The Iron Age 1906-04-05: Vol 77 Iss 14

THE Published every Thursday Morning by Davic¢ aga Vol. 77: No. 14. Reading Matter Contents...... page Alphabetical Index to Advertisers ‘‘ Classified List of Advertisers ” Advertising and Subscription Rates ‘ — SHAFT COUPLINGS Manufactured by FORSTER PULLEY WORKS, Cuba, N. Y. GP, The American® Mfg. Co. Ropes and Twines 65 Wall Street, New York THE BRISTOL COMPANY, Waterbury, Conn. Bristol’s Recording Instruments. For Pressure, Temperature an Electricity. Gold Medal, St. Louis Exposition. All Ranges, Low Prices, and Guar anteed. Send for ‘Catalog R. SAMSON SPOT CORD Alse Linen and Italian Hemp SEE PAGE 29. Sash Cord. Samson Cordage Works, ®estc™ ss PORNBUCKLES aa Branch Office, 11 Broadway, New York. Cleveland City Forge and iron Co., -» * Cleveland, O. DROP HAMMER MERRILL BROS. Brooklyn, N. Y. Low Phosphorus Pig. Girard Building, Phila. PILLING & CRANE Machesney Bldg., Pitt's. e ay Bidg., New York i of Trad e, Boston If you'll demand APOLLO when you order Galvanized Sheets — you’ll make a better friend of your Jobber — for everyone respects the man who knows his business. See AMERICAN SHEET & TIN PLATE COMPANY’S Ad. on Page 18 New York, oe Anes 5, 1Que. ¥ IRON AGE A Review of the Hardware, Iror yearn” and Metal Trades. 95 4 8 -16 Park Place, New York. 0 oO bag 70 We $58.00 a Year, including Postage. Single Copies, 15 Cents. It loads itself and sells it <elf Sportsmen everywhere are enthusiastic about the Remington “Aut6load- ing Gun. There is little “* kick,’ as the recoil is consumed in working the mechanism. It is single barrel and repeating—s shots in all. Hammer- less and solid breech, together with the safety on the trigger, make it the safest gun made. **Every time you pull the trigger—the gun loads itself” You ought to order a stock of Remington Autoloading Shotguns List Prices, $40.00 to $150.00 REMINGTON ARMS COMPANY ILION, N. Y. Agency 313 BROADWAY New York City Depot 86-88 FIRST STREET San Francisco, Cal. STIRLING CONSOLIDATED BOILER CO. see Page ss “‘The Best in the World”’ Capewell Horse Nails are Flexible enough to Clinch easily and so Tough that the will not break under the severest trie n ce. MADE BY The Capewell Horse Nail Company Hartford, Conn. . JENKINS BROS. VALVES are all made of high grade steam metal, have interchangeable parts, and full opening. Our new EXTRA HEAVY valves for high steam and hydraulic pressures are the heaviest valves of this class on the market. All valves bearing our trade mark are absolutely guaranteed. Write for booklets. New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, London “Swedon” Cold Rolled see cate tor LQ WD 2 Stamping THE AMERICAN TUBE & STAMP oe (Water and Rall Delivery) BRIDGEPORT, CONN. MAGNOLIA METAL. Best Anti-Friction Metal for all Machinery Bearings. eo ——~ of Bar. Beware of Imitations. MAGNOLIA METAL CO., Owners and Sole Manufacturers, . 113-115 "Bank Street, Chicago, Fisher Bidg, NEW YORK JENKINS BROS., ian Francisco, M rie and PI pare. t We. manufacture 1 grades of Rab bit Metals at cenaullive prices. ATS Good Money Buys and GETS from us | Good Sheet Steel OF ALL KINDS Good Rooting Tin MANY QUALITIES Good Bright Tin IN SIX GRADES WE BECAUSE KNOW rus 2 make good. Follansbee Brothers Co. PITTSBURGH AGE ee THE BRASS COPPER“ GERMAN /s##e" SILVER | “wre LOW BRASS. SHEET BRONZE. SEAMLESS BRASS AND COPPER TUBING. BRAZED BRASS AND BRONZE TUBING. :::::33:1 WATERBURY BRASS €0., WATERBURY, CONN. 99 John St., New York. Providence, R. I. Bridgeport Deoxidized Bronze & Metal C0., BRIDGEPORT, GONN. Automobile Castings a Specialty. High Tensile Strength. Bronze and Aluminum Alloys. Write Us. IRON “one \ vs ~—. Matthiessen & Hegeler Zinc Co., LA SALLE, ILLINOIS. SMELTERS OF SPELTER AND MANUFACTURERS OF SHEET ZINC AND SULPHURIC ACID. Special Sizes of Zinc cut to order. Rolled Battery Plates. Selected Plates for Etchers’ and Lithographers’ use. Selected Sheets for Paper and Card Makers’ use. Stove and Washboard Blanks. ZINCS FOR LECLANCHE BATTERY. Auras PPA 105-109 So.Jefferson St.. Chicago. Best Bronze, Babbitt Metals, Brass and Aluminum CASTINGS THE PLUME & Atwooo MF6, Co,, MANUFACTURERS OF Sheet and Roll Brass — AND— WwiRG PRINTERS’ BRASS, JEWELERS’ METAL GERMAN SILVER AND GILDING METAL, COP- PER RIVETS AND BURRS. Pins, Brass Butt Hinges, Jack Chain, Kero- sene Burners, Lamps, Lamp Trimmings, &c. 29 MURRAY ST., NEW YORK. 199 LAKE ST., CHICAGO. ROLLING MILL: FACTORIES : THOMASTON, CONN, WATERBURY, CONN, SCOVILL MFG. CO. MANUFACTURERS OF BRASS, GERMAN SILVER, Sheets, en Wire ee Bo Tube Brass Shetle, Gups, Hinges, Buttons, Lamp Goods. Special Brasa Goods to Order. Facrorizs: WATERBURY, CONN. Depots: NEW YORK. CHICAGO. BOSTOR. Henry Souther Engineering Co. HARTFORD, CONN. Consulting py Motallurgists Complete Physical Testing L aboratory. Expert Testimony in Court and Patent Cases. Arthur T. Rutter & Go. 25 6 Broadway, NEW YORK. Small tubing in Brass, Copper, Steel, Aluminum, German Silver, &c. Sheet Brass, Copper and Ger- man Silver. Copper, Brass and German Silver Wire. Brazed and Seamless Brass and Copper Tube. Copper and Brass Rod. “PHONO-ELEGTRIC WIRD. “it’s ToucH.” TROLLEY,’ "2 Aluminum e CASTINGS FOUN DERS— FINISHERS. w. G@. ROWA|LL CO., Bridgeport, Conn. HENDRICKS BROTHERS PROPRIETORS OF THE Belleville Copper Rolling Mills, MANUFACTURERS OF TELEPHONE and TELEGRAPH LINES. BRIDGEPORT BRASS C0O., Postal Telegraph Bldg. Broadway and Murray St., New York. PHOSPHOR-BRONZE GERMAN SILVER THE RIVERSIDE METAL Co. RIVERSIDE, N.d. Millis Bridgeport, Conn. Brazsmicers’ Bolt and Sheathing COPPER, COPPER WIRE AND RIVETS. Importers and Dealers in ingot Copper, Block Tin, Spelter,. Lead, Antimony, etc. 49 CLIFF ST., NEW YORK. 2 5 THE IRON AGE New York, Thursday, April 5, 1906. A Comparison of Niagara Power Plants. BY ORRIN E, DUNLAP. Opportunity is now afforded at Niagara Falls to com- pare 10,000 horse-power hydro-electric units of both ver- tical and horizontal pattern. These installations are in the power stations of the Canadian Niagara Power Com- pany, Fig. 1, and the Ontario Power Company, Fig. 2, both on the Canadian side of the river. Those familiar with the various stages of the Niagara power develop- ment will recall the feeling that existed when it was an- nounced that the International Niagara Commission, while in session in London, England, had adopted a 5000 horse-power unit for the development then contem- plated by the Niagara Falls Power Company on the New as ae ei be ‘ Sd ' opyright, 1906, by O. E. Dunlap. tors are connected by vertical shafts that extend up the wheel pit. This installation has been so satisfactory that the Canadian Niagara Power Company, allied to the Niagara Falls Power Company, adopted the same method for the development of power in Victoria Park on the Canadian side. However, the Canadian Niagara Power Company made a bold step in advance, and se- lected a unit of 10,000 horse-power for its development. These 10,000 horse-power units were the first of the kind to be installed at Niagara, and four are now in place in the power house illustrated in Fig. 1. The over-all diameter of these 10,000 horse-power units is only about 19 feet, and each machine oceupies only slightly more space than a machine that has an output capacity of 5000 horse-power. The advantages are a reduction in the cost of construction, a lower cost of ig. 1.--—Interior of the Canadian Niagara Power Company’s Station, Showing 10,000 Horse-Power Vertical Generating Units. : State side at the Falls. It was with wonder that many read that a deep wheel pit would be sunk in the earth, and that from the bottom of this pit a big tunnel would be driven right under the city to the lower river and gorge, the tunnel to serve as the tail race to carry off the water discharged from the wheels placed way down in the wheel pit. It was clear to engineers that an efficient head of water would be obtained by this method, but the adoption of a 5000 horse-power unit was a marked advance, for up to that time no such unit had been adopted for a hydro-electric development in this country or Europe. By April, 1895, the Niagara Falls Power Company’s installation was so far advanced that the first unit was tested successfully, and it was recognized that the method of development was destined to win favor. Since then the installations of two great stations have been completed by the Niagara Falls Power Company, the machines having a total output capacity of 105,000 horse-power. In both of these power stations the turbines and genera- generators and turbines per horse-power, simplicity of operation and reduced cost of maintenance. These gen- erators are wound for three-phase current, 11,000 volts, 25 cycles, at 250 revolutions per minute. The station can be operated in parallel with either or both of the power stations of the Niagara Falls Power Company, eable connections having been made for this purpose by way of the upper steel arch bridge. A transmission line is to be built to Fort Erie and Buffalo along the Cana- dian side of the Niagara River, a complete right of way having been obtained. In the power station of the Ontario Power Company the 10,000 horse-power turbine generator sets have been installed on horizontal shafts, as seen in Fig. 2, and these machines form a strange comparison with the generators connected with their wheels by vertical shafts. Previous to the erection of the Ontario Power Company’s station on the Canadian side of the river the Niagara Falls Hydraulic Power & Mfg. Company on the New York side had been using the horizontal shaft system, 1166 but in this station each wheel operates two generators, while in the station of the Ontario Power Company the generators are operated by twin wheels direct connected on horizontal shafts. The turbines were made in Ger- many and the generators were supplied by the Westing- house Electric & Mfg. Company. The wheels in this station receive their water supply from the 18-foot steel flume laid for over a mile through Victoria Park, and as the power house is at the water’s edge in the gorge the tail water soon reaches the river. The installations in both of the power stations referred to are notable, and will interest engineers who in future visit Niagara. The stations are not very far apart and are easily reached from either side of the river. It is from the generators in the Ontario Pewer Company’s station that current is to be sent to the distributing station on the bluff back of Victoria Park, 550 feet to the rear of the power house and 250 above it. From THE IRON AGE April 5, 1906 normal working load, and in fact this peculiarity of basic steel is its most dangerous feature and the one which English engi- neers hold in dread. It is, in fact, corroborated by tests of strips cut from the fractured plate in the boiler under notice, which gave a tenacity in two cases of 28.2 and 29:2 tons per square inch, and 24.6 and 22.5 per cent. of elongation on 8 inches, The London Times Engineering Supplement makes this additional comment on the matter: “It is stated that efforts are being made by German steel makers to introduce their basic steel plates to the notice of English boiler makers, and that the low price at which these are offered is a strong temptation to some of the smaller firms engaged in this business, especially when accom- panied with guarantees of tensile and elongation tests. It would seem that the interests of the buyer in a matter of this description are even more important when con- cerned with a steam boiler, liable to explosion, than in other relations of the Merchandise Marks Acts, and, con- Copyright, 1906, by O. E. Dunlap. Fig. 2.—Interior of Ontario Power Company's Station, Showing 10,000 Horse-Power Horizontal Generating Units. this distributing station the current will be transmitted at a high voltage to Lockport,. Rochester and Syracuse. Oe German Basic Steel in England. Some discussion has gone on in foreign technical jour- nals relative to German basic steel. A British monthly, Vulcan, refers to the fracture of an Austrian steam boiler under hydraulic test, the plates being of German steel made from phosphoric pig; there has been some criticism also of some axles from German works furnished to the Metropolitan District Railway, London. In quoting the following from the journal mentioned attention may be called to the fact that similar criticisms have been passed on other steels imported into England; also that basic open hearth steel as well as basic Bessemer once fell under attack but now takes the place to which chemical and physical tests entitle it: Phosphoric ores on the Continent have largely determined the employment there of basic methods of making and the gen- eral use of basic steel. The advocates of this material shelter themselves behind the results of tensile and bending tests of strips cut from the plate; but experience has shown repeatedly that high tenacity and elongation may be obtained from strips ent from a plate alongside a fracture which has failed under sequently, that the derivation and nature of the material of such boilers, supposing any be made for sale of these plates, ought to be clearly and prominently indicated on their exteriors.” a The United Indurated Fiber Company, Lockport, N. Y., is adding four buildings to its plant for the purpose of manufacturing indurated fiber insulation for third-rail electric systems. Successful experiments have been com- pleted with this style of third-rail insulation and protec- tion, and its manufacture upon a large scale has been decided upon, and it will be used extensively on the ele- vated roads in New York City. The insulating fiber is formed in shapes, which fit over and entirely cover the top of the rail and the contact trolley or shoe glides along the under side of the rail, which is raised on brackets, instead of the contact being upon the upper surface of the rail as at present. This new form of insulation was per- fected by William H. Baker, formerly Mayor of the city of Lockport. The output of coal in Great Britain in 1905 was 236,111,150 gross tons, an increase of 3,699,366 tons over that for 1904, or 1.6 per cent. April 5, 1906 THE IRON AGE The International Waterways Commission’s Report. In accordance with the request made in the Burton resolution, the United Statts section of the International Waterways Commission has made its report on what it believes to be necessary to save the Falls of Niagara from destruction by the diversion of water for power pur- poses. This report gives a summary of what has already been done by power companies and concludes as follows: “If the falls are to be preserved it must be by mutual agreement between the two countries. As a step in that direction we recommend that legislation be enacted which shall contain the following provisions: “The Secretary of War to be authorized to grant per- mits for the diversion of 28,500 cubic feet per second, and no more, from the waters naturally tributary to Niagara Falls, distributed as follows: “Niagara Falls Hydraulic Power & Mfg. Company, 9500; Niagara Falls Power Company, 8600; Erie Canal or its tenants (in addition to lock service), 400; Chicago Drainage Canal, 10,000; all other diversions of water which is naturally tributary to Niagara Falls to be pro- hibited, except such as may be required for domestic use or for the service of locks in the operation of canals. Suitable penalties for violation of the law to be prescribed. “The foregoing prohibition to remain in force two years, and then to become the permanent law of the land, if in the meantime,the Canadian Government shall have enacted legislation prohibiting the diversion of water which is naturally tributary to Niagara Falls, in excess of 36,000 cubic feet per second, not including the amounts required for domestic use or for the service of locks in navigation canals. It is assumed, however, that an un- derstanding upon this subject would be reached by treaty. “The object of such legislation would be to put a stop to the further depletion of the falls, and at the same time inflict the least possible injury upon the important in- terests now dependent upon this water power. The amount to be diverted on the Canadian side, 36,000 cubic feet, has been fixed with a view to allowing the companies of that side the amounts for which they now have works under construction. “ Such legislation would give to Canada the advantage of diverting 7500 cubic feet per second more than is di- verted in the United States. The advantage is more ap- parent than real, since the power generated on the Can- adian side will be, to a large extent, transmitted to and used in the United States. In the negotiation of a treaty, however, the point should be considered.” The amount above fixed is estimated to be 27 per cent. of the average discharge and 33 per cent. of the low water discharge of the Niagara River. In connection with this expression of feeling in regard to the preservation of Niagara by the members of the In- ternational Waterways Commission, it is worthy of atten- tion that a meeting of municipalities to promote the move- ment for Niagara power for more people, in accordance with Adam Beck’s propaganda, was held in Galt, Ont., March 23. At this meeting, Guelph, London, Bridgeport, St. Thomas, Berlin, Wilmot Township, Waterloo, St. George, Ayr, Galt, Georgetown and Paris, were repre- sented by officials disposed to advance and guard the in- terests of their respective localities. A resolution was unanimously passed thanking the Union of Municipalities which had subscribed $15,000 for the Municipal Power Commission, after which the following resolution was adopted : Resolved, That this gathering of municipalities urgently de- sires and respectfully asks the Government of Ontario at once to establish a power plant at Niagara Falls or secure the power produced under the existing franchises for distribution to the reachable municipalities of Ontario; and further, that it de- vises plans to carry the same into effect at the earliest possible moment, this gathering of municipal representatives pledging itself to do everything reasonable within its power to render such action effective. An unprecedented number of immigrants landed in New York last week. Thursday’s vessels brought in 11,- 383 and Saturday’s 9231. The Thursday arrivals broke the record for one day. F 1167 The Toronto High Service Turbo Pumping Station. The city of Toronto, Canada, is installing a pumping station for serving a high pressure fire system, the hose connections to be made direct, dispensing with the use of fire engines in the locality. The entire station equip- ment, contracted for by the Canadian Westinghouse Company, Ltd., is of the turbine type, power being fur- nished by steam turbines ang the water pressure by multiple stage turbine pumps. The service will be sim- ilar in character and extent to that of the Philadelphia high pressure pumping station, which is driven by gas engines. As is the case in Philadelphia, the Toronto plant will supply water at a maximum pressure of 300 pounds per square inch to a high pressure piping system covering the district to be protected. For the present the new high service equipment will comprise two turbo pumping units having a capacity of 5,000,000 gallons per 24 hours at 300 pounds maximum head. It will be installed at the main pumping station, where steam power is available at all times. Each pump is driven by an 1100 horse-power Westing- house-Parsons steam turbine. Dry saturated steam is supplied at 150 pounds pressure, and a vacuum of 26 inches is supplied by a jet condenser, one condenser for each unit. To enable the turbine to sustain full load in case of condenser failure, a secondary valve may be used. This valve gives the unit an overload capacity of 50 per cent. or more when running condensing at the usual speed. The speed control of the pumps necessary to vary the delivery pressure according to the demand will be largely effected by hand, and provision has been made for a 30 per cent. variation in speed below the normal speed of 1500 revolutions per minute. As an aux- iliary feature the governor operates as an automatic safety stop, preventing a dangerous speed s ould any part of the regular governing mechanism get >ut of or- der, by instantly shutting off the steam supply For in- specting or repairing either turbine or pump they may be disconnected at a split flexible coupling. The turbine and pump each have two bearings, so that the two parts are independent. The centrifugal pumps are not particularly designed for it, but are well adapted for direct connection to steam turbines. They are of the two-stage turbine type as de- veloped by Henry R. Worthington, and are manufactured by the John McDougal Caledonian Iron Works, Limited, Montreal. An important and essential feature in the design is the provision of diffusion vanes by which the water delivered by the pump impellers is brought ap- proximately to rest under a static head of 150 pounds per stage. The pumps have been designed so that the axial thrusts are approximately balanced. The pumps take water axially at the center under a suction head of 10 to 15 feet, both delivering into a horizontal] 24- inch main connected with the high pressure system. In eases where maximum pressure is necessary the two pressure stages will be operated in series; where lower pressure is desired the speed of the unit will be reduced in proportion. For small fires, where only moderate pressure is required, one pump stage will be eliminated by a by-pass valve delivering suction water directly to the succeeding stage. These valves will be electrically operated. The complete pumping units are extremely compact, being only about 25 feet in length over all, and are set at 10-foot centers. This close spacing is largely due to the possibility of locating the condensing plant for each turbine directly beneath it in the foundation. _———_)--o—____ The Buffalo Forge Company, Buffalo, N. Y., gave the heads of its office department a dinner at the Ellicott Club on St. Patrick’s Day, at which 24 were present. Mr. l‘ox of the financial department discharged the duties of toastmaster most acceptably. Impromptu speeches were made by H. W. Wendt, Mr. Lake and others, and every effort was made to promote good fellowship, congeniality and the best of understanding between the various de- partments represented. Business suggestions were min- gled with happy remarks, and all in all it was most enjoy- able and profitable. THE IRON AGE Canadian Iron and Steel Projects. The Atikokan Iron Company’s furnace is expected to be ready to start up before the end of the summer. The company is said to be contemplating the construction of steel works in connection with the blast furnace. So far nothing has been heard of any high-grade ores being struck in the company’s own ranges in the Rainy River district. The Loon Lake deposits, which are closer, being not far from Port Arthur, contain hematite ores, not running high, however, in metallic content. Mac- kenzie & Mann, who are prominent in the company, are also interested in the fine ore field in Hutton township. Their railroad—the James Bay division of MacKenzie & Mann’s Canadian Northern—is now nearly completed from Toronto to Parry Sound. It is to be hurried north- ward to Sudbury and pushed to the ore body. The ques- Ru a ala April 5, 1906 A New Tindel High Duty Saw. The accompanying illustrations show two views of a machine recently built for the American Locomotive Com- pany by the High Duty Saw & Tool Company, Eddystone, Pa., owners of the Tindel patents for high duty sawing. Although the machine is made primarily for sawing 13- inch square 0.60 carbon steel billets into convenient lengths for forging into locomotive driving axles, it is equally well adapted to the sawing of heavy, irregular shaped pieces, such as forgings and castings. For the lat- ter service it is usually desirable to temporarily remove the special appliance fitted to the machine and shown in the illustration for holding billets. ‘This consists of a massive billet vise with a supplementary table, and con- stitutes one of the notable features of the tool. The vise is manipulated, as may be seen in Fig. 1, by inserting a heavy bar in holes in the head of the adjusting screw. Fig. 1.—An Extra Heavy Saw Built by the High Duty Saw & Tool Company, Eddystone, Pa., for the American Locomotive Company. tion of hauling the Hutton ores over the company’s line to be smelted in Toronto has received some attention. Toronto is desirous of getting an iron and steel industry and would give inducements to attract ore to its As- bridge Bay location. It is announced from Sault Ste. Marie that contracts have been let for the construction of the Algoma Steel Company's new open hearth furnaces and that work will be begun upon them shortly. Their capacity is to be 200 tons per day. With them it will be possible to use more Helen ore in the company’s steel products. The company’s rail mill has been surpassing itself. Though built for an output of 500 tons per 24-hour day it has made a record of 802 tons. +e At a meeting of veteran employees of the H. C. Frick Company, held in the Connellsville region last week, an organization was formed to be known as the Frick Vet- erans’ Association, to be composed of heads of depart- ments, store managers and superintendents who have been in service for 20 years or more. W. A. Todd was elected president, P. J. Tormay vice-president and J. A. Barn- hart secretary and treasurer. The machine is a large one, as may be judged by its weight, which is about ten tons. The machine is equipped with a 48-inch Tindel high duty saw blade % inch thick, and has 76 high speed steel cutters spaced on alternate sides of the blade. The blade cuts to a depth of 16 inches. The machine is of high power, requiring for its drive a 20 horse-power motor, between which and the saw blade there is a speed reduction of 60 to 1. The main driving shaft is of large diameter, phosphor bronze bushed in its bearings. The spindle is a high carbon steel forging, running in a solid taper phosphor bronze bushed bearing 30 inches long. The construction of the bearing is interesting. To secure rigidity, the ordinary split bearing was not used, the arbor seat being cast solid on the carriage. The saddle carrying the spindle has an unusual surface bearing on the bed of the machine, this being 30 x 26 inches. The saddle is square locked, both front and back, and is gibbed front and back with heavy phosphor bronze taper shoes. Following the Tindel system of sawing, no worm gear- ing is used in the main drive, the power being transmitted entirely through straight gearing, as may be seen in Fig. 2... The feed, however, is by roller friction discs transmitted through worm and worm wheel to a heavy screw engaging in a long bearing bronze nut in the back April 5, 1906 of the saddle. The friction feed is preferred, as it gives a better gradation than can be accomplished through gearing. The clutch lever shown in Fig. 1, projecting to the front near the feed, is used for disengaging the power feed, so that the saddle may be set by hand through the large hand wheel. This is also connected with the trip, which may be seen in Fig. 2, this being adjustable to stop the feeding at any required point. The housing and bed plate of the machine are cast in one piece to insure rigidity. This plan also affords oppor- tunity for affixing the massive vise and supplementary table by large bolts, so that the greatest rigidity of the holding appliance is obtained. It is of prime importance in high duty sawing that there be no vibration or spring of the material in cutting, as the effectiveness of high duty sawing depends, in a considerable degree, on the rigidity of the piece to be cut. The table of the machine has numerous T slots which facilitate holding the work directly to the table when the vise is not in use. This top may be removed and placed in a position at right angles to the one shown in Fig. 2, if it is desired to have the T slots run in the opposite direction, or tables of Tre InowAGe Fig. 2.—Another View of the Saw, Showing the Drive. other forms may be substituted. Both the vise and the supplementary table are removable, leaving the bed plate of the machine available for such shapes as steel cast- ings, forgings, &c. To keep the saw cutters lubricated and cool, a plenti- ful supply of drilling compound is pumped in a steady stream into the kerf by a rotary pump affixed to the machine and operated by a small belt from the main driv- ing shaft. The arrangement of the lubricating pipe is such that it follows the feed of the saw blade and directs the stream at the cutting point on the saw cutters. The lubricating liquid, after falling from the saw blade, is caught in a trough, from which it is returned to the pump. The machine is designed for a minimum feed of % inch per minute and a maximum of 1% inches. There are two driving pulleys of different sizes, so that the saw blade may be driven at peripheral speeds of either 35 or 50 feet per minute. An automatic stop is provided, plac- ing the depth of cut at all times under the control of the operator. Previous to shipment this machine was tried at the company’s works, and gave a cut of 1 inch per minute on a 14-inch square 0.5 carbon steel billet, without ex- hibiting any strain on the machine. lapsed alec On March 19 Judge Joseph Buffington of the United States District Court of western Pennsylvania, sitting at Pittsburgh, handed down decrees in the two suits for pat- ent infringement of the Stirling Company against the Rust Boiler Company. Both decisions were favorable to the Rust Boiler Company, the court holding that there had been no infringement on either patent and dismissing both suits. THE IRON AGE 1169 Central American Notes. Santo Tomas, March 26, 1906.—It might be interest- ing to know what some of the British manufacturers are doing in the way of iron, steel and hardware exports to Latin-America generally. El Ferro-Carril del Sur, Buenos Aires, has just received from England a large consignment of air compressors. Between last year and this date over 500 locomotives have reached Chili, Argen- tina, Brazil and Peru, a few going also to Ecuador and Panama. Chili has taken nearly 20,000 tons of Scotch cast iron pipe. Iron and steel warehouses in sec- tions are sent to the River Plata and the Pacific Coast ports. Bridges and nitrate plants go to Atocama and the mining districts near Antofagasta, also on the Pa- cific. A British firm of shipbuilders has lately estab- lished a yard in Brazil, and it is understood that the Government is backing it with large orders. Much of the sugar machinery, evaporators, &c., of the heavier kinds, made in England and Scotland, go to Ecuador, Guate- mala, the West Indies, Nicaragua, and a lesser amount. to Costa Rica and Salvador. The Amazon, Madeira, Rio de la Plata, Uruguay, Paraguay, Magdalena and many smaller streams are being supplied from British yards with flat boats, light draft steamers, tugboats and tend- ers. It is even reported that several twin screw steamers are building on the Toy and Forth for the River Plate, Montevideo, Rosario and Buenos Aires. Agricultural instruments and machinery are going in large quantities to the above named places, Chili, Brazil and Colombia. When it is considered that most British machinery is heavier, more unwieldy and less finished in many ways than ours, does it not seem that there must be lack of enterprise in some quarters of our country that lets such important business as this slip through its fingers. Great headway has been made in the last year or two in Spanish-America with regard to sanitation as a pre- caution against fever. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Santos, Para, Havana, Cartagena, Quito, Guayaquil, Panama and a number of less important places have been able to hold yellow fever well in check, and in more than one case it has been eradicated to the great advantage of business in general. It is reported that at the Pan-American Congress in Brazil next July not a few of the South Americans are hoping for a concise and clear exposition of the Monroe Doctrine. No doubt an impetus will be given also to the Pan-American railroad through Central and South Amer- ica to Buenos Aires and Chile. A scheme is on foot to connect by steamer the differ- ent ports in the Gulf of Fonseca, Amapala, La Brea, San Lorenzo, La Union (Salvador) and Corinto, Nicaragua, and to be eventually extended to Panama. The pro- moters of the scheme are principally Germans connected with the export firms of Amapala (Honduras) and La Union. They expect a great increase in trade on the completion of the Tegucigalpa, Honduras Railroad now building. Several large cargoes of mining machinery have lately arrived at Corinto, La Libertad and San Juan for the gold and silver mines in the Cordilleras. The coffee crop of Salvador will be especially large this season, and the Kosmo-Lerman lines are getting in readiness to han- dle it.. This line is now making its trips from Hamburg via Magellan to Valparaiso, Callao, San Juan, Ocos, Acapulco, &¢., to San Francisco. Cc. The United States Treasury continues to show a bal- ance on the right side of the ledger. There was a surplus for the current fiscal year at the close of business March 31 amounting to $5,772,473. At the end of March, 1905, there was a deficit amounting to $24,482,011. The treas- ury Officials believe there will be a substantial surplus for the fiscal year ending June 30 next, amounting, possibly, to $15,000,000. Advices from Mexico state that the fiscal authorities now consider the gold standard firmly established in that country. 1170 A Modern Steel Foundry of the Square Type. The foundry of the Baldt Steel Company, New Castle, Del., is of special interest in being a departure from the “Jong drawn out” design of shop construction that has been followed in so many foundries and machine shops built in recent years. The theory of those who have advo- cated the “ shoestring ” construction has been that it af- forded advantages in its straightaway crane runways and in lending itself to the continuous progress of ma- terial from the receiving end to shipping tracks at the other end. It has been considered by many that a foundry in which large work is handled, being to such an extent a crane proposition, gets relatively more economies from the long building than would be secured by a ma- chine shop. However, the square building for machine shop and structural work finds a good illustration in the plant of the Brown Hoisting Machinery Company at Cleveland, Ohio, which has been occupied now for about That company found that if its plant were three years. oe PROJECTED EX/TENSION THE IRON AGE April 5, 1906 ovens could not be located so that cores and molds could be readily placed in them and removed without unduly interfering with work in the vicinity of the ovens. Experience had demonstrated to the satisfaction of the projectors of this plant that the distance traveled by molds and finished castings in a long shop is greater than in the type of plant adopted. It was figured that by providing for all departments except the power plant under one roof, the expense of conveying castings from one building to another would be saved, as well as that factor in the cost of separate buildings due to their greater length of outside walls. Features of Construction, The buildings are of steel framework, the panels be- tween the columns in the line of the outside walls being filled with brickwork, containing windows extending from 5 feet above the floor line to a few feet below the eaves. The roof is constructed of steel purlins with wooden spiking pieces and 3-inch grooved and splined yellow pine planks. The roof is braced longitudinally by a r _ Sa -—=§ = F | SoS eReeeeere 200 ----- eee eee ] ‘ FURNACES 8 AG Taree If] eal Silat | THE IRON AGE Fig. 1—Plan View of the Baldt Steel Company’s Foundry, New Castle, Del. built in one long stretch its main building would be 2500 feet long. The superintendent starting from one end would have had to walk half a mile to give an order at the farther end. The design adopted gave a building 500 x 312 feet and under one roof and the results in effective and economical supervision, as. well as in handling of work, have been very satisfactory. The Baldt Steel Company evolved the plan of con- struction shown in the accompanying illustrations as the result of the long and varied experience of its president, Frederick Baldt, in the well known steel foundries at Chester, Pa., supplemented by the advice and co-operation of its consulting engineer, J. J. Kennedy of 52 Broadway, New York, who designed and built the works. The prime object in the adoption of the square shop was the secur- ing of the highest efficiency per square foot of floor space, the controlling factors being light, ventilation and crane service. The decision against the long narrow shop was based on several considerations. Among these were the loss of time in moving material from one end of the plant to the other; interference with the work of the molders by transferring sand over the same space through which eastings, flasks and metal were handled; and, what was of much importance, the difficulty of obtaining thorough supervision, because of the great distances through which the superintendents of such plants are obliged to travel during working hours in order to keep in close touch with the work. Other objections to the long type of plant were the difficulties connected with providing a separate room for machine tools and the drawbacks that core and dry layer of %-inch thick common boards spiked diagonally. This type of roof construction was adopted to reduce the fire risk and to provide the rigid bracing in every di- rection required by the several lines of cranes operating on parallel runways, also to avoid the expense of heavy structural longitudinal bracing which would otherwise have been required between the interior columns. The roof covering is the Warren-Ehret Company’s slag roof construction. Each division of the building has a wide monitor its entire length, equipped with sashes to swing horizontally for light and ventilation. The Furnace Houre, In the furnace house a window approximately 11 feet wide extends from a few feet above the floor to the eaves, in each alternate panel. The panels between win- dows contain openings 16 feet wide extending from the floor to the roof. These are provided with Kinnear roll- ing doors. Each end of the furnace house contains one such opening and one window. The thorough lighting of the furnace house is thus always assured, even when all the rolling doors are closed, and in warm weather both the windows and Kinnear doors are opened, the furnace house under such conditions being open on ail sides. During driving rains the windows and Kinnear doors facing the direction from which the wind comes are closed and those on the opposite side and end are left open. In the hottest weather of the summer of 1905 the furnace house employees suffered little or no incon- veniente from heat, owing to the shelter and thorough ventilation provided by the above construction. April 5, 1906 THE Arrangement of Floors, The plan view in Fig. 1 and the cross section in Fig, 2 give a clear idea of the relation of the various foundry floors, and of their equipment. The 35-foot bay used as the flask room is commanded by a 10-ton crane. It is 340 feet long, as is the adjacent molding floor. As ap- pears from the plan, the movement of flasks and materia! is on the most direct lines, big. 1 indicating how con- veniently the completed molds after being placed on trucks are conveyed on tracks to the drying ovens in the next bay. Dragouts are provided, so that the molds on IRON AGE 1171 ing floor crane, which is of 30 tons capacity. As will be seen the cleaning and chipping department is in the same bay. It is also equipped with a 30-ton crane. With one exception the gauge of the crane runways is the same throughout the plant, and it is thus possible to transfer cranes from one runway to another if such changes should seem desirable in the future. At the end of the cleaning and chipping department are the annealing ovens 20 x 65 feet, which are below the floor level. The machine shop, which is virtually a projection of the oven and core room section of the building, is 180 10 TON CRANE 20 TON CRANE MOLDING FLOOR OVENS Z t<— - —32-01{K— ~—>+<— - — 63-0 > 68 Oy cars may be drawn in and out of the ovens by the use of overhead cranes. <A 25-ton crane serves the molding floor and another crane of 30 tons capacity is being in- stalled on this floor. The middle floor, the central por- tion of which is occupied with the core ovens and mold drying ovens, has the core making department between the ovens and the machine shop. On the other side of the ovens is a space which has been used for the molding of smaller castings, and which may be devoted later to gray iron work, particularly the molding of flask bars. The two mold drying ovens are 65 feet long, 20 feet wide SS 10 TON CRANE 2 tI 4H 2-30 TON CRANES | 11] | i | t }'] CASTING FLOOR FURNACE HOUSE aa i 41-3% THE IRON AGE m~ 65-01 - med Cross Secticn of the Baldt Steel Company's Plant. feet long and 65 feet wide, and the floor is commanded by a crane of 25 tons capacity. It is equipped with planers and shapers, lathes and tool grinders and four cold saws with Taylor-Newbold blades. All tools are motor driven and all power throughout the plant is fur- nished by electric motors. There are doorways in the wall dividing the machine shop from the floor on which castings are cleaned. These openings are closed with Kinnear doors for the purpose of excluding dust from the machine shop, and the doors are only opened for the pur- pose of delivering castings from the cleaning floor into hn ae Fig. 3. and 20 feet in the clear. A third drying oven will shortly be installed. The two core ovens, which are coal fired, are 45 feet long, 16 feet wide and 12 feet high. The oven and coreroom section is commanded by a 10-ton crane. "The molds coming from the dry ovens are placed in position for pouring with but little handling by the cast- --— aoe pi tss Sage arg ogres 2p te = = — EE | , 8 ! ! . + SS eS ee 4 THE IRON AGE —Cross Section of Furnace House. the machine shop. For each of these doorways there is a track and one car. Owing to the large amount of money invested in machine equipment, its maintenance in a highly efficient condition has already proved the de- sirability of protecting it as far as possible from the gritty dust of the foundry. Finished castings are loaded 1172 on cars at the end of the machine shop, across which runs a standard gauge track. The gas producers and the power house are the only parts of the plant separated from the main building. The power house is 108 x 75 feet. Two horizontal tube Cahall boilers have been installed, of 500 horse-power. For the cranes and machinery, which are operated at 220 volts, a 200-kw. Westinghouse generator is provided, driven by a Ball & Wood engine. There is a separate circuit for lighting, supplied by a 100-kw. generator, also driven by a Ball & Wood engine. Provision has been made for supplementing the equipment by additional 220-volt di- rect current generators. There are now installed in the plant two 50-kw. motors, direct connected to each other and mounted upon the same base. These motors are arranged so that either one may be driven by the other as a motor to supply 110 or 220 volt current, as may be required when operating at night under small load. The motors are of the General Electric type. The power house also contains an air compressor, which supplies 12 Rand hammers; also sand ast apparatus. At present the producer house contains three gas producers. UlIti- mately this number will be increased to seven. Of the three 30-ton acid open hearth furnaces for which room has been provided in the furnace house two are in operation. A third will be built in the near future. At present pig iron and scrap are unloaded in the yard alongside the furnace house and are conveyed to an ele- vator and thence to the charging floor, small cars run- ning on a narrow gauge track being employed. : Charging into the furnaces is accomplished by the use of furnace peels. A complete set of tracks has been planned and eventually elevated trestles will be provided for the de- livery of coal and light scrap. On the furnace house floor is a completely equipped laboratory, with testing machine for properly handling Government and other work. Factors in the Location. The choice of New Castle as the location for the Baldt Steel Company’s foundry followed an examination of many sites on the Delaware River water front, from Philadelphia south. New Castle was chosen as being a desirable shipping point for southern as well as northern business, and it was possible to get cheaply a large tract of land, 40 acres being taken, with a frontage of 1000 feet on the Delaware River. Dumpage facilities, which are inadequate in the case of some steel foundries, in view of the large amount of slag made, are ample at the New Castle site to receive the waste of 50 years’ operations, and there is fast land as well, sufficient for doubling or trebling the capacity now provided. Labor conditions are quite satisfactory at New Castle also, manufacturing centers being sufficiently near to insure a supply of labor, while the labor troubles common in larger cities are avoided. Operations were started in April, 1905, and the foun- dry has been operated full ever since. About 350 men are now employed. The product has consisted of marine, locomotive and steam power work, Government gun car- riage and other castings, steel valve body work for high pressures and work in general jobbing lines. Frederick Baldt is president of the company, Rodney Thayer vice- president and Frank A. Thayer treasurer. ——_ 2+ oe The Nichols & Langworthy Machine Company’s New Officers. At the annual meeting of the stockholders of the Nichols & Langworthy Machine Company, held at Hope Valley, R. I., March 28, the officers and directors, who with one or two exceptions have been continuously in the management of the business since 1869 retired, and the following were elected: Ernest J. Jochen, president; Wil- lis G. Nichols, vice-president; John Stewart Thomson, treasurer; Ernest J. Crandall, secretary. These officers, together with James R. Burnett, counsel of the company, constitute the board of directors. At a meeting of the directors of the New York Safety Steam Power Company, which is controlled by the Nichols & Langworthy Machine Company, held on the same day, the following officers were elected: Ernest J. Jochen, president; John Stewart Thomson, treasurer; J. M. W. Sheperd, secretary. The retiring officers, Henry Clay Nichols and Albert L. Chester, retain a substantial in- THE IRON April 5, 1906 terest in the business. The Nichols & Langworthy Ma- chine Company also voted an issue of $125,000 of its first mortgage bonds, secured by a mortgage or deed of trust to the Industrial Trust Company of Providence, R. I., the proceeds to be used for additions and extensions to the existing plant, which is to be enlarged and improved. The present business was established in 1820 and has maintained a high reputation in the manufacture and sale of engines and boilers. ——_—_-~—-- ee ——————— The American & British Mfg. Report. The American & British Mfg. Company, 74 Broadway, New York, one of the subsidiaries of the International Power Company, has issued its third annual report. The income account compares as follows: 1905. AGE Company’s 1904. $862,211 772,048 $90,162 Changes. Ine. $91,566 Inc. 10,446 Inc. $81,120 Dec. 11,520 Surplus $140,878 Inc. $92,640 The balance sheet of the company, which is the first ever issued, is of date December 31, 1905, as follows: Assets. Plants at Providence and Bridgeport Patent rights, contracts, &c Machinery, patterns, &c Improvement account Cash and accounts receivable Inventories Work in process ‘Year ended December 31. Gross earnings............ $953,777 782,494 $171,283 Expenses Net earnings Interest charges $4,667,022 5,205,451 300,120 24,347 186,685 199,997 480,686 $11,064,308 $2,000,000 8,000,000 514,103 60,000 490,205 $11,064,308 Hoadley’s statement to the Preferred stock Common stock Bills and accounts receivable Mortgage on plant No. 2.......eeeeeeeeeeeeecnees Surplus President George W. stockholders is as follows: “The surplus of $140,878 will be carried to profit and loss account. This does not show the full net earnings for the year, inasmuch as $120,000 of the gross earnings represents material billed to the United States Govern- ment at cost, as per terms of contract, and profits will not show in earnings until completion of contract and final invoicing of manufactured goods. “In addition to the above there is about $300,000 in course of construction in excess of January 1, 1905, which is in reality a part of the earnings of the year. The profits chargeable to this $420,000 at a very conservative estimate should be at least 15 per cent., which would bring the net earnings to over $200,000. “During the year the increase in business, both as to Government work and Diesel engines, has been so ex- tensive that additional machinery equipment was neces- sary to make contract deliveries. The results of these improvements already show marked deductions in the cost of manufacture and have enabled us to enter the field as competitors for field carriages, caissons, limbers, sights and guns up to 4 inch in our ordnance department, and all classes of pressed steel shapes in our commercial department. This is a field that has never been hereto- fore entered by thi