The Iron Age 1902-07-03: Vol 70

‘THE IRON AGE Tuurspay, Jury 3, 1902. The Treadwell Slag Car. We here present two views of a 6-ton standard gauge slag car built at the Lebanon, Pa., works of M. H. Treadwell & Co., 95-97 Liberty street, New York. The construction is such that the ladle can be readily turned so as to discharge its contents on either side, and as far away from the track as possible. The operating mechan- ism is simple, and of such design as to eliminate danger of breakdown. In racking the car the operator turns tthe crank which revolves the worm engaging the worm wheel, which is mounted on the forward trunnion. This completely tilts the car, as shown in Fig. 2, and at the same time, by means of a rack and pinion at each trun- mion, moves it either to one side or the other. Both the ‘worm and worm wheel are cut, the former being made from a solid steel bar. The truck is built of structural shop. Other employers who have strikes on their hands will take similar steps unless picketing is abandoned. Up to a few days ago picketing had languished, little or none of it being done. But the strikers began to re- tnrn to their work. In the past three days 26 of the Prentice Bros. Company’s strikers have returned to work. The F. E. Reed Company, P. Blaisdell & Co., the H. C. Fish Machine Works, Woodward & Powell Planer Company and Whitcomb Mfg. Company have all got some of their striking machinists back again. The lead- ers of the strike are consequently employing desperate measures to keep up the courage of their men, and the strong force of pickets is a result. ‘The general strike of the Worcester carpenters em- ployed on buildings and in builders’ finish shops has completely collapsed, the strikers gaining absolutely nothing in the contest. ‘This has done a good deal THE TREADWELL SLAG CAR. steel. The entire car, with the exception of the wheels and brasses, is of steel. The wheels are chilled cast iron. The bowl and bail are made of cast steel, and are bolted together as shown. A brake, operated by the long lever shown in front, locks the car securely in position. aero The Machinists’ Trouble at Worcester. WorcESTER, Mass., June 30, 1902.—The Prentice Bros. Company brought a bill in equity in the Superior Court at Wc.cester to-day, asking for an injunction re- straining strikers from picketing the company’s prem- ises on Cambridge street, and Judge Francis A. Gaskill issued a temporary injunction as prayed for “ restrain- ing the respondents from patrolling the streets in front of or near the premises of the complainant and from detaining, threatening, assaulting, intimidating or in any way attempting to intimidate the employees, or in any way interfering with the conduct of the business of the plaintiff.” The action was brought by Prentice Bros. because of the presence of 14 pickets in front of the company’s shop this morning, which compelled of- ficers of the company to go into the street and escort their workmen, especially returning strikers, into the toward taking the heart cut of the machinists’ strike, which before had little left, excepting the power of the leaders over the men. At the rate the machinists have been returning to work during the past few days the shops where strikes are in progress will be up to full working capacity shortly, although it is doubtful if any of them, with the exception of the Prentice Bros. Company and the F. E. Reed Company, will take on many new hands for the present, new men having been employed to replace strikers. The quiet season is at hand, made quieter than norma! as a result of the strike. J. N. ————$aa Under date of June 20 the Treasury Department has rendered a decision in the drawback on continuous rail joints manufactured by the Albany Iron Works of Troy, N. Y., for account of the Continuous Rail Joint Company of America from wholly imported steel billets. In liquidation, the quantity of imported steel billets which may be taken as a basis for allowance of drawback may equal the weight of the exported merchandise, as de- clared in the drawback entry, after official verification, to which may be added 10 per cent. of such weight to compensate for loss in manufacture. Ci1tie] Fennsylvania News. HARRISBURG, PA., July 1, 1902.—In spite of strenuous efforts to relieve the shortage of the coal supply in this part of the State many of the works are inconvenienced and last week suffered from the slowness with which the fuel was served. Some works had to close depart- ments for a day or so, and just now, when every one is rushing to fill up orders, this state of affairs is disquiet- ing, especially when no one seems to know what will be the outcome of the threatened strike in soft coal re- gions. The bituminous region of this State is not affected yet, but coal cannot be gotten from it fast enough, and if there is any curtailment of output great annoyance and some suspensions must ensue. It is now hoped that Central Pennsylvania has passed its period of labor troubles. In Lancaster and Lebanon counties the works have generally resumed, one mill at Lebanon being still in partial idleness, its rolling mill men having rejected an offer from the management. It is hoped to settle the trouble soon. The furnaces in the Lebanon district are working, with two exceptions. At Reading the coal strike and labor troubles affect THE IRON AGE. July 3, 1902 pany are not announced, but last week there was satis- fied a mortgage of $217,000 and another will be satisfied in a few days. Many men have been put to work and there will be some operations started soon if no very extensive repairs are found necessary. The old foundry and machine shop are also being repaired for starting. Chester Works are busy and there are rumors that a new works will be added to the many at that busy place. It is currently reported that the plant of the Delaware River Steel Company will be located at that place and that Chester Works will be in the American Steel Foun- dry Company and that s.-ne enlargements will take place. Some changes in the shipyards are also expected. Many New Corporations, During the month of June there were 135 corpora- tions chartered at the State Department of Pennsyl- vania, of which the following were iron and steel manu- facturing concerns: Jones & Laughlin Steel Company, Pittsburgh; capital, $10,000. Directors: B. F. and W. M. Jones, Willis L. King, J. B. and I, B. Laughlin, Pittsburgh. William Schofield Company, Manyunk, Philadelphia; capital, 330,000. Directors: Charles and Harriet Schofield, S. and M. A. Waldeck and Eva 8. Hodson, Philadelphia. Fig. 2.—-Car Tilted. THE TREADWELL SLAG CAR. the trade’s operations. The Empire Steel & Iron Com- pany have blown out two stacks in Berks County, only a few of their furnaces being in activity at present in that part of the State. The Thomas Iron Company are also feeling the strike. The Schuylkill furnaces are using coke and are generally in operation now. The works in this city were very busy during June, probably the largest shipments of the year having been made by the Central Iron & Steel Company. The Penn- sylvania Steel Works were also exceedingly busy, ex- cept in a few departments retarded by lack of coal and material. Some of the new departments will be put into operation soon. The Harrisburg Foundry & Machine Works are working a large force at night. It is stated that instead of the Jeannesville’ Iron Works being removed they will be enlarged and a larger force employed in a short time. The Pennsylvania Fire Proofing Company of St. Mary’s have been chartered here. They have a capital of $150,000 and BH. D. Carter of Erie is treasurer. There are men at work overhauling the works of the Pottsville Iron & Steel Company at Pottsville, which have been idle since 1893. It is stated that Pioneer Furnaces are to be repaired and started and the rolling mill and steel works put into operation. The new com- Empire Chain Company, Pittsburgh ; capital, $1000. Directors: W. G. McKenny, J. L. Sehn and Arthur L. Over, Pittsburgh, Car Wheel & Foundry Engineering Company, Pittsburgh; cap- ital, $1000; and Central Car Wheel & Casting Company, Pittsburgh ; capital, $1000. Directors: J. Charles Dicken, W. C. Dicken and Thomas Ewing, jr., Pittsburgh. Harper Mfg. Company, Chester ; capital, $10,000. Directors: B., Cc. B., A. C. and J. M. Harper and John Dodge, Chester. Standard Bronze Company, Pittsburgh; capital, $5000. Di- rectors: John Hutzen, W. A. Cochran and BD. 8. Hale, Brad- dock. Federal Machine Company of Allegheny, Pittsburgh; capital, $15,000. Directors: Jacob C. Beistle, Elmer BE. Kidney and D. G. Knittel, Allegheny. : Lake Shore Steel & Wire Company, Miles Grove; capital, $10,000. Directors: F. D. Van Arsdale, J. D. Sullivan and John H. Miller, all of Miles Grove. Catawissa Car & Foundry Company, Catawissa; capital, $10,000. Directors: W. H. and G. B. Rhawn, J. K. Sharp- less and C. E. Randall, Catawissa. Fiber Horse Shoe Company, Pittsburgh; capital, $1000. Di- rectors: G. H. Bartley, W. C. Moreland and A. L. Over, Pittsburgh. Pitt Mfg. Company, Pittsburgh; capital, $20,000. Directors: Taylor Alderdice, J. Fawell, W. H. Latshaw, H. S. Evans, L. HA. Martell, J. Weidman Murray and H. R. Cornelius, Pittsburgh. Carbon Steel Casting Company of Lancaster; capital, $100,000 Smith Hardware Company, Kane; capital, $25,000. Eastern Steel Company, Philadelphia; capital, $300. Harman-Cogger Company, Bloomsburg; capital, $40,000. Ss. par ee = Et nest July 3, 1902 Lake Ore Matters. Dvututu, MINN., June 29, 1902.—Ore is now going for- ward at a tremendous pace, not only from the Minne- sota mines but from all Lake Superior ports, including Michipicoton. ‘There is less delay than at any time this year, and the tie up in anthracite coal is helping out car deliveries from lower lake receiving ports to such an ex- tent that they are not now a clog inthe wheel. Figures for June will not fully reflect this increase, for there were some annoying delays and drawbacks during the early part of the month. In tbis connection a train of ore cars hauled down the Duluth & Iron Range road a few days ago is of interest. It consisted of 29 50-ton steel cars and 56 of the older 27-ton wood cars, and the load was 3000 gross tons. Up to a year ago 17,027 tons of ore constituted a large load. The use of pusher locomotives and of the steel cars, with their smaller dead weight per ton of live load, has made the difference. The Duluth & Iron Range road is so well pleased with these steel cars that an order for 600 or 700 of them is in contem- plation, and it is not likely that any other style will be built for the line hereafter. The Eastern Minnesota road, now, by the way, leased by the Great Northern for a 99-year term, has 500 of these cars coming this season, and is receiving deliveries occasionally. With them all on. the ground shipments over that ‘line will be ma- terially increased. Hill Interests on the Mesaba Range. There has been some speculation of late on the pro- portional amount of Mesaba range ore under J. J. Hill control, not necessarily owned by him, but controlled for purposes of traffic. This matter has been referred to occasionally in this correspondence, as the plans of the Hill interests for the entrenchment of their road in the Mesaba country have gradually unfolded, and it will be no great surprise to thdse that have followed this correspondence to know that the general talk about Du- luth is now that Hill has nearly a third of the ore in the ground. I do not think the proportion is quite 33 per cent., at least not yet, but it is growing fast, and there are well located lands that may increase it. Of course other interests also hold a large acreage in unexplored and well located lands that may increase their propor- tion as fast as the Hill tonnage grows. This talk of pro- portion brings up, naturally, the question of the total tonnage of ore shown on the Mesaba to this date, and in this matter the best posted mining men are saying the least. Newspapers do more talking than those more di- rectly connected with the business. I find it easy to fig- ure up a tonnage that is in excess of all estimates made by those in a position to know anything about what they say, but the published estimates of the past few ays are rather wild. One thing is sure, and that is that he lowering of standards, notable the past year or two, as brought into measurement a great many millions f tons heretofore not regarded as ore. 4 Increased Stripping. By reason of higher labor costs, which are not ex- pected to be cut for some years, at least, and because of the growing scarcity of cheap mining timber, the thickness of surface that can be stripped is increasing and several mines are now having a depth of over- burden taken from them that would have been regarded as suicidal in former years. At the Croxton, in 13-58-20, tor instance, they are stripping 60 feet of overburden. At the Kinney, in 14-58-19, the Republic Iron & Steel Company have let a contract for removing 1,000,000 yards of overburden to the Wallace Contracting Com- pany, a company formed by G. W. Wallace, late man- ager of the Stevenson. Mr. Wallace is getting in his material and preparing to commence work. I.was at the location this week. It is still thick woods and swamp, but in a month steam shovels, locomotives and dinkeys will make the landscape hideous. Possibly some ore may be shipped this year. This is an EHast- ern Minnesota road property containing 7,000,000 tons. Its stripping runs up to a thickness of 45 feet. At the Stevens mine of the Minnesota Iron Company, in 36-59-15, they will take off 250,000 yards of material this year, running from 18 to 40 feet in depth. Some ore THE IRON AGE, 3 may be shipped in 1902, but it is scarcely likely. The mine has a very large deposit. Two large shovels are working day and night. In this neighborhood a good deal of ore is being found. The Union Steel Company have a very lurge mine here, and three other explora- tions a mile or two south are in ore. A stripping contract amounting to 500,000 yards has been let by Pickands, Mather & Co. at the Buffalo Steel Company’s new Albany mine a milesouthwest of Hibbing. Several other new mines are developing in the imme- diate vicinity, a review of which will be made later. It is claimed that the mining pay roll at Hibbing amounts to about $200,000 monthly. At the Deering Harvester Company’s two mines at that end of the range the shaft at the Agnew is in ore, and that at the Hawkins is so far down that drifting is well under way in the ore body. The railroad will not reach this mine until fall and the shipment of the year will be from underground development work, no advantage from the stripping being possible before next season. Ore has been found under the village of McKinley, and it is probable that the town will be moved to an adjoining 40, though this is not yet assured. This ore find is not a new one, but has recently received atten- tion. The same is true of a find close by on what is ealled the “ Sheridan 40,” and where a shaft is to be sunk this year by men in the employ of the Republic Iron & Steel Company. At the Sharon mine of the Sharon Steel Company they have just recovered from a serious drowning, so far as to recommence shipments on a small scale. They were sending dowu about 1900 tons daily before the severe rains of a month ago, and now are recommenc- ing to ship, but only about 300 tons daily . So bad was the water that some of the lateral workings from which they expected to mill 250,000 tons this year have been filled solid with débris from the surface and have been bulkheaded up for the present. Section 21 mine of the Lake Superior Iron Company, now a United States Steel property, is becoming one of the corporation’s big mines. It is developing remark- ably. It is stated that it will probably be a very im- portant asset for many years, far more so than had been looked for a short time ago. This mine lies at the easterly end of the narrow south exposure of the Ne- gaunee iron bearing formation running through to Hum- boidt and Champion, and the corporation, through the Oliver Iron Mining Company, have been securing a large amount of land through there. The Saginaw, lying be- tween section 20 and the Goodrich, both Oliver lands, has passed, through purchase, inte the hands of the Union Steel Company, and may be developed later. Around Palmer aiso, on what is known as the Cascade range, the two companies have much land near by each other, and that district will probably be very much more active in the future than it has been for many years. In the old Felch Mountain district, which has been idle for many years, G. A. St. Clair of Duluth, who has been working for some time, has commenced hoisting ore at the Northwestern mine, whose last activity was in 1884, up to which time 17,000 tons had been shipped. Mr. St. Clair has also the adjoining Metropolitan, Calu- met and Hecla mines and expects to develop quite an ore body there. At the Northwestern he has shown Bessemer ore by drill, and will make a large shipment next year. The Metropolitan shipped 107,000 tons and closed in 1888. lit was, I believe, the first mining in- vestment of the Metropolitan Land & Iron Company, who later became the owners of the Norrie. The Calu- met has shipped 38,000 tons and the Hecla never be- came a shipper. John D. Gilchrist, formerly of Duluth and manager of the Mountain LIron mine of the Mesaba, has now been made general manager of the mining interests of the Colorado Fuel & Iron Company. He has been in charge of their Sunrise, Wyo., mines for 18 months past. D. E. W. sella inpatient Janney, Semple, Hill & Co. of Minneapolis, Minn., have sold their stock of bar iron and steel, plates, &c., to the Minneapolis Iron Store Company of that city, who will enlarge their warehouse. THE IRON AGE. The Illinois Steel Company. An Inspection of the Chicago Plants. As a part of the policy of the management of the United States Steel Corporation, President C. M. Schwab last year inaugurated a system of annual inspection tours of the various constituent companies of the United States Steel Corporation. In pursuance of this policy Mr. Schwab and other corporation officials from New York and Pittsburgh visited the South Chicago and Jo- liet works of the Illinois Steel Company last Thursday. Included in the party were the following: C. M. Schwab, president; Jas. Gayley, first vice-president; W. B. Dick- gon, second vice-president; Veryl Preston, third vice- president; W. R. Walker, assistant to president United States Steel Corporation; W. E. Corey, president Carne- gie Steel Company; H. J. Lindsay, assistant to president Carnegie Steel Company; Geo. T. McMurtry, assistant to president American Sheet Steel Company; T. J. Hearne, assistant to president National Tube Company; Wm. B. Schiller, first vice-president National Tube Company; W. P. Palmer, president American Steel & Wire Com- pany; D. G. Kerr, ore agent Carnegie Steel Company, and Dan’l M. Clemson, president Pittsburgh Steamship Company. President E. J. Buffington, First Vice-President T. W. Robinson, Illinois Steel Company, and A. F. Banks, president and general manager of the [Illinois Steel Com- pany, accompanied the Eastern officials on the inspec- tion trip. The social functions which had been planned in honor of the visiting officials were abandoned because of the recent death of Mrs. Gary, wife of Judge EB. H. Gary, chairman of the Executive Committee of the United States Steel Corporation. It is known that the policy of the United States Steel Corporation favors the adoption of the plans previously arranged by the constituent companies prior to the for- mation of the corporation, and as the Federal Steel Com- pany had not only contemplated but arranged for an appropriation of at least $10,000,000 for the improve- ment of the Illinois Steel plants at South Chicago and Joliet, it may be inferred that at least this amount of money will soon be expended for increasing the facili- ties, adding to the equipment and otherwise making im- provements at the present plants. It is also reasonably presumable that new structures for the manufacture of steel will be erected. This assertion is based upon the knowledge that recent economies adopted by the Illinois Steel Company have demonstrated the advantages pos- sessed by the company, at South Chicago especially. It has been made public that the Illinois Steel Com- pany recently purchased real estate adjoining the prop- erty at South Chicago, and it may be stated that they are now in possession of ample ground upon which to erect the new structures contemplated. From the fact that President Schwab expressed him- self as well satisfied with the management and progress made at the South Chicago plant and also that it is in line with his policy to. have each constituent company attain and maintain a position of the highest degree of efficiency, it is reasonable to assume that the improve- ments will not be long delayed either at Joliet or at South Chicago. It has been asserted that a tube mill will be erected in this vicinity, but while the corporation will erect a tube mill probably at Lorain, Ohio, it is not contemplated to construct such a plant in this locality. The difficulties encountered by the United States Steel Corporation in converting preferred stock into bonds may possibly delay, but will not prevent the im- provements projected, it being understood that the nec- essary funds will be provided through other means if necessary. The Eastern officials returned-East by spe- cial train by way of Cleveland and Lorain, Ohio, where an inspection of the steel plants located at the latter place was“iifade, as at.Chicago. —_—_— We are advised that the Standard Roller Bearing Company, Philadélphia, Pa., have recently purchased the July 3, 1902 complete plant and equipment of the Roller Bearing & Equipment Company of Keene, N. H., and as soon as practicable will move the machinery and business to their new Philadelphia factory now in course of erec- tion. The company also bought recently the business of the Grant Roller Bearing Axle & Wheel Company of Cleveland, Ohio. ne The Oesterlein Cutter and Tool Grinder. The new cutter and tool grinder built by the Oester- lein Machine Company of Cincinnati, Ohio, is designed for grinding such tools as milling cutters, reamers, shafts, bushings and so on. The spindle head carrying ar en ES sy = aed es Ql of mi A Wy ye, bs THE OESTERLEIN CUTTER AND TOOL GRINDER. the emery wheel is so mounted on a heavy column that it can be turned to a right angle either way, thereby bringing the wheel to any position from a right angle to parallel with the table. The head is graduated to de- grees, and can be secured at any point. The table is moved by means of a clutch handle, the advantage of which is that it may be quickly put in the most advan- tageous position for the operator. The adjusting table has graduations on the ends, the lines indicating 1-32 to 1 foot of the table, and taper work can be accurately set. The table is also provided with adjusting screws and adjustable stops. It is raised by means of rack and pinion, and the rack is held in position with ‘e screw, which may be removed and the table swung around the column as in other grinders. The cross slide screw has graduations to read to thousandths. The table has a cross movement of 6 inches, lowers 5 inches and moves back and forth 15 inches. The centers swing 7% inches in diameter, and take 16 inches on the adjustable table and 14 inches on the regular table. Se PT a ee a I ae NS eee ee ee do July 3, 1902 The New Niagara Electric Power Plant. It is expected that power from the installation in the new wheel pit and station of the Niagara Falls Power Company will be available some time in August. In length the wheel pit is 463 feet, and its depth is 178% feet, the width being 18% feet. The installation will have an output capacity of 55,000 horse-power. The turbines to be installed in this wheel pit will dif- fer from those in the present pit, in that they will be of the internal discharge type, the water discharged being carried away through draft tubes. By this method it is claimed the efficiency is increased about 10 per cent. Escher, Wyss & Co., of Zurich, Switzerland, designed the turbines, and they were built by the I. P. Morris Company of Philadelphia. The governors that will hold these wonderful turbines under control were also built by Escher, Wyss & Co., and A. Falkenau of Philadelphia is making them. ‘The governors will be of the oil pump type and the maximum variation of speed will be 5 per cent. with 100 per cent. load variation. Each of the 11 generators to be installed in the new power house will be of 2750-kw. (5000 horse-power) ca- pacity. They will make 250 revolutions per minute and will generate current at a voltage of 2300, two-phase, 25 cycles. Thus the current will be generated at such a voltage that the service of the two great power stations will be interchangeable. While the Niagara develop- ment is among the plants on which modern ideas were expended, it is a fact that electric science has moved forward since the equipment of the first station was completed. For this reason the new station will differ somewhat from the old station. In illustration of this it may be pointed out that the generator regulation on the old machines is about 30 per cent., while on the new ones it will be 10 per cent. In the old power house two switchboards are installed, each controlling five of the generators, while in the new station a single switchboard will be used to control the 11 generators to be installed. Another point is that the feeders will be protected with automatic oil circuit breakers. The 10 huge generators in the present station are of the external revolving field ring type, and the first six generators to be installed in this new power station will be very similar in appearance, with the exception that the iron bridge over the old generators will be omit- ted in the new generators. This change has been brought about by placing the collector rings at the bot- tom of the dynamo shaft instead of at the top. The close regulation mentioned above will give constancy of voltage on the system under variations of the load. In the ventilation of these great new power producers quite a radical change has been made, and the expectation is that they will run many degrees cooler than the ma- chines in use at the present time. In describing this method of ventilation H. W. Buck, electrical director of the Niagara Falls Power Company, says: “A baffle plate has been placed between the bottom of the armature winding and the bottom of the revolving field. This forces all the air which is actuated by centrifugal préss- ure to enter the machine at the bottom inside of the arni- ature shell. From here the air passes upward through the air ducts in the armature core, cooling the iron and the winding. It then continues outward radially be- tween the layers of the field winding into an annular space at the back of the field coils and thence outward through holes in the magnet ring, which are bored in line with the pole piece bolts. The action is that of a centrifugal blower caused by the rotation of the field poles and ring. Some of the air also passes outward at the top of the ring through ventilating holes provided for the purpose. The operation of the air system is very satisfactory, and the blast of air secured is tremen- dous.” The other five generators that are to be placed in this power station will each be of 5000 horse-power ca- pacity, but will be of the internal revolving field type. They will make the same number of revolutions and generate current at the same voltage as the generators above mentioned. The cost of building these five ma- chines will be less than the cost of building the other generators. It will thus be seen that when the two big stations of the Niagara Falls Power Company are com- THE IRON AGE, 5 pleted in their installations, there will be three styles of generators, but the expectation is that there will be no trouble in operating all the types in parallel. In power house No. 1 the exciter plant has position on the main floor of the dynamo room, but in the new installation it is provided that the exciters be located in a chamber at the bottom of the wheel pit in very much the same position as the water pumps in the old pit are located. The exciter plant will consist of four 150-kw. compound wound vertical shaft machines of 220 volts, coupled to independent turbines. Their speed will be 750 revolutions per minute, and each machine will have its own governor. From this plant all the power station lights and auxiliary motors will be operated. The six generators of the external field type will be controlled by one section of the switchboard, and the five generators of the other type will be controlled by another section of the board. The 21 generators in the two stations will be operated in four groups, but they may be operated in parallel when desired, and any of the generators may be thrown into either group. Splendid progress has been made in completing this second great installation, and the time when the first current will flow from the generators is not far distant, a fact that will give added interest to the wonderful development of Niagara. Improvements at the Port Henry Mines. Witherbee, Sherman & Co., Incorporated, of Port Henry, N. Y., are now erecting No. 2 Separator for the concentration of a part of the output of their Old Bed 21 mines. This separator is practically the duplicate of No. 1 Separator, which they are now running, and which has a daily output of about 400 tons of concen- trated ore. The Old Bed 21 ore runs about 61 per cent. iron, and 1.25 to 1.50 per cent. in phosphorus; the con- centrates produced average about 67 per cent. in iron and 0.50 per cent. in phosphorus; the gangue, or tailings, carry about 3 per cent. in iron and about 26 per cent. in phosphoric acid. These tailings are being sold to phos- phate works for fertilizing purposes, and also to blast furnaces desiring to increase the percentage of phos- phorus in their pig iron. It is interesting, as a matter of local history, to relate that some 50 years ago this same ore was put through a roughly constructed mag- netic separator, and that the phosphate gangue, or apa- tite, obtained was shipped to England for fertilizing pur- poses and the iron ore sold as a by-product. Witherbee, Sherman & Co., Incorporated, are just starting upon the erection of a No. 3 Separator of about 400 tons daily capacity for the concentration of the lean ore of their Harmony vein. This lean ore runs from 45 to 55 per cent. in metallic iron and about 0.11 per cent. in phosphorus. The concentrates will contain about 67 per cent. in iron and 0.03 per cent. in phosphorus. The regular shipping ore of this vein carries about 62 per cent. in iron and from 0.08 to 0.11 per cent. in phcs- phorus, and constitutes about two-thirds of the output of the vein, the other third being the lean ore referred to. They are also just starting upon the erection of a large central power plant, from which they expect to generate sufficient electrical power to run the three sep- arating plants, to furnish sufficient electrical power for four new hoists for the two Harmony shafts and also to furnish electrical power for generating sufficient com- pressed air for these shafts. The General Electric Com- pany will furnish the electrical equipment, probably Allis or Nordberg will furnish the engines and com- pressors. Webster, Camp & Lane will make the hoist- ing machinery, and the crushing machinery is being de- signed by Theodore Blake of New Haven, Conn. They are making these developments of the property to meet the large demand likely to come from the Lacka- wanna Steel Company’s plant, at Buffalo, when com- pleted, that company having recently acquired a third interest in the company. It is interesting to state that Witherbee, Sherman & Co., Incorporated, are at present making deliveries of their ore over a territory reaching from the Mississippi River to Sydney, Nova Scotia, al- though the larger demand, of course, comes from New York State and Eastern Pennsylvania. THE Chains and Their Manufacture. Chains are one of the most ancient devices for tying (fastening) and lifting, and their origin antedates reiiable history... They were used by all ancient nations familiar with the art of working metals, and the oldest preserved representations of early life show their application for securing prisoners. At present chains occupy a prom- inent place in many industries and as household articles, and perhaps more lives depend on the quality of chains and more accidents are caused by the failure of chains than is the case with any other elementary de- vice, perhaps bolts and rivets excepted. They are one of the things rarely spoken of, occupying less attention and receiving less care than other devices of equal impor- tance. Chains may be classified, according to their applica- tions, into ornamental chains, load chains and driving cbains. Frequently chains of a certain type are, how- ever, applied for several of the above purposes, and the classification suffers from the fact that it is impossible THE IRON AG Fig. 1.—Plate Chain Link. Tus IRon Acs Fig. 2.—Chain Formed of Links Fig. 1. eat ae Po / — Tus Iron Acs THe IRON AGE Fig. 6.—Open Link Welded Fig. 7.—Stud Link, Chain. CHAINS AND THEIR MANUFACTURBD. to draw a distinctive line between the different classes, ' and it is better to divide them according to their shape and manufacture into the following groups: Plate chains (punched). Wire chain. . Butt welded, Lap welded, | Laminated. Double loop chain, Weldless chains, { gaa chain, Rolled, Rolled chain, Punched. Welded chain, —<—— Pin chains, and Link belt chains. Chains consist of a series of links flexibly connected with the adjoining links; they are only able to transmit tension, never compression. The ornamental chain is not supposed to be subjected to severe strains, and its design varies according to the taste of the maker or user. Generally they are made of expensive materials, and they are not’ applied in the industries. One style of or- namental chain worth mentioning here is the heavy iron guard chain frequently seen and used as fences around public monuments, squares and monumental buildings. As the strength in such decorative chains is of subor- dinate importance, neither material nor shape is selected with a view to secure the greatest strength at the least weight or cost. [RON Fig. 3.—Another Form of Plate Chain. AGE. July 3, 1902 Plate Chain. The plate chain is an intermediate style between the ornamental and the load chain, and is commonly used for attaching loose pieces to a certain place, as keys, plugs in plumbing work, or cups at wells, sash weights, &C. Most of these chains are stamped out of brass strips, in the shape of Fig. 1, with a hole in each end; they are then doubled up and the ends are secured by insert- ing and doubling up the next link, Fig. 2. A lighter style is made by punching similar links and by inserting the uew link through the aperture of the preceding link, and pushing one of its ends through the aperture in the other end of the same link, Fig. 3. These chains are also not supposed to be subjected to severe strains, and the use of brass fully complies with this requirement, adding at the same time to their appearance and durability on ac- count of its resistance against corrosion. Wire Chain, The wire chain forms an intermediate link between the plate chain and the welded load chain. The links Fig. 4.—Wire Chain. THs Iron Ace Fig. 5.—Figure 8 Chain. either have the shape of the ordinary oval link, Fig. 4, consisting of a round piece of wire bent around an oval mandril, with both ends butting against each other, or they are shaped like an 8, with two openings, the ends butting against the sides of the wire piece near the mid- dle, Fig. 5. The strength of this chain, for a certain size of wire rod, decreases with the increasing size of the opening, and generally the strength of the chain is about one-sixth to one-eighth of the strength of the wire rod. Owing to the lack of strength this chain is not used for heavy work, and as far as its application in the industries is concerned, it is not necessary to deal with it here. Welded Chain, The welded chain deserves the more our attention, as the greater part of all chains in use are welded. These chains have either long or short links or opeu. Fig. 6, or stud links, Fig. 7. Until lately American chains could be easily distinguished from European chains, as the style prevailing here shows two straight sides between two half circles, while in Europe the gen- erally adopted style was an ellipse or an approximate shape, with the inner radius at the ends just a trifle larger than the half the diameter of the chain rod, while the greatest inside width (at the middle of the link) was one and a half times the diameter of the chain bar. Lately, however, some German (and it is said also sonie English) manufacturers, recognizing the superiority of the straight link, have adopted the American style. Considering thet the old weld is always the weak and unreliable part of the link, the fewer there are of welds in a certain length of chain the stronger is the chain, if subjected te tension only. Also the greater convenience in welding long links has a slight tendency to render long link chains a little more reliable. On the other hand, if these chains are compelled to lay around convex bodies (drums and sheaves) under load, the links are subjected to bending, and the longer the links the greater is the distortion. The hoisting chains, therefore, are almost exclusively short link lt Rh aes mak i A yen es et Satna ae eet i Ek nS July 3, 1902 THE chains or cable chains, and it is to these that the following applies. According to accurate tests (report United States Board on Testing Steel and ‘Tron, 1, p. 203) of 210 lots of chain cables— 1 chain had a strength of 85 per cent. of that of the double bar. 21 “ “ “ 75 to 85 “ “ “ “ “ 14 “ “ “ 70 to 75 “ “ “ “ “ 107 “ “a “ 55 to 70 “ “ “ “ “ 65 “ “ “ less than 55 “ “ “ “ “ It does not seem safe, therefore, to credit chains with more than 50 or 55 per cent. of the strength of the double bar, or a breaking load equal to that which a single bar can stand. These welded chains are almost exclusively made of wrought iron or of very soft steel, because the diffi- culties of welding increase with the hardness of the metal, and for this reason chains made of softer metal [RON ~ ‘ AGE. posed to the dies. The process is so simple that an il- lustration is scarcely needed. In some Continental works they first cut the straight bar by oblique cuts to proper length, heat them to weld- ing heat and insert them, still straight, into the last link of the chain, between two formers, Figs. 9, 10 and 11, which, when turned around half a revolution, leave the link bent to proper shape, and only the final welding between dies remains to be done, the same as in the usual iap weld process. The mandril has between the two fulcrums of the formers, in the center, a notch suf- ficiently large to receive the end of the last finished link, and is held in place by two pins projecting downward into the fuicrum shafts of the formers. A block (not shown in the drawing) in the center holds the straight bar in proper position between the rollers and the man- dril. The levers at the bottom are connected by links Fig. 8.—Bar in Form of Coil. * ‘Tue Iron Acs Figs. 9, 10, 11.—Bar Inserted Straight, then Bent, CHAINS AND THEIR MANUFACTURE. may not be as strong as those of harder steel, but far more reliable. In most of the chains made in this coun- try iuo links are first coiled, then sheared to length, while a number of works, especially in Burope, first shear and then bend the links. By the first method a bar of round iron is coiled around a twisted mandril, the cross section of which nearly represents the clear open- ing (eye) of the link. Unless the mandril bar is twisted a small amount, the helix, when relieved of the strain of winding, will relax and form a coil similar to the one shown in Fig. 8. The pitch of the helix should be equal to at least twice the diameter of the bar, in order to fa- cilitate the shearing, and especially afterward the in- sertion of the links. The excess of length of this helical link coil over its projection (the link when flattened) al- lows sufficient extra metal for the overlap of the weld. The shearing is done at as sharp an angle to the bar as possible, so as to give the weld the greatest possible length. After the links are coiled and sheared they are heated to welding heat, quickly inserted, bent together by a blow with the hammer and finally welded between the dies of a power or spring hammer. In order to aviod fins and to make the link round, it is turned over once or twice in the die during the oper- ation, so that another part of the surface may be ex- or gears, so that they move in harmony in opposite di- rections. In England, where they still adhere to the elliptical link, they use a similar contrivance, only instead of the formers swinging around the centers A and B, they use a cross slot for guiding the formers, working on the principle of the well-known ellipsographs, or an external cam slot, forming an elliptical groove, in which the formers are guided by two rollers moving in the elliptical groove. The Laminated Link. The weakness of the weld was a fact recognized a long time ago, and many chain makers and inventors spent a great deal of time and thought on improving this particular detail of the lap weld process. In the first place the weld was made (as is done nowadays) as long as possible by making the angle at which the bars were sheared as sharp as possible. For the purpose of making the welding area longer still, it was tried to make the links of double or even triple thickness of the bar by cutting every alternate or even third coil. The latter could be done only in chains of excessive and un- usual Jengths of the links, for which there was no de- mand, and even the double coil required a somewhat longer link than the recognized standards, in order to get 8 THE IRON AGE. July 3, 1902 clearance enough to insert the heated coils. The at- A piece of wire was slung through the link and around a tempts in this direction were abandoned, but the large former mandril so often as to make up at last the re- number of patents, some even of recent date, covering quired thickness, and this wire coil then was heated and Tus IRON AGE Fig. 12.—A Belgian Method of Chain Making. CHAINS AND THEIR MANUFACTURE. improvements for the achievement of this purpose demonstrate the efforts which were made in this direc- tion. Several parties attempted to wind links by hand. at last compressed and welded under the hammer. Others proposed (evidently these patented ideas never were carried into practical use) to solder the coils to- TS tan aaa i RAN ai a a July 3, 1902 gether, or to cover them with a specially stamped en- velope made in halves and then weld or solder these wrappers also. While, however, none of these schemes was successful, they led the way to a process which is now in use in Belgium, and, induced by the results of it, several prominent firms in Europe have acquired the right to use it. A Belgian Method, Figs. 12, 13 and 14 will give an idea of the principle of the process and the machine; no claim, however, is made for the correctness of the proportions of the de- tails. A round center pin, D, held rigidly, is notched out at one projecting end to receive the end of the preceding (last) link, A, of the chain. Around this pin and through the eye of the link can be rotated a ring or col- lar, C, which serves as internal former, and the outer circumference of which is equal to the inner circum- ference of the link. In order to get the last (preceding) link, A, through the ring C and into the notch M of the pin D, a closing piece, E, is removably dovetailed into the ring. The power driven rollers F. F, and F, swing on the levers P and N around the fulcrum I, and can be pressed against the ring D by means of the levers L and the rod K, which is connected with a foot lever. The spur wheels G serve to make the rollers F rotate with the same circumferential speed. To make a new link, the closing piece E is pulled out, the collar C turned so that the opening coincides with the notch M in the center pin D. The end of the chain is lowered, so that the end of the last link A drops into the slot M, Fig. 13. The collar is turned again to allow the insertion of the closing piece E, the rollers F being thrown back to fa- cilitate the entering of the flat strip B, which previous- ly had been heated to the welding temperature. On pressing the rollers against the strip the friction of the rollers makes the strip B and collar C revolve around the pin D, and the strip is gradually coiled spirally IW | : Tue IRon AcB Fig. 14.—Sectional Elevation Fig. 12. CHAINS AND THEIR MANUFACTURE. around the ring E. The pressure is sufficient to weld the different layers together. After the welding has been finished and all seams or joints closed, the rollers are THE IRON AGE. 9 thrown back again, the wedge E is removed, the opening of the collar C brought to the top position, and the new- ly welded link can be pushed off the mandril. As soon as one link has been pushed off the machine is ready to receive the link at the other end of the chain, into which a new link is rolled, while the previously rolled link is brought to the finishing machines. The link formed by the machine just described is still rough and of square cross section instead of round; it also has a larger area in the cross section, but it is shorter than the finished link. It is, therefore, brought, still lively red hot, to a miniature rolling mill, the prin- ciple of which is shown in Figs. 15 and 16. The roller heads are projecting, and one roller, g, has a fixed center, while the other roller, r, is adjustable sidewise. These rolier heads have grooves corresponding with the di- ameter of the finished link, and the edges of the grooves are kept sharp, so as to cut off the fins caused by any excess of metal. The driving is effected by gearing un- derneath the table (not shown in the sketch), and the power is transmitted by Jong universal joints to the lower ends of the roller shafts. The two guide rollers S render the rotation of the ring (or link) b more steady. The link leaves these rollers with a perfectly rounded and finished surface, but it is not oblong or oval yet, and has to be given this form in a special set of dies, which, however, do not present any features of particular inter- est. Whiie from the description this seems rather a slow method, the writer saw the work done (on experi- mental apparatus open to many improvements) at a reasonably quick rate, and with properly constructed and improved machines there should be no trouble to produce 60 to 90 links per hour of average size, say about 1 to 1% inches, on each set of machines. It will be noticed that in the laminated (as also in the wire wound and welded) link the quality of the weld scarcely affects the strength of the link, as the welding surface is nearly as long as the original strip of iron, and even without any weld at all, the friction of the dif- ferent layers of the strip against each other is almost sufficient to tear the link rather than unwind the strip. There is no reason, however, why the weld in this case should not be as strong per unit of area as in the weld of the ordinary link, and the strength of the chain with laminated links can be safely taken as twice the strength of a bar of the same cross section as the link. The Stud Chain Is made by any method described, either with ordinary lap weld or with laminated links. The studs generally are made of cast iron and pressed into the sides of the link between the dies which are used to give the links the final finish and shape. Many text-books state that the stud chain possesses a strength about 20 per cent. in excess of the strength of ordinary welded chain of the same size. Actual experiments have proven this belief to be a fallacy, as just on the contrary the stud chain, for the same size of chain, is only about 0.94 time as strong, and if we consider the greater weight per foot about 10 per cent. in excess over the ordinary chain), a stud chain is only 0.85 time as strong as the ordinary ‘hain of the same weight per foot. The stud chain is ised only for marine work, and its continued application ‘or this work is rather surprising, as just there the great- ‘st importance is given to the reduction of weight con- sistent with the required strength. There is little doubt hat chains in modern cranes are subjected to harder 4+ind more continuous service and more frequent over- 'oads than in marine practice, and the open link chains iave been shown to be superior to the stud chains under ul conditions met with in crane practice. The Weldiess Chain. Chain makers recognized the weakness of the weld a long time ago, and to avoid its uncertainties they re- sorted to different means to overcome this trouble. Among the earlier experiments we find a peculiar double chain, a kind of cross between the plate chain and the ordinary chain. Annular disks were either punched out of a plate or small annular ingots of similar shape were cast and in a miniature tire mill rolled into long links of round section. These then were bent double U shape and connected just like the plate chain described above. 10 THE IRON While this chain is actually weldless it is not so free to move in the