The Iron Age 1902-02-27: Vol 69 Iss 9

soyoreveruwrv, ** WF =sSee33> Vo! 69: No. 9. Reacing Matter Contents.........page 54 Alpabetical Index to Advertisers “‘ 145 Classified List of Advertisers..... ‘* 147 Advertising and Subscription Rates “‘ 97/) Dynamo —- Bt. Louts, Mo. — New York. Boston. histo’ Patent Steel Belt Lacing. SAVES Time, Belts, : Money. GreatestStrencth fuusHen Jom With Least Metal. Send — Choumines and Free Samples. THE BRISTOL CO., Waterbury, Conn. SAMSON SPOT CORD pore S‘MSON CORDAGE WORKS, Boston, Mass. Boston, Mass. ~ SORNBUCKLES. — RNBUCKLES. —— Cteveiand’¢ city dCity Forge and tron Go.,”™- Cloveland, 0. geo Jar BROS., 465 Kent N ¢ < A Founpry Iron. PILLING & GRANE, Svinte ILL } Empire Bide., New Y 2.’ APOLLO BEST BLOOM GALVANIZED IRON Galvanized iron ought to be soft flat uniform true to gauge, \pollo is guaranteed to be so, ‘ican Sheet Steel-Company, New York New York, Thursday, ae 27, 1902. U. M. C. A Review of the Hardware, Iron, Machinery and Metal Trades. Published every Thursday Morning by David Williams Co., 232-238 William St., New York. is sold by all dealers because it is a staple— Shooters have learned to rely upon it. Order it by Name and insist that your dealer gives you nothing else. U. M. C. cartridges and shot shells are “time tried;” 35 years of progress. Catalogues. NEW YORK, PHILADELPHIA, CHICAGO ST. LOUIS, pe BOSTON, BRANCHES: DETROIT, CINCINNATI, SAN FRANCISCO; \. PORTLAND, ORE., * BUFFALO, BALTIMORE, NEW ORLEANS. HARTFORD, CONN. The WILMOT & HOBBS MF6, CO. peek & $5.00 a Year, including Postage. Single Copies, Ten Cents. AMMUNITION THE UNION METALLIC CARTRIDGE CO. 513 Broadway, Briegeport,Conn. 425 Market St., New York, N. Y. San Francisco, Cal. CAHALL BOILERS "em CAPEWELL HORSE NAILS. THE CAPEWELL HORSE NAIL COMPANY, * 5 = Jenkins ’96 Packing. Pronounced by steam users throughout the world the best joint packing manufactured. Expensive? Not at all, as it weighs 30¢ less than many other packings, consequently is much cheaper. JENKINS BROTHERS. New York. Boston, Philadelphia. Chicage- THE AMERICAN TUBE & STAMPING 60, HOT AND COLD ROLLE STRIP STEEL, MAGNOLIA METAL. Best Anti-Friction Metal for all Machinery Bearings. Pac-Simile of Bar. race 190, THE IRON AGE. WATERBURY BRASS C0. ESTABLISHED 1845. Main Office and Mills at Waterbury, Conn. Manufacturers of Brass, German Silver, Copper, THE ANSONIA Brass p” COPPER CO. MANUFACTURERS OF BRASS AND COPPER Seamless Tubes, Sheets, Rods and Wire. ingot Copper. SOLE MANUFACTURERS Tobin Bronze (TRADE-MaRK REGISTERED.) Condenser, Piates,Pump Linings, Round, ~ Square and Hexagon Bars, for Pump Piston Rods and Bolt Forgings. BRAZED and SEAMLESS TUBING, Brass Brazing Wire, Spelter Solder, Rivets and Burrs, Metallic Eye- lets, Shells, Ferrules and Small 99 John Street, . - Randolph-Clowes Co., Main Office and Mill, WATERBURY, CONN. MANUFACTURERS OF SHEET BRASS & COPPER. BRAZED BRASS & COPPER TUBES. SEAMLESS BRASS & COPPER TUBES TO 36 IN. DIAM. New York Office, » aS Broad Broadway, Postal Tel- egra,) icago Office, 602 Tisher B Bld Boston Office, Cor. Oliver and P New York. Brasswares of every Description. New York Store has been removed from 60 Centre St. to 122-130 Centre St. Deoxidized Babbitt. NEVER HAS BEEN BEATEN. Bridgeport Deoxidized Bronze & Metal Co. BRIDGEPORT, CONN, hase Sts, 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 Piates for Etchers’ and Lithographers’ use. Selocteal Sheets for Paper and Card Makers’ use. Stove and Washboard Blanks. ZINCS FOR LECLANCHE BATTERY. TENN rrr CU Hr So-7 4 West Monroe St., Chicago. ANS CIP T DCM COCR SENSEI UUTIIDTTIT ede aaa Se ; $3.25 Founders, Finishers. ami tm omaratied. W. G. ROWELL & CO., BRIDGEPORT, CONN: HENDRICKS BROTHERS PROPRIETORS OF SHE Belleville Copper Rolling . Mills, MANUFACTURERS OF Brasiers’ Bolt and Sheathing COPPER, COPPER WIRE AND RIVETS. Importers and Dealers in ingot: eee Block Tin, Spelter, Lead, Antimony, etc. 49 CLIFF ST.; NEW YORK. R. A. ame THE PLUME & ATWOOD MF6, (0, MANUFACTURERS OP Sheet and Roll Brass —AND—- WIRE PRINTERS’ BRASS, JEWELERS’ METAL, GERMAN SILVER AND GILDING METAL, COPPER Rivers AND BURRS. IN SHEET, ROLL, ROD, WIRE, Pins, Brass Butt Hinges, Jack Chain, hero sene Burners, Lamps, Lamp Trimmings, &c. \29 MURRAY ST., NEW YORK. 144 HIGH ST., BOSTON. 199 LAKE ST., CHICAGO, FACTORIES : WATERBURY, CONN, ROLLING MILL : THOMASTON, CONN. SCOVILL MFG. CO., Manufacturers of BRASS, CERMAN SILVER Sheets, Rolis, Wire Rods, Bolts and Tubes, Brass Shells, Cups, Hinges Buttons, Lamp Coods. SPECIAL BRASS GOODS TO ORDER Factories, WATERBURY, CONN. DEPOTS: NEW YORK, CHICAGO, BOSTON. JOHN DAVOL & SONS, AGENTS FOR biookivn Brass & Copper Co. DEALERS IN COPPER, TIN, SPELTER. LEAD, ANTIMONY. 100 John Street, - New Yor Arthur T: 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 » German Silver Wire. Brazed and Seamless Brass and Copper Tube. Copper and Brass Rod. OIL and GAS Bicycle Lanterns Send for Circulars and Electrotyper. THE BRIDGEPORT BRASS 0. Bridgeport, Conn. Mary OS Tg Terao or, or, af nd » nd ne. 0., ‘THE IRON AGE THURSDAY, Feeruary 27, 1902 Mesaba Range Earthwork for 1902. The Drake & Stratton Company, who have large con- racts upon the Mesaba range, will move this year about 1.400,000 ecubie yards of surface at mines there. About 700 men will be employed all the season, and from six to eight shovels will be used. From the Stevenson mine about 700,000 yards will be removed, from the Sharon 400,000 and from the Fayal 300,000 yards. This will complete contracts at all but the Sharon, where ibout 700,000 yards will be removed the following year. About 200,000 yards will be stripped from the Burt mine by Winston & Dear, a smaller contract will be completed at the Auburn, at the Sauntry and Oliver some stripping contracts will probably be let, and the A Mammoth Sellers Planer. William Sellers & Co., Incorporated, of Philadelphia have designed and built an unusually massive and pow- erful planer for the Midvale Steel Company. It is in- tended to take the heaviest cuts on hard steel forgings, the maximum power exerted upon the tool being 100,000 pounds. It has a capacity between housings of 12 feet and a hight of 10 feet, the table being 10 feet wide by 27 feet long, with a working travel of 25 feet. There are two saddles on the cross rail and a vertical slide rest on each upright or housing. One peculiarity of this planer is that the feeds for each of the four tool holders are independent in direc- A MAMMOTH SELLERS PLANBR. Donora Mining Company will be obliged to take off some earth from the new Donora mine. The United States “teel Corporation will have a large job of stripping at the new Stevens mine. The Biwabik Mining Company will also do some stripping. The Duluth, Missabe & Northern will let contracts in \ few days calling for the construction of a line to the Shenango mine, together with some improvement to the main line at that point that will call for consider- ible earthwork. Ot ae iad. The British naval estimates for 1902-1903, which vere iatroduced on February 21 in the House of Com- nons by the Secretary of the Admiralty, show a total of ‘156,275,000, as compared with $154,375,000 last year. ‘eventy-five million dollars will be spent for new ships. tion and amount, each having its own feed motion and crank disk for regulating the amount of feed. To ac- complish this, the feeding mechanism is mounted on both ends of the cross rail, the two saddles being con- trolled from opposite ends. Each vertical slide rest car- ries likewise its own feeding mechanism, and all are driven from a common source. The bed, which is in two pieces, has a vertical depth of 4 feet 4%4 inches, and the ways on the table are flat, 16 inches wide, and 7 feet from center to center. One bearing only is guided. The table is provided with steel rack of 3-inch pitch, 18-inch face, operated by bronze spiral pinion on a diagonal shaft 9 inches in diameter. This shaft is driven through a bevel wheel and pinion from a pair of friction clutches operated by a pneu- matic cylinder. The action of the stops on the table ad- ti ~, ew ie ot? a eee rm set 2 THE mits air pressure through either end of the clutch shaft to the proper end of the clamping cylinder, thus causing the alternate engagement and disengagement of the driv- ing and reversing clutches. The receiving pulley on the machine is 48 x 12 inches, and power is transmitted from the pulley by suitable gearing to the clutches, the train to the forward motion clutch being provided with change gears to give a va- riety of cutting speeds; the speed of reverse remaining constant. It is thus possible to obtain with ease the best Fig. 2. IRON AGE, February 27, 19: great accuracy. The cross head itself is lifted by a horse-power motor, mounted on top of one of the ho. ings, provided with electric brake to prevent the lo: from running down. The vertical slide rests are co terbalanced, have power feed on the face of the uprig and a power cross feed which may be either horizont or inclined through a wide angle above and below t horizontal. The lubrication of the table is a matter of great in portance in a machine of this size, and it is here acco: View Showing Augiliary Upright in Working Position. A MAMMOTH SELLERS PLANER. results on materials of all kinds from soft cast iron to high carbon steel. Air pressure is also employed to move the stops in the escapement train which operates the feed motions. It is thus seen that the table does no work in the act of reversing, except to move the small air valves which con- trol the escapement and driving cylinders. The tool clamps on the cross head are arranged to take tool bars 6 inches square, and the parts are so massive that it is necessary to provide a means of handling them by pow- er. Two series motors are therefore mounted on the pro- jecting ends of the cross rail, which is 42 inches deep and nearly 23 feet long, and by these motofs the saddles on the cross head and the slides on the saddles can be moved to any desired point at a rapid rate, and with plished by a centrifugal pump forcing oil over the bear ings under the table, the arrangement of oil grooves b¢ ing such as to insure a thorough distribution over the en tire surface. Catch troughs are arranged to extend b« yond the furthest overhang of the bed, and the oil is leu back through a strainer to the pump tank. The housings are of box construction, and measur 30 inches wide on the face, and 19% feet high, and nea! ly 10 feet deep in the direction of the length of the bec The method of driving is peculiarly successful, it bein: possible to stop and start the table by hand at will an to reverse promptly, so that the table can be used wit! a very short stroke. The illustration, Fig. 1, does not show the vertica slide rests on the uprights, one being obscured by the in vening bed and table, and the other having been re- ved for attachment to the auxiliary upright, Fig. 3. is upright, which is shown in working position in Fig. s used in finishing work too wide to pass between the usings, and is carried upon the floor plate shown in the istration, power for the feed being derived from the iare shaft on the left hand housing for actuating the d on the auxiliary upright. a From the Temperate to the Torrid Zone. PEREZ. VERA CRUZ, February 3, 1902.—A trip from e capital of the State of Durango to this point in the opical wilderness of Mexico, where impenetrable jungle ud palm waving prairie are the topographical features, an experience in life rich with the charm of novelty. Gold and silver mines and mountains, familiar objects to the citizen of Durango, and which, together with its Fig. 3.—Auziliary Upright Detached. A MAMMOTH SELLERS PLANER. agricultural wealth, combine to make it perhaps the most favored State in the Mexican union, are here suc- ceeded by coffee fincas and banana plantations, “ gold mines,” indeed also, to their owners, though in a fig urative sense. Instead of the exhilarating ozone peculiar to an altitude of some 6000 or 7000 feet, the traveler here breathes the almost furnace-like atmosphere of a nearly sea level tierra caliente. rhe “station” from which these notes are dated—as a station with a name only by courtesy, being better own to the railway pioneers, who have only just shed their construction forces a few kilometers ahead us “ Kilometer 200 ’—is the present operating terminus the “ Vera Cruz al Pacifico” Railroad, running from rdoba, a station on the Mexican (“ Queen’s Own’”’) lway, to a junction with the Tehuantepec Railway. line runs almost direct south from Cordoba, the it coffee shipping center, through a rich but primitive utry of forest and tangled undergrowth, with here there a secluded Indian “shack” village. It is a itry for the pioneer, which gives promise of rich and ndant return for the labor which must be expended pruary 27, 1902 THE IRON AGE. 3 to clear away its tangle of vine and creeper and re- deem it from a wilderness to productiveness. A Liak in the Pan-American Ralilroad, The Vera Cruz & Pacific Railway (Mason Line) has been under construction for some years, and despite the many difficulties incidental to such a great ‘undertaking in a tropical country, where labor is scarce and ineffi- cient, the northern division is now completed and in operation. Construction work is being pushed with vigor upon the southern division, the front being now several kilomeiers to the south of this point, where the Midland Bridge Company of Kansas City are building a steel bridge of three spans and a draw over the river which intercepts the track and which is now crossed by a temporary pile bridge. The bridge work, under the direction of the coinpany’s superintendent, Geo. E. Iritcher, is well under way. One of the abutments has been built and the other is about half finished. The workmen are nearly all from Kansas City, being sent down under contract to remain in the company’s employ from three to six months. Their pay ranges from $2.75 to $4, gold, per day of ten hours. The same company have recently completed a fine steel bridge over the River Papaloapam, a short distance to the north, which is reported to have cost $1,000,000, Mexican. They also have other work in hand, including the bridging of the Trinidad River, still further to the south. Their camp at this point is a model of comfort and convenience, the imen being housed in frame buildings, and their health aud well being carefully looked after. A medical man is attached to each of the company’s camps. The Vera Cruz-Pacific Railway is an important link in the projected Pan-American system. When completed it will supply a direct route from the isthmus to the City of Mexico, doing away with the long delays at pres- ent incidental to a part rail and part ocean journey to that rapidly advancing portion of Mexico’s possessions. From Hight to Sea Level, The journey from Durango to Perez is one fraught with interest, from a scenic standpoint, the entire dis- iance. Making allowance for the difference in mileage traveled geographically the trip is analogous to one taken, say, from Olympia, Ore., to the everglades of lorida. 1t embraces a bird’s-eye view of two-thirds of the best part of the republic. The rich States of Dur- ango and Coahule are traversed; the arid sage bush re- gion intervening until the old bonanza mining camp of Zacatecas is reached is forgotten when the smiling and productive regions through which the Mexican Central Railway passes in the States of Guanajuato and Queré- iuro come into sight. The wonderful panoramic views and the splendid engineering revealed by the passage from the tablelands of Mexico to the hot country of the Cordoba region have so often been described as to render repetition unnecessary here. From Cordoba south, how- ever, to this outpost of civilization as represented by the forces of science and industry, epitomized in the opera- tions of railway and bridge builders, the land is a veri- table incognita, novel and interesting in its vegetation and as worthy of study as are the operations and ex- periences of the forceful world developers who are now opening up its long veiled riches to the settler and the husbandman. J. J. De a The Republic Iron & Steel Company entertained the employees of their general offices in Chicago at a ban- quet in that city on the evening of February 16. This was intended to be the first of a series of semiannual banquets. For some time the employees of the com- pany’s accounting department have been giving quarter- ly dinners, and the promotion of good fellowship among them has been so marked that the officers of the com- pany concluded it would be an excellent plan to bring the entire office force together at stated intervals under a similar arrangement. The banquet was attended by nearly 200 persons. John McLaughlan, credit man of the company, acted as toastmaster, and responses were made by President A. W. Thompson, General Counsel Harry Rubens, Assistant Counsel R. Jones, Jr., Secre- tary Y. B. Haagsma, Assistant Secretary C. E. Graves, Cincinnati sales agent, L. A. Burrell, and others. wea ar eae irae Seite Cad ~— Saa ae oa, RES THE IRON AGE. The Metric System. WASHINGTON, ID. C., February 18. 1902.—The House Committee on Coinage, Weights and Measures on the 15th inst. gave another interesting hearing upon the bill providing fur the adoption of the metric system, the wit- nesses being Gen.George M.Sternberg, Surgeon-General of the army, and John A. Brashear of Allegheny, Pa., a well-known manufacturer of scientific apparatus, includ- ing instruments of precision; George A. Bond of the Pratt & Whitney Company, manufacturers of machine tools, &c., and Jesse Pawling, Jr., representing the Franklin Institute of Philadelphia. With the exception of Mr. Bond, the witnesses were enthusiastically in fa- vor of the adoption of the system, and the mémbers of the committee, who are all very favorably disposed to the bill, are inclined to think that Mr. Bond’s opposition is based upon the misapprehension that the measure would require manufacturers to employ only tools, gauges, measures, &c., constructed on the metric system, while as a matter of fact there will Le no compulsory re- quirements. General Sternberg stated to the committee that he had for many years advocated the introduction of the metric system into the medical department of the army and almost immediately after being appointed Surgeon- General in 1894 he had issued an order requesting all surgeons, hospital stewards and other officers of the service to familiarize themselves with the system and directed that it be adopted as the exclusive system of weights and measures on and after the following Jan- uary, since which time, he said, the medical department had employed it exclusively. A special advantage of the system, in General Sternberg’s opinion, was the fact that any error in the employment of terms representing weights was easily detected, for the reason that it either increased or decreased the quantity at least ten times. John A, Brashear. Mr. Brashear, who was the next witness, said that he had been interested in the subject of metrology since a boy, but that when he first began to work upon the sub- ject practically he was prejudiced in favor of the old English system because he had learned his trade on that basis. “But it was not very long after I got into the busi- ness of making astronomical and astrophysical instru- ments,” said he, “that I found the orders I was receiv- ing came largely from foreign nations, and I found my- self forced to begin to study the metric system. There was at the outset a spirit of rebellion among the work- men as well as myself, but we finally had to get down to it, and when I had new lathes constructed I had them all made with the metric screw thread. About ten years ago Dr. Mendenhall, who was superintendent of the Coast and Geodetic Survey, delivered a lecture be- fore the Engineers’ Society of Pittsburgh, of which I happened to be president, in regard to the use of the metric system, which had such an influence upon the engineers and upon myself that we decided at once that all papers and drawings submitted to our society should have weights and measures expressed not only in the English system, but also in the metric. Soon after that I ordered metric rules and gauges for my own shop, and installed the complete metric system of measurements with all the tables and with computations on blue prints, so that my men can take up any measurements in the English system and turn them at once into the French system. For the past ten years we have been working very largely on the metric system in our workshops, al- though I regret to say that we now receive orders from the United States Naval Observatory in the English measures, while from the Smithsonian and the Coast Survey they come in metric measures, and we must sat- isfy both of them. “I wish to say emphatically that the workmen find it easier to work in the metric system, which they find so simple because of the logical transition from the meter to the decimeter and the centimeter and the millimeter, &e. Our orders come from all over the world, including Russia, Asia Minor, Norway, Sweden, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Switzerland and South America in the met- tic system. All these nations use it, and I can see no February 27, 190 way of stopping the wheels of this Juggernaut; if we d not get from under it we will be crushed.” In reply to an inquiry, Mr. Brashear stated that t! measurements received by him from Russian custome: had been in the metric system for the past twent years, although the Russian Government had not ye formally adopted the system. The only orders receiv: in the English system came from the United States a: from England and her colonies, including Canada. member of the committee inquired whether the witnes employed metric screw threads, to which he replied the affirmative, stating that no difficulty whatever w: encountered in changing from any standard of scre\ threads to the metric. Continuing, Mr. Brashear stated that he had recently received an order for an instru ment which required a precision of one and one-hal! millionths of an inch, and that in reaching such a curacy it was necessary to employ light waves for pur poses of measurement. He was frequently surprised to note the accuracy with which young men employed in his workshops but a single year would be able to work a metal or glass surface, some of them working as close as 1-40,000 mm. In reply tv a question, Mr Brashear said he thought if the United States adopted the metric system England would be compelled to do so. When asked whether it would be beneficial to the export trade of the United States if the metric system should be adopted by this country, Mr. Brashear said: “IT think the benefit could hardly be calculated. It seems to me it would be enormous.” George A. Bond, Mr. Bond in his opening statement said that he was the manager of the department of standards and gauges of the Pratt & Whitney Company of Hartford, Conn., and that at the risk of being classed with the hopeless minority he felt impelled to question the desirability of the compulsory adoption of the metric system. “ We build standard measuring machines and gauges,” said he. “ which we can guarantee within 1-50,000 inch on guages and nearly as close on measuring machines, but our workmen, who are as intelligent a lot of men as are to be found in any other manufacturing establish- ment, have found the use of the inch to be more satis factory than the metric standard, especially because the English system seems to lend itself to a little great- er economy in time in the number of figures required on drawings. I am not saying anything at all against the use of the metric system for computation pur- poses. That is the function that it seems to me a deci mal system has been devised for—the facilitating of computations. Certainly for all kinds of scientific work the metric system no doubt has great advantages, but when it comes to the actual work of a machine shop in ordinary manufacturing operations the inch as a unit and subdivisions by halves seem to appeal to certain classes of men much more readily than ten-thousandths, although if they are educated or trained to it they can think in ten-thousandths.” Replying to a question by the chairman, Mr. Bond said decimals were used for very fine measurements, and that the micrometer had become almost universally adopted, as the instrument made by Brown & Sharpe was so low in price and possessed so great a degree of accuracy that no one could afford to be without it for fine work. The Pratt & Whitney Company, We said, had done a great deal of work for foreign governments on a metric basis, including a complete armory outfit for three of the greatest armories in Europe, amount ing to nearly $2,000,000, of which every gauge was il the metric system. As illustrating the point that more figures are required to express dimensions in the metric system than in the English, Mr. Bond said: “We now have a machine ready to be delivered to the national physical laboratory of England, which was ordered in both the metric and English systems for the purpose of testing certain standards of length for Gov ernment work. It has the bars graduated from 0 to 48 inches by inches, and parallel to these is a rule grad- uated from 0 to 1200 mm.; so we have two paralle! columns of figures by inches and by 25 mm., and in the case of the English system no more than two figures are used to express any dimension, while in the metric j stem four are required to express all the measure ents from 1000 to 1200 mm.” Taking up the subject of the expense that would be curred in going from the English to the metric system this country, Mr. Bond said he thought it would be great as to prove a hardship, especially as in his »yinion it would involve the abandonment of certain nndards of great value. In this connection he cited e so-cailed United States standard thread bolt and it, Which had been adopted by the Navy Department use throughout all navy yards, and which had after- urd been taken up and adopted by every railroad com- any in the United States, which materially reduced e cost of repairs. At this point Dr. Stratton of the ew National Bureau of Standards suggested to the tness that the passage of the Shafroth bill would not ompel any manufacturer to change his plant, but vould leave him free to carry on his work upon the isnglish system if he desired to do so, although the prob- ile practical effect of the measure would be to stimu- A ite such a demand for goods made on a metric basis that manufacturers generally would probably soon juip their plants with tools made on the metric sys- em, though that would be optional with them. Dr. Stratton emphasized especially the fact that tools made p n the English basis may be used to turn out products if metric dimensions. Mr. Bond rejoined that he was not fully informed of the scope of the bill and that he , would be glad to be advised as to its exact effect. If the metric system would be optional with manufactur- ers he would not be opposed to it, as he did not want to be classed “‘ with the old fogies.”” Manufacturers who found it more convenient to work with inches, he thought, should be at liberty to do so. Mr. Pawling, who was the last witness examined, laid before the committee a copy of the resolutions re- cently prepared by a special committee of the Franklin Institute, which were printed in The Iron Age of Feb- ruary 13. It was then decided to refer the Shafroth : bill to the Attorney-General for an opinion as to the yf scope of its compulsory features, and also to invite the : United States Steel Corporation to appear before the ‘ committee by a representative chosen from one of their mechanical departments authorized to state the views of the comporation as to the desirability of the adoption is of the metric system by the United States. We L:.'C. ¥ The Shortage of Pig lron.—Matthew Addy & Co., Bf pig iron merchants, of Cincinnati, in their last weekly 3 report, say: “‘ There has been a great deal of wild talk in pig iron circles in regard to a shortage in pig iron. ; It is well to look carefully into the situation and speak a # sober word regarding it, for much of the present excite- ent over the matter is entirely unwarranted by the is facts. At the present time there is a fictitious element Be n the pig iron situation. By this we mean that the i causes which have led to the scarcity of spot pig iron y are unusual and not likely to be of long duration. For the past two months the transportation facilities of the he he Ss country have broken down, and the railroads have not PB veen able to handle the traffic offered to them. This par- cularly has been the case in regard to coke. There is plenty of coke in the country. There has never been fe uy actual shortage of coke at the ovens, but the rail- oads have not been able to haul it. This has resulted i furnaces being obliged to bank a dozen at a time, and, ' course, the production of pig iron has been corre- ndingly reduced. In the South there has been for weeks unprecedentedly bad weather. It has been : d or it has been raining, and labor in the South un- ' these conditions will not work; so the Southern pro- ction has been curtailed. In the South the weather going to change for the better immediately, as the ing season is near at hand. The railroads in the rth are steadily getting in better shape, so it will not ong before furnace production will be once more at top limit. It is true, of course, that market condi- Ss could not be better. A great quantity of iron has n sold, consumption is enormous. and trade is health- and vigorous; but there is no occasion for any pan- * feeling in regard to the supply of pig iron. In the ebruary 27, 1902 THE l1RON AGE. South there is still a large quantity of pig iron for the last half of the year unsold, and for the first half of the year nearly all consumers are supplied.” ee The Car Famine. It is said the opening of navigation in the early spring will find the railroads facing the worst car fam- ine in their history. With but little ore moving now and coal traffic also light, the railroads are unable to supply enough cars to carry coke to the furnaces, and with the opening of navigation, when ore and coal movement will be heavier, the situation is likely to be much worse, instead of better. A Pittsburgh news- paper reviews the situation as follows: There are about 5000 crippled cars in the Pittsburgh district now awaiting repairs, and it will hurry each department to get the work on these cars finished by the middle of April. The car building firms, like the American Car & Foundry Company and the Pressed Steel Car Company, are cautious about accepting hurry up orders, and although the railroads are begging them to rush all work as fast as possible, they cannot make any assuring promises. The reports for 1900 and 1901 show that the Penn- sylvania had 95,724 cars in the freight service, the Pennsylvania Company 44,983, the Baltimore & Ohio Rail road 54,348, the Panhandle 13,710, and the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie about S000, Each of the above roads has added about 2000 cars or more to its freight equipment since then, and the Pennsylvania Railroad and the Baltimore & Ohio have probably built 10,000 new cars, and yet they are short of equipment now. The Panhandle does not own many coal cars, as it uses the Pennsylvania Company cars almost exclusively, and it has at all times about 25,000 Pennsylvania Railroad cars in use on the main line and branches, so that it takes about 45,000 cars to keep the regular business of that system moving. So far as locomotive equipment is concerned the roads will be better off than ever before. The Penn- sylvania will receive 60 new engines from the Baldwin shops in addition to many that will be built at Altoona. The Ft. Wayne and the Panhandlé will receive at least 40 new engines as soon as they can be turned out, and the Baltimore & Ohio and Pittsburgh & Lake Erie are having engines built now at two different shops. The Pennsylvania Company are changing many old style gondola cars into coke racks. The maximum load of coke will not exceed 35 tons, as the material is light and bulky. The old gondola cars are capable of stand- ing such a load, and are fitted up with racks and re- painted. Hundreds of these will be rushed out of the different shops as soon as possible to meet the urgent demand for coke cars. - Of the pig iron exports last year from Middlesbrough, England, 153,330 tons went to Germany, 92,686 tons to Holland, 30,341 tons to Belgium, 34,425 tons to France, 48.746 tons to Norway and Sweden, 74,081 tons to Italy and 60,446 tons to other foreign countries and British possessions, the 466,730 tons remaining to make up the total of 960,785 tons having been sent coastwise to other ports in the United Kingdom. As regards the exports of manufactured iron and steel in 1901, out of a total quantity of 172,957 tons exported, to foreign countries and British possessions, 70,205 tons went to India, 19,- 170 tons to Japan, 25.750 tons to South and East Africa, 15,000 tons to Russia and 42,832 tons to various other countries. The remaining 180,692 tons were sent coast- wise to other ports in the United Kingdom. From the Midlands of England ‘comes the announce- ment that it is proposed shortly to establish in Staf- fordshire a new crude steel cehter, similar to South Wales and the north of England. The idea is to supply all the smaller Midland works with semifinished steel, and so render Midland manufacturers independent both of South Wales, Yorkshire, Lancashire, Germany, Bel- gium and the United States. It is stated that the pro- posed syndicate is prepared to sell at £4 10s. if neces- sary. Of course, billets would be the principal output. a Tot tay —_ See “¢ : ost i Uy F ae 4 —~ MO ES SB eile owt: THE IRON AGE. The Gould & Eberhardt Vertical Drill. Gould & Eberhardt of Newark, N. J., have just shipped to the new United States Government Printing Office at Manila, P. I., several 25-inch upright power feed drill presses. One of these machines, which em- body the latest improvements, is here illustrated. The table and table arm are now raised by bevel gear and screw, instead of by rack and pinion on the column, as formerly on this size drill. As the gearing for raising and lowering the table is placed about midway between February 27, 1902 from breaking should it strike the bottom of the hole o from any cause become fast in the work. The method of arranging the direct connected ele tric motor is also shown. The bracket which support the motor is bolted to the upright columns of the dri! and belted direct from the armature shaft to the driving pulley, and the switch for the motor is placed where i can be quickly and conveniently reached by the operator The table and base plate are large and sufficient), braced to maintain the rigidity of the machine. Th column is practically one casting. The back brace to th THE GOULD & EBERHARDT VERTICAL DRILL. the center of the column and the drill spindle, it equal- izes all strains and weights brought to bear on the table. The automatic tapping attachment is shown on the left of the drill spindle proper. This attachment is used for tapping holes after they have been drilled, the work being rapidly moved across and centered under the tap by means of the oblong, compound traverse table. This tapping attachment can be used for tapping holes, either bottoming or through, large or small, up to the full ca- pacity. After it is set and started it will go to the proper depth, reverse and run back and is réady again for the next hole. It is provided with a safety friction device, which relieves the strain and prevents the tap column counteracts the pull of the cone belt, and thus prevents any possible springing or deflection of the col- umn. An index placed over each step of the lower cone tells the operator the correct belt speed at which to run the various sized drills. An index placed under each step of the upper cone tells the operator what speed to run when back gears are engaged. This system not only eliminates guess work and the burning of drills, but guards against “loafing” on the part of the operator. This index is large and plain, and the foreman can easily interpret it when 6 or 8 feet away from the ma- chine. An index is also placed on the feed rod, which tells at a glance the proper feed for any size drill within range of the machine. The feed is entirely inude- ndent of the drill spindle, and changing the speed of » drill dees not affect the feed arrangement. An automatic stop and depth gauge throws out the d after the drill has reached the required depth. The ick gears are arranged so that one movement of a ver releases the cone from the shaft and engages the aring. and changes the feed ten times coarser, while » movement in the opposite direction disengages the aring. The spindle is provided with means for com- ensating all wear which may take place in the drill, by jeans of a double conical bearing. The spindle head is vertically adjustable and can be raised or lowered and lamped in position. A square quill is used in place of rhe usual round sliding barrel. This adds greatly to the rigidity of the spindle in boring deep and rough holes, as t has more clamping surface and the barrel is less liable to gain play in the head. T-slots run out to the edge of the table and base, so that work can be bolted very close to the edge. The slots are of such a size that standard square headed bolts will fit at once without having special ones forged. This drill can be made to feed either automatically or by hand, up or down, separately through the head the entire length of the planed surface on the column, or independently through the rack on the quill. All changes are made from the front of machine, thus allowing the operator to remain in one position, directly before his work. It is made in 25, 32, 37, 43, 48 and 52 inch sizes. An Accurate Estimation of Sulphur in Iron by the Evolution Method,* BY HARRY E. WALTERS AND ROBERT MILLER, PITTSBURGH. The estimation of sulphur in iron is a subject upon which a great deal has been written, and if apologies are necessary for our contributing to the literature of the subject, we can only say that we think that the method which we present in this paper solves the prob- lem of securing an accurate estimation by the evolution method. Doctor Phillips of this society has shown that in using the evolution method organic sulphur com- pounds are formed, which are quite volatile and pass through the absorbing solutions, and recently Shimer and Blair, in a paper read at the Mexico meeting of the American Institute of Mining Engineers, have proven the presence of a carbon-sulphur-titanium compound in some irons, which is insoluble in hydrochloric acid, and point this out as a further source of error in using the evolution method. Most of the investigations were car- ried on with white irons, while in our investigation we have found the variation in results to be as much, and in most cases thore, in gray irons. It was suggested to us that if the sample be weighed off and then annealed in a non-oxidizing gas, all of the sulphur could, probably, be obtained by the evolution method. Samples of coke, foundry and cast irons, as well as a sampie of iron containing titanium, were obtained and treated as follows: 1. The sulphur was evolved by the regular evolution method, using an ammoniacal cadmium chloride solu- tion to absorb the hydrogen sulphide, and titrating the cadmium sulphide with iodine. -. The sample was weighed into a porcelain boat and annealed in a porcelain tube in a current of natural gas or hydrogen. After annealing the sulphur was evolved and estimated as in 1. : aor sulphur was estimated by the gravimetric method. The first sample tried was a sample taken from an ron casting, which had been cast in sand. This sam- ple showed 0.057 sulphur by the regular method. The imple, after being annealed and then evolved as in the ‘st_ case, showed 0.071 sulphur. The average of five sults by the gravimetric method was also 0.071 sul- ur. From these results it will readily be seen that, er annealing, all of the sulphur was evolved as hydro- | sulphide. These results were so encouraging that 3 A paper read at the meeting of the Chemical Section of the gineers’ Society of Western Pennsylvania. bruary 27, 1902 THE IRON AGE. - ‘ the rest of the samples were then tried, and in every case the result obtained, after annealing, checked with the gravimetric result. Experiments were then instituted to find the amount of time which the annealing should require, and it was decided that for ordinary irons 15 minutes would be sufficient, but if the samples con- tained an appreciable amount of titanium they should be annealed one-half hour. The method finally decided on was as follows: Weigh 5 grams of the sample into a porcelain or copper boat and place in a thin porcelain or nickel tube, which is then placed in a combustion furnace; pass a current of natural gas or hydrogen through the tube a couple of minutes to expel the air, and then ignite it at the end of the tube. Now light the burners under the tube and turn on the gas so that the flame will just en- circle the tube, and anneal at a bright red light 15 minutes to one-half hour. At the expiration of this time turn out the burners and allow the tube to cool while the current of gas continues. This will require about sever to ten minutes. When cool, remove the boat from the tube and transfer the sample to a suitable flask, and evolve the sulphur with dilute hydrochloric acid (1 acid, 1 water). Absorb the evolved hydrogen sul- phide in an ammoniacal cadmium chloride solution. Titrate with an iodine solution of theoretical strength. The following results will show how well the method compares with the gravimetric method: Evolution Barium Regular evolu- after annealing chloride Sample. tion method. 15 minutes. method. | oor 0.057 0.071 ; 1 Irom casting. ........--4 anne 0.071 8 0.057 0.071 0.071 0.073 3¢ » ; pe Pee ee bent — bye 3 Shot sample........... 1 0048 0.051 0.052 4 Shot sample........... 0.049 0.059 0.059 , 0.084 | 0 86 5 Shot sample....... e:-- 0.080 10.085 ¢ 0 7 Shot sample........... 0.026 0.026 0.026 a “eee 0.036 0.035 0.034 9 Shot sample..... .-- 0.052 0.051 0.053 10 Shot sample....... -+- 0.072 0.078 0.077 TR Gee WRMIR. 2 6c cc icces 0.125 0.132 0.130 : ‘ § 0.032 0.031 0.030 eee Wee EINES on a tee es eet 10.030 0.030 0.082 5 ).05 , ree herr = 0.060 e ).08 0. No, 740 Shot...........-. | 080 oa O oae a Se er on eae ue No. 740 Pig...-.. sss s9++ 10,080 0.079 0.080 ( 0.025 0.034 0.030 No. 2 Iron castings... ooee oa. oan 0.025 0. a f 0.038 0.056 0.056 We ic ces cicdecwuadeseuns 10.038 0.055 0.054 0.040 0.057 0.057 \ 2 0.059 0.076 0.076 We icc ccecuteddwertwue 0.059 0.075 0.074 0.060 oer 0.075 0.076 | No. 12 Pig iron........-. oes oe 0.076 Shot samples 2-11 were kindly furnished by Messrs. Murray, Rich, Mohr and Doctor Phillips. Shot samples 724, 730, 740 and 769 are from the Isa- bella Furnace. These samples were heated to redness before they were crushed. This probably accounts for the results of the three methods checking so closely. Sample of pig iron 740 is from the same cast as the shot sample 740. Samples B and C are the American Foundrymen’s Association standards. No. 12 is a sample of iron containing titanium and 2.44 per cent. silicon, and was kindly furnished to us by Prof. P. W. Shimer. It required 30 minutes’ annealing on this sample. We think that the method, as outlined above, is prac- tical, because it requires but one hour to make the deter- mination, and if a tube of large bore be used a large number of samples may be annealed at the same time. While we should have liked to present more results, and also to have tried annealing in nitrogen and carbon dioxide, we could not find the time to perform any more experiments. We think that either of these gases will act as well as hydrogen or natural gas, and, further- more, believe that if shot samples are heated to redness before they are crushed they will need no further an- nealing, and all the sulphur will be evolved as hydrogen sulphide. £ ee aan ee eee THE IRON AGE. Trade Notes from Scotland. GLasGow, February 7, 1902.—The alliance between William Beardmore & Co. of Glasgow and Vickers’ Sons & Maxim, Limited, Barrow and Sheffield, has now been confirmed by a vote of the shareholders of the lat- ter company. In order to carry it out the capital of the Vickers Company is increased by the creation of 400,000 new ordinary shares of £1 each, which are handed over to Mr. Beardmore as fully paid, in respect of one-half share in the capital of the Beardmore concern. This is now registered as a limited liability company with an ordinary share capital of £1,500,000 in £1 shares, and with borrowing powers to the extent of £2,000,000. Al- bert Vickers and Lieutenant Dawson, R. N., directors of the Vickers Company, join the board of the new Beardmore Company, and William Beardmore, while re- maining managing director of William Beardmore & Co., Limited, ulso becomes a director of the Vickers Company. None of the new capital is offered to the public. The Beardmore Company by their articles of association acquire powers, besides carrying on the business as at present conducted, to acquire, own, and work coal mines and quarries, to undertake contracts for works involving the supply and use of machinery, and for the construction of roads, railways, tramways, telegraph lines, &c., and the acquisition of docks, build- ings, patents, &c. There are also provisions to enable the company to combine or amalgamate with any other company having similar powers, apart from and in ad- dition to the arrangement with the Vickers Company. It is evident that great extensions are intended in the development of the Beardmore works and shipyard, and that further amalgamations are contemplated. Names are mentioned of well known firms to be absorbed, but it would be unwise to give them at present the pub- licity of these columns. e The Vickers Company as they now exist are an amal- gamation of the old firm of Naylor, Vickers & Co., steel manufacturers of Sheffield, with the Naval Construction & Armaments Company, Limited, of Barrow, and the Maxim-Nordenfeldt Gun & Ammunition Company, Lim- ited. They have a share capital of £4,800,000, besides mortgage bonds of £1,250,000,and it has, since the amal- gamation was completed, paid dividends of from 15 per cent. to 20 per cent. per annum, besides bonuses. The steel works and the armor plate works are at Shef- field, the shipbuilding yard and engine shops at Bar- row-in-Furness. In the case of William Beardmore & Co., all the pro- ducing plant is in or near Glasgow, and the products are identical with those of the Vickers Company. That is to say, they make steel plates and armor plates; and build merchant ships and war ships; but they roll heavier armor plates than Vickers or any other maker, and they forge larger propeller and other shafting than almost any other maker. The Vickers Company also make ordnance and small arms, which the Beardmore Company are preparing to do. It may interest Ameri- can readers to know that the shipbuilding yard at present run by William Beardmore & Co. was that founded by the famous Robert Napier, who planned and built the engines for the first Cunard steamer, and a number of its successors. He was originally an en- gineer only, but started shipbuilding in 1842. In Napier’s yard was built the first vessel to cross the Atlantic in less than nine days. This was the Cunarder “ Scotia,” first of that name, but last of the side wheelers for ocean service, regarded in her time as the champion model of a mercantile marine steamer. She is still, I believe, in use as a telegraph-cable steamer. It was at Napier’s that the first screw propeller mail steamer was built, as also in due time the first steel mail steam- er. And at Napier’s was built the “ Ophir,” which car- ried the Prince and Princess of Wales around the world last year. Again, Napier’s was the first yard on the Clyde to build war ships, and for half a century this yard has been one of the most important contributors to the British navy, as well as to the navies of sevéral foreign countries. The founder of the firm of Robert Napier & Sons was associated with the foundation of the Parkhead works of William Beardmore & Co., and af- February 27, 190. ter more than half a century of separate existence th whole shipbuilding and engineering business of Rober Napier & Sons was last year taken over by Willian Beardmore & Co., but not to be carried out on the sam: spot, nor with the more or less obsolete plant. Beard more & Co. further acquired a 70-acre site with plent) of room to grow, further down the river, which is being rapidly laid out with building berths and engine shops for the production of the now largest types of mer chant and fighting ships, with the most modern an perfect plant in the world. I don’t think any American shipbuilder or engineer will find that he has many points to give the new Beardmore works at Dalmuir, sowe seven miles out of Glasgow. ‘These works wil! now he run in alliance with the Vickers Company, by the allotment of contracts to such plant as is best suited to deal with them. Their position with regard to armor plates will make the alliance very strong in the matter of war ship building. It is yet too soo