The Iron Age 1902-04-24: Vol 69 Iss 17

Coe Vol. 69: No. 77. New York, Thursday, April 24, 1902. $8.00 a-Yeor, ineluding Paes Reading Matter Contents ........ page 58 Alphabetical Index to Advertisers ‘“‘ = 159 Classified List of Advertisers 152 Advertising and Subscription Rates" 73 St. Louis, Mo. New York. Bristol’s Patent Steel Belt Lacing, SAVES Time, Belts, Money. GreatestStrength READY TOAPPCY FimisHEDvoWT With Least Metal. Send for Circulars and Free Samples. THE BRISTOL CO., Waterbury, Conn. SAMSON SPOT CORD eae ~~ yt ee SAMSON CORDAGE WORKS, Boston, Mass. TURNBUCKLES. ag i Branch Office, 11 Broadway, New York Cleveland City Forge and tron Con”. ‘Cloveland, © 3ROOKLYN. u Y¥ Girard Building, Phila. PILLING & CRANE Lewis Block, Pitteburgh. § Empire Bidg., New York. APOLLO BEST BLOOM GALVANIZED IRON What does anyone gain by using common galvanized iron ? Nothing ; and loses time (which is wages) and stand- ing (which also is money). American Sheet Steel Company, New Yerk A Review of the Hardware, Iron, Machinery and Metal Trades. Published every Thursday Morning by David Williams Co,, 232-238 William St., New York. O d voqwuryse 4 Foe say «80 9 1 Us ubeyshugs Single Copies, Ten Cents. EAS f BULK SMOKELESS POWDER The Name Smokeless Changed to Arrow. The tamous U. M. C. SMOKELESS shell is’ now branded ARROW, but the quality and color remain the same. This change of name has been made to better protect the shooters of U. M. C. loaded shells, who have often been given shells of other makes loaded with smokeless powder when they wished U. M. C. SMOKELESS. Specify U. M. C. when ordering ammunition. THE UNION METALLIC CARTRIDGE CO., AGENCY: 313 Broadway, New York City, FACTORY: Bridgeport, Conn. CAHALL BOILERS sr CAPEWELL HORSE NAILS. NEW YORK, PHILADELPHIA, CHICAGO, ST. LOUIS, BOSTON, DETROIT, BRANCHES: CINCINNATI, SAN FRANCISCO) PORTLAND, ORE., BUFFALO, BALTIMORE, NEW ORLEANS. DENVER. THE CAPEWELL HORSE NAIL COMPANY, HARTFORD, CONN. * a a“ 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, Chicago. THE AMERICAN TUBE & STAMPING C0, HOT AND COLD ROLLED Successor to exe 149 STRIP STEEL. The WILMOT & HOBBS MF6. CO, PAGE ‘ MAGNOLIA METAL: Saat pan ane ee ee Pac-Simile of Bar. : Beware of 1 “ap imitations. MAGNOLIA METAL CO., mnare Boats Sf ae teres Owners and Sole Manufacturers, naw vom yi SONLAN ‘Sonsan NERO Phase Fg Sie Sa SBS Fe 3 otto > aes inka nM ae Nc: seal tl sep ee eee er . ‘ : ‘ % ! ope rr re £ oe RR ee oe map 3 ees — no gercees - — — ; a = ee ay! Pe a eee , eee Tn bee P Sen. - ae aed a ; ta a YT UT EEL we mS Pe a 0 <9 ae ere eee. a5 tes Ee rN Pa] Re hee : q fea Fy oe x on $d ee eng Seer: as - ase Brey Tee ARs Pe eee Lae ae: Ce MN ys LS Sy eae a ' yp a “GPSS m - ws ae v = : me . - Pees % eo . ati ie K ea ee oe e a i bo, THE IRON AGE., ansonia Brass | WATERBURY BRASS G0. /Pve Puome & & rwot Mes, Co,, » Co PPER Co: ESTABLISHED 1845. CPPS C2. a svn oe SEB and Roll Brass BRASS AND COPPER NEW YORK STORE, —1x0— Seamless Tubes, Sheets, Rods and Wire. Nos, 122 to 130 Centre St. WwW I FR E PRINTERS’ BRASS, JEWELERS’ METAL, GERMAN Ingot Copper. | OVER ONE MILLION LBS, |stfet a> enome act, corer sve ecu masupscromans T 5 s ey of Brass, German Silver, Bronze and Pins, vee Batt nates Jack oo anes 0 i n ro n Ze Copper in Sheet, Wire, Rod, Brazed Trimmings, &e, (Trape-Mark REGISTERED.) ~—— Condenser Piates,Pump Linings, Round, | and Seamless Tubing regularly car-|99 MURRAY ST.. NEW YORK. Square and Hexagon Bars, for Pump ried in stock. 144 = 8T., BOSTON. Piston Rods and Bolt Forgings. 99 LAKE 8T., CHICAGO, Seamless Tubes 09 John Street, New York, | OOMpl@te Lines Spc Carried) xaesmrmcs | | ractonms WATERBURY, CONN, for the Hardware Trade, Randolph-Clowes (0. 8} coppersmiths’ Supplies, Metatic|{ °°OVILL MFG. CO., Manufacturers of Sintn Caiso and SM, Eyelets, Shells, Ferrules and small BRASS ’ WATERBURY, CONN. brass wares of every description. CE R MAN SILVER MANUFACTURERS OF Sheets, Roils, Wire SHEET BRASS & COPPER. Rods, Bolts and Tubes, Brass Shelis, Cups, Hinges, Buttons, Lamp Coods. SPECIAL BRASS GOODS TO ORDER Factories, WATERBURY, CONN. DEPOTS: NEW YORK, CHICAGO, BOSTON. BRAZED BRASS & COPPER TUBES. Deoxidized Babbitt. NEVER HAS BEEN BEATEN. SEAMLESS BRASS & COPPER TUBES 'TO 36 IN. DIAM. New eee ae tee 258 Becatway, Postal Tel- Boston cago Oftce, “iia Fi Oliver ter Bide. on Sts. Bridgeport Deoxidized Bronze & Metal Co.1| }OHN DAVOL & SONS, BRIDGEPORT, CONN. AGENTS FOR Brooklyn Brass & Copper Co.., DEALERS [N COPPER, TIN, SPELTER, LEAD, ANTIMONY. 100 John Street, - New York. Matthiessen & Hegeler Zinc Co., ' LA SALLE, ILLINOIS. SMELTERS OF SPELTER Arthur T: Rutter AND MANUFACTURERS OF SUCCESSOR TO SHEET ZINC AND SULPHURIC ACID. Special Sizes of Zinc cut to order. Rolled Battery Plates. WILLIAM S. FEARING Selected Plates for Etchers’ and Li hers’ use. pices Waals Ser mane end Card Bakers’ use. 256 Broadway, NEW YORK. en wae Small tubing in. Brass, Copper, ZINCS FOR LECLANCHE BATTERY. Steel, Aluminum, German Silver, &c. Sheet Brass, Copper and Ger- man Silver. Copper, Brass and UNM IN RL Ag nas “7 & West Monroe St... Chicago. Best “a ¢, Babbitt Metals, Brass and Aluminum CASTINGS, “Dealch-Light Do ——— a made. ’ : Ona 00 Founders, Finishers, OIL and GAS === jenbmrexs eaowens ~ UIGUOIG LAN(GM. PROPRIETURS OF THE “ . 2 Send for Circulars and Electrotypes. Belleville Copper Rolling. Mills, (te srivceporr srass co. MANUFACTURERS OF Bridgeport, Conn. Brazxiers’ Bolt and #heathing 19 Murray St. N. y ple, Mh st. Philadelphia. Tagot Copper, ‘Block "Tin, Spelter, Lead, Antimony, eta: SA: 49 SuUFF ST., NEW ORK. i ‘THB IRON GE THuRSDAY, ApRIL 24, 1902. The Cockerill Variable Cut Off Gear for Gas Engines. The problem of efficient governing in gas engines is one of considerable difficulty. ‘‘ Hit and miss” regu- lation, which consists in shutting off the supply of gas so as to cause a misfire when the speed of the engine rHE COCKERILL VARIABLE Cl rises beyond a certain limit, has been the plan usually followed hitherto. Evenness of running has generally been attained by the use of heavy fly wheels devices answered fairly well so long as engines were only ot moderate size. Recently, however the desire to more fully utilize blast furnace gases has called into existence a class of engines of a size undreamt of a few years ago, and with these the old fly wheel and misfire combinations fail to insure the uniformity of turning velocity necessary for many purposes. These gas The Société Anonyme John Cockerill-of Seraing, Bel- gium, was among the first to make a special study of the design and construction of gas motors of from 600 to 1200 horse-power. Even larger sizes were contem- plated, some of these large motors being, moreover, de- signed for the purpose of driving dynamos. This study brought out clearly the deficiency of the old methods, and better had to Something be devised. something VU } ali ihabavala ihalilulilitaty AVA AMM D4 OFF GEAR FOR GAS equivalent to or at least trolled seemed to be the idea tacked Delan his brief career » governor con expansion gear of high class steam engines aimed at. The problem was at- the late E. who during the later years of hand with,the and solved with great ingenuity by are-Deboutteville, hand in Cockerill. The main principle worked engi- neers of the Société of the Delamare valve gear con- sists in allowing the air and gas valves to remain open under certain circumstances for only a limited portion 2 THE IRON AGE. April 24, 1902 nected and can move slightly away from each other, so as to allow for wear, while maintaining perfect closing. The valves 3 and 4 are operated simultaneously by the three-armed lever 5, deriving its motion from the cam 6, mounted on the rock shaft B. This shaft is worked by means of a connecting rod from a crank disk keyed onto the auxiliary shaft A, of which the speed of rota- tion is, as usual in four-cycle engines, one-half that of the main shaft. The cam 6 is not keyed onto the shaft A pawl, 7, shown in Figs. 1 and 38, catches into a of the suction stroke of the working piston. The cylin- der is thus only partially filled with the mixture of gas and air, the explosion of which, after compression and ignition, gives a less powerful impulse on the piston than when the admission of the explosive mixture is allowed to go on during the whole length of the forward stroke of the piston. The speed of the engine is thus rapidly reduced to within normal limits. The relative proportions of gas and air remain constant and an ignitable mixture is always maintained, while B. ae < a ~_ Sx ets ae Ge ee Sr TET er TET, . eee j | aan CEPT! rr eed, Ce Ba easily KES I es éée \ PITT SRT ET TET OTE ee 2 3 ACT ete ———— THE IRON AGE : i Bs oe onetime Fig. 2.—Eavhaust Valve Gear. THE COCKERILL VARIABLE CUT OFF GEAR FOR GAS ENGINES. Sr or en ree 4 yok ET ep see re ee ee ae eee 3 the the quantity allowed to enter the cylinder may vary within considerably extended limits. The superiority of this method of regulating speed over certain others in common use—viz., those in which the supply of gas alone is controlled by the governor—lies in its greater elasticity and greater certainty of action. It avoids the risk so often incurred when the gas supply alone is con- trolled by the governor, that non-inflammable mixtures are formed within the cylinder. The arrangement of gas and air valves is shown in Fig. 1, which is a section through the axis of the valves. The gas valve 8, which is of the mushroom type, is con- centric and placed above the air valve 4. This latter has a hollow spindle, through which the spindle of the gas valve passes. The two valves are not rigidly con- notch, 45, Fig. 6, on the periphery of the cam 6, carry- ing this latter round through a certain angle. As long as the speed of the engine is kept within due limits the pawl 7 and cam 6 remain engaged during the whole oscillation, corresponding to the entire length of the main piston’s forward stroke. When the speed rises beyond certain working limits the governor comes into play and causes the pawl to disengage from the notch 45 at some point before the completion of the stroke of the piston. The cam 6 is brought back gradually to its primitive position by means of the lever and dash- pot mechanism shown in Fig. 5. « The form of governor most favored by Delamare- Deboutteville was one of the air pump type, shown in Figs. 3 and 4. It consists, as will be seen, of two pis- April 24, 1902 tons, 8 and 9, working in contrary directions. The air compressed between these two pistons escaped by a very small aperture, through which its flow can be regulated by a micrometric screw stopper, 48. It will be readily unuerstood that the air pressure in chamber 47 and the consequent distance between the two oppo- site pistons is directly dependent upon the speed of the Fig. 6.—Spring for Actuating Trip NOISS34gWo5 < > yorss3¥ jWOO > THE IRON AGE Fig. 3.—Section through Governor. THE COCKERILL engine. When this increases the smaller piston, 8, rises, and in so doing changes the position of the cam 12, whose special function is to cause the release of the pawl 7 from the cam 6. Keyed onto the same axle as the pawl 7 is a short lever, 20, on the end of which a roller, 19, Fig. 4, runs in contact with the cam 12; the boss of this last causes the lever 20 to assume such a position that the trip 7 is thrown out of the notch 45. The lever and pawl! are then brought back to their THR IRON AGE. VARIABLE CUT OFF w 9») original position by the spring 22, shown in Fig. 6. The supplementary boss or the projection 50 on the cam 12 has for its object to insure the disengagement of the trip 7 at the end of the working stroke, when full ad- mission is in use and the governor is not acting. The cam 12 is held in the cut off position by a butting piece, 13, Fig. 4, against which it is pressed by the spiral Fig. 5.—Valve Operating Mechaniam. GEAR FOR GAS ENGINES. spring 14. The butting piece 13 follows the motion com- municated to the cam 12 by the governor until the short lever 15, striking the finger 17, brings back 13 to its original or rest position. On the cam 6, Fig. 5, is a second low projection, 49, the object of which is to throw an additional compressive strain on the spring 38, Fig. 1, tendency of the valve 3 to rise when seating. so as to enable it to resist any The exhaust valve gear is shown in Fig. 2. The cam F Keene eatin tpn » ao) meet rs oe ee es — = Ly 2 > = — -_ aS am Serene Saher epee 3 “Ss a reo erat ep rE mS ere nee mee SR mo ee ee e sae Ra = AOR fo 7 ecmnmearmme eet <n Pe, pe Ye = vibe . Ps Ss seas aa P. 2 oe r SDE gts pee ern sore pnt eretner - we ee tere er | RL SI eI = me perenne m FTN OE ees eee ee - 4 THE 39 is keyed onto the shaft B; it raises and lowers the exhaust valve 52 by means of the triangular lever 40. A slightly raised part, 51, on the cam exerts a sufficient extra tension on the spring 44 to keep valve 52 on its seat under all conditions. It might have a tendency to lift, such as would be caused by an accidental misfire, the effect of which is to produce a partial vacuum in the cylinder during the succeeding forward stroke of the piston. Fig. 7 shows an adaptation of a ball governor to the The governor changes the posi- same valve mechanism. [IRON AGE. April 24, 1902 of the special governing advantages, the removal of the last mentioned drawbacks is a result of great im- portance and entitles the new Cockerill adjustable cut off valve gear to be looked upon as a distinct advance in the design of large gas engines. —_—$$ $$ The Iron Ores of Western Ontario. At the recent meeting of the Canadian Institute of Mining Engineers, at Montreal, F. Hille, M.E., of Port Arthur, presented a paper on “‘ The Iron Ores of West- —ol AA THE IRON AoOB Fig. 7.—Section Showing Adaptation of Ball Governor. THE COCKERILL VARIABLE tion and causes the release of the pawl 7, as already de- scribed in the case of the air pump governor. One great advantage of both the arrangements above described is that the perfect closing of the air, gas and exhaust valves is not, as in most designs of gas engines, dependent on the strength of the controlling springs. These may be of moderate size and power even for very large engines. The importance of this advantage is at once apparent when it is considered that where springs only are used to close the valves not only must these be very powerful, but all parts of the valve gear- ing must be made very strong to overcome their re- sistance, and the working of the entire engine becomes subject to violent strains and shocks. Independently CU" r OFF GEAR FOR GAS ENGINES. ern Ontario.” Mr. Hille has been for many years a lead- ing, and often the only, chemist in that region, and his knowledge of the iron ore deposits of the region should be good. A brief abstract of the paper follows: We here in this country have been very active this season. From near and far came representatives of larger and smaller iron works with a sprinkling of specu- lators. Our rocks are principally eruptive, and to recog- nize which is older. and which the mineral producer needs a long while of close study, the possession of a keen sense of observation and a certain enthusiasm in these matters, to overcome the drawbacks that a new uncultivated country snch as ours offers. In the Huronian rocks I class the magnetites of the April 24, 1902 THE IRON AGE. 5 Kaministiquia, the Mattawin, Greenwater Lake and Hunter’s Island. They all originated by the infiltration of hot iron and silica solutions into the fissures of a sheared chlorite schist. They form almost a continuous belt representing a flat crescent, whose eastern horn commences south of Kaministiquia station, on the Cana- dian Pacific road, continues north for miles, turns then in a sharp curve to the Mattawin River, follows this river and onward past Greenwater Lake and then turns in a long sweeping curve to Hunter’s Island. Except on the Mattawin these deposits are banded iron and jasper intervening, while on the Mattawin the iron deposits are more massive, some of extraordinary width and com- paratively free from jasper. The iron averages from 35 to 40 per cent.; part is an intimate mixture, part a chem ical combination of magnetite and silicic acid. At the eastern and western ends the iron runs higher, but the lenses are too narrow for economical mining. Only dia- mond drilling will disclose whether there are locations where the concentration has been more complete. On the upper falls of the Mattawin three parallel bands form a combined width of 700 feet. This was all mag netic, but part is highly oxidized and hematitic. Con- siderable prospecting has been done on these deposits and several drill holes are down 1000 feet at angles vary ing to 45 per cent., and where the drill has been kept at the strike of the deposit ore was found all the way down and not varying in quality, showing iron 35 to 40 per cent., phosphorus a little above the Bessemer limit. For 20 miles we find this ore striking with the formation nearly east and west. These deposits are usually found on the anticlinal of a chlorite schist. Through the leach ing and replacing process the field appearance of the schist near the ore is that of a creamy white dolomite, while at.greater distance it carries more and more iron. These deposits of magnetite are perhaps the most ex- tensive of which the world knows, and will take cen- turies to exhaust when once there is need of them. At present they can be valuable only in case some one wants a highly siliceous ore. Among these Huronian rocks occurs also a limonite, near Steep Rock Lake. Float of this has been known for years, and now they are beginning to find it in place. Pseudomorphs of this ore give up to 68 per cent. of iron, 0.001 to 9.004 phosphorus, 0.02 sulphur and from a trace to 2.5 per cent. manganese. No one yet knows whether there are deposits of this ore in sufficient quantity for mining. The post-Huronian ores of the Atikokan River, Green- water Lake and Head Lake seem to have originated through a magnetic differentiation, the various minerals separating in special groups. ‘This class is of volcanic origin, and its constituents form lenses or pockets of all sizes, either partly separated or mixed. The dikes are much similar to the rocks in which pyrrhotite is mined at Sudbury. Glacial action has been very marked and much of the formation is eroded. The pure magnetite contains from 64 to 68 per cent. iron, 0.03 to 0.01 per cent. phosphorus and from 0.5 up in sulphur. The width of the dikes is considerable, that at Sabawe Lake being in extreme width about 300 feet, running out at both ends to a feather adge. I tried to make a commercial product of these Atikokan ores last year. I ground the ore, magnetically separated the rock, dead roasted and briquetted. The roasting and briquetting are done in one furnace. The product was a brick solid enough to stand up in the furnace. nearly self fluxing, running 68 per cent. iron, 0.02 phosphorus, 0.5 silica, 0.08 sulphur and the rest carbon, making a briquette probably suitable for steel by direct process. At the Atikokan a tunnel has been driven through the outcrop and a number of drill holes sunk in it to considerable depth, showing the ore to continue as at surface. At Greenwater Lake there is no pyrrhotite, and the iron and rock are better sepa- rated, with clean ore, sometimes 20 feet thick. This sep- aration seems to continue with depth. The ore varies from about 54 per cent. iron, 0.12 phosphorus, and a varying percentage of sulphur, which from surface saniples is not well determinable. The ore is somewhat slaty, finer grained and intermixed with some chlorite. Near Head Lake similar deposits appear in a strike with the foliatiou of the Keewatin rocks, and traceable over 2 miles. Erosion has been great. The structure of the ore is crystalline, the iron average over 50 per cent., the phosphorus 0.15 and some sulphur. In the same district are very large deposits of ore carrying titanium. There are also many massive nickel- iferous pyrrhotites carrying almost no copper. Nine years ago I made a proposition to eliminate the sulphur from these ores, use the resultant ferric and nickel oxides for making ferro-nickel, and save the sulphuric acid for any commercial process. In the Cambrian rocks, especially in their lower mem- bers, there are thin horizontal layers of very pure high grade magnetites. These are remnants of what were once evidently of considerable area, interestratified in the chert and jasper. but are now of small extent hori- zontally and of slight thickness vertically. These ores were probably deposited through-the agency of hot min- eral waters carrying carbonate of iron and silica in solu- tion and they become magnetic through the heat, both of the trap lava, which flowed over the floor in consid- erable thickress, and of the granite floor. These condi- tions prevail in the northern margin of the chert, but elsewhere the iron retained its original state as a car- bonate. There are also in this region extensive areas of hematite, but nobody has done anything. with these. oe The fron and Steel Institute. The annual meeting of the Lron and Steel Institute will be held on May 7 and 8. The following is a list of the papers that are expected to be submitted: Report by the committee appointed to investigate the nomenclature of metallography. “On a New Vacuum Tuyere for Blast Furnaces,” by Horace Allen, London. ‘On the Microstructure of Hardened Steel,” by Prof. J. O. Arnold and A. McWilliam, Sheffield. **On the Compression of Fuel Before Coking,” by J. H. Darby, Brymbo. *On Gas from Wood for Use in the Manufacture of Steel,” by James Douglas, LL.D., New York. *On a Combined Blast Furnace and Open Hearth Process,” by P. Eyermann, Benrath, near Diisseldorf. “On the Physical and Chemical Properties of Car- bon in the Hearth of the Blast Furnace,” by W. J. Fos- ter, Darlaston. “On the Sulphur Contents of Slags and Other Metal- lurgical Products,” by Baron H. von Jiiptner, Donawitz, Austria. “On the Elimination of Silicon in the Acid Open Hearth Furnace,” by A. McWilliam, Sheffield, and W. H. Hatfield, Sheffield. “Report on Research Work Carried Out During the Past Year,” by J. A. Mathews, Ph.D., New York. “On the Iron Ore of Brazil,” by H. Kilburn Scott, Rio de Janeiro. “On the Recovery of By-Products in Coking,” by J. Thiry, London. “On Brinell’s Researches on the Influence of Chem- ical Composition on the Soundness of Steel Ingots,” by Axel Wahlberg, Stockholm. ——— ee The International Association of Ornamental and Architectural lron Workers was organized in Pittsburgh last week. Officers were elected as follows: E. P. Me- Millen of Pittsburgh, president; T. W. Leillitner of Pitts- burgh, vice-president; J. H. Perkins of Boston, secretary and treasurer; G. E. Baitman of Rochester, N. Y.: T. Lindali of ‘Toronto, Ont.; G. J. Lobsack of Cleveland, W. Bruce of Philadelphia and J. E. Thompson of Pitts- burgh, General Executive Board. The convention adopted a constitution and starts with an organization of 2000 men. By a vote practically unanimous it was decided that the organization will not affiliate with the Ameri- can Federation of Labor. The bridge and structural! iron workers, a kindred organization, stands in the same at- titude, having withdrawn their affiliation from the gen- eral body at their last annual convention. ‘The Pitts- burgh local of the new organization has already arranged a wage scale with employers to run until May 1, 1903. ‘This provides for a rate of 40 cents an hour and an eight- hour day. 6 THE American, British and Belgian Lo- comotives. Lonpon, April 5, 1902.—On May 7 of last year Sir Alfred Hickman asked the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he was aware that the Chief Inspector of the Locomotive Department of the Burmah Railways had reported that the American locomotives in use there consumed upward of 35 per cent. more fuel than British locomotives doing the same work, and whether he would cause trials to be made of the con- sumption of fuel in the American and Belgian loco- motives in use on the Egyptian Railways. This question led to an undertaking on the part of the Foreign Office to obtain through Lord Cromer a report concerning the consumption of fuel in American and Belgian locomo- tives in use on the Egyptian lines. The promised in- vestigation gradually widened in scope, so as to include further an inquiry into the consumption of oil (one of the best indications of good or bad workmanship), and generally into the comparative merits of American, British and Belgian locomotives not only in regard to the specific points mentioned, but also in regard to ther- mal and mechanical efficiency. The first report on the inquiries thus set on foot is now to hand and constitutes a document of real importance and significance. The report before me is entitled ‘‘ Correspondence Respect- ing the Comparative Merits of British, Belgian and American Locomotives in Egypt,” and is marked *“ Com- mercial, No. 1 (1902).” The price is 12 cents. We first of all have a covering dispatch written by Lord Cromer himself, in which the whole situation is impartially and ably summed up. Following this come a number of memoranda giving in detail the various tests applied to the British and American locomotives, and ending with some technical observations by Major Johnstone, president of the Railway Board, and by F. H. Trevi- thick, the chief engineer. That the tests herein reported are absolutely fair and impartial is proved by the fact that they are not only signed by a representative of the Egyptian Railways, but in every case by a representative from the Baldwin Locomotive Works. It is evident from the great care taken by all concerned that a really serious effort was made to obtain results against which there could be no cavil. The British System of Public Tendering. Before proceeding to the more detailed criticisms, I would like first to note some remarks made by Lord Cromer on the general system of tender which is prac- ticed in Egypt with special reference to its application by the Railway Board. It is evident that there is some doubt in the minds of high officials throughout the British Civil Service whether the system of tendering should not in some important points be modified in the near future. It is therefore necessary that large Ameri- ean and other engineeering and metal manufacturing tirms should be au courant with the general drift of internal politics. Lord Cromer remarks that the matter is one which has frequently formed the subject of dis- cussion in Egypt, and on which very diverse opinions exist among competent authorities. The principal merit of the system is that it minimizes the possibility of un- due influence being exerted in favor of any particular firm or individual. He points out, however, that as a matter of fact the importance of this looms much more largely in the public mind than among the officials them- selves. For while the public are not unnaturally prone to suspect the existence of favoritism on grounds which are frequently inadequate, the officials are dominated by two ideas—viz., 1, to get the best and cheapest arti- cle they can for their department, and, 2, studiously to avoid any course of action which might possibly involve imputations of favoritism being cast on them. The popularity of the tender system among official classes, notwithstanding its recognized defects, is that it relieves them from a certain amount of responsibility and at the same time minimizes the risk of imputations such as those alluded to. The principal demerit of the system is that it not infrequently fails to secure the main object in view, which is to obtain for the taxpayers the best and cheapest article to be procured. There have been TRON AGE. April 24, 1902 notorious failures in this connection, and many more would undoubtedly lead to a small revolution in the system of tendering. Occasions do arise when any Gov- ernment department must face the music and set its face against public tendering. Lord Cromer remarks: “My personal opinion is that the question of which system should be adopted bears greatly on the circum- stances of each case. For instance, there would, I think, have been the strongest objections to the adop- tion of the tender system in the case of the reservoir works now being executed at Assouan and Assiout. In the case of works of these dimensions and of this importance the paramount necessity of obtaining the services of a contractor of proved trustworthiness and possessed of substantial means must be placed before any other consideration. I may say that, in the par- ticular case under discussion, I felt the force of the argu- ment which I have stated above so strongly that, at the time when the matter was under consideration, I should have advocated the abandonment or at all events the postponement of these most useful and necessary works rather than have consented to any conditions under which the responsible officials of the Government would have been in any degree hampered either in the free choice of the agents whom they might wish to employ or in their liberty of control over those agents.” I men- tion this point because it is evident that in a cosmo- politan government like that of Egypt second-rate firms are very apt to secure contracts which they are not financially strong enough to complete. The Egyptian Order. The circumstances in which the Baldwin locomotives were ordered are of more than usual interest for two reasons. In the first place, they indicate the economic expansion of Egypt during the past few years, and in the next place they show almost at a glance the tre- mendous advantage the Baldwin Works possess over all other concerns when early supply is of urgent neces- sity. It was, indeed, the element of time that led to the contract for a large number of locomotives going to Philadelphia. The president of the railway line, Major Johnstone, on this point, says: “From 1895 to 1897, for financial reasons, no loco- motives were ordered, while during the same period large extensions were opened and the traffic increased nearly 20 per cent., with the result that it became very urgently necessary to order some 70 engines. Tenders for 50 were received from various firms, including one American firm, Burnham, Williams & Co., who offered 20 engines in 12 weeks. The shortest time offered by any European firm was 48 weeks. Mr. Trevithick, on this, reported that, while he did not consider the Ameri- can design suitable, he could not undertake to work the traffic for 11 months more without additional engines. Consequently the American tender was accepted, as well as tenders for 50 from one British and four Belgian firms.” As both time and price were such great considera- tions in this case, it may be well to set out in a tabular form the actual tenders both in regard to price and delivery: Baldwin offers to supply engines in their opinion of equal power and Offers to Egyptian standard de- signs and specifications. Lowest price, English firm. Baldwin. equally suitable. Delivery, Delivery, Delivery, Indents Price. weeks. Price. weeks. Price. weeks. SN wi we alah asieieal £2,249 48 £2,700 18 £1,855 12 rrr 2,225 85 No quotation. 1,930 35 Be - iwasuwe se 2,675 76 No quotation. 1,935 35 Pourth .<<.c..- 8300 0 8,575 35 2,475 80 Es ew ae anes 4,165 65 No quotation. 3,880 35 BD. a's anaaweme 4,085 65 No quotation. 8,480 35 Seventh ....... 3,245 60 No quotation. 2,750 30 Totals.....£21,885 489 £18,305 212 Average ...... £3,126 70 £2,615 30 Inspection, In addition to price and time of delivery, there would seem to be another factor favorable to the Baldwin Company—I refer to the question of inspection. On this point Major Johnstone writes: “In England it is the custom for the engineer’s in- April 24, 1902 THE spector to test the material at the maker’s works be- fore it is delivered to the locomotive builders; and dif- ferent engineers insist on different tests. Consequently, the locomotive builder cannot order the material before- hand, nor can the steel—or iron—worker make it, as he does not know what conditions of test it may be re- quired to fulfill. Standardization of tests and of the sections of certain materials in Great Britain would, I think, be an unmixed benefit. ‘The American maker keeps most of his material ready and partly worked up, and does not submit to such tests. “Only in very exceptional cases are small differences in tests and sections of any real consequence to the de- sign—e. g., in the introduction of locomotives of excep- tional power. “This sort of standardization is what Mr. Trevithick suggests, and a committee of the Institute of Civil En- gineers is now at work on the question.” The chief engineer also says in this regard: “The Baldwin Works are at present turning out lo- comotives at the rate of 1000 a year, or 28 per cent. more than the combined turn out of the four leading English locomotive firms—viz., Neilson, 300; Dubs, 150; Sharp Stewart, 140, and Kitson, 130. Their secret of success is rapidly and inexpensively constructing locomotives in their continuous day and night work, system of piece work, and working to fixed types and templets. It will be readily understood how great an economy can be ef- fected in the construction of machines so complicated as locomotives, when, by working day and night, double the amount of work is obtained out of the plant and build- ings (capital), when no scheming nor drawings are nec- essary, and when complete sets of templets and pat- terns exist. “* Moreover, under this system they are able to make use of labor saving machines and tools specially de- signed for the manufacturing of the various parts form- ing their standard locomotives, the employment of which would be inadmissible in English workshops, where only a few engines are constructed to the same type. “ Thus it is that the Baldwin Works, so long as they have sufficient orders to engage their machinery night and day, and are allowed to construct to their own standard types, can so successfully compete with the world in locomotive manufacture.” The points upon which information was most par- ticularly desired were: 1, Price; 2, time required for con- struction; 3, quality, including cost of repair and con- sumption of oil, and, 4, consumption of coal. So far as price is concerned, it will be observed that where the British and American firms tendered for pre- cisely the same article the actual figures were in favor: of the British, as thus: British. American. £2,240 £2,700 3,250 3,575 But on the time of delivery the advantage lay with America. As to the third point, the chief engineer has as yet come to no conclusive opinion. He says: “ As re- gards the consumption of oil and the cost of mainte- nance, I refrain as yet from giving an opinion, or com- paring results beyond saying that the British passenger engine rides more easily and demands less attention on the part of the driver and fireman than the American, which augurs that the latter will engage the workshops more than the former and will not last so long.” Major Johnstone says: “The American engines differ com- paratively little from the British as regards quality and material and workmanship; as regards the former, there are considerable differences of practice as to the mate- rials used, but they appear equally good of their re- spective kinds; as regards the latter, there is a notable want of finish in the American engines, and some of the less essential work is very rough indeed, but the princi- pal working parts are said to be as well made as the British equivalents. Differences in Design. “The great differences are in design: “a. Of the boiler: The fire box is of steel in American, of copper in British designs; the flue tubes are of wrought iron or steel in the American, of brass (or rather [RON AGE. 7 of a special alloy of copper) in the British; and the width of grate in the American designs chiefly in use here and in England is restricted to less than 3 feet ow- ing to the design of the engine frame, whereas the width available with the English standard design of frame is nearly 3 feet 6 inches. “There are also minor but not unimportant differ- ences in the arrangement of the fire grate, steam blast, &e., of which, I think, the very small depth between the fire grate and the fire door in the American type of pas- senger engine is probably the most important. “b. Of the engine: The clinders and driving parts are outside the frames in the American types; in the British types in use here, and in the majority of those in use in Great Britain, they are between the frames. “There are also noticeable but minor differences in the valves and valve gear. “ec. Of the engine as a vehicle: the American design- er, probably owing to the roughness of many American roads, places rather a large proportion of the weight on a swiveling bogie or pony truck in front; the result is that a smaller proportion of the weight rests on the driving wheels, and these cannot exert so strong a pull upon the rails without slipping as in the case of an Eng- lish engine of the same weight; also, in the British de- sign the frames are rigid girders carrying the weight of the boiler, which is free to slide on them as its tem- perature varies, and does not add to their strength; in the American design the frames are of rectangular bars, welded together to form a slightly flexible engine frame; this is tied and braced to the boiler, which becomes thus part of the framing of the vehicle, but not of the engine proper. The flexibility of the engine frame allows of the expansion and contraction of the boiler due to changes of temperature, and is also said to assist the lo- comotive in accommodating itself to a rough road.” Evaporative Efficiency. Major Johnstone attributes the comparative failure of the American engines in the matter of evaporative efficiency to the design of the grate, which is itself part- ly the outcome of American practice as to frames, but is obviated in various ways in many other American designs. It is, therefore, fairer to condemn this partic- ular design than to put down the whole difference to standard American practice. I quote also some critical remarks concerning thermal and mechanical efficiency, in which American designs operate unfavorably. Major Johnstone says: “1. Greater cylinder condensation, owing to a much greater surface being exposed to the air. This would affect a slow running goods engine rather more than a fast running passenger engine. The outside cylinders probably also lead to more waste of power in twisting strains on the engine and rails; this is quite noticeable on the foot plate. “Transverse strains on the coupling and connecting rods, causing increased friction, due to the flexibility of the engine frame. “This also would affect the six-wheel coupled goods engine more than the four-wheel coupled passenger en- gine; but the effect can hardly be large. “8. Inereased friction and less perfect distribution of steam, due to the comparatively short eccentric rods, and to the fact that they work the slide valves through rocking levers, while in the British type the valve rod is directly attached to the expansion link. “These three causes are consistent with the lower efficiency shown by the American engine, and especially by the goods engine; but I am surprised to find that they are not counterbalanced to a greater extent by the following advantages possessed by the American over the English type—viz.: “1. Balanced slide valves, which must greatly reduce the loss of power in valve friction. “2. More perfect regulation of steam, owing to the elaborate rack sectors provided for the regulator handle and the reversing lever, which latter, owing to the bal- anced valves, is very easily adjusted at any time. “As regards the general designs of the locomotives, the American passenger engines have 29 tons resting on the driving wheels, while the British engines have 30.1 et Feelin ee ieee tere aH : “; Ppa sed - va ares ne apis SN LEE A EE ete: i LORE ECL A CT OTC ETRE CT ONE IE A IR A a PA OTS IOI CY AY LOLOL LN OLLIE LE LLL INES! SAE " - 8 THE IRON AGE. April 24, 1902 tons, although the American is the heavier engine of the two. The difference in the case of the goods engines is still more marked and will be discussed later on. It follows that not only will the British engines start with a heavier load, but also there is probably less slipping of the wheels during the run, and this may account for a considerable part of the difference in the mechanical efficiency of the locomotives.” The net result, however, of the tests points, in the opinion of the Egyptian officials, to the superiority of the British type. Admission, however, is made that the passenger engine, upon which they experimented, is a bad example of American practice. The goods engine, on the other hand, was regarded as a fair example of the standard American type. Though it weighed 40% tons, as against 374% for the corresponding English type, only 34 tons rest on the driving wheels, while the whole weight of the English engine rests on its driving wheels. The grate area of the American is only 16% square feet, as compared with 18 5-6 for the English. These two facts account, to a great extent, for the bad results of the trials. The American is a heavy engine for its power and has the advantage of running well on a bad road with sharp curves, and under these condi- tions would compare favorably with a lighter class of English engine. It will be observed that considerable importance is attached to the slipping of the wheels by the Egyptian officials. Fuel Consumption. The relative consumption of coal would appear to be all against the American type. I have already pointed out that the locomotives employed were personally con- ducted, and the results conjointly signed by a repre- sentative of the American builders and a locomotive in- spector of the Egyptian Railway Administration. Further trials were made with both goods and passenger engines. It was found that in the case of goods engines the American consumed 25.4 per cent. more coal than the British engine, while the latter was drawing 14.2 per cent. more load. In the case of the passenger en- gines, the American was 50 per cent. more than the British consumption, with the same average load. This latter difference, represented, at 34 shillings 2 pence per ton (the average price paid last year by the Railway Board), an additional cost of £400 per engine. It is upon this point that Major Johnstone says: “ The contrast between about 20 pounds of ¢ccal per mile in the best runs of the British engine and over 60 pounds in the hardest runs of the American, is quite extraordinary. On the whole, the superiority of the British type is fully established, but it is clear that the passenger engine is a bad example of American practice.” The Belgian Engines. I have hitherto avoided saying anything of the Belgian locomotives, for the simple reason that apparent- ly they stand or fall with any judgment passed upon the English type. There appears to be but little differ- ence between the two. From 1852 to 1858 27 engines in all were supplied by English makers. From 1859 to 1864 79 were ordered, of which 56 were supplied by Eng- lish firms and 23 by French firms. From 1865 to 1869 116 engines were obtained, all from British makers. In 1888 18 engines were ordered from British firms. From 1889 to 1897 132 engines were ordered, 127 from the Associété Franco-Belge, and 5 from Marcinelle et Couil- let. Of these, 89 were made in Belgium and 38 in France. The Associété Franco-Belge is, however, prac- tically a Belgian concern, although it has works in France to avoid the French customs duty. The orders for engines since 1887 were given on the result of com- petitive tenders under the conditions laid down by the International Commission of the Public Debt, which was instituted in 1876. This system of international competi- tion seems to have had the effect of excluding French makers altogether, while only 18 locomotives were or- dered from Great Britain in 15 years, from 1882 to 1897, as against 132 from the Belgian firms. The Belgian and British engines were all made from identical designs, and the only differences consist in material and work- manship. Little can be said against the Belgian work- manship apparently, except that part of it which is ex- pended on making the materials harder and more dura- ble. On coal consumption, which depends upon the evaporative efficiency of the boiler and the thermal and mechanical efficiency of the locomotive, there is prac- tically no difference between the British and the Belgian make. Whatever small differences were observed seem to favor Belgium, but the differences are so small as to be inconsiderable. The Failure of Belgian Engines, The failures of the Belgian engines, which have been frequent, have been in most cases due to the materials of the boiler; but the materials of the engine also com- pare unfavorably in some cases. with those of the Eng- lish engines. The defects are mainly in the various al- loys of the copper used; occasionally in the cast iron, while a few cases of failure in steel work have been re- ported; but generally the steel and wrought iron has been satisfactory. The defects show themselves in an undue proportion of minor breakdowns when the en- gines are worked hard and not very carefully tended, and consequent extra cost for repairs. Another point with regard to the Belgian engines has to be remem- bered—viz., that one or two of the firms whose contracts were accepted can unhesitatingly be classed as second- rate, while one or two of the others might, perhaps, compete on equal terms with any but the best English firms; but none of the engines has given as good results as those built by two or three English and Scottish man- ufacturers. So far as I can read between the lines, it is, I think, probable that, for the future, all engineering firms ten- dering for Egyptian locomotives will have to make to the designs of the Enginering Department of the Egyp- tian Railway Administration. Major Johnstone, the president, thinks that on purely theoretical grounds the chief engineer’s designs have material advantages over the Baldwin locomotives, and this more especially in the ease of the passenger engines. On this point I observe a significant remark which Americans would do well to lay to heart. F. Trevithick, in one of the numerous in- closures, remarks that, “‘ The American types are an ob- ject lesson as to the disadvantages of standardization where it prevents the introduction of improvements in design.” From the context it is evident that the chief engineer has his own ideas about design, and perhaps his remark may to that extent be discounted, but there seems to me some critical value in the observation, and I pass it on for what it is worth. General Conclusion The general conclusion drawn by Lord Cromer upon the whole inquiry is as follows: “In respect to prices, British manufacturers can well hold their own in cases where special designs have to be executed; that, in respect to quality, the work they turn out is at least equal, and often superior, to that of Amer- ican or Belgian competitors, and that, in respect to the consumption of coal, they have a decided superiority over American, though not apparently over Belgian manufacturers. The British weak point is the time re- quired for executing orders. It is to this subject that I venture to draw the special attention of all who may be interested in the matter. I am not competent to ex- press any personal opinion as to the extent to which it would be possible or desirable to imitate the Americans in adopting the principle of standardization, on which the low prices and quick delivery of the Americans mainly depend.” Thus far have we got in one of the most interesting series of experiments which has yet taken place under official auspices. I cannot help thinking, however, that the last word is not yet uttered, and many of us will wait with interest what reply is made by American en- gineers to the very serious conclusions drawn by the en- gineers in regard to the cost of consumption. As things are, these figures tell harshly against the prospects of orders being given for locomotives of distinctively Amer- ican type. 8. G. H. a The business with South Africa has been picking up. Duriftg the first three months of the current year 16,000 April 24, 1902 THE tons of galvanized sheets were exported from Great Britain, against 4000 tons during the corresponding pe- riod of last year. Motor Driven Plate Bending Rolls. The Continental Iron Works of Brooklyn recently in- stalled a new machine designed for bending heavy plates for boiler shells The rolls measure 16% feet between housings; they are three in number and are composed of steel forged at the Bethlehem Works. The top roll, which is the idler, weighs 10 tons and measures 21 inches in diameter, while the two lower rolls, which are operated, are each 17 inches in diameter. This machine was built by the Continental Iren Works for their own THE HILL MOTOR shops to meet requirements of a special character in unusually heavy work, and was designed by W. E. Hill, the vice-president and general manager of the company. In order to insure a sufficient factor of safety the plans were drawn upon a basis providing a capacity for bend- ing a 16-foot plate of 1% inches in thickness into a cylinder 5 feet in diameter. It is needless to say that it is not the intention of the management to