The Iron Age 1904-11-24: Vol 74 Iss 21

THE IRON! =oGE A Review of the Hardware, Iron, Machinery an ee rades. Koes day Published every Thursday Morning by David Williams Co., 232-238 William 8t., 5% an S Vol. 74: No. 21. New York, Thursday, November 24, 1904 Stengin Contes, 10 Caan posta Ay Reading Matter Contents....... page 49 fF a — ws Po Stones > Alphabetical Index to Advertisers ‘‘ 163 Classified List of Advertisers.... “‘ 155 Advertising and Subscription Rates ‘“‘ 162 ENE “FORSTER” Wood Split Pulley Perfect Balance, Light and Strong. Forster Pulley Works, CUBA, N FOR BRUSH AND FIELD SHORT RANGE SHOT SHELLS are cafried in stock by all wide-awake dealers. An entirely new invention producing practically the same velocity and pattern at 25 yards as the regular load at 40 yards. These shells often prevent a choke bored gun from missing or mutilating game at close range. All sportsmen wish to THE BRISTOL COMPANY, try them. Waterbury, Conn. Supplied in Arrow and Nitro Club brands only—same price as regular loads. | ee The Union Metallic Cartridge Co., n » ¥. : BRIDGEPORT, CONN. For Proseure Tempe perature Agency, 313 Broadway, N. Y., New York . Silver Modal, Paris Rxpoutiton All Ranges, Low enh Guar anieed. Send forC SAMSON aoe CORDIABTIALL FR Alse Linen and Italian Hemp a Sash Cord, SAMSON CORDAGE WORKS, Boston, Mass. Ext PLAIN PATTERN REGULAR WEAD. , Gapewell Horse Nails @ 1 Broadway, New Y: Cleveland Gity Forge and iron Con - “Cloveland, 0, MERRILL BROS., PHILADELPHIA, BUFFALO, 465 to 471 Kent Ave. CHICAGO, DETROIT, BALTIMORE, Brooklyn, E.D.. N.Y 8ST. LOUIS, CINCINNATI, NEW ORLEANS, eerste amemyssiyg leone tS BOSTON, SAN FRANCISCO, DENVER. PLATE PATTERN. e¥SBiLVd GOBZAVONUWODS THE CAPEWELL HORSE NAIL GOxy fHartiord, Conn. IRON ORES. Girard Buildin ‘te. PILLING & CRANE, Empire pide. New Y Yo =| PLAIN PATTERN REGULAR MEAD. Et JENKINS BROS. PUMP VALVES are made from various compounds, each of which is best adapted for a particular kind of work, Our many years of experience has enabled us to so perfect these compounds that Just what you want to know /|wecanconfidently recommend our Pump Valves as the very best obtainable. When ordering, give all particulars of service, and we will supply Pump valves which we will Just when you want to know it. | st@rantee. JENKINS BROS. Wow Vet. York Boston —~ Philadelphia Chicago London See “Smet” GOld Rolled Stel cece Drawing ow Stampin npn elivecy Soeeae ea TUBE & are COMPANY AMERICAN SHEET & _| (Wstersnd Batt Detivery Barorronr, Cony PAGE 2 TIN PLATE COMPANY’S MAGNOLIA METAL. Best Anti-Friction Metal for all Machinery Bearings. FPac-Simile of Bar. Beware of imitations. MAGNOLIA METAL CO., e Manufacturers, Street, $80 Francisco, Mun Gitenge, Fisher Bldg. woe ou YORK. We manufacture all ail grades of Babbitt Stevels at Adon Page 23 AWA SS AOARA to High Grade “QUEEN'S RUN” “LOCK HAVEN” Aaa ge COtere moon RANCH” | JHAPES Lock HAVEN, PA. Randolph-Clowes Ca. 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 AGE. geo THE IRON BRASS! ® COPPER: “=... GERMAN / st" SILVER | "we LOW BRASS. sie BRONZE. SEAMLESS BRASS AND COPPER TUBING. BRAZED BRASS AND BRONZE TUBING. : WATERBURY BRASS C0., WATERBURY, CONN. 99 John St., New York. Providence, R. I. Bridgeport Deoxidized Bronze & Metal 60., BRIDGEPORT, GONN. Automobile Castings a Specialty. High Tensile Strength. Bronze and Aluminum Alloys. Write Us. val ae Matthiessen & ‘Horcler 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. ZINCS FOR LECLANCHE BATTERY. OUNDERS TNS ’ a WV es Best ' Onze, rman tt Met ee e A rass, Bronze and ® Aluminum 2 EEO wnt okadaic old cai pee CASTINGS FOUNDERS— FINISHERS. ww. &. ROWZLL COo., HENDRICKS Bridgeport, Conn. BROTHERS PROPRIETURS OF THE Belleville Copper Rolling Mills, MANUF. Brasiers’ Bolt Cor PER, corPrun wink AND Ingot Copper, Block Tin, Spelter, Lend, mene’. Sheathing and Dealers Antimony, etc 49 CLIFF ST., NEW YORK. Th RIVETS. | Faia | THE PLUME & ATwooo M6, Co., MANUFACTURERS OF Sheet and Roll Brass —AND— WiRG PRINTERS’ BRASS, JEWELERS’ METAL, GERMAN SILVER AND GILDING METAL, COPPER RIVETS AND BURRS. Pins, Brass Butt Hinges, Jack Chain, Kero- sene Burners, Lamps, Lamp Trimmings, &c. 29 MURRAY ST., NEW YORK. 144 HIGH ST., BOSTON. 199 LAKE ST., CHICAGO, ROLLING MILL : | FACTORIES : THOMASTON, CONN. WATERBURY, CONN, SCOVILL MFG. CO., MANUFACTURERS OF BRASS, GERMAN SILVER Sheets, Rolis, Wire Rods, Bolts and Tubes, Brass Shells, Cups, Special Brass Goods to Order. FacToORizs: WATERBURY, CONN. BOSTON. Depots CHICAGO, NEW YORK, JOHN DAVOL & SONS, DEALERS IN COPPER, TIN, SPELTER, LEAD, ANTIMONY. ~ 100 John Street, - New York. Arihur 1. Rutter & Go. 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: ToucH.” TROLLEY, TELEPHONE and TELEGRAPH LINES. Gridsevort, BRIDGEPORT BRASS CO., Conn. 19 Murray St., New York, Metric Fallacy and the peotete ure in the ae Indus bles, a an pages For sale by David;Williams Co, 282 William St. x. Y. ‘THE JRON AGE TuursDAy, NOVEMBER 24, 1904. The National Steel Foundry Company. For several months the new plant of the National Steel Foundry Company, at New Haven, Conn., has been in successful operation, proving, as was expected, that there is a large demand for open hearth steel castings from the manufacturers of New England. Sales, how- ever, are not confined to this territory, as many customers have been found in other parts of the country, including the United States Government, which has given the com- pany contracts aggregating a large tonnage. The foun- dry is adjacent to the plant of the National Wire Corpora- tion and has a desirable location on tidewater, with excellent railroad facilities, and while within the borders of the New England field is also close to New York. In designing the plant it was necessary to make provision for a great diversity in sizes of product, these to range aay tH os oe 2! pete ts contains the cleaning department, annealing pit, casting pit and storage for castings. This wing is served by two Niles electric cranes, one of 30 tons capacity covering the cleaning department and one of 40 tons capacity the end containing the furnaces. There is a clear hight under all the cranes of 22 feet. The half-tone illustrations, Figs. 1, 2.and 3, give a gen- eral idea of the well lighted condition of the building, the walls being very largely of glass. Ample measures have also been taken for securing good ventilation. In the middle of the central bay are the core ovens, with the core room adjacent to one end, while beyond the core room is the erecting shop and flask department, and at the other end of the central bay is the pattern storage and office. There is also in the office section a chemical labor- atory and small storeroom. The foundry has two 30-ton acid open hearth fur- Fig. 1.—View on the Charging Platform, National Steel Foundry Company. from ingots of 60,000 pounds weight down to small ma- chinery castings. During the months of actual commer- cial operation the plant has shown its ability to suc- cessfully handle such a varying class of work. In general dimensions the main building is 408 feet long by 164 feet wide, with a shallow L near one end 36 feet deep by 60 feet long, in which are located the open hearth furnaces and the charging platform, shown in Fig. 1. The general arrangement of the several de- partments within the buildings is best shown in the plan, Fig. 4. The gas producers, four in number, are in a sep- arate building in close proximity to the open hearth plant. This building is 27 feet wide by 70 feet long and has a 12 x 18 foot extension near one end. The monitor roof which covers the central bay of the main building is 38 feet wide, and has a maximum hight of 57 feet from the floor. The wings adjoining the central portion on either side are 63 feet wide. One of these wings accommodates the molding department and is served by two Niles elec- tric cranes of 30 tons capacity each. The other wing naces of the usual type, which, with the gas producers, were installed by James A. Herrick, Philadelphia. Pro- vision is made for a third furnace to be installed at some future time when the demand requires it. In front of the furnaces there is a casting pit 12 feet in diameter and 18 feet deep. There are three double core drying ovens, each 18 x 36 feet, and each heated by fire places on each side. Two of the ovens are divided by partition walls to make two ovens of each, so that there is a total of five. The annealing pit is located near the end of the casting department, at about the middle of the long way of the building, and is 14 feet 6 inches wide by 32 feet 6 inches long. The cleaning department is excellently equipped with modern tools for doing the finishing work on castings prior to their shipment. The chipping tools are operated by compressed air, obtained from a compressor built by the Blaisdell Machinery Company, Bradford, Pa. The machine tools are electrically driven, and include two planers from the Whitcomb Mfg. Company, Worcester; THE IRON AGE. November 24, 1904 from the and a of various heats are tested, there is a lathe Hendey Machine Company, Torrington, Coun., 100,000-pound Tinius Olson testing machine. an open side planer from the American Foundry & Ma- chine Company; two shapers from Robert Wetherill & Co., Chester, Pa.; two cutting off machines from the =a ‘VA | i \ keen | | ice.) 9 Saas - Rear . Cee od tet | | tai ty | it ceeds ri yy Pay i View in the Finishing Department. Espen-Lucas Machine Works, Philadelphia, and another from the Higley Machine Company, New York; grinders from the Safety Emery Wheel Company, Springfield, Ohio, and an upright drill from the Aurora Tool Works, Aurora, Ind. In the physical laboratory, where specimens Facilities for handling material within the building are very complete, as has been noted. Equally convenient provisions are made for shipping material. Two spur tracks enter the building at one end, one in eavh wing, these extending nearly to the center of the building, to November 24, 1904 the tracks which serve the core ovens, and connecting with the main line of the railroad. +e The Prospect for Tariff Concessions from Cuba. WASHINGTON, D. C., November 22, 1904.—In view of the absolute failure of the Cuban reciprocity treaty to increase our exports to the island, and the demands of American manufacturers and exporters for further con- cessions to offset the very large increase in our imports of Cuban products, the Administration is watching with great interest the negotiations recently set on foot look- ing to the conclusion of a commercial treaty between Spain and the Island of Cuba. While this convention is not specifically denominated a reciprocity treaty, never- theless, judging from advices received here, the Govern- ments of both Cuba and Spain are preparing to incor- porate therein certain tariff concessions of the general character to be found in the usual reciprocal trade agree- ;P74--- LOCATION OF A THE IRON AGE. 3 goods six times greater than that made in Spain for Cu- ban produce, it is obvious that the trade relations of the two countries are far from satisfactory. Under such con- ditions Cuba naturally seeks from Spain reduced rates of duty on her principal products and is prepared to grant concessions in return. Effect on Americau Trade. The phase of the question which is arousing the chief anxiety here relates to the concessions that Cuba may de- cide to grant to Spain in exchange for lower rates of duty on Cuban products. Under the terms of Article VIII of our reciprocity treaty with Cuba we are guar- anteed not only certain reductions in the rates of the general Cuban tariff on American products, but the pledge is given that such concessions would be granted to the United States in excess of any that may be con- ceded to any other country. This provision is as follows: The rates of duty herein granted by the United States to the Republic of Cuba are and shall continue during the term of this convention preferential in respect to all like imports from other countries, and in return for said preferential rates of duty granted to the Republic of Cuba by the United States it is 1-30 TON CRANE 2 >y r r r r <; } om, z a: ois °o ve PATTERN STORAGE Ea 5 FoY. ° @ (OFFice bd t t I 1 1! ie *. . CASTING HOUSE 1-30 TON CRANE z§ SE tele le S| 3 sl ANNEALING : = 8 wea HL . s| —_ - i = = “Lag THE IRON AGE k--- 408 Tie a =: — 3-4-3 f+ = | ' ti MOULDING DEPT. . 1-80 TON CRANE i || | | | 1 he “a 7) 7: I tT! Toth rr Sg TE | ERECTING SHOP FOR 4 ‘wits ‘ BUILDING FLASKS ETC. © oO — a os ‘ , ,°o Oo Jo ya iJ, ity J) = 1 lL, Tht te ' ! | || ()casTine PIT | 1-40 TON CRANE | 1 i} i be ! ! ! FUT Une FURNACE. ~ ete tts 120- ~ ~ — <- ———~ ~79° - :[OO@OO Hoo@ool... x ;|L___@AS PRooucer House |S <-——-——- - 8§' ----—---> Fig. 4.—Plan of the National Steel Foundry Company’s New Plant. ment. Because of the close commercial relations be- tween the island and Spain in times past and the influ- ence in Cuba of Spanish importers and merchants the State Department officials are observing these negotia- tions with some anxiety lest mutual concessions be granted calculated to still further reduce the value of the provisions of our reciprocity treaty with Cuba. Reductions Asked in Spanish Tariff. In this connection a brief but highly significant re- port has been received at the State Department from United States Consu] General Lay of Barcelona, Spain, who states that petitions have been received from Cu- ban planters and producers setting forth the necessity of obtaining from Spain reductions in the tariff in fa- vor of Cuban products. The petitions explain that im- portant concessions are necessary to offset Spanish ship- ments of oil, wines, cotton textiles, shoes and many other goods imported annually into Cuba, which during the last fiscal year aggregated a value of $10,023,312, or 18 per cent. of the imports from all countries. During the fiscal year 1903 Spain imported only $1,681,624 worth of Cu- ban produce, or 2 per cent. of the total exports from Cuba. As Cuba is now making a market for Spanish agreed that the concessions herein granted on the part of the said Republic of Cuba to the products of the United States shall likewise be, and shali continue, during the term of this conven- tion, preferential in respect to all like imports from other coun- tries. In view of this provision if Cuba should grant a re duction from her general tariff upon any commodity when imported from Spain she must proportionately increase the cut on similar American products. If, for example, a reduction of 20 per cent. is conceded to Spain on ma- chinery or other manufactures of iron and steel, the 25 per cent. reduction on similar American products pro- vided for by Schedule B of the Cuban-American treaty must be increased to 45 per cent. Should a general treaty be negotiated with Spain providing reductions averaging 20 per cent. it would operate to give American merchandise the benefit of concessions ranging from 45 to 60 per cent. Possible Abrogation of Treaty. Whether the Cuban Government realizes that this would be the effect of such a reciprocity treaty is not known here, for the State Department has no assurances on the subject. Inasmuch as about 40 per cent. of Cuba’s imports are drawn from the United States, it goes without saying that to increase the reductions, as indi- cated, would materially curtail the customs receipts of the island, and would make it necessary to seek other sources of revenue. The results that would be certain to follow any reciprocity treaty between Cuba and Spain depriving the United States of its full measure of pref- erential treatment may be gathered from the provisions of a very important article in the Cuban-American treaty the tenor of which is not generally understood. It is as follows: It is hereby understood and agreed that In case of changes in the tariff of either country which deprive the other of the a ee egg 4 THE IRON AGE. advantage which is represented by the percentages herein agreed upon, on the actual rates of the tariffs now in force, the country so deprived of this protection reserves the right to terminate its obligations under this convention after six months’ notice to the other of its intention to arrest the operations thereof. And it is further understood and agreed that if, at any time during ithe term of this convention, after the expiration of the first year, the protection herein granted to the products and manu- factures of the United States on the basis of the actual rates of the tariff of the Republic of Cuba now in force should appear to the Government of said Republic to be excessive in view of a new tariff law that may be adopted by it after this convention becomes operative, then the said Republic of Cuba may reopen negotiations with a view to securing such modifications as may appear proper to both contracting parties. A very prompt and effective method of abrogating our reciprocity treaty is thus provided, and would undoubt- edly be called into requisition should Cuba make a gen- eral treaty with Spain disadvantageous to American commerce. It is the best opinion here that should Cuba negotiate a reciprocity convention with Spain pressure would be brought to bear by the United States to limit concessions in the Cuban tariff on Spanish goods to a few items, and that under the provisions of Article VIII Cuba would be induced to make such additional conces- sions, without receiving any further equivalents, as would guarantee to American producers a larger share of the Cuban market than has been obtained under the ex- isting reciprocity treaty. w. L. Cc. Oe” New Publications. The Story of American Coals.—Second edition. By William Jasper Nicolls, M. Am. Soc. C. E., author of “The Railway Builder,” “Coal Catechism,” &c, Pub- lishers, J. B. Lippincott Company, Philadelphia and London; pages, 396. Each year the subject of coal is coming more vitally home to the American people. The manufacturer, the merchant, the ship owner, the railroad, the householder, each feels the importance of the great mineral, and yet very few persons have more than perfunctory knowledge of the subject beyond that contained in the important item of expense as indicated by the bill of the coal dealer. Mr. Nicolls has prepared a work essentially fitted to fill the need of him who would acquire more knowledge of coal. The volume now appears in its second edition, after an interval that has seen enormous progress in America’s production as well as great changes in meth- ods and conditions of securing the mineral from the earth and distributing it to consumers. “The Story of American Coals” is a story briefly told, yet sufficiently in detail to give a somewhat intimate knowledge of the subject. It treats coal under four headings—origin, development, transportation and con- sumption. The first section is exceedingly interesting, the theory of origin and the geology being carried on to geography and classification. But the latter sections are more vitally important to the reader. The various types of mine are taken up one after another, through the various stages from prospecting to development and production. Under this head the author makes suggestive comment, for example, describing the facility with which mines may be opened in some parts of America, observ- ing that “this facility of development resulting in mul- titudinous small openings by men of no experience or capital is one of the fruitful sources of the extraordinary competition which has produced the inevitable result —an enormous tonnage, far exceeding in quantity any possible demand that may be made upon it, and at prices often below the actual cost of mining. To this evil may also be ascribed the large amount of inferior coal sent to the market—coal from the outcrop and coal from all parts of the seams, black bone, sulphur, binding slate, and other impurities, carelessly thrown into the cars and sent to tidewater at a price—at any price—to get rid of it. And, unfortunately, this price being fixed by the in- ferior coals, the better grades mined by experienced miners and properly ‘ prepared’ before leaving the mines, at considerable cost, must be sacrificed to meet the market.” The reader will appreciate the existence of impurities in the coal bin, though few are educated to the point of November 24, 1904 believing that coal is ever sold at the pit mouth or any- where else at a loss. The trouble is in transportation, as the author points out in telling of “the different con- ditions existing in Europe and in this country in the opening of a mine, conditions so preponderately in our favor that a comparison can scarcely be made; condi- tions that would give us the ‘ markets of the world ’—so- dear to the heart of the free-trader—for our surplus coal did not the great compensating law of nature fix our mines in the interior mountains instead of along our seaboard, with an intervening distance of several hundred miles, for which the American operator must pay tribute to the transporting railroad.” But he goes on to say: “As the center of population, and with it the consumption of coal, moves slowly toward the interior, this matter will be adjusted with increased benefit to the operator, and the corresponding barrier of distance will intervene against transportation of foreign coals from the seaboard to our interior cities.” Speaking of the diffi- culties of shaft mining in the United States, to overcome which involves an outlay of money far exceeding the capacity of a single coal operator, and which may be expected to occur when we can no longer work our coal by drifts, Mr. Nicolls says: “ When that period arrives it will require all the sagacity and perseverance of the operators, together with the inventive power and skill of the American engineers, to overcome them. The cost of producing coal will certainly be increased to a point closely approximating the English article, and the ques- tion of protecting our home markets will be more than ever a subject of serious consideration, for all the com- parisons made between English and American coals must be calculated f.o.b. at tidewater or the Atlantic sea- board, which comparison, even with our present cheap cost of mining, is in favor of the foreign coal by more than the entire duty.” The subject of transportation is taken up in a good deal of detail, and so is the question of consumption, which includes simple analyses of the general classes of coal and their relative merits for various purposes. Coke and by-products have their place in the volume, and lastly, and very important, is an excellent index, which makes of the work a pretty good volume of reference. As said before, coal is a great subject, to handle which thor- oughly would mean hundreds of volumes. The author of “The Story of American.Coals” has taken as a part of his text multum in parvo, and has succeeded in living up to his purpose. The Metric Fallacy. By Frederick A. Halsey and Samuel 8S. Dale. Published by D. Van Nostrand Com- pany, 23 Murray and 27 Warren streets, New York. Pages, 231. Cloth. Price, $1. This volume consists of two articles in opposition to the metric system. The first article, by Mr. Halsey, re- produces much of the paper presented to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers at its meeting in Decem- ber, 1902. The points raised in the discussion have been rewritten and inserted in their appropriate place. New chapters have been added on “ The Reasons for the Fail- ure of Compulsory Laws,” “ Scientific and Industrial Measurements,” “ Scientific and Industrial Difficulties,” “The Government Will Pay the Cost,” “The Confusion of Our Weights and Measures,” “‘ The Complications Due to a Mixture of Units,” “ The Inaccuracy of the Meter,” “The Abandoned Portions of the Metric System” and “The Object of the Bill.” The second article, by Mr. Dale, treats of “The Metric Failure in the Textile Industry.” Mr. Dale enters very thoroughly into the discussion of what he terms the Con- tinental chaos of textile weights and measures. He pre- sents a very interesting array of the difficulties which have been found in Europe in endeavoring to establish the metric system as the standard system of weights and measures. This work constitutes a formidable arraign- ment of the metric system, and the facts and arguments presented will be found most difficult to be overcome by those who are seeking to establish the metric system im this country. November 24, 1904 A New Heavy Bliss Shear. The accompanying half-tone shows a heavy shear lately designed by the E. W. Bliss Company, Brooklyn, N. Y. It is intended for trimming and squaring sheet iron and steel in single sheets or in packs up to % inch thick and 11 feet 5 inches long. The blades are each made of a solid piece of tool steel, with two cutting edges, and are carefully hardened and ground. There is an overhang or throat so that a sheet or pack of greater length than the blades may be trimmed by moving it along and taking successive cuts. The gauges are so arranged that the successive cuts will be straight and in line with the first. The gap or overhang is sufficient to allow a plate or pack 60 inches wide to be sheared lengthwise through the middle. An adjustable cam actuated clamping bar, directly in front of the upper blade, descends in advance of the blade, securely clamping and holding the pack until the cut is completed, and then releasing it automatically. The clamping device is operated from a cam on the end THE IRON AGE. has no action on the nitrogen and hydrogen. Calcium, however, possesses the property of forming stable com- pounds with these gases. Meslans has discovered also that the calcium-barium series are capable of uniting with aluminum, so that calcium or barium adds its action to that of the aluminum to eliminate the gases in the blow holes, forming with the hydrogen and nitrogen fixed or stable hydrides and nitrides. ———~+-e—___. Brazing Cast Iron. Much interest is being awakened by a recent invention made by Burt Springer of Des Moines, Iowa, whose sys- tem of brazing cast iron is based upon a compound. Pat- ents have been applied for on it and upon the method of applying the compound to the article to be brazed. The article to be brazed is heated to a brazing heat and the compound, which is in the shape of a powder, is supplied as in ordinary brazing, and is followed by the use of brass filings, wire or brazing spelter. The novelty of Mr. Twe son AGE A New Trimming Shear Designed by the E. W. Bliss Company, Brooklyn, N. Y. of the main shaft, which imparts motion to a rock shaft across the top of the machine. Two levers on the rock shaft give motion to the clamping bar by means of two connecting links, arranged with suitable adjusting screws to regulate the pressure upon the work. The main shaft is of hammered steel, 7 inches in diameter, and the two cranks for operating the cutter bar were forged and slotted out. The shear is driven by a 40 horse-power electric motor. The clutch is operated by a foot treadle, which allows the shaft to remain at a standstill until the treadle is depressed, when it makes one revolution, performing its work, and stops with the crank at the highest point. The distance between the housings is 120 inches; the center of the main shaft is 66 inches above the floor, and the total floor space 203 inches front and back by 227 inches right and left. The weight is about 50,000 pounds. ——— Maurice Meslans of Paris, France, whose representa- tive in this country is Kai Warming, has patented the use of an aluminum-calcium alloy for making sound steel. Its use is based upon the fact that the gas in blow holes in steel consists of carbonic oxide, hydrogen and nitro- gen. Aluminum decomposes the carbonic oxide but Springer’s system depends upon the fact that his com- pound acts upon the iron to be brazed in such a way as to render it porous. When cast iron is heated to the braz- ing heat and the composition is applied, it is for the time practically malleable iron and can be bent like a malleable. The pores in the two faces to be brazed become filled with molten spelter and thus make a joint. The practical working of this composition is easily ascertained by sawing through a test piece after it has been brazed. It will be found that the iron for an inch or two from the fissure is permeated with particles of the brazing metal which follow the pores of the metal. The brazing can be done quickly and with the ordinary brazing torch. This sys- tem is already in use in a large number of manufactur- ing plants, railway shops and particularly in repair shops. It is owned by the Hopkins Brothers, Springer Company of Des Moines, Iowa, who place on the market the brazing compounds. These are Nos. 1 and 2, which are used in combination for brazing cast iron, No. 2 for steel, and a quantity of brazing metal. A demonstration made recently before the students of the mechanical de- partment of Chicago University elicited widespread in- terest, and steps are being taken to include in the me- chanical course a series of lessons on brazing by means of the Springer system. ter eres ren me ne one ern ee sap ¥ : 6 THE IRON AGE. Steam Closing Stop Valves for Boilers. BY A. B. WILLITS, U. S. N. Steam pressures in marine and naval service have risen from the 50 pounds per square inch of 30 or 40 years ago to 250 or 300 pounds per square inch in pres- ent machinery designs. Few, however, even among the actual users of these high pressures, fully realize this tremendous change in the stored up energy in boilers and piping, or appreciate the difficulties overcome by the modern designer in properly safeguarding its hand- ling. True, when some casualty occurs to a steam carrying section of a plant there is instantaneous evidence of the intensity of the force theretofore so silent in its chains, and it is toward the perfecting of facilities for quickly checking the outflow of great volumes of destructive steam from such breaks that the efforts of the engineer have been directed. In the transatlantic merchant service record breaking runs keep up constant hazard, the limit of allowable tension on the machinery being relentlessly applied for a week at a stretch, and, frequently, only very short periods of rest between runs are allowed for proper over- hauling and readjustment. Happily these conditions are now being found too expensive, and a safer state of affairs is becoming rapidly established. Of course im- munity from mishap can never be assured, but by building engines to utilize safely a larger power than can possibly be produced by the boilers installed, and by adopting the best devices for controlling steam or quickly isolating a defective element. danger is marvelously lessened, November 24, 1904 To govern these conditions promptly an arrangement must exist for closing the steam stop valves, feed check valve and operating the furnace fire extinguishers of the injured boiler, from some position always accessible, such as an adjacent fireroom or from the deck above; for if we close the steam stop valve alone the continued entrance of feed water into the boiler, where heavy fires are still burning, will keep that compartment uninhabitable until fires are burned out, unless the rupture should be in the lower part of the boiler so as to keep it depleted of water. But with the numerous divisions of water tight compartments on a war ship it has not, as yet, been thought imperative to do more than to provide means for closing the steam stop valves of each boiler from some such safe position as referred to, and at the same time closing off the compartment itself until deliberate attention can be given to the other functions, The Old Form of Self Closing Stop Valve, For many years, and before the present high pres- sures obtained, the form of self closing stop valve as shown in Fig. 1 was used, where the valve stem proper is a simple sleeve in which a guide stem is worked by hand wheel. It is readily seen from this illustration that when steam is raised in the boiler the valve will open by in- ternal pressure as soon and as far as the guide stem is screwed out; or, if the valve should stick on its seat, the guide stem can be screwed out far enough to cause its shouldered end A to bear on the bushing B in the top of the sleeve valve stem, and then, after proper open- ing, the guide stem is run in again until its end just bears on the bottom of the bore of the valve stem. In this position the valve will be ready to close automat- FROM BOILER THE 'RON AGE Fig. 1.—Horizontal Automatic Stop Valve, Old Form. running expenses are reduced and costly delays are made far more infrequent, if not entirely avoided. In war ships the extraordinary risks come from the work for which such ships are built, the penetration of a shell into the machinery space carrying with it de- struction absolutely impossible to foresee. While the introduction of water tube boilers has made the con- ditions less dangerous by reason of the smaller amount of water carried in a single boiler, there are two cases of primary importance to consider in devising appar- atus for minimizing the effects of casualty to the steam plant, however it may be caused or whatever be the type of boiler carried. These are: 1. Where serious rup- ture occurs to an individual boiler. 2. Where serious rupture occurs to the main steam piping or immediate connections thereof, such as the high pressure cylinder or valve chest of the main engines. In the first case noted the steam pressure in the ruptured boiler quickly falls, but as long as the other boilers in use at the time remain connected to it by the steam piping their output will follow the path of least resistance, via this rupture into the fireroom and com- partment in which the injured boiler is located, render- ing it impossible to enter this compartment until the stop valve on the boiler is closed and the boiler itself ceases to make steam. ically should the boiler be ruptured and the rush of steam be reversed; it being now free to seat itself. This form was not altogether satisfactory, even for the one case for which it was devised, as it would some- times cause trouble by closing without the rupture it was meant to guard against. Besides this, it did not in the least degree satisfy the second case, where rupture occurred in the steam pipe outside of the boiler; and as this case is a most important one, improvements were devised for closing these valves from deck by leading thereto continuations of the valve stems, or, in a valve of this kind, the guide stem. Frequently, and in fact nearly always, this was accomplished by tortuous leads and the intervention of gearing and hangers, and as these would often be out of order the system was not wholly reliable. Perfectly direct leads of boiler stop valve stems to the deck above, when possible to install, meet both conditions fully, but as ships are now built this is seldom found to be practicable. The Advance to a Steam Closing Stop Valve. The next step was to apply steam to the function of positively closing these valves at any required time, and in Fig. 2 we have an example of an approved device of this kind. Here it is clearly shown that by an inde- pendent small steam pipe leading to one end of the clos- ing piston A the stop valve can be closed at will and November 24, 1904 THE IRON AGE. from whatever position the steam valve on the small pipe may be placed. In this device we note also that the valve proper is free to close automatically, as was the one shown in Fig. 1. The objections to this arrangement are that it is a heavy and complicated affair, having two stuffing boxes to keep tight, and also, owing to there being no cushion- ing device (the outer end of the steam piston being in free connection with either bilge or exhaust system), there is a liability to heavy slamming when using the steam closing connections. Neither is there any assist- i. | STEAM a Ey | Wiiily Pl einrerceenngergeeenmengeens KX sericea A} to) Fel 7 other side, there will be an unbalanced pressure tending to open the valve, so that the valve will positively follow the guide stem when it is run out. While the stop valve is open and in use the two-way cock is kept in this same position and the space behind the piston soon fills with condensed steam and forms a water cushion which pre- vents chattering and also keeps the valve steadily open under all ordinary fluctuations of pressure. Should the boiler be ruptured, however, there will be an instan- taneous drop in the pressure on both sides of this piston and the valve will be closed automatically, as in the TEAM PIPE NE we / Z r { | ~\ ] \ Ube — ie aaa "ag Lj — \ [= | te \ \ ae - \ ‘ THE IRON AGE BOILER Fig. 2.—Steam Closing Stop Valve, Usual Form. ance given by the arrangement to the opening of the valve. The Latest Form of Steam Closing Stop Valve. The latest invention in this line is shown in Fig. 3, and is so much simpler in form and so much easier of control as to warrant a few words of special explanation. In this device the steam closing piston and its cylin- der are part of and combined with the stop valve, hav- ing a common incasement, and as the piston is made with a larger area than that of the stop valve there is, as long as the outer end of the cylinder is connected with the atmosphere or exhaust, an unbalanced pressure on the piston which will drag the stop valve shut and keep it so. The two-way cock a is shown in the figure in this position. The valve stem proper extends up . | () _—_ : | | | | | _— | VY a Chm Lt cel |}——( full } a Ns GOSS t CLL L 4 nn _—_ other devices, by the inrush of steam, while the turning of the two-way cock to the position @ again will secure the valve shut or hasten its closing. In event of a rupture of the steam piping outside of the boiler, or on any occasion when it is desirable to close the valve by steam, the advantage of having water of condensation behind the piston is more evident, as by simply turning the cock gradually the speed with which the valve closes can be governed exactly, and prevent all slamming, in as gentle or rapid a seating as circum- stances may allow. The two-way cock can, of course, be placed wherever it may be desired, in adjacent firerooms or engine rooms, and an emergency pipe of small size can be connected to outer ends of all these cylinders, and, by having a single simple valve in this pipe located in the engine room or ls re 3 | —— WITH VALVE OPEN | a, ‘ Fromsoitern | | Ss a Soeanae \ t ATMOSPHERE LL = i —— (SS on exnaust SS eed SHUT POSITION « Fig. 3.—Latest Form of Steam Closing Stop Valve. through a threaded guide stem A, and has a small nut on its upper end simply to use for the guide stem to bear upon when it is desired to open the valve solely by. hand. At all other times this nut is kept off and the valve stem left free to slide in A, to retain the original self closing feature of the other designs. In opening this valve the two-way cock is placed in the position shown at b, connecting both ends of the cylinder, and as the piston rod area makes the outer side of the piston have more effective area than has the some central station, all the open stop valves can be in- stantly closed in event of the wrecking of one of the main engines or other extraordinary accident, by opening this little valve and running the water into the bilge. —— soo e____ — On August 9, 1904, at the Pencoyd Iron Works, Pen- coyd, Montgomery County, Pa., was rolled the largest angle ever made. It is an 8 x 8 x 1 inch angle, 110 feet long, and its finished weight is 5808 pounds. OT Ne eR fe RO — —— 7 _ sbi a oot Semana oe 2, males : 8 THE IRON AGE. The Westinghouse Automatic Pump Controller. Recently a new automatic pump controller, as shown in the accompanying illustrations, has been brought out by the Westinghouse Electric & Mfg. Company, Pitts- burgh, Pa., for use with its type C polyphase motors, from 5 to 50 horse-power capacity. The purpose of the controller is to start the pump when the water in the tank which it supplies falls below a certain level and stop it when the water again attains the required hight. Any suitable mechanical means may be employed for actuat- ing the controller, such as the arrangement shown in the diagram, Fig. 3, where adjustable stops raised and low- ered by means of the float in the tank engage the end of a starting lever to rotate the controller. The action of this device is reliable and does away with the necessity of all attendance except such occasional inspection as any machinery might require. The controller embodies a Westinghouse oil immersed auto starter, C, Fig. 1, with the stopping and starting mechanism connected by link A, governed by the weighted lever B. This lever moves freely through an are of 138 degrees in a slot in the drum of the automatic device, falling this distance when the action of the float has turned the drum sufficiently to lift the weight past a perpendicular position. As the water level is lowered the drum is turned by the falling float and the weight is Fig. 1.—Front View of the Westinghouse Automatic Pump Controller. slowly lifted until it reaches its upright position, when it falls, throwing the handle to a full running po- sition and starting the pump. As the water rises, the rising float turns the drum in the opposite direction and the weight is lifted until it finally falls to its original position, throwing the handle to the opposite direction and stopping the pump. The connection to the drum from the starting lever is by means of a rope passing gver the sheave D. To manipulate the auto starter evenly and gradually the impetus of the falling weight is checked by a dash November 24, 1904 pot, E, Fig. 2, which can be adjusted to regulate the speed of the movement. The weighted arm moves loosely upon its shaft, and as it falls compresses two spiral springs. These are coiled loosely around the shaft and pressed against a casting which is keyed to the shaft, but which is prevented from turning by a pawl engaging notches in the main casting. The weighted arm com- presses the springs and then trips the pawl, which the Fig. 2.—Rear View of the Controller. _—, ADJUSTABLE STOP BALLS LEVER 0 | / 3 | SHEAVE ON p—— CONTROLLER WEIGHT Fig. 3.—Diagram of One Method of Connecting the Controller with the Float in the Tank. THE IRON AGE springs move quickly to the next notch. The pawl is tripped three times in the downward movement of the weight, and each time it is tripped it allows the shaft to be turned a certain distance by the compressed springs. The auto starter is thus thrown through three notches, stopping or starting the motor. The attachment for operating the controller, as shown in Fig. 3, is designed for use when the controller is placed below the tank. If desired, the controller may be mounted above the tank, a rod attached to the float and passed through the end of the lever replacing the rope webs November 24, 1904 THE IRON AGE. 9 illustrated, the stops being attached to this rod. This part of the outfit may be simply devised and will depend upon the conditions of installation. It is, therefore, not furnished with the controller, it being left to the purchaser to arrange the actuating mechanism to suit himself. ——~-e—___ The Automatic Machine Company’s Wire Crimping Machine. In bringing out the machine for crimping wire, illus- trated herewith, the Automatic Machine Company, Bridgeport, Conn., believes it has the first machine for that purpose ever placed on the market. Wire workers heretofore, when they have had work of this class, have contrived a machine from whatever material they have had at hand, and naturally the result is seldom all that is to be desired. It will be noticed that this machine is of a very sub- stantial design. The frame and bed are in one casting. There are two crimp roll shafts geared together, the upper gear being adjustable in a slot and secured in position by a clamping screw so that the rolls will space accurately and produce an even crimp. The crimp roll shafts are 1% inches in diameter and the gears and rolls are keyed upon them. On each shaft are mounted four crimping rolls having inserted hardened steel pointed specting the lift bridges recently erected by that city. The party included Capt. J. J. Morrow, assistant enginer to the engineering commissioner in charge of surface work in Washington, W. J. Douglas, engineer of bridges, and T. B. Wilson, assistant engineer. They were per- sonally conducted about the city by City Engineer Charles Poetsch of Milwaukee. ee Electric Traction from Gas Power. A somewhat unique departure from established meth- ods in electric traction has recently been undertaken at Warren, Pa. The Warren & Jamestown Street Railway Company is equipping an alternating current single phase electric railway system to operate between Warren, Pa., and Jamestown, N. Y., for which power will be supplied by gas engines operating upon natural gas. The equip- ment is now being constructed by the Westinghouse Com- panies at East Pittsburgh, Pa. The power station will be located at Stoneham, Pa., two miles from Warren. The initial equipment will con- sist of two Westinghouse gas engines, each of 500 brake horse-power capacity. They will be of the horizontal single crank double acting type, direct connected to two 260-kw. Westinghouse generators, furnishing current at voltage sufficient for direct use upon the high tension The Automatic Machine Comps teeth for any four meshes desired. The shafts project through their bearings in the housings far enough to re- ceive another pair of crimping rolls. These can be read- ily changed for jobbing work, the standard rolls remain- ing between the housings at all times. A five-roll wire straightener is placed in front of the rolls through which the wire is fed. This is adjustable upon the slotted table shown, so that the wire can be introduced to the re- quired set of rolls. The casting holding the straightener has a guide for the wire, to enter it properly between the rolls. The adjustment for depth of crimp is regulated by screws which carry the bearings of the upper roll shaft. Gears of like size on the ends of the screws mesh with a gear connected with the hand wheel, shown at the top of the machine. By this means the crimping roll shafts are maintained parallel at all times, insuring perfect work. The machine is driven by belt running on tight and loose pulleys 12 inches in diameter by 3 inches face. On the driving shaft is also mounted a 24-inch balance wheel and a shrouded pinion engaging gears on the crimp- ing roll shafts. The balance wheel is fitted with a handle so that the machine may be driven by hand or power to suit the customer’s facilities. Furnished as illustrated, the machine is intended to be placed on a bench, but a base plate and legs may be had if required. —_—3-- oe A party of engineers from Washington, D. C., visited Milwaukee, Wis., November 18, for the purpose of in- any’s Wire Crimping Machine. transmission line. The power equipment also comprises a 55 horse-power Westinghouse gas engine for operat- ing air compressor and exciter unit. Natural gas will be used, furnished by the local distributing company. In this district the gas has a calorific value of about 1000 Brit- ish thermal units per cubit foot. Transformer stations, five in number, will be located along the right of way. These will receive the high ten- sion current from the transmission line and reduce the voltage to such an extent as to render it more suitable for use in single phase motors. The present motive power equipment will comprise four quadruple sets of Westinghouse single phase motors, each approximatély 50 horse-power capacity. An interesting feature of the system is the arrangement for operating the alternating current motors upon the direct current trolley lines with- in the city limits of the termini. The Warren & Jamestown Street Railway is not a newly organized system, as it has operated part of the present lines for a period of eleven years. Three years ago the company began experimenting with the use of gas power, with sufficient success to influence it in the now exclusive adoption of gas engines for its en- tire power generation. ————»- oe _—— The Bay State Tap & Die Company, Mansfield, Mass., for some time past has been experimenting with high speed steel for taps and dies and is now making a line which is entirely satisfactory. ~nemeern oO Te -_— = eo OT eee ore 10 THE IRON AGE. The Calumet & Hecla Copper Lode.* BY T. A. BICKARD. The recital of the events connected with the uncover- ing of the Calumet & Hecla lode forms a story by itself. It does credit to the persistence of the discoverer, Edwin J. Hulbert, and to the shrewdness of his financial sup- porter, Quincy A. Shaw, but it is marred by one of those not infrequent misunderstandings between men of unlike temperament, resulting in the familiar dispute as to whether the man who finds or the man who founds a great mine should be the chief beneficiary. Hulbert was a surveyor; he had laid out roads and mapped lands and mine workings for ten years before the discovery. He has related how?7, in 1853, he lived in the Eagle River district and became a keen student of mining geology under such veterans as W. H. Stevens, Samuel W. Hill and Charles Whittlesey. At that period mining for cop- per in the bedded series was not