The Iron Age 1902-07-24: Vol 70

‘THE IRON AGE TuHurspDAy, Jury 24, 1902. The Scott & Sons Company Alligator Chuck. While the alligator chuck designed and built by the Scott & Sons Company of 173 High street. Soston, is work is chucked the lathe need not be stopped until al! ends have been fin- ished. This not only insures accuracy in the angles, but also saves the time lost by separate chucking for each end. One movement of one lever serves to bring the jaws so arranged that when a piece of Fig. 1. Jaies Open Fig. 2.—Jaws Closed. THE SCOIT & SONS COMPANY ALLIGATOR CHUCK. a radical departure from the ordinary chuck, it can be of the chuck toward each other to grasp the work. applied to any turret lathe having a hollow spindle and a swing of 12 inches or upward. It is suitable for the manufacture of almost all kinds of brass goods. It is F This operation is so designed that there is a certain lee- way which takes care of any inequalities in size of This means that if the casting other article stock. or 1 | ara aes PE, 2 THE IRON AGE. is a trifie too large provision is made to grip it just as firmly as if it were true to size. Having gripped the work the chuck itself may be made to move any part of a rotation, as may have been previously determined. If there are four parts to be operated upon by four tur- ret tools, then the chuck is moved one-quarter of a turn for each tool. If there are six ends to be worked then one-sixth of a turn is made by the chuck. This illus- July 24, 1902 ing device is finally locked to the movable chuck mem- ber, the supplemental actuating device being arranged to be previously locked to the stationary chuck mem- her at the end of a predetermined movement, after which a movement of the main actuating device rela- tive to the supplemental actuating device may take place and result in a short but powerful additional movement of the movable chuck member before the > THE IRON AGE Fig. 3.—-Sectional Elevation through Spindle. trates the elasticity of the system. The first two en- eravings show the chuck opened and closed. In the following description we shall first describe how the chuck jaws are operated and then how the chuck is turned. The main actuating device b, Fig. 3, is a sleeve pro- vided with a transverse groove, b*, designed to receive the yoke or collar }b®. This collar is actuated by the lever 30‘ to move it in a direction parallel with the spin- Tue [RON AGB Fig. 4.—Details of Chuck Actuating Mechanism. iovable chuck member is finally locked. As shown, the supplemental actuating device is embodied in a sleeve, c, interposed between the sleeve b and the sta- tionary chuck member A, the movement of the sleeve ‘b being transmitted to the sleeve ¢ and to the movable chuck member B through the agency of a compensating device which co-operates with the several parts in such © way as to resist the movement of the movable chuck member, but to yield to a movement of the main actu- ating device, the parts all being locked together by pressure at the chuck jaws when the chuck is closed, but capable of being unlocked in response to a move- ment of the main actuating device. As shown, the compensating device is embodied in one or more levers, c¢, pivotally supported upon the supplemental actuating device ¢ and so arranged that one arm of each lever pears against a portion of the movable chuck member BK, substantially in line with the direction of movement of it, while the other arm bears against the sleeve b in a direction nearly transverse. The short arm ¢ of each lever bears against a shoulder on the movable chuck member B. The axial support of the levers is such that the pressure of the “a VT dd RA Bt . ESSStsSossol — RS KEE — Ps SSS Seb 2 Tue IRON AGB ) Fig. 5.—lHorizontal Section Fig. 4. THE Scolr & SONS COMPANY ALLIGATOR CHUCK. die. This movement of the lever serves to close the chuck through the movement transmitted to the shaft B. In order that the chuck jaws may be locked inde- pendently of the actuating handle b* and also that cast- ings slightly differing in size may be firmly held without preliminary adjustment the main actuating device )b, in- stead of being directly connected with the movable chuck member B, is connected through a supplemental] actuating device, c, 2nd co-operates in affording varia- ble locking means whereby the supplemental actuat- arm is in the line of movement of B, while the longer irms ct bear against an inclined conical surface formed in the sleeve. It will be seen, therefore, as the member b is moved to the left the resistance of B will tend to crowd the long arms of the levers into contact with the conical surface so that there will be a locking connec- tion between the part bh, the part c and the movable chuck member B, which is thus moved in a direction to close the chuck jaws. As soon, however, as the closure of the jaws is resisted by the article between them the device } will act as a wedge upon the lever c*, crowding July 24, 1902 them together and permitting the independent move- ment of the device 6 with relation to the device c. If, when this movement takes place, ¢ is stationary with relation to A the short arm c* of the levers will engage the shoulders of B with a powerful grip, which firmly closes the chuck jaws. The device ¢ is arranged to be locked to the station- ary chuck member A at the end of a predetermined movement by the pins «*. If the article is so small as not to materially resist the closure of.the jaws at the time when the pins reach their channel the mere frac- tional resistance or drag of the movable chuck member will tend to keep a continual pressure on the pins so that they will enter the channel as soon as they reach it. Theretore, the preliminary adjustment is so made as to leave a certain amount of lost motion to be taken up by the compensating device. To adjust the initial portion of the chuck member with relation to its actuating means the position of the shoulder against which the short arm of the lever rests is made adjustable by a screw sleeve. In order to unlock the chuck it is necessary to with- draw the pins from the channel. This is accomplished = SS —. atl 7 F Hef = Se ESAS poo Et \| Wt = he THE IRON AGE Fig. 6.—Sectional Elevation of Chuck Proper. THE IRON AGE. 3 erauon of the member e* in response to such movement of the chuck members. When once the chuck members are locked, however, it is obvious that any movement of the sleeve will be transmitted without lost motion to the member e*, so that by moving the handle of the lever h back and forth the operator can rotate the chuck jaws without stopping the lathe. ‘I'o limit the forward rotary movement of the chuck jaws tbe member é is provided with a shoulder adapted to come in contact with a fixed portion of the chuck frame, so that there iS no danger of overthrowing in case the stop should fail to operate properly. Owing to the ease and rapidity with which it can be operated this chuck will save a considerable percentage of the time usually consumed in chucking operations. a A Half Year’s Fire Loss. The fire loss of the United States and Canada in the first half of the present year continues the heavy record which has characterized it during the last two or three years, amounting to no less than $87,105,850, or an av- erage of over $14,000,000 per month. The losses for the corresponding period of 1901 amounted to $88,926,150, and in the first six months of 1900 to $103,298,900. While the figures for 1902, so far, are slightly better than those for the corresponding period of last year. when the total was materially swollen by the great con- flagration at Jacksonville, as the record for the preced- ing year was enlarged by the Hoboken disaster and sevy- eral unusually great fires which occurred in that period, the present year’s losses are deplorably great. The con- tinnance of such heavy losses, in spite of all the efforts Tue IRON AcE Fig. 7.— Sectional Plan View of Fig. 4. THE SCOTT & SONS COMPANY ALLIGATOR CHUCK. by moving b in a direction opposite to that which pto- duced the closing of the chuck. All of the devices so far described rotate with the lathe spindle, with the ex- ception of the actuating yoke b*, so that the chuck can be operated regardless of the position or movement of the lathe spindle. The Chuck. To the jaws d are secured the blocks d’, which are shaped to fit the article to be held. These jaws are mounted to turn in bearings in the slides C and are pro- vided with ball bearings, as shown in Fig. 7. The jaws ean be turned a certain part of their periphery without stopping the lathe and so bring different parts of the work in engagement with the turret tools. To accom- plish this there is an operating device rotating with the lathe spindle, which is furnished with a stationary actu- ating device. The jaws are turned by a pawl, e, Fig. 7, engaging teeth formed in one of the jaws. This paw] is connected with a reciprocating part, e*, the movement of which produces a step by step movement of the chuck. One of the jaws is formed with a stop to insure the stopping of the chuck iu its proper position. The part e is operated by a link, f, attached to a sleeve, which is surrounded by a collar, g, connected with the lever h. his lever is in the form of a band surrounding the lathe spindle and pivoted at h’. When the chuck jaws are opened or closed to insert or remove the work the sleeve will simply travel for- ward or backward along the lathe shaft, the frictional resistance of, the paw] being sufficient to prevent any op- of the fire department, with their modern equipment, is a fact to be lamented. That between $150,000,000 and $200,000,000 worth of property is wiped out an- nually by fires, many of which must have been pre- ventable, should secure some action by the city au- thorities and the fire insurance companies, with a view to the stricter enforcement of building laws and the en- couragement of a more extended use of fire proof ma- terials in the construction of new buildings. The past few years have been disastrous ones for the fire insur- ance interests, and it would seem to be time for those companies to exercise a stricter supervision, not only in their own interests, but also in the interests of the dif- ferent communities in which they do business. A num- ber of the weaker fire insurance concerns have gone un- der in the past two or three years by reason of their heavy losses; but those that are left are surely strong enough to carry out any salutary measures that may be decided upon in the interests of more effective fire pro- tection in American cities and towns. secant ating The Jackson Lron & Tin Plate Company were com- pelled to temporarily close their works at Clarksburg, W. Va., last week, on account of an accident at the power plant. The company are manufacturing coke tin plates almost exclusively. Their equipment con- sists of a bar mill, eight tin mills and five cold mills, with a tinning department containing 12 tinning ma- chines. C. C. Moore is the general manager of the con- cern. oe rene nw Sax oad eee ce ane aed ee Pia a 4 THE IRON AGE. Scientific Tests of Alcohol Motors. Combustion Proved Defective in All Explosion Motors -—-Corrosion a Danger with Alcohol Mixtures, BY M C. KRARUP, NEW YORK. In a recent article in this journal the status of alcohol as a source of power, mainly for automobiles, was dis- cussed in a general way, with reference to the possibil- ity that power users and manufacturers of automobiles in this country eventually might decide to follow the strong lead of Germany and France so as to establish a competitive market between the agricultural product (alcohol) of unlimited supply and the mineral hydrocar- bons, gasolene and kerosene, of which the available quantity as well as the price must remain somewhat un- certain factors. The Use of Carbureted Alcohol, It was briefly mentioned that satisfactory results have been obtained from pure (90 to 100 per cent.) alcohol for certain heating and illuminating purposes, but that it bad been found expedient with regard to the employ- ment of alcohol in explosion motors to make a short cut for success by carbureting the liquid with gasolene, benzine or benzol, so as to be able to learn the peculiar- ities of the fuel in motor economy without making rad- ical changes in the construction of the familiar gasolene motors in actual use. By the necessity of mixing the alcoho! with equal volumes of benzine in order to obtain a good showing, the state of the art with reference to pure alcohol was sufficiently indicated as being still strictly experimental, but, on the other hand, the effi- ciency attained when using the mixture in motors in- tended for pure gasolene pointed unmistakably to some form of usefulness for alcohol in the desired direction. Whether this was to be reached by using pure alcohol in a limited number of specially built alcohol motors or by using 50 per cent. alcohol in a very much larger number of motors belonging to the existing types seemed relatively unimportant as to the main point at issue, which in Germany and France is that of encour- aging the production and consumption of as large a quantity of native alcohol as possible, to take the place of a corresponding quantity of imported gasolene. A 50 per cent. mixture generally adopted would save France, for example, the importation of 8,000,000 hl. of gasolene (or the much larger quantity of crude oil from which French refiners produce it), while permitting the estab- lishment of alcoho] distilleries in her rural communities. From the commercial standpoint the mixing system in other ways suited the needs of the hour. Besides fa- cilitating experimenting it took the ticklish question of cost out of the open market for raw materials and cur- rent products, permitting refineries to turn out a special product for which the price could be set with an eye to the ultimate results expected of the alcohol agitation as well as to present profits. It imbued those refiners whose hold on the mineral oil market was weak with a strong hope of working up an exclusive business for themselves, and thereby enlisted their co-operation, which has proved very valuable. It also gave automo- bilists and other consumers an assurance of being able to obtain from the start a product of known and uniform composition, something which experience has shown it is difficult to secure with less specialized articles, such as pure gasolene or pure alcohol, the purity being relative, variable and subject to adulteration so long as the sources of supply are not popularly identified with the refiner’s firm name and the genuineness protected in sealed bidons. From the scientific engineer’s standpoint the mixture system proved more satisfactory than expected, inas- much as it soon disclosed two valuable facts: First, that variations in motor construction caused sufficiently marked variations in efficiency to permit close study of the causes in each instance, and, second, that these va- riations after all did not cover a much wider range than with gasolene and were fairly well within those limits to where shortcomings in economical and dynamic efficiency may be considered offset by advantages in durability, flexibility of power. convenience in opera- July 34, 1902 tion, or other factors which cannot easily be expressed in figures at a test. Experiments with pure alcohol af- forded much less material upon which to build, because in the much poorer results it was difficult to localize causes and effects, the diagnosis always relating to a complication of motor diseases. The situation after the first trials held by the Minister of Agriculture of France, in October and November, 1901, was described in the official report of Max Rengel- mann, the secretary of the contest. With reference to the brake tests of detached motors he says that “the discrepancies observed at the trials due to the variety of motor systems or motor details and the varying propor- tions in their principal dimensions show that there re- main numerous investigations to be made, and that it is indispensable for the construction of excellent alcohol motors to take up a line of methodic research of scien- tific and practical nature adapted to throw light on certain points, such as the work of the carbureter with different kinds of fuel and under varying conditions, the influence of the compression of the charge, of the tem- perature of the cylinder walls, the rapidity of flame propagation, duration of explosion pressure, &¢c.” In automobiles the best results were obtained in vehicles weighing more than 1000 kg., and in these the typical consumption was, according to the same official report, between 100 and 105 ce. cm. of carbureted 50 per cent. aleohol per ton-kilometer. Results of This Year's Tests in France. An account of the more recent and more extensive trials held in May this year has been rendered by G. Coupan, one of the technical commissioners of the Al- cohol Exposition, which followed after the tests of mo- tors and automobiles, and adds greatly to our knowl- edge of the subject, partly because this was the first oc- casion when nearly all competitors used the same 50 per cent. mixture and partly because a chemical examination was made of the residues in the motors and of the ex- haust gases. In order to facilitate the understanding of this re port and its importance it may be best to explain the nature and extent of the tests to which it refers. On May 10, 20 “business automobiles” competed over a course of 385 km. from Beauvais to St. Germain, carrying useful loads according to their capacity. The consumption of 50 per cent. alcohol varied from 0.132 liter per ton-kilometer for a light Georges Richard truck weighing 973 kg. everything on, and 0.134 for a heavy truck made by the Société Naucienne weighing 3010 kg.; to 0.312 liter for a Panhard et Levassor wagon weighing 4636 kg., and 0.325 for a Gillet-Forest vehicle of 1200 kg. On May 15, 85 automobiles competed in a two-day race over 924 km., the first day’s course being 412 km., from Champigny, near Paris, to Arras, and the next day’s 512 km., from Arras to St. Germain, near Paris. Only 21 of the vehicles completed the course, but this was ascribed more to the extremely unfavorable weath- er and road conditions than to the use of 50 per cent. alcohol in the motors. No account was taken of fuel consumption in this race, speed being the only consid- eration. The speed varied from 72.280 km. per hour for a Panhard driven by Maurice Forman, to 27.380 km. for the last of the 21. A number of powerful vehicles which had been built originally to a weight exceeding 1000 kg., but afterward reduced to conform with a ruling of the Automobile Club de France making this figure the limit for racing vehicles, came to grief through breakage of gears and vehicle work. The consumption trials for touring automobiles took place over a course of 730 km., which was divided into three relays. The speed was limited to 30 km. per hour. On May 15 the participants went from Paris to Arras over a 210-km. route (bringing the racing division and the touring division together at the end of the first day). On May 16 the route was from Arras to Abbeville, and on May 17 from Abbeville back to Paris. On May 20 a test of motor boats was held on the Seine, but out of 10 entries only two appeared, both equipped with Centaure (Panhard et Levassor) motors. These were the practical trials. They were followed on May 24 with an exposi- tion comprising stationary motors and apparatus utiliz- ‘ing alcohol, as well as automobiles. This exposition July 24, 1902 THE was continued for one week and furnished the occasion for scientific tests of the motors and other apparatus exhibited. In order to initiate the untechnical public in the origin and purpose of the alcohol movement there was also exhibited a complete plant for the production of alcohol from beets, as well as the manufacture of methylene for denaturizing it (rendering it undrinkable); and the methods of transporting it were shown. In these elaborate arrangements for demonstrating the uses of alcohol the scientific tests of stationary mo- tors and the results of the consumption trials for tour- ing automobiles and business wagons are decidedly of greatest interest for determining the status of alcohol as a fuel for explosion motors. Especially the tests of stationary motors bring in new elements for considera- tion by constructors, giving for the first time an account of the chemical reactions which take place when alcohol forms part of the fuel. Incidentally they throw strong light on the imperfections of many gasolene motors, for any fuel, and this was possibly the most valuable fea- ture of it all. From Mr. Coupan’s report on this subject we take the following: At the motor competition every motor was tested under the brake before the commission representing the Government. The conditions were those indicated as most favorable for faultless operation by each con- structor. The tests were made at full load, at half load and running free, and each lasted one-half hour. The eminent scientist, Mr. Sorel, was specially commis- sioned to investigate the phenomena relating to the combustion and had installed a laboratory at the test station for the analysis of the fuel and the exhaust gas. At each test he took a sample of the fuel, whether it was the pure alcohol or the carbureted mixture. Both were furnished exclusively by Mr. Leprétre, a refiner, and the variations brought out by analysis of the samples were so trifling that the composition could be considered con- stant in each class. The pure alcohol (containing about 6 per cent. of water) was known as “ moto-schnick,” the earbureted alcohol as “electrine.’” The carbureting element in the latter was benzol of coal and was not pure benzine of petroleum as at previous trials. By distilla- tion this coal benzol would produce 94.5 per cent. of 100- degree benzine. The specific gravity of the carbureted mixture was 0.854, as against 0.843 of the benzine (gaso- lene) mixture used at the 1901 trials. The density of the pure alcohol was 0.834. The condition of inlet and ex- haust valves after the tests was particularly examined in each case, as it has been one of the most frequent ob- jections to alcohol that it would tarnish the inlet valve and even cause it to stick to its seat, after cooling down, as well as corrode the back flow valve. These phenoni- ena were, indeed, observed during the competition, but only exceptionally, the valves in the good motors show- ing no special effects whatever. Some inlet valves re- mained absolutely clean, others were lightly tarnished with an imponderable and dry film. Occasionally these valves were covered with soot, dry in appearance, but containing traces of liquid carbides readily disclosed by heating in a test tube. In some motors, finally, a deposit of tar products was brought in evidence and, in one case, even the existence of no less than 1 ¢c. cm. of liquid products. “In the face of these pronounced differences the blame can hardly be laid to the alcohol,’ writes Mr. Sorel, “as in that case the effects would be identical on all valves. The carbureter is more likely to be at fault. it seems probable that when the alcohol is not vaporized, but merely pulverized, the spray upon touching the over- heated valve will be suddenly decomposed, with an ac- companying formation of carbides, so much richer in carbon as the temperature is higher and the contact more prolonged. Coke manufacture on a small scale!” Corrosion to Be Guarded Against. On the other hand, Mr. Sorel invariably found acetic acid in the products of combustion, though in greatly varying proportions. From this one would expect corro- sion of the exhaust valves, but as a rule the valves showed no traces thereof, even when the acidity of the gases was pronounced. Only in a few cases—and these not apparently analogous—was there noticed the yellow- ish cast or the yellowish mounds which indicate an at- LRON AGE. 5 tack. In a single instance a clear case of corrosion of the exhaust valve was observed. ‘“ However,” says Mr. Sorel, “since acetic acid is indubitably present in the gases, it is rather probable that stopping and cooling of the motor might induce the formation of a liquid which would attack and corrode the metal, and to be safe it would be advisable to lubricate the cylinder after the motor has been stopped and give it a few turns to pre- vent direct contact between the metal and the water formed by the condensation.” By an ingenious arrangement the exhaust pipe of each motor was tapped close to the cylinder and a vol- ume of about 75 c. cm. was abstracted into a retort un- der elaborate precautions for obtaining a representative quality. Mr. Coupan describes the exact method fol- lowed, but this is not of sufficient interest at present in comparison with the results. The samples of gas of equal volume produced liquids by condensation in the retorts in highly variable quantities, and the subsequent analysis of the condensable products could therefore be qualitative only. The analysis of the remaining gases was made chiefly by direct dosing with absorbents, such as potassium, pyrogallic acid and potassium, chlorate of copper, acid or basic. The amounts of saturated car- bides were determined after combustion in a Schloesing endiometer, the nitrogen as a remainder. Combustion Incomplete. The numerous experiments proved that in most cases a certain proportion of the carbon and the hydrogen ad- mitted to the cylinder passed out in the exhaust without being utilized. The light, high speed, motors showed the poorest economy in this respect. The best among the heavy motors, which were the object of special atten- tion by the jury on awards, required, it was shown, on an average one and one-half times as much air as theo- retically necessary for the complete combustion of the carbon contained in either pure or carbureted alcohol. A somewhat smaller addition to the theoretical figure was required to consume the hydrogen completely. Still, the hydrogen is more exacting than the carbon in regard to the quantity of air supplied, for, as Mr. Sorel sums up the result of his observations on this point, “ In propor- tion as the air supply is reduced below this limit and approaches the quantity theoretically indicated as neces- sary for complete combustion of gaseous carbon, the utilization becomes worse and worse for the carbon, and especially for the hydrogen, and the variations in utiliza- tion for the various motors, for any given excess of air, presents individual differences which increase in proportion as the excess of air over the theoretical re- quirement diminishes.” The results of these important demonstrations (which evidently bear upon gasolene mo- tors as well) were brought to the attention of visitors to the exposition by means of graphic charts on which the curves of averages enabled the observer to form a good practical estimate of the probable conditions for ob- taining the best results from an alcohol motor when the carburization of the fuel is satisfactory. That the combustion was incomplete in all the motors exhibited was shown by the invariable presence of acetic acid in the exhaust gases, and Mr. Sorel intends to fol- low up the experiments commenced at the exposition in order to arrive at more conclusive results as to the means for improving motors in this particular feature. So far as they have gone, his results agree almost too well with those reached by other methods by Max Ringelmann with reference to gasolene motors. The experiments of the latter, conducted since 1894, indicate the same necessity for an excess of air in gasolene mo- tors beyond that theoretically required for the chemical reaction as found by Mr. Sorel for motors fed with pure or 50 per cent. alcohol, and his charts shown at the Alco- hol Exposition presented a striking resemblance to those evolved during its progress by Mr. Sorel. Whether gaso- lene or alcohol was the fuel, bad mechanical results could be traced uniformly to poor combustion. Gasolene and Carbureted Alcohol Iuterchangeable, The coincidence in conclusions goes far to establish the doctrine, which now seems to be generally accepted in France, that gasolene (essence de petrole) and carbu- reted alcobol, containing at least 50 per cent. of benzine Sw: oe ae ELT TEE) ee BS PPO. Vine Loy: eae 6 THE IRON or benzol, can be used interchangeably in the best gaso- lene motors, stationary as well as automobile, with the qualification that light, high-speed motors do better with pure gasolene, while the carbureted alcohol gives cer- tain appreciable advantages in slow speed motors—all provided that the carbureter does its work properly. Among the stationary motors those exhibited by Bronhot & Cie, earned special distinction from the jury on awards, who took in consideration not only the fuel consumption and the analysis of exhaust gases, but also the regularity of operation, ease of starting and other points usually regarded as essential. A Bronhot single horizontal cylinder motor weighing 535 kg. and of 1.83 horse-power (French unit) consumed 551 grams of 50 per cent. alcohol at full load per horse-power kLour, and 426 grams per hour running idle. At half load the report credits it with the same consumption per horse-power hour as at full load, but for all other motors the efficiency at half load is notably less than at full - - —_——-Wood.-- — Sail. Steam. No. Gross tons. No. Gross tons. Atlantic and Gulf... .583 65,265 290 19,021 Ort: Bice... cc accsce 5 89 i eee Ee ere we | 26,172 90 9,725 ere Aan 9 1 13 Great Lakes......... 8 200 65 3,242 Western Rivers...... 6 114 134 7,927 ON iin ae OS 650 91,849 580 39,928 load, as would be expected. The greatest efficiency is shown by another Bronhet motor, also single cylinder, horizontal, but of 16.34 horse-power and weighing 2615 kg. Its shaft speed was from 183 to 208 revolutions per minute (while the smaller motor varied from 282 to 305), and it consumed 233 grams of 50 per cent. alcohol at full load per horse-power hour, 308 at half load, and 2598 grams per hour running idle. With pure alcohol it consumed 340 grams at full load. Its nearest com- petitor was a 19 horse-power Winterthiir (Switzerland) motor, weighing 2850 kg., the corresponding figures of which were 270, 387, 1695 and 384. All other motors showed a more marked increase in consumption when the fuel was pure alcohol, with one remarkable excep- tion. This was a Pengeot 10.61 horse-power motor weighing 150 kg., and with a shaft speed of 756 to 845 revolutions; the report credits it with 548 grams of pure alcohol at full load against 583 of carbureted alco- hol. Its piston diameter was 105 mm. and the stroke 144 mm. The same dimensions in the small Bronhot motor were 100 mm. and 200 mm., and in the larger Bronhot 240 nm. by 400 mm. Practically all the motors showed a similar proportion, however, between piston diameter and piston stroke, so that there is no founda- tion for ascribing extraordinary importance to this fea- ture, except in so far as it relates to piston speed. In a subsequent article it is proposed to institute a comparison in figures between results obtained with 50 per cent. alcohol at the trials for touring automobiles during the Circuil du Nerd, as the automobile tests on this occasion were styled, and those recorded at the 100- mile trials held by the Automobile Club of America May 30. a Meeting of Malleable Iron Manufacturers.—About 30 of the. malleable iron manufacturers met at Hotel Pfister, Milwaukee, on July 16, together with 10 or 12 representatives of pig iron tirms. The circumstances gave rise to a report that a combination of interests was considered. A number of such gatherings, however. have been held on previous occasions, and while busi- ness matters were discussed, the pig iron situation es- pecially being considered, it is understood that the meet- ing was largely social in its functions. It is known that several of the malleable foundries, even some of the most conservative, have placed orders for requirements, in whole or part, up to July, 1903—one lot of 50,000 tons having been contracted for during the week—and as the condition of the market for raw material is es- pecially interesting now the presence of furnace reprc- sentatives would indicate that pig iron was the most ab- sorbing tonic. AGE. July 24, 1902 Shipbuilding During the Past Year. The report of E. T. Chamberlain, United States Com- missioner of Navigation, for the year ended June 30 shows that during the year 1657 vessels of 473,981 gross tons were built and officially numbered, compared with 1709 vessels of 489,616 tons for the previous fiscal year. The proportion of unrigged vessels (scows, canal boats, &c..) included in these figures is shown in the following table: —-—1902. 1901.——,, No. Gross tons. No. Gross tons. Steam and sail vessels of regular POMISTEE ccc cecccvsrsiccvecss 1,360 416,479 1,173 401,285 Unrigged craft (scows, canal ; boate, BC.) oo. sssosccccrcecs 297 57,502 536 =. 88,331 TNE: Son bc kewen scree ta 1,657 473,981 1,709 489,616 Excluding the unrigged craft, the commissioner pre- sents the following summary, by districts, of vessels built during the year: — —_—_——Steel.—-—__—____—__ Sail. Steam. Total. No. Gross tons. No. Gross tons. No. F7ross tons, 8 9,223 62 102,647 943 196,156 oO) Renate 5 89 2 10,707 139 46,604 oplaeac 2 22 52 161,797 125 165,239 6 828 146 8,369 8 9,223 122 275,479 1,360 416,479 The decrease compared with last year is in sail ves- sels and canal boats, barges, &c. This year’s new sail tonnage is 101,072 tons; last year’s, 128,099 tons. This year’s new canal boats, barges, &c., aggregate 57,502 tons; last year’s, 88,331 tons. New steel steamers aggre- gate 275,479 tons, compared with 235,265 tons last year. Included in the total new tonnage are 94 vessels, each of over 1000 tons, aggregating 315,062 tons, or two- thirds of the output. Of this large construction 41 steel steamers of 158,631 tons were built on the Great Lakes. The lakes have built for ocean trade two West India fruit steamers, Watson and Buckman, of 1820 tons each; one cargo steamer, Hugoma, of 2182 tons, and two large cargo steamers, Minnetonka and Minnewaska, of 5270 tons each, cut in two to pass the Canadian canals. The output of completed steel steamers on the sea- board has been much below the indications of last July. The launching of nearly every large steamer has been delayed from three to eight months, and some are still on the ways which by this time were to have been in operation. The delays have been partly due to the steel strike last summer, to the great demand for structural steel in all directions, to low ocean freights and the lack of new shipbuilding orders, which has left builders and owners without motive for haste. Last July 255,000 tons of ocean steel steamers were under construction or un- der contract, while at present only about 160,000 tons are under construction, and no new large seaboard con- tracts are reported. The year’s new steamers on the seaboard include the Transatlantic liner ** Kroonland,”’ 12,760 tons, the largest vessel ever built in this country; the Pacific Mail liner * Korea,” 11,276 tons, of 19 knots, the largest and fast est merchant steamer on the Pacific; “ Shawmut” and “Tremont,” of 9606 tons each, built for the opening trade with the Philippines, and * Alaskan,” 8671 tons, for the New York Hawaiian trade, the largest vessel ever launched into Pacific waters. The sister ships, * Finland’”’ and “Siberia,” to the Transatlantic and Transpacific mail liners named, have been launched and will be officially numbered and in operation in the early autumn. Two steamers, * Nevadan” and “ Nebraskan,” of 4408 tons each, have been added to, and two more of 8000 tons each are building for the steam fleet to Hawaii around Cape Horn. The remaining nine new ocean steamers of 1000 tons or more are for local coast- ing trades. oo The Whitaker Iron & Steel Company, Wheeling, W. Va., are adding three new sheet mills to their plant, which will give them a total of 11 miils. July 24, 1902 THE A Queer Phenomenon in Melting. BY G. P. BLACKISTON, PITTSBURGH. The statement that a solid like iron or steel always melts from the inside, the outside being the last to be converted into a liquid state, will seem. no doubt, to many as ludicrous as in other days did Columbus’ theory that the world was round. This statement, made as a fact, will be criticised by nearly all lay readers and by many connected with the melting of iron and steel, but after a few moments of thought and careful considera tion it can be readily understood. It is more clearly demonstrated by the manufacture of tool or crucible steel than by any other process, as the material used for the charge is smaller and the amount used is not too great to experiment with. Briefly, the fundamental principles of the crucible Pots made of black lead and process are as follows: Specimens of Stoek Taken from a Crucible Indicate that Melting Begins from the Inside. A QUEER PHENOMENON IN MELTING. clay are filled with the charge or mixture. These pots are about 2 feet high and about 10 inches wide in the widest portion. Of course each grade of steel has a special mix or charge, but commonly, in different pro- portions, are used a large amount of iron, blister bar steel scrap, generally of crucible quality, and other in- gredients. These are placed in the pots, the tops of which are covered with a cap of the same materia!. The pots are then placed into a furnace so constructed that the flames enter one side of the hole or furnace and pass around the crucibles, making their exit on the oppo- site side. In this manner they are thoroughly heated in about a temperature of 3000 degrees and their con tents melted. The high carbon ingredients, such as blister bar and the high carbon tool scrap, are the first to melt, the muck iron being the last to reach a molten state, as it contains the lowest percentage of carbon. In making steel the pots remain within the furnace for quite a period after the contents are thoroughly inelted; but in order to illustrate our experiment or statement we must remove one just before the steel entirely melts—about one and a half hours after it was IRON AGE. placed in the furnace. If the contents are then cooled and removed from the pot the mass will have the ap- pearance of being a conglomeration of all the charge, the different shapes and pieces being stuck together. After breaking several of these off they will be found hollow, with a little hole through the skin or outside shell, as shown in the accompanying illustrations, which are re produced from photographs of such pieces. The shapes of the pieces will be as perfect as when placed within the pot, but the inside will be missing. Of course the center of the high carbon stock in such a case is hol- lower than that of the low carbon. Therefore the blis- ter bar, which is very high in carbon, will only be rec ognized by a thin outer shell, the other steel scrap being regulated according to the carbon, the iron having just begun to melt. Now as to the cause. All iron or steel bars, plates, sheets, billets, blooms or slabs have a trace of oxide upon the surface, which is formed during the period of cooling, after the rolling or hammering, or from mois- ture of some kind. When the charge is placed in the pots and they in turn are removed into the furnace an in- tense heat comes in contact with the iron or steel. Air being present in the pot an oxide forms upon the out- side of each piece of steel or iron, and, being aided by the oxide originally upon it, it is given a greater melting point. There being no possible manner by which the center of the iron or steel can become oxidized to the same degree, its melting point is therefore not raised and it naturally melts long before the outside. This liquid finds or forces an opening through the outer skin and trickles down to the bottom of the pot. This in turn aids in making an opening for other pieces, and thus the process is continued. This occurs in the open hearth as well as in the crucible process; in fact, it is true in all methods of melting iron and steel. There may be one exception, the writer not being positive, and that is in pig iron. There is, as a general rule, so much sand and other silicon material upon a pig that might prevent this action. This fact explodes an old idea—namely, that all forms of small pieces of steel or iron necessarily melt faster or quicker than large ones. A thin piece of sheet steel has so much less center to melt and so much larger sur- face to be exposed to the action of the oxygen than a large piece that naturally it would be longer melting. The outside of a thin piece of steel or iron requires the same heat to melt it as does the large piece containing the same amount of carbon. Thus fine scrap in the crucible process requires more heat and work than does the heavy material <i The Commonwealth Steel Company of St. Louis, Mo., are making rapid progress in the erection of their steel easting plant at Granite City, Ill., which will have an initial capacity of about 180 tons per day. The equip- ment is designed exelusively for the manufacture of specialties, and all material from the charging furnaces to the finished product will be handled entirely by ma- chinery. The power will be both electric and com- pressed air, the latter being used to operate the mold- ing machine hoists and the doors of the furnaces. In the open hearth plant the furnaces will be of special de- sign, adapted to burn oil or gas. They will be of the basie open hearth type, and are said to be the first of the kind ever used in this country. The annealing fur- naces will be equipped with double combustion oil burn- ers, in which the combustion is so nearly complete that no chimneys are required. There will be a laboratory for making chemical and physical tests, and the finish- ing department will be equipped with hydraulic ma- chines for each important casting before it leaves the works. The plant is expected to be in operation by Sep- tember. The American Brake Shoe & Foundry Company of New York have purchased the brake shoe plant of the Ross-Meehan Foundry Company at Chattanooga, Tenn. The purchase will in no way interfere with the busi- ness of the Ross-Meehan Foundry Company and the Malleable Iron Works, which are under the same management. Southern 8 THE IRON The Iron Making and Shipbuilding Industries of Germany.—II* Development of the Manufacture of Shapes. The development of the manufacture of shapes re- ceived a still stronger impulse than that of plates as soon as the valuable properties of the basic method of manufacture for this special purpose became generally known. We now have 21 steel works that are fitted for rolling heavy shapes, the majority being supplied with com- plete sets of rolls for the production of the sections of the German standard section book for structural pur- poses up to 215% inches. The output of these latter, hav- ing sections of 34% inches or upward, has increased it- mensely within the last decade. Its amount was as follows: 1888 about 344,500 tons. 1895 about 641,700 tons. 1899 * 893,700 s 1896 * 799,200 “* 1890 “386,800 1897 “ 850,400 “ 1891 366,100 1898 ‘* 957,600 ‘“ 1892 “* 409,400 . 1899 ** 1,082,600 “ 1893 “491,100 “ 1900 974,400 “ 1894 * §52,100 " 1901 839,500 ‘* The retrogression which has taken place during the last two years is due to a lull in the activity of the build- ing trade. As far as I am aware, there is no exact rec- ord in figures in existence as to the part borne by the shipyards in the placing of orders for sections before the year 1897, and I can only establish the conclusion that the absolute amount, and still more relative amount, of such orders was very small in proportion to the large general output. If we leok for the beginnings of the making of heavy shapes for shipbuilding it is, according to my informa- tion, probable that Engineer Fritz Asthiéver, in Essen, was the first who took up this branch of the industry. In the years 1866 to 1870 shapes for shipbuilding were made under his direction, at the Steinhauser Hiitte of Witten, for the Prussian Naval Administration, and this was looked upon as a clever performance. The sections at that time were those of unequal sided angle iron of various widths of flange, such as 3 x 9 x %& inch in lengths up to 60 feet; also those of [, T and bulb iron up to 11 inch. Somewhat later iron works on the Saar, under the management of Siegfried Blau and Julius Buch, took up the manufacture of these sections. The difficulties which there presented themselves were the greater that the available raw material contained a considerable proportion of phosphorus. The types of section wer- similar in the two cases. Herr Blau writes me, among other things, the following: ‘“ With what difficulties of a technical nature it was necessary to contend may be seen from the circumstance that 8, 9 and 12 inch buib iron was originally produced by the Butterley Works, in Yorkshire, by a very clever welding together in the di- rection of the length of T iron with bulb iron. This welding was, as a matter of fact, very cleverly per- formed, and in this manner bars up to 50 feet in length were produced. At a later date this method gave place to that of direct rolling. I had very great difficulty with my weak rolls of that period in producing without flaws the lengths, ranging up to 50 feet, then required. “The greatest stress was laid on the good outward appearance of the manufactured article, and especially on its admitting of being easily welded. All the above named sections were used as deck beams for war ves- sels, and for this purpose their webs had to be split for from 3 feet to 6.5 feet, in the direction of their length. at each end, so that the half web and the pulb could be heated to a cherry red and turned with a sharp bend downward, having sometimes also to be welded to a stout angle iron. The deck beams thus produced were then riveted direct to the frames of the vessels. I have never had any difficulty with the welding qualities cf my beams, but difficulties were at first put in my way on account of the outward appearance of my shapes, or at least because their appearance was different from that of the Butterley beams.” *See The Iron Age, July 17, page 23 AGE. July 24, 1902 At a later date the Friedrich Wilhelmshiitte, in Trois- dorf; the Phoeniz, in Eschweiler; the Rothe Erde, near Aix-la-Chapelle, and some other works took up the man- ufacture of material for shipbuilding. For some time, however, after malleable iron for shapes for building purposes was replaced by mild steel the German makers could not get a firm hold on the requirements of ma- terial for shipbuilding. The reasons for this were of various kinds. It was, no doubt, due to the peculiar circumstances incident to the development of the Get- man shipbuilding industry, which had first to make the most of the much more advanced English shipbuilding industry, that German shipbuilders at first gave the preference to a material which had proved itself to oe good, and they cannot be blamed for having exercised the greatest caution in placing orders for steel material in Germany. Another reason for the preference shown by the Ger- man yards for English material was to be found in the fact that the German rolling mills did not possess the sections required in shipbuilding, for the making of which the English mills had, in course of time, gradu- ally laid down the necessary plant. The dimculty lay in the circumstance that the German rolling mills natu- rally could not persuade themselves to adopt, for ship- building purposes, the English sections, which were ar- ranged according to English measure, after they had proved the excellence of the German standard sections as applied to building purposes. Their efforts were, moreover, directed to persuading the shipbuilders to adopt German standard sections. Added to the above came a further drawback in the manner of quoting prices for shipbuilding materia] in vogue at the Ger- man works. The German shipyards could, in negotiat- ing for English shipbuilding material, apply to middle- men, who are accustomed to undertake the delivery of the whole quantity of rolled steel required for the hull of a vessel at a price, and to cover themselves by run- ning contracts with different rolling mills, so that they are in a position to distribute the specifications as they come in among the various mills as these are able to undertake the work. It must here be remembered that the English steel makers and rolling mills can depend upon being able to distribute at least from 20 to 25 per cent. of the total amount of steel produced by them among the shipyards, a quantity so great that in the course of years many capable middlemen have found it worth their while to lay themselves out specially for the buying and selling of shipbuilding material. In Germany there was not sufficient opportunity for this, because the quantities of material of the various sec- tions were so small. These amounted to scarcely 2 per cent. of the Ger- man steel production, a quantity so small that it did not tempt a middleman to come forward, nor the works to make special arrangements by the cutting of costly spe- cial rolls, for its supply. The yards accordingly had to direct their inquiries to the works themselves, and could then only obtain quotations for fractional parts of their requirements. After this they had to put the various quotations together, and in many cases to sub- mit to alterations of sections, while sections that could not be obtained in Germany had, again, to be bought in England, risk being