The Iron Age 1905-01-05: Vol 75 Iss 1

THE IRON AGE A Review of the ntuadt Iron, Machinery and Metal Trades. Published every Thursday Morning by David Williams Co., 232 -238 William St. New York Vol. 75: No. 1. Reading Matter Contents....... page 112 Alphabetical Index to Advertisers “ 367]. 359]. Classified List of Advertisers.... “‘ Advertising and Subscription Rates ‘“‘ 366 Grip the Shaft Tight Forster Pulley Works Cuba, N. '. THE BRISTOL COMPANY, Waterbury, Conn. Bristol’s Recording Instruments. For Prosqure Temperature d Electricity. Silver ‘Medal, Paris Exposition. All Ranges, Low Prices, and Guar- anteed. Send for Circulars SAMSON SPOT CORD Alse Linen and Italian Hemp Sash Cord, SAMSON CORDAGE WORKS, Boston, Mass. ~ x‘"®"U0RNBUCKLES, °»”— 2 Branch Office. 11 Broadway, New York. leveland City Forge and Iron Co., Cleveland, O. TURN BUCH IFES: MERRILL BROS., tO mat 465 to 471 Kent Ave Brooklyn, E.D .N.¥ COKE AGTH PILLING & CRANE Girard Building, Philada. Farmers’ Bank, Pittsburg. How to get an Empire Bidg., New York, Calendar Board of ~~ __Board of Trade, Boston. Boston. See AMERICAN SHEET PLATE CO.’S & TIN Ad. on Page 35. New York, Thursday, January 5, 1905. Sa e~ Forster Pulleys} ru. m. c. 00 a Year, including Postage Single Copies, 15 Cents. The Priew Short Range Shells is the same as regular she lse~Rar short range or bush shooting they are superior, for at 25 yargs they give Prac- tically a 40-yard pattern and penetration. i> WM. ©. Show nat Sol are universally popular. One Sportsman writes: ‘* Having tried many shot spreading devices I was skeptical of'the new U. M. C. Short Range Shells. Experience in the field shows them to be all you claim. They kill but never mutilate.’’ The Union Metallic Cartridge Company, Agency, 313 Broadway, New York City, N. Y. __ BRIDGEPORT, CONN. CAHALL BOILERS *% = S) (> PLAIN PATTERN REGULAR HEAD. Gapewell Horse Nails Branches: DETROIT, RE, CINCINNATI, ae ORLEANS, SAN FRANCISCO, PORTLAND, ORE., ©! 4%, OF YEXIco, BUFFALO, TORONTO, CANADA, THE CAPEWELL HORSE NAIL CO, Hartford, Conn. NEW YORK, PHILADELPHIA, CHICAGO, ST. LOUIS, BOSTON, RBALTIMO N¥siived OBAvONUNOD PLAIN PATTERN REGULAR HEAD. <== ZG ee tc (tsstéwWSC ENKI 96 PACKING Can anything be more annoying than a leaky steam joint, not to mention the expense caused by a loss of steam? The remedy is easy, and is yours by the use of Jenkins ’96 Packing, which is guaranteed. oklet, “ at 3 aie ob) Write for Pointa on Packing.” JENKINS BROS. New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, London ln SS “Swett” Gold Role See av = THE AMERICAN TUBE & STAMP ( Water" and Rall Delive Ty) BRIDGEPORT, CONN. MAGNOLIA METAL. Best Anti-Friction Metal for all Machinery Bearings. Pac-Simile of Bar. Beware of imitations. ~ MAGNOLIA METAL CO., Owners and Sole Manufacturers, 113-115 Bank Street, Chicago, Fisher Bidg. NEW YORK. rasa eh eh es hams A* > Ae ey ett Be), SD 2 VE od Se San Francisco, Muntreal, Boston and Pittshurg. We manufacture ali grades of Babbitt Metals at competitive prices. THE IRON AGE ( see see ee BRAS y * FREDRICK, cea may | SILVER WIRE HAY a te LOW BRASS. SHEET BRONZE. Der Se HAP SEAMLESS BRASS AND COPPER Lock HAVEN, PA. JBRIINGME LVAD ELT COPD BRONZE TUBING Randolph-Clowes C9, WATERBURY BRASS CO.. Main Office and Mill, WATERBURY, CONN. WATERBURY, CONN. MANUFACTURERS OF 99 John St., New York. Providence, R. I. SHEET BRASS & COPPER. BRAZED BRASS & COPPER Bridgeport Deoxidized Bronze & apenne Metal C0., SEAMLESS BRASS BRIDGEPORT, GONN. & COPPER TUBES $| automobile Castings a Specialty. TO 36 IN. DIAM. . ; New York Office, 253 Broadway, Postal High Tensile Strength. pr enn, megan Bronze and Aluminum Alloys. Write Us. wo tatdadntinn ee ie he ie ryt —_— Pepi Chicago Office, 602 Fisher Bldg. Matthiessen & Hegeler Zinc Co., LA SALLE, ILLINOIS. SMELTERS OF SPELTER AND MANUFACTURERS OF SHEET ZINC AND SULPHURIC ACID. Special Sizes of Zinc cut to order. Rolled Battery Plates. Selected Plates for Etchers’ and Lithographers’ use. Selected Sheets for Paper and Card Makers’ use. Stove and Washboard Blanks. ZINCS FOR LECLANCHE BATTERY. MU TSE) HENS ron } AE a Hu 88-74 West Monroe St. Chicago. NRO CIAL ECM CAECUM CAE TIM: UUTHIDTILT ete On Short Notice, rass, Bronze and ® Aluminum #2 FOUN DERS— FINISHERS. Ww. G. ROWELL COo., HENDRICKS BROTHERS PROPRIETORS OF THE Belleville Copper Rolling Mills, MANUFACTURERS OF Braziers’ Bolt and Sheathing COPPER, _ CASTINGS Bridgeport, Conn. | THE PLUME & ATWooD MF6, Co,, MANUFACTURERS OF Sheet and Roll Brass —AND— WIiRG PRINTERS’ BRASS, JEWELERS’ METAL, GERMAN SILVER AND GILDING METAL, COPPER RIVETS AND BURRS. Pins, Brass Butt Hinges, Jack Chain, Kere- sene Burners, Lamps, Lamp Trimmings, &c. 29 MURRAY ST., NEW YORK. 144 HIGH ST., BOSTON. 199 LAKE ST., CHICAGO, ROLLING MILL : THOMASTON, CONN. — FACTORIES : WATERBURY, CONN, SCOVILL MFG. CO., MANUFAOTUREES 0) BRASS, GERMAN SILVER Sheets, Rolls, Wire Rods, Bolts and Tubes, Brass Shells, Cups, Hinges, Buttons, Lamp Goods. Special Brass Goods to Order. FACTORIES: WATERBURY, CONN. Depots NEW YORK, CHICAGO, BOSTON. JOHN DAVOL & SONS, COPPER, TIN, SPELTER, LEAD, ANTIMONY. 100 John Street, New York. Artur T. baer a Uh. 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. THE BRIDGEPORT BRASS CO., BRIDGEPORT, CONN. 19 Murray St., New York. 85-87 Pearl St., Boston. 17 N. 7th St., Philadelphia. MANUFACTURERS OF Brass (SHEET AND TUBING Copper WIRE Lamp Geods of all Kinds, BRASS AND COPPER GOODS In Great Varieties. GEORGE KROUSE HEAVY CASTINGS Manufacturer of all <inds of COPPER. WwiRE AND RIVETS. Brass and Composition Castings Importers and Dealers in Ingot Copper, Block Tin, Spelter, Lead, 49 CLIFF ST., NEW YORK. Antimony, etc. Brazing Metals, Hard Composition and Phosphor Prorve Castings A Speciality. 150 to 154 Mo": JERSEY CITY, N. . THE IRON AGE Thursday, January 5, 1905. The Manufacture of Cast oo Iron Car Wheels. ~ / As it is Done at the New Plant of the Pennsylvania Railroad at South Altoona, Pa. This is the Largest and Most Modern Plant of its Kind in Existence. It is Designed to Have a Capacity of 900 Wheels a Day. The System and Special Appliances Insuring Rapid and Economical Production. What may doubtless be regarded as the most modern systematic and continuous example of foundry practice in this country is furnished by the new car wheel foundry of the Pennsylvania Railroad at South Altoona, Pa. Fig. 1. Simultaneously. ‘This is Facilitated by Here the ever increasing demand for the thousands of wheels required annually over its system is to be met by the company itself. For many years the company has been producing cast iron wheels at its foundry at Altoona, but in recent years the product of this plant has been entirely inadequate to keep pace with the rapidly grow- ing demands of the system. At the old plant wheels are still made in the usual manner. But when the company decided to greatly increase its output of car wheels Dy the construction of an entirely new plant it was realized that there was an opportunity to bring into being ideas of what a modern car wheel plant should be. The chance was seen of giving form to ideas and a system which have been the culmination of years of mooted plans, unfulfilled because of their radical departure from J —A View on One of the Molding Floors, Showing How the Work on Four Molds on Each Floor Means of the Electric Hoists Working Four Abreast existing lines. To adopt them meant to discard all of the old, and this necessitated a new plant. Although the entire plant is not yet in full operation, enough of it has now been through a practical working test l’rogresses of sufficient duration to prove its great advancement over ordinary methods. The feature of this plant, the one that strikes one most forcibly when entering the plant and impresses one with its importance at once, is the con- tinuity of operations—the uninterrupted progress of the metal from the cupolas to the annealing pits. ment is noticeably timed to a nicety. worth and real most interesting Each move- Each follows in its proper sequence, and the result is a steady, continuous and apparently automatic stream of production. The se- cret of this lies. of course, in the handling facilities. For operating these electricity Two are used. The comprises numerous electric traveling hoists is employed entirely. overhead and a special type of electric The tramway system is employed chief- systems traveling crane. 2 THE IRON AGE ly to handle the ladles between the electric hoists and the cupolas, and again to take the hot wheels from the elec- tric hoists to the annealing department. Thus it will be seen the railways carry the molten metal to the molding floors and the completed wheel away, while the electric hoists perform their function during the actual work of casting and, of course, molding. The next important step is the method of utilizing these appliances. To understand this readily it will be necessary to become familiar with the general scheme of layout of the molding floors. In the first place, as a glance at Fig. 13 will show, the great foundry building is composed of a series of 13 bays arranged side by side. Two of these bays at each end are utilized for annealing and cleaning departments. The nine bays in the inter- vening space are divided into three units, each possessing its own pair of cupolas, so that it may be operated sepa- Fig. 2.—The Tap Running the Metal from Two Cupolas into Cars. The Cars Are Then Run to the Desired Floors rately if desired. Then, again, each bay is divided into four floors, or rows, of molds, making 12 floors for each of the three units. Each floor contains 25 molds. THE SYSTEM OF OPERATION. For detailed description of the system we have se- lected the middle unit of 12 floors. This, in fact, is the only one fully equipped and in. operation at this. time. Thus it will be seen the present capacity of the plant is 300 wheels per day, while the ultimate capacity will be 900 wheels daily. In view of the fact that each bay con- tains four floors, or rows, this figure is taken as a basis for all operations. All things are done in fours. That is the chief point of the system. The forenoon of each day is taken up by the work of molding. One molder is placed in charge of each floor, or line, of 25 molds. He has two helpers. Each wheel is numbered, the number being cast on it so that its record can be kept right from its very origin. The molds are arranged so that the numbers begin at the west side of the plant and work east toward the cupolas. In all operations the work progresses in numerical order, start- ing with the lowest number. The four molders in each bay and their gangs of helpers vie with one another to finish their row first, and, of course, as they are directly January 5, 1905 responsible for results on their floors, it is to their inter- est to produce perfect wheels throughout. Directly over each line of molds there is a runway containing an elec- tric traveling hoist which runs from east to west, parallel with the row of molds. Beginning work in the morning the four molders in each bay run their hoists to the ex- treme end of their floor and from there progress four abreast toward the cupola. Each man having his own hoist to manipulate the copes and drags, no delay in the waiting for crane service is encountered. In Fig. 1 it will be seen the men are pretty well down toward the end of their floors. As is the case with all of the photos re- produced in this article, this figure shows the work pro- ceeding in its regular manner, as the photographs were all made by instantaneous exposure while the work was in progress. To maintain a level floor for the molds they are placed on a pair of light weight steel rails which are a Reservoir, from Which it is Poured into the Ladles on Special and the Ladles Are Picked Up by the Electric Hoists. permanently true, being firmly set in the ground on wooden ties. At about 11 o’clock the blast is turned into the cupolas and within an hour the work of pouring begins. As is shown in Fig. 2, the metal .is run into a tilting steel reservoir, from which it is poured into the ladles, which are set on special trucks. Four of these trucks are coupled together infO one train, and each at the start contains two ladles. As the work progresses only one ladle is filled on each truck, the empty space on each truck being provided for depositing an empty ladle when a filled one is taken off. In Fig. 2 will be noted two men stationed on the floor near the cupolas. One operates the reservoir by means of the lever, which he is holding in his right hand, while the other operates an ordinary electric controller in connection with the movement back- ward and forward of the ladle cars. Immediately after four ladles are filled they are run to the desired bay and are picked up by means of the electric hoist after the empty ladle is deposited on the truck. The hook and operating lever of one of these hoists are shown on the right of Fig. 2. Taken up.by the hoists, the four ladles advance to- gether to the proper quadruplet of molds waiting to be poured. The four molds are poured simultaneously, as A ewan’ January 5, 1905 THE IRON Fig. 3.—Pouring Four Molds Simultaneously, the Ladles Being Suspended by Means of the Electric Hoists. io : ; A aT can? ae mee la Pm he “om Fig. 4.—Rear View of the Pouring Operation, Showing How Closely the Work Progresses Throughout the Entire Length of the Foundry. THE IRON AGE January 5, 1905 _— PF eee iene | aa t ca a ; Fig 5.—Knocking the Sprues and Sand Out of the Hot Wheels. This is Done While the Wheels Are Still at a Red Heat, Being Suspended by Means of the Blectric Hoists ee et: | a he Citi -—* elieeulidaliiel we ie E aa. oe sf mei | ~ Viet woe; | | “ at Or alte lig. 6.—After the Operation Shown in Fig. 5 the Hot Wheels Are Carried, Four at a Time, to the Extreme End of Each Where They Are Deposited on Special Trucks, which Carry Them to the Annealing Department. \ é : | @ : January 5, 1905 shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The ladles are then returned to the trucks and this process is repeated. After three or four sets of wheels have been poured in this manner the ladles are taken to the end of the bay and placed upon the floor, so that the hoists are free for the next opera- tion. This consists of taking the hot wheel from the mold and knocking the sprue and sand off of it. This is performed as shown in Fig. 5. By means of the electric hoist the cope and chill are removed, and the wheel, at a cherry heat, is picked up and elevated slightly by the hoist, an ordinary hook and prongs being used, as shown a Special Four-Hoist in the engraving. Sledges are then taken to break away the sprue, and the wheels are hit on their rims to cause the greater portion of the adhering sand to drop off. The illustration shows how small an interval of space is kept between the cast wheel and the preparations for the next day’s molding. It will be observed that the cope and drag for the next day’s mold are in readiness at a space of but one mold to the rear. Denuded of most of the clinging sand, the wheels are run to the west side of the shop and placed upon spe- THE IRON Arriving at the Annealing Department, the Hot Wheels Electric Traveling Crane rhe AGE wm ‘These cially constructed trucks, as shown in Fig. 6. trucks are designated as wheel trucks and are operated oh a system similar to that employed with the ladle trucks. They are hauled by means of an endless cable wound about a drum attached to an electric motor. The operator’s platform is elevated at the south end of the building, being shown in Fig. 7, and his controller is so equipped as to indicate the exact position of the truck When the foundry is in full operation a provided and each will cover along the floor duplicate system will be one-half of the plant, one train running to the annealing Tue Iron AGE ¢ Are Lifted from the Four Trucks Simultaneously by Means of Wheels Are Picked Up by Means of Automati« Tongs north end of the plant and the other south end. At wheels are run to the pits at the to those at the considerable speed loaded with four annealing department, where they are shown in Fig. 7. Here the core holes are cleaned out and automatic up the wheels, gripping them in the The four pairs of tongs are suspended the trucks tongs pick bore of the hub. from a specially designed Shaw four-hoist electric travel- ing crane, which, after elevating the wheels above the stone wall surrounding the annealing pits, travels across 6 THE IRON the building, depositing the wheels in their proper pits, as shown in Fig. 8. THE SPECIAL APPLIANCES USED. The Electric Hoists. Fig. 11 illustrates the high speed I-beam trolley hoist which is so extensively used throughout the plant. It is built by Pawling & Harnischfeger, Milwaukee, Wis., and both the trolley travel and the hoist are operated elec- AGE January 5, 1905 groove type. To protect against dust the motors are of the inclosed type. A direct current potential of 220 volts is used. To the lower side of the hoist motor the two reversible and inclosed controllers E and F are attached. The con- trolling device is in the form of an outrigger, which per- mits operating the hoist without the overator interfering with the work. One lever controls both the hoisting or lowering and also the trolley travel in either direction. Fig. 8.—The Special Four-Hoist-Shaw Electric Traveling Crane Lowering Four Wheels into the Annealing Pit After Raising Them from the Wheel Trucks. trically and controlled by a single lever. The hoist is of 1-ton capacity and runs on the lower flange of an I-beam, two of its four wheels—one on either side—being geared for the trolley drive. The truck bracket and the trolley frame are of one casting, affording great rigidity. The hoist motor and trolley drive motor are attached on op- posite sides of the frame, so that they balance one an- other. The hoisting drum is so hung within the trolley frame that the load on the hook comes directly beneath Hr So => = ir rr sah Pp = pir | & = TT TF OTe rl p> The Tongs Release Automatically After the Wheels Are Lowered. A turn of the controlling bar in a horizontal plane effects the trolley travel through bevel gears and a quill shaft extending to the corresponding controller, while a tilting of the same handle actuates the hoist motor turough a rock shaft extending through the quill to the other con- troller. Both motors can be reversed by simply changing the direction of movement of the bar, and both motors can be operated simultaneously when desired. The controller connections are so arranged that the motion of the Fig. 9.—Details of the Special Four-Hoist Shaw Electric Traveling Annealing Pit Crane. the center of the wheel base. All gears and pinions are protected by gear cases. The machine is provided with a load brake, motor brake and limit switch. In the draw- ing A is the motor which gives the trolley travel through the train of gearing a b c and d, and B is the hoisting motor, which connects with the drum through gears e, f, g and h. One of the contact wires for the motors is shown under the upper flange of the I-beam in the side view, and C is the trolley wheel. The other contact is made on the opposite side of the I-beam in a similar man- ner as shown in the end view at D. The motors are series wound and have four fields, with armatures of the tunnel operator’s hand is in the same direction as the motion of the machine; for instance, the elevation of the right hand end of the handle bar causes the hook to rise. The motors are each 2% horse-power, and the maxi- mum hoist speed is 30 feet per minute for full load and 75 for light load. The maximum trolley travel is 350 feet per minute for full load and 400 for light load. The Annealing Pit Crane. Figs. 8 and 9 show the 2-ton annealing pit crane equipped with four independent hoists. The span of these cranes is 43 feet 314 inches, and hight of hoist 20 feet. The hoists are carried on wheels, and may be moved along the tn etn ee: alae BNI st A ie January 5, 1905 THE IRON AGE 7 crane to any desirable position, and secured for service. Each crane is provided with two bridge motors, one A fifth or spare hoist is provided, which is placed in the being held in reserve. In case of accident to either one center of the bridge. In case of accident to either one of the motors, the other one can immediately be switched of the hoists next to it the disabled one can be moved into the circuit. By moving the bridge motor gear along the driving shaft, throwing it out of mesh with the pinion, or removing the armature extension shaft carry- ing the pinion, either motor will be at rest while the crave is being operated by the other motor. 7) THE IPON AGE Fig. 12.—Front and Side Elevations of the Automatic Tongs. =) == hc am Wh a i ] } / 4 AN fi 5 a f | \ B ) L r | q fl } ¢ a ee oD , Pe ee a. = gol ie } THE IRON AGE J + 4 / 2 E % a. / {/ F | fee ee Q / 4 } ~ a + Le 4) , ep ay) HK Oi — FUL/-A\ 9 a we J) 7 — 4 } ; 4 } 4 } } | | | é A 4 \9) y J i 4 ( on + re . + Noe +. 1 J THE NAG Fig. 11,—Side and End Views of the Pawling & Harnischfeger Electric Hoist, Showing Gearing for the Drive. sufficiently toward the end of the crane to allow the spare Each crane is also provided with a spare controller, hoist to be put in its place. In case of accident to either in addition to the five controllers used for operating the one of the.end hoists, it can be moved closer to the end of five movements of the crane. By means of a special the crane, allowing the one next to it to take its place, switchboard this controller can be connected up to any and the spare hoist to take the vacant place. one of the seven motors on the crane. THE IRON AGE January 5, 1905 Ce GQN3 HLYON a a ON hON AGE ThE ! WOOY ONINV319 fs ! | Tr 2 2 |! Q000G000 = | I]}0000000000 aoe *2¥8 HI 8414 —)QQOO0O 3 | } 009000000000 sid oNNvaNny QOOOOOO ‘ | | 20900000000 00 ©0000000d}} _ | | 0000000000000000000000000 . I | ||}, CdDdGdO0AC00000000CD00000 | 8 li || 20000000000000000000000 |. |! HH 000000000000000000000000 L , : g | I | |, 2200000000000000000000000 |. g Snes | | || oo00000000000000000000000 P| 3 onal 1 '| 0000000000000000000000000 "138i: epoccenesse000000en00N000 Goo 1 | ||| 9000000000000000000000000 i i F fi i 0090000000000000000000000 || | mee | bi CO000NDNDDOOOOOQ00000000000 ™ “ F 9 a a o a - Oe q ° DD ©000000000 00000 0000000000 uildin 1 |G 00000c¢0000000000000000000 | \ = 1 |G ©000000000000000000000000 = § ©0000000000000000000000000 f “ p a a 0 o a > c z 0000000000000000000000000 a ow uw 3 % 21 |||] 0000000000000000000000000 | B @ st t be = 2% 4) | 0900000000000000000000000 2 » a> wl = I 200000000000000000 0000000 % | 4 0 o u Ss ©000000000000000 0000000009 | = = § ||) 900000¢90000000000 0000000 S 1 ©000000000 00000000 0000000 | 7 ||, ©00000000000000000000%000 | = b a o a o |} ©000000000000000000000000 ot a ' 00 0000 0000 0000 00000000000 | @ bi 1; wi = 4 | || 0200009000 90000C000000000 | < \e u 0000000000 000000000000000 Dit 0 0 0 ols 0000000000000000000000000 4, } 2, = I || ~=€0000000000000 00000020000 8 He) . i 0000000000000000000000000 | 2 2 | ©000000000000000000000000 | * . IE } Q { a 2 ° | | ©000000000000000000000000 | | = I Ji} = ©000000000000000000000000 8 . aes = i ©2900000000000000000090000 2 Be a = = a =f : 1! Hy 0000000000000 00000000000 RE eS \ Pi So | . 4) o00000000000 DOOOOOOCOO (eae Hy : HEY ¥ Gl HOCCDDCOOODOOM™ #9¥3 M! S418 $244 QOQQO0000)| # f _ | “ a 4 Ol |}OOOCDDOOOOO s4 onrwanny OOOOOOOCOO!s =| \ | i | 6 ] : } wl 000000000000 O000000000 © | : : - . ° - ‘- g | ‘ , ant --4 § } SESE - apis i _ y = | oT! as =: \ WOOY ONINV3190 i: see | | — i | ) (Ee . a oe = =< " ° re 984 = &2-V-SAVE-8 - ~= = > PUREE oe -> - 1-981 4 eds <a nel ON3 HiNOS January 5, 1905 Each crane having a spare hoist, controller and bridge motor it can be continually kept in service, avoiding the necessity of laying it up for repairs. The hoist motors are each 7% horse-power, giving a speed of hoist of 100 feet per minute with full load and 200 feet per minute without load. The bridge motors are each 10 horse-power, giving a bridge speed of 500 feet per minute with full load and 550 feet per minute with- out load. The Automatic Tongs. The problem of picking up and dropping the wheels at the annealing pit without delay is successfully over come by means of the automatic tongs illustrated in Figs. 10 and 12. As shown in Fig. 10, the tongs position to take hold of a_ wheel. The tongs are lowered so that the toothed pieces f f enter the the wheel. As the bottom of the pin « touches the hub it raises the horizontal leg of the bell crank b bl, which action throws the vertical the right until the upper hooked end releases the pin in the center. This draws the arms d d together, when a lifting strain is put upon the upper eye of the tongs and forces the projections f f apart, clutching the wheel in its bore. The upward movement of the central pin throws the crank e past its and it are in bore of leg to over center, drops by its 7 ‘ ' ] t 4 it h a = x | acer yh feo) oy I} ~ swt G \ |] co 0 ‘ ) pat ob rr ICAP. 3000 LBS. ul 483 w2' OVER Fig. 14 Part Longitudinal Section own weight, leaving the notched leg extending vertically downward. When it is desired to release the wheel it is lowered until it rests on the floor or some other support. Then as the lifting strain is removed the central pin drops to its lowest position and is latched by e. The tongs be ing again raised are prevented from taking hold of the wheel, and as the pin @ drops back 0b falls with it, the hook on the vertical leg of b again engages the pin and the crank e is restored to the position shown in Fig. 10, and the tongs are ready to lift another wheel. In this manner the wheels can be picked up from the wheel cars and deposited into the annealing pits auto- matically, and again taken out of the pit automatically to be transferred to the cleaning room. The Special Trucks. The wheel car, which Figs. 6 and 7, is built up of structural steel. consisting essentially of two 5-inch channels, weighing 6144 pounds per foot, bolted to square axles, and containing on their top in the center two circular steel bands 21% inches in diameter, the upper one being raised about six inches aboye the top of the channels. The hot wheel is placed on top of this upper band, simply resting upon it without any special fastenings. The trucks are each about 4 feet long, being 3 feet 6 inches between centers of wheels. The wheels are 15 inches in diameter, and the truck is operated upon 20-pound rails laid on the C. W. system. The gauge is shown in THE IRON Showing AGE 9 of track is 2 feet 7144 inches. The four trucks are con- nected by means of square steel rods, and the fastenings of the endless operating cable are on the first and last cars. The ladle cars, shown in Fig. 2, are built up of struc- tural steel. Two 6-inch channels, weighing 8 pounds per foot and about 7 feet long, are suspended underneath the two axles by means of yoke fastenings. Resting in the upon these channels is a pan 4 feet 10% inches long and 3 feet 10% inches wide, built up of %- inch plate and having rounded corners. The wheels are 15 inches in diameter, and, as in the case of the wheel trucks, run on 20-pound rails placed at 2 feet 74s inches in a similar manner and are operated on the same prin- center steel gauge. These trucks are connected to the wheel trucks ciple. The Pouring Reservoir and Ladles. The steel reservoir, which receives the molten metal direct from the cupolas, is built up of *%-inch plates and 2x 2x \% inch angle iron. The reservoir has a capacity of about 7 t feet 5 inches wide in the center 33 inches high above the center bearing and extends the pouring the metal in the front is 4 x tons. It is and 30> inches below center bearing. The opening for 5 inches, tapering almost to a point on the bottom. The reservoir is tilted || | af | ; | | | —————— posiecets | | <= | . | be 2--+| fare 46 Mw PILASTERS Typical Features of Construction the located directly underneath, having a double piston arrangement, by means of hydraulic pressure, cylinder, moves the chains attached to the disks on the ends of the side bearing pins. The reservoir was made in one of the shops of the Pennsylvania Railroad at Altoona. The ladles are made of 5-16-inch plates, being 22% inches wide, inside diameter, and about 18 inches deep. They are each of just the proper size to hold sufficient metal for the casting of one wheel. SPECIAL FEATURES OF THE PLANT. Fig. 15, the main foundry building is 602 feet long by 188 feet wide. On the As will be noted by reference to west side a shipping platform about 38 feet wide runs the entire length of the building. This is elevated to a level with the foundry floor, and the railroad tracks are depressed at that point, so that the floor of the cars comes flush with the shipping platform. This platform is used for the storage of wheels prior to shipment. The cleaning rooms, at each end of the building, it will be seen, are large enough to permit of easily handling the full capacity of the annealing pits. The annealing pits at each end of the building, it will be observed, are arranged in four rows, carrying out the principle of handling the wheels by fours. There are 25 pits in each row and each pit has a capacity of 20 wheels. At each end of the building a washroom is located. 2 et eae Piewer 10 THE IRON AGE These are fitted out in excellent manner, being equipped with enameled iron wash basins having nickeled fixtures, shower baths, metal lockers and all modern appur- tenances. There is one core department, consisting of six ovens, to take care of the entire plant. Three of the ovens are located on each side of the core sand pit. The novel construction of the ovens permits of an enormous capac- ity for each oven. The entire department is about 92 feet long and 40 feet wide. About one-third of this space ss t=) § + 7 —_ \ | | ) i } > = é I | f ‘ van j 1} J \ J ) | wf ~ 4 \. 4 Ye 4 = SK | / y 4 Ni \Y A ’ ¥ , y } —}— — tt eae i f= 12 I BEAM 40 LBS. Ht ( ROPE COLUMN CAP. 9000'L88. ) < = i 2 > | e: 21 H 1 i FLASKS } y —2 ¥ = p = -_ = Ps — x ' : T a x me eK 1416 January 5, 1905 is mounted. This is so constructed that each of the shelves can be rotated independently. The shelves are made up of cast iron segments bolted together and to a centerpiece. Upon these segments perforated plates of 3-16-inch tank plate are laid. The shelves are 10 feet 6 inches in diameter and 2% inches thick. There are 7 rings, or shelves, to each oven. Each one will hold 41 ring cores, making a total capacity | | 3 » 8¢ 23 CUPOLA a 4” S— =] aR! A { f t, * ; , “2 = ae Fig. 15.—Broken Cross Section. 50-0. oa Sea AGE Fig. 16.—Section of One of the Core Ovens. is given to the sand pit. The ovens are about 11 feet wide and each has a pit 7 feet long by 3 feet 8 inches wide and 4 feet 9 inches deep, immediately in front of the fire doors. The grate is 4 feet deep and is elevated 14 inches, leaving a space 3 feet high for the fire. Ona foundation about 3 feet square, in the center of the oven, a central spindle containing circular revolving shelves : SS . 1 AIR SPACE ' Tre IRON AGE Fig. 17.—Plan of Core Ovens. for one oven of 287 cores. The ovens are fired by means of coke. Details of one of the ovens are shown in the engraving Fig. 16. A plan view of three ovens, showing the flues and similar features of construction, is given in Fig. 17. An interesting feature of these ovens is the construc- tion of the doors. There are two doors to each oven. ve oa ate acne January 5, 1905 They are hinged to the side and are opened and bolted by means of a hand wheel located on the left hand side of the right hand door. The turning of this wheel lowers the upper and raises the lower bolts, which engage in a vertical position. The doors are made of 3-16-inch tank steel, % inch asbestos and No. 16 sheet iron, bolted to- gether with carriage bolts. The system of charging the cupolas possesses several features of interest. In the first place, the charge is selected in the yards and the trucks are properly loaded before they are brought up to the charging floor. The truck is then simply emptied upon the coke as it comes to the cupola. Running up to the charging floor is a hy- draulic elevator which contains on its platform a turn- table and narrow gauge tracks. On the charging floor the tracks branch off V-shape to either of the cupolas. In the yard the tracks lead to the scrzie house, where the charging materials are stored in bins. Directly out- side of this house is the wheel breaker, which consists simply of a steel cupped base, on which the old wheels to be broken are placed and a tower and elevating mechanism for raising the ball prior to the drop. Within easy reach the coke and pig iron are also stored. The empty trucks are wheeled on the scale and loaded HOA A ci on. o it aS Ga | Sat SLOPE.1..6_1N. att 4ELey. 1128 9 ga / (pea orcs Fe OOO IC! sli f seuietinenitiniiamemmiimennecah:. Aallien Th ie ooo COARSE BROWKENE bt —— ¥ } ELEV. 1128. ‘STONE BeLows |< [Ooo 2m WOOO [pine seowe| RS i SCOPE 1-471N 149 | TILE DRAIN ad} Cuav.1190.81 A-5:2 >> ~ - — h x #HOOOOOO [1] 5 Q9999 {[concaeres | \ \! be eh -_ eek \pee _StoPe Ui a ae | SURNT ANOS 2 | FELEV.1128.6 8 sf KK = tr— \ieleleyelelo Mite: Melee) ay =n — “ a = Evev.1120.7 (ZZ o f t SECTION ON A-S THE IRON AGE Fig. 18.—Broken Plan and Sections of the Annealing Pits. with the proper charge, which is about as follows: 10 per cent. coke iron. 30 per cent. charcoal iron. 5 per cent. steel scrap. 55 per cent. old wheels. Each truck holds 2 tons, and for each coaling two cars of the metal are thrown on top of 9 tons of coke. There is a complete charging outfit of this description for each of the three pairs of cupolas. The six cupolas are of the Paxson-Colliau type, each having a capacity of 12 tons per hour. Sirocco cupola blowers, made ac- cording to special specifications as to materials used, are employed. The heating and ventilating apparatus was installed by the B. F. Sturtevant Company of Hyde Park, Mass. The installation consists of two apparatus, each compris- ing a 10-foot fan wheel in steel plate housing, supported upon a raised platform with a portion of the housing extending beneath. Each fan is driven by a multi- polar motor wound for 165 revolutions per minute at 220 volts, and draws the air through a heater containing 12,000 lineal feet of 1-inch pipe built up in sections and inclosed in a steel plate jacket. All of the piping is car- ried overhead and the air is forced downward and de- livered near the floor level. With this arrangement the utmost economy of heat is secured, due to the fact that there is no over heating of the upper portions of the building. The amount of window space shown in the side elevation, Fig. 13, obviates any necessity for dwell- ing on the fact that the excellent light is one of the many admirable features of the plant. ——_9-+@____—__ A cruising gasoline motor boat now being built in London is 65 feet long, and with 340 horse-power develops oy THE IRON = ee < AGE II a speed of 20 miles per hour. There are three screws, of which the two outer are actuated by gas engines of 150 horse-power each and drive the boat at the maximum speed, The central screw is operated by an engine of 40 horse-power and is used mainly for cruising at low speeds, though it may also be used as an auxiliary to the others when the maximum power is required. This central screw is much used also in maneuvering the boat. Ac commodations are provided for six passengers and a crew of two men. One provision of the contract requires that the boat shall cross the Atlantic under its own power, which it is expected will be accomplished in about seven days. Fuel accommodation is provided for a radius of ten days at full speed, or a distance of 4800 miles. —————~-e—_—. Alcohol Carburetors and Motors in France, It is reported by Robert P. Skinner, United States Consul General at Marseilles, France, that in spite of official encouragement alcohol motors and carburetors may be said to remain incompletely developed. While many manufacturers have their particular form of car- buretor, there is one device which is in greatest demand. Yet even of this type, out of 60,000 carburetors sold only 500 were intended for the consumption of pure alcohol, all the others being for gasoline or carbureted alcohol. The sale of alcohol motors has been equally unimportant. Probably 100 petroleum or gas motors are sold to 1 al- cohol motor, on account of the high cost of alcohol, the greater consumption per horse-power hour than of either petroleum or gas and the difficulty arising from oxida- tion. The alcohol carburetor referred to is manufactured for motors of from 4 horse-power upward. It operates on the same principle as the carburetor for gasoline and as regularly, but differs in that the reheating system is more intense. In their application to motors their advantages and disadvantages are thus described: Additional sup- pleness in movement, but increased consumption as com- pared with gasoline; initial heating of carburetor neces- sary ; possible oxidation of plugs, pistons and piston rings, unless care be taken to run the motor with gasoline dur- ing the last moments of use. The motors operating with alcohol are used both for’ stationary and _ auto- mobile service. Those of the first class are gen- erally gas motors transformed by the simple addition of a carburetor and by modifications of detail. The automobile motors are the same as those designed for the consumption of gasoline with another form of car- buretor. In a new method lately tried the alcohol is forced at a desired temperature through a vaporizer in a quantity accurately proportioned to meet the machine’s momentary need. At the last public competitions for a 6 horse-power motor the consumption was 410 grams per horse-power hour, aS against 578 grams with the carburetor above re- ferred to. Paul Barbier, president of the Technical Society of the Alcohol Industry, states that the use of alcohol at the same price as petroleum, and even at a slightly greater price, is more economical, since carburization of the alcohol when well done permits more complete utilization of calorific power than in the case of the petroleum products. He adds that all motors operating on the explosion prin- ciple may be fed with alcohol if the construction of the explosion chamber is modified. Injection carburetors and those operating upon the principle of vaporization and circulation give good results. The Minister of Agriculture prepared a report upon the competitions organized by his department in 1901- some 1902, which contains considerable information on this subject. Nearly all manufacturers have fully realized that owing to the different properties of gasoline and alcohol the use of the latter liquid, if rendered not only possible but practicable, would offer certain real advan- tages in numerous cases, as, for example, in the merchant and military marine, where the use of gasoline is out of the question because of its danger. They have not worked out any system as yet, however, which seems to respond adequately to the various requirements. 12 THE IRON The Sheet and Tin Plate Industries. LUTY, PITTSBURGH, PA. BY B. E. V. The increase in the production and consumption of sheets and tin plates in the United States has been so much greater than the increase in iron and steel prod- ucts generally that the cognate industries of sheet and tin plate manufacture warrant mention. One must go back fewer years with sheets and tin plates to find a time when production was one-half of the present than is necessary with pig iron. Unfortunately statis- tics of the sheet industry are entirely lacking, but suffi- ciently close estimates have been made from time to time to warrant speaking with confidence. The statistical fea- ture of the case can be approached in another way. It is a matter of record that the total production of all plates and sheets, excluding nail plate, averaged in 1897 and 1898 1,300,000 gross tons, which increased in 1903 to 2,600,000 gross tons. It is a matter of fairly close ap- proximation that in each case the tonnage of tin plates and of sheets No. 20 gauge and lighter constituted about 40 per cent. of the total. That the light material has kept pace with the heavy is extremely significant. The lines of employment of plates in 1897 and 1898 have had a healthy growth; still, it was no trick for the light material to keep pace with them. But to the uses of plates in vogue in the earlier years there has been added, wholly in the past half dozen years, the magnificent steel car industry, which, for all-steel and steel under- framed cars, has a normal appetite for well over 500,000 tons annually of plates. Then, again, the proportion of plates entering into structural work has greatly in- creased. The earlier demands for heavier and heavier structures were met by increasing beam and channel sec- tions, but later the further demands had to be met by girders and columns built up of plates. With such a hardy competitor, involving heavy tonnages in each new use, it is submitted that sheets and tin plates have done very well in keeping pace. That the sheet and tin plate industries now represent a tonnage of something like 1,000,000 tons a year is cer- tainly remarkable, in view of their extreme lightness, as compared with other tonnage producers, such as plates, shapes and rails. The production of some 500,000 tons of tin plate in 1904 represents an area of between 50,000 and 60,000 acres, or not far from 100 square miles, enough to put a roof 75 or 100 feet wide on all the new ‘ailroads built in the country in a year. With a compara- ble tonnage the area of black and galvanized sheets is not greatly less. Indulgence in these popular similes may be pardoned on the ground that the magnitude of the sheet and tin plate industries can hardly be set forth in any other way. It is idle to aftempt to chronicle the uses to which these materials are put, and if the impossible could be accom- plished of cataloguing the uses involving material ton- nages the catalogue would become incomplete within a week. Tin cigar boxes are promised, and a fortnight ago The Iron Age noted that a plant was to be erected at once able to make 150 bathtubs a day, each tub to be stamped out of a single steel sheet by a new process. special The Demaud and Supply. In 1902, when the demand for steel products generally was so great that heavy imports were made of pig iron and crude steel and the general trend of prices was up- ward through more than half the year, sheets and tin plates were comparatively weak, the former declining slightly in price in the spring and both declining heavily in the late summer and fall. The reason was obvious to all—there was an evident excess of producing capacity, and the fact was frequently commented upon at the time. This review of a year ago pointed out that the feature of the movement in 1908 was that relatively competition in sheets was greater than in tin plates, resulting in an increase in the price spread, tin plates above sheets, but did not find occasion to regard competition in tin plate as sharper than in other branches of the iron and steel industry. In surveying the ground another year later, no reason is found for considering that the stress of com- AGE January 5, 1905 petition, greatly increased with other lines as compared with immediately preceding years, has borne more heavily on either the sheet or the tin plate industry than it has on such other lines. It is true that prices have been forced to a rather low level, but the fact remains that the fairly well positioned producers have been pretty active and have at nearly all times been able to do a little better than make both ends meet. From being a comparatively unsatisfactory branch of a generally satisfactory indus- try in 1902, the sheet and tin plate trades became in 1904 a comparatively satisfactory branch of a generally unsatisfactory industry. rhis has been due to the large relative increase in consumptive demand. From 1902 to 1904 the production of tin plate has increased by more than 40 per cent. and of sheets by almost as much, while the production of pig iron has decreased perhaps 8 per cent. The Comparative Capacity. The following table indicates approximately the changes in actual operative capacity during the year, the figures referring to the total number of hot mills: -Sheets.-—-—-_, -—Tin plates.—, 1903. 1904. 1908. 1904 Steel Corperation.......... 164 163 264 248 Independent ......... .186 1738 71 $3 TOGA. kccda's aac 336 335 331 The number of mills at the end of 1903 covers only completed mills. Substantially all the increase shown at the end of 1904 has been due to the completion of mills in course of construction at the beginning of the year. In the cases of both the Steel Corporation and the inde- pendents no mills are included in the table except such as are actually operative. No unfinished mills, mills lack- ing adequate working capital or mills not now in a posi- tion to operate are included. Such will be referred to later. At the close of the year substantially all the Steel Cor- poration mills are in operation. The total of 163 sheet mills credited to the corporation includes eight jobbing and two light plate mills. The total of 248 tin plate mills for the corporation is merely representative, the actual number of hot mills having been increased by six to rep- resent the added capacity of the eight finishing mills at the Monongahela works arising from the continuous mill adjunct of this plant. Of the independent mills repre- sented in the totals in the table all are in actual opera- tion at the close of the year or are idle from purely tem- porary causes. In addition to the mflls represented in the table there is a little sheet capacity and a great deal of tin plate capacity which is idle from being incomplete or from being involved in financial difficulties of one sort or another. Neglecting the projects at Pueblo, there are embraced in this category five tin plate plants, containing about 27 tin mills, at Morgantown, W. Va.; Marietta, Ohio; Clarksburg, W. Va.: Greencastle, Ind., and Atlanta, Ind. It is very likely that some of these will be financed and put in operation in the not distant future. . The Steel Corporation is not increasing its tin plate eapacity. Its sheet capacity will be augmented about April 1 by the Bray semicontinuous mill at Sharon, which is not represented at all in the table. The Price Movement. In sheets the year opened with No. 28 gauge at 2.35 cents. With a steady decline, broken only by a slight hardening in February, the price fell to 2.10 cents by the beginning of June, and while thereafter some special sales were made at somewhat lower prices, the market remained fairly steady at this level until the official ad- vance was made November 15 to 2.20 cents. The market has become still stronger since then. In tin plate the dates of the official price changes have been as follows: November 16, SemMORy BG; JOM so es ces cicase LD MEAG s.6 aja dod olan 0,0 ON OM one HARADA a eb 3.30 November 15, The prices are for 100-pound coke bright plates, f.o.b. Pittsburgh, subject to 5 cents a box rebate. Terms were 30 days less 1 per cent. for cash in 10 days until July 25, when the cash discount was increased to 2 per cent. January 5, 1905 Extension of the Bray Process. A year ago this review referred to the year 1905 as marking the distinguishing development of a partly auto matic process of rolling having been made a commercial success in tin plate manufacture. As the sheet industry is hardly less important than the tin plate industry, the year 1904 comes in for almost equal honors, in that in 1904 a Bray mill for the rolling of sheets has been al most completed. It has not been put in operation, and will not be until about April 1, 1905, but that it will be a success is a foregone conclusion. The success at the Monongahela works in rolling black plate more than guarantees success at Sharon in rolling sheets, because sheet orders call for heavier gauges than tin plate, and because oxidation need not be so carefully guarded against. In one respect the Sharon mill will be a more striking development than the Monongahela mill, inasmuch as all the Monongahela product, for tin plate purposes, re- quires finishing by hand, with two heatings, except for the crosses, which take one, while at Sharon No. 22 gauge and heavier will be turned out direct from the Bray mill, without any finishing by hand at all. In general arrangement the Sharon mill is quite sim- ilar to the Monongahela mill, the chief difference being sheets of that it will have one additional stand of rolls in both the continuous roughing and the continuous finishing mill, there being, on the other hand, only five hand finish- ing stands in place of eight. The equipment is as fol- lows: 1. Continuous heating furnace. » 2. Continuous roughing mill of six stands, with tables. 3. Automatic matcher. 4. Continuous mill of three ». Automatic doubler. The automatic matcher is adapted to match any number of bars that may be desired, so that heavy sheets can be finished direct from the mill, matched in three or in four. This will be done on No. 22 gauge and heavier. The lighter gauges will be doubled in fours and sixes, according to gauge, and finished by hand, at one heating, No, 24 gauge requiring but one pass. As the Monongahela mill is easily ratable at 100 gross tons of product in 24 hours, it will be seen the Sharon mill will be able to turn out from 100 to 200 tons in 24 hours, according to the run of orders. The reduc- tio