The Iron Age 1903-01-01: Vol 71 Iss 1

THE A Review of the Hardware, Iron, ee and Metal Trades. Published every Thursday Morning by David Williams Co., 2 Vol. 71: Noe rk Reading Matter Contents.........page 112/——____ Alphabetical Index to Advertisers ** 403 Classified List of Advertisers... .. a6 Advertising and Subscription Rates “‘ SAVES Time, Belts, Money. estStrength READY TOAPPLY FiuisHEDvomy With Least Metal. Send for Circulars and Free Samples. THE BRISTOL CO., Waterbury, Conn. Conn, SAMSON SAMSON SPOT CORD CORD SAMSON CORDAGE WORKS, Boston, Mass. TURNBUCKLES, = Branch Office, 11 Broadway, New York. Cleveland City Forge and ironCo., - Cleveland, 0. 3:22 eZ geese oe = a rd Bulldt Phil PLN CRANE, APOLLO BEST »tOOM GALVANIZED IRON Satisfactory galvanized iron: Apollo. Costs as much as any, but saves on labor. American Sheet Steel Company, New York IS ROS DAP Vew York, Thursday, January 1, 1903. 395 || 145] Bristol’s Patent Stee! Belt Lacing, GAHALL BOILERS »*~. % Cet. — ellen eng LAGE en ee IRON AGE 32-238 William St., New York. $5.00 a Year, including Postage Single Copies, Ten Cents. AMMUNITION New Big Game Cartridges. 45-70 High V oe: .45-90 High Velocity, -50-110 High Velocity. All new cartridges for ~ oa hunting and are adapted to the guns which have been on the market for a number of years. These cartridges are loaded with Low Pres. sure smokeless powder and Soft Point bullets, Tkey have great striking power at ordinary hunting ranges. Correspondence solicited. 8. free. THE UNION METALLIC CARTRIDGE COMPANY BRIDCEPORT, CT. 313 BROADWAY, NEW YORK, N. Y. H9OIH S° 0 OL—SYv wa Terme lel Sie RED Te). tS yeabelne iw bolas Oll — Some me BLL Ol a nS ALIDOIZA LNIOd LjOSs Game laws of the “ @ ATTERN. > == REGULAR a ° : GAPEWELL HORSE NAILS; NEW york, Branches : PORTLAND, ORE., > e PHILAD BUFFALO, . a CHICAGO, DETROIT, BALTIMORE, 0 ST. LOUIS, CINCINNATI, NEW ORLEANS, . ROSTON, SAN FRANCISOO, DENVER. 2 §$ THE CAPEWELL HORSE NAIL COMPANY 3 ‘ HARTFORD, CONN. . 2 REOULAS PATTERNS. c} Jenkins ’96 Packing. Makes perfect joint instantly . does not have to be followed -. Makes } rages that wiil last for years on ail pressures of ste oils, acids, &c. Does not rot, burn. blow or squeeze out. Received pe highest award—Gold Medal—at the Pan-American Expo- sition. All Genuine Stamped with Trade Mark. JENKINS BROTHERS, new vork, Boston, Phitadetphia, Chicago, THE AMERICAN TUBE & STAMPING 60, HOT AND COLD ROLLED Successor to 383 STRIP STEEL. The WILMOT & HOBBS MF6. CO. PAGE ' MAGNOLIA METAL. Best Auti-Friction Metal for all Pac-Simile of Beware of imitations. Bostoy oHABHOLIA METAL GB., rams Bank St a ae eee OE rai Sole Manufacturers, at competitive prices. FE a THE IRON AGE. »” COPPER Co: RSTABLISHED 30s BRASS AND COPPER & Seamless Tubes, Sheets, Rods and Wire. N. Y. Store, No. 122 to No. 180 Centre St. Providence Store, No. 131 Dorrance St. and No, 152 Eddy St. SOLE MANUFACTURERS Tobi n a ronze IN SHEET, ROD AND WIRE (Trape-Marx REGISTERED.) for Condenser Piates,Pump Linings, Round, Square and Hexagon Bars, for Pump Key Stock Piston Rods and Bolt Forgings. Cutlery Metal Ss less Tubes for Boilers ve ind Geaidesmere. red Purposes 99 John Street, - - New York. ated Ware also Randolph-Clowes Co., Main Office and Mill, WATERBURY, CONN. MANUFACTURERS OF SHEET BRASS & COPPER. BRAZED BRASS & COPPER TUBES. SEAMLESS BRASS & COPPER TUBES TO 36 IN. DIAM. New York Office, 258 Broadway, Postal Telegraph Bidg., Room 715. Chicago Office, 602 Fisher Bldg. BSeVe_s_ssort for like uses when extra drawing and spinning is required. WRITE FOR SAMPLES. 43,000 MILES. Motor Bearing gave this result when babbitted with GENUINE No. | BABBITT. Like to have you try it. SAVES MONEY. NOSHRINK. NO BOTHER, Ask us for Prices and Particulars. BRIDGEPORT DEOXIDIZED BRONZE & METAL GOMPANY, Bridgeport, Gonn. Matthiessen & Hegeler Zinc Co., LA SALLE, ILLINOIS. SMELTERS OF SPELTER AND MANUFACTURERS OF SHEET ZINC AND SULPHURIC ACID. Special Sizes of Zinc cut to order. Relled Battery Plates. Selected Plates for Etchers’ and Lithographers’ use. Selected Sheets for Paper and Card Makers’ use. Stove and Washboard Blanks. ZINCS FOR LECLANCHE BATTERY. AUN A Sec iM 88°74 Ww Best Bronze, Babbitt CONTRASTS or ee paces | _ Bas i’ nner ENS nite att peatete cas riNGs ere Founders, Finishers. SEND IN YOUR t= eee ears i a = MODE HENDRICKS BROTHERS PROPRIETORS OF THE Belleville Copper Rolling Mills, MANUPAOTUBEES OF Bolt and Sheathing Brazicers’ Importers Ingot Copper, Block Tin, Spelter, Lead, Antimony, etc. | 49 CLIFF ST., NEW YORK. GERMAN SILVER ROLLING MILL : THOMASTON, CONN. “Pope’s Island White Metal” BRASS, BRONZE and ALUMINUM CASTINGS, W. G. ROWELL & CO., BRIDGEPORT, CONN. ANsonia Brass WATERBURY BRASS Gf), | tue Prume & Arwooo Mrs. Co, MANUFACTURERS OF Main Office and Mills at Waterbury, Conn. Sheet and Roll Brass —aAND— WIR GK PRINTERS’ BRASS, JEWELERS’ METAL, GERMAN SILVER AND GILDING METAL, COPPER RIVETS AND BURRS. Pins, Brass Butt Hinges, Jack Chain, Kere- sene Burners, Lamps, Lamp Trimmings, &c. 29 MURRAY ST., NEW YORK. 144 HIGH ST., BOSTON. 199 LAKE ST., CHICAGO, FACTORIES ¢ _ | WATERBURY, CONN. SCOVILL MFG. CO., Manufacturers of BRASS, CERMAN SILVER Sheets, Rolis, Wire, Rods, Bolts and Tubes, Brass Shelis, Cups, Hinges, Buttons, Lamp Coods. SPECIAL BRASS GOODS TO ORDER Factories, WATERBURY, CONN. DEPOTS: NEW YORK, CHICAGO, BOSTON. JOHN DAVOL & SONS, AGENTS FOR Brooklyn Brass & Copper Co., DEALERS IN COPPER, TIN, SPELTER, LEAD, ANTIMONY, 100 John Street, ~ New York. Arthur IT: Rutter SUCCESSOR TO WILLIAM S. FEARING 256 Broadway, NEW YORK. Small tubing in Brass, Copper, Steel, Aluminum, German Silver, &c. Sheet Brass, Copper and Ger- man Silver. Copper, Brass and German Silver Wire. Brazed and Seamless Brass and Copper Tube. Oopper and Brass Rod. “Deareh-Light” OIL and GAS Bleycle Lantems. Send for Circulars and Electretypec. THE BRIDGEPORT BRASS 0. Bridgeport, Conn. 9 Murray St..N.¥._ 17 No. tth 8 urray St. N-Y._ 11 No, 7th St, Philadelphis, Guaranteed. R. A. HART, BATT LE CREEK, MICH THURSDAY, ‘ie TRON. AGE January 1, 1903 THE WEST POINT FOUNDRY. Modernizing the Oldest Foundry in the United States. DESCRIPTION Until very recently the most interesting foundry in the entire country was the plant of the West Point Foundry, located at Cold Spring, on the east bank of the Hudson River, nearly opposite the West Point Military Academy. In referring to this particular “Cold Spring,” it is obligatory to mention the county—Putnam—as there are three other Cold Springs in the State of New York. At THE all of them the Father of his country drank of the sparkling element and pronounced it pure and cold. They have all remained cold unto this day. The historical statement is proved in the case of this particular spring by a fountain, which looks like some of the shrines seen abroad, erected at the railroad station, which recounts Washington’s visit and perpetuates his opinion as to the quality of the water. The West Point foundry was located here in the early part of the last century, 1817, the site being selected as it was far from the ocean and, therefore, compara- tively safe from any attack by invaders, as nearly 60 OF SOME OF ITS OLD APPLIANCES. General View of Yard.—New Foundry at Left, New Bridge Department at Right. OLD WEST POINT FOUNDRY. miles of river would have to be traversed from New York harbor before reaching it. It thus possessed the advantages of ample protection and convenient trans- portation facilities by water, which was the only means of heavy freight communication in those days. As the foundry was designed with a view to the production of war material, and its safety was a matter of the greatest importance, the Government was interested in the project. The site is an ideal one, both from picturesque and defensive aspects. The works are distributed about many acres of level ground, bounded on the west by the Hudson and inclosed on the east by a range of im- passable hills. The equipment of the modern and up to date. establishment was obtained the water supply coming in an from the adjoining mountains. early works was the most Ample power for the entire from an overshot wheel. open flume or race Afterward steam was 2 THE IRON AGE. introduced and this in turn followed by a modern turbine water wheel driving an electric generator. This turbine uses water from the same source as the old over- shot wheel, but develops four times the amount of power. So, at the time of the writer’s visit, when the accompanying photographs were taken, water, steam and electricity were all in use, and the most ancient source of power worked in harmony with the most recent. In addition, compressed air had been piped through the several departments. But the old water Fig. 2.—New Coke and Pig Iron Storage Yard. January 1, 1903 immediately set to work making improvements. The management wisely decided to retain all that was good of the old machinery and discard only that which was so far behind the times as to be too expensive to operate. The plans embraced an entire revision and rearrangement of the entire outfit, even to the erection of new and larger foundry buildings and the addition of several departments complete in themselves; but no haste was displayed and no serviceable tools were dis- carded. The two air furnaces, built in 1862, and each capable of melting a mass of iron weighing several tons, the hydraulic press, built in 1840, the steam hammer, and many of the wooden cranes are still preserved. Perhaps most interesting of all, the first traveling crane ever built, and what was undoubtedly the largest cylinder boring mill of its time, are still in place and working. There is also a large pulley or pit lathe still doing good work. Many of these machines were con- structed along lines which have since been developed into the representative tools of to-day. But it is only a question of time when these will have to make way for more improved appliances. Arrangement of Yard. One of the first considerations to be decided was that of the handling of material—raw and finished. The quickest and most economical moving of all supplies was carefully thought out. A general view of the yard is presented in Fig. 1. This is traversed by tracks leading to the various shops and connecting with Fig. 3.—View of New Foundry Yard. THE wheel, after many long years of service well performed, will have to make way for its more perfect rival, the turbine. Those designers of old built wisely and well. During the Civil War the works were run night and day, mak- ing the cast guns and shot and shell then in vogue. Although these three essentials of the game of war had changed so that the old had become obsolete, the works were found to be well adapted, with the appliances at hand, for the production of war material, and were also conducted continuously during the late brush with Spain. In 1896 the well-known firm of J. B. & J. M. Cornell, who furnish a large part of the structural material used in New York City and vicinity, acquired the plant and OLD WEST POINT FOUNDRY. the New York Central & Hudson River Railroad. The yard is supplied with an efficient system of overlapping mast cranes. The building at the left of the picture is the new foundry, that at the right being the new bridge shop. It was early decided to deliver all foundry sup- plies, as far as possible, at such an elevation above the place it was to be used that it could be de- livered by gravity and thus lessen the cost of handling. How this was accomplished will be understood from Figs. 2 and 3. In the first are shown the piles of coke and iron. These are located on the side of a hill, up which a branch track leads from the railroad. They are at an elevation sufficient to permit their being de- livered to the charging platforms of the cupolas by January 1, 1903 THE gravity. The lower yard is spanned by bridges, which connect the storage yard with the platforms, and which are provided with tracks, upon which the supplies are carried on cars. By this method the only serious work is that performed by the locomotive, which hauls the cars up the hill. The sand bins, Fig. 5, are placed on a level with the molding floor, just back of the core room, and in close proximity to the sand sifters. Cranes. The cranes shown in Figs. 6 to 9 are of the same general design as far as their frames are concerned, which are built of massive wooden timbers. That il- lustrated in Fig. 6 is located in that part of the foundry devoted to heavy castings and is operated by a steam engine carried upon the mast. The crane, Fig. 8, is located outdoors, at the eastern end of the foundry and is employed principally for loading and unloading trucks. While it resembles the others in general ap- pearance it can be operated either by the old water wheel or by power from the shop shaft. This is done by a suitable arrangement of gearing. The crane, Fig. 9, is in the department devoted to the finishing of build- ing columns, and connects with the western end of the foundry, shown in the distance in Fig. 17. The col- umns, after having been cast, are cleaned in the west- ern end of the foundry, finished in the shop just men- tioned, and then carried to the storage yard nearby, or are shipped direct. This method is extremely con- venient and the columns are moved a minimum dis- tance from the molding floor to their destination. The crane shown in Fig. 10 is of modern design, built of steel members. These are arranged along the walls IRON AGE. 3 Ween. 1862. The grate is shown at the left. The interior is designed somewhat after the reverberatory furnace, the prod- Fig. 5.—Sand Bina. Fig. 4.—View from Cupola Platform Looking Toward Neu THE OLD WEST of the main foundry, at such distances apart that they overlap. These, in addition to standard electric travel- ing cranes, provide means for the easy handling of all loads over the entire molding space. In Fig. 11 is shown the blacksmith shop, with the original 18 forges located along the sides. The rear view of one of these forges, Fig. 19, shows the blower connection and levers controlling the blast. Air Furnace. One of the two air furnaces is represented in Tig. 12. These carry a name plate bearing the following: Storage Yard. POINT FOUNDRY. ucts of combustion pass over an arch and are then de- flected to the melting chamber, from which they pass to the stack. Anthracite is used as the fuel, and only patural draft is employed. The charging is done through the center opening by means of the crane shown. Any mass of iron that will enter the opening can be melted end, although the time required makes the operation rather expensive, as compared with the ordinary cupola, the quality of the casting is enhanced. The cost of this method is somewhat reduced by the fact that scrap like large rolls, which it is impossible to break small 4 THE enough to go in a cupola, can be often obtained at a nominal price. Leading from the tap hole of each furnace is a IRON January 1, 1903 AGE. Large Pulley Lathe. The large pulley, or pit lathe, Wig. 13, is served by the hand power crane placed at the right. The pulley Fig. 6.—Steam Crane in Foundry for Large Castings. Fig. 7.—Old Crane in Foundry. THE OLD WEST trough extending to the molding floor, where the molten metal is received in a ladie ready for pouring. These troughs can be united so that the yield of both furnaces can be used for large castings. POINT FOUNDRY. is held to a face plate, which is driven by gearing from the overhead shaft. Extending across the face plate at right angles to the spindle is a bed, which, by means of a rack and pinion, is moved toward and away from January 1, 1903 the face plate. This bed carries the tool holder, which, of course, can be adjusted to any position longitudinally of the bed. Steam Hammer. The steam hammer, Fig. 14, was made by Merrick & Sons of Philadelphia in 1868, and is now in perfect condition. An examination of the photograph will show THE IRON AGE. 5 The First Traveling Crane. What is probably the first traveling crane ever erected is illustrated in Fig. 15. It is used in connection with the boring bar, Fig. 16, of a large boring mill. The size of this mill may be judged from the fact that the cylinders of the Sound steamer “ Pilgrim” were bored and faced by it. The traveler consists of a wooden Fig. 9.—View in New Oolumn Department. THE OLD that as far as “ pleasing and symmetrical appearance ” is concerned, some of the designers of the hammers of to-day have not made strides in advance. On the contrary, they appear to have gone backward to some extent. The housings are of the web and flange type of cast iron, united at the top by a plate bolted on and further held by bolts at the side of the cylinder. The distance between the legs, at the level of the anvil, is about 6 feet. WEST POINT FOUNDRY. frame built to carry two tracks about 11 feet apart, and about 12 feet above the ground. Extending across the track is a bridge, upon which travels a 4-wheel trolley, which is provided with a screw hoist and cross bar for operating it by hand. The traveler is brought into use when it is neces- sary to remove a finished job or place a new one in the mill. A chain attached to the screw hoist is passed around the boring bar, when the trolley is moved to | 1 6 the right in the engraving until its inner end is free of the work. The three main elements of the latest traveling crane are found in this early example—namely, tracks for longitudinal movement, a bridge spanning the track and a trolley hoist for transverse movement. THE IRON AGE. January 1, 1903 Water Supply. One of the many “cold” springs found in this neigh- borhood is represented in Fig. 19. This is piped from the bills at the rear of the works. ‘The water is re- markably pure and extremely cold, even on the hottest iy. 11.--The Oid Blacksmith Shop. pan gen Jn} Tyme tad Fig. 12.—Air Furnace, 1862. THE OLD WEST New Foundry. : A general view of the new foundry is presented in Fig. 17, the core ovens appearing in the background in Fig. 18. The cupolas are centrally located, about in line with the camera when the picture was taken. The building is well lighted and, as stated above, is furnished with all the most advanced appliances for handling work expeditiously and economically. POINT FOUNDRY. days of summer. It is carried through the shop in pails by boys. It is to be regretted that the records of most of the old tools here barely mentioned have been lost. This matter, in many instances of historical interest and value, will soon be impossible to obtain at all, since it is only a question of a short time when all of these old tools will have disappeared. a. Bh. Fam THE January 1, 1903 The Coke Industry. BY FRED. C. KEIGHLEY, UNIONTOWN, PA. Within the domains of iron and steel at this time conditions exist akin to chaos. A score or more furnaces in the Mahoning and Shenango Valleys alone are either banked or out of blast and as a natural consequence mills, foundries and factories all over the country are working but a portion of the time and in some cases are shut down indefinitely. The principal cause for all this trouble is the shortage of coke at the blast furnaces. On the other hand, coke works all over the country are running on short time for want of the movement ot coke from the yards. This state of affairs has existed for some time and is rapidly growing worse. None of the coke works in the Connellsville and South Connellsville coke region are running to their full ca- pacity; in fact the rule is but five days per week, and competent observers estimate the present output at 10 per cent. below the normal capacity. At this time there are large stocks of coke piled up on the coke yards; in many cases the coke yards are so blocked up with stock coke that the operations often have to be partially or fully suspended if cars are not placed to take the day’s output. Various estimates have been made as to the amount of coke stocked at the plants of the Connellsville and South Connellsville coke region. Some place it as high as 1,000,000 tons, others as low as 200,000 tons. The first estimate is absurdly high and the latter is much too low. The probability is that 300,000 tons would be nearer the mark. The same conditions exist at all the other ae ae IRON AGE. 7 in ordinary times have made the round trip between the ovens and the furnaces in five days are often 20 days out. This condition heavy loss to both the producer and consumer and to the country at large; it means a Fig. 14.—Steam Hammer in Forge Shop, 1868. Fig. 13.—Large Pulley Lathe. THE OLD WEST coke producing centers of the country. Considering the facts given, it is evident that there is no serious shortage in the article of coke itself and this will be demonstrated in another portion of this article. Individual cars owned by coke manufacturers that POINT FOUNDRY. means losses in business aggregating to millions per month and to the wage earner actual suffering in these days of high prices for fuel and food. It further means that the balance of trade, instead of being with the States, is actually turning against us and we are again RRS nee cee apeeennceeeeneneverereneeserenas om PE SRP rapidly becoming importers instead of exporters. Gold flowing out and steel flowing in is a condition that well may arouse the gravest fears for our immediate future prosperity. THE IRON AGE. January 1, 1903 Such is the situation at a time of the year when the weather conditions have been of the most propitious character. What it will be when winter closes in upoD us is not hard to foresee; it will certainly be worse in- Fig. 15.—The First Traveling Crane in BHoistence. Fig. 16.—Oylinder Boring Mill with Which the Traveling Crane, Fig. 15, is Used. THE OLD WEST The Question of T-aneportation Locally the situation is most alarming and Pitts- burgh, great as she is, trembles—and well she may— because her supremacy in steel is hanging in the bal- ance, as the railroads converging and diverging at that point have confessed their inability to cope adequately with the congestion that naturally concentrates there. POINT FOUNDRY. stead of better, and the shortage of coke at the furnaces this winter will in all probability be the greatest ever known. Naturally there has been a great outcry against the railroad management, and the railroad officials have in self defense given numerous reasons for their inability to cope with the situation. First it was lack of cars; January 1, 1903 THE cars have been ordered built and delivered in the past two years by the tens of thousands. Next it was lack of motive power; locomotives have been ordered, bor- rowed from other sections, and built by the hundreds. Lastly it was the lack of siding room and terminal fa- cilities; hundreds of miles of sidings have been built and terminal facilities improved on every hand. Railroad ohicials have been decapitated or removed by the score and wholesale changes have been made in the boards of management, yet to-day the coke regions are facing the greatest congestion of the year. It would seem that the difficulties that the railroad managements are now contending with have become chronic and that the rem- edy will be a question of time rather than a matter of heroic and spasmodic efforts, such as have been resorted to in the last few weeks. There are some features of the situation that are ex- ceedingly difficult to understand. It is a fact that IRON AGE. 9 One more remark and then this matter of trans- portation will be dropped. May not the difficulties that the railroad managements are confronted with to-day be in a great degree due to the fact that the railroad employees have been worked to the very utmost ex- tent of their endurance for two years or more and that the supply of new timber, material, talent, or whatever it may be termed, is not only not equal to the require ments of the situation and conditions, but inadequate to keep up the personnel and efficiency of the executive and working forces? If this latter surmise proves to be cor- rect then all the great improvements and betterments will be but one step as it were to the desired end. This country is facing this problem in every line of business to-day, the only solution to which is the establishment of special training schools, &c., all over the land. It fs said that the railroads centering at Pittsburgh are handling less freight than a year ago. Fig. 17.—General View of New Foundry. THE OLD WEST POINT FOUNDRY. for every ton of coke consumed for iron smelting at least 3 tons of other raw materials are required at the furnaces, yet there appears to have been no special shortage in the deliveries of iron ore, limestone, &c. In the item of ore, on an average about 2 tons are required for every ton of coke used at the furnaces. This ore is brought a distance many times exceeding the distance that the coke is hauled. It is carried by rail to the lakes, where it is loaded upon the boats and taken long distances by water, and there unloaded on the railroad cars, then taken a distance fully as great as the average coke haul; moreover, the bulk of this ore has to be hauled between April 1 and November 1, which is only at the very most seven months. Coke is loaded and un- loaded but once as against three times in the case of ore, and is shipped the whole year round, with a short haul compared with that of the ore. Now if the trans- portation agencies succeed in handling the ore, which is really a complicated problem, why should they fall down when it comes to coke, which is a comparatively simple proposition? Statistics of Coke. The article of coke is the vital element that actuates the metamorphosis of iron ore into steel, therefore its manufacture is a matter of supreme interest at this time. It is said that the world’s production of coal, which is the mother of coke as it were, has increased 4500 per cent. in 75 years. From a statistical view point coke was not a factor worth noticing 23 years ago in the United States, for no reliable statistics are to be found prior to 1880. It seems that the coke industry had gained a somewhat precarious foothold as early as 1850. According to the census returns of that year there were four establishments employing 14 men having a capital of $3700, paying $3444 in wages, using materials, including coal, to the value of $6038 and producing coke to the value of $15,250. The price that the coke brought cannot be ascertained, but it would certainly be worth at least $2 a ton. Taking this as _ basis, the production of coke would be in round numbers 7500 tons for the year 1850. The total production of coke in the United States for 10 : THE the year 1901 was 21,795,833 tons, thus showing that the production of coke in the United States for 53 years has increased about 2900 per cent., which is at the rate of 55 per cent. per annum. The production of coke in the United States from 1896 to 1902 is as follows—viz.: Net tons. Net tons. OOO. suc ccsshb nue See OOO. cd's ce sab oom 19,668,569 SOOT EN te ae Bee ees 2000 6 i ie LEN 20,533,348 GOB 6 666.6 6 o cme See (3008. ccex<eneme sxe 21,795,833 The rate of increase in production for the past six years in round numbers is about 16 per cent. per annum. It is impossible to get the statistics for the year 1902, as it is too early for their return, but the writer has reasons for thinking that the production of coke for the year 1902 will in all probability be about 23,000,000 tons, the major portion, or about 96 per cent. of which will be the product of the bee hive oven. The great coke producing States for 190. were as follows—viz.: Net tons. POEM, -55-<.0:0 0a vivaiceh cho duoc utan sen Kane 14,355,917 WR ED 6 inno sooo. 06 bes eeup Bw eke eae nee 2,283,700 QR 8 064 50 0S Pak oe Wes Valdas ve chsu ys eee 2,148 911 WRI Ghrace hss tweed Pewpesc + s0c0bebtaa een ene 907,130 COED: 5. 0s 6 BRAS 4 ae o 60 See seR a kee baer 671,303 Deana on cs 6 eee tk ob oe be hae es Oe 404,017 20,770,978 Other. States ANG Territories... oo ic csicccccdivccvccse 1,024,905 otal ....- « dnba's opwisn + +0.p'se eke Eke cobra ere 21,975,883 eres nie [IRON AGE. January 1, 1903 The coke production of Pennsylvania for 1901 by dis- tricts, as given by E. W. Parker, U. 8S. Statistician, in “The Manufacture cf Coke in 1901,” is as follows—viz.: Fig. 19.—One of the “ Cold Springs” Supplying the Foundry with Drinking Water. SGdddubuuEe os Fig. 18.—New Drying Ovens. THE OLD WEST In the year 1901 six States produced 20,770,978 tons of the 21,795,883 tons of coke produced in the United States. The rates of percentages would be Pennsyl- vania, 66 per cent.; West Virginia, 10% per cent.; Ala- bama, 10 per cent.; Virginia, 4 per cent.; Colorado, 3 per cent.; Tennessee, 2 per cent.; other States and ‘verri- tories, 4% per cent. From this it is to be readily seen that Pennsylvania produces two-thirds of the coke made in the United States and six times as much as her next competitor, which is West Virginia. POINT FOUNDRY. Net tons. Connellsville .... se al a abe aaa te cal" OTs ee Oe nie a COR 10,235,943 Re GUUEEAE. S .. wc cece ee eckenceeeewes ewes 1,116,379 PU... SET. od. JAOSEA AS oon, din 813,478 Rapmsaseiie Waltton: ..u . leds cede. pesasiee sf 589,577 Se I Ss. ke ibid aces gle ale Ub eck kk a 569,511 ns os sc ads eRe kaw kee 548,076 MPU Soe ack vais hee ey eek ccee carne etek 257,785 pn re as SUS Ae, Se See ies. 118,949 | TAT EE ee ee eee ke 86,242 PE ale Sa Ss KAS Sis Gdl'sis ecco 2a o bc Bes Sos be 19,977 Total... . ow» 614,355,917 January 1, 1)J3 The rates of percentages for the above districts would be Connellsville, 71 per cent.; Lower Connellsville, 8 per ¢ent.; Pittsburgh, 5% per cent.; Reynoldsville Walston, 4 per cent.; Upper Connellsville, 4 per cent.; Allegheny Mountain, 4 per cent.; Greensburg, 2 per cent.; Broad Top, 1 per cent.; Clearfield-Center, % per cent.; Irwin, +. There ace seven important coke making districts in the State of Pennsylvania, but the two great districts are the Connellsville with 71 per cent. and the Lower Connellsville with 8 per cent. of the State’s output. The writer estimates the output of the Connellsville district for 1902 at 13,000,000 tons. The writer further estimates the output of the Lower Connellsville district for 1902 at 2,100,000 tons. The Requirements for Pig Iron. Coke making and the making of pig iron are twin in- dustries, as it were, and an article on “The Coke In- dustry ’’ would be worthless without due reference to the statistics of pig iron production. For the year 1901 the pig iron produvtion of the United States was 15,878,354 long tons. This includes pig tron made with anthracite coal, charcoal and coke and bituminous coal and char- coal and coke mixtures. The coke production for the year 1901 was 21,775,883 tons. It takes on an average about 1 ton of coke to the ton of pig iron, leaving about 6,000,- 000 tons of coke in excess of the pig iron requirements; therefore it is evident that in 1901 there was no real scarcity of coke, so far as relates to the production, and that is what we really have to consider from a coke viewpoint. The maximum capacity of the pig iron plants of the United States for 1902 is 350,000 tons per week, but the highest actual output in one week was 343,250 tons. Taking the average output at 320,000 tons per week the year’s output would be 16,640,000 tons. The writer estimates the production of coke in the United States for 1902 at 23,000,000 tons, leaving a mar- gin of 7,640,000 tons of coke production above the con- sumption of the pig iron industry, again demonstrating the fact that there was no actual scarcity of coke in the present year—a year when the coke plants are running fully 10 per cent. below their capacity. Future Requirements and Supply. The estimated new pig iron production for the year 1903 based upon the fact that there are 25 new furnaces under construction (in the United States) is at a fair estimate 2,500,000 tons, which of course may be added to the blast furnace capacity of 1902. This thus added to the maximum capacity in 1902 (350,000 tons per week) would make the very highest production possible for 1903 21,700,000 tons. To the estimated coke production of 1902 (23,000,000 tons) we may add 10 per cent., or 2,300,000, making the coke producing capacity of the present coke plants 25,300,000 tons. However, there is another fact to consider that will greatly augment the production—i. e., there are 15,000 bee hive coke ovens build- ing in the United States with at least 600 tons per oven per annum capacity, or 9,000,000 tons of coke, not to men- tion several thousand ovens projected for 1903 in differ- ent sections of the States, many of which will be com- pleted during the year. It is further claimed that the by-product oven capacity will be increased by 3,000,000 tons during 1903, making a grand total of 37,300,000 tons of coke capacity for the year 1903, and this will mean an excess of 15,600,000 tons of coke capacity over the blast furnace requirements of the United States, thus demonstrating that there will be no real scarcity of coke fur the year 1903. The whole difficulty has been for two years, is now, and seems likely to be next year, a matter of transportation alone. For the yeur ending December 31, 1901, there were in the United States 64,001 coke ovens and 5155 build- ing. The total amornt of coal used was 34,207,965, and the percentage of yield was 63.7 per cent. The total value of coke, $44,445,923, and the average price $2.039. The by-product coke industry is becoming a factor in the coke production of the United States. In 1893 there were 12 by-product ovens built with a production of 12,- 800 tons. In 1901 there were 1165 by-product ovens built with a production of 1,179,900 tons. At this time there are 3413 by-product ovens building in the United States and Canada. THE IRON AGE. 11 The relative proportions of bee hive and by-product coke of the United States, England and Germany for 1901 was as follows—viz.: Bee Hive coke. By-product coke. Per cent. Per cent. Ce GR cad ds «discs + cdmtelda 95 5 CU weceuls ska be s wmed eehe eben 60 40 ME ce checeds cee ede ewe eee ws 80 20 This shows a production of by-product coke directly in ratio to the quality of the coals of the respective countries. In all probability there will be a rapid increase in the production on by-product lines in the next few years, as it takes in a class of coals that are not readily coked in the bee hive. It is estimated that the by-product pro- duction will be about 13 per cent. of the total production in the United States for 1903. Up to November 21 of 1902 the coke shipments from the Connellsville and South Connellsville regions were as follows, the shipments for 1901 being appended: To November Year, 21, 1902. 1901. Cars. Cars. ee ee ee ee 159,674 160,773 OS 2's aa cid» o dameubean sae 270,422 246,738 RECUR diss conkccoseaeepeeeaKae 80,206 98,000 This shows a marked decrease in shipments East, a slight decrease to Pittsburgh points and a large increase to Western points. An increase may be expected in all the other coke making districts for 1902, and this is in- cluded in the total estimated productions of 23,000,000 tons for 1902. The averase price of coke for 1902 will be well on to $2.50 per ion. In the past few months the price for fur- nace coke, outside of the regular contracts, has ranged from $3 to $4 per ton, and for foundry and other coke in erders from one to 100 car lots, the price has ranged .rom $7 to $14 per ton. Contracts for furnace coke for the first six months of 1903 have been made at prices ranging frum $3 to $4 per ton. These prices cannot be sustained for the whole year, and the outlook is de- cidedly more favorable to the furnace interests than the coke interests, if transportation can be provided. <asegllialitpaadliialaen Freak Oil Well in Kentucky. There is an old’ oil well near Payne Creek, 6 miles from Barboursville, Ky., which is a puzzle to the oil men of the country. The well, which is now in the middle of the creek, flows regularly every November, but nev- er at any other time of the year. During this month it flows at intervals, discharging great streams of oil, gas and salt water, and suddenly stops to flow no more un- til November comes around again. This strange weil was drilled in 1840, on the bank near Payne Creek, by old settlers, who were after salt water, from which to obtain their salt. The machinery used at that date was of the crudest nature, yet the drillers succeeded in get- ting down 450 feet, when, to their astonishment and dis- may, they struck an immense stream of oil, which flowed for days and weeks. In the course of time the bed of the creek changed, until, at this day, it flows over the top of the old well. Since then during every No- vember the water over and around the hole boils up through the force of escaping gas. As far back as the people in the neighborhood can recollect the well has made these annual eruptions. This year the disturb- ances came somewhat earlier than usual, attracting more than ordinary attention, owing, doubtless, to the fact that oil men are operating in that section of the country. At times during the last few days water and oil have been thrown up fully 50 feet. dein hesitant ctieeeciias Standard Oil Company’s directors have declared a quarterly dividend of 10 per cent., or $10,000,000, mak- ing a yearly dividend distribution of $45,000,000 on the capital of $100,000,000. This compares with $48,000,000 in each of the last two years, $33,000,000 in 1899, $30,- 000,000 in 1898, $33,000,000 in 1897, $31,000,000 in 1896 and $12,000,000 in each year from 1895 to 1891, inclusive. This dividend declaration makes the total distribution in ten years equal to 328 per cent., or $328,000,000 on a eapital stock of $100,000,000. 12 The Duquesne Works of the Carnegie Steel Company.—I. The Open Hearth Plant and the Blooming and 14-inch Morgan Continuous Mills. In order to enable the Carnegie Steel Company to supply the constantly growing demand for basic open hearth steel in the form of slabs, blooms and billets of all sizes this company decided in the fall of the year 1899 to erect an open hearth plant and blooming mill at Duquesne. The open hearth steel was also to be used for the production of rounds and flats in the new mer- chant bar mills, as well as for other products for several contemplated finishing mills. THE [RON AGE. January 1, 1903 building, is 75 feet wide and 957 feet long. It is pro- vided at one end with two track inlets for hot metal cars from the blast furnaces and is spanned by a 40- ton overhead electric traveling crane for handling the hot metal ladles from these cars to any one of the 14 furnaces requiring such a charge. The main hoist of this crane is provided with hooks to fit the trunnions on the ladles. The hoisting is done from a two-drum trolley, with its hoisting chains outside of the girders. ‘lue 15-ton auxiliary hoist is placed in a separate trolley be- tween the girders and is used for tipping the ladles when charging the furnaces with molten iron, as well as for facilitating the usual repairs around the furnaces. The floor of the pouring building is 53 feet 3 inches wide and 957 feet long. It is 9 feet lower than the charg- ing floor and contains the ladle pits and repair pits, Fig. 2.—View of Rear of Open Hearth Furnaces. THE DUQUESNE WORKS OF THE CARNEGIE STEEL COMPANY. Open Hearth Plant. The stationary type of furnace of 50 tons capacity was selected as being most suitable for the requirements and very economical in operation. Twelve of these fur- naces were erected in one line and two more have been added, making 14 in all in one building 128 feet 3 inches wide and 957 feet long. The plan, Fig. 1, shows the general arrangement. The stock yard, 62 feet 1 inch wide and 924 feet long, adjoining the furnace building, contains two standard gauge and three narrow gauge tracks, and is spanned by four 5-ton electric traveling cranes. These cranes handle the raw material placed in charging boxes, depositing the filled boxes on cars, which are weighed on track scales and delivered by locomotive to a track in front or the furnaces. Three Wellman-Seaver charging ma- chines traveling on tracks along the full length of build- ing then deposit the charges on the furnace bottoms. The charging floor, being the floor of the furnace three narrow gauge tracks, which extend the full length of building, with suitable cross-overs, four pouring plat- forms with their car pushers and three 75-ton overhead electric traveling cranes, as well as small hydraulic cranes, one for each furnace, for handling spouts, bridges, &c. The ladle pits are very shallow, being only 3 feet 9 inches deep, thereby greatly facilitating the work of removing the hot cinder and of cleaning the pits. The cinder is loaded on cars on the track nearest to the fur- naces. The middle track is the running track and the outside track is the pouring track, along which the four pouring platforms are located. Underneath each plat- form is located the car pusher for moving the cars to tue proper location for pouring. The pusher is hydraulic and is operated from the platform. Three 75-ton electric traveling cranes are provided for hoisting and transporting the filled steel ladles from the furnaces to any one of the pouring locations and for January 1, 1903 a — overex ELECTRE ana | Mel = —— ae © “4 — 4 ee ae <4 a > — Trt sh aaaatehannanunnnnfons otal an nanasins ++ a =e See Sa yO Ae 4a Tank ae AONE BAY are BtO ~ eye NS Le] SoG See 3 ot — 5 —— —t == +—— —o—heoon i: -. — fe ! ' =. = toy —— i ae —+ " ee , 22 + + “4 — _ tie im es, : Sates oe ae i; sates ; —— : elon + Y it = i l ae —— — Pig. 1.—General Plan of the Open Hearth Plant. THE DUQUESNE WORKS OF THE CARNEGIE STHREL COMPANY. +} | | ee a a a en ep le mt Tt SS, ee ee eee ARP ea a ae =, on i eo 14 THE IRON AGE. placing the ladles in the stands over the repair pits and subsequently on stools over the ladle pits in front of the furnaces. The two drums of the 75-ton main hoist trol- ley are spread enough to allow the hoist chains as well as the guides to pass down on the outside of the bridge girders so as .0 allow the 25-ton auxiliary hoist carriage to be placed between the girders and travel their full length, enabling this hoist to tip the ladle in either direc- tion. A skull cracker structure is provided outside the pour- ing building with an overhead electric traveling crane with a 25-ton main and 5-ton auxiliary hoist, giving a drop hight of about 50 feet. There is also a mold yard with a 5-ton overhead traveling electric crane for hand ling and placing molds, stools, &c., on cars. The Open Hearth Furnaces. Front and rear views of the open hearth furnaces are shown in Figs. 2 and & Each furnace measures 13 feet January 1, 1903 31% inches high. The front of the furnace proper is provided with three charging doors and two inspection or repair doors, and the back with two large doors and two small ones. Convenient aecess to these doors and to the tapping holes is provided for by the large exten- sions to the charging floor around the back of the fur- naces. All the large doors and door frames are water cooled. All doors are lifted by small hydraulic cylinders from nest of Critchlow valves, each nest being large enough for two furnaces. The plant is arranged so that producer gas can be adopted at very short notice in case the supply of natu- ral gas should not be sufficient. The production of 12 of these furnaces has been some- what above 40,000 tons of steel per month. The sizes of ingots usually produced are 18% x 211%, imeches by 5 feet 106% inches, weighing about 6000 pounds, and 22 x 2 inches by 5 feet 5 inehes, Te leone Fig. 3.—Front of Open Hearth Furnaces, Showing 40-Ton Crane Pouring Molten Metal Into Purnace. THE DUQUESNE WORKS OF THE 11 inches in width and 27 feet in length inside, and is built on a substantial concrete and brick foundation, with imbedded structural steel ties for securing the lower ends of the uprights constituting the steel frame worn of the furnace. On the foundation is built a layer, 2 feet 1 inch in depth, of first quality fire brick, on top of which are placed 4% inches of chrome bricks. The hearth is finished first with a 44-inch layer of magnesite brick and then with loose magnesite mixed with slag, which is fused or sintered in place, the material being deposited gradually by shovelfuls until the hearth is ready. The bottoms of the uptakes are provided with slag pockets which can easily be cleaned, easy access to same being had from the lower floor. The regenerating chambers are located below the structural charging floor and away from the furnaces. The size of air chambers is 10 x 22 feet by 11 feet 11 inches and of the gas cham- bers 6 x 22 feet by 11 feet 3% inches. Both chambers are being used for air, as natural gas is the fuel. The re- versing valves are also located below the charging floor, the flues entering the base of the stack. The stack is 5 feet 2 inches diameter inside of lining and 144 feet CARNEGIE STEEL COMPANY. weighing about 8000 pounds. The ingots, having been cast on cars in the open hearth department, are trans- ferred to the stripper, located in a separate building, where the molds are removed, placed on empty cars and returned to the mold yard outside of the pouring build- ing for cooling, the ingots being transferred to the soak- ing pits for heating. The stripper is a hydraulic duplex machine, stripping two ingots at the same time and pro- vided with cress travel so as to deposit the molds on empty cars on a side track. A hydraulic pusher is lo- cated between the two tracks for spotting the loaded and empty ears to suit the stripper. The stripping is done by two plungers 19 inches in diameter, which, at 500 pounds pressure per square inch, exert a total strip- ping force on each mold of about 141,000 pounds. After the mold is loose from the ingot it is handled by a small- er cylinder so as to use a less amount of water. In this building is located a 644-ton hydraulic crane for handling stickers and molds that accidentally may fall during the manipulations in this building. On the roau from the stripper to the soaking pits the ingots are weighed on a track scale. The Soaking Pits. The location of the 40-inch blooming mill in reference to the other plant was selected so as to enable the mill to draw its supply of heated ingots from any one of the pit furnaces, derive its steam supply from a centrally located boiler house and at the same time have its own outlet for the finished product, so as not to interfere with the shipping department of the other mills. The location is shown in Fig. 5. To accomplish this aim nine new pit furnaces were built, each one in a right angular direction from the former ones. The plan was to use five of these pits for the old mill and four for the new blooming mill. Track inlets were provided between every two furnaces for the incoming ingots, so that the charging crane can place the steel into the pits without handling the ingots above any other pit, or over any cover or machinery for operat- ing the same. A structural floor supported independent- ly covers all the regenerative chambers, which floor sup- > January 1, 1903 THE IR ON AGE. 15 furnace contains four pits 5 feet 3 inches square, each one large enough to hold fouringots. Each group of two pits has its own reversing valve and damper. The fuel is natural gas. The pits are lined at the slag line with chrome or magnesite brick to resist the cutting action of the slag, and the under side of the bottom is pro vided with ample air cooling surface to preserve the bottoms. The whole furnace is well tied by corner binders and rods and occupies a width of 29 feet 1 inch outside of the brick work and a hight of 21 feet 2 inches from cellar floor to top of pits. The stack is 3 feet 8 inches diameter inside of lining and 103 feet 8 inches high. The 40-Inch Blooming Mill. The mill which is shown in Fig. 4 is a reversing mill of very massive construction, the housings weighing about 90,000 pounds each. The rolls are steel castings and long enough to allow five passes, differing in widths from 22 to 4% inches, and suitable to roll any section Fig. 4.—The 40-Inch Bloominy Mill and Rear Mill Table. THE DUQUESNE WORKS OF THE ports the covers and their hydraulic operating mechan- ism. Wherever there is any likelihood that ingots may drop this floor is strengthened with a layer of rails placed side by side. Outside the ends of the pit fur- naces is placed the pot car track, over which the heated ingots are transferred by means of the electrically driven pot cars to either mill. The building covering the pit furnaces has a span or main building of 56 feet 6 inches and of the lean-to covering the reversing valves 18 feet 7 inches. The total length of the building is 285 feet. The main building is provided with roadways for the four vertical charging machines for the pit furnaces. 1ue machines are of 6-ton capacity and have a lift of 15 feet. These machines were the first ones built that had the gripping action of the tongs as well as all the other movements performed by electric motors. Along one side of the building is a platform for the convenience of the operating men, as well as for aiding the men in mak- ing the usual repairs on the charging cranes. On the other side of the building and underneath the lean-to roof are suspended two platforms, where are located all the hydraulic valves for operating the pit covers as well as the controllers for operating the pot cars. Each pit CARNEGIE STEEL COMPANY. from 22 x 2 inch slab to 4 x 4 inch billet. The diameter of the body of roll when new is 29% inches and the diameter of neck is 22 inches. The screws for adjusr- ing the top roll are operated by hydraulic cylinder and gearing, the roll being counterbala