The Iron Age 1902-01-30: Vol 69 Iss 5

omminsur sc aaitee a 60 N I Weltosysnagg A Review of the Hardware, Iron, Machinery and Metal Trades. Published every Thursday Morning by David Williams Co., 232-238 William St., New York. 4 40 " ; 3 Single Copies, Ten Cents. Reading Matter Contents.........page 56 | 3 ; Alphabetical Index to Advertisers “ 143 ° ~ ~ Th ciecited ust of Atvertoers.. 145 Winter Sportsmen < t 4s i ‘ Advertising and Subscription Rates 67 are made of tougher fiber than their “ fair eather’’ Se —_——— friends. They want to hunt inany weatherjand they g want ammunition that will shoot in any weather. = Stendard powders, smokeless or black, wi stand a e reasonable amount of exposure to cold if} | properly s Q. 7- =6loaded. oa 2° y U. M. C. Factory Loaded - 3 : | Shells . 5 are loaded only with cer- : ; tain standard powders : 6 under the U,M.C. sys- l tem. aa a ; Insist on getting the 3 5 ** Time Tried’? | se 0 kind— | wats 0 | U.M.C. | 2 6 Game Laws, we Bristol’s Patent Steel Belt Lacing, Shooting Rules, : SAVES Ete. d aon ania THE UNION METALLIC CARTRIDGE CO., i+ GreatostStrenath BRIDGEPORT, CONN. = w ast Me a ops heen aS Senples. 313 Broadway, New eer ee Y. ues BB Mae oe San m Pranciecs, Cai. = J THE BRISTOL CO,, Waterbury, Conn. a es SPOT CORD Spe Page 106. a = . we on ts > . —— ‘6a = é ae : 3 45¢ “ e Cord. -§ SAMSON CORDAGE WORKS. Bostoo, Mass. CAPEWELL HORSE NAILS. = TURNBUCKLES. NEW YORK, | a PHILADELPHIA, | m CHICAGO, ST. LOUIS, BOSTON, DETROIT BRANCHES? cincinNATI, SAN FRANCISCO) PORTLAND, ORE., BUFFALO, BALTIMORE, MOU TE PILLING & CRANE, & CRANE, NEW ORLEANS. “Lows Bleck, Pittsburgh THE CAPEWELL HORSE NAIL COMPANY, WER Re ic Pine st., new York. HARTFORD, CONN. pc Or Mace of a ‘ ‘ i Saray 5 j mo mites i ¢ i ies i eA Jenkins ’96 acking. American Sheet ‘Steel Company oe Battery Park Building a teenacen ee sal yeas or es New York packing Expensive 3 Manufacturers of all varieties of Not eet - ioe on Sage , nd. Steel Sh packings, conseq » 58 ae feak fate JENKINS BROTHERS, New York. Boston. Philadelphia. Chicago. D He Plain and Painted e ” m4 TE Flat, Corrugated and Brass Prices High, So Use Bright *“Swedoh”$ w 199 “V" Crimped : - | | ing Steel, Easily Brass Plated and Save i. page y ae Apollo Best Bloom Galvanized Sheets Ef Ww. Dewees Wood Company’s mM Da N mM BD rssicon SORES eS oe p15)? W. Dewees Wood 0 eth ba ta = ; Refined. Iron Fac-Simile ge imitations. WAGNOLIA METAL 0, 220 wot todo, was a+ iat Ssvre@ arto Wellsville Polished Steel Sheets \ $ ‘ ; . > akg a ORE rah rey en EO APO RT, , are 2 ee THE IRON AGE. pwsows Bjeass |MATERBORY BRBSS Gi "Pome & vo Mr OPPER oO. 8 I > 1845. ” Corer Ce: Main Office a aad seid Conn. Sheet ant Roll Brass BRASS AND COPPER smitians —axD— Seamless Tubes, Sheets, Rods and Wire. Brass, German Silver, vuusveer panee, pc = ies SILVER AND GILDING METAL, COPPER RIVETS I ngot Copper. Copper. AND BURRS. SOLE MANUFACTURERS Pins, Brass Butt Hinges, Jack Chain, Kero Tobin Bronze IN SHEET, ROLL, ROD, WIRE, sene Burners, Lamps, Lamp (TRADE-MaRK REGISTERED.) BRAZED and SEAMLESS Spee oe bo Condenser, Piates,Pump Linings, Round, TUBING, 29 MURRAY ST., NEW YORK. Square and Hexagon Bars, for Pump 144 HIGH ST., BOSTON. Piston Rods and Bolt Forgings. Brass Brazin Wire 199 LAKE ST., CHICAGO, 99 John Street, “ate New York. g ' ROLLING MILL : FACTORIES : THOMASTON, CONN. WATERBURY, CONN. Randolph-Clowes Co., Spelter Solder. SCOVILL MFG. CO., —_—__-_ ee" Manufacturers of Main Office and Mill, Rivets and Burrs, Metallic Eye- BRASS , WATERBURY, CONN. lets, Shells, Ferrules and Small GERMAN SILVER MANUFACTURERS OF Brassweares of every Description. Sheets, Rolls, Wire SHEET BRASS & COPPER. Deoxidized Babbitt. NEVER HAS BEEN BEATEN; Rods, Bolts and Tubes, Brass Shells, Cups, Hinges Buttons, Lamp Coods. SPECIAL BRASS GOODS TO ORDER BRAZED BRASS & COPPER TUBES. Factories, WATERBURY, CONN. DEPOTS: NEW YORK, CHICAGO, BOSTON. SEAMLESS BRASS & COPPER TUBES TO 36 IN. DIAM. New Mi 3 Office, Boom ae Postal Tel- Chicago ‘Office, 602 Fisher Bld Boston Office, Cor. Oliver and Purchase Sts. ee DAVOL & SONS, AGENTS FOR Brooklyn Brass & Copper Co. DEALERS [IN COPPER, TIN, SPELTER, LEAD, ANTIMONY. 100 John Street, - New York Arthur 1. Rutter SUCCESSOR TO WILLIAM S. FEARING 256_ Broadway, NEW YORK. Small tubing in Brass, Copper, Steel, Aluminum, German Silver, &c. Sheet Brass, Copper and Ger- man Silver. Copper, Brass and So 7 a We St... Chicage 66 x 99 Best Bronze, Babbitt nee PS nie “ra es mn yearen-Lighl 4 weeel, 38.08 oo (Brass and Aluminum Founders. OlL ana GAs ke | & Wheel, $2. Phosphor Bronze Bearing Castings. R.A.HART, BATTLEOREEK, micn. |W. G. ROWELL & CO.. Bridgeport, Conn. Bicucle Lanlems sss HENDRICKS BROTHERS , . PROPRIETORS OF THE Send fer Circulars and Electretypec. Bridgeport Deoxidized Bronze & Metal Co. BKIDGEPORT, 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. Selectea Sheets for Paper and Card Makers’ use. Stove and Washboard Blanks. ZINCS FOR LECLANCHE BATTERY. Belleville Copper Rolling Mills, |e sinaeporr Brass co. Bridgeport, Conn. Brasiers’ Bolt ax esa Sheathing 19 Murray Ot toot Peal bene. St. Philadelphia. | COPPER, COPPER WIRE AND RIVETS. Importers and Dealers in Ingot Copper, Block ‘Tin, Spelter, Lead, Antimony, etc. 49 CLIFF ST.. NEW YORK. : THE IRON THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, To Enlarge Shipbuilding Plant. The shipbuilding company of Townsend & Downey, now engaged in constructing the yacht ‘“‘ Meteor” for the use of the German Emperor, have decided to en- large their plant at Shooter’s Island so as to enable them to bid for the construction of any vessel—yacht, battle ship or transatlantic liner. Under the title of the Town- send-Downey Shipbuilding Company the firm have been incorporated, with a capital of $3,500,000. The directors are John H. Cuthbert and James Alden of New York City, W. B. Smith of Montclair, N. J.; B. F. Warren of Brooklyn, and M. P. Williams of Westfield, N. J. It was announced recently that the company had | al os aa Portion of NEW STEEL FOUNDRY OF THE planned to increase their holdings on Shooter’s Island from 13 to 42 acres, and that the capacity of the ship- building plant would be more than trebled. The com- pany have now a marine railway capable of taking a vessel 375 feet in length. The capacity of this, it was said, will probably be increased. Since the company be- gan building boats, in 1900, several notable craft have been constructed by them, including the schooner yachts “Elmina” and “ Muriel,” the ‘“ Thistle,” the College Point Ferry Company’s new ferry boat “ North Beach,” the Government boat “ Sabine” and the “ Bache” for the United States coast survey service. The company are now rebuilding the steamship “ Saale,” which was near- iy destroyed by fire during the Hoboken conflagration. It will be recalled that when the last lot of naval ves» sels were purchased by the Government, this company were among the bidders. ae The United States Tube Company of Buffalo, N. Y., have issued their first price-list, covering charcoal, iron and steel boiler tubes. which they manufacture. Volding PENNSYLVANIA AGE 1902. New Steel Foundry of the Pennsyl- vania Steel Company. The Pennsylvania Steel Company recently completed a new steel foundry at their plant at Steelton, Pa. This company have long been manufacturers of steel castings, both for their own useand for general sale. A large part of their product has always been used for their street railway work, but the demand from outside customers has so increased that they have recently found it necessary to install the new plant, which is illustrated herewith. Heretofore the care of their own wark has been their chief concern, but the new foundry, with its largely in- Floor STEEL COMPANY creased capacity, will enable them to|become an impor- tant factor in the steel casting trade. The Steelton plant is situated on|the banks of the Susquehanna River, about 31% miles below Harrisburg, Pa., and is on the lines of both the Pennsylvania Rail- road and the Philadelphia & Reading Railway, thus giv- ing unexcelled railroad facilities. The foundry proper occupies a spade 756 feet long by 134 feet wide with a lean to 40 feet wide, in the rear of the line of furnaces. The building is of modern steel frame construction, covered with | corrugated iron. Ample window space has been proyided and the in- terior of the roof has been finished in white, so that even on very dark days the light on the molding floor, Fig. 1, is good. In addition a system of are lights is located in the roof, to thoroughly illuminate all portions of the in- terior. This idea of giving all the light possible on the molting floor of a foundry is receiving more and more attention from designers of such buildings, and the Pennsylvania Steel Company’s engineers took this fully into consideration when laying out their plant. The re- 2 THE IRON AGE. sult is very apparent to even a casual observer. The building 1s divided into two bays of 67 feet each, and in each bay there are three traveling cranes, furnished by the Morgan Engineering Company. In the bay over the furnaces there are two traveling cranes of 50 tons capacity with a 25-ton auxiliary hoist and one of 25 tons capacity with a 15-ton auxiliary hoist, the large cranes having a clear lift of 40 feet. In the bay over the mold- ing floors there are three 20-ton traveling cranes, each having a 10-ton auxiliary hoist and 25-foot lift. In ad- dition to the traveling cranes the foundry is equipped with air hoists mounted on pillars and also with wall jib cranes for light molding, assembling and putting to- gether the molds and for handling castings. In the furnace side of the plant one narrow gauge track is so arranged that raw material can be run up to the charging floor of the furnace. There are also two tracks arranged so that ingots can be cast on trucks, in case it is found desirable to make ingots for the roll- co Cy wi January 30, 1902 side by side, or one line of cars to be used on the center tracks when very large molds are to be dried. The plant will have three 20-ton open hearth fur- naces and one 10-ton furnace, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The furnaces are the Campbell tilt- ing type, and all the mechanism connected with them is operated by electric motors, the current being supplied from the steel company’s central power station. Each furnace can make three to four heats per day, and with the two furnaces already in operation the capacity is easily 100 tons of cast steel per day; when the four furnaces are in operation it is expected to turn out 250 tons per day. Castings of all sizes and weights up to 60,000 pounds can easily be made and handled. For the proper annealing of such castings as may require it, two annealing furnaces, each 35 feet long by 10 feet wide, are provided. A fully equipped pattern shop and fire proof pattern storage buildings are located at points convenient to the Fig. 2.—Drying Ovens. NEW STEEL FOUNDRY OF THE ing mills of the general plant, which are not far dis- tant. Over the molding fioors the cranes do all the handling, and narrow gauge tracks are provided on which to bring patterns from the storage building to the molding fluor. At frequent intervals there are tracks for transferring molds, flasks, &c., from one bay to the other. Standard gauge tracks are run in at either end of the furnace bay for the purpose of receiving material and shipping product. The great necessity of ainple ovens for properly dry- ing the molds for steel castings is fully appreciated by those in the trade and facilities for this work have been provided. There are two sets of four ovens, Fig. 2, each consisting of one oven 45 x 16 feet, one 45 x 10 feet 6 inches and two 45 x 7 feet 9 inches. The fires for heat- ing these ovens have been placed in a subcellar, as it were, and so arranged abvut three sides of a rectangular room that one man can conveniently tend all the fires and thus heat the four ovens, an arrangement which is believed to be both economical and novel. Single stand- ard gauge tracks run into the three smaller ovens, while four lines of standard rail, set to proper gauge, run into the larger ovens, thus allowing two cars to be run in VENNSYLVANIA STEEL COMPANY. foundry, and a large machine shop, 209 feet long by 60° feet wide, containing all the necessary machinery for cutting off sink heads and tinishing castings fgr ship- ment is provided at the lower or shipping end of the foundry. One of the largest pieces of machinery here in use is a 48-inch Wetherill cold saw, which is de- signed for work on large castings. Four smaller saws, open side planers, radial driil presses, sloiters,* lathes, &ec., for finishing castings, together with two 20-ton traveling cranes and a number of air hoists, complete a most efficient outfit for finishing and shipping the out- put. A gas producer plant with ample capacity is in oper- ation, and great care has been taken with the arrange- ment of the ports in the melting furnaces, with the re- sult that the flame in the furnaces can be easily and ac- cnrately regulated, and consequently the output of the furnaces kept uniform and of high quality. The fuel used for the producers is the best quality of Pennsyl- yania and West Virginia gas coal. Just beyond the pouring floor is an especially inclosed space equipped with air hoists and trucks for the clean- ing of castings by sand blast. Everything possible is January 30, 1902 THE IRON AGE. done to keep the air in the foundry free from dust, and chine shop, where pneumatic chippers and emery wheels so increase the comfort of the men and consequently are used in finishing them for shipment. the efficiency of the plant. In the lower end of the fur- At present the foundry is doing a large variety of Fig. 3.—Open Hearth Tilting Furnaces. — Another View of Furnaces NEW STEEL FOUNDRY OF THE PENNSYLVANIA STEEL COMPANY. nace bay the custings are cleaned and prepared for ship- work, much of the product being street jrailwa) ping and for the machine shop. The smaller castings switches and mates, but it is also runying on which require chipping go to the lower end of the ma- crank shafts, riveter frames, ship | and frogs, heavy engine q castings, large pinions, gears, &e. On night turn the plant is operated on special ingot castings, both round and hex- agonal, made especially for forging purposes, casting pits being conveniently located for handling pieces up to 27 feet long. A flask yard, commanded by a crane, is situated at the side of the building, so that flasks can be stored when not in use and still be within easy reach when wanted. A glance at the accompanying plan, Fig. 5, will give a clear idea of the general arrangement of the foundry, and it will be seen that the work progresses continuously in one direction fas nearly as possible. A piece passes from the molding floors through the ovens to the pouring floor, and, while the molds are returned by conveniently located transfer tracks to the molding floors the castings move along con- tinuously to the sand blast, chipping floor and machine shop and thence to convenient points for shipping. The plant throughout is operated by electricity, and all details have been made strictly up to date, the result being a foundry of large ca- pacity and great facility of operation. oh The United States Engine Company.—The United States Engine Company were or- ganized at Parkersburg, W. Va., last summer with a cap- ital of $150,000, and all of the stock, we are advised, has been sold. The officers of the company are as follows: H. P. Boyd, president; Thos. Gartlan, vice-president; J. F. Boggs, treasurer, and Daniel L. Reese, secretary. The pur- pose of the company is to manufacture steam and gas engines, especially for the oil and gas trades, as well as a general line of goods used in these industries. The com- pany secured by purchase 6 acres of. land just north of Parkersburg, and have in course of erection and equip- ment a foundry, 70 x 140 feet; a machine shop, 80 x 160 feet; blacksmith shop, 40 x 80 feet, and a two-story wood working shop, 40 x 80 feet. The two larger buildings are of steel and brick construc- tion, with concrete floors. These shops are modern in every detail. The company expect to have their works in operation not later than May : — A movement is on foot to organize a society of central station heating engineers. TRACKS a CHIPPING Ss Aceb AIR HOISTS ABOYE ROOM oo gOrrice Toot PLANERS CHARGING| |MACHINE IRON MACHINE SHOP FURNACES CORE OVEN AGE. PLATFORM H+ +H z AIR HOISTS 3NVYO “AVEL “0373 NOL 0S ” January 30, 190 3NVYO “AVEL "0373 ‘1 SZ AIR HOISTS \ °o*o STACKS Fig. 5.—Plan. “ BUILDING +¢ 0,0 SAND MIXING Tt SCALE OF FEET COMPANY STEEI THE PENNSYLVANIA Fr ( FOUNDRY STEEL NEW January 30, 1902 THE Amending the Drawback Laws. WASHINGTON, D. C., January 28, 1902.—There will soon be introduced in Congress a measure which is the sutgrowth of a movement that has been on foot for sev- eral months looking to the amendment of the drawback laws so as to enable manufacturers in all lines of trade to avail themselves more freely of these statutes for the purpose of securing and extending their export trade. The bill will meet specifically the objections to the pres- ent practice which have frequently been raised by prom- inent manufacturers who have found that in many cases the expense and inconvenience attached to the collection of drawbacks are so great as to make it wholly unprofit- able to attempt to secure rebates of duty. The Identity Clause, The most serious difficulty encountered by manufac- turers using imported materials in the manufacture of goods for export is the fact that section 30 of the Ding- ley actunder which drawbacks are allowed, provides that “the imported materials used in the manufacture or pro- duction of articles entitled to drawback of customs du- ties when exported shall in all cases where drawback of duties paid on such materials is claimed, be identified, the quantity of such materials used and the amount of duties paid thereon shall be ascertained, the facts of the manufacture or production of such articles in the United States and their exportation therefrom shall be deter- mined, and the drawback due thereon shall be paid to the manufacturer, producer, or exporter, &c.” In the textile trade in particular it has been found to be prac- tically impossible to absolutely identify the imported ma- terials, for while in some cases the foreign character of the goods is obvious, in others the most skillful expert would be unable to distinguish the foreign from the do- mestic materials. Complete identification is also ren- dered more difficult by the further provision of the draw- back law that “‘ When the articles exported are made in part from domestic materials the imported materials or the parts of the articles made from such materials shall so appear in the completed articles that the quantity or measure thereof may be ascertained.” . For a number of years the Treasury Department un- dertook to enforce this statute literally, and a large num- ber of bona fide claims for drawback were denied on the ground that the term “ shall so appear” in the law must be construed to mean “ shall be evident from a physical examination.’”’ Subsequently, the National Lead Com- pany appealed to the Attorney-General for a construc- tion of this language and a decision was rendered to the effect that if an exporter could cause it to appear from an examination of his books and manufacturing records that he bad actually used imported materials, such evi- dence might be taken in lieu of an examination of the fin- ished goods themselves. This decision has broadened the rulings of the Treasury Department very materially, and has submitted to the privilege of drawback a great va- riety of exports. It has still been found, however, that the necessity of tracing the foreign material by records or otherwise has deterred many manufacturers from taking advan- tage of the drawback laws. It has been found neces- sary, for example, to purchase raw materials from such importers as have preserved their import records in such a manner that certificates of importation can be secured by the buyer, and as only a few firms follow this prac- tice the market for raw materials is very limited, and manufacturers are thus forced to import their own ma- terials or forego the privileges of the drawback laws. In addition, the Treasury Department insists that stocks of imported raw material shall be kept separate from do- mestic materials, and this involves special storage facili- ties, records, &c. The outcome is that although manu- facturers concede the necessity of the Department’s reg- ulations under existing laws, the drawback statutes are not doing the work they were intended to do, and a large amount of foreign business which would go to swell our dwinding exports is lost to the American producer. Import Certificates, It is now proposed to obviate all these difficulties by a simple statute of a few words authorizing a manufac- IRON AGE. 5 iy line of trade to expert with benefit of draw raw materials to the amount covered by import certificates which he may be able to produce, without the necessity of identifying such ma- terials in tbe finished product. Thus, a manufacturer presenting a certificate showing that he has imported a certain quantity of iron ore, or scrap iron, for example, would be permitted to export with benefit of drawback as much iron or steel as could be produced from such an amount of material. The cancellation of the import cer- tificate upon the exportation of the goods would protect the Government against fraud of any kind, and the do- mestic producer of similar raw material would also be adequately safeguarded, as no more goods could be ex- ported with benefit of drawback than could be manufac- tured from raw materials actually imported. It is conceded, of course, that the effect of this law would be to cause the Government to pay a much larger sum in the way of drawbacks than is now paid, but as such disbursements would be made only on the basis of raw materials actually imported and finished products actually exported, there would be no loss to the Govern- ment or to the producer of domestic raw materials. The only gain made would be that of the domestic manufac- turer and those depending upon him, who would be able to do a foreign business which they will not now attempt in view of the restrictions of the drawback laws and reg- ulations. It has been suggested that under such a law as is pro- posed domestic materials instead of foreign might be used and drawbacks paid thereon, but this objection is met by the fact that it is of no consequence either to the Government or the producer of domestic) raw materials whether a given quantity of imported material is ex- ported or is exchanged for a similar quantity of domestic material to be exported in lieuthereof. The bill to beintro- duced wiil be supported by a memorial signed by a large number of prominent manufacturers in Various trades, and the Ways and Means Committee will be asked to grant an early hearing on the subject. Ww. & ¢C ef hack goods representing —— The Bessemer Coke Company. At the annual meeting of the stockholders of the Bes semer Coke Company of Pittsburgh, held in that city last week, contracts were approved for the building of 200 new coke ovens at their Griffin plant in the Klondike district of the Connellsville region, at a cost of $100,000. An issue of $200,000 of bonds was approved, and the pur- chase of 300 additional acres of coking coal adjoining the Griffin property was authorized. A few months ago the Bessemer Coke Company added 120 acres of coal lands to this plant. and the company will soon have 500 ovens at their Griffin works. The Bessemer Coke Company also own the Humphreys and Empire works in the Con- nellsville region, and also the Duquesne plant, located at Bradenville, altogether comprising 964 ovens, with an an- nual capacity of 600,000 tons of coke and facilities for the shipment of 200,000 tons of coal from the Duquesne plant, which is a feature of this works. The Bessemer Coke Company have a capital of $2,500,000, and were started only a few years ago, the rapid growth and ac- quirement of property having been very marked. At the annual meeting last week W. Y. Humphreys was re- elected president; Joshua W. Rhodes, vice-president; Hermon Griffin, treasurer, and William Harris, secre- tary. E. H. Jennings, Dallas C. Byers and Robert L. Martin, with the above officials, comprise the Board of Directors. pits adaleicaats A decision of some importance to bankrupts and their creditors has just been handed down at Milwaukee, Wis., by Judge Jenkins of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh district. Under this decision insurance policies issued under the semitontine plan become a por- tion of the assets of the estate of a bankrupt and must be surrendered to the creditors. This decision is rendered in the bankruptcy proceeding of David Welling of Chi- cago, reversing a decision of Jvdge Kohlsaat. The rul- ing. will have the result of materially increasing the value of the estates of bankrupts who have insurance policies of this character. THE Test of Texas Oil. Prof. James E. Denton of Stevens Institute of Tech- nology, Hoboken, N. J., recently made tests of oil from the Beaument oil district of Texas for the Export Oil & Pipe Line Company of Beaumont, Texas. The tests were made at the suggestion and were carried on un- der the general direction of Henry M. McDonald of 100 Broadway, New York. They were made under a boiler, in comparison with coal, at an establishment in New York City, which is provided with three return tubular boilers. One of these boilers was used in the test. The boiler was of the return tubular type, 6 feet in diameter and 18 feet long, with 1900 square feet of heating sur- face. To raise 85 pounds of steam took 59 minutes with oil, and 1 hour and 17 minutes with coal and a “ liberal amount of dry wood.” The burner employed in the test was designed by T. H. Williams, and is shown in the ac- companying engravings. After the oil test the boiler and furnace were examined, and no trace was found of any action of the oil on the boiler. There was no oily mat- ter on the internal brick work, nor any discoloration of the latter, and there was less than 1-64 inch of soot in the tubes, which had been swept clear of coal ashes at the beginning of the use of oil. The tests with the oil were made at capacities varying from 112 to 220 horse-power, which represented the limit of satisfactory air supply from the draft power of the chimney with a wide open damper—that is, up to 220 horse-power there was sufficient air supply to prevent any appearance of smoke in the flame or at the top of the chimney, but more than this horse-power caused curling streams of smoke to appear at the edges of the flame in the furnace, and a light gray vapor to be visible at the chimney top. The tests with coal were made at 93 and 119 horse- power, the first amount being that demanded of the boiler for regular work, and the second the greatest amount that could be obtained with the dampers wide open. Conclusions. From the tests the following conclusions are drawn: For a range of from 112 to 220 horse-power the total evaporation from and at 212 degrees per pound of oil varied from 15.71 to 15.29 pounds of dry steam, and the burner consumption varied from 3.1 to 4.8 per cent. of the boiler output, so that the net evaporation ranged from 14.74 to 15.16 pounds of water per pound of oil. The combustion of the oil by the burner was practical- ly perfect, since by the evidence of the heat balance the heat accounted for by the steam production, the hot gases flowing to the chimney, and a reasonable allow- ance for radiation represents about 98 per cent. of the total- heat of combustion of the oil when burned in oxygen in a calorimeter. The boiler utilized about 78 per cent. of the heat of the fuel, which represents the best average boiler practice, and the percentage of steam consumed by the burners is a minimum for steam jet burners. An excess of cold air probably caused a loss of evaporation for the smaller horse-powers, but for the 189 and 220 horse-power tests there was no excess of the air necessary for complete combustion. Consequently for the two higher horse-pow- ers the net evaporation of 14.8 pounds of water per pound of oil may be considered to represent the best economy that is to be expected from the use of the oil as a fuel with steam jet burners. The evaporation from and at 212 degrees per pound of coal was 9.17 and 8.94 pounds of water for 93 and 119 horse-power. The coal afforded 11.6 per cent, of ash, and 14,680 B. T. U. per pound of combustible when burned in oxygen in a calorimeter, which represents an excellent No. 1 buckwheat. The firemen were the regular em- ployees of the ice company. They were skillful opera- tors, and secured practically complete combustion of the coal, as is shown by the absence of carbonic oxide in the furnace gases, and the fact that the radiation and im- perfect combustion item of the heat balance is 3.4 per cent. Considering that the coal was laden with 6.2 per cent. of moisture, and was consumed in the furnace td about 17 per cent. of ash, the evaporative results per IRON AGE. January 30, 1902 pound of wet fuel are excellent. They correspond to an evaporation of 11.79 pounds from and at 212 degrees pe: pound of combustible, which affords the very excellent boiler efficiency of 77.6 per cent. Had the draft been suificient to burn enough coal pet hour to produce about 10 horse-power per square foot of heating surface, as in the case of the 189 horse-powe: test with the oil—and as is commonly guaranteed in the sale of modern boilers—the boiler efficiency would prob ably be reduced on account of the greater velocity of the heated gases over the heating surface resulting in a higher chimney temperature, and hence the waste of a greater proportion of the heat of combustion. Such re duction of efficiency would probably have made the evap- oration per pound of wet coal only about 8.5 pounds. But had the percentage of moisture in the coal have been the average amount, or 3 per cent., the evaporation would have been about 8.75 pounds. Comparative Cost of Coal and Oil, The comparative fuel costs of coal and oil for the par- ticular conditions of the ice factory where the tests were conducted are therefore as follows: For producing the horse-power required by the fac- tory, or 1 horse-power per about 20 square feet of heat- ing surface, with the moisture and ash as found: . Moisture in coal, per cent . Ash, per cent . Weight of oil per gallon, pounds . Weight of oijl per barrel of 42 U. S. gallons, pounds... . Evaporation per pound of wet coal from and at 212 degfees, pounds . Net evaporation per pound of oil from and at 212 de- grees, pounds - Ratio of oil to coal 9.17 8. Number of barrels of oil equivalent to 2240 Ibs. of coal. 4.23 9. Price of coal per 2240-lb. ton, without cartage and cost of ash removal 10. Equivalent price of oil per barrel of 42 U. S. gallons. .$0.71 For producing horse-power upon the commonly guar- anteed basis of 1 horse-power per 10 square feet of heat- ing surface, and with an average percentage of moisture and ash in the coal: 1. Moisture in coal, per cent 2. Ash, per cent 8. Evaporation per Ib. of wet coal from and at 212 de- 4 . Net evaporation per lb. of oil from and at 212 degrees, . Ratio of oil to coal . Number of barrels of oil equivalent to 2240 Ibs. of coal 4.12 . Price of coal per 2240-lb. ton, without cartage and cost of ash removal $3.00 . Equivalent price of oil per barrel of 42 U. 8S. gallons. .$0.73 Chemical Tests of Oil, Samples of oil were collected from each barrel as it was emptied into the storage tank. A mixture of these was tested in the laboratory to determine the following data: cific gy 4 0 Ss Flash point, degrees F Burning point, degees F Cold test, degrees F <i Calorific value per pound 7 oe calorimeter, B. T. U. 19,060 Carbon, per cent. 84.60 Hydrogen, per cent Sulphur, per cent Nitrogen, per cent Oxygen, per cent Effect of Sulphur upon Boller, Excellent Pittsburgh coal contains as high as 1.7 per cent. of sulphur, and its use affords the average period of the life of boilers. In generating equal horse-power with such coal the amount of sulphur in the furnace gases will be the same with the oil as with this coal, if the sulphur in the oil is as high as 2.6 per cent., which considerably exceeds the proportion of sulphur in the oil. An excellent grade of Indiana coal with 3.5 per cent. of sulphur is used on locomotives without being identified with any greater depreciation of the life of fire boxes than occurs with the best Pittsburgh coal. The equiva- lent of the sulphur in this Indiana coal for providing equal horse-power with the oil is 6.9 per cent. In view of these facts there need be no apprehension of shorten- ing the life of boilers by use of the oil. Sulphur in coal in excess of 2 per cent. is productive of an excessive Chemical composition January 30, 1902 THE amount of clinker, and makes a “dirty” fire, but there is no equivalent of this effect on account of sulphur in the oil. Labor Saving by Use of Oil, It is probable that one fireman can attend burners of 100 boiler horse-power each. This fact will permit a saving for firing labor in hand firing plants of more than about 500 horse-power capacity, and of more than about 1000 horse-power capacity in mechanical to 30 oil [IRON AGE. 7 A pool of oil spilled upon a board cannot be ignited by a match. The latter extinguishes itself when the match is partly burned. The instant the match comes in con- tact with the oil, air is excluded from its lower surface so that the flame is above the oil, and it cannot therefore vaporize sufficient of the latter to bring vapor into con- tact with the flame of the match and ignite. A splinter of dry wood, about 4 inch square and 6 inches long, ignited at one end, will not ignite oil in a shallow dish, but when this splinter is smeared with oil Fiy. 1.—Horizontal Section stoker plants. This saving will, under average condi- tions of coal and wages, amount to about 15 cents per ton of coal used for power in excess of 500 horse-power in hand fired boilers, and in excess of 1000 horse-power with mechanical stokers. There will also be a saving in ash handling labor, or helpers in the fire room, which will probably be about one-fourth of the above amount. In cities the cost of carting away ashes will be saved. of Williams Burner. the latter burns rapidly over the length of the splinter after the end of the latter is ignited to a blaze by a match. The flame at the end of the splinter vaporizes the film of oil near it, so that the vapor floats into con- tact with the flame and ignites. This vapor in burning vaporizes and ignites the film further along the splinter, until the oil over the whole length of the latter is aflame. The principle governing ignition of a mass of oil be- “TWAVAMA Fig. 2.—Vertical Section through Center of Burner TESTS OF This amounts to about 10 cents per ton of all coal used. There will also be a saving in furnace repairs, which may amount to 2 cents per ton of coal. The cost for handling the oil .will probably be less for machinery than for coal, but much for ground space, required for underground storage tanks. Danger from Use of O11. Experiments with samples of the oil used for the evaporative tests show the following results regarding its inflammable qualities: TEXAS OIL. low a body of air is that the oil must be vaporized and the vapor come into contact with a temperature above a red heat. For example, a pan 10 x 14 inches filled with oil to a depth of about 1 inch, had a handful of blazing waste, saturated with kerosene, thrown inte it. The blaze of the waste was extinguished on its lower surface where contact with the oil excluded the air. Hence about 40 seconds elapsed before sufficient heat was im- parted to the oil, by radiation and conduction from the burning waste, te vaporize enough oil to cause vapor to rise into contact with the blaze and ignite. Then the THE burning of this vaper rising from the surface of the oil immediately about the waste vaporized and ignited oil further away, and thence the whole surface of oil was set blazing. The liquid oil then became heated through- out by conduction, and all of it gradually vaporized and burned. After the pan of oil was once aflame if it was extinguished by covering the pan, the hot liquid con- tinued to evolve vapor, so that a match thrown on the surface instantly reignited the whole of it. These experiments only serve to show that oil spilled to form a liquid pool, at ordinary temperature, about a boiler room, would not be ignited by a lighted match, or a hot coal, falling into it, and that even a lighted torch would have to be in contact with it for several seconds before it would inflame. Some glass fruit jars, partly filled with oil, were kept at ordinary temperature for upward of ten days. Lighted matches were then dropped into them through a %-inch hole in the cover without causing any ignition of the contents of the space above the oil, nor was there any flame caused by holding the lighted match just outside the hole in the cover. Also with the cover removed, so as to expose an opening of about 3 inches in diameter, the contents of the jar above the oil could not be ignited by the flame of a match. The same results were ob- tained with the oil at 100 degrees F., and no vapor could be seen escaping from the jar. These results showed that up to 100 degrees of temperature the oil did not vap- orize sufficiently to make a burning mixture of the air above the oil in a half filled fruit jar. That is, the oil vapor present was too greatly diluted with air to be in- flammable. At temperatures of oil from the flashing point, 142 de- grees, to 200 degrees F. vapor was visible as it escaped through the inch hole in the cover, which ignited with a match, and burned so as to form a feeble flame. This flame could not be blown inside of the cover, nor would a lighted match dropped through the cover affect the contents of the jar. These results showed that above 142 degrees F.. the oil vaporized sufficiently to drive out the air from the jar and fill the latter with vapor, which could not burn within the jar, as no air was present to support combustion; but on issuing from the jar and mixing with air the vapor could burn. With the cover removed the application of the flame of a match to the vapor floating out of the jar would not ignite it at 1 inch or more above the outlet, but applied at the outlet the contents of the jar above the oil ig- nited, and burned with a sluggish flame for about a sec- ond, when combustion ceased. The upward current of vapor was then re-established, and the ignition could then be repeated. These results showed that the vapor in floating about 1 inch from the jar so diluted itself with air that it was inflammable, but closer to the jar it formed a burning mixture with the air, and being ignited at this point sufficient air found its way into the wide mouth of the jar to enable the contents of the latter to inflame. Then the upward current due to heat excluded the entrance of air, and combustion ceased, after which the upward vapor currents re-established themselves. The experiments with the vapor of the oil show that its volatility does not give rise to inflammable vapor un- til it is heated above 142 degrees F’. Then, as the vapor is essentially identical with that given off by gasoline at ordinary temperatures, all the well-known safety precau- tions for the storage and handling of the latter substance apply to the oil, although the rapidity with which vapor is given off per square foot of surface is much less with the oil than with gasoline. ieaiciatasseiiialieiiaticietamass In 1900 British Columbia produced 231,089 ounces of gold, valued at $4,732,105. In 1901 the estimated pro- duction was 270,900 ounces, valued at $5,596,700. The production of silver was 3,958,175 ounces in 1900, and 4,685,718 in 1901. For copper the figures are 9,997,080 and 30,736,798 pounds, respectively; for lead, 26,679 net tons and 25,265 net tons, respectively; for coal, 1,439,595 gross tons and 1,529,210, and for coke, 85,149 and 134,760 gross tons, respectively. The total value of the mineral 1900 and $20,713,501 production was $16,344,751 in 1901. IRON in * AGE. January 30, 1902 The National Bureau of Standards. WASHINGTON, D. C., January 28, 1902.—The National Bureau of Standards is about to issue its first circular of information to the general public, outlining the work it is now prepared to undertake. The bureau was organ- ized July 1 last, under the act of March 38, 1901, and is authorized to exercise its functions for the Government of the United States, for any State or municipal govern- ment within the United States, or for any scientific so- ciety, educational institution, firm, corporation or in- dividual within the United States engaged in manufac- turing or other pursuit requiring the use of standards or standard measuring instruments. For the present, how- ever, the work of the bureau will be limited to the com- parison of the following standards and measuring instru- ments, either for commercial or scientific purposes: Length Measures.—Standard bars from 1 to 10 feet, or from 1 dm. to 5 m.; base bars; bench standards; leveling rods; graduated scales; engineers’ and surveyors’ metal tapes 1 to 300 feet, or from 1 to 100 m. Weights.—From 0.01 grain to 50 pounds, or from 0.1 mg. to 20 kg. Capacity Measures.—From 1 fluid ounce to 5 gallons, or from 1 milliliter to 10 liters. Thermometers.—Between 32 and 120 degrees F., or 0 to 50 degrees C. Polariscope Apparatus.—Scales of polariscopes, quartz control plates and other necessary apparatus. Hydrometers.—Alcoholometers, salinometers and sac- charometers, whose scales correspond to densities be- tween 0.85 and 1.20. Resistances.—Standard coils of the following denom- inations: 1, 2, 5, 10, 100, 1000, 10,000, 100,000 ohms; low resistance standards for current measurements of the following denominations: 0.1, 0.01, 0.001, 0.0001 ohms. Coils of resistance boxes; potentiometers; ratio coils. Standards of Electro Motive Force.—Clark and other standard cells. Direct Current Measuring Apparatus.—Millivolt- meters and voltmeters up to 150 volts; ammeters up to 50 amperes. For all comparisons, calibrations, tests or investiga- tions, except those performed for the Government of the United States or State governments, a reasonable fee will be charged. It is the desire of the bureau to co- operate with manufacturers, scientists and others in bringing about more satisfactory conditions relative to weights and measures in the broader meaning of the term, and to place at the disposal of those interested such information relative to these subjects as may be in possession of the bureau. All communications and ar- ticles should be addressed “ National Bureau of Stand- ards, Washington, D. C.” The bureau will be in possession of its permanent quarters within the next 12 months, when the scope of its work will be greatly enlarged. Plans are being pre- pared for a physical laboratory, which will be equipped with apparatus and conveniences for carrying on inves- tigations and for testing standards and measuring in- struments of all kinds. Also a somewhat smaller build- ing, to be known as a mechanical laboratory, which will contain the power and general electrical machinery, the instrument shop, refrigerating plant, storage batteries, dynamos for experimental purposes, and laboratories for electrical measurements requiring heavy currents. Ultimately the bureau will, in addition to caring for the standards of weights and measures, be charged with the comparison of standards used in scientific investiga- tions, engineering, manufacturing, commerce and educa- tional institutions with the standards adopted or recog- nized by the Government; the construction, when neces- sary, of standards, their multiples and subdivisions; the testing and calibration of standard measuring apparatus; the solution of problems which arise in connection with standards; the determination of physical constants and the properties of materials, when such data are of great importance to scientific or manufacturing interests. and are not to be obtained of sufficient accuracy elsewhere. Ww. L. Cc. January 30, 1902 THE Pacific Coast News. San Francisco, CAL., January 20, 1902.—Manager Dodd of the Union Iron Works is of the opinion that the present strike, or as much as is left of it, will take the same course as the molders’ strike in the early nineties. This lasted about two years—that is, the show of opposi- tion was kept up for two years, when it and the strike were abandoned together. Some of the strikers have been reduced to the greatest stress already and they will probably go back in one way or another, most of them during the next few months. The number out at pres- ent is about 2500, so that most have abandoned it al- ready. Of course there is a greater proportion of ma- chinists out than of other lines that were employed with them, and they will suffer most. They have been now out eight months. That to the average machinist means $735 in wages. Just think of it, and allowing that the 2500 still out averaged $18 a week, or $3 per day, that means $1,575,000. Why, that sum would serve to equip several large establishments as matters go in San Fran- cisco, and all this would have been avoided by a little conciliation and common sense on the part of the victim, and inthe end the nine-hour day would have come. This is in a nutshell the expression of opinion of one among the leading men in the iron trade. This gentleman at first thought that the strike would last but a few days, and he is a real friend of the workmen, though com- pelled to oppose what he considers their arbitrary and unreasonable conduct. This is still in evidence. The union men have been called off the transport * Thomas" because she was sent over to the Union Iron Works for a general overhauling. About 50 ship joiners, ship fit- ters and machinists were called off the vessel and obeyed the order of the union. The Government officials, how- ever, got in one day’s union work, as the officers of the Machinists’ Union were not allowed to enter the trans- port dock or the Union yards. They were at last taken off, and so it goes. Of course this simply injures these mechanics except in as far as it harms San Francisco by driving work away from it. There has been somewhat of a lull in business circles on account of annual stock taking and the preparation for another year’s campaign, but this is no indication of a falling off in business. On the contrary, all the houses have all the work ahead of them that they can reasona- bly handle, and this promises to be the most prosperous year that we have had since 1890. Especially is this true of the iron and metal trades and hardware. The outlook for agricultural implements is excellent, too, as we had good crops last year, and as the dry weather which prevailed has been broken, we will have good crops this year, too. Until the rains of the week matters were rather doubtful in this direction ard they are still so in the South. But a little more rain will make mat- ters right there, too. The demand for tools and ma- chinery used in drilling for oil will be good, despite the fact that the business has been under somewhat of a cloud for a few months. But the year has kept up to expectations, as the yield has been 8,742,500 barrels, or twice that of 1900. Every little while there are reports of large sales of oil land or of the production of big wells, and matters are improving steadily. Many new sections are being tested by the drill of the prospector and as fast as success is met with crowds will follow in the wake of the lucky man. As to general business, it may be said to be very good for this time of the year, and the clearing house operation tells the story eloquent- ly. Since the first of the year the clearings have been as much as 20 per cent. in excess of those for the same time in 1900, while these in their turn were far ahead of 1899. The drop in copper has been already detrimental to the business in this State and in Arizona, where men have been laid off in consequence of it. The develop- ment on this coast was caused by the advance a couple of years since, and if the market kept down it would interfere with the industry materially. This industry has been very successful during the past two years, and in 1901, though the figures have not yet been made up by the Mining Bureau, the yield of copper has been in IRON AGE. 9 the neighborhood of 35,000,000 pounds, principally from Shasta County. Meanwhile a company have been organ- ized in Los Angeles to develop the copper property in Jerome Canyon. There are eight claims to be worked. The iron mines at the Minarets are attracting genera! attention throughout the State, now that Eastern capi- tal has been enlisted in their development. It is said, too, that there exist lodes of copper ore and other metals as well. Iron will attract more attention now in conse- quence of the decline in copper, and, indeed, the superior attraction of gold mining and copper mining have been one of the reasons that have kept back the development of our iron properties so long. But 12-cent copper and dollar oil will help out the iron business in manufactur- ing the iron where it is extracted from the ore and in- ducing the exploitation of the rich