The Iron Age 1905-04-20: Vol 75 Iss 16

A Review of the Hardware, Iron, inery and Metati ades. Published every Thursday Morning by David Williams Co., 232-238 William St., New York, Vol. 75: No. 16. New York, Thursday, April 20, 1905. $5.00 a Year, including Postage Single Copies, 15 Cents. Reading Matter Contents...... page 1342 SS > ———= Alphabetical Index to Advertisers ‘‘ 183 Classified List of Advertisers..... ‘‘ 175 Advertising and Subscription Rates ‘‘ {82 Forster Pulleys | Grip the Shaft Tight Forster Pulley Works | oe METALLIC CARTRIDGES CORDAGE THE AMERICAN MFG. CO., 65 Wall Street, N. Y. SEE PAGE 128. Bristol’s Patent Steel Belt Lacing. SAVES THE UNION METALLIC CARTRIDGE COMPANY, Time, Belts, eee BRIDGEPORT, CONN. The “Old Hunters’’ use U. M. C. Cartridges and recommend them to their friends. Every experienced sportsman is an advertisement for U. M. C. Cartridges and Shot Shells. Dealers who handle U. M. C. products appreciate this fact. U M. C. Quality makes old customers out of new customers. U. M. C. advertising creates a demand for Cartridges made by Cartridge specialists— U. M. C. Cartridges. G H.C: Cartridges for every make Aid rifle. Up-to-date dealers increase their sales by selling the “ best’’—U. M. Agency, 313 Broadway, New York City. Depot, 86-88 First St., San Francisco, Cala. reatestStrength ple Funguep sows «with Least Metal for Circulars and Free Samples. THE E BRISTOL CO., Waterbury, Conn. Mi ATTAT T WLATT HMC sce sauson sror cons CAHALL BOILERS © Also Linen and Italian Hemp SAMSON CORDAGE Minnick socton, uesn|(¢ CcCAPEWELL HORSE NAILS TURNBUCK LES. Sash Cord, “THE BEST IN THE WORLD” HIGHEST AWARD IN ALL COMPETITIONS i 2 Ave., BROOKLYN, |° GOLD MEDAL AT LOUISIANA PURCHASE EXPOSITION St. Louis, 1904 MERRILL N.Y. 9 si er SOFT CO ng, Phila. MADE BY PILLING & pnane, SSPE THE GAPEWELL HORSE NAIL CO., Hartford, Conn. From JENKINS '96 PACKING “ Can anything be more annoying than a leaky steam joint, Ore Mine not to mention the expense caused by a loss of steam? MF Tin | Seo a Hod Sa a rain» taping HE AMERICAN TUBE & STAMPING COMP (Water and Rail Delfvery) BripGerort, Conn. PAGE MAGNOLIA METAL. Best Anti-Friction Metal for all Machinery Bearings. The remedy is easy, and is yours by the use of Jenkins ’96 Packing, which is guaranteed. Write for Booklet, “Points on Packing.” JENKINS BROS., New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, London. See Pac-Simile of Bar. Beware AMERICAN SHEET & TIN of PLATE COMPANY'S “ MAGNOLIA METAL CO., a Owners and Sole Manufacturers, 113-115 Bank Street, Montreal, Boston and Pittsburg. iA San Paes, Chicago, Fisher Bidg. axle vem. We mangéucrure al grades of Babbitt Metals as 2 RT OR OORT ee ae er bo AGE Pt _ THE IRON _ BRASS COPPER GERMAN [ s*€= SILVER PATRAS AU ated Grade 7. mtvU aa ee “Lock HAVEN” " aR PND Cpa HAPES Lock HAVEN, PA. = | we WATERBURY BRASS CO., o ants WATERBURY, CONN. ig AStTEL © = {[/99 John St, New York. Providence, R. I run pares [il lel toe & a ; BRIDGEPORT, A eas WE HAVE SOME | Automobile Castings a Specialty. , { Follansbee High Tensile Strength. Pittsburgh, Brothers Co. re. Write Us. Matthiessen & Hegeler Zinc Co., rr 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. TS ee SOLE e8-7a Wes © roe a I Best Bronze, Babbitt eae VIM VHD TI LID hehehe bes aa rass, Bronze and ® Aluminum #2 = ae ww. G4. ROWZALILE Co., HENDRICKS BROTHERS Belleville Copper Rolling Mills, Braziers’ Bolt ax cna Sheathing COPPER, i COPPER WIRE AND RIVETS. and Dealers in Ingot Copper, Block Tin, "Tin, Spelter, Lead, 49 CLIFF ST., NEW YORK. Antimony, etc. Sa WIRE LOW BRASS. SHEET BRONZE, |*® MURRAY ST., NEW YORK. SEAMLESS BRASS AND COPPER TUBING. BRAZED BRASS AND BRONZE TUBING. ::: 3:33: Bronze and Aluminum Alloys. a th THE PLUME & Atwood Mr6. Go., MANUFACTURERS OF ve Sheet and Roll Brass —AND— WiRG PRINTERS’ BRASS, JEWELERS’ METAL, GERMAN SILVER AND GILDING METAL, COPPER RIVETS AND BURRS. Brass Butt Hinges, Jack Chain, Keres sene Burners, Lamps, Lamp Trimmings, &c. 144 HIGH ST., BOSTON. 199 LAKE ST., CHICAGO, ROLLING MILL : | FACTORIES $ THOMASTON, CONN. WATERBURY, CONN. SCOVILL MFG. 60., BRASS, GERMAN SILVER Sheets, Rolis, Wire Rods, Bolts and Tubes, Brass Shelis, Cups, Hinges, Buttons, Lamp Goods. Special Brass Goods to Order. FACTORIES: wate? CONN. EPOTSs, “CHICAGO, NEW YORK, BOSTON. Henry Souther Engineering Co, HARTFORD, CONN. Consulting Chomsiaie. Metallurgists and Analysts. ‘omplete P cal Testing Laborato Expess qeotlnneny im Gourt and Patent Cases, = Arthur T. Rutter & Co, 256 Broadway, NEW YORKH. 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. “Dede Light” OIL and GAS >S Bicycle Lanterns. Send fer Circulars and Electretypes. THE BRIDGEPORT BRASS CO., Bridgeport, Conn. 19 Murray 8t., N.Y. 17 No. 7th Philadebpbia. ‘ato Hi Peat! Si. Boston. -< GEORGE KROUSE HEAVY CASTINGS Mannfacturer of all kinds of Brass and Composition Castings. Brazing Metals, Hard Composition and 160 to 154 Morgan Street, JERSEY CITY. W. J. THE IRON AGE New York, Thursday, April 20, 1905. Newton Portable Horizontal Boring and Drill- ing Machines. Two rather noteworthy machines are shown in the accompanying view taken in the shop of the Newton Machine Tool Works, at Philadelphia, Pa. Both are portable horizontal boring and drilling machines shown engaged in milling operations, using face cutters or cutter heads with inserted teeth. The smaller machine has a spindle 44% inches in diameter, with an automatic feed of 82 inches and a vertical adjustment of 5 feet, while the upright has a horizontal adjustment of 30 inches. This machine has vertical milling feed only. The cutter head used is 12 inches in diameter over the tools, and after the center of the work is roughed out with this head position. Each entire machine may be moved and lo- cated in any position on the large floor plate. A feature to which attention is particularly directed is the design of the upright of the machine, which is clearly shown in the view of the smaller machine. It will be noticed that the saddle has a right angle bear- ing on the upright, giving a more rigid, substantial and accurate support than may be obtained in the common type of straight bearing. The uprights that are being machined are for the standard Newton double brace milling machine. —_~++o___—__ Carnegie Blast Furnace Projects.—The report that the Carnegie Steel Company had definitely decided to build four more blast furnaces at Duquesne is officially A View in the Newton Machine Tool Works, Philadelphia, the end mill shown on the base of the machine is put in position and used for finishing the bearing surfaces and forming the square lock. After the milling opera- tion is performed the same machine is used to drill and tap the bolt holes for clamping the gib and for boring the holes in the boss, which is shown at the top of the casting, this hole being the bearing for the shaft of a rack pinion. The other machine shown has a spindle 6 inches in diameter, with an automatic feed of 50 inches and a vertical adjustment on the base of 5 feet. This machine carries a cutter head 24 inches in diameter over the tools and is performing a straight milling or rotary planing operation. The only other operation required of the ma- chine while the work is in the position shown is the drilling of the foundation bolt holes. This machine has both vertical and horizontal power feed for milling. Both machines are driven by variable speed motors and the spindle saddles are counterweighted, the counter- weights running inside of the uprights, and have power movement for quickly setting the spindle to the required Showing Two Portable Horizontal Boring and Drilling Machines. denied. The matter of erecting more blast furnaces at Duquesne has been considered to some extent, but noth- ing has been decided upon as yet. It is not improbable that two and perhaps four blast furnaces may be built at Duquesne, but a decision may not be reached for some time. There is also some talk of two more blast furnaces being built by the Carnegie Steel Company at Donora, but this is also uncertain and has only been considered in a general way. —\—_—_3--o————__—_ The Massachusetts Legislature has deferred until 1906 the revision of the building laws of the State, which was embodied in a report of a special commission. The report came up for some preliminary hearing before the Committee on Mercantile Affairs, but no discussion of the details was reached. The postponement of analytical consideration of the matter until another year was de cided upon at the request of the parties most vitally inter- ested, who wished more time for study of the questions inyolved. 5 Sika are cs oi 1294 THE IRON AGE The Hughes Annealing Furnace. The apparatus for the annealing of steel castings, eye bars, nickel steel plates, &c., illustrated herewith and invented by Johnson Hughes, Wissahickon, Philadel- phia, Pa., was designed to accomplish the handling of the material with the greatest possible rapidity. A fur- nace constructed in accordance with this system was shown in The Iron Age of September 15, 1904, in connec- April 20, 1905 gaged by a worm on a short shaft. There are a number of these shafts, usually one to every four rollers, every four rollers forming a single unit. A spur wheel on the short shafts engages a pinion on a long main shaft which is driven through gears from an electric motor. ‘The main shaft runs continuously, and its pinions are loose except when engaged by sliding clutches which put the corresponding set or sets of rollers in motion. The rollers can therefore be operated in sections, any number be- Fig. 1.—An Exterior View of a Hughes Annealing Furnace in Course of Construction. tion with a description of the American Bridge Com- pany’s Ambridge Works. There is some slight difference in the form of the furnace as illustrated in the half-tones, Figs. 1 and 2, and the line drawings, Figs. 3 and 4. The latter are more applicable to the handling of irregular shapes where cars for the conveying of the material to and from the furnace are employed. The furnace shown in the first two illustrations is particularly intended for the han- dling of eye bars or long pieces which are handled di- rectly upon the rollers without the use of cars or tables. Where cars are used, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, they rest upon vertically adjustable rollers journaled upon fric- tion wheels. In both forms the rollers are hollow and are adapted for either air or water cooling. It has been found, however, that air is sufficient for the purpose. The principal object in the design shown in Figs. 3 and 4 was to provide means for simultaneously handling several lots of material as independent units, so that they might be treated at the same time but in accord- ance with the individual requirements of each. Fig. 3 shows a side elevation partly in section and a plan view also partly in section, and Fig. 4 shows a transverse ver- tical sectional view. It will be seen that there is a longitudinal channel at the bottom of the furnace cham- ber which communicates with several transverse flues leading to a main flue header. The heating of the cham- ber is accomplished by burners located in the side walls near the top of the chamber, and the distribution and courses of the flames and hot gases are controlled by the arrangement of the dampers in the flues, which, being counterweighted, may be set at any desired position. The burners or gas inlets are staggered and project the flame against the top and side walls, heating the material which is being treated by radiation and direct impact. The spent gases are drawn down through the lateral flues to the main flue and are discharged through the stack. The lateral flues can be arranged so that the gases may be drawn out of the furnace above the rollers. The rollers which carry the cars into and through the furnace chamber are supported, as shown in Fig. 4, on wheels which are journaled on longitudinal beams ex- terior to the chamber. The rollers are located somewhat below the bottom of the furnace chamber proper, and engage webs or legs on the bottom of the table. At one end of each roller there is a worm wheel, which is en- ing run while the others remain stationary, or the whole train may be in action at one time. The subdivided drive makes it possible to introduce or withdraw certain cars while others are kept at the desired point or in a heated zone of the furnace. The tables are loaded while outside of the furnace chamber and may be passed into the furnace in succes- sion. The furnace is divided into a number of independ- ent sections, the temperature in each of which is con- Fig. 2.—A View Looking Into the Interior of the Furnace. trolled by the dampers of the lateral flues, as explained before. The entering table is held for a time in a cur- rent of air of modified temperature, which is drawn through the first flue. After the material has received its initial heat it is moved by the rollers into a zone of higher temperature regulated by the second flue. While the first charge is standing in this section of the chamber it may be followed by a second charge of material, which is in a like manner given its initial heat in the section April 20, 1905 controlled by the first flue. The first charge, after be- ing sufficiently heated, is moved into the third section, where it encounters a modified current of air passing through the third flue, and the temperature is reduced to a proper degree for the charge to be passed out of the furnace. The second and further charges are treated in a similar manner. As the materials carried by different tables are fre- THE IRON AGE 1295 tion which is possible it seems reasonable to believe that this system of annealing will meet almost any require- ment of ordinary practice. OO The Proper Air Pressure for Forced Draft. The old argument against forced draft as opposed to burns out the grates, induced draft. that it seriously THE IRON AGE ; ani THE IRON AGE ° Fig. 3.—Side Elevation and Plan of a Hughes Annealing Furnace with Subdivided or Sectional Drive. quently of different sizes and character, it is sometimes desirable to hold particular charges in the furnace at different points for a longer or shorter period than others. This is easily accomplished, since each set of rollers is capable of being operated or thrown out of action to handle any particular charge independent of the others, eee eS THE 'RON AGE Fig. 4.—-Transverse Section through the Hughes Annealing Furnace. and the intensity of the heat in any section may be regu- lated at will. If the furnace is of sufficient length it may also be used as a muffle. In this furnace there are no journals to become clogged, no water cooled bearings to be taken care of and all parts are accessible. Little power is re- quired to drive the rollers, and with the latitude of opera- injures the boilers and blows gas and smoke from the fire doors, is now seldom heard. This opinion originated from the experience obtained in plants equipped with fans operated at far above the proper speed. This was the result of installing a fan too small for the work and then forcing it above its normal speed to secure the de- sired air volume. As a consequence, instead of creating an ash pit pressure of % to 144 inches, which is all that is ordinarily required, the pressure was forced up to 5 or even 10 inches, with the attending objectionable re- sults. In one instance, where the engineer complained of gas discharged from the fire doors, investigation showed that the fan was being operated at about 12 inches water pressure. When forced draft is used the air as it passes from the ash pits to the combustion chamber is greatly reduced in pressure, owing to the resistance of the grates and fuel. Coincidentally the stack, even if a short one, tends to produce a partial vacuum in the furnace. As a result it is practically impossible to create under proper conditions more than a slight excess of pressure in the combustion chamber, and this should not be enough to force the gases out at the fire doors. Accurate knowledge regarding the proper application of the fan blower ought to remove any false impressions regarding forced draft. 0+ © — Hogg and Vulcan Foundry Consolidation.—Plans are under way for the consolidation of the interests of the George A. Hogg Iron & Steel Foundry Company, Pitts- burgh, and the Vulean Foundry & Machine Company, New Castle, Pa. Both are builders of rolling mill ma- chinery and roll lathes, and the George A. Hogg Com- pany also builds engines. It is proposed, if present plans go through, to consolidate the two interests under the name of George A. Hogg Iron & Steel Foundry Company, dismantle the present works at Pittsburgh and New Cas- tle and build a large new plant at Economy, Pa., near the works of the American Bridge Company. Se eee we, a ae . N 1296 THE IRON AGE Canada’s Forward Movement. Mineral Output of Quebec. Toronto, April 15, 1905.—Quebec’s mining operations in the calendar year 1904 are presented in the report of J. Obalski, official mining engineer and inspector of mines for the Province. The total value of the output was $3,023,568, the calculation being made before the raw mineral matter had been moved any distance from the mines and before it had undergone any change except the roughest preparation for manufacture. The largest item is asbestos, which contributes $1,186,795 to the total. Of iron ore the yield was small, being as follows: Titanic iron ore, 100 tons; bog iron ore, 16,152 tons; chromic iron, 6429 tons. Besides iron ore, copper is the only other metallic mineral of consequence in the Province’s mine production. The quantity of charcoal pig iron manufac- tured was 11,120 net tons, valued at $256,376. Interest continues to be taken in the magnetic sands of the north shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. All the avail- able lots have been sold, and the requests made to Mr. Obalski for information about the sand are numerous. On the north shore last year several investigations were made by experts. Mr. Obalski remarks that there seems to be no difficulty in concentrating these sands and of freeing them from the titanium they contain, but that much attention is being given to agglomeration, which is necessary before the sands are ready to be treated in the blast furnace. He refers to the successful working of an impure magnetite at Herrang in Sweden. There the ore is crushed and afterward melted in a continuous horizontal chamber or oven, heated partly by the gases of the blast furnace, the temperature obtained being 1300 degrees centigrade. Hard and well agglomerated briquettes are thus produced, yielding about 63 per cent. of iron, with practically no sulphur, though the ore itself contained upward of 1 per cent. of sulphur and not more than 35 to 40 per cent. of magnetic iron. In these briquettes the material is ready for the blast furnace. This Her- rang process was described in a paper read by Prof. Henry Louis of the Iron and Steel Institute, who in- spected the St. Lawrence deposits last summer. Mr. Obalski is of the opinion that if the method is really a success in Sweden, it could be advantageously applied to the North Shore magnetic sand, which does not require crushing, which contains no sulphur, and which in the concentrated state carries an average of 70 per cent. of iron. Referring to the conclusions of the Commissioners sent to Europe by the Dominion Government to study electro thermic processes applied to iron metallurgy, Mr. Obalski remarks that under ordinary conditions electric- ity is inferior and can be profitably used only in special cases, That statement, he adds, is important, for many people in Canada are under the impression that treat- ment by electricity should replace treatment by the blast furnace, while in reality such change is not warranted by economy. “The principle,” he says, “may thus be laid down that, as we have no fuel, we must until further orders seek above all a market for our ores.” The pig iron produced in the province (11,120 net tons last year) is made chiefly from Quebec’s own bog ore, but 8705 tons of ore were brought in from Ontario and smelted. There were also 200 tons of hematite ore mined in Brome, one of the English eastern townships of Quebec. Speaking of the chromic iron industry, Mr. Obalski says it appears to be entering on a new era, the year’s shipments amounting to 5740 tons, as against 3020 tons in 1903. The ore is shipped almost entirely to the United States, the quantity utilized in Canada being a few hun- dred tons taken for the manufacture of ferrochrome by the Electric Reduction Company, Buckingham, Quebec. New Ontario’s Mining Interests, In the Ontario Legislature, which is now in session here, R. -R. Gamey, the member for Manitoulin, made a strong speech, begun on Thursday and resumed yester- day, calling for more attention to the districts of Nippis- sing, Algamo, Thunder Bay and Rainy River, which are still in the backwoods state. Of their varied and un-, April 20, 1905 doubtedly great resources Mr. Gamey knows more than probably any other member of the Legislature. He made a strong plea for Government encouragement of mining enterprise and of industries for utilizing the output of the mines. If a wise policy were followed in this respect there would be no need, he said, for the Al- goma Steel Company to go to the United States for ore. That company, he continued, ought to be compelled to use as much Ontario ore as possible, instead of almost exclusively using Minnesota ore. Its contracts with the American mine owners, he said, called for 165,000 tons. He insisted that Ontario has the necessary Bessemer ores, and declared it to be the duty of the Government to facilitate the development of the bodies containing it. One reason why the high grade iron deposits have not yet been worked is, he said, the locking up of lands. Great areas have been reserved, the late Government declining to throw them open for development because timber licenses encumbered them, or because they were held provisionally as railroad subsidies. He would have the railroad companies put under an obligation to sell mining locations on their land holdings on the same terms as locations are granted by the Government. Dominion Steel Enlargement, Frederic Nicholls, vice-president of the Dominion Iron & Steel Company, is a Toronto man. Respecting the purpose of the issue of the remaining second mortgage bonds that has just been decided on, he made the follow- ing statement to an evening newspaper of this city on Thursday : The company owns four blast furnaces, but owing to the lack of sufficient coke ovens to make the coke for more than two fur- naces only that number have been operated, although the coal washing plant has been arranged on a scale for taking care of the output of the furnaces. Under such circumstances the question of erecting new coke ovens and purchasing additional rolling stock, &c., to handle the additional output was considered by the directors, and it was decided to issue the remainder of the second mortgage bonds. Ontario’s Mineral Vield, The mineral production in Ontario during the cal- endar year 1904 amounted to $11,737,647. This is the showing of the report just issued by the Bureau of Mines. The metallic output is given as follows: Product. Amount. Value. LS sx. iain ie Oba .5 6 kobe Gce Scie a Ye 2,285 $40,000 er ee ee Tern 206,875 111,887 EL, ONDE. pk aiid ccc ceeceaeekbe. 536 10,452 <A. 4535 ox ae se ase we sees 952 18,564 AT La os washed cid siete bat 29 36,620 ER UCE eT Tee Te Te Tee 2,163 297,126 EEE TIE TET TCT eT er 4,743 - 1,516,741 RGA B46 ob. aanbwoneumeesoeens 128,253 273,068 EE RAD ave Seve ec cutecaenese 127,845 1,811,664 TUNNEY a ance sic Dac 64 needs beers 51,002 1,188,349 Cid Wo o'bd wa kbteee cme ve ohm 3,210 11,000 ES nian cas «mins nis.d 2 40a ee meh 43 2,500 EE re ee 533 3,700 tas ieaines Gicebee dels 60 56.00 epi, hee $5,321,677 ee Es 60 whao.0 bon. bbe we cabwaes 0s - 250,000 Dene BORING SIRO ox once cen tevsauvere - $5,071,677 The nonmetallic products were as follows: Product. Amount. Value. Be BOD ie See cnn e560 eee o'er's 408 $102 A on Sete ee 72 903 Ps I MIE a vcs Ga veceucsses 16,000,000 210,000 Brick, common, number............. 200,000,000 1,430,000 Brick, paving, number............... 4,436,000 55,450 Brick, pressed, number............. - 26,857,000 226,750 Building and crushed stome.......... sesssees 700,000 Carbonate of calcium, toms........... 2,343 152,295 Cement, natural rock, barrels........ 85,000 65,250 Cement, Portland, barrels........... 880,871 1,239,971 Tere 1,665 150,645 PO UE o.eVdwensdmcs wane Fides 10,983 21,966 Sn «dsb b ee pees seausaees 235 4,700 IR. 3.6 53 abAe bis on sneeteaen 5,412 10,674 RE WO. cc a cubes ebevaenan 13,451 43,716 NL ¢ an tece done velba nmaiuned 2,000,000 406,800 PE EDs nav knen hed «awe beeen 332 37,847 PE I pvp ban edn evs masveadets | teawened 253,524 ee ly SUs 6b obec cabeBe oc eka 800 2,400 Petroleum, imperial gallons.......... 17,237,220 904,437 EE 00 cen ecdewnencavescuete ven. athous 100,000 ES kas 6-4 cae se ch > eae eden 5,577 362,621 Rs on waa ee be och oaks baw ll. Koeeniad 283,000 Baha; WB cs ss etc adhes. cbc Badatwnes 1,313 2,919 Total nonmetallic production................+. $6,665,970 April 20, 1905 THE Notes, Hugh Sutherland, the representative of Mackenzie, Mann & Co. and of the Canadian Northern Railway Com- pany in the negotiations with Port Arthur for the es- tablishing of the Atikokan Iron Furnace Company’s fur- nace in the town, says that the manager of the [ron Com- pany has already been appointed, Mr. Jones of the Lili- nois Steel Company being named by Mr. Sutherland as the man. The Bertram Engine Works and shipyard in To- ronto have been absorbed by the Canadian Shipbuilding Company. The engine works were established in 1891 when the late George Bertram secured control of the Doty Engine Company. Two years afterward the ship- yards connected with the works were started. In 1900 George Bertram died, his place at the head of the com- bined industries being taken by his brother John, who died several months ago. In the yards 175 men are em- ployed and 325 in the engine works. The controlling in- terests in the Canadian Shipbuilding Company, which has bought out the Bertram Engine & Shipbuilding Com- pany, have a plant on the Niagara River. It appears to be the purpose to keep both yards busy, vessels and their machinery that are required for navigation on this side of the Welland Canal being built at the Toronto plant and the larger craft being built at the Niagara yards. The Canada Foundry Company is connected by com- munity of interest with the Canadian Shipbuilding Com- pany. The Continuous Steel Rail Company, with a capital of $500,000, has been incorporated under Ontario laws. It will manufacture steel rails, car wheels and railroad supplies. Its head office is to be in Toronto. The Crucible Steel Casting Company, Hamilton, has been incorporated with a capital of $50,000. OG A. C.J. —___.--e————___—_—_ Broad Movements in the Belgian Steel Trade. Under the title, “The Belgian Awakening,” the Jron and Coal Trades Review of London publishes the fol- lowing editorial bearing on some interesting broad move- ments in the Belgian iron industry : It has now become a question as to whether Belgium has or has not awakened to a full sense of the poten- tialities of the industrial development of the iron and steel trade in the west of Germany, which is still capable of enormous expansion, apart from imports of ore, by reason of the immense deposits of iron ore in German Lorraine, where 14 Westphalian works already own con- cessions extending over 24,000 acres of iron ore fields that have scarcely been touched. If any conclusion may be drawn from the attitude of Belgian iron and steel pro- ducers during the past year—perhaps it would be more correct to say the attitude of Belgian investors—it is that they have closed their eyes to the future in order to profit from the immediate present. If this assumption is in- correct, how can it be explained that various iron works over the frontier which were founded by means of Bel- gian capita] have entirely passed into the hands of Ger- man companies and firms and carried with them the con- cessions held in various cases for the working of iron ore deposits in Lorraine and Luxemburg? We have only to mention as having been entirely transferred during the past year such concerns as the Differdingen-Dannenbaum Works, Aumetz-la-Paix, the Fentsch Mining Association, the Moselle Works and the Aix-la-Chapelle Iron Works, and to these has now to be added the undertaking of the Saar & Moselle Company. It seems, however, as if admission is at last being made that a serious economic blunder has been com- mitted by the abandonment of Belgian interests and influence in iron ore and iron and steel works over the border, and that the Belgians have lost a treasure for which it is impossible to provide an adequate substitute. The point becomes emphasized by the fact that Belgium has practically.no inland sources of ore at her disposal, that her iron and steel industry mainly depends upon the export markets for its existence, and that the coun- try is not enveloped by tariffs to anything like the ex- tent which prevails in Germany. Besides, the Belgians well remember the fierceness of Teutonic competition on IRON AGE 1297 the occasion of the severe industrial crisis of several years ago, and doubts are entertained as to whether, in the event of a similar critical period arising, it would be possible for the international agreements entered into with the German Steel Trust to be maintained. All these considerations give point to the incipient recognition which is at present manifesting itself in the direction that the Belgians, like the British works, must be up and doing and be prepared for any industrial contin- gency which may arise. The first to take action is the Ougrée-Marihaye Steel Works Company, which obtained a footing on French territory a short time ago by the acquisition of the Vireux-la-Chiers Iron Works. Now the company pro- poses to absorb the Luxemburg undertaking of the Société des Hauts Fourneaux de Rodange, and a meet- ing of the shareholders in the latter enterprise has been convened for April 8, to consider and approve resolu- tions for the transfer, on the basis of an exchange of shares of the Belgian company for those of the Rodange company, and for the eventual liquidation of the latter as from the beginning of May. Already the Ougrée-Mari- haye Company is practically a self contained establish- ment, as it controls its own supplies of coal and coke and pig iron, while its steel works are in process of transfor- mation into a modern enterprise. It only remains, so to Say, necessary to obtain possession of its own sources of iron ore in order to render it an entirely independent unit. This object will be accomplished by the acquisition of the Rodange blast furnaces, which are three in num- ber, and the valuable ore concession which becomes trans- ferred with them, and at the same time the absorption will convert the Belgian Company into a member of the Lorraine-Luxemburg Pig Iron Syndicate. It is, of course, uncertain as yet whether steel works will be built in con- junction with the Rodange blast furnaces. Before the present deal was provisionally arranged the Ougrée- Marihaye Company sought an amalgamation with the Luxemburg Rumelinge Blast Furnace Company. The Belgian Halanzy Blast Furnace Company, which owns ore concessions over the German frontier, also proposes to erect furnaces either on Luxemburg or German soil; while the Forges d’Eich, which is one of the most impor- tant Luxemburg iron works, is reported to be in nego- tiation for fusion with the Eschweile Mining Associa- tion. The tendency to strengthen their competitive capa- bilities, as set forth by the two or three instances above enumerated, is not the only indication of awakening on the part of the Belgian works, which are merely starting to follow the example of their Teutonic rivals in recent years. But this is not the only significant sign of the times. The Belgian works have been reproached for not being technically equipped according to modern ideas of steel producing plant and rolling mills, and from the changes now in progress it would appear as if the allega- tion were not devoid of foundation, as transformations are proceeding or projected by the Cockerill Company, the Providence Steel Works, the Ougrée-Marihaye Works, the Angleur Works and the Louviére Works. All these improvements or extensions aim at production on a more economical and larger scale. The only question is as to the possibility of disposing of the increased output like- ly to result from the adoption of the present forward pol- icy, but whether it may lead to a crisis or not it is cer- tain that Belgium is now awakening industrially in order to be ready for the keener fights anticipated in the markets of the world in the future. The “mere rolling mills,” as in Germany, will either collapse, linger on, or be absorbed by other works, and the successful under- takings in the contests will be those which are self con- tained units and produce raw materials to finished prod- ucts; and hence the beginning of the movement to obtain once more an association with the iron ore deposits of Lorraine and Luxemburg, the only thing now lacking to complete the independence of the large iron and steel works in Belgium. One The Carnegie Steel Company has received an order for 8000 tons of nickel steel eye bars for the new Black- well’s Island bridge at New York City, which will be rolled at the Homestead works. — ) = pees eee eee 1208 THE IRON AGE The Brayshaw Salt Bath Hardening Furnace. BY EMILE GUARINI. One tool will often be found superior to another made from the same bar of steel. This difference evidently arises in the hardening, and can never be entirely done away with as long as the work is regulated by judg- ment which is affected by changes in light and other cir- cumstances. Irregularities can only be avoided if the April 20, 1905 liquid, and the sharpest corner cannot be overheated. Molten lead, the medium usually employed, is in itself unsuitable for heating by immersion. The use of a salt bath in some few cases has been successful, but the difficulties have been sufficient to prevent its general use. The obstacles in the way of using fusible salts are such as may be overcome by the discovery of a suitable salt, or mixture of salts, and by the design of the furnace. The design of the Brayshaw furnace is the outcome of many experiments, and is stated to be a thoroughly workable ay om =, aa PEE: ad Fig. 1.—The Brayshaw Salt Bath Hardening Furnace. hardening operations are regulated by precise mechanical means, giving no scope for errors of judgment. When, however, this is accomplished it is possible to ascertain by experiment the exact treatment which gives the best result for any particular steel. This treatment can al- ways be repeated with certainty, and it is possible to so harden every tool as to give it its maximum efficiency. The furnace illustrated herewith has been produced to effect the hardening of steel articles with a degree of precision hitherto unattained. It was devised by Mr. Brayshaw and put on the market by Charles Churchill & Co., London. An exterior view is shown in Fig. 1. There are advantages in using a liquid for heating pur- poses, as its temperature may be regulated very accu- rately, and any article immersed for a sufficient length of time must heat uniformly to the temperature of the‘ apparatus for accurate heating by immersion in a bath of fusible salts. This furnace may be heated with coal or producer gas, and with or without blast, according to the require- ments of users. When fitted for blast a few Bunsen burners are also provided to keep the furnace hot at any time when the air pressure is not available. A fire brick stand in. the center of the furnace, shown in Fig. 2, carries an iron or steel pot which contains the melt. In the center of the furnace is a counterbalanced tray, which may be raised out of or lowered into the pot at will. This tray is carried by rods which pass through holes in the cover. When work is to be put into or re- moved from the furnace the tray is raised just out of the melt to the level of the door, so that the work may be handled in the ordinary way. It will.be noticed that the April 20, 1905 THE tray when out of the melt is still inside the upper part of the furnace, which insures it remaining at a fairly con- fue tow Age Fig. 2.—The Pot Which Contains the Melt in the Brayshaw Furnace. IRON AGE 1299 For the convenient and rapid treatment of large num- bers of small articles special grids are provided. These grids, with the work on them, are placed one above an- other on the tray, as shown in Fig. 3. They allow the melt to flow readily around the work, which insures-its acquiring the same temperature as the melt. The grids may be handled by indicated in Fig. 3. The melt supplied is fluid at a temperature of 700 and circulates freely in the pot. It is non- poisonous, has no deleterious action on the steel, and the waste by volatilization is extremely slight. Its specific gravity is low, so that the trouble inherent with lead, of articles floating on the surface, is not experienced. Arti- cles placed on the tray may be simply lowered into the attachments of any kind are re- The melt has the severe in its means of a fork, as degrees C. melt, and no hooks or quired to secure them during heating. important advantage of much action than lead, because the fusing point is so high that when a cold article is immersed the salts immediately solidify around it and protect it from too rapid heating. As it warms up the salts melt off. By bulk the melt is much cheaper than lead. The heating quicker than is an ordinary furnace, but a large number of articles may be heated that a great quantity of work may be passed through the furnace being less process is no simultaneously, so in a day. The temperature of the furnace is observed by an accurate electrical pyrometer. This is stationary and hangs through a hole in the furnace cover and another in the rising and falling tray, as shown in Fig. 2. The lower end, which contains the essential part, is continuously im- mersed in the melt during the working of the furnace. As the melt is occasionally stirred by raising and lower- ing the tray, it follows that the temperature around the work and the pyrometer must be the same. The upper end of the pyrometer is connected by protected wires with the indicator, which shows the temperature within 1 degree C. The indicator is in a convenient place at any desired distance from the furnace. The Allis Aid Society, an organization of employees of the Allis-Chalmers Company, at Milwaukee, held its an- nual meeting April 10. Edwin Reynolds, consulting en- gineer of the company, has been president of the Aid So- ciety for 20 years, and was unanimously re-elected. The office of vice-president was created, to which J. D. Miller Tue lRon Ace Fig. 3.—Grids for Holding Work in the Brayshaw Furnace. stant heat. It may, therefore, be raised out of the pot and lowered again repeatedly without disturbing the tem- perature of the melt. Reynolds of Charles was elected. Mr. Miller will relieve Mr. many of the duties of the office of president. Allis was re-elected treasurer. 1300 Closed Furnace Tops in German Practice.* A very marked feature of modern blast furnace prac- tice in Germany is the strenuous endeavor to completely utilize the gas, one of the means used to aid in this direction being the installation of closed top furnaces. Owing to the general use of hand filling and to the pro- nounced disinclination to remove the gases by any other method than that of a central up-take, the problem is rather more complicated than with American furnaces. Closed tops may be divided into two systems—single hop- pers with hoods and double hoppers. In new furnaces the latter system is general, as the increase of 5 or 6 feet in hight offers no disadvantages under these circum- stances. The principal object of the closed top, and that THE IRON AGE April 20, 1905 is not so simple as would be the case with gas flues on the side and the arrangements covered by the Buderus patents, which we illustrate herewith, and which are the only ones that have been used to any extent. The fixed water seal is a material constructive improvement, as it leaves the shape of the inner bell independent of that of the outer, which is not the case with other designs. It is also advantageous to have the water seal stationary instead of being attached to one of the moving parts, as is often done in Europe. Fig. 1 shows the Buderus patent used with the Parry furnace top, and Fig. 2 with the Langen top. Among the advantages claimed for this construction are the fol- lowing: The upper bell can be relied on to maintain a tight fit, and in consequence the regular use of it is as- $$ —— Fie INOW AGE > Fig. 1.—Double Hopper Parry Furnace Top, Buderus Patent. to which its increasing use is chiefly due, is the saving of the immense power dormant in the furnace gas. It also insures a longer life to the top rigging, as by ex- cluding the air it does away with flame and explosions. Another advantage is the uniform pressure in the fur- nace, which in turn makes possible a more regular flow of gas in the flues and a greater freedom from flue dust. In explanation of the latter statement attention is drawn to the fact that every time the bell on an open top furnace is dropped the pressure is relieved and a rush of gas from the lower part of the stack carries up dust from below. All the above advantages are possessed by single hopper and hood equally with double hopper furnaces, regardless of whether a central up-take is used or not. Any other method of carrying off the gaseous products is, however, regarded unfavorably in Germany, owing to the irregular distribution of the gas in the furnace and the rapid destruction of the brick work on one side. Under these conditions the installation of double hoppers * Abstract from an article by K. Staehler in Stahl und Hisen. sured, as it does not entail any extra or disagreeable work for the top fillers. Loss of gas is almost impossi- ble, as the gas between the hoppers not being under pres- sure cannot escape, even when the upper hopper is open, owing to the falling ore. For the same reason when the lower hopper is out of order and leaky the loss is in- finitesimal, as the upper is only opened momentarily. Danger to the workmen from gas is totally prevented. The contents of the lower hopper can be dumped without stopping the work of filling the upper. The latter does not require the large movement necessary when a hood is used to enable the ore buggies to be dumped. In many cases repairs can be made to one hopper or its mechanism without shutting down the furnace, the other hopper alone being used. Owing to its passage through two hoppers the charge is well mixed before entering the furnace. o-oo __—__ The Standard Scale & Supply Company, Pittsburgh, with works at Beaver Falls, Pa., has been awarded a * contract for the scale equipment for the new wire mill April 20, 1905 being built by the Imperial ment institution of Japan. A contract has been secured for two 10-ton scales of special and novel design to be installed in the hold of a fueling barge to be built for the Monongahela River Consolidated Coal & Coke Company. This barge is intended for the coaling of ocean going vessels from the barges of the Mononga- hela River Consolidated Coal & Coke Company at New Orleans. - —_——_~- The Victoria Furnace Running Successfully. Wire Company, a Govern- also James Duane, general superintendent of the Chap- man Iron, Coal & Coke Company, Goshen, Va., who for Fig. 2.—Double Hopper Langen years was general superintendent of furnaces of the Vir- ginia Iron, Coal & Coke Company, has succeeded in over- coming the difficulties under which the Victoria furnace labored for years. The furnace was built by an English syndicate 23 years ago, which spent millions of dollars in equipping the plant to turn out 150 tons of pig iron daily. It remained for Captain Duane, who has a high reputation as a pig iron expert, to bring the furnace to its present full capacity, and it is now producing over 200 tons of high grade foundry pig iron daily. The Chapman Company, in addition to the furnace property, owns and operates the well-known Rich Patch iron ore mines. The mineral property comprises thou- sands of acres, underlaid with an exceptional quality of brown hematite ore. The company now employs 700 men in this part of its operations, and with three large steam shovels constantly at work is turning out 500 to 600 tons of washed ore daily. C. D. Caldwell, the gen- eral manager of the company, is expecting to increase the output of the ore mines within the next 60 days to THE IRON AGE 1301 1000 tons daily. The company also owns and operates four large producing coal mines in the New River dis- trict and has 250 coke ovens in constant service, secur- ing not only enough coal and coke for its own needs but a surplus besides. The company contemplates installing a new 20 x 80 foot hot blast stove, modern blowing engines, automatic skip hoist and ore and coke conveyors, which, with the present bin system, will make the plant strictly up to date. The present foundry and machine shops are being enlarged, new machinery being installed to meet the increasing demands at the various operations. With nat- ural resources favoring this enterprise on every hand, all the ore, limestone and coke being produced by the i THE IRON AGE Furnace Top, Buderus Patent. company, a new epoch in the manufacture of pig iron has begun in the historic valley of Virginia. —_———__s- oe The report that the Riter-Conley Mfg. Company, Pittsburgh, had received a contract for the work for a new blast furnace to be built by Republic Iron & Steel Company in the Shenango Valley is officially denied. This work has not been given out and plans have not been made for the building of a furnace in the Shenango Valley district by the Republic Company. It is true, however, that the Riter-Conley Company has a contract for the building of a new blast furnace for the Carnegie Steel Company, at Mingo Junction, Ohio. new A correspondent is desirous of learning the most eco- nomical and accurate method of inspecting and keeping record of the weights of individual castings produced in the foundry each day, in order to prevent overweight for any cause whatever. ff Ps A EE, SS EEE Ae eee Ro ll eas ert dgre Pa ¢ EE A) Oe NN 1302 THE IRON AGE Lake Mining Interests. Working Hard to Open Navigation. DvuLuTH, MrInn., April 15, 1905.—The first ships have loaded ore at upper lake ports, Duluth and Two Harbors being those opened earliest and the only ones shipping to date. These vessels had no trouble with ice on the western end of Lake Superior, but when they reached the narrow throat lying between Whitefish Point and Point Iroquois, above the St. Mary’s Falls canals, they were blocked and have so remained until the close of this week. Similarly, ships attempting to reach Lake Su- perior have been blockaded by ice. The 60-mile river below the Savlt canals has been solid ice, and ships have only made the passage to the locks by continuous ice bucking for three days. Friday night they succeeded in getting through to the canal, with only the short stretch from Iroquois to Whitefish between them and a free passage to any of the Superior ore shipping points. This year, contrary to all precedent, the westerly and north- ernmost ports have opened first. Duluth has been free and clear for two weeks, while Lake Erie is still so full of heavy ice that several ships, making the effort to get west from Cleveland, were seriously damaged, having their stems twisted and their plate seams started until they leaked badly. The first arrival from the lower lakes at the upper end of Lake Superior is booked for the week of April 20, which is at least three weeks ahead of last year, and ore is going forward nearly six weeks sooner than last season. The extraordinary delay with ore shipments then was due, of course, not to weather conditions, but to strikes upon shipboard. Labor Matters, A week ago there seemed no serious apprehension of any immediate labor difficulties at mines. Before the week was half over a strike had occurred at the open cut mines at Hibbing, and two men, both strikers, had been killed. The probability is they were shot by strip- ping laborers in the employ of Porter Bros., who dis- liked being driven from their posts. All day men em- ployed by this firm at the Burt mine were driven off during the afternoon, but when the night crew went to work numerous rifles went with them, and when the strikers advanced to force them away these were utilized. At present the situation is that some 2500 men are out and most of the mines in the Hibbing district are idle, with many of the miners anxious to get back to work at the old rate of pay, but with a minority of disaffected scaring them off. The sheriff has the matter well in hand and it is probable the mines will all be working again in the course of the coming week, possibly before this letter is published. While the strike has curtailed receipts of ore at