The Iron Age 1904-04-14: Vol 73 Iss 15

toes G A Review of the Hardware, Iron, Machinery anu spy -ades. Published every Thursday Morning by David Williams Co., 232-238 William St.. New York, THE IRON Vol. 73: NO. 75: New York, Thursday, April 14 1904. $5.00 a Year, including Pq Single Copies, 15 Cents. Ch —— — é tenella —— Index to Advertisers ‘‘ 165 Classified List of Advertisers... “‘ Advertising and Subsoription Rates o DOUBLE HAMMER GUNS Retailing at $20—$23—$25, a: referred because of their wearing and shooting quailiien. hey have the reputation of Standing the Racket. tation and the advértising behind them make them easy to sell—and they ‘’ 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 Prancisco, Cal. THE BRISTOL COMPANY, Waterbury, Conn. Bristol’s Recording oo 2 ee Alse Linen and Italian Hemp Sash Cerd, PLAIN PATTERN REGULAR WEAD. SAMSON CORDAGE WORKS, Boston, Mass. Ext ( 0 TUORNBUCKLES. : é 2 ase |: Capewell Horse Nails ? orge and iron Co., - Cleveland, 0, : ™ ‘ > SPT eee eer NEW YORK, ranches: PORTLAND, ORE., TURNBUCEHEIZBES. S «6 PHILADESPHIA, BUFFALO, ° MERRILL BROS., y CHICAGO, DETROIT, BALTIMORE, TE 465 to 471 Kent Ave., }- 87. Louis, CINCINNATI, NEW ORLEANS, v Brooklyn, E.D., N.Y. a BOSTON, SAN FRANCISCO, DENVER. s FORGINGS. O R C ' N C Ss i THE CAPEWELL HORSE NAIL CO,, Hartford, Conn. 9 2 . ee Bros.’ Valves. The metal and workmanship are the best. All parts are interchange- able. Need no regrinding, as they are more effectively repaired by re- newing the disc, whic h can be outie and quickly done without removing valve from the pipe, and costs but a trifle. Insist on having the genuine, which always bear our Trade-Mark. JENKINS BROS., New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago. London. The } American Sheet & } Tin Plate Company offers free and postpaid : Swedon’’ Cold Rolled Steel a Drawing and Wing Stamp y THE AMERICAN TUBE & on» BSAepens COMPANY Valuable Information to per-| cwaser asa Ratt Dettvery) PAGE sons interested in the MAGNOLIA METAL. Building and Metal Trades. Best Anti-Friction Metal for all Machinery Bearings. Pac-Simile of Bar. ttioas See Page 24. se MAGNOLIA METAL C8. a —_ Chicago, Fisher Bidg. ‘iae tenn ; Fittsrg and Pulagelpain complies price, THE IRON AGE. B R AS oak Tue PLume & Atwooo Mes. Co., MANUFACTURERS OF sues; "| Sheet and Roll Brass | COPPER age an ad PRINTERS’ BRASS, JEWELERS’ METAL, GERMAN GERM AN SHEET ae = GILDING METAL, COPPER RIVETS SILVER | ne" "Ses a TT CRD AIRWAY AGATVERA| |LOW BRASS. SHEET BRONZE.| 2 worray sr, NEW YorE. we a “1 P SEAMLESS BRASS AND COPPER 144 eae agen OTE SETS wee TuBiING. BRAZED BRASS AND CHICAGO. TATRA High Grade BRONZE TUBING. : : ::::::| ™omasvon, cow. | watenouny, com. Randolph-Clowes Co. WATERBURY BRASS CO., SCOVILL MFG. COo., WATERBURY, CONN. WATERBURY, CONN. BRASS, MANUFACTURERS OF SHEET BRASS & COPPER. BRAZED BRASS & COPPER TUBES. SEAMLESS BRASS & COPPER TUBES TO 36 IN. DIAM. New York Office, 258 Broadway, Postal Telegraph Building, Room 715. Chicago Office, 602 Fisher Bldg. 130 Centre St., New York. Providence, 2.1/8 QERMAN SILVER a ee Sheets, Rolis, Wire Bridgeport Deoxidized Bronze | meds, sets ana Tures, Brass Shelis, Cups, Hinges, Metal (0. Buttons, Lamp Goods. BRIDGEPORT, GONN. SPECIAL BRASS GOODS TO ORDER Automobile Castings a Specialty. a Se High Tensile Strength. Bronze and Aluminum Alloys. Write Us. -Matthiessen & Hegeler Zinc Co., LA SALLE, ILLINOIS. SMELTERS OF SPELTER Arth a * ur 1. 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. FEARING Selected Sheets for Paper Makers’ aloe eh + hae schen ng - 266 Broadway, NEW YORK. ZINCS FOR LECLANCHE BATTERY. Small tubing in Brass, Copper, Steel, Aluminum, German Silver, &c. Sheet Brass, Copper and Ger- TTT ee ACO Copper and Brass Rod. DEPOTS: NEW YORK, CHICAGO, BOSTON. JOHN DAVOL & SONS, DEALERS IN COPPER, TIN, SPELTER, LEAD, ANTIMONY. 100 John Street, - New York. 4 tee Best Bronze, fae Cen saa a 1) teed Je “PHONO-ELECTRIC’ “S,emzess CASTINGS| 7 ur FOUNDERS-— FINISHERS. ww. G&G ROWZALL & CO., Bridgeport, Conn. sll ee tee een ae TELE PHONE HERD OTS BROTHERS TELEGRAPH Belleville Copper Rolling Mills, LINES. MANUFACTURERS OF Brasiers’ Bolt and Sheathing ee BRIDGEPORT BRASS CO. COPPER, ee one CorrPrErrR Ww ine AND RIVETS. sme Eecemestive sdaitions —. Importers-an@ Dealers in otted Magazin Second ition 8vo Ingot Copper, Block Tin, Spelter, Lead, Antimony, etc. Cloth... 200 pages, 81, dllustrations. "16 hal It oD tone plates. London, 1903............... $1. ; 49 CLIFF ST., NEW YORK. Fer sate by David Williams Co., 232 William St., 0.7 j ‘! es oer v & THE IRON AGE THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 1904. A Slot Milling Machine. The smallest, least significant parts of a machine are often those which most enhance the cost of the manufac- turer’s product, and it is safe to say that the attention of skilled designers is directed quite as much to the produc- As shown in the several illustrations, the machine con- sists of three individual millers, all of which are operated from a single milling spindle drive shaft. The number of sections is arbitrary and may be greater or less, but three is a convenient number, as it usually pays to increase the working capacity by adding more independent machines, Fig. 1.—Front View or Working Side of the Slot Milling Machine. ing of machines which shall turn out large quantities of duplicate small pieces in the least time as to machines which shall economically perform the work on large pieces in much smaller numbers. Believing that an automatic machine for the slotting of nuts and other small pieces so that not more than three spindles are driven on the same shaft. By such an arrangement, with a varying quantity of work passing through the shop, it may be so distributed that the running of several idle spindle shafts is avoided. THE (RON AGE. Fig. 2.—Rear View, Showing How the Work is Delivered. should be useful in various lines of manufacture, the Au- tomatic Machine Company, Bridgeport, Conn., have recent- ly brought out a slot milling machine for performing this class of work. While its operations are of a very special nature it is nevertheless interesting, as the machine itself is radically new. A detail of one of the milling heads is shown in the line drawing, Fig. 5. A is the cast iron support which is fixed to the bed of the machine; B is the spindle bearing, which has a small lateral adjustment, regulated through the hand wheel on the front, to compensate for wear and determine the depth of the cut (when in adjusted position ” mete BE Yre = eT oer” roeDET: Se cn = att i Pp) Pus 2 THE IRON AGE. it is locked by clamping bolts) ; C is an arm providing an outboard support for the end of the cutter spindle, and D is one of the fixed bearings of the driving shaft. The work is fed to the milling cutters through inter- changeable hoppers adapted to the particular form of the work which is being done. It is, therefore, possible to April 14, 1904 piece as it advances into position with the return of the pusher. The feeding of the work is accomplished by the slide which actuates the pusher, through a cam which gives a quick advance to the work from the- hopper up to the cutter and from there on a rate of advance equal to the Fig. 3$.—An End View, Showing the Cutters and the Feeding ‘echanism. have three different forms passing through the machine at the same time, but as a rule the greatest saving in time is realized when the same work is being done by each sec- tion. Each hopper contains two tubes carrying two sepa- rate columns of work, and each milling head has two cut- ters so that each single section is cutting two pieces of work at a time. In the operation of the machine, the sunount of feed suited to the capacity of the cutter. When the cutiing is finished the slide is returned by a positive motion cam. Two-thirds of the revolution of the cam shaft is allowed for feeding and one-third for ejecting the finished piece and advancing the next. The drive of the whole machine is from the single cone pulley, shown at one end, which is on a shaft carry- Fig. 4 A View of the Opposite End, Show!ng the Cams Which cd vence and Withdraw the Slides bottom piece in the hopper is pushed forward to the cut ters by means of a slide which actuates a pusher. The pusher being made thinner than the work itself, allows the second piece following to rest upon it after the ejection of the first piece, so that the second is a stop to hold the first in position. When a single piece of work is com- pleted and the pusher withdrawn the completed piece is stripped from the table by its contact with the following ing a pinion for each of the milling spindle drives and one for the cam shaft drive. By means of change gearing be- tween the main shaft and the cam shaft, the rate of feed- ing may be varied to accord with the size of the cutters and the amount of metal to be removed from the work. The driving pinions for the milling spindles are con- nected to the shaft by clutches, so that any or all may be thrdwn out of action while the machine is in operation. “~~ April 14, 1904 THE IRON AGE. As may be seen in the illustration, there is but one reduc- which the pieces descend by gravity as they are needed; tion in speed from the driving shaft to the milling spindles K the feed cam, and L the positive motion cam for re- through spur gearing. All speed variation possible within turning the slide. Two cams are necessary, as the slide the machine is, therefore, secured through the three-step cam if used for feeding would introduce a twisting mo- P Fig. 5.—Detail of a Milling Head cone pulley. At the opposite end of the drive shaft is a ment on the slide that would tend to wear it unevenly and pulley connecting by belt to a rotary pump, which through cause the work on the two sides to be cut to unequal a system of piping keeps a continuous flow of oil over each depths. The feed cam acts centrally on the slide between cutter when the machine is in operation. the two pieces of work which are being advanced, but as Fig. 6.—Detail of the Feeding Mechanism The line drawing, Fig. 6, shows the construction of the it cannot be of the positive groove order on account of its lo- automatic feeding mechanism. F is a fixed standard,Gthe cation, it is unable to withdraw the slide, and the use of a reciprocating slide carrying the pusher N that advances’ spring follower would not be sufficiently reliable. As the and ejects the work; H the tubes of the hopper through work of withdrawing the slide is slight the location of the | | | © ——*\ 3 4 grooved cam L at one side is allowable. The adjustable rods on the outside of the hoppers, held yieldingly down against their stops, are for the purpose of steadying the nuts or other pieces while they are being cut. At their lower extremities they are provided with chamfered blocks resembling door latches which cause the rods to be raised when a nut is forced forward beneath them. The flat springs on the outside of the plungers hold the small pieces of work against the pushers so that they will not be thrown out of proper position, and they also insure the bearing of the rear flat side of the pieces against the work- ing face of the pushers. The finished pieces with the chips and oil drop through openings in the bed of the machine. The work is caught on inclined screens and slides into boxes placed to catch it. The chips and oil fall in a pan beneath the screens and the oil drains through a strainer into an iron recepta- cle, from which it is drawn by the oil pump and used over again repeatedly. enwssonsntisalltieilisancte tastihs The Condition of the St. Louis World's Fair. Sr. Louis, Mo., April 9, 1904.—At the date of writ- ing, three weeks before the opening of the World’s Fair, a visitor is impressed with the vast amount of work that must be done before it will be an exposition at all. In justice to the management of the Fair, it must be said that the bare floors—the vast emptiness—of the buildings reflect on the delays of the exhibitors more than on the exposition authorities themselves. In other words, the buildings are practically completed, notwithstanding the delays incident to the unprecedented severity of the win ter, and 20,000 men, working in three eight-hour shifts, in most departments, are rapidly completing and putting the finishing touches on the buildings and grounds. The following summary of the buildings, whose con- tents will chiefly interest readers of The Iron Age, will be of value, particularly if it may be the means of spur- ring exhibitors to greater efforts in getting their exhibits in place: Machinery Hall.—Only partially floored, as flooring cannot be done until the heavy machines to be installed are placed on their foundations. Only a few foundations are in. The 5000 horse-power Allis engine in the center of the building is practically the only prominent exhibit that is in place. Work on the Westinghouse installation, which is not an exhibit, but a portion of the machifiery of the exposition, is nearing completion. Power House.—Known as the Gas, Fuel and Power Building. Work on boiler installation nearing comple- tion. Coal handling machinery and Worthington pumps in place. Briquetting machines and gas producers not yet started. This building is more nearly completed than any other principal building on the grounds. Transportation.—A vast expanse of empty floor space, with the exception of the Pennsylvania Railroad testing exhibit and one or two small exhibits. Electricity and Machinery.—Building itself not quite completed and practically no exhibits installed, though a vast tonnage of material for exhibits is on the floor. Varied Industries —Work on booths rapidly progress- ing, but little or no material for exhibits on the floor. Manufacturers’ Building..—In about the same condi- tion as varied industries. Mines and Metallurgy.—The first building completed on the grounds is in relatively good shape internally, as much of the material for exhibits is on the floor and a large force of men is at work installing the exhibits. Government Building.—Both building and its exhibits are completed. How nearly the army of men now working on the buildings and exhibits will be able to bring order out of the present chaos by April 30, the day of opening, remains to be seen. Handling the World’s Fair Freight. The problem of the proper handling of the vast ton- nage of freight being sent to the exposition calls for a high degree of generalship. Admirable systems installed by the exposition company for taking: care of materials for exhibits have relieved exhibitors of annoyances and petty extcrtions which they met with at other fairs. This THE IRON AGE. April 14, 1904 matter of handling freight is in the hands of several bureaus. In the first place, the Bureau of Expedition, of which Stanley Traeger is superintendent, furnishes disposition of freight consigned to the exposition. The province of this bureau is to certify freight received by World’s Fair Terminal Railway and other carriers. The Terminal Railway, whose lines are inside the ground, transfers the freight from the freight depots in the city of St. Louis to the switch track nearest to the point of exhibit. At this point in its progress the freight is turned over to the Service Association, which transfers the materials for the exhibits to their sites. The charge for this service, in- cluding switching to the grounds and switching inside the grounds is 60 cents per 100 pounds, with a minimum of 50 cents per package for freight handled. When the exposi- tion is over the same authorities will attend to the re- turn of the exhibits to their owners. As is well known, the railroads of the country have made special World’s Fair rates on exhibits. The pre- payment of freight from starting point to the exposition grounds, including the switching above named, entitles the exhibitor to the return of his freight free of freight costs, provided the shipments are returned over the same road which carried them to the exposition. C. L. Hilleary, traffic manager of the exposition and general manager of the World’s Fair Terminal Railway, stated that there had been absolutely no complaints received from shippers to the fair who had complied with the necessary in- structions for routing and prepayment of freight ship- ments, and that what trouble did occur was due to the failure of consignors to consign their shipments to the president of the exposition and prepay freight charges, and in other ways to conform to printed instructions which were sent to every exhibitor. He also spoke en- thusiastically of the hearty co-operation that the exposi- tion authorities received at the hands of the St. Louis Terminal Association, a company that practically controls every pound of freight entering the city over the Missis- sippi River, bridges and ferries. — +e The Fore River Ship & Engine Company. The reorganization plan of the Fore River Ship & Engine Company, Quincy, Mass., has been issued. It pro- vides in brief for the payment of $400 per bond by the bondholders or their surrender at 30 cents on the dol- lar, and an assessment of 33 1-3 per cent. upon the out- standing preferred stock. In return for the payment of the $400 per bond, bondholders will receive ten shares of new preferred stock and eight shares of new common stock, or surrender their bond and receive without assess- ment two and one-half shares of new preferred stock and two and one-half shares of new common stock. Pre- ferred stockholders who pay the 33 1-3 per cent. assess- ment will receive in exchange for their stock one share of new preferred and one and one-half shares of common stock. The $2,925,000 of common stock will not be as- sessed and will receive no consideration under the plan other than that holders will be allowed to subscribe for the new stock. The capitalization of the company under the reorganization plan and as it is at the present time follows: Under Old reorganization. company. eth oh ahaa RG a a CRR Aa is «40a % Axo $1,250,000 Bonds as collateral against notes...... ........ 356,000 ye ee ee ee 2,400,000 1,936,000 COMM NE soo 6 8 ooo oss coe sccete 2,400,000 2,925,000 ES os Saw as Dai ohetc oe use $4,800,000 $6,467,000 The plan of reorganization provides $1,250,000 of new money, of which $300,000 will be used to complete the plant, $600,000 to retire the floating debt and $350,000 for working capital, of which the company have been sadly in need since their organization. The payment of $300 per bond of unassenting bond- holders has been underwritten. The details of the reor- ganization have been worked out by Kidder, Peabody & Co., Boston. Advices state that the plan has already been accepted by the greater part of the bondholders and the preférred stockholders, and its success is assured. April 14, 1904 Early Chain and Wire Bridges. Austin N. Hungerford, San Francisco, contributes to the Bulletin of the American Iron and Steel Association an interesting article on early chain and wire bridges, from which the following extracts are taken: Jacob’s Creek, on which the first chain bridge was erected, is a small tributary of the Youghiogheny River and forms part of the dividing line between the counties of Fayette and Westmoreland, Pa, The locality was of con- siderable importance, as the road laid out to cross the creek at this place was ordered to be opened in 1783, and was from Beesontown (Uniontown) in the fork of the Youghiogheny, to the salt works on Jacob’s Creek, thence eastward to Bedfordtown. In 1788 a road was ordered from Zachariah Connell’s (Connellsville) to Isaac Mea- son’s on Jacob’s Creek, and in 1789 from the Jacob’s Creek Iron Furnace to Thomas Kyle’s saw mill at the mouth of the creek. This route was the main line of travel from the lower part of Fayette County northeast and west, and con- tinued later to Greensburg and Pittsburgh. This being a main route of travel undoubtedly a bridge of some kind was at the place, but the first official mention of a bridge is in the records of Fayette County, of date March 12, 1801, in which is a correspondence between the com- missioners of Fayette and Westmoreland counties, which resulted in a meeting of the two boards with Col. Isaac Meason on the banks of the creek on the next following Tuesday, “to consult and complete contract relative to James Finley, Esq., undertaking to erect an iron bridge over Jacob’s Creek.” On April 14 a contract was com- pleted with James Finley to build a bridge for $600, each county to pay one-half the amount, the bridge to be a “patent iron chain suspension structure” of 70 feet span and to be completed on or before December, 1801. It was completed at the appointed time and was in use until 1833, as in August of that year the commission- ers agreed to build a wooden bridge in place of the old suspension bridge, and thus ended the life of the first chain suspension bridge in the country, and it outlived as far as known all the bridges later built on the patent. At or near the site to-day is an-iron truss bridge, built in 1863. The practical success of the chain bridge over Jacob’s Creek for eight years enlisted the attention of bridge builders in different parts of the country at that time, and several bridges were constructed on the Jacob’s Creek plan. A heavy freshet in the spring of 1808 destroyed the wooden bridge over Dunlap’s Creek at Brownsville, Fay- ette County, and on February 14, 1809, the County Com- missioners prepared plans, specifications and estimated expenses, and a copy was sent to the President of the United States with a request for an appropriation in aid of building the bridge. This request may seem singular, but it must be remembered that the site was on the line of the proposed National Road which was soon after com- menced. No further mention appears of the request made to the President by the commissioners of Fayette County, and it is presumed that nothing came of it, as on April 20, 1809, proposals were made and on May 26 a contract was awarded for building the abutments and 1000 perches of stone wall along the banks of the creek. A heavy flood in June washed away the bank at the site, when changes were made and the bridge was built and com- pleted during the summer. It was suspended by chains as patented by James Finley, similar to the one on Jacob’s Creek. It was 30 feet above the water, very long, and cost $1660. It continued in use until Thursday, March '20, 1820, when it fell with a crash under a heavy weight of snow and the added weight of a team and heavily loaded wagon. At the same time that the bridge at Dunlap’s Creek, at Brownsville, Fayette County, was being built James Finley was superintending the erection of another bridge under his patent at the Falls of Schuylkill. In 1807 Rob- ert Kennedy occupied a tavern at the Falls, and on April 9 of that year the General Assembly of Pennsylvania granted him the right for the use of water power on con- THE IRON AGE. 5 dition that he would build locks around the Falls for the accommodation of the “long boats” which came down from Reading. Kennedy failed to construct the locks, and in a year or two sold his water rights to Josiah White and Erskine Hazard, who built there a rolling mill and wire factory. Kennedy, with Conrad Carpenter, under an act passed on February 22, 1809, to build a bridge and levy tolls, built a chain bridge under the Finley patent, with two abutments and two piers, all of cut stone and three spans, two of which were 153 feet in length. Early in January, 1811, this bridge broke down under the weight of a large drove of cattle. James Finley, in an article dated January 17, that year, said: “The break of the Schuylkill bridge by a drove of cattle is an occurrence which deserves atten- tion. An ill judged clip or coupling piece broke, with which two parts of the chain were joined together.” The Schuylkill Falls Bridge Company were incorporated on April 2, 1811, with Kennedy, Carpenter and others as members, and another chain bridge was built, which also gave way in 1816. After the destruction of the chain bridge White & Hazard, who built at the Falls of Schuylkill a wire factory, constructed a wire suspension bridge across the river for foot passengers only, and also provided that only eight persons should be on the bridge at one time. The suspension wires were fastened at one of the top windows of the mill and were stretched across the river to some large trees on the west side, from which steps descended to the ground. This was prob- ably the first wire bridge in the United States, if not in the world. The Upper, or Callowhill street, Ferry at Philadel- phia was opened in 1692, and used until about the time of the Revolution. A floating bridge was set up at the Ferry and destroyed by the heavy freshet of 1789. It was restored and again destroyed in 1810. The corner stone of a bridge was laid with Masonic ceremonies on April 28, 1812. This bridge was built on a novel plan by spanning the river with a single arch and discarding a center pier. It was destroyed by fire on September 1, 1838, and under the Free Bridge act of 1839 the com- missioners contracted with Charles Ellet, Jr., to erect a wire suspension bridge of his own design, with a span from center to center of 358 feet. It was built and opened to the public on January 2, 1842, and was in use for more than 30 years. The city in that locality de manded greater accommodations, and it was replaced in 1874 by the double decked Callowhill street bridge. But few details are given of this wire bridge. It must be within the recollection of many Philadelphians. On August 26, 1846, J. A. Roebling of Pittsburgh, Pa., was granted a patent for anchoring suspension bridges, and on January 26, 1847, he was granted another patent for apparatus for passing suspension wires for bridges across rivers. —_——_s--e___—_ Bridgeport Deoxidized Bronze.—The Bridgeport De- oxidized Bronze & Metal Company, Bridgeport, Conn., are about to build an extension to their main foundry to make it 60 feet longer. Conforming with the present building, the addition will have a crane span of 45 feet and wings to make the entire width 100 feet. The com- pany are installing a 10-ton Reading crane, in addition to their present 5-ton crane. They make a specialty of heavy castings, and the 5-ton crane has proved to be in- sufficient to handle the larger work. The company are contemplating erecting a large machine shop on land ad- jacent to their present plant, but a final decision as to whether the proposed structure will be built this season has not been reached. Arrangements have been made for a spur track to the plant from the New York, New Haven & Hartford main line, which will add materially to their convenience in handling materials. ————— ~»-e—__—_ The West Leechburg Steel Company.—The corporate name of the West Leechburg Steel & Tin Plate Company, with works at West Leechburg, Pa., and offices in the Farmers’ Bank Building, Pittsburgh, has been changed to West Leechburg Steel Company. They manufacture hot and cold rolled strip steel for stamping, blanking and drawing. es ores = eG an Sees Soe ee ee a an ns 3 The Blaisdell Tandem Gas Engine. The development of the heavy duty gas engine has been marked by greater advancement during the past dec- ade than throughout the entire period of its history pre- vious to that time, the progress being principally along lines of reliability under the most exacting conditions, re- duction of weight, mechanism and floor space per horse- power, and adaptability to lines of service heretofore handled by the best Corliss steam engines only. The en- THE IRON AGE. April 14 1904 screw adjustment. The design of the cross head and connecting rod is similar to modern Corliss engine con- struction. The cylinders are tied together at the bottom by a massive cast iron tie piece, and at the top with two steel tie rods. This arrangement makes the stuffing boxes and gas pistons very accessible. The piston and rod are water cooled, the piston rod being incased in steel tubing through which the water circulates. This keeps down the temperature of the stuffing boxes and solves the problem of the packing of the piston rod, which Fig. 1 Tandem Gas Engine Direct Connected to a Generator gine shown in the accompanying engravings is a new heavy duty tandem type recently brought out by the Blaisdell Machinery Company of Bradford, Pa., builders of gas engines and air compressors, and is construgted on the lines mentioned. This engine is built for direct connection to a gen- erator, as shown in Fig. 1, or an air cylinder, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, or for general power purposes. The object of the company’s engineers, Carbon Lytle and H. E. Barr, was to bring out a type of engine which would withstand the severe duty experienced in straight line compression work, for use on gas lines where continuous heretofore has been the principal obstacle in the way of constructing a double acting gas engine. The valves are of the vertical poppet type, held to their seats by springs, the inlet valve being suspended over the exhaust valve. This causes the incoming charge to pass over the exhaust valve, keeping the temperature down and making water circulation through the exhaust valves unnecessary. The inlet valve is placed in a cage which is removed by tak- ing off four nuts, thus exposing the exhaust valve, which is readily removed through the opening made by removing the cage. This makes it very convenient to inspect valves, seats, Interior of chests, &c., without in any way disar- running for long intervals was especially desirable. The engine proper consists of two tandem, double acting, four- cycle power cylinders, mounted together with the frame on a deep cast iron sole plate. The frame is of the well- known inclosed self oiling type, with bored cross head guides, in which the lubrication is automatically carried on by the centrifugal force of the crank disks, which de- livers the oil to the main bearings, crank and cross head pins, gears, slides, &c. The crank shaft is counterweighted, and runs in ‘bronze quarter box bearings provided with wedge and ig. 2 Tandem Gas Engine Direct Connected to an Air Compressor ranging the piping or the valve or ignition gear, and as all joints on cages and valve covers are ground there is no breaking of gaskets. The valves and igniters are operated by a cam shaft running parallel to the engine and geared directly to the main shaft, one cam being used to operate both inlet and exhaust valve. The igniters are driven by eccentrics which produce positive quiet running. The position of the cam shaft is such that the valve and igniter gears are easily accessible, it being possible to remove the en- tire cam shaft without altering the arrangement of the April 14, 1904 valve gear. The cams, rollers, pins, nuts, ends of valve stems, &c., are case hardened. The cylinder heads and piston are concave, making a spherical combustion cham- ber, which reduces radiation. This, with the small clear- ance in the valve chests, made possible by the above ar- rangement of the valves, keeps practically the entire charge in front of the piston, which experience has shown to be the best practice. The mixer is one of the strongest features of the ma- chine and represents a distinct departure in the method of proportioning the air and gas. It is of tubular construc- THE IRON AGE. - is coupled direct to a double acting compressor cylinder, making a three-cylinder tandem engine, the speed being then reduced to 150 revolutions a minute. The inlet Valves on the air cylinder are of the Corliss type, posi- tively operated from the main shaft by an improved re- ciprocating cam gear. The design of the gear is such that the valve is opened with a quick positive opening at the beginning of the stroke, allowing the cylinder to fill com- pletely and without wire drawing. The full opening is maintained until the piston has about reached the end of its stroke, when the valve is closed with the same quick Fig. °.—Section of the Outfit Shown in Fig. 2. tion, the lining as well as all moving parts being made of phosphor bronze. This material, being noncorrosive, is not affected by the sulphur or moisture in the gas. The quality is varied by a single knurled thumb screw, which controls the air and gas simultaneously. The volume is regulated by the governor, the quality of the mixture re- maining absolutely the same, regardless of the load on the machine. The construction is such that the entire weight of the moving parts is supported on steel wearing rings. The mixing valve is perfectly balanced and not affected by the inrush of air and gas, especially when the engine is running with a light load. The governor has only to transmit enough power to oscillate the mixing valve on the wearing rings as the load increases or de- creases, thus permitting the use of a small governor, Fig. 4.—Details of the Valve Gear. which is of the standard fly ball type and very sensitive. This, together with the large areas in the mixer and the double acting effect, giving an impulse in both directions, enables the engine to build up against sudden loads with great rapidity, making the machine especially adapted for street railway work, or electric lighting. The engine is started by compressed air. By engaging two loose cams on the rear cylinder, the inlet and exhaust valves operate every revolution instead of every other one, making that cylinder a plain power cylinder operat- ing identically the same as any poppet valve steam cylin- der. This rotates the engine, while the other cylinder is free to operate in the usual manner. As soon as the other cylinder begins to operate the compressed air is shut off and rear cylinder proceeds as usual. When used as an air or gas compressor this machine action. During the return or compression stroke the valve remains stationary, thus reducing to a minimum the wear on the valve mechanism and valve and causing the latter to remain tight indefinitely. When closed the valve is flush with the cylinder head, which, together with the fuii quick opening, results in an exceptionally high vol- umetric efficiency. The discharge valves are of the stand- ard vertical poppet type, the valves proper being of steel and operating in bronze guides. The engines are built to: operate on either producer or natural gas. The cards shown in Fig. 5 were taken from one of the above engines in the Emery Oil Company’s power house at Toad Hollow, Pa. This machine operates in connec- tion with a pumping system consisting of 340 oil wells connected by 65 miles of pipe line, the air being used at FUEL : NATURAL GAS SPEED: 150 R.P.M. / SPRING : 100 / \ M.E.P. (CRANK) 75.2 | M.E.P. (HEAD) 79.3 / \ a < x uw z - < Cc 4 oO f ae er ais bs a ws pee } ge \ — ee ——— = =— THE 'RON AGE Fig. 5.—Typlical Indicator Cards. SO pounds pressure in the engines at the wells, which were formerly run by steam. The company have under construction two large du- plex gas driven compressors of the above type for the Potter Gas Company, to be installed at East Sharon, Pa. These machines will deliver 3,500,000 feet of natural gas per day from the Potter County gas field to the city of Elmira, N. Y., at a pressure of 200 pounds. ———__ +e The New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad Com- pany have purchased the Fair Haven & Westville Street Railway, which includes the entire street railway system of New Haven, Conn., and its suburbs. This addition to the company’s already large electric railway properties means the control of systems extending to Meriden, Mid- % a ET eee 8 THE IRON AGE. dletown and Waterbury, as well as other lines paralleling their steam lines. The company announce that they will make extensive improvements in double tracking and in hew equipment of their electric system this season. rs The British Iron Trade Association. The annual meeting of the British Iron Trade Associa- tion was held in London on March 24. The president of this association is J. S. Randles and the secretary is J. Stephen Jeans. The report of the Board of Management included a presentation of the statistics of British iron and steel production in 1903, a synopsis of which is given in another column. The output of both pig iron and steel shows a slight improvement on the make of the previous year. The increase is especially noticeable, in view of “the prevalence of complaints that business was unsatis- factory, and the displacement of a considerable quantity of domestic steel by imported materials.” Extracts from the report of the board are as follows: The Condition of Trade in 1903. “ The year 1903 was in some respects a satisfactory one for the iron trade, and in others was a good deal the re- verse. The volume of home business was not what it had been in some previous years, but the volume of exports was larger than it had been in the previous 12 months. The increase of exports was mainly due to the demand in the earlier months of 1903 for pig iron and several descrip- tions of semifinished and finished materials on American account. The iron trade of the United States in the first six months of 1903 was exceptionally active, and this condition reacted on business in Europe. In the last six months of the year, however, the American demand fell off almost suddenly, and the year closed with nearly one- half of all the iron and steel plants in the United States more or less entirely unemployed, which, again, exercised a sympathetic influence on trade conditions at home. The number of British blast furnaces in operation at the end of 1903 was 24 less than that employed at the opening of that year. “ The condition of the home steel trade has been sensi- bly affected in two opposite directions by imports on an unprecedentedly large scale, aggregating not less than 1,088,705 tons. In so far as those imports were semi- products, sold at a low price for the purpose of being rolled into sheets, plates, wire, or other finished products, they have affected the home trade more or less favorably, as is witnessed by our large exports of galvanized and corrugated sheets, &c., but, on the other hand, the same imports have had a more or less adverse influence on the steel works which cultivate the production of blooms, bil- lets, &c., in the United Kingdom, and have closed some of them entirely. The British imports of fully manufac- tured iron and steel products amounted in 1908 to 532,000 tons, and consisted mainly of rails, plates, wire and struc- tural steel. This, again, is the largest volume of such imports hitherto received by Great Britain in any one year, and it is hardly necessary to say that the mere fact of so much finished material having been imported for British consumption from foreign countries is a strong evidence of the persistent competition which our manu- facturers have had to meet in almost every branch of pro- duction throughout the year. The Trade Outlook. “The situation of the British iron trade at the present . time is peculiar and far from satisfactory. The depres- sion which has overtaken the United States after several years of bounding prosperity threatens to bring about a new American invasion of British markets on a considera- ble and, not impossibly, hitherto unapproached scale. In any case, that depression must sensibly influence the business done by the iron trade of this country in neutral markets, where American producers are competing more keenly than they had done for several years. It has also led to an increase of American dumping in some of those neutral markets, and more especially in the Dominion of Canada, where the prices recently quoted have been 15 to 25 per cent. under those quoted on the other side of the line for the same products. Considering the increasing impor- tance, as well as the existing magnitude of the Canadian market, this fact points to less favorable competitive con- April 14, 1904 ditions for our own manufacturers in the future. The effect likely to be exercised on the British iron industry by the virtual consolidation of all the great steel making plants of Germany is less easy to forecast. On the other hand, so far as steel for shipbuilding is concerned, this movement promises to be an advantage to British steel manufacturers, there being no duty in Germany on this class of material. The Fiscal Question, “The board have received from the tariff commission which was appointed on Mr. Chamberlain’s suggestion an invitation to present evidence as to the conditions pre- vailing in the iron trade, with special reference to com- petition in both home and foreign markets, and they are now considering what form such evidence should take. It will be understood, and is distinctly stated by the tariff commission itself, that compliance with the request to pre- sent evidence on questions of fact does not in any way commit the board or the association to the particular views or objects in respect of which the commission was appointed. However those views and objects may be re- garded, it is not likely to be disputed that the commission is an important and largely representative body of busi- ness men, who are not only competent to sift evidence and to arrive at sound practical conclusions, but who them- selves possess a wide and precise knowledge of the condi- tions of British trade and industry. “The board need only add that a committee of the tariff commission has been appointed to deal with the iron and steel trades, on which several members of the board are serving, and that this committee will no doubt be glad to render the association any advice or assistance that may be asked for. “ The tariff commission has sent in to the association a memorandum and statistical tables both relating to the iron and steel trades. These documents indicate the methods by which this commission is proceeding with its inquiry. “The statistical memorandum bearing upon the iron and steel trades will be followed by memoranda dealing similarly with the British and foreign official returns re- specting each trade, and it is announced that the inquiry forms thus far issued by the commission have met with a generous response from manufacturers representing every shade of opinion on the fiscal question, and many thou- sands of replies have already come in. “It is further announced that the examination of wit- nesses will shortly be commenced; that the witnesses are selected solely with a view to their representative char- acter; that the opinions they may hold upon the fiscal question are in no way considered ; indeed, in most cases, these opinions are unknown when their evidence is in- vited; and that so far as practicable the information which the commission has previously collected will be placed in the hands of witnesses so that they may see ex- actly what stage the inquiry has reached before their ex- amination takes place. “The commission states that it desires to obtain the exact facts of the business situation and not mere opin- ions for or against any fiscal proposition. Iron Ore Supplies. “The board have on several occasions called the atten- tion of members to, and taken steps to provide them with information on, the important subject of iron ore supplies available for the use of the British iron trade. Two pa- pers on this question have been submitted for discussion at conferences of the association—the first by Josiah T. Smith, a past president, in 1889, and the other by the sec- retary in 1895. The increasing uncertainty as to the fu- ture of those supplies, and the threatened approaching ex- haustion of a number of the best known and largest de- posits, have suggested to the board that it would be desir- able to endeavor to obtain the fullest possible information as to foreign supplies that may either now or at some future time be made available. For this purpose commu- nications were adressed to the Prime Minister, to the For- eign Secretary, and to the president of the Board of Trade, and the result has been that His Majesty’s consuls have been requested to give attention to the matter, and to take«steps to acquire all useful information available within their several consular districts as to the character April 14, 1904 and extent of the ores at command. The result has been that His Majesty’s consuls in various parts of the world have sent in to the Foreign Office a great deal of more or less valuable data as to iron ore deposits. This informa- tion has been handed over to the Board of Trade to deal with, and that department is now collating it with a view to publication as a special volume.” Announcement was made that the secretary will short- ly have ready for distribution his report on the industrial situation in Canada, the material for which was collected last fall when he visited that country as a delegate to the fourth congress of Chambers of Commerce of the Empire, held at Montreal. The report will make a volume of con- siderable size. The association takes cognizance of labor legislation in Parliament, and in the proceedings of the meeting appears a list of bills considered during the legislative session of 1903 in which the members were interested and none of which succeeded in passing. Announcement was made that any bill designed to shield trades unions from the consequences of acts done under their sanction will meet with the disapproval and opposition of the association. This alludes to the efforts being made by the unions to secure immunity for their organizations from claims for damages resulting from strikes. —— +-—-e_____ British Iron and Steel Statistics for 1903. The British Iron Trade Association has just issued its report of the statistics of production of pig iron and steel in Great Britain in 1903. The total make of pig iron in the United Kingdom in that year was 8,811,204 gross tons, against 8,586,693 tons in 1902, which is an increase of 224,511 tons. The production of different descriptions of pig iron has been as follows for the past three years: 1901.— Tons. 1902.—Tons. 1903.—Tons. Forge and foundry........ 3,597,994 3,860,494 3,875,826 a eee eer 8,177,684 3,648,948 3,760,422 BN Ss awe k cs ee eae ed 794,789 892,218 991,610 ED Ws xa Sale eae eae ce 191,363 185,033 183,346 WOE he cieeadeces ce 7,761,830 8,586,693 8,811,204 Great Britain’s maximum make was attained in 1899, when the production reached 9,421,435 tons. Pig Iron Stocks, The total stocks of pig iron in public stores at the end of 1903 were 241,311 tons, compared with 234,614 tons at the end of the previous twelvemonth. Excepting at the end of 1900, the public stocks of pig iron have not for many years been so low at they were at the end of 1902 and 1903. The public stocks of pig iron at December 31 of the last five years were as under: Scotland. Cleveland. West Coast. Total. Year. Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons. WG enniGoueenes 390,345 179,809 184,612 754,766 SOD tonsd eat biaws 277,040 80,626 202,127 559,793 SOOO id tiich eccaes 134,646 57,802 27,105 219,553 SeCawitmonsanauas 135,257 140,767 14,694 290,718 BOOS Cancedanns ca 87,354 122,957 24,303 234,614 BOGC Mitceaeneean 128,058 100,253 13,000 241,311 The Production of Open Hearth Steel, The total production of open hearth steel ingots in the United Kingdom in 1903 was 3,124,083 tons, against 3,083,- 288 tons in 1902, 3,156,050 tons in 1900 and 3,030,251 tons in 1899. The output in 1903 was 40,795 tons more than in 1902. The total output of basic open hearth steel in 1903 was 510,809 tons, against 406,780 tons in 1902 and 351,177 tons in 1901. The total output of acid open hearth steel in 1903 was 2,613,274 tons, against 2,676,508 tons in 1902 and 2,939,614 tons in 1901. The finished open hearth steel product in 1903 com- prised 1,248,079 tons of plates and angles, 537,745 tons of bars, 400,664 tons of blooms and billets, 169,394 tons of general merchant steel, and 84,942 tons of rails. The Production of Bessemer Steel. The total production of Bessemer steel ingots in the United Kingdom in 1903 was 1,910,018 tons, against 1,825,- 779 tons in 1902 and 1,606,253 tons in 1901. Of the pro- duction in 1903 the total quantity of acid steel produced was 1,316,915 tons, while the basic process yielded 593,103 tons. The finished Bessemer steel product in 1903 comprised 1,061,441 tons of rails, 239,119 tons of blooms and billets, THE IRON AGE, 9 221,283 tons of bars, 125,444 tons of general merchant steel and 21,840 tons of plates and angles. The Make of Open Hearth and Bessemer Steel Compared. In the following table are presented details of the Brit- ish make of open hearth and Bessemer steel ingots for each of the last eight years: Open hearth. Bessemer. Total. Year. Tons. Tons. Tons. SEN ssn ten oa cee 317,555 1,815,842 4,133,397 WN ioc cee ees we 2,601,806 1,884,155 4,485,961 Wi oi iikdisnves 2,806,600 1,759,386 4,565,986 1GOG kee dcccsaceas ihe 1,825,074 4,855,325 ee 1,745,004 4,901,054 WU Sk vc oc 5 exes ne cee 1,606,253 4,904,044 Ce. oor anccce 3,103,288 1,745,779 4,849,067 eer, 1,910,018 5,034,101 It will be observed from this table that the steel pro- duction of Great Britain in 1903 exceeded that of any pre vious year. —___~+e—____ Pacific Coast Trade Prospects. San Francisco, CAL., April 1, 1904.—On the whole, California could not have wished more favorable weather for crops than we have had for the past two weeks. It rained the greater part of the time all over the State and occasionally the precipitation was truly torrential. In Southern California the rain came late, but there will be half a crop of cereals and a full one of fruits. But cereals in Southern California, except in some particular sections, cut only a small figure. The crop prospects throughout the St