The Iron Age 1903-12-17: Vol 72 Iss 25

THE IROMeeAGE A Review of the Hardware, Iron, Machinery ie al Trades. Published every Thursday Morning by Dayid Williams Co., 232-238 William St., New York. — —_—— Vol. 72: No, 25 New York, yarsday, December 17, 1903. Single Copies. uding Postage Reading Matter Contents ...... page 60/— 7 aS Alphabetical Index to Advertisers ‘“‘ {81 - Classified List of Advertisers ... ‘‘ 173 ! f “ Advertising and Subscription Rates ‘‘ [80 0 a et yd Pigermcene rome The 32 Automatic Colt Pistol is is kk leeds witb a special high power smokeless powder, giving high velo-ity and operating freely through the mechanism of the Automatic Colt Pistol (povket model). Those with the soft point bullets will be found desirable for sporting purposes, while the metal cased are accurate for target ranges, suitable to pocket pistols. RIM FIRE CARTRIDGES. New 22 short, ungreased, 22 long. ungreased. and 22 Winchester, ungreased, are inex pen-ive rim fire cartridges loadec with the best grade of smokeless powder. Boys are calling for these cartridges, as they can be carried jnose iu the pocket with- out the old inconvenience of the greased -artridves. They wil! not lead the gun. U. M. C. Ammunition shoots well in any make gun. histol’s Patent Steel Belt Lacing, SAVES THE UNION METALLIC CARTRIDGE CO. Time, Belts, BRIDGEPORT, CONN, Money. Agency: 313-16 Broadway, New York City Depot : 86-88 First St., San Francisco, Gal. GreatestStrength : TO APPLY FINISHED JOWT With Least Metal. Send fer Circulars and Free Samples. THE BRISTOL CO., Waterbury, Conn. HARTFORD, CONN. TURNBUCKLES. § ; CAPEWELL HORSE NAILS} Cleveland City fehty Forge’ and iron Co... te. oO, : seh venst. Branches ; PeneLauD, On2.; > acre z= < Gmc, 0) pernors OLIaIMORE, m a8 ggee . 89. LOUIS, CINCINNATI, NEW ORLEANS, 0° as 3* s= - BOSTON, SAN FRANCISOO, DENVER. y =__= $ THE CAPEWELL HORSE NAIL COMPANY ‘ 2 BESSEM ER PIG PILLING & GRANE, fssipanor eat exe ~~ g § = . guerre Jenkins 96 Packing NONE BETTER, as 1t makes joint instantly and will last as long as the metals which hold it. NONE CHEAPER, as it weighs less than many others sold at equal price per pound. Remember, all genuine stamped with Trade-Mark. APOLLO You are accustomed to find- ing more or less fault in galvan- JENKINS BROS., | NewYork, Boston, Philadelphia, | Chieago, Londen. Iz eas iron of other brands with- = 66 ” is unex- } clam —aaaiae Sedo” Gd Re Sie 2 rain Stamping “With Apollo, we ask you not THE AMERICAN TUBE & STAMPING COMPANY t suppress any fault whatever. ( Water and Rail Delivery) BeiperPpurt, Conn pau a keturn a whole sheet for an MAGNOLIA SS ce inch of fault. q2 ~=: Best Anti-Friction Metal for all Machinery Bearings. MAGNOLIA ak C0. Owners and Sole Manufacturers, 113-116 Bank Street. — Chicago, Fisher Bldg. NEW YORK. Pintaburg ona Pulindepata. Wo manufacture American Sheet Steel Company Battery Park New York at competitive urea C a MO TT ce a So net en GS IRIN, ET NR NT iL A — - — sak —— as - ELON T - Z THE IRON AGE. MANUFACTURERS OF e* Correr Co. = Sheet and Roll Brass BRASS AND COPPER coven! nae WiRG PRINTERS’ BRASS, JEWELERS’ METAL, GERMAN si ceieitaaaatind GE RM AN SHEET “1 = GILDING METAL, COPPER Rivers Tobi n a ronze SILVER ROD Pins, Brass Butt Hinges, Jack Chain, Kero. sene Burners, Lamps, Lamp (TRape-Mark REGISTERED.) Wi RE Condenser Plates,Pump Linings. “ound, d Square and Hexagon Bars, for Puma |LOW BRASS. SHEET BRONZE.| 29 murray sT., NEW YORK. Piston Rods and Bult forgings Seamless Tukes ror Boilers SEAMLESS BRASS AND COPPER Ms nee Se. SSerUN. Seamless Tubes, Sheets, Rods and Wire, Trimmings, &c. and Consermeee. TUBING. BRAZED BRASSAND| | eee, 8 eae BRONZE TUBING. : : : : : : : ¢|_ THOMASTON, CONN. | WATERBURY, Conn, Randolph-Clowes Co. $iwareppupy Brass c0,, | SCOVILL MEG. CO. WATERBURY, CONN. WATERBURY, CONN. GERMAN sli L VER MANUFACTURERS us 150 Contes St.. New York. Providencey R. I Sheets, Rolls, Wire SHEET BRASS & COPPER. sany adediaemsineae Rods, Bolts and Tubes, COPPER BRIDGE Brass Shelis, Cups, Hinges, BRAZED BRASS & AND METAL COMPANY, Buttons, Lamp Coods. TUBES. BRIDGEPORT, CONN. SPECIAL BRANS GOUDS TO ORDER SBAMLESS BRASS Largest Jobbing Brass Foundry in New England. Factories, WATERBURY, CONN. & COPPER TUBES DEPOTS: TO 36 1X. DIAM. LARGE CASTINGS A SPECIALTY, EW FORK, | See ~ BSSTON. New York Office, 253 onde, Postal age or a a and ee ae leeches ———— Telegraph Bidg., Room 718. { Ohicago Ofce, 62 Fisher Bldg cents Meteor ete ae, F|SOFIN DAVOL & SONS, 4wonnee Brooklyn Brass & Copper Co. DEALERS IN ° e COPPER, TIN, SPELTER Matthiessen & Hegeler Zinc Co., LEAD, ANTIMONY. — LA SALLE, ILLINOIS. 100 John Street, - New York. SMELTERS OF SPELTER ao betes 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 S. FEARIN G 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 Ger- Copper and Brass Rod. 88:74 west M<« oe St hicag Best Bronze, Babbitt Metals, wee a ec a “PHONO-ELECTRIC” Wa Alain Gti ee) ee nee cy FOUNDERS — FINISHERS. TROLLEY, W.G. ROWELL & OO, ____‘ Bridgeport, Conn. TELEPHONE HENDRICKS BROTHERS and ; ‘ PROPRIETORS OF THE ° - TELEGR AP Belleville. Copper Rolling Mills, _ LENES. MANUFACTURERS OF Braziers’ Bolt and Sheathing Mitts BRIDGEPORT BRASS C i, COPPER, ao to Murray St., COPPEF. Ww i RE AND RIV Ts. Sentien. | by Algebrate and Grapi!¢ ‘Importers and Dealers in : ods. Intended primarily o ag ingot Copper, Block Tin, Spelter, Lead, Antimony, etc. Johnson. C.F. 188 pages, 42 figures 8° @ 49 CLIFF ST., NEW YORK. double page plates, cloth. ........00++-: ¢ For sale by David Williams Co., 232 William St., '.’: nd ne. ‘THE IRON AGE Tuurspay, Decemeer 17, 1903. Variable Speed Gearing for Motor Driven Lathes. Among the numerous devices and arrangements for satisfactorily adapting various machine tools to elec- trical driving by directly connected motors, a new vari- able speed gearing, illustrated by the engravings here- with, is of considerable interest. The constant speed motor is quite generally considered as being best suited to the conditions of this service, and devices involving its use are by many looked upon with more immediate favor. In the arrangement illustrated at this time the Fig. 1 VARIABLE SPEED GEARING ‘onditions of belt driving are practically secured, the de- vice, as fitted to an engine lathe, giving the exact equiv- alent of a five-step cone pulley and back gearing. The ‘onstant speed motor represents the usual countershaft, ilriven at constant speed from a line shaft; the variable speed gearing represents a five-step cone;.the back gear- hg arrangement is the same as with belt driving. The illustration, Fig. 1, shows a standard lathe as egularly built by its makers, with the new type of drive ttached. The motor and variable speed device require ie provision of a suitable supporting bracket, so formed s to bolt directly to the side of the lathe bed and to the ase of the head stock. The only alteration necessary in he lathe itself is the removal of the cone pulley (what- ver its number of steps) and the substitution for it of a imple sleeve having the usual back gear pinion at one nd and at the other end a gear occupying the position of the largest step of the belt cone. Connection between this sleeve and the spindle is made in the usual manner, either through the back gears or by bolting directly to the large spindle gear. The five speeds of driving the sleeve, giving with the back gears the ten spindle speeds, are derived from the nest of compound gearing interposed between the motor and the sleeve gear. This speed varying gearing is clear- ly shown in Fig. 2, which is a view of the side toward the motor. Here are seen five gears mounted upon shafts which pass through long bearings and carry other gears at their opposite ends, as seen in Fig. 1. The gears of Johnson Engine Lathe Fitted with Speed Variator FOR MOTOR DRIVEN LATHES the two sides are of such sizes that while those on the motor side have their pitch circles tangent externally to a small central circle, the pitch circles of those on the other or right hand side are internally tangent to a larger outer circle. Both these imaginary tangent circles are concentric with each other and with the center of the housing within which the gears are carried. With the gearing so placed that the imaginary right hand circle is tangent to the pitch circle of the lathe spindle sleeve gear, and the motor so placed that the pitch circle of its armature pinion is internally tangent to the smaller left hand circle, it may be readily understood that by rotat- ing the gear housing the right hand gears will suc- cessively come into mesh with the sleeve gear and the left hand ones will similarly mesh with the motor pin- ion. If now the center lines of the lathe spindle and motor armature are on the same side of the gear housing so ee Si iene gts Myer cae: ne Spams» yee ae ea ee Sor eee oa a 9 THE IRON AGE. axis and in the same plane with it, the gears on the two ends of any of the five shafts in the speed variator may, by rotation of the housing, be brought fairly into mesh, the one with the spindle sleeve gear, the other with the motor pinion. Speed changing for the five sets of gears is, therefore, a matter merely of rotating the gearing housing of the variator so as to bring the desired set of gears into driving position. The motor pinion should be small enough to offer no interference with adjacent gears when in full mesh with any one of the five. Rotation of the gearing for the several speed changes is accomplished by different methods for different sizes of the variator. Indexing and locking in driving position for each of the five speeds are also provided for in differ- ent ways. In the case of Fig. 1, the vertical lever seen at the front of the variator locks the rotating gearing in either of its five working positions by inserting a sliding bolt. Rotation of the gearing, after withdrawal of the locking bolt, is effected by means of the tool post wrench placed upon the squared end of the central post extending to the right from the face of the gearing housing, the move- ment being very free and quite easily accomplished. In Seba See aie Ss THE IRON AGE. Fig. 2.—The Speed Changing Gears. VARIABLE SPEED GEARING FOR MOTOR DRIVEN LATHES. the case of Fig. 2 the periphery of the gear housing is cut with teeth into which meshes a small pinion upon the hand wheel shaft shown. The gearing is locked by means of the clamp bolt with lever handle at the parting line of the frame ring. Releasing this clamp, the gearing may be rotated by turning the hand wheel. The bearings in which the speed changing gear shafts run are long in proportion to the shaft diameters, and the durability is further favored by the fact that the tendency of the gearing in action is to create pressures in the same direction at each end of the bearing. Were the motor pinion and the lathe spindle at the same side of the intermediate gearing the working pressures would be in opposition, downward at one gear and upward at the other, causing uneven wear. With the motor pinion and spindle sleeve gear at opposite sides of the variable speed gears, pressures due to both are either upward or downward, according to the direction of motion of the lathe, and wear is even and very slow. Here is an appli- cation of Professor Sweet’s very apt and much quoted statement, that “'Things which do not tend to wear out of truth do not wear.” With the arrangement here shown changes of speed are said to be made more easily ami quickly than by shifting a belt upon cone pulleys, especially where the change is more than one step. The gears representing the several speeds being arranged in a circle, the change from December 17, 1903 highest to lowest speed is made as quickly as from any speed to the next higher or lower. Use of a variable speed motor may render available a wider range of extreme speeds, or a larger number of intermediate steps, or both, It is believed that a machine equipped with this speed change device may be made to show a considerable in crease in general efficiency. One point of note in the variator is that for each driving position only one pair otf gears is in action, all idle gears remaining at rest. The device is made by I. H. Johnson, Jr., Company of Philadelphia, builders also of the lathe to which it is shown attached in Fig. 1. —_——-+-e Central Car & Foundry Company. Through the efforts of the Board of Trade of Vin- cennes, Ind., a deal has been consummated providing for the erection of a large car building plant about 1% miles south of that city. The Yeoman farm of 2380 acres has been purchased, 40 acres of which have been given to the company as a site for the plant. The remaining property will be laid out in lots and sold. The company, who are to be known as the Central Car & Foundry Company, have been organized by Ohio and Indiana capitalists, at the head of which are J. R. Cavanagh of Indianapolis, superintendent of car service of the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis Rail- way; Otto Winkenhofer, a prominent real estate dealer of Indianapolis, and H. E. Frazier of Cincinnati, who is connected with Rogers, Brown & Co. It is their intention to expend about $200,000 in constructing the plant and to begin work on the building as soon as the frost is out of the ground. The plans contemplate the erection of nine large buildings of brick and steel. These will consist of an iron foundry, 78 x 400 feet; wood machine shop, 78 x 400 feet; iron machine shop, 78 x 400 feet; wheel foundry, 78 x 400 feet; erecting shop, 122 x 500 feet; truck room, 22 x 200 feet; power house, 42 x 104 feet; pattern store room, 42 x 102 feet, and a two story office building, 50 x 75 feet. The plant will be equipped throughout with modern machinery at a cost of $125,000, and will have a daily capacity of 25 finished and 15 repaired cars, and about 100 more car wheels than they can use. Employment will be given to between 500 and 700 men. —\+-9e——_—_. The Itlinois Manufacturers’ Association The Illinois Manufacturers’ Association held its an- nual banquet on December 10 at the Auditorium Hotel, Chicago. The subject of discussion was “ Employer and Employee: The Rights of Each.” The speakers were Na- thaniel French of Davenport, Iowa; W. B. Brinton of Peru, Ill.; Franklin MacVeagh, W. B. McConkey, John A. Roche, 8. L. Sulzberger and A. C. Bartlett of Chicago. At the annual meeting preceding the banquet the follow- ing were elected for the ensuing year: President, John H. Pierce, Kewanee; first vice-presi- dent, John E. Wilder, Chicago; second vice-president, M. W. Jack, Streator; treasurer, J. Harry Selz, Chicago; secretary, J. M. Glenn, Chicago. Directors: B. A. Eck- hart, W. B. Conkey, F. W. Upham, William Duff Haynie, Frank H. Madden, Chicago, and Walter A. Rosenfield, Mo- line; S. E. Bliss, Harvey; U. G. Orendorff, Canton; C. H. Smith, Aurora, and George D. Roper, Rockford. Mr. Pierce, the new president, who succeeds Bernard A. Eckhart, of Drainage Canal fame, is president of the Western Tube Company of Kenwanee, Ill. He was man- ager of the National Tube Company from 1890 to 1895. — »+-+e——____ While the foreign labor, mainly Italian, of the She- nango Valley is getting a rest these days it seems to have considerable faith in the mills starting up agaiD before long. The Italians of South Sharon and Ellwood City have returned to their mother country by the car- load, but it appears that nearly every one of them bought return tickets. They are coming back in the spring, they say, and they appear to have a sublime faith that there will be plenty of work by the spring of 1904. December 17, 1903 Some Troubles with Samples of Iron and Coke.* BY GEO. C. DAVIS, PHILADELPHIA. During the past few years there has been a very large increase in the number of foundries who use an- alyses of their iron and coke. Some of these send their samples to public chemists, others depend on the labora- tories of the furnaces from which they purchase iron, and still others belonging to combinations have a cen- trally located laboratory. But in each case the samples have to be transported by mail or express. Many of the men in charge of manufacturing plants do not realize the importance of careful sampling, and even if they do, their time is fully occupied with larger matters; so necessarily this work falls to some one else. Sources from Which Disputes May Arise. Let us consider what frequently happens. The super- intendent sends out some handy man about the place to sample a car of pig iron. This worthy generally selects one pig (usually from the “make weight” pigs near the door) ; sometimes if he is unusually careful two pigs are selected. These go to the machine shop, and the foreman, thinking anybody can drill a hole, sets the greenest apprentice at the job. The pigs are placed on a drill press in any position that happens to be easiest, and the drill started through the outside skin. The drillings that fall on the table are scraped up, plus more or less sand, cotton waste, brass, wood and steel chip, and oil or whatever was on the drill table last. They are placed in a common gummed envelope and mailed. You will at once say I am describing an exaggerated case, but I can assure you that it is not so far different from actual practice as I would like to have it. Be this as it may, we have, then, three sources from which disputes may arise—namely: 1, A nonrepresentative sample; 2, Contamination of the sample by sand, &c.; 3, Poor pack- ing, resulting in loss in transit and further contamina- tion. The first cause has been so thoroughly discussed by many authorities that it needs little comment here. Suf- fice it to say that I frequently receive one pig to represent large lots of iron, or one piece of coke as a carload sam- ple sent in by people who are not novices in the iron trade. I do not refer to any one person, but to a number. The second is, in my opinion, one of the chief causes of disputes in foundry and malleable pigs. Other things being equal, the value of iron for any given use depends on its silicon contents. In the writer’s own experience, which covers a number of foundries both large and small, I can say that the samples that contain absolutely no sand are in the small minority; the majority contains any amount up to 3 per cent, the latter amount being not at all uncommon, and in a very few cases I have sepa- rated more than this—once as high as 12 per cent. When we consider that some of the iron used in this region contains less than 1 per cent. silicon, and that a minute grain of sand weighing 1 mm., if weighed with the silicon, would cause an error of nearly 0.05 per cent., we can readily see where many of the disputes arise. Any one interested in mathematics can easily figure out the possible errors arising from the presence of sand. Some time ago I received a sample in the ordinary course of business which I found contained a certain quantity of sand. My result was disputed, and the remainder of the sample was sent to three chemists, one of whom (standing very high professionally) reported 1.74 per cent. silicon, which was the correct result. The other two reported 1.99 per cent. and 2.02 per cent. respect- ively. I have changed the figures a trifle so as to give no clews, but the proportion of error remains the same. While sand is the main source of contamination, it some- times happens that other foreign matter is present that affects the carbon determination. From a commercial oint of view these are not so important, as carbon analyses are not often specified. The third cause, bad packing, is responsible for much * Read at the December meeting of the Philadelphia Foundry- men’s Association. THE 1RON AGE. 3 trouble. Drillings placed in an ordinary gummed en- velope frequently loose graphite and the finer portion under the ends of the flap, which is not gummed, or else the rough handling with the weight of the drillings un- seals or breaks the envelope. Just to illustrate my mean- ing, 1 have received packages containing powdered coal and pig iron in loosely sealed envelopes. In this case a carbon analysis was wanted in the iron. In another a package containing boxes of sand and pig iron, the boxes were loosely fitting pasteboard, such as are used to hold wood screws. When the package arrived it was a case for an arbitration commission as to which originally con- tained the sand and which the iron. In another case some steel drillings covered with oil were placed in an en- velope. The combined action of the oil and the sharp edges of the drillings had played havoe with the paper. I once received by mail a package containing a thin glass vial full of strong sulphuric acid and closed with a cork. It arrived safely. Another package contained a number of envelopes of iron drillings not sealed at all, and a sepa- rate analysis was wanted of each. In case of small sam- ples of coke, I frequently get packages loosely wrapped, with the address written on a shipping tag. This usually tears in two or is torn off altogether. I get many such samples that have been patched up in the post office and, thanks to the care of the clerks, finally do arrive. Few people realize to what rough treatment packages are sub- jected in the mails. Much of it of course is unavoidable, and merely results from the weight of the material it- self. I trust if anyone recognizes his handiwork in the foregoing description of “How Not to Do It,” he will take my criticism in good part. How to Avoid Such Difficulties. Let us now consider the best way of avoiding the difficulties I have described. So far as concerns the first and second, many elaborate methods have been published. We can sum them up by saying they involve good judg- ment in selecting a fair sample and care in its prepara- tion, drilling, grinding, or whatever the process may be. In sampling pig iron with a drill press the pigs should stand on end, and as the drillings are made they should be collected with a magnet. If the magnet is then held over an envelope or piece of paper the drillings can be detached by a slight rap. Personally, I prefer a small lathe for sampling, as it is much quicker in adjusting for different lengths of pigs than a drill press. If a piece of paper is held underneath the drill, but not quite in con- tact with the pig, a clean sample will be obtained, as a drill running at high speed will throw the drillings on the paper. Either method requires two men to handle it easily. In case it is necessary to sample a lot of iron in place, there is a breast drill invented by P. W. Shimer of aston. It was described in Vol. XXX, page 321, of the “Transactions of the American Institute of Mining En- gineers.” In some works portable air drills are in use for sampling. We now come to the third cause, involving the best method of packing, and I am free to confess that I have no method to suggest that can be considered perfect. Glass bottles and tin boxes are objectionable for several reasons. The former are fragile and not admitted to the mail unless incased, thus making a heavy package. Tin boxes are objectionable because gumined labels do not stick well to them, and the boxes soon rust in the labora- tory air. There are a number of patented mailing envel- opes and packages. I have been unable to get a complete list of these mailing envelopes. Whatever style is used the paper should be of the best linen, as the cheaper grades are easily punctured. In case it is desired to send any moist substance it can be packed in glass and in- closed in a metal box. In conclusion, I trust that all foundrymen will come to realize the importance of correct methods of sampling. Any system of mixing iron by analysis is based directly upon this, and unless it is well done such a system, no matter how elaborate, is absolutely useless. At present I feel that the “ state of the art ” of sampling, as practiced by the large majority, is in a far from satisfactory condi- tion. | ) ) t : owes ul é , 1 e ee eee ae eer Sere Ss SSS ae PRS 4 THE IRON AGE. Sanding Machine and Tool Grinder. Disk grinders for machine shop use have long been familiar and valued tools; similar machines for the pat- tern and wood working shop are by no means so common nor so generally used. Yet just as the emery cloth disk, rapidly rotated, is an efficient time and labor saver in the metal working shop, so a similar use of sandpaper may easily be made to effect considerable economies and improvements in the departments wherein patterns are made or other forms of high grade wood working are done. A machine for this use is shown herewith, de- signed for sanding flat surfaces at any angle with the plane of the disk. Pattern makers will also be interested in the adaptability of the disk for turning bosses, core prints, &c., either straight or tapered. It is stated that this work can be readily done in less time than would be required for its accomplishment in the turning lathe. Two steel disks are supplied with each machine, and also a screw press for use in gluing on the sandpaper disks. The press and extra steel disk are shown upon the floor in the illustration. The disks are reversible upon the arbor of the machine, so a sheet of sandpaper is glued to each face, one disk being thus prepared while the other is in use. The disks are 16 inches in diameter in the machine illustrated. The work table is arranged Tuc inne hex SANDING MACHINE AND TOOL GRINDER. to tilt either upward or downward from the horizontal and is fitted with a gauge, which may be set at any an- gle upon the face of the table. The table is counter- balanced for ease of manipulation when the locking clamp is released. This clamp is controlled by a lever and a small hand wheel, loosening of which frees the table for change of position. In setting the table, it is first brought nearly to the desired position by hand and clamped there; then, by means of a screw adjustment controlled by the large hand wheel seen under the table, the exact angle may be secured very quickly and posi- tively. As a convenience to the pattern maker and by way of increasing the general utility of the machine an emery wheel is mounted upon ,the end of the spindle opposite to that carrying the sandpaper disk. A tool rest is pro- vided, and the wheel is found useful in grinding inside bevel gouges and other tools of various forms. Beneath the wheel is a table for use in surface grinding, designed with special reference to the requirements of metal pat- tern work. Hight of this table is adjustable by means of an elevating screw and hand wheel. The spindle bearings are dust proof, of good length, babbitt lined and with provisions for taking up wear. The machine is built by the Rowbottom Machine Com- pany, Waterville, Conn. ———- The New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad are to improve greatly their Shore Line division next season by the building of a steel bridge across the Con- December 17 1: necticut River, the masonry to be constructed wit! view to making it a four-track bridge at some fut date. Three other bridges will be built on the shore | and two of them on the New York division, also wit view to four tracking. ~~ @ Alaska Prospects. VALDEZ, ALASKA, November 22, 1903.—After six yea experience in Alaska and a generation or more in land of milk and honey, of sunshine and ever pleasa and beautiful California, I find myself perfectly sat fied to remain in this new Eldorado, the best of all o new acquisitions. No one who has visited this country ever refers to it as Mr. Lincolns folly, and I guess tli old croakers are pretty nearly all gone, and if any sti! live they keep mum on the folly part of the transactio1 This is a great country for the young and energetic, wh are not profitably engaged elsewhere, to come to, es] cially those who have some knowledge of mining or wish to engage in that line of business. This is the pros pector’s paradise, as there are thousands of square miles of good, pofitable ground not yet located. Every few days we hear of a new strike where a.few locate and do wel! There is one significant fact about these stampedes in Alaska; there has never been an absolute fake. After the first year they have all proved to be as good or bet- ter than at first reported. Of course every one who went on a stampede did not succeed as he had hoped, but those fortunate enough to get a claim usually did well. Dawson was at first con- demned, and in the fall of 1898 thousands came out through Skaguay condemning the country as a fraud. Atlin came in next, and according to most people was said to be a failure. Yet to-day that camp is a prosper- ous one, and has been for four years. Nome was char- acterized by the fortunate ones of Dawson as the rankest humbug of them all. Yet that camp to-day is better than Dawson, and is a world beater, while Tananah will come in a good second to Nome next year. Last year Tananah had a boom, and thousands went there and returned disgusted, but those who stayed report it to be as good as claimed in the first place, and a large number are going back this winter, and are going by way of Valdez, where there is a good trail, kept open by the Government mail carrier, and the distance is shorter by far than by any other route. One can reach the head waters of the Tananah in about 300 miles, saving at least one-half the travel by any other route. : We hope to get an appropriation this winter from the Government to build a wagon road at least 100 miles, which will take us to the rich copper belt of the Copper River district. The Senatorial Committee sent here this summer made a most thorough inquiry into our needs, and we feel that their report is going to do wonders for this country. We need a representative from each of the three dis tricts in Congress,and we confidently expect to be granted this small request. A territorial form of government is not desired at this time by any body except the place hunter, or one who has an axe to grind. The future of Alaska from a hardware point of view is very encourag- ing. As the mines develop the increase in consumption of iron products will keep pace, and when the now con templated railroads begin to build from Valdez Bay and Resurrection Bay you can look for such a boom as was never known here, and he who is shrewd enough to own a mining claim or a coal mine will indeed be fortunate. I forgot to say that a new strike has lately been made on the Shushitna River, where the prospectors are now headed. It is about 200 miles from Valdez. The Govern ment trail from here to Copper Center is followed Where the trail is left travelers go in a_ north westerly direction 100 miles to the head’ waters of the Shushitna River. The river rises in Mount McKin ley and flows south into Cook’s Inlet. There are eight 0! ten copper properties on Prince William’s Sound, said t be very rich. One or two are already shipping ore t smelters, while the others are getting in shape to ship Altogether the outlook for Central Alaska is exceeding] good, and mining men and prospectors not already em ployed would do well to come up here and investigate. B. CO. B. December 17, 1903 THE IRON AGE. 5 The Cleveland Solid Frame Punch. Embodied in the construction of the Cleveland punch- ing machine are several features of interest to users of tools of this class. For one thing, the cored or box type of frame and base has been discarded in favor of the solid form clearly shown in the illustration. The only hollow space in the frame is that through which passes the main driving shaft above the gap. The heavy gap is strengthened by a deep flanged web, fitted with radial ribs. Fillets of large radius round out all angles, their effect being considerable in strengthening the frame by insuring the integrity of the casting. The frame, as a whole, is believed to be one of extreme rigidity, and of correspondingly great value in a machine of this type. An important feature of the Cleveland punches is the construction of the plunger, the arrangement being de- signed to reduce risk of breakage to a minimum. The automatic clutch, having an adjustable stop feature by means of which the plunger may be made to stop posi- tively at any desired point of its stroke, either upward or downward. The sliding portion of the clutch is a steel casting, mating with steel faced teeth upon the hub of the main driving gear. In addition to this facing of the teeth with hardened steel wearing plates further strength is provided by a steel reinforcing band shrunk around the gear hub and the outside of the teeth. The gearing is all east after meta! patterns with teeth planed from the solid, thus assuring smooth and quiet action, as well as greatest strength in the teeth. All of the shafts are made from steel of about 0.30 per cent. carbon and are accu- rately ground to size. A right angle belt driving arrangement is shown in the illustration. Bolted to the rear of the main frame is an auxiliary frame or bracket housing carrying the outer end of the pinion and fly wheel shaft, and also the pulley THE CLEVELAND SOLID FRAME PUNCH. plunger is of cast iron, with bronze bushed steel pintle. The cover plate for the front of the head is evidently heavy; it is held in position by heavy dowel pins and large bolts. The capstan head in front of the cover plate is arranged with a safety device designed to pre- vent damage in case the bar is not removed before the ma- chine is started. The punch holder and die socket are ad- justable forward and back, making it possible to punch out to the extreme front or rear edge of the die block. This feature is one of great convenience in many classes of work. ‘Ali Cleveland machines have the type of die block shown—a form originated about eight years ago. This block is a steel casting, so shaped that not only may plates, bars and angles be punched, but channels and I beams as well in either flange or web. The stripper is of forged steel and very heavy—an important feature in consideration of the fact that poorly designed or care- lessly adjusted strippers are responsible for a large share of the breakages of punches in machines of this class. Avoidance of this difficulty has been studiously sought in the design of the stripper shown. All of these punches are equipped with the Cleveland shaft. This special arrangement is substituted, in the machine shown, for the more commonly used simple tail shaft for straight drive. For motor driving an auxiliary frame or base is used, similar to that shown, but carry- ing, in place of the pulley shaft, a motor connected to the tail shaft by spur gearing instead of the bevel gearing here shown. With motor drive the armature shaft car- ries a raw hide pinion, meshing with a cut gear on the tail shaft. In the larger machines this cut gear is so ar- ranged as to slip upon the shaft when either the motor or the machine is overloaded. These punches are made with any desired depth of throat. Shearing attachments may readily be inter- changed with the punching equipment, making the ma- chine useful for both classes of work. The makers are the Cleveland (Ohio) Punch & Shear Works Company for whom Joseph T. Ryerson & Son, Chicago, Ill., are sales agents. —_____. +g ___. On Thursday, January 7, A. EB. Outerbridge of Wilk liam Sellers & Co., Incorporated, Philadelphia, Pa., will deliver before the Franklin Institute a lecture on “ Some Recent Investigations on Cast Iron.” nw Sipe lane oe Ne a ee —— — Ce eared — - > eee ‘ + Senaehrmeaenatessbemseradliea.. anneal THE IRON AGE. Mexican Industrial and Railway Notes. Mexican Labor Conditions. DuRaNGO, December 2, 1903.—Reference has been made in previous communications to the condition of the Mexican workingman and the freedom which Mexican employers enjoy from the arbitrary dictation of labor unions. It would be wrong to infer from this that the native employer of labor has no troubles to contend with. The absence of labor guilds is offset by the abundance and cheapness of native intoxicating beverages, by the liberal sprinkling of saints’ days in the church calendar, and by the whims of a class only just emerging from the blanket stage of civilization. No parallel can be drawn between the Mexican workman and the United States employee, for the very sufficient reason that their environments are radically different and the conditions under which they labor have few points of resemblance. It may, indeed, be said that, aside from the fact that both depend upon capi- tal for their means of sustenance, there is little in com- mon between them. The workingman of the United States, thanks to his greater intelligence and better edu- cation, occupies a plane far higher than his Mexican confrere cau expect to reach, however hard he may try, within half a century. The workingmen of the United States, whether owning allegiance to labor unions or not, are, for the most part, intelligent, alert and aggressive— the latter adjective serving to describe the spirit of pug- nacity which animates them in the face of obstacles and difficulties encountered in the performance of their daily tasks—while Mexican workmen of the most advanced class, though obedient and faithful, as a rule, are of a lower grade of intelligence, apathetic and satisfied with their lot, if by working four days in the week they can earn enough money to support themselves and families in the barest way for six days. There are, of course, ex- ceptions. Here and there a native has caught the spirit of ambition, through association with workmen of foreign birth and training, but these cases are as yet few. The Mexican workman, taking him, en bloc, is a slave to the fiesta. He cannot understand the value of time, or the necessity for exerting himself beyond the point which seems necessary to provide for immediate contingencies. To him the “rainy day ” seems so far off that it is folly to anticipate it. “ Sufficient for the day is the evil there- of.” is a biblical dictum with which he may possess no in- timate literary acquaintance, but he is in entire sym- pathy with its spirit, a fact which he makes evident, at times often embarrassing to his employer. faking all things into consideration, and allowing for the difference in his responsibilities and the demands made upon him, the position of the Mexican employer of labor is much less harassing than that of his congener further north. His independence of action is never in danger of being wrested from him, and this is one of the dearest privileges in life to the man who owns the check book. Railway Tarifts. The withdrawal by the Government of the concession made to the railway companies to increase their passen- ger and freight rates 15 per cent. will once more place the transportation companies in a position which may be likened to being between the devil and the deep sea— the latter in this case being synonymous with a receiver- ship. Authority to charge the additional rate was given after a petition had been made to the Government by the railway companies, pointing the disadvantage under which they labored, and the losses sustained through the steady fall in the value of the Mexican dollar. The peti- tion was vigorously opposed by certain business interests which confended that the proposed increase would be inimical to them, and that it ought not to be granted. The result was a compromise in the shape of a 15 per cent. ad- vance, the authority to raise the tariffs being offset by a proviso that in the event of the rate of exchange falling to 220. or less, the advance of rates would be suspended and the old rates come again into force. Exchange has fallen to the figures named, and the result is the suspen- December 17, 1903 sion of the concession. As it fs impossible to foresee how long the present rate of exchange will continue, the rail- way companies, who accepted the small relief with thank- fulness, are again upon the anxious seat. The impartial- ity of the Government, however, is well illustrated by its course in this matter, for being a heavy shareholder in three important railways, it will participate in any loss which may result from its own action. Industrial Notes. The Mexican Consul at Hamburg, Germany, reports a great increase in the trade between Mexico and Ger- many, placing the growth at 170 per cent. within the past ten years. The chief imports from the country to which the consul is accredited are iron and machinery, a large portion of which, he says, “ goes to Yucatan, where the Hamburg houses are filling the present orders for equip- ment received from the United Railways of Yucatan.” The Mexican Investor has been looking into the grow- ing iron manufacturing industry of this country, and gives the following data in relation to it: “ There are about 20 iron furnaces throughout Mexico, apart from the big Monterey plant, with a united capacity of less than 60,000 tons per annum. The limit of the supply is determined by the quantity of wood available for char coal, the product of these furnaces being wholly char- coal iron. The cost of producing pig iron from charcoal furnaces is estimated at from $20 to $25 and bars at $40 to $50 per ton. The greatest obstacle at this time is transportation. Selling prices are about $60 for pig iron, $75 to $80 for bars and about $200 for castings. There are immense deposits of iron ore throughout the Re- publie still open to denouncement, and they would prove highly profitable to a company with sufficient funds to equip them and furnish transportation.” John McKinnon, who represents the Buda Foundry & Mfg. Company of Chicago, manufacturers of the Rob- inson switch stand, is in Mexico taking orders from the railways for track material. The Mexican Central Railway Company intend to build large manufacturing and repair shops at Gomez Palacio, near Torreon, in this State, where employment will be given to 2000 workmen. It is said that the com- pany’s shops at Jiminez, Chihuahua, will be removed to Gomez Palacio, which point will become headquarters for the northern division of the railway. The State of Durango has granted the company a tract of land for the new shops, dwelling houses, &c. The term of partnership between Elkel & Strempel., hardware dealers, of Aguas Calientes, having expired, the firm has dissolved and is succeeded by Gualterio Elkel, who has associated himself with two new partners. C. A. Malau has been appointed representative in the City of Mexico of the William B. Scalfe & Sons Company of Pittsburgh, Pa., manufacturers of water purifying ap- paratus. It is reported that Colorado capitalists are project- ing a line of railway from the Sonora border south to the city of Guadalajara, and that application will shortly be made to the Government for the concession. The pro- posed road will start at Douglas, passing through the Yaqui country and on to Topolobampo, where it will con- nect with the Kansas City, Mexico & Orient Railway. The new road will be known as the Mexican & Pacific Coast line, and will be about 1500 miles in length. The name of David Moffat is mentioned in connection with this undertaking. A California oil prospector, who has recently been examining the various districts in the southern part of the country where oil drilling operations have been in progress, reports that while there are indications of oil in many places little practical results have so far been obtained. With respect to operations in the Tehuantepec country, he says: “The wells which are now being pumped are not producing oil in sufficient quantities to pay,” the largest producing a daily output of about ten barrels. Of the prospects in Campeche, the same pros- pector says: “I found indications of oil in abundance, and, having some of the samples analyzed, I found that the oil was a great deal finer than the best product of Bakersfield, Cal.” December 17, 1903 Mormon colonists of the State of Chihuahua and their associates in Utah are contemplating the construction of a railway from Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, to the ,acific Coast, the syndicate being headed by David John- son. It is stated with seeming authority that the work of actual construction will commence upon the road within a few months’ time. A dispatch from Guatemala City brings the informa- tion that an important railway enterprise is being ne- gotiated in that country, which will “ enable Guatemala to enter into competition with Mexico for the inter- oceanic trade that the Tehuantepec Railway is expected to have when the terminal ports on the Gulf and the -acific are completed.” The dispatch mentions the names of Sir William Van Horne of the Canadian Pacific Rail- way Company, Minor Keith of the United Fruit Com- pany and President Cabrera of Guatemala as interested in the movement, which “involves the completion of the Guatemala Northern Railroad to the Pacific Coast, and the establishment of terminals which will undertake to handle cargoes from Europe and America to Asia and to the west coast of North and South America.” Advices from the same city say that on November 23 President Cabrera opened 30 additional miles of the Pan-American Railway, making in all 121 miles now in operation in the Republic of Guatemala and leaving about 200 miles to be constructed to secure direct railway communication between the three republics—Guatemala, Mexico and the United States. The Mexican link is being pushed ahead with all possible speed. A merger of interests has been effected between the Mexican Light & Power Company and the Compania Mexicana de Electricidad, with F. dent manager in the capital. According to report, an English company have se- cured a lease on the deposit of iron ore situated upon the isthmus of Tehuantepec and owned by F. H. Woodhouse. It is said that the company will develop the property, and export the ore by way of Coatzcoalcos after the shipping facilities now under way at that port are completed. The $100 paid up shares of the Monterey Iron & Steel Company are in demand at par. J. J. D. -———~+e——_—_ New England Foundrymen’s Association. Neugebauer as resi- A regular meeting of the New England Foundrymen’s Association was held on Wednesday, December 9, at the Exchange Club, Boston, with President Henry A. Carpen- ter of Providence, R. I., presiding. The meeting Was called to order at four o’clock, and the regular business was immediately taken up. The Committee on Nomina- tions reported the following list of officers to be voted upon at the annual meeting in January: President, B. M. Shaw of the Walker & Pratt Mfg. Company, Boston; vice-president, John Magee of the Magee Furnace Com- pany, Boston; secretary, Fred. F. Stockwell of the Bar- hour-Stockwell Company, Boston; treasurer, George H. Lincoln, George H. Lincoln & Co., Boston ; Executive Com- mittee: J. O. Henshaw of the N. S. Bartlett Company, Bos- ton: Richard D. Reed, H. B. Smith Company, Westfield, Mass.: W. C. Doherty, Doherty Bros., Lowell, Mass.; A. J. Miller, Jr.. Whitehead Bros. & Co., Boston; W. B. Snow. B. F. Sturtevant Company, Hyde Park, Mass.; J. . Lanigan, Davis Foundry Company, Lawrence, Mass. ; Robert P. Cunningham, Deane Steam Pump Company, Holyoke, Mass.; W. H. Beuse, Kinsley Iron & Machine Company, Canton, Mass.; Harry E. Gibby. Condor Iron ‘oundry Company, Boston. Following the business meeting, Edgar 8. Cook, presi- dent and general manager of the Warwick Iron & Steel Company, Pottstown, Pa., made an address on “ Transi- tion from Rule of Thumb to the Application of Scien- tifie Methods in the Management of Blast Furnaces.” Mr. Cook’s address was given close attention, and the subse- uent discussion was brought to a close only when the dinner hour arrived. After dinner President Carpenter nnounced that the next meeting would be the annual election, and that the committee were making special ef- ort to provide something out of the ordinary. Among the speakers already promised is W. H. Pfahler of Phila- lelphia. THE IRON AGE. The evening address was made by Archer Brown. of Rogers, Brown & Co., New York. Mr. Brown spoke in an informal way for half an hour, his topic being “ Booms and Reactions in lron.” He briefly reviewed the course of the pig iron market since 1881, specially mentioning the boom of 1879-1880, reaction of 1884-1885, boom of 1890-1892, panic of 1893, boom of 1899, reaction of 1900, boom of 1902 and reaction of 1903. Mr. Brown dealt with the reasons for the wide fluctuations in pig iron prices, subdividing as reasons the psychological workings of the human mind, the tendency to rush in at the top and stay out at the bottom; the law of decades, based on the overtaxing of capacity and its expansion until the break comes; and the part that construction itself and the lack of stocks play in the variations. Then he considered the speculative element. In speaking of the present re- action, Mr. Brown pointed out that it was not such as that of 1873 nor that of 1893. The real trouble is over- exploitation ; the cripples and the scandals; the fact that labor is beyond control, and the changing of liquid to fixed capital. Against this are: Real wealth increased; credit not unduly extended; confidence not broken; energy of people undiminished and finances sound. There are two things needed, said Mr. Brown, rest and readjustment. Those present were as follows: Archer Brown, W. G. Moody, M. L. Rogers, Brown & Co., Boston. Charles T. Colvin and Clarence H. Company, Providence, R. I. George B. Buckingham, Arcade Malleable Iron Company. Worces- ter, Mass. George H. Gibby, N. E. Gibby and W. H. Foundry Company, East Boston. Day and Harwood Corson, Colvin, Colvin Foundry Stafford, Condor Iron W. H