The Iron Age 1903-10-22: Vol 72 Iss 17

THE IR A Review of the Hardware, Iron, Machinery and Published every Thursday Morning by David Williams Co., 232-238 V 72: No. 17. ew York, Thursday, October 22, 1903. Single Gupies, is cones Reading Matter Contents ...... page 54/- * — Alphabetical Index to Advertisers ‘‘ 175 Classified List of Advertisers.... ‘‘ 167 eed CABLEGRAM To PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT, Oyster Bay. American Rifles, Ammunition and Men won victory to-day over Great Britain, Canada, France, Norway, Australia and Natal, and bring back Palma trophy. (Signed) LIEUT. ALBERT S. JONES, Secretary ot the National Rifle Association of America. Copied from N.Y, HERALD. Dynamo a. lam Mo. sDELTIN® New York. onan m i) «ce This sweeping victory for America, and the extraordinary score of 1,570 out of a [RON AND Zag possible 1,800 were made with 3)-40 regular factory Cartridges, manufactured by the STEEL = ¢ WO | UNION METALLIC CARTRIDGE COMPANY ZN » * selected after exhaustive trials, by the entire Americana Team in preference to all others, for the'r wonderful uniformity and extreme accuracy. | -% BS ny pre es P | } a | | OE RODUCTS Scores are improved by using U. M. C. ammunition, Souvenir Cartridges (without powder) on application. Bristol's Patent Steel Belt Lacing, THE UNION METALLIC’ CARTRIDGE CO. . SAVES ‘ OP == 7 Time, Belts, 313 Broadway, New York City Money. Factory: BRIDGEPORT, CONN. Depot: 86 First St., SAN FRANCISCO, GAL. “ GreatestStrength READY TOAPPLY FINISHED JOT With Least Metal. send fer Circulars and Free Samples. al = — THE BRISTOL CO., Waterbury, Conn. SAMSON SPOT CORD # AH Al | BO | IF RG s Sop page 124 104, Alse Blessach . nvetta and Ph Phenix 7\ ja SAMSON CORDAGE WORKS, Boston, Mass. ‘aa |}: CAPEWELL HORSE NAILS} a Branch Office. 11 aa. New York. : 6 bi eveland City Forge and lronCo., - Cleveland, O, £z NEW YORK, Branches: PORTLAND, ORE., ?P [A re = 1 & PHLLADELPHIA, —— a a2-5.| || 2¢ cntcaco, DETROIT, BALTIMORE, ow aS gs z- i ST. LOUIS, CINCINNATI, NEW ORLEANS, eh 5 ce 3 Sz H . BOSTON, SAN FRANCISCO, DENVER. XN A ss - Sez 5 = Ne A ~ F THE CAPEWELL HORSE NAIL COMPANY 5 | m Absa Z Yu Zee Empire Bidg., New York. = ee of Trade. Boston. C0 Ke EEE PILLING & CRANE & CRANE! £4 HARTFORD, CONN. Girard Building, Philada. SS Farmers’ Bank, Pittsburg. REGULAR PATTERN. Excelsior Straightway Back Pressure Valve is simple in construction and well made. Being fitted with the Jenkins Disc, it is noiseless and never sticks. Gives long service, and can be relied upon atall times. Can be quickly thrown in and out of use without taking valve apart. It offers no resistance to the steam when wide open. JENKINS BROS., New York Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, London. RUSSIA IRON is almost out of the market; not quite; '8 per cent of the finest sheet iron is Wood's Patent-Planished. Stine anti oe “wefan” Bld Role Siel Drawing «Stamping Sanping ivor Russia. W ke Wood's THE AMERICAN TUBE & STAMPING COMPANY Ss make ood s. (Water and Rail Delivery) BRIDGEPORT, CONN. tine @ Quick service. MAGNOLIA mM Sg Return a whole sheet for an inch of fault. Best Anti-Friction Metal for all Machinery Bearings. Pac-Simile of Bar. Aho * Beware of American Sheet Steel Company imitations. Battery Park New York MAGNOLIA METAL CO., San F New Orles treal, Bosto Owners and Sole Manufacturers, 113-115 Bank Street, Pittsburg and Philade <a ty Chicago, Fisher Bidg. NEW YORK. grades of Babbitt M at competitive prices, a RETIN Sg NET Dak” TO tas 25 ee on Home Seco ae poem A tan i h a ee ee sai x ee ae ee eee A AT SO A OCT I TIED ELE ANI SE ONIN ITI Nt ls hi Nh sl ag ttt ei <a pena 2 THE IRON AGE. | ANSONIA Brass B R AS § ad ee ” , s° COPPER Co. “Wie | seer Sheet and Roll Brass — AND— WIRE PRINTERS’ BRASS, JEWELERS’ METAL, Gi L 1 | ia at GERM AN SHEET coe GILDING METAL, COPPER | | Tob i n Ba ronze S| LV F R ] ROD Pins, shina i Hinges, Jack Chain, i WIRE sene Burners, Lamps, Lamp H (TRADE-MaRK REGISTERED.) Trimmings, &c. Condenser Piates,Pump Linings, Round, — } Square and Hexagon Bars, for Pump LOW BRASS. SHEET BRONZE.) 29 murRAy ST., NEW YORK. ! Piston Rods and Bolt Forgings Seamless Tubes for Boilers , SEAMLESS BRASS AND COPPER i144 HIGH wt.» BOSTON. and Condensers. 199 LAKE ST., CHICA‘ TUBING. BRAZED BRASS AND MANUFACTURERS OF BRASS AND COPPER|(‘()PPER 99 John Sti John Street, . > New York. ROLLING MILL : FACTORIES : aS BRONZE TUBING. cette eee: THOMASTON, CONN. WAteneeeY, CONN CeO 00000008008 888e S$ Randolph-Clowes Co., WATERBURY BRASS c0,, J SCOVILL MFG. CO., Manufacturers of BRASS, Main Office and Mill, MANUFACTURERS OF 130 Centre St., New York. Providence, R. I. — Sheets, Rolis, Wire SHEET BRASS & COPPER. aaa Rods, Bolts and Tubes, AZED BRASS & COPPE BRIDGEPORT DEOXID'ZED B Brass Shells, Cups, Hinges, —om oe x AND METAL COMPANY, Buttons, Lamp Coods. BRIDGEPORT, CONN. SPECIAL BRASS GOUDS TO ORDER SBAMLESS BRASS Largest Jo em — a in Factories, WATERBURY, CONN. & COPPER TUBES | DEPOTS: TO 36 IN. DIAM. LARGE CASTINGS A SPECIALTY, PW TORK, Cees, vere. New York Office, 253 Broadway, Postal ; eee ee and agsudaadl Cutcago Omics, Om Fisher Bldg. Ne Sous 100 aa rescore \Sartaruiaben ttention. JOHN: DAVOL & SONS, AGENTS FOR BeVLT*Ve Brooklyn Brass & Copper Co. . DEALERS IN Matthiessen & Hegeler Zinc Co., | “°rran, anpony. LA SALLE, ILLINOIS. 100 John Street, ~ New York. SMELTERS OF SPELTER mores ohio Arthur T. Rutter SHEET ZINC AND SULPHURIC ACID. SUCCESSOR TO Special Sizes of Zinc cut to order. Rolled Battery Plates. Selected Plates for Etchers’ and Lithographers’ use. WILLIAM _ FEARING Selected Sheets for Paper and Card Makers’ use. ' Stove and Washboard Blanks. 256 Broadway, NEW YORK. ZINCS FOR LECLANCHE BATTERY. Small tubing in Brass, Copper, Steel, Aluminum, German Silver, &c. Sheet Brass, Copper and Ge: TNA ee MMT eine tees Copper and Brass Rod. S 8:74 West Monroe St., Chicago. noes Best Bronze, Babbitt Metals, Brass and Alaminum C4STINSS, “PHONO -ELECTRIC” BRASS, BRONZE and ALUMINUM CASTINGS. WIRE. “1's tovon.” v ‘ Founders, Finishers, TROLLEY, T. F. WELOM MFG. OO, 68 SUDSURY STREET, BOSTON. \ W. G. ROWELL & CO., BRIDGEPORT, CONN. TELEPHON! HENDRICKS BROTHERS and ; TELEGRAP 4 Belleville Copper. Rolling Mills, LINES. MANUFACTURERS OF Braniers’ Bolt and Sheathing aoe BRIDGEPORT BRASS C*., COP _ EE Fe * nn Onn” ep Masng Bix Saw ¥ COPPER WIRE AND RIVETS. Elements of Steam Engineering. Importers and Dealers in Spangler, aioe Q a Ingot Copper, Block ‘Tin, Spelter, Lead, Antimony, etc. at “Marshall, "B.S. in E.it. 276 pages oF 3 a see cecccceescceceesseocenes 49 CLIFF ST., NEW YORK. For sale by David Williams Co., 232 William St., N. THB IRON AGE THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22, 1903. the Morse Apparatus for Gauging Temperatures of Heated Substances. | our various industries accurate means are provided yeasuring the different properties of the various ma- iis which enter into the construction of the vast out Lengths are measured with the greatest accuracy d of delicate micrometers, weights by scales of va is degrees of delicacy, densities by hydrometers and composition of the various materials by chemical ivsis, &e.. but while the lower temperatures are read the aid of the mercurial thermometer, in these indus- s, the higher temperatures seem to have been left to euessed at, or measured by the observations of skilled operators who estimate these temperatures by the color degree of incandescense of the materials which are be heated. There are various pyrometers on the market iW. 1 iscertaining Temperature of Hardening Furnace THE MORSE APPARATUS FOR GAUGING ineasuring these temperatures; still, in the general se, the old method seems to be resorted to. The reason this lies probably in the fact that the pyrometers ch have been available have lacked either in adapta 'y to work or in reliability as to their indications. lt is well known that the quality of the finished prod depends in a large measure upon the accuracy with ch the heat treatments have been conducted. For ex ple. the strength of structural irons and the durability steel rails depend largely upon the temperature at ch they have passed through the rolls the last time. cost of machining tools, as well as the quality of the shed tools, depend in a large measure upon the tem ture at which the steel has been annealed; and the ness which can be given to the edge of tools and also length of time the tool can retain its sharpness, de ‘(1 altogether upon the temperature at which it is ened and tempered. In many steels the range of erature at which they can be successfully hardened ery small, but in no steel can the best results be at “1 in a variation to exceed 50 degrees F.. whereas in t steels the variation of one-fourth of this amount ld prove injurious. Observations have shown that the better grades of steel, or the steels which are capa ble of producing the best tools, are those which can be hardened successfully only within narrow limits of tem perature, On account of the interest and importance of the cor rect measurement of temperatures each new pyrometer that comes out is of interest to the public just in propor tion to its possibilities in filling the requirements. Just now the Morse Thermo-Gage Company of Trumansburg, N. Y., are bringing out a gauge which will be of consid erable interest to the trade. This thermo-gauge is based on the comparison of color or degree of incandescence and is covered by seven United States patents. While these patents cover a multitude of forms iu which the gauge can be used, the form which is generally used is illustrated in Fig. 3. In further explanation of the construction of the gauge we would add that inside the Fig é tscertaining Temperature of Heated Parts TEMPERATURES OF HEATED SUBSTANCES lamp tube E is provided an incandescent lamp, D, with a large filament in the form of a conical coil. This fila- ment is heated to the different degrees of incandescence corresponding to the different temperatures by an elec tric current taken from a storage battery. In the circuit of the lamp is included a delicate ammeter, C, and rheo stat, A, with finely divided increments of resistance. With the aid of the rheostat the amount of current pass ing through the lamp can be regulated to any degree and can be read on the scale of the ammeter. A table accom- panies the instrument, which will enable the operator to know the temperature of the filament by the readings from the ammeter. When the filament is superposed us in Fig. 2 over the substance, whose temperature is to be gauged, so that the substance can be viewed through the spirals, it will appear as a more or less bright spiral against the sub stance if it is at a higher temperature than the sub stunce; on the other hand, if it is at a lower temperature it will then appear as a more or less dark spiral against it, but when the substance and filament are at the same temperature, then the filament will apparently be obliter ated from view and appear to merge into the sul ie i f i a + oa ia A a pe aaa oe Seepeliastehessna savenmens “ THE IRON AGE. stance. This is because the rays then emitted by the substance whose temperature is to be gauged are iden- tical with the rays emitted by the filament, and there- fore the eye detects no difference. This merging effect is a well defined phenomenon, and will enable the operator to easily read temperatures accurately within 5 degrees F. If it is desired to measure the temperature of any substance heated to incandescence, the substance is viewed through the lantern tube and the coils of the filament. Then the incandescence of the filament is changed by the rheostat until it merges into the substance, when it will be at the same temperature as the substance, and the tem- perature can be read by the aid of the ammeter and the table accompanying the instrument. If, on the other hand, it is desired to heat a substance to a certain tem- perature, then the current is regulated by the rheostat until the ammeter indicates the desired temperature. Then as the substance is heated it is observed through the tube, and the instant that its temperature is such that the filament of the lamp merges into it, it will be at the desired temperature. This in general is the principle of the thermo-gauge, October 22, 19 These piles are cast iron cylinders, 2 feet 3 in outside diameter by 144 inches thick, made in secti of convenient length, bolted together. The screw on | bottom section is 21 inches pitch by 4 feet 8 inches diameter. The contractor must be prepared to car some of these to a depth of 150 feet, if this should be « sidered necessary by the engineer. The power requir to effect the turning can be provided easily enough, b a cast iron cylinder of these dimensions will be mo than likely to break before reaching such a great dept It is extremely doubtful if the metal possesses sufficie: strength to overcome the cling of the silt to the insid and outside surfaces of the cylinder, particularly as the: surfaces will be in the rough condition in which they le! the foundry. Again, silt once disturbed, as this will | to greater or less extent by the passage of the screw requires time to assume its original condition. The tas! would not be so hard if the work could be prosecuted uninterruptedly, but this is impossible, as considerab\ delay must occur while each new section is being bolted on. During each stoppage the silt will have time to hug the tube closer and closer, and to restart the turning op g "Tum Inow AGE Fig. 3.—Sectional Elevation. THE MORSE APPARATUS FOR GAUGING but its thorough adaptability to reading temperatures ‘both reliably and accurately in the various arts can only be fully realized by the actual use of the instrument. The gauge is already in successful use in many of the prominent factories in the country, and has already dem- onstrated that tools hardened by its aid have about double the value of tools hardened in the old way. ‘Can Screw Piles Be Sunk 150 Feet Through Silt ? It is more than probable that the engineer who ob- tains the contract for building the North River portion of the proposed Pennsylvania Railroad tunnel will find difficulty in sinking the screw piles, «which are to be placed 15 feet apart. The silt forming the bed of the river possesses qualities peculiar to itself and which are not calculated to facilitate engineering operations. It is an impalpable powder, the result of countless centuries of errosive action by the river. It constitutes the entire bed of the river until rock is reached. When unconfined and saturated with water it is more unstable and treach- erous than quicksand, but when held or compacted in its original state it approaches clay in its tenacious and gripping characteristics. It is the latter quality that may be expected to cause trouble in sinking the screw :piles, TEMPERATURES OF HEATED SUBSTANCES. eration will be the real trouble which will increase with each foot of progress. To those familiar with the silt of the North River it is not apparent why any such great depth should be called for. The top of the pile, for a distance of at least 12 feet, is to be filled with concrete; by this means 2 confined and practically solid column of concrete and silt will be formed the entire length of the pile. This, i! combination with the grip of the silt, should be sufficiem to hold the pile against settlement, without sinking it t the great depth mentioned. seein cia The General Electric Company’s Apprenticeship School.—The General Electric Company have establishe: a school in connection with their apprenticeship course at their Lynn (Mass.) works. Graduation from the gran inar school is required as a qualification in entering upo apprenticeship work, and the apprentice school suppl inents in a practical manner the ordinary grammar scho: work. The teachers in the school are practical men, suc as engineers, draftsmen and foremep, and are consequel lv in daily touch with the practical work of the factor and factory requirements. The curriculum of the scho lays special stress upon the practical application of arit! metic, the study of practical physics and manufacturi processes in general. The object of the school is to g: young men capable of assuming broad responsibilities ai of becoming foremen, superintendents, &c. No. s on the New Jersey Fire Brick Industry.* BY HEINRICH RIES, ITHACA, N. Y. .e manufacture of fire brick represents one of the branches of the clay working industry in New y, and is of more importance than is commonly ned. ie New Jersey clays were first used for fire brick fter the war of 1812, and one of the earliest records, ac- ding to Professor Cook, shows that clay was taken from Woodbridge to Boston in 1816 and used for that purpose . The value of the clays of the Woodbridge district does not seem to have been well and widely recognized for some years, however, although in 1855 the statistics, given in the Geological Report, show that clay for mak- ing 50,000,000 fire bricks was then taken annually from the pits at Woodbridge, Perth Amboy and South Amboy. Perhaps the oldest works in the State was that known as the Salamander Works (no longer in existence), where brick were made as early as 1825. A little later, in 1836, John R. Watson established a factory at Perth Amboy, and in 1858 Sayre & Fisher began the manufacture of fire brick at Washington. 7 The works of W. H. Berry at Woodbridge began oper- ations in 1845, and have continued up to the present day, although in 1896 the name was changed to J. E. Berry. The works of Henry Maurer & Son were established in 1856, and those of M. D. Valentine & Brother in 1865. These latter were started for making bath brick; later, sewer pipe, and finally, fire brick and other refractory shapes, were produced. <A branch works, located at Val- entine on the Central Railroad of New Jersey, was started in 1887. Even in the last two years several works have be gun the manufacture of fire brick. These include fac- tories erected by the Mutton Hollow Fire Brick Com- pany, Anness & Potter, at Woodbridge, and the Superior Fire Lining Company, at Trenton. In addition to these several other firms have made fire brick from time to time, but they do not represent a regular item of production. The industry has thus grown, so that in 1901 the value of the fire brick pro- duced in New Jersey was $780,327, the State being out- ranked in this matter only by Ohio and Pennsylvania. The fire brick produced in New Jersey are made from a wixture of fire clays dug around Woodbridge or other points in eastern and southeastern Middlesex County, and to this there is added a certain percentage of ground fire brick (grog), some siliceous clay and, occasionally, a gravelly feldspar. Table I shows the character of some of the fire clays: Table I.—Analyses of New Jersey Fire Clays. i. 2. 3. UR, Claes dairies ass Wein wilnwm 40.64 46.90 71.80 AlUMiING (AWD). ccoscccncecees 41.19 35.90 18.92 Ferric oxide (Bes) ......2..00. 3.27 1.10 0.88 mathe. (OME seri c iss cdescs ec 0.65 cone <siie Magnesia (MgO)......... dete Trace. re ara AMEND: «se therm gees Wei ereierese coma Xi Trace. 0.44 0.48 WOE i cceGwei cea Rrnck asia vee, Ree 12.80 6.70 MONG cain es ca se eden eet ae 1.50 0.50 T itanic acid (TIO,) eecceeseccseces eoce 1.30 100.49 99.94 99.28 1. Blue clay, Crossman’s pits. L. C. Graton, analyst. 2. No. 1 fire clay. Woodbridge. 3. Extra sandy clay. Woodbridge. The refractoriness of the clays. when tested in the Deville furnace, ranges commonly from cone 33 to cone 3 for the No. 1 fire clays, and from cone 27 to cone 30 for the No. 2 fire clays. Vithowt going into the details of their physical char- & ‘oristies, which are given in full in a forthcoming re- bor! of the New Jersey Geological Survey, it may be suf- fi t to say that they are commonly of good plasticity, t ow tensile strength, the latter ranging from 40 to a ‘unds per square inch. Some of the No. 1 grades C1 in burning, and therefore they can be used only to s ited extent in the fire brick mixtures. The fire f kage, when burned to cone 8, may range from 6 to A paper read before the American Institute of Mining En- “PR wer 22, 1908 THE IRON AGE. 12 per cent., depending on the sandiness of the material. The methods of manufacture used are those prevalent in most States where fire brick are manufactured, the clay being tempered in ring pits and molded usually either by hand or in soft mud machines. A few manu- facturers employ the stiff mud process. After molding the bricks are repressed and burned with few exceptions in down draft kilns. The temperature of burning varies slightly at the different works, but is generally between cones 10 and 12. Many of the first grade of fire clays found in the State are highly refractory, and it might be supposed that the bricks made from them would show an equal degree of refractoriness. This is not the case, however. Table II gives partial analyses of various New Jersey fire bricks, with the cone numbers at which they fuse: Table I1.—Composition and Fusahility of New Jersey Fire Bricks. CaO, MgO, Alk.—By Cone of $102. Al,Os. TiO.. Fe,0; difference. fusion. Dawa sredat 77.30 18.94 1.05 2.06 0.60 31-32 Meda wa Werke 82.45 14.86 0.90 1.54 0.25 32 Sistvanenee 26.50 2.65 1.25 0.90 27 Geccucewtus 77.15 19.46 0.95 1.99 0.45 27 Bete aeaed 82.30 14.84 0.71 1.70 0.45 31 aan want 75.20 21.09 1 By ye 1.37 0.62 33 CibGe ede 77.70 19.51 1.86 1.11 nike 28-29 Diiticawnvns 79.84 18.06 1.53 1.65 wi 31 This series, which presents the range of composition found in New Jersey fire bricks, brings out some inter- esting facts. It will be noticed, in the first place, that the fusion point ranges from cone 27 up to cone 33. Looking over the analyses we find that most of the bricks are quite siliceous, few of them containing less than 70 per cent. of silica. The alumina contents are not high, neither is the percentage of Fe,O, large. A note- worthy feature is the universally high percentage of TiO.. The fact that the fusibility of these bricks lies at points between cones 27 and 33, instead of higher, is not due along to fluxing impurities, such as iron oxide and alkalies, but, doubtless, in a large degree to the ratio be- tween silica to kaolinite base in the clay. Few fire brick manufacturers, even at the present day, seem to recog- nize the fact that silica at high temperatures acts as a flux when heated with a certain proportion of alumina. It seems to the writer that in the case of the New Jersey fire bricks we have an example of this disregard of a chemical fact. This statement, however, involves no intimation that the New Jersey bricks are of poor quality, for many of them bear an excellent reputation, and often are found to stand frequent: and great changes of temperature bet- ter than other bricks. They are used extensively in blast furnaces, kilns, cupolas, &c., with good results. The TiO, in the clay acts as a stronger flux than silica, percentages of but 2 or 3 per cent. added to a high grade kaolin lowering its fusing point two or three cone numbers. Unfortunately, but little systematic work has been done in this country toward tracing out the relation be- tween the refractoriness of fire bricks and their compo- sition. An interesting series of experiments has recently been published in the Thonindustrie-Zeitung, Vol. XXVII, p. 767 (1903), in which it is shown that the more siliceous bricks, even when low in fluxes, are less refractory. Table III, compiled from the article mentioned, gives examples: Table II1T.—Composition and Fusability of Foreign Fire Bricka. cao, MgO, Cone Sio, Al,Oz. Fe,O3. Alk. of fusion. Per cent. Percent. Percent. Percent. No. Saarau, Germany. .52.20 45.90 1.00 0.90 35-36 Saarau, Germany. .69.65 28.71 1.29 0.44 below 33 Lucas, England... .61.24 30.48 3.20 4.89 below 31 Stourbridge, Eng. .63.40 31.70 3.00 1.90 30-31 In the first two it will be ‘seen that there is little dif- ference in the total of fluxes, but considerable difference in the silica percentage, and that the first fuses fully three cone numbers higher than the second. 3 + ee VERT 4 THE IRON AGE. Notes from Mexico. Railway Politics and Currency Reform. DURANGO, October 14, 1903.—Two reports of an impor- tant official character have been published within a few day. One of these is the recital with much detail by Sec- retary Limantour, in a report to the President, of all the matters connected with the action of his Department in securing control of the National Railway Company. As the essential facts in this transaction are now well known, it is unnecessary to take more extended notice of this document than to say that it contains a clear analysis of the Mexican railway situation, and recites the objects which the Government had in view in becom- ing a railway shareholder, as well as the reasons for buying the National shares in preference to those of other railways in Mexico. Estimates of the prospective earnings of the National system are included in the re- port, from which these conclusions are drawn: rom what has been set forth it may be deduced that in the vear 1904 the Government wiil receive on the 100,000 preference shares which it owns a dividend of $200,000, gold, approximate- ly; in 1905, $300,000, gold, and in 1906, $400,000, gold. In 1907 the second preference shares will come in for a proportion of the profits, and probably, beginning with that very year, it will be possible to assign to them 1 per cent. As the Govern ment also owns nearly 100,000 of the latter shares, it will then receive $500,000, gold, on all of its shares. It is obvious that Sehor Limantour is very well coi- tent with the bargain which he has made for his Gov- ernment, although, as is his habit, he is careful not to take a too roseate view of the distant future with respect to the profits of the railway system. He says in this regard: Perbaps it would be going too far to forecast what may cecur still later on; but it must be remembered that all of these estimates are merely based on the average annual increase resulting from the experience of many years, and that no ac- count has been taken of the other factors, already mentioned which assuredly will greatly aid the company. The report is a businesslike document, which well reflects the sagacity and keen analytical genius of the able minister, who by this railway coup has again demon- strated his ability to successfully accomplish financist! transactions of a delicate nature of which the nation is the beneficiary. The second State paper is a report made by the Mex- ican members of the International Monetary Commis- sion, who have just returned to this country. As the general results of the conferences held in the different European capitals are known, it need only be said here that the Mexican envoys express themselves as being satisfied with the reception which their proposals met with abroad, and that they believe that the exchange of views and the recommendations made will greatly aid Mexico in the task of placing her currency upon a stable basis. The commission, which has been sitting in Mexico, has not yet made its report. When this has been done, and after the return of Secretary Limantour, it is expected that some sort of legislative action will be taken to carry out the recommendations resulting from the study of the vexing question of currency instability. Increase of European Imports. It seems necessary for their own good periodically to warn the manufacturers of the United States that they ought not to permit themselves, by reason of their proximity to this market, to be lulled into a feeling of overconfidence in their ability to control it. Trade sta- tistics prove that their European competitors are ever on the alert, and, moreover, that their well directed efforts to sell their products here are meeting with in- creased success. In the fiscal year 1902-03 European merchandise to the value of $34,205,291 was imported into Mexico, being an increase of nearly $8,000,000 over the aggregate for the preceding fiscal year. Imports from the United States in 1902-03 reached a total of $40,- 496,671, an increase of about: $1,500,000 over the fiscal! year 1901-02, but representing a marked decrease in the percentage of the total imports. Great Britain, Ger- many and Belgium were the countries which increased their shipments of goods to this country. October 22, ” Industrial Notes. The rolling mill of the Monterey steel plant ha: started and rails are now being steadily turned out company are working on an order for steel rails railway in the State of Oaxaca, and have other ord: hand, among them, it is said, being one for a large ment for the Mexican Central Railway Company. Orders for rolling stock for Mexican railways been placed within a brief period, as follows: By Hornos Railway in the State of Coahuila, for a nu of box cars, with A. Baldwin & Co., New Orleans, the Mexican Central Railway Company, 940 box cit 60,000 pounds capacity, 100 flat cars and a like nu of coal cars of 80,000 pounds capacity, with the Pull: Palace Car Company; the National Railway Compan Mexico, 500 box cars of modern type, with the Geo) Car & Mfg. Company. Three special coaches are alsv ing built for the National by the Harlan & Hollingswo Company. The Blymer Iron Works of Cincinnati, Ohio, have cured several orders lately for plantation machinery representative of the works having made a visit to t! various plantations situated on the isthmus of Telus tepec. A new military barracks is to be erected by the Go ernment in Guadalajara, Galisco. It will be a mode building of steel frame construction. Orders for materi: will probably soon be placed. William Brockman is the active mover in a_ project for damming the Cienega River, and thus creating reservoir, from which a water supply will be conveyed to the mining camp of E! Oro, in the State of Mexic: and adjoining camps. If the enterprise is carried out large quantity of piping will be required. Among prospective new manufacturing industries be introduced into the republic may be mentioned that o! a shoe factory, which it is reported E. F. Lally of Boston Mass., will establish either in or near the capital. Orders for sugar mill equipments for Mexican planta tions have been secured by the Pioneer Iron Works ot! Brooklyn, N. Y. The Abendroth & Root Mfg. Company o! New York have booked an order for a large boiler for the San Cristobal Sugar Company. Shares of the Monterey Iron & Steel Company, fully paid up, are selling at and around their par value—viz $100 per share. Senor Mariano Rodriguez, who owns a large haciend: In the State of Michoacan, is about to erect a sugar mil and aguadiente refinery, and will need equipment. A very successful Mexican industrial organization is that of the Monterey Smelting & Refining Compan) At the last general meeting of the shareholders the capita stock was increased from $3,000,000 to $8,000,000. The exchange rate for payment of import duties du ing the current month is 220 per cent. La Compania Explotadora de Minas de Carbon c: Michoacan, is the long drawn out title of the new coi: pany organized in Mexico to work the coal deposits in th State of Michoacan, to which reference has previous!) been made, and who have now secured a concession fro! the Government empowering them to construct a line 0! railway connecting the coal lands situated near Agos! tlan with the National Railway, a distance of about miles. The Tabasco Central Railway is the name adopt: by the holders of a concession conveying power to bu a railway from San Juan Bautesta, Tabasco, to Nacaju: Jalapa. Two more hydraulic power plants of some importa}: « are projected. In one instance application has been mi to the Government by John McDonough for the privil of using water from the rivers Del Valle and Asunci: in the other the Mexican-American Mining Company Sierra Juarez, Oaxaca, intend to erect a plant on | river Socorro, for the transmission of power to thir mines. A fire which started in a hardware store named Bazar, in the city of Merida, Yucatan, October 2, p cipitated a conflagration which destroyed all the stores the street. entailing a loss of $2,000,000. In addition the Bazar, another hardware store, La Balanza,> w burned out. tober 22, 19038 THE Contracts are to be awarded within the next 30 days. < reported, for the equipment of the car building plant erected in Mexico City by the Mexican Car & Foun- Company, of which Isaac M. Hutchison, now in St. uuis, is president. From $75,000 to $100,000 will be ex- nded in the purchase of the necessary machinery, and » plant will have an initial capacity for turning out 20 rs daily. Kerth Use of Alcohol Engines in Europe. BY GEORGE E. WALSH. Che greatest interest attaches to alcohol engines in Germany, and the German Emperor himself has proved most enthusiastic admirer of inventors and manufac- turers Of machines which use alcohol for motor pur poses on either land or sea. In Russia several types of alcohol engines have been used for dierent purposes, and for electrical generation these have proved more suc- cessful and satisfactory than other forms, although ow- ing to her great mineral deposits of petroleum Russia is inevitably committed to the kerosene oil engines. In fact, these have been made and imported into that coun- try in the past few years in great quantities, and repre- sentatives of the leading houses have sent their agents to this country to study the types in use here. In Germany associations have been established for promoting the use of alcohol as a motive power. The Union of Alcohol Producers and the Association to Pro- mote the Industrial Uses of Alcohol have succeeded in stimulating the more economical production of alcohol, and at the same time have encouraged the more general employment of it for power purposes. The advances made in the manufacture of alcohol engines of large and small units have consequently been far greater in Ger- many than in this country. But Russia and France are not far behind in the same line of work, and the types of engines used successfully in those two countries differ only slightly and in importance from those in use in Germany. One of the most recent alcohol engines from Russia was built by the Daimler Motor Company at Marienfelde, and it was the invention of Director Boris Loutzky of the Russian marine engineering service. This motor is of 50 horse-power, and its service has been recognized even in Germany, where it has become satisfactorily known as a serviceable engine. It is designed for electric gen- erating purposes and also for marine and factory service, although in the original designs it was intended to be coupled direct to a generator. This engine has shown considerable improvement over other forms of small power engines using gas, oil or other fuel. In the dif- ferent tests it attained a very high revolution per min- ute under small consumption of fuel. It required only 0.45 to 0.50 liter of alcohol per hour per horse-power, and at a revolution of 650 per minute it developed over ‘1 horse-power. ‘The regulation of this engine is ob- tained by means of a centrifugal regulator, which acts automatically in controlling the supply of fuel. The consumption of fuel is thus directly proportioned to the amount of work done. In most of the alcohol engines used in Germany the starting is accomplished by means of gasoline. The otor is warmed up and started by a device which per- nits the gasoline to burn until the machine is ready for the alcohol feed. Then a lever completely and instantly hianges the supply from gasoline to alcohol. This is not lone until the motor is under full speed. Then the change s accomplished without any apparent shock or diminu- on in the speed or regular movement of the engine. The <nition is by an electric spark similar to that used for dinary gasoline engines and motors. Both the magneto- lectrie and battery currents are employed for sparking lrposes, and in this way ample provision is made against iy accidents or unforeseen contingencies. The moment ' ignition can be regulated to suit the operator, and as result there is a distinct saving in time and efficiency | the hands of an experienced engineer, for the explosion in be made to take place at the most advantageous part f the stroke. The maximum effect and movement are IRON AGE. 5 thus btained without effort. As the starting up of gaso- line and alcohol motors is an important feature of their success, the present invention promises to secure to the owner nearly all the saving and economy of time and operation possible. Alcohol motors have received comparatively little con- sideration in this country, partly because of the over- whelming attention given to the development of the gas and oil engines. Even in this field we have been behind Germany, but in the past few years every effort has been made to compensate for this. The abundance of coal as a cheap fuel has been responsible for this, but the ad- vanced cost of coal and the tendency to use it more gen- erally in all manufacturing industries, have caused a re- action. The use of oil as a fuel has suddenly become an important question, and the development of the gas engine has followed as a natural result. These two fuels come in as important factors in the industrial competition, and the construction of engines to use them is naturally developing. Oil and gas engines of both small and large units are now employed in many lines of industry, where before steam alone prevailed. In the older industries they have added greatly to the efficiency of the plants, and in new manufacturing lines they have become abso lutely essential to their successful operation. But the alcohol engine has so far been largely neg lected in this country, although the time is apparently ripe for its more general recognition. The production of wood alcohol is a comparatively young industry in this country, and the cost of distilling it has not been reduced to the same level as in France and Germany. It is pos- sible this difference in cost of the fuel is responsible for the difference in the popularity of the alcohol motors. Aleohol motors for marine purposes have been found of special significance, and in Germany this type of prime mover has been developed to a point of efficiency that is of great importance. The cost of operation is considered less than for any other form of liquid fuel, and for spe cial types of boats its efficiency is superior to any other. Alcohol as a fuel is superior to other forms of liquid fuel because of its cleanliness and safety. It is the safest liquid fuel that is placed on the market. The engines de- signed to burn it are less complicated and costly in con- struction than those made for gasoline or crude petroleum. The steady, uniform heat produced is a point of excellence that should be noted. The more general use of the alcohol motor for small electric lighting plants is an important development of the electric industry in Europe. The motors driven by this fuel are for the most part small, although engines of large units are now being constructed and used in Germany. As auxiliary engines in large plants, the alcohol motors have been found to meet a long felt want, and they are installed in considerable numbers in Germany to operate machine tools, blowers, fans, and even cranes. Their readiness for instant work and their cleanliness recommend them to a large class of workers in the industrial world. The production of wood alcohol in this country has been steadily increasing in the past decade, and it is more than probable that within a few years the supply of the fuel will be such as to make motors and engines run by it very popular. The cost to-day as a fuel is too high for the engines to compete with gas, oil or gasoline. The de- mand for wood :lcohol in the arts and trades has been so great that the supply has been readily consumed, but as a fuel its production can increase indefinitely without fear of an oversupply. Meanwhile, a study of the alcohol motors and engines as used abroad should be of value and interest to the trade. ro At their recent annual meeting the stockholders of the New York Shipbuilding Company of Camden, N. J., re- elected these officers: President, De Courcey May; vice- president and general manager, Charles S. Hall; secre- tary and treasurer, Samuel L. Knox; superintending cap- tain, William G. Randle; directors, De Courcey May, Charles S. Hall, William G. Randle, Henry Walters, Myron C. Wick, Michael Jenkins and A. W. Mellon. The report of President May showed a healthy condition of affairs, with a large number of contracts on hand, suffi- cient to insure a full force of workmen for some time. Re EE So I TN AC SO RR RS La CN RE > ay oh Tega Boon ee Ft 6 THE IRON AGE. Lake Iron Ore Matters. « DULUTH, MINN., October 18, 1903.—I referred briefly last week to the visit of inspection made to the iron ore roads of the United States Steel Corporation by electrical and hydraulic power men, with a view to making figures for the conversion of the motive power on these roads from steam to electric. On their return from a therough inspection the electrical experts expressed themselves as more than pleased at the possibilities, and seemed to have no doubt that with the assistance of the Great Northern Power Company of Duluth they would be able to make figures and guarantees as to the change of power that would attract the Steel management. Final figures and plans are now being made for the consideration of the railroads, and these express themselves: as willing to consider any step that shall cheapen and improve trans- portation. Any such development as is proposed would be of the highest interest everywhere, and would have a great effect in furthering the extensive development of electrical power for main line railway work. The General Electric Company have already made figures for the Great Northern road, for handling all its ore transportation from its terminus at Kelly Lake, near the mines, to that at Saunders, near the docks. This was not altogether satisfactory to the road, and is being worked over in another way. The Duluth, Missabe & Northern road is to erect large shops at Duluth the com- ing year, particularly for steel car and locomotive repair and erection, and these.shops will probably be electrically driven throughout, power to be taken from the wheels and dynamos.of the Great Northern Power Company. Since last week the Champion mine of the Clairton Steel Company has been closed tight, only pump men re- maining on duty.. The mine had more than 200,000 tons of ore in stock, and this was enough for Clairton furnaces for a year, they taking a larger part of their ore from Mesaba range mines of their own or under contract. With the final rupture of negotiations between the United States Steel Corporation and Clairton there was no ex- cuse for this mine to continue to pile up a stock pile this winter. It will be reopened full force the coming spring. About 500 men were made idle. The Hemlock and Baltic mines, referred to last week as likely to reduce forces, have now done so., About 130 men are out at the two. These mines are Buffalo. Steel Company’s properties on the Menominee range. A slight curtailment of operations at the mines of the Republic Iron & Steel Company is to take place shortly. Their Howe, a small property on the Mesaba range, is now closed, and their Franklin group will reduce. The Duluth mine at Biwabik has closed for the season, having mined about its allotment. The Beaufort mine, at Michigamme, operated by the Niagara Mining Company for the furnace of that name, is being worked heavily, and will send down 100,000 tons this year. It is taking on more men. So is the Ohio, at the same place, the Antoine Ore, Verona and Vivian, on the Menominee; G. A. St. Clair at the Metropolitan, and the Baraboo explorations, &c. The Breitung Estate, Negaunee, may decide to reopen and thoroughly explore old Davis and Milwaukee mines, near Lucy. The Milwaukee was a considerable shipper between 1879 and 1890, when it closed with a record of 375,000 tons. The Davis, sometimes called the Grand Rapids, was open from 1887 to 1895, and shipped 110,000 tons. Both are non-Bessemer. The Oliver Iron Mining Company may sink a shaft in the old race track, Negau- nee, which it bought last year, and where drill explora- tions have been under way some time. This was a part of the land this company and the Cleveland Cliffs strug- gled to secure at the time so much Negaunee property was sold them. The Oliver Company’s stock piles on the Gogebic range are to be pretty well cleaned up by the close of navigation. Several shovels are now in them. At Ger- mania mine, at Hurley, No. 2 shaft is to be sunk much deeper than it now is—1000 feet. The force has been di- minished and not much ore will be mined this winter. A large pumping plant, to handle 1000 gallons a minute against a head of 1200 feet, is to be put in by the Penn Iron Mining Company as soon as it can be built. October 22, | It will have a triple expansion steam end. A big cr ing plant will be installed at the Corrigan mines in | County. The great crushing plant of the Oliver I, Mining Company at Escanaba will be in operation | spring. Annual reports of the mine inspectors of Dicki and Iron counties, Mich., in which are the mines of Iron Mountain and Crystal Falls districts, respectiy show that in the former the average number of men ployed for the year was 4004, whose product was 2,813 tons. In Iron County there were 1678 men working, their product was 1,330,000 tons. There were 16 a dental deaths in mines of Dickinson County in the ys one man to every 250 employed, and there were 19 Iron County, one to every 88 employees. One reason this difference is doubtless to be found in the fact t! the mines of Dickinson County are, generally speaki: larger, older and more permanently opened than those Iron. It is interesting to note in this connection a the fact that the proportion of Steel Corporation en ployees is greater in Dickinson than in Iron Count: In this latter county, though the Steel Corporation «1 ployed 600 out of the total of 1678 men, there was but one accidental death in their mines to 18 in those of var ous other owners. The worst accident of the year in tha county was at the Crystal Falls mine, where six men met death. The Steel Corporation are referred to separately, as they are the largest employers of labor in either county In Dickinson County, with 2625 men out of a total o 4004, they mined 2,025,000 tons out of the total of 2,815 000. In Iron County, with 600 men out of 1678, they mined 375,000 tons out of 1,330,000. The large party of United States Steel officials that have been making examination of their plants and wcrks were in the Lake Superior country a few days, ending at the Me- saba range to-day. Insufficient time was taken to examite mines thoroughly, but the visiting officers expressed themselves as pleased in the highest degree, not only with the mines themselves, and with quality and quantity of raw material in the corporation’s possession, but also with the management at this end, complimenting Presi- dent Cole, Vice-President Hulst and their associates most highly. DB. OW. . ? The Worcester Polytechnic Institute has started tlie compilation of a card catalogue of articles appearing i scientific and technical publications Prof. W. W. Bird, head of the department of mechanical engineering, is at the head of this enterprise. He, with his assistants, is taking 20 leading publications, including representative English and Continental papers, each man being assign! to two of them, the division giving each man one week'y and one monthly. The man reads his papers carefully and picks out articles worthy of being kept track 0! The card contains the name of the publication, &c., the nature of the article, its space by columns, &c. As to tlie merit or value of an article catalogued the card has space with three letters against it, A, B and C. C is mediocre, B good and A very good. By crossing out the tw: letters which do not fit the article the desired degree |! ter is left. There is a space to indicate the illustratiow- whether photographs, line, card readings, &c. The car are indexed by subjects. The purpose is to give to ¢! institute a ready reference index of scientific and ni: chanical literature, which may be preserved entire, ye after year, or culled out from time to time. x At Pittsburgh, in the suit of the Pressed Stee) ( Company against the Standard Steel Car Company, ' defendants filed suggestions in the nature of exceptions the form of a decree drafted and submitted by the pla tiff company. The defendant company aver the decre« too sweeping and indefinite, and that it should be limit to giving relief to the plaintiffs only as to the specific b prints originating in the works of the plaintiff comp and admitted to be in the possession of the defendant c pany; to the alleged copies of certain blue prints of plaintiffs of tracings made by railroads, and to any co} of blue prints in the two classes mentioned, if any su copies have been made by the defendants. Oetober 22, 1903 THE rhe Automatic Thread Cutting Speed Lathe. rhe Automatic Machine Company of Greenfield, Mass., building a new thread cutting speed lathe, which has ,umber of interesting mechanical features. The thread- + attachment consists of a loose bar sliding in bearings the back of the lathe and engaging a lead screw by ans of a segment tooth. The bar carries a carriage yon which the threading tool is mounted, the front end the carriage sliding on a hardened shoe elevated at CULVER rig. 1 the forward end, by means of which the depth of cut is regulated and the threading tool, as well as the segment tooth, thrown out of engagement with the work and the lead screw at the end of the cut. The lead screw is op- erated by means of compound gearing from the spindle, which allo