The Iron Age 1904-02-11: Vol 73 Iss 6

— = HE [RONgeZGE A Review of the Hardware, Iron, Machinery and Metal Pradan. published every Thursday Morning by David Williams Co., 232-238 William S8St., New York, ol. 73: No. 6. New York, Thursday, February 11, 1904. S609 a Vear, including Postage: Single Copies, 15 Cen ng Matter Contents ....... page 55 abetioal Index to Advertisers ‘‘ 167 ssified List of Advertisers... ‘' (59 ising and Subscription Rates “« 166 Retailing at $20—$23— “$s. referred because of their wearing and deoosee aeibion hey have the reputation of Standing the Racket. This reputation and the advertising behind them make them easy to sell—and they stay sold. Remington advertising material sent to dealers on request. THE REMINGTON ARMS CO., - ILION, N. Y. 313-315 Broadway, New York. 86-88 Pirst Street, San Francisco, Cal. histol’s Patent Steel Belt Lacing, " SAVES Time, Belts, Money. v8 Se vith Least Metal send fer Circulars and 4 Free Samples. THE BRISTOL CO., Waterbury, Conn. = GAHALL BOILERS == a Qo i CGCAPEWELL HORSE NAILS 2 and. O. Fe NEW YORK, Branches: PORTLAND, ORE., > 4 as Z < PHILADELPHIA, ore . =é 8 " a CHICAGO, DETROIT, LTIMORE, 5 fou ¢ 3> 8ST. LOUIS, CINCINNATI, NEW ORLEANS, as 3 e* - BOSTON, SAN FRANCISCO, DENVER. 2 = = : THE CAPEWELL HORSE NAIL COMPANY 4 2 HARTFORD, CONN. FORCINCS. MLLING & GRANE, Exner te Gt ~<a 6 EY Jenkins Bros.’ Valves. The metal and workmanskip are the best. All parts are inte able. Need no regrindirg, as they are more effectively repaired by re- newing the disc, which can be easily ard quickly done without removing valve from the pipe, and costs but a trifle. Insiston having the genuine, which always bear our Trade-Mark. JENKINS BROS., NewYork, Boston, Philadelphia, Chieage, | -Lesten. “SMGOO” Gold AOMLeA Steel cate DEAWING = STAM oS SEE ADVERTISEMENTS PAGE 25. rue AMERICAN TUBE.4 celled for Wing American. Sheet & Tin Plate Company | (Wsterand BallReivery Barpereer, Cony. Erick .Building MAGNOLIA METAL. Best Anti-Friction Metal for all Machinery Bearings. Pittsburgh, Pa, feeSintie cower A x “SS MAGNOLIA METAL (0. Owners and Sole Manufacturers, 113-416 Bank Street, Chicago, Fisher Bldg. WEW YORK, xrades Tbh. Vk Saris lg THE ANSONIA BRaAss ro CoOPrer Co: MANUFACTURERS OF BRASS AND COPPER Seamless Tubes, Sheets, Rods and Wire. SOLE MANUFACTURERS a Tobin Bronze (TRADE-MaRK REGISTERED.) Condenser Plates,Pump Linings, Round, Square and Hexagon Bars, for Pump Piston Rods and Bolt Forgings. Seamless Tubes for Boilers and Condensers. 89 john Street, _ New York. Main Office and Mill, : WATERBURY, CONN. $ MANUFACTURERS OF $ SHEET BRASS & COPPER. BRAZED BRASS & COPPER TUBES. SEAMLESS: BRASS & COPPER TUBES TO 36 IN. DIAM. New York Office, 253 Broadway, Postal Telegraph Building, Room 715. Chicago Office, 602 Fisher Bldg. THE IRON AGE. Pari BRASS COPPER GERMAN sect SILVER WIRE LOW BRASS. SHEET BRONZE. SEAMLESS BRASS AND COPPER TUBING. BRAZED BRASS AND BRONZE TUBING. os. 3:89 ti. ae ae: Randolph-Clowes Co, WATERBURY BRASS CO., WATERBURY, CONN,. 130 Centre St., New York. Providence, R. I. BRIDGEPORT DEOXID!ZED BRONZE AND METAL COMPANY, BRIDGEPORT, CONN. Largest Jobbing Brass Foundry in New England. LARGE CASTINGS A SPECIALTY. Brouze, Brass, Alaminum and A Metals. No order too large for us to handle. one too small to veaattoel our careful attention Matthiessen & Hegeler Zinc Co., LA SALLE, ILLINOIS. SMELTERS OF SPELTER AND MANUFACTURERS OF SHEET ZINC AND SULPHURIC ACID. Special Sizes of Zinc cut to order. Rolled Battery Plates. Selected Plates for Etchers’ and Lithographers’ use. Selected Sheets for Paper and Card Makers’ use. Stove and Washboard Blanks. ZINCS FOR LECLANCHE BATTERY. TIN a Ts West Best Bronze, Babbitt nner te rass, Bronze and ® Aluminum 2 Sei rien EL J, i S hl heh Abba bal nt lt i CASTINGS FPOUNDERS-— FINISHERS. ww. G&G. ROWELL & CO., HENDRICKS Bridgeport, Conn. BROTHERS Belleville Copper Rolling Mills, Brasicrs’ Bolt an pana Sheathing COoOPwPpwrsER, COPPER WIRD AND RIVETS. | 8 wete seyyly,,.A patel te * Importers end ingot’ Copper, Block Tin, Spelter, “Lead, Antimony, etc. 49 CLIFF ST., NEW YORK. THE PLUME & Atwood MFé b, MANUFACTURERS OF Sheet and Roll Brass —AND— WiR PRINTERS’ BRASS, JEWELERS’ METAL, GERMay SILVER AND GILDING METAL, COPPER Rivers AND BURRS. Pins, Brass Butt Hinges, Jack Chain, Kero. gene Burners, Lamps, Lamp Trimmings, &c. 29 MURRAY ST., NEW YORK. 144 HIGH ST., BOSTON. 199 LAKE ST., CHICAGO, | PACTORIES : WATERBURY. CONN, ae SCOVILL MFG. CO., BRASS, GERMAN SILVER Sheets, Rolis, Wire Reds, Bolts and Tubes, Brass Shelis, Cups, Hinges, Buttons, Lamp Goods. SPECIAL BRASS GOODS TO ORDER Factories, WATERBURY, CONN. NEW YORK, ROLLING MILL ¢ THOMASTON, CONN. DEPOTS: CHICAGO, BOSTON. JOHN DAVOL & SONS, AGENTS FOR Brooxiyn Brass & Copyer Co. DEALERS IN COPPER, TIN, SPELTER, LEAD, ANTIMONY. 100 John Str2et, - New York Arthur T. Rutter SUCCESSOR TO WILLIAM S. FEARING 256 Broadway, NEW YORK. Small tubing in Brass, Copper, Steel, Aluminum, German Silver, &c. Sheet Brass, Copper and Ger- man Silver. Copper, Brass and German Silver Wire. Brazed and Seamless Brass and Copper Tube. Copper and Brass Rod. “PHONO-ELECTRIC” WIRE. “it's tou ' TROLLEY, TELEPHONE and TELEGRAPH LINES. Bridgevort, BRIDGEPORT BRASS C°., | Conn. 19 Murray St., New York upon fitti er apparatus for (© Fifth “edition. entirely rewritten. ” 80 pa m, en re en. pe. GEOG cnescosccccesedeseecessénsenessyes 5.@ For sale by David Williams Co., 232 William St., ® '- ner, yer ;er- and und ibe. iE * errs \ ‘THE IRON AGE THURSDAY, FEBRUARY II, 1904. The Putnam 90-inch Driving Wheel Lathe. One of the most powerful locomotive driving wheel jathes ever built, and one in which several new mechan- ical features are involved, has recently been constructed by one of the large locomotive manufacturers. The ma- chine is designated as a 90-inch lathe, being designed to swing work of this diameter upon its centers. Inde- pendent electrical driving is provided for by constant speed motor mounted upon a suitable bracket attached to the bed of the machine in front of the head stock, and geared to the face plate through trains of gearing, such that all speed requirements are taken care of. The motor shown attached to the lathe is a 15 horse-power induc- tion machine, made by the General Electric Company, of it. The gear B B’ is fitted upon a stub shaft held by an upward arm from the tumbling lever M, as shown at the right hand of the engraving. Extending horizon- tally is a similar arm, carrying upon its stub shaft the gear C and the pinion D. Gear C is of the same size as B and is also constantly in mesh with the motor pin- ion A. Whenever the motor is in motion, therefore, gears B and C are both in rotation. The lever M may be placed in either of three positions. When in the middle position shown, gears B’ and D are both out of mesh with the gear E upon the intermediate shaft H, Fig. 3. Throw- ing the lever to upper or lower position, F or G, engages either gear B’ or pinion D, respectively, with gear E. Since B’ and D are of different diameters, this arrange ment provides two different speeds fer the intermediate Fig. 1.—Front View, Showing Motor Mounting and Driving Gearing. THE PUTNAM 90-INCH DRIVING WHEEL LATHE. Schenectady, N. Y. The motor speed is 1200 rotations per minute, and the gearing between the motor armature and the face plate is arranged to give eight different speeds, covering the whole range needed in the service for which the machine was designed. The motor con- troller is underneath the bracket upon which the motor is set, and is operated by the lever I, extending vertically upward between the tool posts, within easy reach of the attendant. Even though the operator may be up on the machine watching the boring operation at the crank pin holes, he can readily reach this controller lever. The general appearance of the motor drive gearing is shown in Fig. 1, and its operation may be understood by examination of the drawings reproduced in Figs. 2, 3 and 1 The reference letters in Fig. 1 correspond to those shown upon the drawings. Referring first to Fig. 2, the Vulcanized fiber pinion upon the motor armature shaft \ is to be seen at the extreme left. The motor shaft is extended to the right of the pinion, so that its outer end thay be properly supported within the pedestal bearing, shown. The motor pinion is constantly in mesh with t)e gear B, which is integral with B’ and is the duplicate or auxiliary shaft H, Fig. 3; the direction of motion, how- ever, is the same with either setting. Turning now to Fig. 3, we find the shaft H cut with teeth to form the pinion O, and carrying the larger pin- ion J upon the extended sleeve hub of gear E. Upon the primary driving shaft R are the loose gears K and P, and between them the clutch sliding member Q, which may be thrown into engagement with either of the adjacent gears by means of the lever N, Fig. 1. The shaft R is, therefore, provided with two speeds for each speed of shaft H, according as the clutch Q is thrown to right or left. Thus are provided four speeds for the shaft R. Immediately to the right of gear K is keyed to the shaft a cup flange, which may drive the pinion L when the latch pin S is engaged. The sleeve carrying pinion L and the latch plate is loose upon the shaft R. Pinion L is constantly in mesh with the inner face plate gear; by engagement of the latch pin S, therefore, the head stock face plate may be driven at either of four speeds through the shaft R and the pinion L. These four speeds are the faster ones suited to the turning of the axle journals. For turning off the tires of driving wheels four slower eS oe i 2 THE IRON AGE. speeds of rotation are provided and both head and tail stock face plates are positively driven, so as to avoid the vibration and chattering due to torsion of the axle when power is transmitted through it from the head + ae <aeeaieiil Oo ee eee ae kdatsiddid ~ of February I1, 1904 out of mesh with the gear U, or may be brought into driv- ing connection with it, as shown in thejengraving. Gear U is keyed to the sleeve hub of pinion V and both are mounted upon a stub shaft attached to the head stock frame. Pinion V in turn drives the large gear W at- tached to the main or secondary driving shaft X. This shaft is placed directly below the center line of the ma- chine and extends full length, so that just as the pinion Y engages the external gear teeth of the face plate Z, so a similar pinion at the other end of the shaft X will en- gage the periphery of the tail stock face plate Z’. The pinion Y, as also its mate at the tail stock end, slides longitudinally on the shaft upon a feather, so that it may be engaged and disengaged from connection with the face plate. The extended sleeves of these pinions are cut at their outer ends with circumferential rack teeth, so that by means of pinions the sleeves may be moved to engage or release the pinions Y and. Y’. The care which has been taken in the design of this machine to insure posi- tive and steady driving of both face plates may be under- stood when it is stated that the shaft X, extending through the bed beneath the face plates, has in this 90- irch machine a diameter of 64 inches, as compared to JS 4 Y } 1 § % Rothe LA LASS § SMa dus WA ~~ i ‘ t+ — " - > q a ae | Wy YLLYL - . a : GS * a e ASSO ' aS “e ; + es * . ; * VT s a ; 4 ° . s € oar Sun i ed , t#* SS . or . y TTA oN <3 ; . ‘ WY ‘ 1 4, er . oa V ape S 7 i ‘Ss SESS SY , ; S KG SS CDC: : 7) F PTD 7” sass 8 ai AILS S Pom SS), LLL PULL WA. o . tHe } PE oie ee ud 4 GRTTTTATTR? @ See SS WI; SSW, Me LYMM } ‘ oe i Sa SY SSS! W/Z SW <K Le ‘ ae ur Ue “Wes St SSS SI oes Mt is rae io Lahealie : < ; SS St UE ee ’ RSs "4 Ss idea en > ah ' aide Bad T A |—-—H OER ft ZB EN al | KS | |W | | | | LZ Fig. 4.—Gearing for Haternal Driving of Both Face Plates. THE PUTNAM 99-INCH DRIVING WHEEL LATHE. stock in turning off the periphery of the wheel at the tail stock end. The arrangements for this drive are shown in Fig. 4. Here the same shaft R of Fig. 3 is repeated, but adjacent to the bearing near the left hand end is shown a pin, T, which may be slid to the left the more usual one of 4% or 5 inches in former machines of like size. The four speeds of the shaft R are, therefore, avail able either for fast or slow driving, according as the latch pin S is engaged and the pinion T is withdrawn, or February I1, 1904 THE vice versa. The faster speeds, by the primary drive to the interior or smaller face plate gear, are in geometrical progression and are approximately 26.5, 16, 10.2 and 6 revolutions per minute; the slower speeds, by the main drive to the exterior face plate gears, are 1.2,°0.72, 0.46 and 0.275 rotations per minute. As already stated, these speeds for the face plates correspond to a constant motor speed of 1200 rotations per minute. One novel feature of the lathe is the arrangement for turning the journals of the axles without the necessity for removal from the machine, and without the use of the :.,ua) extra fixture. This advantageous feature is due to the construction of the tool block carriages, each «-f which, as shown in Fig. 5, is in two sections. The front and rear sections of the carriages are fitted upon separate sets of ways, and when the tool blocks are in forward position, as required for turning at the pe riphery of large wheels, the rear sections are entirely cleared and may be allowed to stand idle near together between the driving wheels, so as not to interfere with them. After the tires are turned the front carriages IRON AGE. 3 rectly to the face plates, as shown in the reproduced photographs. The external and internal head stock spindles are nade as large as is practicable in connec- tion with the requirements of the quartering attachments. The feed mechanism is arranged to give tool traverses of from 0.01 to 0.1875 inch per rotation of the work. The actual maximum swing of the lathe is 92 inches; the greatest distance between centers is 8 feet 1 inch; the bed is about 20 feet 4 inches long and 6 feet 9 inches wide. All features of the design are made large and heavy in proportion. The weight, exclusive of the motor, is stated to be about 75,000 pounds. The motor may, of course, be replaced by pulleys, so that the machine may be belt driven. The builders are the Putnam Machine Company, Fitch- burg, Mass., who have now under construction a machine of ‘the same pattern, designed for a swing of 100 inches. This ‘tool will form a portion of their machinery exhibit at the St.:Louis Exposition. It may be of interest to note that in’ this 100-inch machine the main driving shaft in the be@ will be 714 inches in diameter, and Fig. 5.—Rear View, Showing Boring Attachment Drive Shaft. THE PUTNAM 90-INCH DRIVING are set over so that their T-slots come into line with those of the rear carriages, when the tool blocks may be moved up, automatically connecting the front and rear carriage sections and enabling the operator to pro ceed with his work of finishing the journals. This lathe is fitted with the makers’ standard quar- tering attachment at head and tail stocks for boring crank pin holes. In the head stock this boring attach- ment is placed vertically above the main spindle, while at. the tail stock it is horizontally at the rear, as plainly shown in Fig. 5. Mounted upon the outer end of the clutch shaft R in machines fitted with the quartering at- tachment is a pulley, driving by belt connection the auxil- iary shaft at the rear of the machine, near the floor, Fig. 5." From the pulleys on this shaft belts are led directly to the quartering attachment. Adjustment of the boring attachment radially toward and from the main spindle centers is provided for by the hand wheels shown, rotat- ing the right and left adjusting screws simultaneously through bevel gears. The construction of the lathe is such as to make it a very heavy and powerful machine to meet the require- ments of modern too] steels. The main driving shaft is of steel, 64% inches in diameter, as already stated, and has a support midway of its length to prevent vibrations which might otherwise occur under conditions of heavy duty service. The internal spindles are 50 inches’ long and 8 inches in diameter; they are fitted with tool steel] center points, 4 inches in largest diameter. Heavy outside reinforcing hold fasts are provided, bolted di- WHEEL LATHE. that other details of the design will be increased in the same proportion wherever necessary. ——— oe -- — The Baltimore fire of February 7 and 8 was one of the most destructive conflagrations in history. The money loss is estimated at over $150,000,000, but, fortunately, very few lives were lost. Among other great fires which have scourged American cities were the following: Chi- cago, October 8, 1871, 500 persons killed, 12,000 buildings burned, one-fourth of the city laid in ruins, loss $168,- 000,000. Boston, Mass., November 9, 1872, destroyed best business section of the city, 65 acres in extent, loss $75,- 000,000. St. Johns, N. F., July 9, 1892, 15,000 persons made homeless, loss $20,000,000. Paterson, N. J., Febru- ary 9, 1902, 25 blocks in the heart of the city laid in ashes, loss $10,000,000. Quebec, June 8, 1881, one-fifth of the city burned, loss $2,000,000. The commercial failures in the United States in Janu- ary, according to reports received by R. G. Dun & Co., numbered 1406, with an aggregate defaulted indebtedness of $18,483,573, as compared with 1269 failures in Janu- ary, 1903, for $12,978,979. Of the 1406, 271 were of manu- facturers, for $6,687,637. On account of annual payments and inventory disclosures, January is usually a month of many failures, but careful comparison shows that losses last month were heavier than in the cornesponding month of any year since 1896, and heavier than in any month since May, 1900, excepting, only, December last. ee eee wee ee eet — 4 THE Scotch Industrial News. GLascow, January 28, 1904.—The chairman of the Cunard Company, Lord Inverclyde, wheu presiding at the James Watt anniversary dinner here a few days ago, had much to say about engineering and shipbuilding in- dustries. Going back for only a comparatively brief period, he noted the remarkable developments that had taken place in these industries. In Williamson’s book dealing with the memories of James Watt, it was pointed out as marvelous that in 1855 ships were being built of such a size that they cost from £40,000 to £120,000. Now we have ships costing ten times the smaller sum, and often more than five times the larger sum. An important ques- tion in the future is as to the consumption of fuel— whether we are to get an increased power with a smaller consumption or in what direction to find economy. As a Ship owner, Lord Inverclyde indicates one matter with which there must be great developments—namely, the question of stoking at sea. It is quite impossible, he thinks, for matters to go on as at present on ships carry- ing such very large quantities of coal as they now have to do for long voyages. There is a great fortune in store for the inventor who can produce a mechanical stoker which will meet the requirements of the case. The tron Market. Last week the Glasgow pig iron market was flat and the price of Cleveland warrants receded to 41 shillings 9% pence, but this week it is somewhat firmer, and at time of writing the price is 42 shillings 5 pence. Cleve- land makers are not following the downward course of warrants, the current quotations for No. 3 being. at fur- nace, 42 shillings 6 pence per ton. Consumers, as is usual in a falling market, have not been placing many orders. ‘The reports received here from America are quieter, but prices there are still too high to permit of sales to Europe. Semimanufactured material, however, freely offered, and the German syndicate have increased the bounty on export steel to enable manufacturers to meet the American competition. There have been few transactions in West Coast hematite warrants in the neighborhood of 52 shillings 9 pence, and makers’ prices vary from 53 to 54 shillings per ton, f.o.b. Middlesbrough hematite is somewhat easier at 41 shillings 6 pence to 51 shillings 9 pence, and Scotch steady at 55 shillings to 55 shillings 6 pence per ton, delivered to the steel works ‘in the respective districts. While Cleveland makers are firm in their quotations, it is said that just before the last drop in warrants they sold three months’ warrant iron pretty freely. As for Scotch makers, they disregard warrant iron entirely and appear to be able to send all their output into consumption without difficulty. The fol- lowing are current prices of Scotch makers’ iron: o..@ GM. BB, 2ae, Mabe Be. 24 os 6. eis tee vii 51 0 Monkland, f.a.s. Glasgow, No. 1.............++5 51 0 ol re 72 0 Langlioan, f.a.s. Glasgow, No. 1.............0.:. 70 6 Summerlee, f.a.s. Glasgow, No. 1.............. 59 0 Caléer, £a8, Giampow.s Be. Bis sce osc y cvwase bax 58 6 Gartsherrie, f.a.s. Glasgow, No. 1.............. 58 6 . S22 & = Sb BSR 61 0 Cee, WM Os, BIR RS les ee cc cctteccere 58 0 Carnbroe, f.a.s. Glasgow, No. 1................ 52 0 Glengarnock, f.a.s. Ardrossan, No. 1............ 58 6 Bglinton, f.a.s. Ardrossan, No. 1............... 52 0 Dateelitngeem, £05. Ayr, We 2... ccc eccccncs 52 0 Middlesbrough, G. M. B., f.o.b. Tees: No. 1, 43 shillings 6 pence; No. 3, 43 shillings 3 pence; No. 4 foundry, 42 shillings; No. 4 forge, 41 shillings 9 pence. W. C. hematite, mixed numbers, 53 shillings, f.o.b. Cumberland or Barrow. E. C. hematite, mixed numbers, 51 shillings 6 pence per ton f.o.b. Tees. Scotch hematite, mixed numbers, 55 shillings 6 pence f.o.t. steel works. The stocks in Glasgow warrant store are 9000 tons, in Middlesbrough 103,000 tons and in the Cumberland hema- tite stores 24,500 tons. Hematite makers also hold a good ‘deal, but makers of other sorts not much. One hears of malleable iron makers booking a few more orders for finished iron and of steel makers selling more steel plates. Whether this is new business or merely a location of deferred orders is doubtful. The steel trade are in rather a queer position, as middlemen IRON AGE. continues to be February II, 1904 are resenting the combination among manufacturers to retain a minimum standard, and are endeavoring to break down the combination by offering plates and angles at 5 shillings per ton under the agreed rate. The result of this bear raid will be interesting, for, of course, consum- ers encourage the bears. At present the prices of hema- tite and of foreign steel billets are rather in favor of the bear sellers of plates, but there is no margin yet on which to bring plates here from England. Some more contracts have been secured here for new ships, perhaps more than has been reported, though not so many as in the northeast of England. In the northeast district American forge or mill pig iron is coming upon the market in competition with local makers. In billets, American sellers are again coming to the front and shading their prices to cut out German makers, the price, delivered at Manchester docks, being quoted £3 19s., and sheet bars at about £4, which brings them about a couple of shillings below German billets. For English billets quotations are about £4 10s, to £4 12s. 6d., but large buyers will not give more than £4 7s. 6d. In steel joists. Belgian makers are delivering at Manchester docks at £4 14s., f.a.s. Common plates have hardened and are not now quoted under about £6 to £6 2s. 6d., but prices all through remain extremely low. Engineering continues unsatisfactory. With few excep- tions, engineering establishments are short of work, and running out orders in hand much more rapidly than they are being replaced. Shipbullding. It is just about a year since a movement began here to reduce wages in the shipbuilding yards, which had a peaceful settlement, except in the case of the machinists, who unsuccessfully attempted a strike. The movement is now being revived. The shipbuilding employers in the Clyde district have intimated to the general secre- tary of the Boilermakers’ and Iron Shipbuilders’ Society that they propose to reduce the wages of all iron workers employed on the piece work system by 5 per cent. The reduction is proposed to take effect after the usual period of notice in February. It is of the same amount as that proposed by the northeast coast employers, and agreed to by the’ men there, and it is anticipated that the Clyde men, too, will accept the reduced rates. Al- though the operatives will protest against the reduction, it will likely be agreed to. Trade is becoming more and more depressed, and the number of idle men is increasing. No. proposal has yet been made here for reducing the wages of machinists. This has been done on the north- east coast, and it will probably be done on the Clyde at an early date. The notice now givea applies only to all iron workers, members of the Boiler Makers’ Society, and others (except men in the boiler shops who come under the Federation of Engineering Employers) who are working on piece work. No proposal has been made affecting the wages of the time workers, who, however, are few in number. The London & Glasgow Shipbuilding Company, Lim- ited, Glasgow, have launched H. M. S. “ Roxburgh,” the third of three “ county ” cruisers ordered from them for the British Navy, having a displacement at load draft of 10,700 tons; indicated horse-power, 21,000; speed, 22% knots. The turbines which are to be fitted into the three- propeller Allan liner “ Victorian,” now being built at Belfast, have been specially designed by Mr. Parsons, as a modification of his earlier designs, to suit the require- ments of the Atlantic passage. They will have great power both for forward and backward movement, the reversing power being, by a special arrangement of Mr. Parsons, equal to that of the propelling power and capa- ble of securing almost instant arrestment of the ves- sel’s speed. In this matter the “ Victorian” is intended to surpass a steamer propelled by ordinary engines. The turbines are to be constructed at the works of Workman, Clarke & Co., under Mr. Parsons’ supervision. The ves- sel is now well advanced and is to be ready for her sta- tion in the autumn of the present year. She will be by far the largest steamer, as she will also be the swiftest, of the Allan Line fleet. She will be fitted in the most modern style for upward of 1500 passengers, and is ex- February 11, 1904 THE pected, by the absence of vibration and the rapidity and steadiness of revolution in her shafting and propellers, to be noiseless and steady in a seaway, even while exert- ing all her great power. Professor T. Hudson Beare, M. Inst. C. E., Professor of Engineering at Edinburgh University, has been lectur- ing on The Thermal Efficiency of Heat Motors. The great growth in engineering trials and engine testing has made it necessary to establish standards of comparison, and the Institution of Civil Engineers ap- pointed a committee in March, 1896, which reported in April, 1898, to draw up standards of comparison. For the purpose of comparing one engine with another they suggested an imaginary standard engine should be set up, and that the ratio of the performance of the actual engine to this standard engine should be termed the effi- ciency ratio. This standard engine selected is one work- ing on the cycle known as the Rankine cycle. As a corol- lary to the work of this committee the institution ap- pointed a second committee, to which Professor Beare acted as honorary secretary, and the report of that com- mittee has recently been accepted and is now in process of publication. It will extend to a volume of over 100 pages and will contain the standard forms drawn up by the committee for recording the results of engine and boiler trials. The report contains exhaustive descriptions of the methods of carrying out such trials, the apparatus to be employed, the methods of testing such apparatus for accuracy and complete explanations of the way in which from the data obtained the heat balance can be calcu- lated. If such standards had been in existence 20 years ago, scores of trials, the results of which are now of little value, would have been made available for those who are studying the question of the economy of heat engines. Professor Beare examines the best results which have been obtained in heat motors up to the present day, and in this respect the palm is held by the Diesel heat motor. As to probable future advance, it is difficult, if not im- possible, to forecast the lines upon which it will proceed, but there are two developments which will do much to reduce coal consumption—the one the extended use of superheated steam and the other the suppression of the small motor and the establishment of large central works from which power can be distributed electrically to the numerous small consumers. The steam turbine will prob- ably find its best use in the facility it will give for the establishment of such stations and in rendering possible higher speeds with less vibration on steamships. It does not necessarily mean any increased economy in steam consumption when compared with reciprocating engines of the same power, although this is expected. aT. iciliecieapcliallctgibl bases Central American Notes. San Jose, C. A., January 30, 1904.—Freight by all rail routes to these Pavific countries will, before long, be a fact, and those sections not included in the all rail lines will be aided by the Hamburg-American steamers. The first connection of this line will be at Topolobampo, te which point the Kansas City & Orient Railroad is now building. From this port these steamers will ply south- ward to Acapulco, Manzanillo, Ocos, Acapitla, Panama, &c., thus taking in most of Central America as far as the isthmus. Another line of railroad from our Rio Grande border will go through Durango, Coahuila, to Mazatlaa port. Still another, in connection with the Southera Pacific Railway, will penetrate Mexican California, and at Saa Diego the Central American liners will touch weekly. The narrow steel line is the only way to open up these vast rich regions to American commerce. Luck- ily the Latin-Americans are understanding the reasons of their isolation, and they now welcome the idea of a Pan-American railway that will put Nicaragua, Guate- mala, Honduras, Costa Rica, Salvador, Panama, Colom- bia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Para- guay, Uruguay, Chile and Argentina in railway communt- eation with the United States. It is wrong to suppose that these people do not ap- . IRON os | AGE. preciate modern ideas, commercial progress and all that reciprocal trade means. They are quick to adopt our machinery on their coffee, sugar, rice and other planta- tions. Their mines of gold, copper, silver and lead are gradually turning to American machinery to develop mineral and pump out the accumulated waters of ages. They now point to the great results of American pumping machinery in the Sombrerete and Guanajuato districts. It is reported that the Pearson Syndicate, who are reconstructing the Tehuantepec Railway from Coaty- coalcos to Salina Cruz, will use American dredgers and other machinery on the rivers which have fately been spanned. The hydraulic and other work by the Ameri- ean contractors at the Port of Manzanillo is progressing, and all work is expected to be finished by the time that the Mexican Central reaches Colima district. The estimates made lately by the railroad surveyors for the Mexican extension of the Pacific Railroad to the borders of Guatemala have failed to consider the enormous ranges and torrential rivers in the latter coun- try, where bridges must be of the largest as well as of the best and most substantial make. There are many miles which will cost as much as the (American) Oroya- Peru Railroad. As much as $250,000 a mile will not be too high an estimate through Oaxaca, Chiapas, Guatemal: and southern sections. . Co. Jacana liaiiijaaaicsiie The Winkley Grease and Oil Cups. The latest grease cups for lubricating, manufactured by the Winkley Company, Hartford, Conn., possess a novel feature in a packing ring of elastic material, which is split in such a manner as to cause a tight pressure against the cap when the latter is screwed on. By this Fig. 3. WINKLEY GREASE AND OIL CUPS. means it is claimed that no grease can work out and he wasted, or be in a position to gather dust and dirt, mak- ing the lubricator unsightly. Another feature of the split ring is that by expanding it acts as a check, giving sufficient resistance to retard the cap from unscrewing. This cap has an advantage in that it is not likely to work loose when subjected to considerable rattling and shak- ing, making is a desirable form of lubricator for use on automobiles. The construction of the cup is shown in Fig. 1. The packing ring is held in position by pins, slightly smaller than the holes in the ring with which they engage to allow a small amount of rotation. This motion also obviates the tendency to unscrew and saves the wearing of the thread, a common fault of the old forms of grease cup when under constant vibration. Figs. 2 and 3 show another form of lubricator, knowr as a constant feed reservoir oil cup. Points aimed at in its construction are to make it nearly perfectly dust proof, and to allow it to be easily taken apart for clean- ing. The method of feeding the oil provides a continuous gradual discharge into the bearing, which is far more de- sirable than to flood it once with the probability that it will soon run dry. To fill the cup the knurled cap is rotated until its opening registers with the oil duct leading to the interior reservoir. While the cup is par- ticularly adapted for use on running gears and the axles of automobiles, it will also meet a considerable demand for general machinery purposes. TE TA Re eae a 6 THE The Manufacture of Welded Pipe.—II. BY VICTOR BEUTNER, PITTSBURGH, PA. The Machinery. We come now to a discussion of the machinery proper, which serves to convert a piece of skelp into a market- able tube. For the manufacturing of lap welded pipe, the princple of which has been alluded to, two fur- naces are required, one to heat the flat skelp for the bending operation, and the other to heat the previously bent skelp to a welding heat. The skelp is charged into the first, or bending furnace, either in single strips, or in piles, until the hearth of 7 or 8 feet widtn, of the furnace, M4 1 THE Tron Ags ELEVATION OF ROLL END MILL FLOOR LEVEL TOP ROLL ADJUSTMENT 18" IN THIS ——»> DIRECTION FROM PRESENT LOCATION ROLLS MAKE 66.4 R.P.M. TRAVEL-173.8 FT. PER MINUTE IRON AGE. 87 TEETH-1 14 DIAM. PITCH oe 24.66°P. DIAM, = 6" FACE jp February I1, 1904 10, show such scarfing rolls mounted again on wheels for lateral motion to suit the situation of the skelp in the furnace. The rolls have a beveled collar on opposite sides, the beveled surface of which forms the scarf, and can be laterally adjusted to suit the distance between col- lars to the width of the skelp. Another style of scarfing rolls is stationary with rolls of the same length as the width of the furnace, and with a number of passes in the top roll to correspond with the size and number of pieces in the furnace. In the first case, one or at most two sets of rolls will cover the full range of sizes, while in the second case, a separate top roll is required for each size of skelp handled. The second style, however, obviates the necessity of a side motion and searfs the skelp to a sharp edge, while the collars of the sliding rolls are turned to suit the thickness of the small- est skelp, and larger sizes are scarfed by raising the upper roll sufficiently for the greater thickness, the scarf in this case becoming blunt. A scarfing table receives the scarfed skelp and trans- fers it sidewise until in line with the bending bench, when it feeds it forward into the bending die. The bend- ing die is a large cast iron funnel shaped affair into which the skelp is drawn by strong gripping tongs, which are hooked to the endless chain of a draw bench. The construction of the draw bench can be readily seen from the accompanying drawing, Fig. 11. To avoid the lateral transfer of the skelp on the scarfing table, the scarfing rolls, searfing table and draw bench are in some mills mounted on one carriage. The largest size of skelp, which ean be successfully bent in dies without collapsing, is 12-inch pipe skelp, and few mills attempt to bend above 10-inch. Where larger sizes are desired—and we have to-day two mills in operation which can roll 30-inch pipe, and several more in course of construction—the skelp 18 TEETH-2” DIAM, PITCH 734" P. DIAM. 6” FACE \ WESTING- | HOUSE 32 TEETH-4" DIAM. PITCH /e” P. DIAM, 3" FACE 41 TEETH 2” DIAM, PITCH 2044" P., DIAM, 6" FACE lA 64 TEETH-4 DIAM. PITCH TOP OF RAIL 16" P. DIAM. 8” FACE WORM 5” PITCH DIAM. 1%" prTcH WORM WHEEL 29 TEETH 144" PITCH 11.54" P, DIAM. 3" FACE THE IRON Acs Fig. 9.—Scarfing Kolis is covered. For this purpose a bench or table equipped with a chain running over sprocket wheels is used, upon which the skelp is deposited by the crane. The table has a lateral, or sidewise motion, which permits it to be placed opposite any point of the full width of the furnace hearth. A hook or pusher rod is dropped into the links of the traveling chain and the skelp shoved into the fur- nace. A longer rod is used in the same manner to push the heated skelp through the furnace into the scarfing rolls. Searfing Rolls. When the two overlapping edges of skelp are united by welding, it is evident that either an extra thickness of material on this joint must appear, or that the pres- sure between the welding rolls and the ball must become very severe. To avoid either disadvantage, the skelp is scarfed—that is, its edges are beveled off-—thus allowing .in the lap the same contact surface, but less material. Originally this scarfing was done by cutting on machines built somewhat like plate planers, but this method has been surpassed by the far simpler process of scarfing in The drawing, Fig. 9, and the photograph, Fig. rolls. has to be bent in rolls, designed in general on the same lines as boiler bending rolls, but lately equipped with power feed, hydraulic pressure, and other improvements to operate same quickly and positively. Such rolls are usually situated parallel to the scarfing table, the lateral) motion of which is increased sufficiently to drop the scarfed skelp sidewise between these rolls. Large sized skelp is usually tacked together by a rivet or two on each end to keep it from collapsing in the welding furnace. The Welding. The bent skelp is deposited on skids, conveniently located to the welding pit, as the depression on the charging side of the welded furnace is usually called. In this pit the hardest work and the work requiring the greatest skill is performed. The welder and his assistants charge the skelp, which has gone immediately before through the described process of bending, and is still red hot, through openings in the end walls into the furnace. The hearth of the welding furnace is slightly inclined to- wards the welding pit to cause the cinder to run off freely. The center of the hearth, which is in later furnaces over February 11, 1904 7 feet wide, is occupied by the gutter in which the pipe, which is ready for the welding, rests. The charging open- ings are on both sides of the gutter, and the charged skelp is rolled over several times to expose all parts to the heat before it reaches the gutter, when the overlapping edges THE IRON AGE. 7 will weld a pipe every 30 seconds, that he has to superin- tend the charging and the pushing out, in addition to regulating his furnace, that he is further responsible for the good production, that he must guard against burning his pipe, or shoving it out before it has reached the proper THE IRON AGE Fig. 10.—Movable Motor Driven Scarfing Rolls. must be on top. According to the sizes of the pipe and the skill of the welder, two, three or five skelps are simul- taneously in the furnace. As soon as the skelp in the gutter has acquired welding temperature, it is pushed out through the opposite end of the furnace, until the welding 4.» 8 1b SPEED OF CHAIN 80 FT. AND 100 FT. PER MINUTE heat, in which case it would either stick in the rolls or weld imperfectly, you will realize that the job of welding is no sinecure. The designers of modern mills especially intended for the production of larger sizes have provided mechanical appliances for charging and pushing out, but | —— on AGE THE IR Fig. 11.—-Plan and Elevation of Draw Bench. —s om ADJUSTABLE RUNWAY CAN DROP t JJOOWN AND BELOW LOCATION SHOWN } ' y Tue Iron Acr Section through Center Line. rolis, situated as close as possible to the furnace, grip it and force it over the welding mandrel—the ball. When you remember that of the smaller sizes a good welder the skill and responsibility of the welder are thereby not lessened. The drawing, Fig. 12, and the engraving, Fig. 13, show design of the welding rolls clearly. Pinions located in separate housings, pressure screws, bearings with side ad- justment and counterbalanced rolls and many other im- provements in use in general rolling mill practice, are used here. The rolls run at a very high speed, the velocity of the welded pipe reaching as high as 800 feet per minute. The ball, shaped somewhat like a cannon shell, is supported by a rod of much smaller diameter in Sona SSRPaaencaeeeemeieees To geen nea Sarees exactly the center between the rolls. The pipe passes through these rolls, seam on top, the welding being effect- ed by the pressure between the top roll and the ball, the OHH MAA WY SS Slope % ‘per foot s : N . . Ne S SHY YH {YQ GL Wi Tue Inon Ack SY VS ROUQAAYN End Elevation fk — - — 1054" - |} toc. roll housings AP 9-4; THE IRON AGE. February I1, 1904 drawn from within the pipe, the ball dropping down in the front, and after inspection the pipe is either returned over the second run trough for a second welding, or sent forward in its course. The size ot welding rolls depends much upon the range for which the mill is built, and varies from 24 to 36 inches between centers of rolls and increasing as fol- lows: Maximum Size of size of pipe. welding rolls. Inches. Inches. 6 24 10 28 16 33 24 36 By the method employed in most mills, the faulty pipe is returned to the front or charging end of the furnace, thus putting it under full control of the welder, and al- lowing him to recharge it for a second weld at the most opportune moment. In some mills second runs, as they are called shortly, are charged through openings in the rear or roll end of the furnace. This method, however, is bound to cause confusion and delays. Stickers, that is pieces which instead of sliding over the ball stick in the rolls, must be removed, and the end containing the ball must be cut off. After this they might be recharged and welded over, unless the remaining piece has become too short to comply with the specification of the order. To assure a safe weld, an Eastern mill uses two sets of weld- ing rolls, and balls placed tandem close behind each other. This arrangement, however, is cumbersome, and has not been adopted elsewhere. wood — Svc a Sf SSS es eS SSS seh Fiy. 12.—Elevation and Plan of Welding Machine. ball in turn being supported by the lower roll. The welded pipe slips completely over the ball, resting in the welding trough. By means of friction rollers the bar is with- THe Iron AGE With the perfection of the Siemens Furnace it be- came apparent that a greater number of the smaller sizes could be welded than one set of welding rolls and bar February I1, 1904 puller could take care of, while with the larger sizes the operation of welding became slower and the machinery usually ran ahead of the furnace. To increase the roll- ing capacity of small pipe, say below 6 inches, two gut- grooves both in round, corresponding to the outside diameter of the pipe. THE IRON AGE. 9 Fig. 15, the rolls are overhung, allowing a quick change of rolls, but lacking the stability of the first design. The the welding and the sizing rolls are Fig. 13.—Welding Rolls, Top Roll Bulanced, 24-Inch Pipe. ters in the furnace were substituted for one and double sets of welding rolls, or welding rolls with double grooves were introduced, thereby increasing the output of a furnace considerably. Sizing Rolls. After the pipe is welded, it is passed through a set of sizing rolls, where it is reduced to the exact outside diam- The greatest work in the welding rolls is done at the bottom of the groove, where the lap is united and the ex- tra metal reduced. Welding rolls therefore wear out at the bottom of the groove first, and can be dressed by merely reducing their diameter. Sizing rolls, on the other hand, wear out on the side flanges of the groove, owing to the friction caused by the different circumferential speed ThE IRON AGE Fig. 14.—Sizing Rolls, with Separate Pinion Housings, 4-Inch Pipe. eter required. Two designs are in universal use. Ac- cording to one, the rolls are carried between housings, which are built lighter but otherwise very much like weld- ing rolls. This is shown in Fig. 14. In the second style, of the bottom and sides of the groove, and are therefore built in halves, split through the bottom of the groove rectangular to their axis, and can be dressed by taking a small cut off the face of this joint, bringing the flanges of re! en Ry Tn ped 10 THE IRON AGE. the groove sufficiently together, to be turned again to a true circular pass. Smaller sizes ought to receive but one pass through the sizing rolls, and the rapidity with which one piece follows the other makes it indeed prohibitive to do other- wise. Large pipe, however, is sent back and forth through the sizing rolls several times, being turned 90 degrees after each pass. Since the welding of large pipe requires a longer space of time, no delay is caused by this method of operation. Cross Rolls and Cooling Rack. From the sizing rolls the pipe travels through the straightening machine, of which quite a number of. de- signs are still in use. Smaller sizes are passed between large reciprocating plates, which roll the pipe back and forth until it is supposed to be straight. Or the pipe is deposited between two long cylindrical rolls, set just far enough apart from each other to let the pipe drop through when perfectly straightened. The best method, however, for this purpose is to pass the pipe through two é curved rolls arranged above or beside each other on in- clined axes, which rotate the pipe, at the same time pushing it forward. Fig. 16 shows the theory of this appliance. To avoid Fig. 15.—Sizing Rolls, Overhung Type. complication only the axis B B of the lower roll is shown. The surface of the roll wraps itself around the pipe, both surfaces being tangent along a line which is a helix on the surface ofthe pipe. The forward motion S is equal to the surface speed of the revolving roll Rr multiplied with the sine of the angle of intersection « , while the surface speed of,'the revolving pipe Rp = Rr cos. oc. Owing to the varying.diameter of the roll an average diameter must be taken in determining Rr. The curve of the roll propef is @ rather complicated affair with the following eqpation : y= VG a, hap?) a i + ¥x* gin? & ‘+ a? It would lead.us tog far into detail to develop this equation, especially, since it is without practical value. The proper way Of turning the rolls is to fasten a bar of the proper dfameter. above it in the lathe intersecting it under the proper. angle, and then to finish the roll until the proper contact has been accomplished. The angle at which the axes of the rolls intersect the axis of the pipe is made adjustable, in order to use the ma- chine for various sizes of pipe, it being apparent from the formula that for any given X and Y the angle of intersection “ increases in a certain relation to the diameter of the pipe D. A set of these rolls, of the verti- cal type, is shown in Fig. 17, while Fig. 18 shows the horizontal type. From the cross rolls the pipe is brought upon a cool- ing bed, upon which it slowly travels sideways, while it is held by a number of fingers of the traveling chains until it is cooled sufficiently to avoid the danger of hav- February 11, 1904 ing its shape again disturbed. The speed and angle of friction are usually figured, that as an additional pre- caution the pipe rolls around its own axis while travel- ing over the bed. The troughs, transfers and other means to carry the pipe from one operation to the other must be shortly discussed. In mills built for the smallest sizes these appliances are rather simple, and the pipe is rolled over the skids or pushed along simple V-shaped troughs by AXIS OF UPPER ROLL A AXIS OF PIPE AXIS OF LOWER ROLL f, Re UPPER ROLL | / NS axis oF PIPE. / _ AXIS OF LOWER ROLL Tuk IRON AGE Fig. 16.—Diagram of Cross Rolls for Straightening. hand. For larger sizes, however, quite elaborate de signs are used. Rollers with V-shaped grooves are sub- stituted for the troughs, and driven by power. Hydraulic cylinders lift the pipe by means of arms and levers from one position into another. Automatic charging troughs pick up one piece of skelp at a time from the skids and bring it in front of the charging openings, whence an overhead rope driven, or a direct acting steam pusher shoves it into the welding furnace. When the arrange February 11, 1904 ment of the mill necessitates a turning end for end of the skelp this is also done automatically by one motion of a hydraulic ram. In all these cases it has been the intention of the designer not so much to cut down the number of the working force, for valves and controllers must be operated, but to substitute the indefatigable power of mechanical appliances for that of human beings, who coul