The Iron Age 1902-09-18: Vol 70

Ww 2d, or om ith THE IRON AGB THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER The Diisseldorf Exhibition. At the recent meeting of the Iron and Steel Insti- tute Dr. Wedding of the Royal School of Mines at Berlin presented to the visiting ironmasters a brief review of the salient features of the iron and steel ex- hibits, which we shall follow, omitting references to the Krupp and Gutehoffnungshuette described in a re- cent issue of The Iron Age. The Hoerder Bergwerks und Huettenverein has a spe- THE HALL OF INDUSTRY AT cial building in which there is exhibited chiefly ship building and railway material. Ship plates, reverse bars for the ship framing, deck beams, &c., of excellent finish are shown. A marine boiler end plate of 11% feet in diameter is formed of a single piece of plate, the mate- rial being open hearth steel. A marine crank shaft of 22 inches in diameter, also of open hearth steel, is dis- played. All the shafts are bored out through the center, partly with the object of reducing their weight and partly to obtain assurance as to the soundness of the material within. The perfection of the steel castings is particularly evidenced in the appearance of the huge stern posts with rudder and propeller. The surface of 18, 1902 the machined parts of wheels, shafts, &c., is almost en- tirely free from blow holes. The Hoerde Works have in recent years taken a leading part in all that concerns the metallurgy of iron, and have won for themselves a well deserved reputation, owing to the public spirited manner in which they have never failed to publish the results of trials and experiments, whether attended with success or otherwise. The capacity of the rolling mills is manifested by a rail 250 feet long. The large plates of extreme thinness—down to 0.039 inch, for instance— afford further proof of their perfection. Y cl eel er: f THE DUSSELDORF EXHIBITION. The next in order is the display of the Bochumer Verein for mining and cast steel manufacture, which is also accommodated in a separate building. Finished products of extreme purity and homogeneity of compo- sition, cast in mild steel, such as portions of marine engines, shafts and articles of every description, show a high degree of perfection, as also do the heavy forg- ings. Here, too, is to be seen another hollow bored shaft of great length with the core consisting of a single piece. Attention is also drawn to three steam pistons of forged mild steel, the largest of which has a diameter of about 7 feet 10 inches. In addition to these may be seen a stern post weighing 89 tons, made of molded cast steel, PS er ei coe nee TS ” ae kd eee. 5 _ tes. ee aorta ea gh ae f 35 ee “imag cat ee SS 2 THE IRON AGE. a masterpiece of its kind, built up in four sections. Lastly, the Bessemer converter ring is also deserving of notice. The railway material is specially noteworthy, in particular the cast spoked wheels, on account of the exactness and clearness of the casting. A peculiar branch of work undertaken by this firm is that of bell founding, exemplified here by bells of large and small size, all of beautiful tone. The harmonious peal in the tower is set in motion by an electric device of special construction. The Rheinische Metallwaaren und Maschinenfabrik of Diisseldorf have a special building in which there are exhibited seamless hollow bodies in great variety of form, which have all been manufactured by the Ehrhardt process. The method consists of the piercing by means of a mandrel circular in cross section of a hot billet of square section, which is held in a hollow cylindrical die. The manner in which the exact evenness in the thick- ness of the wall is produced is particularly striking. Gun barrels four double and treble barreled guns, and even large gun tubes, are manufactured by this process. The initial operation in the manufacture of seamless boiler rings is performed in a similar manner, the hollow billets being afterward rolled out into cylindrical rings on a rolling mill. Thus both riveted and welded seams are dispensed with in the finished course. Four smaller pavilions are now entered, the first one being that showing the Goldschmidt process (the Ther- mite Company), where may be witnessed the welding of portions of iron by means of thermite, a mixture of aluminum and oxide of iron; also the reduction of car- bon free metals, more particularly manganese and chromium. Next is the Niederrheinische Hiitte, contain- ing an exhibit which is admirably elucidated by an- alyses. Then follows the exhibit of Dr. Otto of Dahl- hausen, where may be seen a full sized model of the most modern type of coke oven, fired from below by means of gas burners. Lastly, the pavilion of the Buderus Iron Works at Wetzlar, which, besides exhibit- ing a beautiful model of a blast furnace, also illustrates the utilization of blast furnace slag for cement making. The great: Hall of Industry, shown in the accompany- ing engraving, is visited in turn, where the magnificent display of the Phoenix Company at Laar, near Rubhrort, confronts the spectator. Among a great number of ob- jects, material and products, finished wholly or in part, is a large collection of girder rails for tramways, which is most especially deserving of notice. The etching specimens of old and new products near the central column are highly instructive. The central circular road leads through a series of exhibits of tube and plate works, which are classified in such a manner as to permit of an interesting com- parison of their efficiency. On the right hand is the stand of the Diisseldorf-Réhren Walzwerk (formerly Poensgen & Co.), with welded tubes of all kinds (drawn, rolled and butt or lap welded). Besides these are other hollow bodies, the excellence of the material of which is shown in the flanged and bent portions. On the left are placed the objects of the Schultz Knaudt Company, the special feature of which consists of boiler rings, both plain and corrugated, with welds of excellent work- manship left in the rough state, water gas having been exclusively used for heating the plates preparatory to welding. The tall columns, the highest of which is 35% feet, are’ evidence of the remarkable skill exercised in the manufacture of these products. The succeeding stand is that of Harkort, in Duisburg, distinguishabie by the central revolving pedestal with the bust of Prince Bismarck. Here the chief objects of interest are the plates for the construction of burglar proof safes, inanufact=red with different degrees of hardness. Further on, on the right, is Piedbef & Co., with tubes and hollow articles of the most intricate kind. welded by hand. On the left, again, follows the Duis- burger Eisen und Stahlwerk, showing specimens of heavy work, in particular end plates for marine boilers. The exhibit of the German-Austrian Mannesmann tube works is the next in turn on the right. This most instructive collection displays the process of tube manu- facture by the method of oblique rolling, which failed September 18, 1902 to fulfill all that had at first been expected of it, and is now only used in the preliminary stage of manufacture. The tubes are brought to their final state of perfection by the use of the so-called Pilger process. Confronting this is the stand of the Krieger Stee] Works, with beautiful specimens of the firm’s products, comprising for the most part shipbuilding material. The collective exhibition of the Siegerland is now en- tered. This district forms the southern part of West- phalia, and is widely ceiebrated on account of the great wealth of its mineral lodes, containing spathic iron ore, rich in manganese, from which are produced white pig iron and spiegeleisen. The progress achieved here in the last decades may be noted by comparing the two full sized models of an old and a new blast furnace. Mention must also be made of the models of Burgers of Schalke, which show how a blast furnace may be con- structed entirely of iron, provided it is properly cooled on the outside. Chilled rolls of great superiority form a specialty of the Siegerland. Unfortunately, no fractures are shown of these rolls, which are manufactured in different de- grees of hardness; by this means the depth to which the hardening penetrates would have been apparent. The way now leads past several small exhibits— Siding & Halbach, the Aplerbeckerhiitte and Capito & Klein. The latter show some thin plates made of Siegerland iron. These are followed by the Aachener Hiitten Aktien Verein at Roth Erde, and again the Phoenix Works. Then the tube and plate making sec- tion is once more passed through. Boecker & Co. of Schalke and the stand of the Wittener Guss-Stahl- werke are reached. This section is devoted to the dis- play of molded steel castings of mild steel, numerous and excellent specimens of which are to be seen on all sides. The extraordinary improvements which have been effected in this particlar branch will be realized on examining these castings. Until quite recently it was practically an impossibility to obtain a mild steel cast- ‘ing free from blow holes, yet the specimens, which in many instances are purposely left in the rough state, show no cavities either on the surface or in the frac- tures. The collection of Felix Bischoff, in the section of the collective exhibition of the Siegerland, forms one of the most instructive collections with regard to the com- position, and the qualities dependent thereon, of the va- rious kinds of tool steel, more espeeially of the high speed tool steels which are now coming into general use and are already extensively applied for rough turning in those works equipped with sufficiently powerful lathes. Passing on, the way leads between the Gelsenkirche- ner Stahlwerke, formerly Munscheid, with a large cyl- inder cover 7 feet 10 inches in diameter, and the Saar- briickener Guss-Stahlwerke at Malstatt-Burbach, witb a revolving turret cover, and a ship’s stern post of 25 tons weight, also a nickel steel armor plate which has been subjected to a ballistic test and shows in the fracture the excellent quality of the cast steel. The Oberbilker Stahlwerke follows, with a fine propeller shaft for a marine engine. The steel works appliances of Laeis, at the end of the passage, are worthy of attention, comprising a stamp- ing machine for Bessemer converter bottoms, and alsoa casting ladle. Returning through the central avenue, there may be seen on the one side the Westphalian Steel Works of Bochum, and on the other Grillo, Funke & Co. On all sides the excellence of the mild steel cast- ings calls for admiration. In the stand of Oeking & Co. are exhibited the in- teresting patent couplings of R. M. Daelen of Diissel- dorf. The Rheinische Stahlwerke affords many proofs of the improvements in mild steel castings as well as in forgings and rolled pieces. The Hochfelder Walzwerke is also represented, showing chain cables for ships. Be- sides this there is the Emscherhiitte exhibit. ri The American Copper Company, Williamsport, Pa., recently incorporated under the laws of Wyoming with a capital stock of $1,000,000, have purchased the Albany 1@ 1e n- Aa- rh se ig ul 1e- yl- ir- as he he ler he ip- >a 1e, an ike st- in- el- ofs -in rke Be- Pa., rith any September 18, 1902 group of claims in the Douglas Creek district in Albany County, Wyoming. 'The company intend to mine, treat and sell copper, platinum and kindred ores and metals. Later on additional properties will be acquired and op- erations extended from time to time in the same region. The Material for the Battle Ship ‘* Connecticut.” WASHINGTON, D. C., September 16, 1902.—The Secre- tary of the Navy on the 10th inst. opened bids for ap- proximately 7466 tons of material for the battle ship “Connecticut,” which is to be built under the act of July 1, 1902, by the Government at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. These materials embrace ship plates, nickel steel plates, shapes, steel castings and hull rivets, to be fur- nished in accordance with approved naval standards. Proposals were submitted by the United States Steel Company, the Carbon Steel Company, the Central Iron & Steel Company, the Carnegie Steel Company, the Bethlehem Steel Company, the American Iron & Steel Mfg. Company of Lebanon, Pa.; the Penn Steel Cast- ings & Machine Company of Chester, Pa., and the Amer- ican Steel Casting Company of Chester, Pa. Follow- ing are the bids in detail: The Bids, Class 1.—About 4206 tons of ship plates, to be prin- cipally of medium grade steel with small amounts of flange and common steel, including shell plating below protective deck, 20 to 25 pounds per square foot; shell plating above protective deck, 20 to 32% pounds per square foot; protective deck, lower course, 20 pounds per square foot, and miscellaneous plates, 7% to 30 pounds per square foot: Carbon Steel Company, 2.25 cents per pound; Central lron & Steel Company, 1.98 cents per pound and 10 cents per 100 pounds additional for 74-pound plates; Carnegie Steel Company, 1.90 cents per pound, or $179, 007.36 for the class. Class 2.—About 987 tons of nickel steel plates to con- form to the requirements of nickel steel protective deck plating, including protective deck plates, 3-inch gun pro- tection, splinter bulkheads, port sides, turret shelf plates and miscellaneous tapered plates, the class ranging from 1 to 3 inches in thickness: Carbon Steel Company, 7.25 cents per pound; Carnegie Steel Company, 7.15 cents per pound, or $158,007.92 for the class. Class 3.—About 1825 tons of ship shapes, including deck beams, frames, stringers, stiffeners, &c., in chan- nels, angles and T-bars (146 tons of 10-inch channels to be ecambered): Carnegie Steel Company, 1.9 cents per pound on the total class, except cambered channels, for which 25 cents per 100 pounds extra will be charged, making a total for the class of $78,489.60. Class 4.—About 188 tons of steel castings, including upper stem casting, 2.5 tons; lower stem casting, 14.9 tons; stem post casting (may be in two parts), 152 tons: counter casting, 4.4 tons; rudder post casting, 8 tons, and miscellaneous castings from 1 ton down to small fittings, 142.9 tons: United States Steel Company, 6.95 cents per pound on all items except miscellaneous cast- ings, on which bid is 6.48, or $27,763.38 for the class; Bethlehem Steel Company, 7.72 cents per pound, or $32,- 510.46 for the class; Penn Steel Casting & Machine Com- pany, 10 cents per pound, or $42,112 for the class; Amer- ican Steel Casting Company, 7.44 cents per pound, or $31,352.38 for the class. Class 5.—About 260 tons hull rivets, miscellaneous sizes: Central Iron & Steel Company, from 3.05 to 4.05 cents per pound, according to size, or $18,555 for the class; American Iron & Steel Mfg. Company, from 3.01 to 6 cents per pound, or $19,353.60 for the class. After a careful examination of the scheduled pro- posals the Department decided to accept the bids of the Carnegie Steel Company on Classes 1, 2 and 3; of the United States Steel Company on Class 4 and of the American Iron & Steel Mfg. Company on Class 5, and the contracts have been thus awarded. The last named »ompany made a higher bid for the total of Class 5 than the Central Iron & Steel Company, but an analysis of he latter bid shows it to have been based upon a ton THE IRON AGE. 3 of 2000 pounds, whereas the specifications called for the gross ton of 2240 pounds. The Navy Department will make a special point of the prompt delivery of this material. The bulk of the ship plates will be ordered within six months from the date of contract, and the rate of delivery required will be about 200 tons a month. The greater part of the ship shapes will also be ordered within six months, and the delivery will be at the rate of 200 tons per month. Cast- ings will be required to be delivered as needed on rea- sonable notice, as will also hull rivets. Description of the Battle Ship. The battle ship “ Connecticut,” which the Govern- ment is to build in the Brooklyn yard, wil] be a sister ship to that for which bids will be opened by the De- partment on October 1. The general dimensions and features of the vessel are as follows: ET. OF TONG GORE: WR ie déio i ddicawcicdiedewacinias 450 feet Breadth, extreme, at load water line.......... ',...76 ft. 10 in. Displacement on trial, not more than.............. 16,000 tons Mean draft to bottom of keel at trial displacement. ..24 ft. 6 in. Crees Gres, Cllr OM SUGGES c. oidid cen dcccewewende 26 ft. 9 in. Total coal bunker capacity, about................6:. 2,200 tons COE CRE ny GUNG oda oie ed can cedcedcaweannds 900 tons OGG WOGEE CUNTING GO THORS ook dc cccccvcsdwecdecsex 66 tons Main Battery.—Four 4-inch breech loading rifles, 8 8-inch breech loading rifles, 12 7-inch breech loading rifles. Secondary Battery.—‘T'wenty 3-inch 14-pounder rapid fire guns, 12 3-pounder semiautomatic guns, 6 1-pounder automatic guns, 2 1-pounder semiautomatic guns, 2 3- inch field pieces, 2 machine guns of 0.30 caliber, 6 auto- matic guns of 0.30 caliber. The engines will be of the vertical, twin screw, four cylinder, triple expansion type, of a combined indicated horse-power of 16,500. The steam pressure will be 250 pounds. The stroke will be 4 feet. The ratio of high pressure to low pressure cylinder will be at least 1 to 7, and the diameters will be sufficient for the required indicated horse-power at about 120 revolutions per min- ute. Each engine will be located in a separate water tight compartment. They will be provided with all the necessary auxiliaries and accessories in accordance with the latest practice of the Bureau of Steam Engineer- ing. There will be 12 boilers of the Babcock & Wilcox type, placed in six water tight compartments. They will have at least 1100 square feet of grate and 46,750 square feet of heating surface, and must be able to furnish steam for the main engines and all the necessary aux- iliary machinery and other steam machinery throughout the ship with an average air pressure in the ash pits of not more than 1 inch of water. All the necessary aux- iliaries and accessories wil! be provided for the efficient working of the boilers. There will be three funnels, each 100 feet high above the base line. Sixty-six tons of fresh water will be carried on trial in the double bot- tom or in reserve tanks for use of the water tube boilers. The following auxiliary steam machinery of ap- proved make and design, in addition to that pertaining to the main engines and dependencies, is to be supplied: Steering engine; windlass engine; ash hoist engines for each fire room; forced draft blowers; dense air ice plant with a cooling effect of 3 tons of ice per 24 hours; evap- orating plant to consist of not less than four units, hav- ing a total capacity of 16,500 gallons of fresh water per day;'a distilling apparatus capable of condensing at least 10,000 gallons of water per day. The vessel is to be heated with steam throughout. The weight of all machinery, tools and spare parts will be about 1500 tons. The vessel is to be lighted through- out by electricity. The electric plant will consist of eight 100-kw. steam driven generating sets, all to be of 125 volts pressure at the terminals, disposed in two sep- arate and independent dynamo rooms. Six electrically driven generators for power supply to turret turning motors; 1100 electric fixtures, complete, with necessary incandescent lamps and outlets; ten inclosed arc lamps located in engine and fire rooms as directed; six 30-inch search lights mounted on platforms on bridges, with spare parts; two truck lights, with controller and stand complete; electric night signaling sets, diving lamps, ven- tilating sets, desk and bracket fans, &c. Ww. L. C. -- cae - EA LL BLE LLL LEO OLE, THE IRON AGE. Cuban Duties to Be Advanced. Duty on Machinery to Be Doubled. WASHINGTON, D. C., September 16, 1902.—The State Department bas received important advices from Min- ister Squiers at Havana which indicate that before the end of the present month the duties levied upon‘certain important classes of machinery and implements im- ported into Cuba will be doubled. This result will be brought about by the expiration of a special order of the War Department promulgated September 25, 1901, which granted a rebate of 50 per cent. of the duties on these articles. The Minister reports that it is apparent- ly not the intention of the.Cuban Congress to extend this order at the present session, and that after the-28th inst. the rebates now being allowed will be discontinued. Readers of The Jron Aye will remember that the War Department issued an order (No. 206), under date of Sep- tember 21, 1901, officialiy promulgated in Havana Sep- tember 28, 1901, the text of which was published in these columns at the time, in which revised rates were proclaimed for certain machinery, apparatus, &c., em- bodied in Group 2, Class 11, paragraphs 214 to 226 in- elusive, of the military tariff then in force. In this order it was provided that a duty of 10 per cent. ad valorem should be levied upon machinery and apparatus for making sugar and brandy, embraced in paragraph 215, and upon agricultural machinery and apparatus, embraced in paragraph 216. It was further provided, however, that “the articles included in paragraph 215 which shall be imported within 12 months from the date of the promulgation of this order shall be entitled to a rebate of 50 per cent. of the duties specified in said para- graph, under such conditions and guarantees as the chief of the customs service, with the approval of the mili- tary governor, may direct.” This concession was limited exclusively to weighing machines (platforms) f.r weighing sugar cane; complete machines of every kind for grinding cane; cane shred- ders, sugar clarifiers, complete apparatus for diffusion, purifying appuratus, filters and filtering apparatus, ap- paratus called trenes jamaiquinos, complete; furnaces for making animal black, steam desiccators (trampas) und granulators, centrifugal machines, mixing and lift- ing (subsidores) machines, with their motors; vessels called bombonas and cachimbas, skimmers, dis- tributers and sugar molds, apparatus or vessels (tachos) acting in vacuum, also their machines, pipes and cocks, of copper or iron; polarimeters; skimming pails (cachaceras), sugar crushers, cars (porta-templa), sulphurous gas apparatus, dumping apparatus (porta- templa), cane transporting apparatus, furnace for burn- ing bagasse; automatic circulator and regulator for vacuum kettle apparatus and apparatus for compressing sugar. Also the following articles when they are imported di- rectly by or for planters, on proof of the installation thereof in their establishments: belting for granulators, centrifugals and lifters (subsidores); tubes, flues, cocks, shafts, crowns and rolls for sugar mills, boilers, steam plows, donkey engines with or without pumps, carts for the conveyance of cane and the output of the works, stills, gasometers for lighting the works, electric plants and apparatus for use exclusively in lighting the works of a cane estate or farm; wind mills, fire brick for the installation of boilers and furnaces, portable rails and plantation railways. It was also provided that articles included in para- graph 216 (agricultural machinery and apparatus) im- ported within 12 months from the promulgation of the order should be entitled to a rebate of 50 per cent., pro- vided that the machines must be complete but without spare parts; that the machines must be imported in a single shipment; and that the machines and apparatus must be those “ employed by farmers and agriculturists for preparing the ground and gathering the crops; also those employed in order to clean the crops and improve them without essentially changing their nature.” Under these two provisions, therefore, the rate of 10 per cent. ad valorem was reduced by rebate to 5 per cent., which has been levied on all importations made September 18, 1902 within the past year. The order of the War Depart- ment fixing the rates of duty on the paragraphs men- tioned therein contained no limitation as to the period during which it should remain in force and the Cuban Government adopted it as a part of the permanent tariff. The provisos to paragraphs 215 and 216, however, specify that the rebates should be granted for 12 months only from the date of promulgation, September 28, 1901. This period is about to expire. To meet this situation the representatives of Cuban importers and planters have drafted a bill which has been introduced in the Cuban Congress providing for an extension of the rebate privilege for another year. President Palma, who is credited with the laudable desire to advance the ma- terial interests of the island, is said to be very favor- able to this bill. Minister Squiers reports that there is 10 disposition on the part of either House of Congress to take any action on the measure in the immediate fu- ture, owing to *“‘ pressure of other business.” In view of the fact that the machinery and apparatus covered by the two paragraphs referred to are greatly needed by the Cubans it is difficult to understand why the Cuban Congress should be so heedless of the inter- ests of the people of the island, but administration of- ficials here are of the opinion that this is a demonstra- tion planned in a spirit of retaliation for the failure of the United States to negotiate a reciprocity treaty. It is further pointed out that the leaders in the Cuban Con gress do not in any sense represent the more conserv- ative interest engaged in agriculture and in the busi- ness of importing. It goes without saying that the American manufacturers can better afford to forego the trade affected by the order referred to than the Cubans can afford to pay the increased duties, but the Cuban Congress evidently does not consider the matter in this light. Our Government Will Oppose the Cuban Loan, ‘The passage by the lower house of the Cuban Con- gress of the bill authorizing the President of the repub- lic to negotiate a loan of $35,000,000 has brought this im- portant question again sharply to the attention of the administration and a partial policy with reference to it has been adopted and can be here stated on high au- thority. In the first place, the United States Govern- ment will not approve the loan; second, it will discoun- tenance the pledging of the customs receipts of the is- land as collateral for any loan; third, it will not permit the Cuban Government to float a $35,000,000 loan at a heavy discuunt through the medium of speculators. The bill as passed by the Cuban House provides that $4,000,000 shali be utilized for the advancement of agri- cultural interests, and it is probable that should the bonds representing this amount be floated at no greater dis- count ihat 10 per cent., and without a direct pledge of the customs revenues, the American administration would sce no reason to interfere. What is feared, how- ever, is that although the bill provides that the bonds shall not be sold below 90, the Cuban Government, in its great desire to secure funds to stop the clamor of the revolutionary element demanding to be paid for services rendered during the war, will make a secondary agree- ment of some kind with speculators who would be will- ing to take the loan at a heavy discount without any guarantee on the part of the United States, provided the customs revenues could be pledged to secure payment. These funds are now estimated at about $12,000,000 per annum, and as the loan has 40 years to run it would re- quire considerably less than $1,000,000 per annum set aside for this purpose to establish the necessary sinking fund. There is, however, no certainty that these cus- toms receipts will be maintained, and the American ad- ministration is unwilling to give a mortgage upon them to any foreign interest, especially as the prospect grows stronger daily that within a few years, if not months, Cuba’s troubles wil] be terminated by the annexation of the island to the United States. The present determination of the administration with regard to the Cuban loan has only just been reached. As heretofore stated in these dispatches, it had been thought that the matter could be disposed of without action on the part of the Thited States. as it was at ri- Is |S- of on W- ds its he es ll- ut as September 18, 1902 THE IRON AGE. 5 believed that without the indorsement of this Govern- ment it would be almost impossible for the Cubans to float a loan; hence the failure to indorse would be equiva- lent to a veto of the plan. The action of the Cuban House, however, in authorizing the bonds to be disposed of at a discount puts a new phase on the matter and may call for prompt intervention should the bill which is now before the Senate pass that body and be approved by President Palma. Minister Squiers.is under instruc- ticns to use his best efforts to induce the President to veto the bill, but in view of the present situation in the island there is little prospect that he will succeed, as such a course would greatly incense the radical element among the Cuban leaders. WW. i. 6 KS ar Cotton Statistics. On September 30, S. N. D. North, chief statistician of the division of manufactures of the Census Bureau, will address the New England Cotton Manufacturers’ Asso- ciation on the system for collecting statistics relating to cotton ginning in accordance with the permanent census bil! which was passed by Congress last spring. The provision referred to is as follows: “ That in addition to the statistics now provided for by the law the manu- factures division of the Census Bureau shall annually collect the statistics of the cotton production of the coun- try as returned by ginners, and bulletins giving the re- sults of the same shall be issued weekly, beginning Sep- tember 1 each year and continuing until February 7 following.” It is understood that it has been found im- possible practically to comply witb the strict letter of the law in so far as the giving of weekly bulletins is eoncerned. The spirit of the law, however, will be car- ried out. It has been arranged to circulate three re- ports in the course of the cotton ginning season. The first of these reports will be issued about the end of October and will include all cotton ginned up to October 18. The second will be rendered toward the end of December and will include all ginning from October 18 to December 13. The third will be rendered in Jan- uary and will include all cotton ginned up to January 1. This system of furnishing accurate statistics upon subjects which are now covered only by estimates will be not only of great value to producers, spinners and factors, but will be highly advantageous to manufac- turers and merchants who sell material throughont the cotton belt. The information will come from trained men who are paid for the services they may render. This is in marked contrast to the system upon which the agricultural bureaug because of lack of funds, has been forced to depend. The Census- Bureau has a very satisfactory organiza- tion by which it will be enabled to cover all but about six-tenths of 1 per cent. of the cotton crop as ginned in 1901, and even this small remnant will be covered by reports direct from ginners in unorganized counties, which will be received simultaneously with the reports from the bureau’s agents in the organized counties. The division of manufactures will thus be enabled to present the result of the reports from over 29,000 estab- lishments for the first and second preliminary official reports. For the third and final reports returns will be received from all establishments. ictal i Western Railroad Employees to Make a Demand.— Serious labor troubles are threatened on Western rail- roads if employers and employees cannot get together. The statement is made that grievance committees of all the railroad organizations between Chicago, the Mis- souri River and the Twin Cities will meet in Chicago the first week in October to formulate a demand from the railroads, with the alternative of a strike. What the demand will be has not been determined, this having been left to the grievance committee. In general the railroads will be asked to put the trainmen on the West- ern railroads on a par with the Eastern lines. Repre- sentatives of the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen and Order of Railroad Conductors are now in the West vringing into line local unions which have not entereii the argreement. When the complaints shall be formu- iated they will be backed by no fewer than 100,000 con- ductors, brakemen, engineers, firemen, switchmep and shopmen. The demand will first be made of the Chi- cago-Missouri railroads. re The Odd Arbitrator. In the Bulletin of the National Metal Trades Associa- tion H. M. Leiand of Leland & Faulconer Mfg. Company ot Detroit, Mich., discusses as follows an interesting subject: In regard to the fifth arbitrator, the writer is even more tirmly convinced that he would never yield to such an arrangement, regardless of how serious the conse- quences might be. If we investigate the methods and interns) systems of almost any eminently successful con- cern 1 believe we shall find, without exception, that they have gradually developed certain business methods and ways of handling their various departments and cer- tain methods or systems of manufacturing, and these systems and methods have built up a large and prosper- ous business, and by conforming to these methods, which ure equitable and legitimate, their eminent success has been attained. Now imagine the absurdity of such a concern as this ntering into an arrangement by which some one man from the outside, who knows nothing of these systems or the reasons why they exist, how they have grown up or how imperative they are to the very life it may be of the business; imagine such a man, however honest or competent he may be (and many, many times I regret to say both qualities may be fairly questioned), solely and nlone, with no interest or responsibility for the business, passing upov the question of whether these systems and methods which have built up this business shall be modi- fied, transformed or wiped out entirely, and after a few hours’ deliberation quietly deciding that all the plans and systems resulting from a lifetime of careful thought and skil'ful application shall be destroyed simply be- cause this man has been chosen fifth arbiter. The propo- sition is so illogical and suicidal that the writer is un- able to see how any competent concern who have given the matter a moment’s thought can entertain such a proposition. And yet I regret to say that many manu- facturers and employers are being insidiously led along this dangerous road, and complications and precedents are being established which, I fear, will solely trouble them in the days that are to come. The concerns which we represented at Toronto have just been through this experience, and the agreement which they are now act- ing under with the men is, as I understand it, one of the results of’ this same absurd system (the fifth arbiter) which was worked upon them a year or two ago. In my judgment, the only arbitration (if it may be called arbitration) which any manufacturing concern can safely engage iu, where shop methods, system, and the general conditions are to be pessed upon, is a con- ference composed of an equal number from each side, such as the National Metal Trades Association and Na- tional Founders’ Association have often called upon. Such a body may reach agreements and modifications of conditions that are in a measure satisfactory to each of the opposing parties, and both sides often go away from such a conference not only having received new light and hoiding a different opinion than the one held when they came together, but they often go away entertaining a jnuch more wholesome opinion of the merits and justice of the other fellow’s side of the case. And if it is some- times impossible to agree it is certainly better to dis- agree than it is to have an arbitrary decision made by one irresponsible man which may be very burdensome, if it does not at times seriously handicap or destroy an importuat and prosperous manufacturing business. re At the St. Louis World’s Fair great fluted pillars 36 feet high and 414 feet in diameter are now being made in a mold set in place, the liquid plaster being poured in at the top. Ordinarily such pillars are made in 24 pieces and set in place, leaving many joints that have to be carefully pointed. There will be 112 such columns nn the Textiles Building. ous ees re rsa satin aaa sini came ala aDome - eres ry n> wee = ss ne ae Stn ts nas ar 6 THE IRON English Workmen Against Compulsory Arbi- tration. In the Trades Union Congress in London last week there was a heated discussion of a compulsory arbitra- tion resolution introduced by the Dock, Wharf and Union. The resolution follows: In view of the colossal growth of trusts and combines of speculative capitalists and consequent concentration of capital and monopoly of industry, this congress foresees the grave dan- ger to the nation and the toilers of dislocation of trade, stoppage of work and distress of wage earners. To avert such a calamity this Congress calls upon the Legislature to pass an act creating a Supreme Court of Arbitration, the court to be presided over by a lord justice and to be constituted by an equal number of workmen's and employers’ representatives, who shall take evi- dence from the parties aggrieved or their representatives ; legal] experts to be in all cases debarred from acting as representa- tives: the power of the court to be compulsory; conciliation courts for the various industrial centers to be formed to act in conjunction with the Supreme Court and to be termed district courts ; in all cases workmen’s representatives to be selected by trade unions as commissioners or members of the Supreme Court. For the effective dealing with disputes, commissioners to be constituted for the great staple trades—viz., mining, tex- tile, transport, engineering and agriculture, with a crown judge over each. Failing the courts settling disputes, cases to be sub- mitted to the Supreme Court. Only unions registered under the Trades Unions act and firms covered by registration under an act identical with the Trades Unions act to be eligible for con- sideration of courts or Supreme Court of Arbitration. We there- fore instruct the parliamentary committee to draft a bill for the purposes aforesaid. Many of the delegates opposed the resolution on the ground that under such a system the trades unions would not only lose many of the advantages they had wrung from the employers, but would die of inanition, since the need for their survival would no longer exist. Riverside AGE. September 18, 1902 been decided by the company to order at least 350 freight engines from outside builders, and the order for 250 of these has been placed with the Baldwin works. The entire number of locomotives to be ordered from outside builders will probably be increased to 400, and it is said that an order for the 150 needed outside of the Baldwin order will be placed with the American Locomotive Con- pany. Fifty of the 250 Baldwin locomotives will be high class heavy freighters, which will cost about $14,500 each. The classes of the other 200 engines have not been decided upon. OOS The Treadwell Ingot Transfer Car. The construction of the narrow gauge car here illus- trated is such as to permit the ingot to be dumped auto- matically on the delivery tables, the car traveling on a THE TREADWELL INGOT TRANSFER CAR. The resolution eventually was rejected by 961,000 to 303,000 represented votes. ee The Pennsylvania Railroad Company’s Huge Engine Purchase.—The Pennsylvania Railroad Company have formally announced a change in their plan for building most of their new locomotives themselves next year. They have placed with the Baldwin Locomotive Works the largest order ever given by any railroad company to a single locomotive works. This order calls for 250 high class freight locomotives, aggregating in cost $3,250,000, all to be delivered within the first six months of 1903. This is the first order for their 1903 equipment which has been definitely placed. Since the beginning of this year the officials of the company have been work- ing upon estimates for new equipment. The number of freight and passenger cars to be ordered has not been decided, but it is said the company will order at least 15,000 steel freight cars. The matter of new locomotives has been a perplexing problem, as the freight congestion which has existed for more than a year has been caused more by a shortage of motive power than by a lack of cars. The passenger locomotives of the company are all built at the company’s shops in Altoona, Juniata, Pitts- burgh and Fort Wayne. The Altoona and Juniata shops are now being enlarged, so as to turn out yearly adarger number of freight engines, but the improvements will not be completed for many months. It has therefore track in front of the soaking pits or heating furnaces. The car is propelled by an engine operating a cable at- tached to a lug beneath the center of the car body. The tipping action, which will be understood from the drawings, Fig. 2, is obtained by a hook lever engag- ing with the cross bar on the front end of bucket. As the car is moved forward the action of the hook lever is to draw down the front part of the bucket and the car stops at the approach end of the delivery table. The bucket then assumes the position shown in Fig. 1 and indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 2. The removal of the ingot is facilitated by a roller inserted in the bucket, which is on a line with the roll table on which the in- gots are carried forward. The cable is then. reversed and the bucket drops into its loading position ready for another charge. The bucket retains this position by means of a pivot pinion set forward of the center of gravity. Two projecting lugs are located on both sides on the back of the bucket and rest on pads on the car body. The car is of heavy construction, the body being one continuous member and made to meet the particular requirements to which it is subjected. The entire car is of steel construction with the exception of the bear- ings, which are of brass, and the wheels, which are cast ircn with chilled treads. The bucket is made to tip with great ease, the trunnions being machined, as are also the bearings on which they rest. The hole in the bot- tom. of the bucket allows the accumulated slag from a i, , O ware = September 18, 1902 the ingot to be drained at frequent intervals. The car illustrated, built by M. H. Treadwell & Co., 95 Liberty street, New York, is of 3 feet 74% inches gauge and weighs 3 tons. English Steel Rail Makers Form a Combination.— A cable dispatch from London, dated September 12, states that negotiations have been concluded for the formation of a combination comprising all the British manufacturers of steel rails. The details have just come to light. The title of the new organization is the British Rail Makers’ Association. They have no reg- istered office or public existence and are concerned only with rails. Their aim is an offensive and defensive alli- ance to control prices and regulate the output. There are only eight steel rail firms in England and they com- prise the combination. They have already raised the ¢ ‘ THE IRON AGE. 7 Company, at Martin’s Ferry, Ohio, have taken anotner vote on the proposition of the American Tin Plate Com- pany to accept a reduction in wages when rolling tin plate for export, and decided to accept the cut. The for- mer vote of this lodge was against the proposition. re CO The interesting statement is made in the report of a railroad company recently issued that the building in. their territory of numerous trolley lines had been found to have a tendency to distribute manufacturing plants as well as the population. This distribution of traffic re- quires additional facilities, but largely increases the business of the steam line. At the same time the pas- senger interests have not suffered from the competition of the trolley line with its cheap fare. Receipts from passenger service have increased, but the average dis- . Taw IRon Acs Fig. 2.—Details Showing Automatic Dumping Arrangement. THE TREADWELL INGOT TRANSFER CAR. price of steel rails from 75 shillings to 95 shillings per ton. QS m The Capewell Horse Nail Works.—The Capewell Horse Nail Company, Hartford, Conn., have started to rebuild their plant, which was recently destroyed by fire, and when completed the new factory will be one of the most modern in the New England States. The building will be located on the old site, Grove and Charter Oak streets, and will be 100 x 350 feet, three stories high, with concrete floors and roof, and constructed entirely of steel and brick. ‘The first floor will be used for the heavy nail making machinery, the tumbling barrels and machine room; the second for packing, and the third for assorting the nails. The equipment will be of the best and will include water towers placed on top of the build- ing, to be used in case of fire. The engine and boiler rooms and offices are in separate buildings, and were not damaged by the fire. The company are at present occu- pying Colt’s west armory, but hope to get into their new plant by January. EE Oooo, The Lewis Avon Lodge, composed of tin workers em- ployed at the Laughlin Works of the American Tin Plate tance of hauling each passenger has slightly lengthened. The trolley has proved an important factor in relieving congested conditions in heavily populated localities, en- abling manufacturing establishments to be located wher- ever advantages in cheap land or railroad facilities could be secured instead of primarily considering convenience with respect to the supply of operatives. BE. B. Hotchkiss of 18 Boulevard de lEntrepot, Brus- sels, Belgium, has recently placed important orders in Europe in foundry pig iron, billets and sheet bars and structural material for shipment to the United States. Mr. Hotchkiss is starting a business in Brussels for the importation of American steam engines, pumps, fittings and general supplies pertaining to steam and air service, heating and ventilating. The Union Fire Arms Company of Toledo have been incorporated in New Jersey with $150,000 capital stock by A. B. Tillinghast, John Houweholder, G. B. Colton, George Rouse and Charles R. Clapp. The company have succeeded the Colton Mfg. Company of Toledo, and are preparing to about double the capacity of the old Colton plant in that city. id Se be tk ‘me ‘ SB ey; a an ee eS Sgr tees 7 Steere wer , > ean 8 THE IRON Fifty Years Among American Work- ingmen. BY EGBERT F. WATSON, In 1851 I was apprenticed to the machine business in the city of New York, and after serving my time at it I went to the Hastern States and worked there for about three years. I then went West to Michigan and worked there in various capacities as machinist and on the great lakes as a marine engineer for several more years, and in these various adventures came in contact with American workingmen of all trades, so that I have had opportunities of seeing them in every aspect of life. During later years I have been an employer of them, and have had every sort of experience, except a strike, connected with workingmen. I only mention the above facts because they furnish some reason for the observa- tions recorded in this article. 1 have been deeply inter- ested, and am still, in all that concerns the moral and material welfare of those who live by wages, and while my reflections and assertions may not be accepted by all, they are honest testimony, without bias, upon that human document—the American workingman. I use the word American to distinguish those employed in American shops and institutions upon American plans, whether they were native or naturalized citizens. For the purposes of this article it does not matter which class they belonged to; but without further discussion of this point let me go back 50 years and depict the so- cial and material condition of Mechanics Fifty Years Ago. At that time the working forces were a mixed lot in large cities. Immigration had not set in to any great ex- tent, but the advance guard consisted of English, Scotch, German and French, not a great many of the latter, and few or none at all of Italians. The vast ma- jority was American, and they were distinctly and as- sertively clannish in their associations. Foreigners were not exactly sent to Coventry, they were barely toler- ated, and held to be distinctly inferior in manual dex- terity to Americans. This was specially noticeable in the matter of chipping and filing surfaces, by which process so much work was executed in the early days of this country. American workmen prided themselves upon their skill in this direction, and with justice, for experts would remove or dress down rough surfaces in much less time of far better quality than foreigners could. American chipping hammers were totally different from those used by foreigners, having the ball pene of the present day and handles 14 inches long with the necks of them shaved down to about %& inch, so as to spring a little, while foreign chipping hammers brought over by their owners resembled those used by stone cutters, having short, stubby handles about 8 to 10 inches long, and were grasped close to the neck by foreigners when in use. The chisels were also very different in shape; American workmen could scarcely get them thin enough, while foreign workmen used to grind theirs so that they were as stubbed as a blacksmith’s cold chisel, the result being that our men could do twice as much with half the labor that the others put forth, but no amount of example could induce them to change. An American would