racing time of 5 hours 6 minutes, it was unable to continue to Berlin the following day owing to mechanical derangements. From Hanover to Berlin the distance is only about 185 miles, but the shortness of the route is made up for by the indifferent state of the roads, and of the 60 vehicles that started from Hanover not more than 45 finished the end of the journey in sufficient time to warrant their being included in the classification. In the category of heavy vehicles 25 finished, and the win- ner was Fournier, whose net time for the 744 miles was 16 hours 6 minutes, or very nearly 47 miles an hour, and then followed three Panhard cars, which accomplished the distance in 17 hours, followed by the Mors, driven by Gilles Hourgiéres, in 19 hours 42 minutes, and five other Panhards in times varying from 19 hours to 21 hours. The Mercedes vehicle, belonging to Baron Henri de Rothschild, upon which the Germans based great hopes, occupied 22% hours in covering the distance from Paris to Berlin. In the light carriage class an excellent per- formance was accomplished by a Panhard vehicle in 19 hours 38 minutes, but this was eclipsed by a Renault voiturette, whose time was 19 hours 16 minutes, and by a De Dion motor tricycle, ridden by Osmont, who went from Paris to Berlin in 19 hours, or at an average speed of over 39 miles an hour. It will thus be seen that as a July 25, 1901 demonstration of speed the race has been an unqualified success, and in other respects it has been justified in the sense that it has shown the inutility of continuing to organize races when they have taught all that can be learned. What these lessons have been, and what effect the Paris-Berlin race will have upon the future of the motor car industry in France and Germany, will be dealt with in other articles. ip —_ Wire Wound Cast Iron Pipe.—M. Jacquemart, the managing director of the Société Metallurgique d’Au- brives et Villerupt, France, has introduced the system of winding steel wire, under pressure, round the extrem- ities of the pipe and in grooves cast in the body of the pipe. The idea of shrinking steel bands onto cast iron cylinders is very ancient, but the problem was to find some method which would cause the bands to follow ex- actly the shape of the parts to be enveloped and exert an even pressure throughout. This is accomplished by the method of winding above referred to. In the manufac- ture of pipe all complicated machinery must be rejected, and it was therefore essential to provide a method of winding which, while being perfectly simple in its ap- plication, would secure perfect uniformity of tension in each wire wound round. M. Jacquemart started from the fact that a steel wire of uniform diameter has a con- stant resistance throughout its length. He devised a method by which the wire is passed through a draw plate, which reduces it to a certain fixed diameter. Wind- ing at an equal and constant pressure is effected by re- volving the pipe, the wire first passing through the draw plate above described under the desired amount of ten- | sion. Another important point is the bedding of the ends. This is effected by shaping the edges of the grooves so that the wire can be bedded into them and thus be securely fixed; and for greater security molten tin is poured over every end. Asphalt is put on at high temperature, which penetrates the spaces between the coils and completely covers them. Experiments with these steel bound pipe indicate that with them it is pos- sible to avoid a burst with a large main. Their behavior under such conditions as sudden and instantaneous shocks shows that pipe of this type is proof against a burst, and that even when strained to the point of frac- ture the damaged parts remain in their original position. A cast iron main of this type 78 inches in diameter has been laid by the water company of Paris. in, —_—- The Gibson Feed Water Heater.—The Gibson Heater Company of Muscatine, Iowa, have recently incorpo- rated for the purpose of pushing the manufacture and sale of the Gibson feed water heater. This device is the invention of a locomotive engineer, who developed it after five years of study and experiment. It is not only a heater, but also an intensifier and separator, and is adapted for use on all kinds of steam boilers. The in- tensifier is placed in the superheated portion of the boil- er. Here the intense heat converts the pure water into steam, and the sediment formerly held in solution is driven forward into the separator over a fluted surface, where it is kept in rotary motion. The pure water passes into the separator and then into the boiler, while the sediment or impurities are thrown off through a sluice pipe at the bottom of the separator into the ash pit. The device is specially designed for use in districts having im- pure water, and is stated to have ample capacity for handling water containing from 10 to 30 per cent. of for- eign matter. The company have issued an illustrated circular giving full details of the apparatus. == — Among the improvements to be made in the near fu- ture in the sheet and tin plate plant of the Lalance & Grosjean Mfg. Company, at Harrisburg, Pa., is the in- stallation of two electric traveling cranes and seven gas producers. Two additional tin mills and one stand of cold rolls will also be added. The American Sheet Steel Company have dismantled the bar mill at their New Philadelphia, Ohio, plant, and will replace it by a sheet mill. July 25, 1901 The New Battle Ship and Armored Cruisers. WASHINGTON, D. C., July 23, 1901.—The Navy Depart- ment has practically completed the outline plans for the most powerful battle ship ever constructed for the United States Navy, surpassing in some respects the most formidable war ship of any power; and for two armored cruisers having a speed and steaming radius in excess of any war ship afloat. The plans for the battle ship referred to are being worked out for submis- sion to Congress next December in accordance with the requirements of the last naval appropriation act, and Secretary Long has made public the majority report of the Naval Construction Board on the design of this ves- sel, a semiofficial synopsis of which is as follows: The Battle Ship. “The board has been unable to reach a unanimous agreement concerning the armament and its disposition, and now makes this preliminary report in order that progress may be made upon some definite designs. The plan of the battle ship as submitted is as follows: Length, 450 feet; beam, 76 feet; mean draft, 24 feet 6 inches; displacement, 15,560 tons. This displacement will give a ship considerably larger than anything in the present navy. The hull alone will weigh about 7000 tons, while the protective armor will be about 3700 tons. The total cual capacity will be about 2000 tons; total load displacement, 16,900; deep load draft of 26 feet 4 inches, and 19 knots speed, and an indicated horse- power of 20,000. “The battery recommended by the majority is to consist of four 12-inch guns in two 10-inch armored tur- rets, 20 7-inch guns in casemates and 20 3-inch guns. Eight of the 7-inch guns are inclosed in individual armor, four on the upper deck and four on the gun deck, firing ahead and astern. The remaining 12 guns are located on the gun deck in a central casemate bat- tery. “The machinery is protected by a 10-inch armor belt tapering to 4 inches fore and aft beyond the machinery space, and the other protection consists of armor 7 and 6 inches thick, except on the 12-inch turrets, where it is 10 inches thick. “The main differences between the majority and the minority of the board arose over the battery and its urrangement. The majority is opposed to the further use of superposed turrets, and recommends a uniform caliber of 7 inches for the auxiliary battery in prefer- ence to a mixed battery of 8-inch and 6-inch guns. In its comparison of the two plans, the majority makes the point that the use of the superposed turrets, favored by the minority, exposes four guns to disablement by a single shot, and by the mounting of the 12 6-inch guns in a single casemate renders them all liable to be placed out of action by a single large shell charged with high explosives. “ Attention is also called to what is claimed to be a very important advantage in the majority’s plan in pro- viding for 20 3-inch guns as against eight of that caliber provided for by the minority. A comparison of the re- sults of the fire of ships that participated in the battle of Manila is submitted to show that guns not mounted in turrets gave greater rapidity than the turret guns of the “ Olympia." It is claimed also that at the battle of Santiago there were only 30 hits made by the 319 pro- jectiles fired from 8-inch guns. The majority argues in favor of the proposed 7-inch guns, which, it contends, far exceed the 8-inch guns in the extent of their range and the flatnegs of their trajectory. The majority holds that in providing for uniformity of character, simplicity of mounting and separation of guns it has presented a vessel more powerful than any yet built or projected by any power. “A table is submitted to show that the 20 7-inch guns of the majority plan will throw 4125 pounds of metal & minute from each broadside, and that the 12 8-inch and 12 6-inch guns provided for by the minority, while capable of throwing 4500 pounds of metal a minute from one broadside, can throw only 3000 pounds of metal a minute from the other broadside. All the main battery guns excepi the 12-inch of the majority ship will throw THE IRON AGE. 7 8250 pounds of metal in a minute, while all the main battery and guns except the 12-inch of the minority ship will throw 7800 pounds of metal in a minute.” Two Armored Cruisers. The two new armored cruisers of exceptional speed and steaming radius have been designed to meet a neces- sity growing out of the acquisition of the Philippines, which has emphasized the importance of increasing the steaming radius of all new war ships so that they can make the trip from the Atlantic seaboard to the Pacific Coast or across the Pacific to the Philippines without stopping to recoal. It has always been a problem in ship construction to design vessels capable of high speed combined with long steaming radius at economical speed, but it is believed this problem has been worked out in the case of the new ships by a combination of three screws so arranged that they can be worked to- gether or independently. The three screws when worked together are designed to develop at least 23 knots, while for making long voyages but a single screw would be used, giving a speed of 10 knots with the most eco- nomical consumption of coal. In an emergency the three screws can be put into use almost instantly, and the full power of the vessel speedily developed. The two projected armored cruisers have already been provided for by Congress and the plans will be placed upon the market as svon as they can be perfected. WwW. L. O. _ —_ The Pressed Steel Car Company. On Saturday, July 20, the Pressed Steel Car Company of Pittsburgh shipped out over the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad a solid train of 32 cars, and the ultimate desti- nation was Aquiles, in Southern Spain. The contents of the train were 70 large capacity pressed steel hepper ore cars for the Great Southern of Spain Railroad, not on their own wheels, but carefully packed in parts ready for shipment on the White Star line steamer “ Georgic,” which sails from New York July 23. An engineer from the Pressed Steel Car Company will superintend the erection of the cars on their arrival in Spain. The cars themselves are of 80,000 pounds capacity, and, when in service, will be the largest cars in use on any Spanish railroad. In some respects they differ materially from American cars. For instance, one car in ten is equipped with a shelter box for the brakeman or guard. These boxes are built of wood on the end of the car and are so constructed that the guard has an unobstructed view of the portion of the train under his care. Other minor portions of the car, such as the hand brake apparatus, &c., differ from the American standards, but in the main the cars are similar to cars already built for ore roads in this country by this company. The cars, when erected, will be 28 feet 6% inches long, 8 feet wide, with a hight from top of rail to top of body of 9 feet 9% inches. The light weight is 29,180 pounds, and the ratio of paying load to total weight of car when loaded 75.09 per cent. The gauge of the Great Southern of Spain Railroad is considerably wider than our standard, being 5 feet 6 inches. This order for cars was secured by the Pressed Steel Car Company through its foreign agents, the Transportation Development Company, Incorporated, of London. This company also recently secured an order for 250 cars for use by the Government railroads of Aus- tralia, in New South Wales. This order has been in- creased within the last few days to 450 cars. —_—— The American Steel & Wire Company have filed bills in equity in the United States Circuit Court at Pittsburgh against the Braddock Machine & Mfg. Company, the Sharon Steel Company, and the Union Steel Company, for the alleged infringement of patent No. 365,723, granted June 28, 1887, for improvements in barbed wire machines. This is the patent under which nearly all of the barbed wire manufacturers are licensees, and is owned and controlled by the American Steel & Wire Company. The Bostwick Steel Lath Company, Niles, Ohio, have decreased their capital stock from $100,000 to $40,000. The Edison Storage Battery at Buffalo. The Edison storage battery reached the Pan-Ameri- can Exposition on Saturday morning, July 20, in ample time to be inspected and passed upon by the jury of awards, which begins its work this week. The claims made for the battery are that it is new and novel, thor- oughly original and of light weight comparatively. A claim is-also put in for the possibility of rapidly charg- ing and discharging the battery without injury. Its efficiency in low temperature and its long life are other points in its favor. As has been stated, the battery is a combination of iron, nickel and potash. It can be overcharged and fully discharged or reversed and charged in the opposite direction without injury. It can also be shortcircuited without injury, while to a lead bat- tery this would mean ruination. HEdison’s battery weighs from 50 to 60 pounds to the horse-power, while the aver- age weight of present batteries is from 160 to 180 pounds per horse-power. While it is not generally known, it is a fact that Edison has been using one of his new bat- teries for over a year in his laboratory, and as yet it shows not the least sign of deterioration, which is ample evidence that the battery has truly wonderful life. The battery is of superior workmanship, and its simplicity of coustruction is astonishing. With the arrival of the Edison battery at the Pan- American the exposition has four types of battery on ex- hibition. In this connection it is interesting to note the progress made in this field since the World’s Colum- bian Fair at Chicago in 1898. When the Chicago Fair was held little had been done in the storage battery in- dustry, and little was shown. The years since then have been years of progress, and it is safe to say that to-day there are hundreds of thousands of horse-power held in storage ready to be released for useful purposes. This latest invention of Edison’s gives good promise of being an important factor in a still greater development within the next few years, and its influence on several fields of industry is without doubt destined to be very marked. This is especially true of the automobile field, where with a lighter battery, such as the Edison battery, avail- able, there are good prospects for an important improve- ment. Still another thing that the Edison battery prom- ises to bring to this field is an ability to fully discharge, while it has from five to six times the efficiency in out- put of current for the same weight. The placing of this new battery on the market in the opening years of the twentieth century gives intimation of a prospective development that will give greater cour- age to various industries. If in the commercial construc- tion all the claims made for the battery are supported, and there is every reason to believe that they will be, it will be a most important addition to electrical appliances and apparatus. oO. E. D. ” —_— Care in Filling Foreign Orders. At the recent meeting of the National Association of Manufacturers F. E. Meyers of Ashland, Ohio, iniro- diuced the fallowing interesting resolutions which were put on record: Whereas, The people of the United States have been favored by Providence in the possession of raw material for production equal to the requirements of our country and largely for foreign countries whose confidence we enjoy to the extent of a strong inclination to buy our wares. Resolved, That we, the National Association of Man- ufacturers, in convention assembled, recommend re- newed care in the use of all materials and workmanship furnished foreign nations, the filling of orders exactly as received, the shipment of goods in proper condition so that we may continue to enjoy the confidence which they have reposed in us. In support of this resolution I will say that I find in my travels abroad the buyers of our wares are inclined to give us cash in New York, or on bill of lading on re- ceipt of goods, and unfortunately some manufacturers have not exercised the care that they should in the pro- duction of their goods and in the material. used; and I ihink it is of the highest importance as manufacturers THE IRON AGE. July 25, 1901 of the United States that we should exercise great care in these matters and retain the confidence of our for- eign consumers, which will mean a great deal to the manufacturers of this country. ee <> TheClimax Gasoline Gas Generator. The Climax gas machine, made by the Climax Nut, Lock & Mfg. Company of St. Louis, has been accepted by the local board of the Underwriters’ Association and now has the same privileges in the city as gasoline en- gines. Heretofore this machine has been very much handicapped owing to the fact that the insurance com- panies would not permit its use, the objection being raised on account of the tank in which the gasoline was stored, no objection being made to the machine itself. As will be noted from the accompanying illustrations = aq > i) b so a tusihis: + a GAS OUTLET J). PTT GASOLINE REGULATOR int | | MOTOR VALVE | ] | GASOLINE INLETS || GENERATOR |f}! Ii OVERFLOW RETURN THROTTLE VALVE AIR PIPE —?>il| , Se sy | tA 3 Y Z H H Y Z L 4, 3 z o c al z =e mn WASTE WATER reese eeses ty gee FILLING PIPE : 3 oer = > amt gitisss Peveveveesee: za Fig. 1. THE CLIMAX GASOLINE GAS GENERATOR. the machine consists of two pumps, operated by either steam or water motor at ordinary city pressure. One pump takes gasoline from a reservoir and sprays it into the top of a large cylinder filled with excelsior, which serves as an absorbent material and furnishes an evap- orating surface. The other pump forces air into the bot- iom of the cylinder and up through the* mass of ex- celsior, which is just moistened with gasoline from the spray above. The air laden with gasoline vapor is forced to the top of the cylinder. The resultant gas is then piped off in the usual way.. The pressure within the evaporating cylinder is automatically controlled and the relative amount of air and gasoline is also adjusted by varying the stroke of the gasoline pump. The arrange- ment is such that gas is only generated as it is used. Should a 200-light plant be in full operation and all at once 199 of the famps be turned out the machine would stop until the one lamp left burning had con- sumed the excess of gas before it automatically started itself again. July 26, 1901 Prof. F. S. Nipher of Washington University, St. Louis, has made a thorough test of this machine. In the course of his report he states: “The gasoline was con- tinually pumped from the bottom of the reservoir and the evaporation was always complete. No liquid gaso- line could ever be drawn off at the bottom of the evap- orating cylinder. The gas was very uniform in quality and the operation of the entire plant was very satis- factory. “In making the time tests one lamp only was used. This is a disadvantage which is against the plant, as losses from leakage would have been no greater if the plant had been worked to its full capacity of 250 lamps. The candle-power of the lamps was measured against a 16-candle incandescent lamp, which was from time to time standardized by means of English sperm candles. The voltage of this lamp could be very accurately set so that it gave a fixed and known candle-power. The GENERATOR TANK GASOLINE REGULATOR VALVE ‘ GAS OUTLET 4 GASOLINE SUPPLY} 6 ————— DISTRIBUTOR * yy EXCELSIOR PLAN OF ° Vy VG DISTRIBUTOR I be a PS SS SSSSSS SSS bee ‘ CE baal itd ee ESS, SS SSSSSSSSSs 4 ja ——— a Ey Bi TO|GENERATOR >>> o RZ, NS RSs FS cd Sos ~— Lar RAK —> FROM PUMP GASOLINE TANK 1° 1° ° ° ' THE IRON R z ETURNS s | i a Coen o cs 5 > Gfooooo 04000000 o 8 e GENERATOR 3 ~ w z RETURNS 3 3 ° ° < w o 0, = « 0) 9 < WATER MOTOR AIR PUMP SEE oe Tug IRON AGE Fig. 2. THE CLIMAX GASOLINE GAS MACHINE. lamps were tried with various mantles, and the candle- power could easily be raised to 275 candles. This was done by increasing the pressure by means of the slid- ing weight on the lever controlling the water supply. The lamps were usually at 75 candles. By increasing the pressure the candle-power was run up to 385 candles. “One run lasting for several hours with the plant at its full capacity was made. There was no appreciable lowering of the temperature of the cylinder in which the evaporation takes place. It is found that mantles used in the ilame of this gas do not deteriorate with use, as they do with city gas. One mantle was used during the two months’ test, and at the close it was in good condition. It was not injured by laying it upon its side upon the hand. It was much more elastic than mantles used in city gas. For this reason such mantles can be used in this gas under a much higher pressure than would be feasible with city gas. When burning a single 75-candle lamp it was found that 1 gallon of gaso- line would last 55 hours. “The gas from this machine was also examined for AGE. 9 heating purposes and found to be very satisfactory. The combustion is complete and the heat required for cook- ing and for use in combustion furnaces can be easily attained.” i —— The Cleaning of Blast Furnace Gas. J. A. Lencauchez of Paris calls our attention to the fact that in October, 1899, he was called upon to design and erect an installation at the Micheville Steel Works for the purification of furnace gas capable of supplying one or two 300 horse-power Otto engines. This installa- tion, which was built in the first half of 1900, consisted of a condenser composed of a series of pipes in which the gas was cooled and the heavier dust was gotten rid of. Through this condenser the gas was drawn by a high speed exhauster and was forced at the necessary pressure through the purifiers. One of these was held in reserve in order to. provide for alternately cleaning one and the other. The gas then passed through the fil- ters and was finally delivered to a small gas holder. Scrubbers were provided for, but as the result of the statements made at Sering at this time that no purifica- tion was necessary this part of the plant was not put up. The first trials were made at Micheville in October, 1900, and it was noticed that in spite of the high resist- ance of the filters too large a quantity of dust reached the cylinders of the engine which finally were stopped. Mr. Lencauchez having ascertained at this time that at Dudelange water was introduced from time to time into the exhauster in order to prevent its being clogged with dust, it occurred to him that a large quantity of water supplied to the exhauster might aid the purification, and on November 12 he wrote to the management at Miche- ville that it was necessary to introduce at each end of the blowers and into its center a powerful jet of water, and that this introduction of water might be regarded as a good method of purification. However, he did not believe that this would be adequate, because he recom- mended also the building of washers. In going over this question more carefully he took a patent on January 1, 1901, for an improved purifying fan equipped with a water spray. Toward the end of February, 1901, trials were again begun at Micheville, and it