The Iron Age 1905-10-26: Vol 76 Iss 17

THE A Review of the Published every Thursday Morning by David Williams Co,., 232-238 William St. ol, 76: No. Seading Matter Contents \!phabetical Index to Advertisers ‘‘ ‘tassified List of Advertisers.... ‘‘ Advertising and Subscription Rates “‘ New page 1120 173 165 172 17. Compression Shafi Couplings Manufactured by FORSTER PULLEY sta WORKS Cuba, N. Y. The American Mfg. Co. Ropes and Twines 65 Wall Street, New York Bristol's Patent Steel Belt Lacing, SAVES Time, Belts, Money, GreatestStrenceth EADY TO APPLY = FiNiSHEDVOW «with Least hetal Send for Circulars and Free Samples. THE BRISTOL CO.. Waterbury. Conn, SAMSON Psst! CORD Also Linen and Italian Hemp Sash Cord, SAMSON CORDAGE WORKS. Raston. Macs. TURNBUCKLES. Branch Office. 11 Broadway, New York. Cleveland City Forge and lronCo., - Cleveland, O, TURN BUCKLES. SEE Se SOFT COAL. Brooklyn, E.D., N.Y Girard Building, Phila. PILLING & CRANE Farmers’ Bank, Pittsn’ 2 + ene ig., NewYork. oard of Trade, Boston. The habit of thinking “APOLLO BEST BLOOM” when Galvanized Sheets are wanted has made many a man a great Success. See AMERICAN SHEET & TIN PLATE COMPANY’S Ad on page 14 oa a P~906 "ra wollo ans ides ™ OJo up Le, IRON 22GE Hardware, Iron, Machinery and Metal Titties. New York, $8 OO a Year, including Postage Single Copies, 15 Cents. York, Thursday, October 26, « TQOS. a “CA RTRIDGES FOR SALE PLZ U. M. C. Cartridges do not miss-fire or miss- sell No U.M.C. hang- fire in the gun or hang- L sales in your. store. rn *s ‘9 > They go’’ becausethey have a definite energy of their own. It springs from the quality, repu- tation and advertising behind them. A U.M. C. Cartridge to fitevery gun in the world. The Union Metallic Cartridge Company, BRIDGEPORT, CONN. 86-88 First Street, San Francisco, Cal. AGENCY 313 Broadway, New York City. > | STIRLING-CAHALL boilers SEE PAGE 108 ~ Capewell Horse Nails ARE THE BEST IN THE WORLD The following voluntary testimonial is from Matt. Byrnes, trainer of ** Salvator” when hewon the Suburban and broke the time record foramile. He has trained other Suburban winners and some of the best known horses in the country: **BeLvont Park, lL. I., N. Y., August 11, 1905. THE CAPEWELL HORSE NAIL CO., Hartford, Conn. Gentlemen: Capewell Horse Shoe Nails are the best in use—in a class by themselves, Yours truly, MATT. BYRNES.” Hartford, Conn. “ey The Capewell Horse Nail Co. JENKINS BROS. VALVES are well designed, and have full opening. They are thoroughly inter- changeable, so that any worn or broken part can be readily renewed. All genuine bear Trade Mark as shown in the cut, and are guaranteed Write for booklet JENKINS BROS., New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, London. “Swnedon” Gold Rolled Steel esr vai a SAMpID celled for THE AMERICAN TUBE & STAMPING COMPANY SEE Water and Rai) Delivery) BRIDGEPORT, CONN, PAGE MAGNOLIA METAL. Best Anti-Friction Metal for all Machinery Bearings. Fac. Simile of Bar. GA uatd Sete OS aes hy ¥ SON i aN . 66 PEO, a he Te Beware of Lnhohs a eo imitations. . SSW AGNOLIA METAL CO. Owners and Sole Manufacturers, Chicago. Fisher Bidg. San Franciseo, Montreal and Pittsburg. We manufacture all crades of Babbitt Metals at competitive prices 113-115 Bank Street, NEW YORK. THE PL PLUME & ATwooD MFG. Co,, MANUFACTURERS OF — IBRASS. iL} The Queen's Run a Sheet and Roll Brass Fire Brick co. (COPPER WIRE — PRINTERS’ BRASS, JEWELERS’ METAL, GERMAN SILVER AND GILDING METAL, COPPER RIVETS HEET HIGHEST GRADE GERMAN s AND BURRS. ROD Pins, Brass Butt Hinges, Jack Chain, Kero- | SILVER WIRE wa ILOW BRASS. SHEET BRONZE.| ® MURRAY SI., NEW YORK. | 144 HIGH ST., BOSTON. Shapes a Specialty ‘SEAMLESS BRASS AND COPPER ge k H J 199 LAKE ST., CHICAGO, Oe Bravene 1228-VHTUBING, BRAZED BRASS AND| wae | rt ‘BRONZE TUBING. : : : 3: : TDi WATERBURY BRASS CO,,|f ooo ecco cs OO BRASS, 99 John St., New York. isis R. I. Sheets, Rolis, Wire Rods, Bolts and Tubes, NAT prdgeport Deoxidized Bronze | sae iasse aces Metal to Special Brass Goods to Order. Facrories: ~ °9 ; BRIDGEPORT, GONN. enn CONN. Automobile Castings a Specialty. | MEW York. CHICAGO. —_ BOSTON. High Tensile Strength. Sect dee ee | Bronze and Aluminum Alloys. Henry Souther Engineering GO, HARTFORD, CONN. Write Us. Consulting Chemists, Metallurgists and Analysts. mplete Physical Testing Laboratory; Expert Tesdmony im Court and Patent Cases, Matthiessen & Hegeler Zinc Co., iin a Artur T. Rutter & Go. SHEET ZINC AND SULPHURIC ACID encod guieiniicaaa Special Sizes of Zinc cut to order. Rolled Battery Plates. . NEW YORK. Selected Plates for Etchers’ and Lithographers’ use. Small tubin in Brass Cop , per, Selected Sheets for Paper and Card Makers’ use. = Stove and Washboard Blanks. Steel, Aluminum, German Silver &c. Sheet Brass, Copper and Ger- |man Silver. Copper, Brass and | German Silver Wire. Brazed and RE ALE HORM ete Bs BRASS aS eiteeneremeerermmmm PHONO-ELECTRIC’ ZINCS FOR LECLANCHE BATTERY. ETO GERACE TORTI MRctpe-eLaS ae WIRE, “it's Touch.’ cistulisonarvotussintebaneennndnemasncaniehtnenetteantntehasdieteatiananeaneaaeeananaa nae TROLLEY, rass, Bronze and ®2 Aluminum 2 C ASTIN G S : TELEPHONE FOUNDERS—FINISHERS. ” ee. ile mibiy a aaa and ' WW. CG. ROWELL CO., Bridgeport, Conn. TELEGRAPH HENDRICKS BROTHERS : LINES. PROPRIETURS OF THE Belleville Copper Rolling Mills, ezo~ Smet ome. Brazicrs’ Sekt .cmadt Sheathing ~ GEORGE KROU SE COPPER, HEAVY CASTINGS COFPwPER WwiRE AND RIVETS. Manafactarer of all kinds of Importers and Dealers in Brass and Composition nal ingot Copper, Block Tin, Spelter, Lead, Antimony, etc. Brazing Metals, Hard Composition 49 CLIFF ST., NEW YORK. Phosphor Bronze Castings Spectalty 160 to 164 Morgan Street, JERSEY CITY, N. ! THE IRON AGE New York, Thursday, October 26, 1905. The Ridgway Heavy Driving Wheel Lathe. Remarkable Tests Pursuing the purpose which brought it into existence, that of building machine tools adapted to use the new high duty tool steels, the Ridgway Machine Tool Com- pany, Ridgway, Pa., has added to its line another high duty tool in the form of a 90-inch driving wheel lathe. A very successful demonstration of the machine was made last Thursday at the Ridgway works before a party of prominent engineers, among whom were the following: R. T. Shea, inspector of machinery and tools of the Van derbilt lines; C. H. Hogan, superintendent of motive power, Western Division, New York Central & Hudson River Railroad; James Horton, master mechanic, Home- Fig. 1. stead Works, Carnegie Steel Company; John Flemming, master foreman, and John Parsons, tire lathe operator, Depew Shops, New York Central & Hudson River Rail- road; William Eberhardt, assistant foreman, wheel shop, Pennsylvania Railroad, Altoona, Pa.; C. H. Potts, master mechanic, and C. H. Miller, general foreman, Shops, Pennsylvania Railroad, Renovo, Pa; O. P. Meckel and H. L. Paulus, Baird Machinery Company, Pittsburgh, Pa.; and C. A. Goodspeed, Prentiss Tool & Supply Com pany, New York. Renovo The Tests, The first test consisted of the turning of a pair of very badly worn locomotive driving wheels 57 inches in diam- eter in 59 minutes actual cutting time. Six minutes were consumed in placing the wheels in the lathe and they of Its Efficiency. were taken off in four minutes, making the time for the complete operation one hour and nine minues. The ma chine stood on the floor of the shop without any fastening and it was necessary to operate it from a platform, conse- quently it was not possible to force the machine to the extent that would have been possible had it been properly placed on a suitable foundation. In all the tests the ability of the machine proved more than commensurate with the capabilities of the tool steels, for it rigidly stood up to the point of failure of every tool used. The wheels used in the tests were furnished by the New York Central & Hudson River Railroad Company The New 90-Inch Heavy Driving Wheel Lathe Built by the Ridgway Machine Too] Company, Ridgway, Pa and were worn about as badly as any that would ever be met with in practice, these being selected to try the tool under the most severe conditions. Cutting on the first pair of wheels was commenced with a feed of 7-32 inch, a cut % inch deep and a cutting speed of 7% feet per minute, the tools being of a well- known brand of high duty After running 1% inches over the treads of the tires the speed was increased to 11 feet per minute and the feed to 4% inch. When the treads had been faced to a width of 3 inches the tools gave out, the speed having been increased to 14 feet per minute. Another well-known brand of high speed steel was then used, the first tool giving out in three minutes, the sec- ond in seven minutes and the third in three minutes. At this time the tools were cutting the extremely hard surface steel. 1072 THE IRON AGE October 26, 190 near the flanges. With another brand of steel the turning of the flanges was commenced and they were finished in 44 minutes. One hour and 28 minutes covered the cut- ting time, including the replacing of tools. In this time 250 pounds of metal were removed and the power con- sumed by the lathe varied from 6 to 26 horse-power. The machine was operated by Lewis H. Morgan, superintend- ent and general manager of the Ridgway Machine Tool Company. In another test the machine was operated by an ex pert tire turner, John Parsons, from the Depew Shops of the New York Central. Cutting was commenced at the rate of 16 feet per minute, the feed being %& inch and the cut % inch deep. When the tools had traversed 1% inches across the treads the feed was increased to 4 inch and one of the tools shortly gave out. Two more tools broke down before the cutting was finished. This Fig. 2.—Another View of the Tool, Taken from the Driving Head End.—-Also Shows the Parts of the Chucking Devices. was the test referred to in the first paragraph, for which the cutting time, including the replacing of tools, was 59 minutes. The metal removed amounted to 180 pounds, the power consumed being the same as in the previous test. The difference in time between the first and second tests may be attributed to the fact that the first pair of wheels was much more worn, as is shown by the large amount of metal removed. The metal was also consider- ably harder, necessitating the reducing of speed very con- siderably when the hard spots were encountered in order to prevent the destruction of the tools. Description of the Machine. The machine on which these tests were made is illus- trated in Figs. 1 and 2, driven by a Thompson-Ryan variable speed motor having a range of four to one. The advantage of the variable speed motor is that the speed can be conveniently changed instantly to meet varying conditions of the tire. A glance at the illustrations of the machine impresses one with its apparent strength and rigidity. It will be seen that every part subject to strain has been made short and stocky. For instance, th« clamping devices or driving dogs and face plates are s designed that the wheels come close to the face plat and the rests are arranged to give very little overhang t the tools. This scheme of compactness is adhered to i: every detail of the design. The bed is of box form with internal ribs and th front is extended beyond the main body to give soli support for the rests. The left hand head, also of box section and ribbed, carries the primary driving gearing and is securely bolted to the bed. Recesses in both fac plates admit the crank pins to allow the wheels, as be fore stated, to be brought close to the face plates and so diminish the overhang of the centers. The centers ar carried in steel spindles 7 inches in diameter, sliding in the main spindle, and are clamped at the front ends by conical split bushings, insuring perfect rigidity. An important feature is found in the mechanism em- ployed in traversing the right head or tail back and forth. A small electric motor is conveniently hung on a bracket attached to the tail stock and is geared directly to the traversing screw. One gear of this train is arranged to Slip at a certain point so that it is possible to run the motor at full speed, bringing up the center at a rapid rate solidly into place in the axle without the necessity of slowing down or stopping the motor. The power of this device can be adjusted so that sufficient force is ap- plied, thus avoiding the necessity of adjusting the centers by means of thé hand wheels furnished. The rests are of rigid construction and are clamped to the bed by six 1%inch bolts. The side next _to the face plate is cut away on the top and reinforced on the under side so as to allow the driving dogs to be brought as near the rim of the wheel as possible. The tool blocks have swiveling compound slides with power feed in any direction, and can be set so as to turn wheels from 48 inches to 90 inches in diameter. The right hand rest is , October 26, 1905 THE IRON AGE 1073 provided with power traverse by means of a link connect- ing it to the tail stock head. The driving dogs are of novel character, the idea being to grip the rims firmly, and by means of a cap, which is slipped on after the wheels are in place, buckling or distorting of the wheels is prevented and a rigid drive is obtained. There are driving dogs on each plate; two are shown in the foreground (Fig. 2), one having the cap removed. The feed is taken directly from the face plate, and the feed lever being close to the operator it is possible to adjust the amount of feed without leaving the work. The face plates can be driven independently or in uni- son as desired. All running bearings are bushed with bronze. The face plate pinion is forged steel and runs in a sleeve which is bronze lined. It is withdrawn from mesh with the face plate gear for journal turning by a lever in the front of the head. The speeds of the face plate are in correct geometrical ratio for tires, giving cut- ting speed of 5 feet 6 inches per minute on a 90-inch diame- ter to 34 feet per minute on a 48-inch diameter. The re- maining ten speeds are in correct geometrical ratio for journals, giving 32 feet per minute cutting speed on 5- inch journals to 6 feet per minute on 10-inch journals. The journal rest is carried on the two inner members of the main rest and has two tool blocks with cross slide and longitudinal power feed for turning both journals at once. Dimensions and interesting data concerning the ma- chine are given in the following table. ree chain Sin oc Perea ew ad whl 7 feet 7 inches Se Gr PO ENE Vi ee cew dew ere eeees news 7 feet 6 inches Maximum distance between face plates..................9 feet Maximum distance between centers............. 7 feet 6 inches FETE CORT Pere CUP TE aCe EE TT eee 20 Maximum speed for tires, revolutions per minute.......... 2.68 Minimum speed for tires, revolutions per minute.......... 0.227 Maximum speed for journal, revolutions per minute........ 54 Minimum speed for journal, revolutions per minute........ 4.53 ks rok ad MeO Ree Rees oe <a ee 1% inch DE DE vcbecvetoseasceatetves Wwe eaedd 0.025 inch Main spindle, left head, diameter................+..-. 13 inches Main spindle, right head, diameter................. 11 inches RE MOREER,, GHNUNNOE a 6ic o cc bce cic cesemesas 7 inches Main Griving shatt, Giameter...... 2... scccccccseces 6 inches Cone for belt drive, lerge step, diameter.............36 inches Cone for belt drive, small step, diameter............. 18 inches a i coc all ctv ar cia ks nls kh mae 7 inches ts TE da aS 6 KERR SHER ON 30 horse-power EIT OTE CECT TE 20 feet 6 inches x 2 feet 3 inches RE ee eee eT he TS Te ee 90,000 pounds The lathe may be equipped with quartering attach- ments for boring the crank pin holes of the driving wheels when assembled on axles. The attachments weigh 2800 pounds and have spindles 2 11-16 inches in diameter with a travel of 16 inches. The quartering attachment on the left head is driven from the motor which drives the ma- chine. On the right head it is driven by the mechanism provided for traversing the head on the bed. Both quar- tering attachment spindles have ten changes of speed, va- rying from 6.9 to 76 revolutions per minute, which give a wide range for all diameters of crank pin holes. The tool rests used when turning the journals of axles add 1500 pounds to the weight of the machine. —_—_~-e—_____ The Production of Natural Gas in 1904. WASHINGTON, D. C., October 24, 1905.—The wasteful methods employed in the utilization of natural gas, which are largely responsible for the rapidly decreasing pres- sure in some of the most important fields, have resulted in a decrease of 390 in the manufacturing establishments supplied with this fuel in 1904, as compared with 1903, according to the annual report of the United States Geo- logical Survey, compiled by F. H. Oliphant. In this de- crease are included eight steel works and iron mills and 111 glass works. The attention of manufacturers is sharply drawn by the report to the almost complete exhaus- tion of many of the original fields in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana, which bears witness to the fact that the con- tents of these reservoirs are limited, and that the abun- dance of gas at present in some fields gives no warrant for its extravagant use and wanton waste. An Increased Output. Although diminishing pressure is reported from many fields, the total production in 1904 was greater than that of any previous year, and was valued at $38,496,760, an inerease over 1903 of $2,688,900. Four States, Pennsyl- vania, West Virginia, Indiana, and Ohio, produced 93.3 per cent. of the entire value of natural gas produced in the United States in 1904. Pennsylvania alone produced 47 per cent. of the entire value. The approximate quan- tity of natural gas produced in 1904, at a pressure of 4 ounces to the square inch, was 256,645,000,000 cubic feet, the equivalent of 6,159,480 tons of 2000 pounds. If the density remained the same throughout it would fill a pipe that would encircle the globe at the equator whose diam- eter should be slightly greater than 50 feet. There was much active work in 1904 in the new fields of central Ohio and southeastern Kansas. In the latter a number of remarkably large wells were developed. A large amount was expended in drilling wells, extending many pipe lines and piping cities and villages In these States. In West Virginia a large number of new wells of large capacity were drilled and connected to the main lines. The United States produced 99 per cent. of the en- tire known world’s production of natural gas. At the close of 1904 there were 156,456,370 feet. or 29,- 632 miles, of mains for the transportation of natural gas in the United States, which varied from 2 to 35 inches in diameter. The greater portion of the pipe in use is 8 and 10 inches in diameter. The line pressure on the smaller pipe up to 10 inches runs as high as 400 pounds; for 20 inches diameter the pressure is usually less than 300 pounds to the square inch. Originally the gas pres- sure in the wells was sufficient to transport large quan- tities in ordinary sized pipes to points of consumption many miles distant. In many instances during recent years the gradual falling off of the natural pressure has made it necessary to install powerful pumping or com- pressing machinery. In recent years there has developed a general exten- sion of many of the large lines supplying central west- ern Pennsylvania and northeastern Ohio into the deep and prolific fields of southwestern Pennsylvania and west- ern West Virginia, which are now operated in a most eco- nomical way, enforced by the dearly learned lessons of the reckless exhaustion of the original fields of Pennsyl- vania, Ohio and Indiana. Much larger lines have been recently constructed, and the increase in diameter has added largely to their capacity and has increased the quantity of gas delivered at points of consumption. It is unfortunate that there is still a large quantity of natural gas wasted in southwestern Pennsylvania and West Vir- ginia, where many of the upper gas producing strata are pierced when drilling for petroleum stored in the underly- ing sands. Industrial Use of Gas, In 1904 the manufacturing establishments employing this fuel were distributed according to the following table: Other Iron Steel Glass estab- State. mills. works. works. lishments. Pemmeyivania .....-..... 3 65 a 2,74 | Ee oe re ee ae 6 89 1,112 NE aks Gaudiiewnec tnd 8 4 15 297 i, ae 7 2 81 964 EN SER bo. pave vine wads 1 aa 32 444 ee eee eee 6 4 6 274 PE eked ane aad ewes 1 1 14 55 Ce Pens cc eccews cou aa al 67 po eee ee 61 82 “37 5,953 There were 712,577 domestic consumers supplied in 1904, an increase of 85,530 over 1908. This increase came chiefly from Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and West Vir- ginia. Indiana showed a decrease. It is estimated that not less than 4,600,000 individuals were supplied with light and fuel, and not less than 5,000,000 individuals re- ceived benefit from its use as an illuminant. Other Fuel Displaced by Gas, It is estimated that the natural gas used in 1904, which was valued at $38,496,760, displaced coal, wood and other fuels valued in the aggregate at $43,413,240, or $4,916,480 more than was paid for the natural gas. The general average price of natural gas to consumers is very close to 16 cents per 1000 cubic feet, and the pressure 4 ounces above atmospheric. Ww. L. ©. ne emmy wemmnemeann son 3 ee 1074 THE Activity in the Scotch Steel Trade. GLascow, October 13, 1905.—Within a fortnight steel plate and angle prices have been advanced here another 10 shillings per ton. That means £1 per ton within a month, following upon previous small advances of 2 shillings 6 pence to 5 shillings per ton. Such a move- ment in our market is so unusual as to be entitled to be called a boom. The advance is the result partly of an advance in hematite or Bessemer pig iron and partly of the increasing demand for finished product. The rise in the price of steel making pig iron is due partly to the large home consumption, but also largely to the foreign, including American, demand. Last month, for instance, our exports of pig iron were 91,318 tons, as against 61,- 678 tons in the corresponding month. The shipments to the United States last month were 15,113 tons, as against 4268 tons, and the greater portion of the increase was in steel making iron. A larger quantity of this class of iron has been purchased on American account, both in the Middlesbrough district and in Cumberland. It is evident that smelters of this iron are very largely sold, more largely than the home consumption would account for, by their eagerness to secure hematite ore. There have been very large sales of Bilbao (Spanish) hematite ore within the last few weeks at considerable advances on former figures. In Glasgow the price of Spanish ore may be called a shilling per ton dearer, of which one-half may be ascribed to the higher freights now exacted by the ore steamers in the Bilbao trade. Of West Coast or Cumber- land hematite iron a good deal is believed to have been bought for shipment to the United States, and West Coast warrants are 70 shillings 6 pence, while East Coast or Middlesbrough hematite is cheaper, at 68 shillings. Large Make of Cleveland Iron, While the output of hematite iron has been increased by the Scotch furnaces the local consumption of it has also increased. Nearly all our furnaces are either on hematite or on special quality brands. This is why there is only some 16,000 tons of Scotch G. M.B.in store and why nobody nowadays pays any attention to Scotch war- rants. It is different, however, with Cleveland foundry iron, which is now being made in large quantities in spite of the great quantity now in store. Perhaps one might truthfully say that it is being made in large quantities because of the large quantity in stock. This may seem a paradox, but the fact is that the current price for Cleve- land warrants leaves a very large profit on the cost of smelting ordinary Cleveland ore, a better profit than by making hematite iron from imported ore. Therefore Cleveland smelters go on making No. 3 foundry iron and sending it into store, where there are now 557,000 tons accumulated, or nearly 120,000 tons more than at the time when the Cleveland corner was closed in May. For all the Cleveland iron converted into warrants there are eager buyers, not merely among spec- ulators but chiefly among steel and iron manufacturers, shipbuilders and other industrial consumers. They are buying Cleveland warrants to hold as cover against the rise in steel making iron and in finished iron and steel generally. And thus we have the remarkable fact that by the steady buying of legitimate purchasers the price of Cleveland warrants has been brought up close to the figure at which the bull corner in May forced the short sellers to settle. That was 55 shillings, from which the price fell to 45 shillings. But this week it has reached 53 shillings 6 pence and looks as if it were still on the up grade. Nor is this surprising with Cumberland hema- tite at 70 shillings 6 pence in store and with Scotch hema- tite at 72 shillings delivered. In short the Cleveland war- rant stock has become a sort of reserve fund for which consumers are now truly grateful. By and by the buyers of Cleveland warrants hope there will be such a demand for foundry iron as will enable them to recoup what they may have to lose on the rise in hematite. How long it may take to absorb the Cleveland stock of foundry iron for consumption or whether it ever will be consumed are questions one would not care to answer just now. The key to the problem seems to lie in the extent of the sup- ply of hematite ore. IRON AGE October 26, 1905 General Advances in Finished Material. By the latest advance Scotch steel plates are now £6 17s.6d.; marine boiler plates, £7 7s.6d.; angles, £6 10s., and bars, £7 10s., all per ton and less 5 per cent. In the north of England steel ship plates have been raised to £6 15s. and angles to £6 7s. 6d. per ton, less 2% per cent. Merchant sheets have been raised here by 7 shillings 6 pence per ton and nail sheets by 15 shillings per ton this week. For every class of finished material there is a strong demand and steel makers are so full of work that they have to decline much new business. They have good contracts for shipbuilding material, though shipbuilders must have covered themselves pretty well before the ad- vances were made, In the month of September the new ship contracts booked by Scotch shipbuilders aggregated over 100,000 tons and no doubt the closing of the steel contracts led the steel makers to put up their prices for further con tracts. It is not likely that shipowners will order new ships now on a basis of £6 17s. 6d. per ton for plates, a price £1 12s. 6d. per ton above the basis of contracts a year or two ago. But it is not on shipbuilding material alone that our steel makers are busy; all classes of ma- terial are in demand. B. T. ————_>-+e___ The National Founders’ Association. Announcement is made of the general programme de- cided upon for the ninth annual convention of the Na- tional Founders’ Association to be held at Hotel Astor, New York, on November 15 and 16, 1905. It is stated that the past year has demonstrated by the large growth in membership, which establishes a record for additions to the association, the wisdom of the stand taken at the Cincinnati convention last year in breaking off conference relations with the Iron Molders’ Union under the New York agreement. Indications point to a large attendance at the coming convention in view of the important ques- tions that are to be considered and the special reports to be made. The outline of the procedure to be followed is indicated in the following programme: Roll call and reading of minutes. Appointment of Resolutions Committee and Press Committee. Reports of president, treasurer, secretary and commissioner, Education of Apprentices ——How best results may be ob- tained. Report of Committee on Training School. Best methods to be adopted to bring to justice law breakers, sluggers, mur- derers and intimidators. Desirability of protecting members of the association against the organization of foundry helpers, chippers, cleaners and cupola tenders. Machine Operators.—How to obtain the best results with molding machines. Field Force.—To what extent shall this branch of work be continued or enlarged? Co-operation with Kindred Associations.—Report of com- mittee and discussion. Report of Special Finance Committee. Miscellaneous business. Election of officers. The report of the Committee on Co-operation with Kindred Organizations is awaited as one of the most in- teresting features of the coming convention, the possi- bilities of union with other associations having had seri- ous consideration in the past year. The education of ap- prentices is also a topic that will occupy considerable time. The annual subscription banquet will be held on Wednesday evening, October 15, at the Hotel Astor. It is announced that speakers of national reputation will make addresses on this occasion. —__3-@—___—_—__ British advices are that the Vickers Maxim Shipbuild- ing Company has concluded negotiations for the sale of a new 20,000-ton battle ship to the Russian Government. The battle ship was laid down by the builders in the hope that Russia or some other foreign power would buy it before completion. A second battle ship is to be begun on the same lines. Further orders for vessels have been placed recently, Burrell & Co., of Glasgow, booking 10 of 7000 tons capacity in the second week of October. The activity at shipyards is a continued surprise. There are 24 ships building at Belfast, 92 at Glasgow, 63 at Greenock, 80 at Newcastle and 51 at Sunderland. The majority are for colonial and foreign firms. ‘ (tober 26, 1905 ‘he Excelsior Reversing Gasoline Engine. The two-cycle gasoline engines shown in the accom- uying illustrations have a number of original features, most important of which, especially when considered its adaptation to marine work, being the mechanism for reversing without the use of intermediate gearing. The propeller shaft is not broken, but is a single piece, the reverse being accomplished in the same simple man- ner as in a steam engine, by throwing over a lever, caus- THE IRON AGE 1075 A general idea of the reversing mechanism is given by Figs. 2 and 3. When the engine is running ahead the governor balls A A tend to fly out, but are prevented from doing so by the sleeve B, which restrains the gov- ernor arms. When the reverse lever, Fig. 3, is thrown over to the position E a catch acts against the flange H, Fig. 2, on the sleeve and pulls it back into the posi- tion shown in the upper detail, Fig. 2. The sleeve being withdrawn from between the governor arms permits cen- trifugal force to throw the balls outward, which brings the ends of the arms against the shoulder K on the sleeve, holding the latter in position. At the same time THE IRON AGE Fig. 2.—Detail of the Governor on a Vertical Engine. ‘ty the crank shaft to revolve in the opposite direction. Another feature is the use of a valve in the by-pass, au- lomatically opened and closed, to prevent the possibility of back firing in the crank case, and adjustable to regu- late the power independent of the timing mechanism. Thus there are two entirely independent controls of the ehyine,—one of the power by regulating the amount of gas admitted to the combustion chamber, the other of the time of explosion. Other features of design and Mechanism are worthy of note. The engine is manufac- tured by the Julian D’Este Company, 24 Canal street, Boston, Mass., in two types, the horizontal opposed and the vertical. The former is shown in Figs. 1 and 4 and th. vertical type in Figs. 2 and 5. The Horizontal Opposed Type of the Excelsior Gasoline Engine. the sleeve acts upon the interrupter roll L, Figs. 2 and 8, holding it so that it cannot come in contact with the cam face J, and sparking ceases, since it occurs only while the roll is in contact with this cam face. The purpose is to cause the engine to lose its momentum by stopping the explosions, this being necessary before re- versing begins.. The governor balls are connected by an adjustable spring which brings them together be fore the momentum is entirely overcome, permitting the | CYLINDER | f THE IRON AGE Fig. 3.—Detail of the Reversing Mechanism. sleeve to be forced back by its spring between the gov- ernor arms, locking the governor and releasing the in- terrupter so that it may resume sparking. The action of the reverse lever has caused the interrupter to change its position, as shown in Fig. 3, so that the spark occurs before the center is reached, consequently when sparking is resumed the engine must run in the reverse direction. The momentum has been reduced to such a degree that the force of one explosion will cause the engine to re volve in the reverse direction. It has been found in practice that the time required for changing from full speed ahead to the reverse is about five seconds, and is much shorter when the reverse is from slow speed ahead. The action of the reverse lever may be understood from Fig. 3. The function of lever M is to control the speed of the engine by timing the spark. When it is in the position shown the engine is running at slow speed, when in position N it is running at full speed. The lever C is for reversing the engine. At the position shown by the heavy lines the engine is running ahead. To reverse, THE IRON AGE ‘ig. 4.—Horizontal Section of the Two-Cylinder Opposed October 26, terrupter roller L is advanced to give an earlier spark This is accomplished through the rod S, which shifts the commutator part R until it is in the position show) py dotted lines, but the rod remains at the upper end of the slot. When the reversing rod is thrown over it auto. matically throws the speed lever to its slow position, which means that the commutator part and the inter. THE 1RON AGE Excelsior Engine. THE IRON ACE Fig. 5.—Two Vertical Sections of the Vertical Excelsior Engine. the lever is pat in position E, shown by dotted lines. If, when it is desired to reverse, the engine is going at full speed ahead, the movement of the reversing lever auto- matically throws the speed lever to its slow position. The timing or interrupting cam is shown at J, Fig. 3; and P is a groove in the commutator part R. When the engine is started ahead the spark occurs after the crank has passed its center. As the engine speeds up the in- rupter are returned to their original positions, and ‘he! the rod S assumes the position T, which throws the ©0!” mutator part back again into its dotted line positio: and at the same time brings into operation the regulator de vice for reducing momentum and stopping sparking. The new position of the interrupter changes the spark so th*! it occurs before tie center is reached in the forward 4: rection. Thus when the engine resumes sparking t!° ™ by he to- n, hat ‘ber 26, 1905 yers- motion must follow. The reverse may be operated at (ne full speed of the engine. In returning to the for- ward direction the opposite of the foregoing operation takes place. o explain more fully the effect of changing the posi- ti if the commutator part R, when it is in its original pos tion, as indicated by the unbroken lines, the inter- rupier roller L is in position shown at U, and when in its dotted line position the interrupted roller is at W. As the interrupter cam J is keyed to the shaft, the roller in its two positions causes spark- ing at two different points in the stroke. When the en- gine is going ahead, in the direction of the arrow X, the U position of the roller corresponds to that for slow speed, and the position W that for full speed. But when the engine is reversed, revolving in the direction of the arrow Y, the conditions of speed for the positions U and W of the roller are reversed. The spring which holds the roller L against the cam face is shown in its two posi- tions by V and V. While in general the Excelsior engine is not unlike the standard type of two-cycle gasoline motor, it has other features of its own in addition to the reversing mechanism. An effort has been made to produce a max- imum compression by leaving as little space as possible in the crank case. With this end in view it has been reduced to the smallest possible size, and has been filled up as much as possible. The common flat crank has been replaced by disks, and the connecting rod is hollow to make it large for its weight. The piston performs the function of both outlet and inlet valves, combining sim- plicity with efficiency. The exhaust valves are very long and narrow, affording ample egress for the gases of com- bustion after they have performed their work in driving the piston. The general construction of both the hori- zontal and vertical types of the engine is well brought out in Figs. 4 and 5. The bearings are conical and easily adjusted for wear by two check nuts. If a hot box occurs the bearings may be loosened while. the engine is running and new adjust- ment made without loss of time. The crank pin and bear- ings are lubricated from a grease cup just above a port in the crank shaft bearing. The grease is centralized in the bearing because the degree of compression is equal to the degree of vacuum, so that the operation is the same as it would be under normal atmospheric conditions. The crank pin is lubricated through a hole passing through the crank from an annular groove around the crank shaft just below the grease cup, centrifugal force driving the lubricant to its work. With this arrangement the crank case is kept free of oil and grease, which other- wise might be taken into the combustion chamber with the fuel mixture, causing odor. All joints are ground and packing is done away with. The cylinder head is one piece with the cylinder to prevent any possibility of a leak be- tween the water jacket and the combustion chamber. The throttle valve in the by-pass serves the double purpose of preventing back fire in the erank case, which has been a serious fault in two-cycle engines, and also in adjusting the amount of fuel supplied to the combustion chamber. The valve is held on its seat by its spring until the pressure from the crank case exceeds that of the combustion chamber. There is little likelihood of back firing with the pressure of the combustion chamber less than that of the crank case, and if such a tendency should develop, then the moment back firing began the valve would have to close. The valve spring is adjust- able by means of a steep threaded plug operated by a lever. By this device the operator is enabled to throttle his engine by increasing the spring tension, so that the valve will open later in the stroke, admitting a corre spondingly decreased supply of fuel without changing its quality. This engine was designed by W. H. Broadhead and EL !. Latimer of Charlestown, Mass. Oe mC An example of economical elevator service is cited in 1e October Bulletin of the New York Edison Company. * refers to the electric elevators in the Times Building, THE IRON AGE 1077 one of the two tallest buildings in New York City. The elevators run at high speed, making an average daily travel of nearly 90 miles, which is obtained with an aver- age consumption of 3.82 kw.-hours per car mile. re Niagara Power Double Seamer No. 9. The machine shown in the accompanying illustration was put on the market by the Niagara Machine & Tool Works, Buffalo, N. Y. It is intended for double seaming the tops and bottoms of drums, such as are used for eaustic soda and other chemicals, and for similar work. The drum body is made in the usual manner, with both ends flanged out, and the tops and bottoms are pressed to the proper shape by dies in a press. The drum can be made of iron up to No. 20 gauge. The seamer accommodates work in diameter from 19 The Niagara No. 9 Pewer Driven Double ,Seamer. inches to 32 inches, extra seamer chucks being required for each size. To special order it can be made for work of smaller diameter. It will accommodate work from 6 inches to 44 inches high. The machine is driven by means of a friction clutch controlled by a double treadle. When the operator depresses one treadle the work is clamped between the lower chuck and the upper disk. At the same time the clutch is engaged and the work re- volves. By depressing the other treadle the motion is stopped and the clamping disk raised. The lower chuck is driven by bevel gears arranged underneath the bed. The seamer rolls are carried on slides mounted on the uprights and they are brought in contact with the work by means of hand wheels. The seamer rolls have vertical adjustment. One of them curls the seam and the other flattens it. The weight of the machine complete is about °” pounds. It is one of a series of double seamers built by this company for large and small work, on round or other shapes. 1078 The Locke Automatic Engine Stop. A device for closing the main steam supply to an en- gine if the safe limit of speed is exceeded or an accident occurs in any part of the plant is made by the Locke Acting as a safeguard Regulator Company, Salem, Mass. THE IRON AGE October 26, 1: of governor which is belted to the engine shaft. This governor is set to make an electric contact when a pre- determined speed has been reached, the limit being a fow revolutions greater than the normal engine speed. Where the engine uses a supply valve 3% inches size or smaller the stop is incorporated in the valve, as Fig. 1—The Locke Combined Throttle and Automatic Engine Stop. 1 STEAM PIPE FROM MAIN SHUT OFF VALVE 1 STEAM PIPE 10 GLOBE AND GF LECTRIC RELIE VALVES THE IRON AGE MAIN SHUT-OFF VALVE Fig. 2.—The Main Valve, with Separate Auxiliary Controlling Valve. against an excess of speed it operates automatically and so prevents the danger of bursting the fly wheel, and if something happens to the machinery anywhere in the works, making it desirable to stop the engine, it may be operated at will by the pressing of any one of a number of electric buttons placed at convenient locations. The speed limiting function is controlled by a Pickering style THE IRON AGE Fig. 3.—Section of the Auxiliary Valve. shown in Fig. 1. For larger sizes the stop is a part of an auxiliary valve through which the main shut-off valve is controlled. In Fig. 2 are shown the main valve and the auxiliary valve, the former being drawn to half the scale of the latter. The main valve is of the double pop- pet type. The two poppets are mounted on the same stem with a piston which fits loosely in a cylinder. The upper poppet is of slightly greater area than the lowe! one, so that steam entering at the inlet at the left side will open the valve if the outlet from the cylinder con taining the piston is closed. With this condition the pis ton is balanced by the leaking of steam pastit. If steam pressure is released from the upper face of the piston the pressure of the steam below it will close the valve, a: the steam cannot leak by the piston fast enough to equa! ize the pressure on both sides. The auxiliary valve or electric relief valve is con- nected with the outlet from the chamber above the pis ton of the main valve and there is preferably a glob valve between. Fig. 3 shows a section of the relief valv taken perpendicular to the plane of the elevation in Fig 2. Steam entering the inlet of the valve passes above th: piston A and fills the space B, keeping the valve C closed. Whenever the -valve is electrically tripped the spring I) incoils and rotates the valve spindle E one-quarter of a urn. This removes the small valve from its seat 1-16 neh and exhausts steam from the space B through pas- ages F and G to the outlet end of the valve C. As piston \ is larger than the poppet C the pressure of the steam n the space between the two will open the valve. This n turn will exhaust steam from the top side of the piston of the main shut-off valve and cause it to close. The globe valve between the relief valve and the main valve provides a means of keeping the outlet from the operating cylinder on the main valve closed if the relief valve is out of order or if the electric trip is being tested and avoids interrupting the operation of the en- gine. Fig. 4 shows the governor used as the speed limit. It is driven by belt from the shaft of the engine and is con- nected in the wiring circuit as any ordinary circuit closer would be. It is designed to run in either direction and has a ball bearing shaft to minimize friction and increase its sensitiveness, so that a delicate balancing is possible of the centrifugal force and the opposing resistance of the springs. As the balls are thrown out by the in- Fig. 4.—The Locke Automatic Speed Limit Governor. creased speed of the engine a small spindle within the hollow shaft is made to travel laterally, which causes it to come in contact with a strap key and close the circuit. The governor has an adjustment of about 50 revolutions. —————~—-e—__—_. Recent Customs Decisions. Cast Iron Grinding Disks. The, Board of General Appraisers on October 20 handed down a decision denying claims made by Thomas Prosser & Son, New York, regarding the classification of cast iron grinding disks and other articles which have been further advanced in manufacture subsequently to the casting process. The merchandise, which had been classified at the rate of 45 per cent., was claimed to be dutiable as castings. Ferro Alloys, The General Board has decided favorably to the im- porters, M. Morris and F. H. Shallus of Baltimore, their contention regarding the classification applicable to ferrochrome. The collector assessed the merchandise as “metals, unwrought,” with duty at the rate of 20 per cent. ad valorem. On the other hand, the importers set up the claim that the importations were dutiable at $4 per ton, by similitude to ferromanganese, provided for in paragraph 122. The decision says, among other things: “The question of the dutiable classification of the ma- terials enumerated above has been the subject of pro- tracted litigation between the Government and the im- porters, and ended finally in favor of the latter by the decision of the Circuit Court of Appeals in the case of the United States against the Roessler & Hasslacher \ctober 26, 1905 THE IRON AGE 1079 Chemical Company. This was an appeal by the Govern- ment from an affirmance of the board’s decision, dated July 31, 1903, which, following the General Appraisers’ ruling, had sustained the importer’s claim that the mer- chandise, ferrochrome, was dutiable properly at the same rate as ferromanganese by virtue of the similitude clause, section 7 of the tariff.” General Appraiser Fischer states in his decision that as the Treasury De- partment has acquiesced in the finding of the court the classification found by the last named tribunal will be followed by the board hereafter. The board has rendered a decision reversing the col- lector at Philadelphia in assessing duty at the rate of 20 per cent. on ferrosilicon on the ground that it is a metal. General Appraiser Fischer says in his decision for the board that the article is denominatively provided for at the rate of $4 per ton, the classification claimed by the importers. Miniature Turbines. The Allis-Chalmers Company has filed an appeal with the Board of United States General Appraisers in which objection is made to the action of the collector of customs at New York in assessing a heavy duty on miniature pat- terns of turbines for steamships. The importers main- tain that the models are properly free of duty under the provision in the tariff for “ patterns for machinery.” Collector Stranahan’s view is that the patterns are “manufactures of metal,” and therefore should stand assessment. Testimony is being laid before the customs tribunal, and a decision will probably be promulgated next month. Copper Cylinders Produced by Electrolysis have become the subject of customs controversy. The Board of Appraisers, while overruling a protest filed by Welles & Locke, New York, finds that the collector erred in his assessment. Duty was exacted at the rate of 2% cents per pound under the tariff provision for copper pipes. It was alleged in the protest that the merchan- dise should be admitted without duty as copper not manufactured. From the testimony placed before the board it was apparent that the articles as imported represented the result of the first stage of the manufac- turing process used in the fabrication of copper pipes. It was also demonstrated to the satisfaction of the trib- unal that the articles are not the copper pipes or tubes of commerce. The board holds that the merchandise should have been assessed under paragraph 193 of the tariff act for “articles not specially provided for.” As that claim was not made by the importers the collector’s classification, although erroneous, must stand. Carding Machines. The Board of United States General Appraisers has rendered a decision of considerable interest to importers and users of carding and other machines of a compound character. It appears that the H. G. McKerrow Com- pany, Limited, imported at Boston 127 cases in which were contained, separately packed, 14 carding machines complete with the clothing on. The collector of customs assessed duty on the contents of all of the cases except five at the rate of 45 per cent. under the provision in the Dingley tariff law for manufactures of metal. On the five containing the card clothing for the machines the col- lector imposed a duty of 45 cents per square foot. When the protest came before the Board of Appraisers for hearing the importers set up the claim that the card clothing is a part of the machines and should pay duty at the same rate as the other parts—namely, 45 per cent. General Appraiser Fischer in