The Iron Age 1906-01-04: Vol 77 Iss 1

. 2 ig = aa - . ¢ ‘ tC! ss . . ow ae Ape 5 ee ae ee IRON AGE A Review of the Hardware, Iron, Machinery and Metal Trades. blished every l.77: No. 2. ding Matter Contents page habetical Index to Advertisers “* ssified List of Advertisers «= 440] ertising and Subscription Rates‘ 176]| 144 448 || 4 ‘ = FORSTER PULLEY WORKS, Cuba, N. Y. — \ 4 The American Mfg. Co. Ropes and Twines 65 Wall Street, New York to's Patent Stee Balt Y Lishe, SAVES Time, Belts, M oney. fa = — Iemma GreatestStrength READY TO APPLY FINISHED 101m with Least Metal. Send for Circulars and Free Samples. HE BRISTOL CO., Waterbury, Conn. AMSON SPOT CORD Nike a ~~ ——— A . ee Also Linen and Italian Hemp SEE PAGE 3810. Sash Cord. amson Cordage Works, TURNBUCKLES. Branch Office. 11 Broadway, New York. leveland City Forge and lronCo., - Cleveland, O, vTRN BU CE IT FS - MERRILL BROS., wae 465 to 471 Kent Ave., Brooklyn, E.D., N.Y. FORCINCS. ILLING & CRANE, fscmruane mie Boston, Mass. — a / | " Farmers’ Bank, Pittsb rE ' ser Bldg, New Yor d of Trade, Boston, A sheet of Apollo Best Bloom Galvanized is per- ect from corner to corner nd all the way through. ‘hat is why it is called Apollo’’—and why you hould specify it every me you build or repair. See AMERICAN SHEET & TIN PLATE COMPANY’S Ad. on Page 34. m Thursday Mor New York, Thursday, eee 4; Nt ning by David Williams Co., 14-16 Park Place, New York. $8 00 a Year, including Postage. Single Copies, 15 Cents. U. M. C. ADVERTISING This sample eut shows dealers itn some measure the character of the U. M. C. advertising that goes to 4,000,000 readers every month. Such advertising hurries the sale of U. M. C. Cartridges and Shot Shells The Union Metallic Cartridge Co. Bridgeport, Conn. DeEpor: 86-88 First St., San Francisco, Cal. AGENCY: $13 Broadway, New York, N. Y. >» SHOD STIRLING CONSOLIDATED BOILER CO. see page 94-95 WITH ‘Dan Patch Capewell Horse Nails THE CAPEWELL Snee thas ae: Gentlemen:— I shod Dan Patch this morning for his record breaking performance with No. 4% Plate nails, Cape- well. He reduced the world’s record on ahhalf mile track from 2:03 to 2:01, also from 2:11 to 2:05 for wagon. I have driven Capewell nails for years on the Grand Circuit. I think them the only nail in the world for race horses. TT With best wishes, PA., Sept. 21, 1905. Yours truly, J. F. HANSON. mss° The Capewell Horse Nail Co. JENKINS BROS. VALVES are manufactured from the highest grades of material, and each valve is carefully tested before leaving the factory. They are absolutely guaranteed. All genuine bear our Trade Mark as shown in the cut. Bend for booklet, “ VALVE TROUBLES AND HOW TO AVOID THEM JENKINS BROS., New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, London. NY SEE (Water and Rall Delivery) MAGNOLIA METAL. Best Anti-Friction Metal for all Machinerv Bearings. Pac-Simile of Bar. Beware of imitations. > MAGNOLIA METAL CO., Owners and Sole Manufacturers, 113-115 Bank Street, Chicago. Fisher Bidg. NEW YORK. Hartford, Conn. BriIpGErort, Conn, > ma Dif ek ine 2 we Se pm ad | nh eo LD pp Se Seis 4 uN a Wy, San Francisco, Montreal, and Pittsburg We manufacture al) erades of Babbitt Metals at competitive prices. THE IRON AGE _ THE PLUME & Atwood Mr6. Co,, BRASS hn Sheet and Roll Brass i parse Fire Brick co. ||COPPER WIRE - PRINTERS’ BRASS, JEWELERS’ METAL, GERMAN SILVER AND GILDING METAL, COPPER RIVETS HIGHEST GRADE “SILVER |” > es. sene Burners, Lamps, Lamp ROD Pins, Brass Butt Hinges, Jack Chain, Kere- Shapes a Specialty SILVER WIRE unechenn dee LOW BRASS. a BRONZE. | * MUBRAY SI., NEW YORK. 144 HIGH ST., BOSTON. SEAMLESS BRASS AND COPPER Lanes. ae TUBING. BRAZED BRASS AND ROLLING MILL : FACTORIES THOMASTON, CONN. WATERBURY, CONN, areas ae TUBING. :: setae ren WATERBURY BRASS CO., oem Se Lock Haven, Penn. MANUFACTURERS OF BRASS, WATERBURY, CONN. 99 John St., New York. 99 John St., New York. Providence, R. I. | PACE | GERMAN SILVER, Bridgeport Deoxidized Deoxidized Bronze & Sheets, Rolis, Wire Metal C0., BRIDGEPORT, GONN. Automobile Castings a Specialty. High Tensile Strength. Bronze and Aluminum Alloys. The Queen’s Run Rods, Bolts and Tubes, Brass Shells, Cups, Hinges, Buttons, Lamp Goods, Special Brass Goods to Order. FACTORIES: WATERBURY, CONN, DEPpoTs: CHICAGO. NEW YORK. BOSTON. Henry Souther Engineering Co. HARTFORD, CONN. Write Us. Consulting Chemists, Metallurgists and Analysts. mpiete Physical Testing Laboratory; Expert conc ony im Court and Patent Cases. Matthiessen & Hegeler Zinc Co., | | 7 _ ae Arthur T. Rutter & Oo. AND MANUFACTURERS OF 2 5 6 Broadway, SHEET ZINC AND SULPHURIC ACID. NEW YORK. Special Sizes of Zinc cut to order. Rolled Battery Plates. Selected Plates for Etchers’ and Lithographers’ use. Small tubing in Brass Copper Selected Sheets for Paper and Card Makers’ use. Steel, Aluminum Semon Silver , , , &c. Sheet Brass, Copper and Ger- ZINCS FOR LECLANCHE BATTERY. man Silver. Copper, Brass and German Silver Wire. Brazed and Seamless Brass and Copper Tube. HE TE ash) Copper and Brass Rod. BRASS Nek THE BRIDGEPORT BRASS CO, 105 -109 So, Jefferson St.. Chicago. BRIDGEPORT CONN. NANO SUPA CUT UCR HSS LETT take ce eee ee aoe eer poston. a7 N. 7th St., Philadelphia. B's*arsaa's CASTINGS| ,....° 1 SHEET Stove and Washboard Blanks. FOUN DERS— FINISHERS. Brass W.G. ROWELL CO., Bridgeport, Conn. AND TUBING HENDRICKS BROTHERS Copper | WIRE. ‘ ew er ae . Lamp Goods of all Kinds. Belleville Copper Rolling Mills, | e7ass ano coprer coops MANUFACTURERS OF __1n Greas Varieties. —__ Brazsiers’ Bolt and Sheathing GEORGE KROU SE COPPER, HEAVY CASTINGS CoOPrPrwER WIRE AND Ivers. Manetactarer of all kinds of Importers and Dealers in Brass and Composition Castings Ingot Copper, Block Tin, Spelter, Lead, Antimony, etc. Prasiog: Metals, Hard Composition and 49 CLIFF ST., NEW YORK. Ph Castings a Specialty. i a 160 to 154 Morgan Street, JERSEY CITY, N. < THE IRON AGE New York, Thursday, January 4, 1906. Machine Molding and Continuous Casting of Car Wheels. The Prucess as Carried Out at the Plant of the American Car & Foundry Company, Terre Haute,’ Ind. The adaptation of the molding machine to car wheel foundry practice has long been sought by manufacturers of cast iron car wheels and has been an inviting field for molding machine manufacturers. On account of the large number of duplicate castings the possibilities of reducing cost of production and increasing the output are on a scale greater than in any other branch of foun- dry work. Continuous molding and casting systems, both novel and ingenious, have been installed in wheel foun- and pressed, something unobtainable by hand ramming, the result being castings conforming more closely to the patterns, The latter are of metal construction in place of wood and the absence of shrinkage and swelling in- sures a casting conforming exactly to pattern cimen- sions. An absolutely uniform distribution of the metal is also secured and this is emphasized in the uniformity of the flange. The car wheel, like the fly wheel and the pulley, requires uniform metal distribution to give as iC laal) ects aaa Fig. 1.—Cope and Drag Molding Machines and Sand Feeders in the Terre Haute, Ind., Car Wheel Foundry of the American Car & Foundry Company. dries in recent years and have resulted in greatly re- duced labor cost and increased output; but in the mold- ing departments, where it was recognized that the greatest saving could be effected, skilled labor has not been displaced. The American Car & Foundry Com- pany, St. Louis, Mo., has combined machine molding with a continuous casting system at its Terre Haute, Ind., car wheel plant. The machines are the invention of J. G. Johnston, superintendent of the Peninsular foun- dries of the company at Detroit, and they have already been operated a sufficient time to prove their success. Uniformity of Product a Prime Feature, The saving effected in labor cost and by increased output at the Terre Haute plant is of minor importance as compared with the superior casting secured from the machine made mold. The sand in each flask by this mechanical operation is always uniformly distributed nearly perfect balance as possible. The heavy capacity of cars now in use has materially increased the strain on wheel flanges, but conditions of track and of frogs and switches are such that the flange of the wheel cannot be materially increased without great expense to the rail- roads. The present maximum and minimum of flange dimension is as close as is practical in hand molding, but with the machine made mold such uniformity in the flange is secured that it can be made to the maximum dimension. Naturally this uniformity of metal distribu- tion also results in uniformity of weight, while castings from hand rammed molds often show wide variations from the same pattern. The molding and casting systems of the car wheel plants of the Pennsylvania Railroad, Sduth Altoona, Pa., and the Central Car Wheel Company, McKees Rocks, Pa., represent important improvements in the method of car wheel manufacture, but in beth these plants the 2 THE IRON molder continues the all important factor. Floor mold- ing is practised at South Altoona, and a great saving in labor cost is effected through the operation of the most ingenious labor saving devices and the laying out of floors on the most modern lines. The system at the plant of the Central Car Wheel Company is continuous in both molding and casting, the molds being made in flasks on buggies which traverse a circular track. These bug- gies are connected and move forward for each of the con- secutive steps in molding, pouring and shaking out. The molding, however, is done by skilled workmen. Skilled Labor Dispensed With, In the operation of the molding machines at Terre Haute no skilled labor is required, as the consecutive steps in the manufacture of both the cope and drag AGE January 4, 1906 from the shake out to the storage bins and feeders above the machines, and a rectangular track system on which are operated the trucks that carry the flasks to and from the molding machines. The Terre Haute foundry in which this system is installed is 292 feet long and 80 feet wide and the entire equipment occupies a rectangular space 45 x 203 feet. At the lower end of the foundry are located the 59 annealing pits, with a capacity of 18 wheels each, and they occupy a space approximately 80 x 85 feet. The molding machines, Fig. 1, located at the upper end of the foundry, are indicated by 1 and 2 in Fig. ts The drag mold is made on 1, and the cope on 2, and these are shown in Figs. 2 and 3, respectively. The gen- eral construction of the machines is that of a press hav- ing cast iron bases, with top compression members made Fig. 2.—Drag Molding Machine. sides of the mold are exceedingly simple. The lifting in all operations is done by air hoists, and flasks and castings are all transferred on trucks and trolleys. The heaviest work now being done is rapping the sand from the castings, and a special device is being designed to remove the sand from the wheel. The productive capacity of the plant has not yet been reached on account of the comparatively small melting capacity of the cupola. No single operation in molding requires more than a half minute, which indicates the possibilities of the plant, and while an output of 30 and 85 wheels per hour has already been reached, there is a possibility of producing 50 or 60, the sand handling equipment having a rated capacity of 60 complete molds per hour. Machine Molding, Sand Conveying and Track Systems, The Johnston system employs two molding machines, one for producing the cope side of the mold and the other the drag. There is also the sand handling equip- ment, which tempers, cools, screens and conveys the sand of steel beams, the two parts of each machine being held together by heavy steel bolts or columns. On the base of each rests a cylinder which supplies the pressures and the circular table rotates from the center, which is one of the supporting columns of each press. The tables have four openings at A’, B’, C’ and D’, Fig. 7, which in rotation cen- ter over the cylinders which supply the pressure. The tables are supported by castings resting on the base of the press, which are fitted with roller bearings on which the tables rotate. Each of the tables has four patterns, the latter having bosses on their under side, the diameter of which is the same as of the openings in the tables. The boss hight is equal to the table thickness. The boss serves two purposes: it is a guide in centering the pat- tern on the table and it shortens the travel of the pis- ton a distance equal to its hight. Directly over each cylinder supported by a swivel or loose pin against the beams are packings or pressure plates. The contour of the plates is practically the same as that of the patterns of the castings to be made. The plates are recessed to ‘pemog eq 0} Apvay syonay, TO splow peystalq—'e “S17 ‘PeIJI] Weeg ysne ‘paqV] waeq sng SVE 1.10318 94} WOIGAA Woay yonay, uo plow seiq—'t “314 DART] SYSUL 9doOD WGA, Moay yonay, punoswso10q ul—‘sulqovpy Sulpjoyy edog—'e “314 : ctl Atel Tiel tg ; ' eee el Peet tt Q oO < Zz oO m — fa em) 4 THE IRON AGE prevent contact with the bars in the flasks, and the swivel supports make them readily adjustable with reference to the bars. Making the Drag. The operations in making a mold on the drag machine at 1, Fig. 7, are as follows: Four duplicate patterns are placed on the table, designated as A’, B’, C* and D*. A flask is placed over the pattern at A’, using an air hoist on trolley 10 for that purpose. A quarter turn is given the table, and another flask is placed over the pattern at A’, and at the same time the flask now at B° is filled with sand from the hopper immediately above. A sweep at- tached to the hopper distributes the sand in the flask and leaves the contour similar to that of the pattern. An- other quarter turn of the table and the operation at A' and B' is repeated, and at C' the mold is being pressed. Fig. 6.—Shake-Out Transfer Car. . January 4, 1906 sufficient quantity of oil at least to fill the smaller cylin- der. Air is admitted to tank A by the movement of the lever B through the cock C, forcing the oil into the cylinder E, Fig. 9, through the check valve F and forcing up the piston G, which carries the load to the pressure plate of the machine. At the end of this upward stroke a pro- jecting arm opens the valve H, admitting air into the large cylinder I, Fig. 9, and the upward movement of pis- ton J completes the mold. Returning the lever B to its origt- nal position the air is exhausted, the oil returns to the tank and the pistons to their original positions. Oil is used to fill the cylinder E in preference to air, on account of the high pressure on the contents of this cylinder when air has been admitted to the cylinder I. The air is ad- mitted to the large cylinder through a pressure regulating valve and each mold receives the same number of pounds tron Ace oF a hax +e: Flasks on Truck Returning to the Molding Machine.—Sand Handling Equipment on Steel Supports Is Shown, Also Trolley Tracks. For the pressing operation, a plate on the end of the pis- ton contacts with the boss on the pattern, lifting the pat- tern, flask and sand up against the pressure plate and continuing the travel until the mold is formed. The pressure being released the pattern with the mold is low- ered to the table. As shown in Fig. 8 the pressure is supplied by two cylinders in combination and designed with reference to the economical use of compressed air. In lifting the pat- tern, flask and sand up to the pressure plate and in com- pressing the loose sand only sufficient power is needed to lift the dead weight. The travel in addition to that necessary to compress the loose sand compensates for the irregularity of the contour of the flask and pressure plate. When the table is given the quarter turn there must be sufficient clearance to permit the highest point of sand to pass under the lowest point of the pressure plate. Details of the Pressure Cylinders. The piston of the larger cylinder contains the smaller cylinder. In operation the tank A (Fig. 8) contains a pressure. The travel] of the larger piston is but one-ninth of the entire upward movement. A third quarter turn is given the table and while the operations at A’, B', C* are repeated, the pattern and flask at D' are clamped together and lifted off the table by an air hoist on the trolley 10a, and after being turned over are placed on a truck on the track 3. The clamp is then loosened and the pattern lifted off and returned to the table, as shown in Fig. 4. It will be noted that the operations at A’, B', C' and D* are carried on simulta- neously. The same movements are gone through in making the cope side of the mold indicated by 2, Fig. 7, except that at D* the mold is lifted off, leaving the pattern on the table. The reason of this difference is that the shape of the drag mold and the distribution of the sand is such that it is not practical to lift the mold off the pattern. The drag mold having been placed on a truck, the truck is moved forward and the cores set in the mold. An- “other movement of the truck brings it opposite the cope machine when the placing of the cope in position com- January 4, 1906 pletes the mold. The bowl] into which the metal is poured is made separately and set in place after the mold has been closed. Pouring the Molds, The finished molds are now moved along on the trucks on the storage track, Fig. 5, and as soon as 52 of the molds THE IRON AGE 5 continues. The section of track 5, Fig. 7, is level, this being directly in front of the cupola, and it is desirable that the molds be level when receiving the metal. Sec- tion 4 of this track is used for the storage of the finished molds, and it is desirable to have room on this section to store a sufficient number of molds to allow for any tem- (T) curoa = eoeaaiaaictnieatenadiiad me 10h R + -—-- “ 4 Aer -— Ya’ V7, c Orm=<i eek oes ~ } WHEEL PITS 3 ht (AIRIRIRIR IO“) Oi HSH OHTIO ( %, | ~| Nit fh une ORO & g EROM PMO tO: . | CRANE O ' w ‘108 + b - ' Y 10d LEVEL a 4+F > > a \ i a 9 s = O\ '+oL ~s ea a 3 , 4 ‘ aa Lil WH -------.--- | - Pia na \ {F T — 5 mame om — —-$7-6—— — ~ iy ah rk ay = <r; 1 ORO OT Q] Iolo} eee oe YOU WT Ima >| C) net | Shid acct ii IIOK IC JO} Coth,; HapIereEEEPEARE {OROHIOH ! | “ 5} 1 | a ae ws O04 HOMO MDH eee) SSIMISICISIE — ' ‘ & > | CRANE wa ' ‘% a pase z \ ' \ = ¢ 2 3 \ / i: " f co ¥ ~ a : I = ° | OS is — | oO Oo — — — | — —— —! ae — ; z _ : a THE IRON AGE Fig. 7.—General Plan of the Wheel Foundry. are set up on 26 trucks the blast is put on and the pour- ing begins. The cupola is situated at about the center of one side of the foundry and the iron is tapped into a five- ton ladle, which insures uniform temperature for all the wheels poured with this iron. From the ladle the iron is tapped into a bottom pour ladle which holds sufficient for one wheel and an additional 50 pounds for a runner. These bottom pour ladles are raised into position by "INLET porary delay at the machine, and if an emergency arises to take care of the metal already in the cupola. After the wheel has been poured a sufficient time is Feouusr der Yi fi —_— THE JRON AGE Fig. 8.—Plan and Elevation of Pressure Cylinders. means of an air hoist on a jib crane. As soon as two molds on one truck have been filled another truck con- taining two molds is brought up and the same operation allowed for cooling before it reaches trolley 10d, at which point the cope is lifted off and taken to the grate 9, where the sand is shaken out and falls into the sand pit beneath, 6 THE IRON AGE January 4, 1906 shown in Fig. 6. This cope flask is then deposited on the The flask truck with the drag still on it is placed on truck on the track 8, on which the drag flask is already __ the transfer truck on the track 7 and transferred to the in place. Placing the cope flask on top of the drag flask track 8 and at trolley 10g the drag is taken to the grate is desirable, as in moving the trucks forward to the mold- ing machines the cope machine is reached first and the cope flask lifted off, after which the truck is moved for- ward and the drag flask can be lifted off. When the truck LEATHER PACKING RING =——tWe IRON AGE | THE IRON AGE Fig. 9.—Details of Pressure Cylinder. Fig. 10.—Plan of Molding Table. reaches the trolley 10f the casting is taken to the grate 9, 9, the sand removed and returned to the truck. In order where the sand is rapped off. From the grate it is taken that the flask or more particularly the chiller may have to the pits on trolleys F. These trolleys run on counter- sufficient time to cool before using a second time it is nec- endian anes essary to have the second track, 8a. O) LEFT HAND BOTYOM Fé HORIZONTAL DISCHAHGE FAN =] 409 RPM. (J 20 H.P. =1||_-7"6 PLY RUBBER BELT hee ‘-* 46 X 7° PULLEY 86X12 PULLEY a a ee O ENGINE 3 Tine SHAFT 160 R.P.M. 1. | >| se ——14-9- — ema gegt— nel TOP OF WALL ae v 7 —_ Fig. 11.—Plan and Side Elevation of Sand Handling Equipment. balanced hinged tracks. The weight of the casting low- Novel Flask Construction. | ers the tracks and the casting is carried down grade to The construction of the flask in which the drag part the pits. Relieved of the weight the track rises and the, of the mold is made, and which is practically the same trolley returns to its original position. as that of the cope flask, is both interesting and novel. It THE IRON AGE! January 4, 1906 is customary in making the drag side of a car wheel mold to use a ring and bottom plate. The general im- pression exists that it is dangerous to pour a mold with- out having the sand supported by a plate or in some way other than by the bars in the flask and more particularly since it is common practice to pour the metal into a car THE gli, ic tetipincanih Shida be | a Lm mm apy + - 3-6" " -—# aaa ve ree ey RST TET +e" ; 8 | bs Shing r é : | 3 |} Net) “~ {| rls | | ;= ij a i or a : 1 IRON AGE 7 s 3 feet and a specially designed truck on each is used in transferring the flask trucks. Theincline of these short tracks is equal to the incline of the longer tracks. While the trucks run on an inclined track the construction of the car shown in Fig. 13 is such that the rails on the top are level with the rails of the standard gauge tracks ABE mm mm tt flee mm me mm mw = >| near —sp--— gee ra 9.6" -— — 4.4-- -- +e - 46+ - > t - | C.L. OF COL. ° |: | -2 i hk t TT. sa == pert fern fe pw ape Pe he ah ge te we fe wh pre whee ww hh j Pash Whetenctnten tent te tie b rd eet tebe abs eth ne =" ee ee eee | o i A —— a 6] f - H iy SS as Koo 66 F —S =i SSG 2 ——> ————————————————— Fig. 12.—Plan and Side Elevation of Storage Platform and wheel mold rapidly and at a high temperature. Consid- ering the pressure per square inch applied in making the mold as compared with the weight of the metal of the mold per square inch it can readily be seen that there is very little more strain on the drag than on the cope side of the mold. In producing several thousands of molds with the machine in a specially designed flask with bars it has been demonstrated to be entirely satisfactory and safe. This feature of the drag flask makes it possible to make the mold by pressing the sand against the pat- tern. It has been attempted to make the mold by press- ing the pattern into the sand, using a pattern with ad- justable parts. Such patterns, however, have proved un- satisfactory on account of the rapid wear due to the sand getting in the joints. Construct on of the Mold Trucks, The trucks used for conveying the molds to the cupola and shaking out point and for returning the flasks to the machine are constructed of steel shapes with cast iron wheels. The axles are steel and the journals have roller bearings. Spring buffers are attached to each truck, so that when they come in contact the shock does not de- stroy the mold. Each truck carries two molds. The tracks on which they run are standard gauge ang are designated as 3, 4, 5 and 6 on one side and 8 and 8a on the other, Fig. 7. The steel rails are laid on ordinary cross ties with a very slight decline in the direction of travel of the loaded trucks. This decline with tracks and roller bearings for the journals makes it a simple matter to move the trucks. For instance, on the cooling track 8 when a truck is moved forward at the machine all of the trucks on the tracks follow. Tracks 7 and 7a are oppositely inclined. The gauge SE 16-0 TO INSIDE OF WALL > —_—- - THE 'RON AGe Feeders. whether at the bottom or top of the incline. The motive power is applied by friction pulleys to a shaft on which is a drum. The car is hauled up grade by the winding kK 6—6— ~ — ” eee So oe ——— Thee o =| Tet | a * | | ll x és — ——} + — ‘§ ~ \or oi 7 Fi | q | i Bask || | 4 | Jeri | ® ait —-F Geri anc eee Se ae HT 4@+t o + ~oodin en I] | | - =! Se 7 os | : | x wm PRLS i | Wy | _ oo} _—i 1 } | ! 41S )/ || | | ei ee) ih) TTC | are; | oe. bs | it : Mets — 1 ; $d } _ Here iS La Sa Sie = SS Sect ee eee GAUGE | Fe + 14 CAST IRON WHEELS aa = fA | — gos onAve Fig. 13.—Plan and Side Elevation of Transfer Truck. around the drum of a cable, one end of which is attached to the truck. The return is by gravity. Sand Conveying Machinery. The sand handling equipment, shown in Figs. 11 and 12, is one of the important features of the system | | | SE 2 8 THE IRON AGE and occupies the greater portion of the space inside the rectangular tracks. The sand is received at the shake out, where it passes through double deck hoppers, is tempered, cooled and screened and delivered by reciprocat- ing conveyors to the storage bins, Fig. 12, located above the molding machine. The sand when shaken out passes through a grating into a double deck hopper, the bottom of whose top sec- tion consists of a pair of hinged doors, arranged for dumping the sand from one or two flasks, in the bottom of the hopper. The operation of the doors controls the valve of the water reservoir, allowing a measured quan- tity of water for tempering to be sprayed on to the sand. The sand is then fed from the bottom of the hopper to the elevator boot by a reciprocating conveyor. This conveyor is built of steel and has a removable steel hood providing an inclosed space through which the air is drawn for the purpose of cooling the sand. The elevator lifts the sand and discharges it through a chute into a hexagonal revolving screen on the overhead platform. The elevator is of the belt type with steel buckets. The buckets are of large area to afford the largest surface of sand possible to the action of the air draft. The sand is cooled by an exhaust fan, the air being drawn down through the elevator leg, then through the reciprocating feeder conveyor and exhausted outside the foundry build- ing. This fan also draws off the steam rising from the hot sand when sprayed with water and exhausts it out- side the building through the elevator leg and the recipro- cating feeder conveyor. The discharge from the reciprocating conveyor to the storage bins is controlled by a series of five gates in the bottom of the conveyor trough over the bins. These gates can be adjusted to distribute the sands equally in the bins or by closing part of them can be discharged at any point desired. There are no screens in the bins; the latter are merely provided for storage to supply the feed- ers and are designed to be practically self cleaning, as all the sand can be drawn out through the feeders if de sired. The two feeders, Fig. 12, one over each molding machine, are conical in shape and of steel construction. They are closed at the bottom by revolving gates and screens and are so arranged that when in operation a fine volume of sand is fed to the patterns, and when the operation is stopped the sand ceases to flow immediately. The operation of these feeders is controlled by means of a lever which engages a friction clutch. When sand is desired the lever is thrown over and the hopper set in motion, and by reversing the lever the friction clutch is disengaged and the revolving gate immediately ceases operation. This equipment has a capacity for handling 20 tons per hour and was designed and installed by Hyel & Patterson, Incorporated, contracting engineers, Pittsburgh. ——~~-+e—____ The Boiler Shop for College Men. The American Engineer and Railroad Journal calls attention to the promising field of activity for college men presented by the boiler shop, as follows: In vigorous sentences a correspondent discusses the need of leadership talent in the boiler shop and deplores the tendency for young men who are looking for advance- ment to pass by this department. His letter shows how young men desiring opportunities want to get into the machine shop, where many of them begin and end. If some of them would enter the boiler shop they could fit themselves to earn from $125 to $200 per month in as Short a time as it can be done anywhere, providing they are qualified to direct the work of other men. A few bright young men would attract attention to this depart- ment and assist in securing a better grade of men who are looking for advancement. Boiler work is hard, noisy and disagreeable. A good physique is required, but what becomes of the muscle developed on the “ gridiron”? Boiler work would keep this muscle in good condition, and if a young man is successful in the boiler shop he has made an excellent start in his career. It is evident that the boiler shop is to-day in need of improvement and of men. Here is where good men will be able to show their January 4, 1906 value quickly, and for this reason this shop ought to be attractive to the young men entering railroad work from the colleges. It offers a better opportunity at present than any other shop department. ——~++e—__—_ Aluminum Production at Niagara Falls. Niagara Falls has come to be known as the aluminum center of the country, and that it is to continue as such is evident from an announcement just made that the Pittsburgh Reduction Company has contracted with the Niagara Falls Hydraulic Power & Mfg. Company for 27,000 horse-power to be delivered in 1907. The Pitts- burgb Reduction Company has also leased four acres of land from the power company, and on this site will erect a fine new works for the manufacture of the white metal. This land extends along the river bank to the north of the present milling district and is ideal for the purpose required, as the New York Central tracks run along it on the east. It is said to be the intention of the Pittsburgh Re- duction Company to erect the largest aluminum works yet built, the first structure to be 600 feet long and con- structed of steel and cement, in order that it may be thoroughly fire proof. It is intimated, but not verified, that as the works referred to will not cover the four- acre site the company may intend ultimately to erect other buildings thereon for the manufacture of aluminum wire and other articles. In any event it is evident that the new works will give employment to many hands and that the world’s output of aluminum will be very ma- terially increased when this new plant is placed in operation. Twenty-two years ago the output of aluminum in the United States, so far as recorded, was 83 pounds, and it was not until 1891 that the output reached 100,000 pounds. In 1904, the latest year for which statistics are available, the output reached 8,600,000 pounds, which was an increase of 1,100,000 pounds over the output of 1903. The rapid strides made in the manufacture of aluminum are due to the Niagara power development and the erection of the two present great works at Niagara Falls. One of these plants is located on the lands of the Niagara Falls Power Company and the other is at the edge of the high bank on the property of tne Niagara Falls Hydraulic Power & Mfg. Company. Since aluminum has been manufactured in such large quantities in Niagara Falls the price per pound has been very materially reduced, so that it has become a com- petitor of copper in the erection of power transmission lines in all parts of the country. The electrical industry has profited largely by the development, and it would appear from this latest enterprise of the Pittsburgh Re- duction Company that it sees a very bright future before the metal, the consumption of which is likely to increase greatly when the new Niagara plant is ready to help supply the market. Every day appears to develop new uses for the metal, and the economic production at Niagara will continue to benefit many fields to which the metal is and will be applied. Om For the use of firemen an ingenious respiratory apparatus consists of a hood lined with oiled silk to cover the head and an air cylinder strapped to the back. Air is supplied from the cylinder to the head piece by means of a rubber tube. The apparatus weighs 23 pounds and can be adjusted in 30 seconds. In a test in San Francisco a man equipped with the apparatus en- tered a room filled with the fumes of burning sulphur and worked there for an hour without distress, his throat and lungs at the end of the test being perfectly free from the noxious vapor. The pressure and valves are so regu- lated that a man may obtain enough air to comfortable fill his lungs, but a rapid exhaustion of the supply, such as might be occasioned by fright, is impossible. The Lackawanna Steel Company, Buffalo, has com- pleted another open hearth steel furnace, making 11 now available. January 4, 1906 THE IRON AGE 9 Coke Making in the United States. Recent Developments to Meet Present and Future Requirements. BY EDWARD W. PARKER, WASHINGTON, D. C. Probable Life of the Connellsville Basin, Coincident with the record making activity in the iron and steel industries which has prevailed during 1905 the production of coke in the United States has exceeded that of any previous year in our history. All of the old regions have for the most part been pushed to their capacity, or at least to the fullest extent per- mitted by the supply of railroad cars for shipping the product, while a marked feature of the year has been activity shown in the development of new coking coal areas. It is an open secret that at the present rate of pro- duction the Connellsville basin will be exhausted in from 25 to 30 years, and even this brief term of life will be shortened by an increasing drain upon the reserves. The Connellsville basin is estimated to have contained orig- inally 137 square miles, or 87,700 acres, of the Pittsburgh bed, which here has an average thickness of about 7 feet. Estimating 1100 short tons to the foot acre and a recovery of 90 per cent., which is said to be attained, the total available supply when production began was about 600,000,000 net tons. About one-third of the coal has already been worked out, so that, say, from 55,000 to 60,000 acres, or approximately 425,000,000 net tons, re- main unmined. During the last five years the coke pro- duction of the Connellsville region has averaged 10,000,- 000 net tons, equivalent to 15,000,000 net tons of coal. At this rate, exclusive of any of the coal sold or used at and near the mines in operating the properties the entire bed will be exhausted inside of 30 years. But while Connellsville coal is the ideal coking coal particularly for beehive ovens and although this region has for many years produced over 50 per cent. of the total coke product of the United States there is no rea- son why ironmasters and other coke consumers should feel any apprehension as to their supplies of fuel when Connellsville coke shall have ceased to be a factor in the trade. There are still large areas of good coking coal lands practically untouched throughout the Appalachian field and the active development which has been in prog- ress during the past year in the other coke producing regions indicates that provision is being made for future requirements. In the Connellsville region itself the H. C. Frick Coke Company has added largely to its previous equipment, namely, 500 ovens at Yorkrun, 500 at Shoof and 200 at Bitner, all in Fayette county. Some ovens in the region have been abandoned, but the total number at the close of 1905 will show an increase of about 800 over those in existence at the beginning of the year. The Klondike and Greene County Districts. The next field in importance to that of the Connells- ville, at least for the immediate future, is what is known as the Klondike or Lower Connellsville district, located entirely in Fayette County and lying to the west of the southern end of the Connellsville basin, from which it is separated by the Greensburg anticline. This region was opened up in 1900, and although only six years old is the second coke producing district of the country, hav- ing in 1902 and since that date exceeded that of the Pocahontas district of Virginia-West Virginia. At the close of 1904 there were in the Lower Connellsville dis- trict 6570 ovens. About 1000 ovens are reported as build- ing in this district at the close of 1905. Among these are the Husted-Semans Coal & Coke Company, 200 ovens; the Century Coal & Coke Company, 170 ovens (additional to its present plant of 30 ovens); the Republic Iron & Steel Company, adding 378 ovens to the plant of 138 ovens taken over from the Connellsville Coke Company ; the Struthers Furnace Company, 200 ovens; the South Fayette Coke Company, 60 ovens, and the Washington Coal & Coke Company, 300 ovens, increasing its total equipmept to 1000 ovens. It is, however, the opinion of Fred C. Keighley of Uniontown that the Greene County coal fields of Penn- sylvania will probably be the scene of the next greatest development in the line of coke making. Into this county, which lies in the extreme southwestern corner of the State, the railroads have as yet barely penetrated. Washington County, containing the noted Pittsburgh and Youghiogheny districts on the north, and Fayette County, embracing the Klondike field and the southern half of the Connellsville basin on the east, have been highly devel- oped; but the coals of Greene County, lying at greater depth and requiring greater outlay in the construction of plant and probably greater expense in operation, have not offered the same inducements to capital as have other portions of the State. The great demand for coke during 1905, the prices obtained and the fact that other coking coals must be secured have attracted attention to the untouched lands in Greene County, with the prospect that this field will be developed at an early date, and from what is known of the character and quantity of the coals it may not be unsafe to predict that when once begun the development will eclipse the somewhat nota- ble record made by the Lower Connellsville or Klondike region, West Virginia, Immediately south of the Lower Connellsville district in Pennsylvania is a newly developed field in West Vir- ginia. The development of this district has been brought about by the recent construction of the Morgantown and Kingwood Railroad, owned by United States Senator Stephen B. Elkins and associates and of which Davis Elkins is president. They also control the Elkins Coal Company, formerly the West Virginia Coal Company. The coal company owns about 40,000 acres of coking coal land lying between Morgantown and Rowlesburg, in Mo- nongalia and Preston counties. The district has been developed within the last two years and while at the close of 1905 there were only three plants in operation it is considered a highly promising district. The coal being mined is not the Pittsburgh, but the Upper Freeport, which through this region shows excellent coking quali- ties. The West Virginia Coal Company opened two of the three mines, one at Richard, where 150 beehive ovens have been constructed and one at Bretz, where the coking plant numbers 267 ovens. The Deckers Creek Coal & Coke Company has opened up at Dellslow, a short dis- tance west of Richard. This company has completed 20 ovens and has 200 more under way. Another district which promises to be of some importance in the future is located in the western central portion of the State. The Davis Colliery Company, whose interests also control the Coal & Coke Railroad, has purchased 50,000 acres of Pittsburgh coking coal on Copen Run, in the Little Kanawha district. The company has also purchased 400 acres of surface for the construction of its mining and coking plant, miners’ houses, terminal facilities, &e. Ac- tive development will probably begin early in 1906. The development of coking coal lands in West Vir- ginia which has probably attracted the most general at- tention during the last year is that which has been made possible by the building of the Deepwater-Tidewater Rail- road, now under construction from Deepwater on the Kanawha River, a short distance below Kanawha Falls, to Sewall’s Point, near Norfolk, Va. This line of railroad from Deepwater to the Bluestone River, a distance of 85 miles, will run, every mile of it, through coking coal lands of the Kanawha-New River-Pocahontas series, as shown on the accompanying map of that section of West Vir- ginia. With lateral branches along the valleys of the Kanawha, Coal and Guyandotte rivers, there will be developed a coal area of 3000 square miles within 20 miles of the main line. Track is now laid from Deep- A CN NR eS SERS ee TE OT TA cae Or mp ee 10 THE IRON AGE water through Jenny’s Gap to within a few miles of the Guyandotte River, Jenny’s Gap being 45 miles and the Guyandotte 60 miles from the present terminal at Deep- water. It is expected that connection with the Norfolk & Western Railroad at the Bluestone River will be com- pleted by April, 1906. The entire line to Sewall’s Point is under contract, the provisions of which require its com- pletion by January 1, 1908. The Deepwater end of the line is in operation for a distance of 50 miles and con- PTZ, : 7 re as a yi P81 | 30’ | > NA ORECHARLESTON PAPE. SL i “K x Ce i ee | ——~ TAS Pineville X yy rn eithora “tyes Cap O WE Lt Q WS % Poa gD as SE SS SS * Blucfield January 4, 1906 cured. The entire plant of 505 ovens was completed in August and the first coke was made in September. The daily capacity of this plant will be about 600 tons of 72- hour coke. It is laid out for an additional 500 ovens, but work on this addition has not yet begun. The 505 ovens will consume 1000 tons of coal daily. The coal is charged by a train of three larries, coupled so as to exactly fit the openings in the charging bin, as well as in the ovens, consequently the coupling and uncoupling is avoided. One Q@ _ 2 Yf/yy xy YY py The Coke Section of West Virginia Traversed by the Deepwater- Tidewater Railrvad. siderable progress in track laying has been made on the 103 miles of grading completed at the Norfolk end. The Loup Creek Colliery. Almost coincident with the beginning of work on the Deepwater Railroad, development of the coal lands owned by the Loup Creek Colliery Company, at Page, 15 miles from Deepwater, was commenced. As this plant repre- sents an excellent idea of a good deal that is best in the way of modern construction and might be taken as a model for economical operation, a brief description will be of interest. The plant has at present 300 ovens in blast and a total of 505 completed. The 205 can be put in blast as fast as transportation facilities for the coke can be se- of the three larries is provided with two 35 horse-power motors and the other two are trailers. The power is sup- plied by two Nordberg-Corliss engines of 300 horse-pow- er, each coupled to the same shaft, and the electrical power for the larries is furnished from a 150-kw. genera- tor, arranged for a duplicate generator whenever it may be required. Water for the ovens is supplied from a res- ervoir holding 375,000 gallons at an elevation of 90 feet above ovens. Nine months in the year this reservoir is filled by an 8-inch gravity pipe from Murphy’s branch, There is also in reserve a dam in Loup Creek which im- pounds 1,500,000 gallons, where is installed a two-stage centrifugal pump operated with a direct acting electric motor, and which discharges a 9-inch stream into the res- January 4, 1906 ervoir. The average haul from the slack bin to the 500 ovens completed is 1046 feet, the longest haul being 1500 feet and the shortest 300 feet. It is claimed, and prob- bly correctly, that this is the most compact oven plant in the United States. The coke tracks connect with the main line of the Deepwater Railroad at the north end of the ovens, while the coal tracks connect at the south end, both connections having gravity tracks with 1 per cent. grade. The total capacity of the mines now is about 700 tons daily, which will be increased as rapidly as possible, as demonstrated by the last three months’ operations, which began September 1. In September the output of coal was 7911 tons, in October it was 11,279, in November 13,565, and the company hopes to report a production of 18,000 tons for December. The coke shipments for Sep- tember were 500 tons, in October 3100 tons and 4800 tons in November. Coke shipments for December will prob- ably reach 5000 tons. Install- Company. ment. Cambria Steel Company, Johnstown, Pa.........e+eeee0s 1st. Cambria Steel Company, Johnstown, Pa...........e506% 2d. Cambria Steel Company, Johnstown, Pa.............+.+- 3d. Cambria Steel Company, Johnstown, Pa............0+6.:+ 4th. Pittsburgh Gas & Coke Company, Glassport, Pa...........-. New England Gas & Coke Company, Everett, Mass Hamilton-Otto Coke Company, Hamilton, Ohio Lackawanna Steel Company, Buffalo, N. Y Lackawanna Steel Company, Lebanon, Pa ee oe ee ee S. Jersey Gas, Electric & Traction Company, Camden, N. J. .1st. S. Jersey Gas, Electric & Traction Company, Camden, N. J. .2d. Michigan Alkali Company, Wyandotte, Mich............. 1st. Michigan Alkali Company, Wyandotte, Mich............-. 2d. Maryland Steel Company, Sparrows Point, Md.............. Sharon Coke Company, South Sharon, Pa..............+6+. Zenith Furnace Company, Duluth, Minn............e00+08% ___* Not completed. — Other Developments in West Virginia and Kentucky. The most striking instance of the securing of new coking coal lands by interests identified with large iron and steel industries is shown in the developments re- cently made by the United States Coal & Coke Company in the Tug River district of McDowell County, West Virginia. This company has a plant of about 1350 ovens, which will undoubtedly be increased as conditions re- quire. It owns several thousand acres of coking coal lands. The principal developments in the older coking regions of West Virginia have been made in the Pocahontas, or Flat Top, district, embraced in McDowell and Mercer counties. Three entirely new companies have entered this field—namely, the Cherokee Colliery Company at Ashland, the Hiawatha Coal & Coke Company at Hia- watha and the Page Coal & Coke Company at Upland. All of these are located in McDowell County. The Poca- hontas Consolidated Company has taken over the prop- erties of the Norfolk Coal & Coke Company, the Rolfe Coal & Coke Company and the Shamokin Coal & Coke Company, in McDowell County, and the Caswell Creek Coal & Coke Company in Mercer County, and has added several hundred new ovens. Other companies that have enlarged their plants are the Ashland Coal & Coke Com- pany, the Indian Ridge Coal & Coke Company, the Crane Creek Coal & Coke Company and the Pinnacle Coal & Coke Company. A considerable amount of attention is now being at- tracted to the Elkhorn and other coking coal fields of eastern Kentucky. There are in this region vast areas of high grade coking coals which are only waiting for the railroads now building to them to prove an impor- tant source of coke supply. The coal mining and coke making industry of Ala- bama has been, if not seriously injured, at least held back by the strike of the union miners, which has been in force against several of the larger plants operated in connection with blast furnaces. The mines have been kept in operation with nonunion labor, but necessarily with restricted output. By-Product Coke, The principal development in by-product coke oven practice in the United States during the past year has THE IRON AGE II been in the way of increased yield of both coke and gas per oven, in the improved quality of gas and in long- distance transmission of the gas under pressure. The industry has also advanced in the number of ovens in regular operation and the field for the disposal of its products has enlarged. The well-known hesitancy on the part of blast furnace managers to commit themselves to an unfamiliar fuel, the physical appearance of which is somewhat against it, is gradually yielding to the effects of successful experience with by-product coke. That this is the case is indicated by the recent addition of 112 United-Otto ovens to the existing plant of the Cambria Steel Company at Johns- town, Pa., this being the fourth installment and making the total number of ovens at that place 372. The following list gives the by-product coke ovens built and under contract by the United Coke & Gas Com- pany up to date in this country: By-Product Coke Ovens Built and Under Contract by the United Coke &€ Gas Company in the United States. No. of ovens. Use of coke. Use of gas. 60 ONG bis ee con ne seen Fuel and power. 100 Pe SNe 6c 6 veadens en oud Fuel and power, 100 PE SNNOG se ch hdc sc aweceee ne Fuel and power. 112 po errr ee ee ee Fuel and power. 120 Blast furnace and domestic.....Fuel and illuminating. 400 Domestic and locomotive....... Illuminating. 50 Foundry and domestic......... Illuminating. 564* We SINGIN kc eckecctdcuviné Fuel. 232 CE Si ccciwrennvenwes Fuel. 100 Feundry and domestic......... Illuminating. 50* Foundry and domestic..........Illuminating. 15 Re LS 6 ene keene anneeannn Fuel. 15* SR EN tate acasvicaecones Fuel. 200 SO Sis vale Sead e