The Iron Age 1906-05-31: Vol 77 Iss 22

THE IRON AGE New York, Thursday, May 31, 1906. Motor Drive in the Firth-Sterling Steel Company’s Plant. The development of high speed tool steels has been a most active influence toward the more extended use of elec- tric motors for driving machine tools. A very few years ago, when high carbon tool steel was in general use, a cutting speed of 12 feet per minute was a fair average, and me- chanical speed changing devices filled the requirements. As cutting speeds increased with the introduction of Mushet and air hardening, tool steel requirements be- came more severe, until with the advent of high speed steel it was found necessary to install heavier machinery to Fig. 1.—Motor Driven Projectile Turning Lathe turn out the increased output possible with increased cutting speeds. The problem of transmitting power then became more important, as belts were more wasteful and costly with higher speeds and increased power demands ; and further, the time and labor of shifting heavy belts on cone pulleys seriously hindered the efficient operation of machines. The logical remedy was the individual driving of machine tools by electric motors. Then came the problem of reliably and efficiently controlling the speed of the motor. With cutting speeds increased to about 50 feet for roughing cuts on steel and from 85 to 125 feet per minute for finishing cuts, perfect control of the motor was demanded, so that with each change of diameter of the work the rotating speed could be varied. To meet the demands of such service the Westinghouse Blectric & Mfg..Company developed a line of direct cur- rent motors, known as the type SA, with a speed range of 4 to 1 on a single voltage, the control being obtained by resistance in the shunt field circuit. Both mechanically and electrically the type SA motors are identical in con- struction with the company’s type S motors, except for the addition of auxiliary poles and coils for controlling the field form during the variation of field strength with changing speeds. This motor was described in The Iron Age March 8, 1906, The application ofthe. SA motors to machine tool drive obviates the,.use ‘of mechanical speed changing devices, and places" path= machine under perfect control of the operator, with: -fuller range of speeds than can be obtained by mechanieal methods. The practical application of ‘the SA motors is illus- trated by a typical installation in the new projectile shop of the Firth-Sterling Steel Company,’ at Demmler, Pa. The equipment consists of eight 10 horse-power motors, each driving a 26-inch Bullard lathe, one being shown in Fig. 1; two 15 horse-power motors, each driving a Bul- lard horizontal boring machine, one being shown in Fig, . Cae ] Brat pe ica in the Firth-Sterling Steel Company’s Plant. 2, and one 714 horse-power motor direct connected to a Bullard turret lathe. The speed of the motors is varied by controllers giving 21 motor speeds. In addition to the SA motors there is a 35 horse-power type S constant speed motor belted to a line shaft, which furnishes power to a group of small machines, including a planer, cutting- off machine, centering machine and two drill presses. By following the various steps in the manufacture of projectiles the adaptability of variable speed motors to this class of work is clearly apparent. The motor driven machines, however, are not confined to such work in the Firth-Sterling plant, as various kinds of machine products are turned out as well, the wide range of speed and ease of contro] being especially adapted to the test- ing of high speed tool steel. A novel method of checking the efficiency of employees has been introduced, which is made possible by the use of electric drive. It consists of placing in a convenient location a recording ammeter, arranged to be connected in circuit with any machine whenever desired. . Previous tests have determined approximately the ¢urrent required for a given class of work, so that the record of the am- 1738 meter indicates whether or not the machine is working ° up to its capacity and the time it stands idle. By referring to the illustrations a good.idea of the appearance of projectiles in the different stages of manu- THE IRON AGE May 31, 1906 and forged by a Bement-Miles steam hammer, when, after cooling, it is again brought to a red heat, placed in a receptacle, covered with lime and allowed to remain until entirely cool, the length of time depending on the size _ a THe Inon AGE Fig. 3.—The Forging Before and After Turning and a Completed 8-Inch Projectile. facture can be gained. The first step is the making of a steel casting similar in form to the finished projectile, but somewhat larger in diameter. After the metal has congealed it is removed from the mold and allowed to cool. The casting is then heated to a forging temperature of the forging. This is known as the annéaling process, and leaves the projectile in the condition shown at the left in Fig. 3. After annealing the forging is taken to the machine shop and the projection on the small end centered in a centering machine. It is then transferred to a lathe, the butt end being chucked and the small end supported by the center in the tail stock. The machining is begun at the point of the projectile, the lathe speed being decreased with the increase of diameter by varying the motor speed, which illustrates one of the many phases of machine work where variable speed motors are exceedingly valua- ble, the operator being able to gauge the proper speed by watching the color of the chip. After the lathe work is finished the partially com- THE IRONAGE Fig. 4.—The Three Parts of a Complete Projectile, Plug, Shell and Cap. pleted projectile is placed in a cutting-off machine and the unfinished end that was clamped in the chuck re- moved. The work is then transferred to a horizontal boring machine, where the recess or chamber for the explosive is bored out. The chamber is threaded near the May 31, 1906 butt to receive a plug, in the center of which is a smaller plug. Through the latter the fuse is inserted that is ignited by the firing charge and communicates with the explosive at a predetermined time interval, causing the projectile to burst after entering the object at which it was directed. At two points on the barrel of the projectile the diam- eter corresponds to the bore of the gun, and at a third point near the large end a groove is cut in the barrel into which a copper band is hammered. This, when fin- ished, is slightly larger in diameter than the bore, caus- ing it to engage in the rifling, giving the projectile a ro- tary motion. A groove at the butt provides a means for removing the projectile if for any reason it is not dis- charged after being placed in the gun. The points of the projectiles are covered by a soft steel cap, which, in some manner not thoroughly under- ‘ stood, enables the projectile to penetrate a plate with a Fig. 5.—An 8-Inch Projectile Before and After Piercing an 8-Inch Armor Plate. much lower velocity than is required with uncapped shells. The cap is held in place by wire driven into a recess formed by the coincidence of a groove cut in its interior with that of a groove cut on the point of the projectile. The treating or hardening process to which the projectiles are subjected after machining is not made public. Fig. 4 shows the three parts forming a complete projectile and Fig. 5 the condition of an 8-inch projectile before and after piercing an 8-inch armor plate. The opportunity of comparing the relative outputs of similar machines performing the same class of work rarely presents itself in as forcible a manner as in this plant. The old projectile shop still uses belt driven lathes, some with wide belts. These belt driven lathes are of the same type as the motor driven lathes, and the result of some interesting tests of the number of pro- jectiles finished in ten hours shows conclusively the great- ly increased efficiency of motor driven machines: Diameter of projectiles, inches.......... 6 7 8 Number of projectiles finished in ten hours, motor driven lathe............ 38 32 25 THE IRON AGE 1739 Number of projectiles finished in ten hours, belt driven lathe.............. 27 27 17 ee Geb Rie act cee dd oc rctaee ca ceed 40.7 52.3 47 Average increase in output, 46.6 per cent. The belt driven lathes will eventually be changed to motor drive by adding an inexpensive mounting for the motor. The shop with the motor driven machines pre- sents a clean and light appearance. The absence of belt- ing, with the exception of that driving.the group of small machines, is a noticeable feature, which naturally aids in cleanliness and gives unobstructed light, both natural and artificial. NO Radical Labor Legislation in Great Britain. The London Hngineer reproduces from The Iron Age the substance of the decision of the Pennsylvania Su- preme Court in the case of Purvis & Co. of Butler, Pa., against the Carpenters and Joiners’ Union, and calls it an “ American Taff-Vale case.” In addition to affirming a judgment for damages against the union for boycotting Purvis & Co. material, the decision held that it was un- lawful for the union to coerce its own members into quitting work, the judges saying: ‘“ Members of the union were coerced by the compelling power of the union to quit work on pain of trial, fine or expulsion, with its attendant annoyance and possible ostracism in case of their refusal. The principle on which the cases, Eng- lish and American, proceed, is that every man has the right to employ his talents, industry and capital as he pleases, free from the dictation of others, and if two or more persons combine to coerce his choice in this behalf it is a criminal conspiracy.” On this the Engineer com- ments as follows: The last paragraph of this judgment states what is still at the moment of writing the principle on which the English courts proceed. What will the American judges say when our Legis- lature, by its Trades Dispute bill, has declared that principle to be unsound? ‘The sanction by which a: union enforces its rules is, and must ever be, coercion in some form or other. So far as we can see at present, nearly everything that was declared illegal in this strike in Pennsylvania will be lawful in this coun- try if the Trades Dispute bill is passed. It is true that violence and destruction of property are to remain illegal; but the funds of the union cannot be drawn upon to pay damages. We com- mend to the attention of those who are in favor of the sug- gested changes in our own law this case in Pennsylvania. —++e—__- The Consular Service to Be Reorganized. Secretary of State Root has issued an order creating a board of five officers, comprising some of the most ex- perienced consuls, which will meet in Washington June 4 to prepare plans for the reorganization of the American consular service. The board is constituted as follows: Frank H. Mason, consul general at Paris; Charles M. Dickinson, consul general at Constantinople; Robert S. Chilton, Jr., consul at Toronto; Edward H. Ozmun, con- sul at Stuttgart, and George H. Murphy, consular agent at St. Catherines. Secretary Root, in connection with the development of his plans for the improvement of the consular service, is giving great attention to the education of young men for a consular career, and is in consultation with some of the leading educators of the country on that subject. Dr. Nicholas Murray Butler, president of Columbia Uni- versity, has informed him that arrangements have been made already for a combined course of Yale and Colum- bia universities to carry out this idea. ———.9-+-—— Testing the air cushions of the elevators installed in the new Hall of Records, New York City, by the Standard Safety Air-Cushion Company, was recently accomplished in an interesting manner, as reported in Compressed Air. A car weighing 3500 pounds and containing two dozen eggs placed on the floor of the car was dropped from the eighth story, and after falling 125 feet was halted safely without displacing enough eggs to destroy the pattern of their layout on the floor, and only a few of them were cracked. | | | ee i SS 1740 THE IRON AGE The Heald Ring and Surface Grinder. The grinder shown in the illustrations is designed to grind piston and other flat rings, disks, dies, thrust col- lars, saws and similar work. whether flat or with angu- Fig. 1.—-Style 210 Ring and Surface Grinder, Built by the Heald Machine Company, Worcester, Mass. lar adjustment, as in milling cutters, saws and other tools, which need to be thinner at the center to give proper clearance. In practice one of the most general uses of this machine is the grinding of piston rings for auto- mobile and other combustion en- gines, where exact work is all im- portant, because of the loss of power, which attends the slightest leakage past the piston. The spe- cial features of the machine are a magnetic chuck for holding the work ; micrometer adjustment for thickness of work; angular adjust- ment for grinding convex or con- cave; automatic and variable cross feed to grinding wheel; automatic vertical feed to chuck, when de- sired, and eight different speeds for rotating the work. The ma- chine embodying these latest im- provements is shown in Fig. 1, mounted on a pedestal, and is manufactured by the Heald Ma- chine Company, Worcester, Mass. The main frame of the grinder carries a vertical spindle, on which the magnetic chuck is mounted, or, when it is desired to grind non- magnetic work, such. as_ brass, bronze or hard rubber, a three or Fig, 2 four-jawed chuck is substituted. This spindle is fitted with a micrometer vertical adjust- ment reading to thousandths of an inch, or to hundredths of a millimeter, if preferred. The micrometer adjust- ment is combined with a hand wheel for raising and lowering the chuck, or with a combination hand and auto- May 31, 1906 matic power feed, which will be considered in detail later. The chuck is driven by a large cone pulley giving eight speeds for different diameters of work. The upper part of the frame supports a crosshead carry- ing tue grinding wheel, and is made adjustable so that the wheel will not only grind flat surfaces, but concave and convex. The method of securing this adjustment is shown in Fig. 2. The binder bolt a releases the entire head and permits it to be swung within limits on the bolt b. The wheel slide is fitted either with hand feed only, or with automatic power feed by means of which the wheel will travel from the outside to the center of the chuck and back again, and reciprocate continuously if desired. The position of the wheel and amount of travel are controlled by the adjustable dogs on the side of wheel slide. The cross feed mechanism is the same as that of the Heald cylinder grinder, which was described in detail in The Iron Age, April 12. This includes the stop motion by which the feed is automaticlly stopped after a single passage back and forth across the work. The feed differs in one single respect, that in the disk grinder the revolv- ing screw c, Fig. 2, is employed to carry the wheel slide forward and back. The automatic feed has two speeds, for roughing and finishing, which in conjunction with the eight speeds of the revolving chuck gives a wide range of operation. The automatic vertical feed, which does not appear in the general views of the machine, or in the assembled drawing, is given in detail in Fig. 3. The center line of the wheel spindle is shown at A. The foot of each of the two adjustable dogs B is bevelled and strikes against the lever C, which has inclined surfaces corresponding to the angle of the dog. In operation the dogs are so adjusted that when the wheel slide almost reaches the end of the required travel the dog comes in contact with the incline of the lever, giving to it a downward motion, which is Dy NY wen Not ht | N/R, aa SSS i" LL IID Wl a Z UL pr 7 bap PN Yh A Aa ‘VI, «A Qa at I KA ZY ) RSs RES LL Tl insecuimnssithingiiocdniaanss lille = Mcieeantiidiiial Wu | cj r Fr! | A en 7 > (2 Sa ! A S SY ne YJ b wg 'F | ti Uf Eh Z | ISS EI— i aye Wy THE if ON AGE 2.-—Sectional Elevation of the Heald Ring and Surface Grinder. transmitted to the feeding mechanism through the long link D. The lever C is connected with the eye bolt E, the spring of which tends to maintain the lever C in its upper position ; that is, after it has been depressed by the action of the dog, the lever is returned to position by the spring, May-31, 1906 ready for the next operation. The eye bolt has another function, in that it may be adjusted to regulate the amount of feed. When the lever C acts upon the link D THE IRON AGE 1741 feed, the ratchet being combined with a hand wheel. An interesting stop motion is employed, to enable the operator to set the machine and leave it while attending Fig. 3.—End and Side Elevation Details of the Automatic Vertical Feed. and depresses it the motion is carried on through the crank F, fast upon the shaft G, and through a second Fig. 4.—The Heald Ring and Surface Grinder Arranged for Wét Grinding. ; crank H, also fast to G, at the front of the machine. This second crank actuates the pawl J,. which operates the ratchet wheel, .accomplishing the feed, performing auto- matically what is done by the hand wheel, in Fig. 1. There is also a hand feed in conjunction with the power to others. At the back of the wheel is the segment K, the position of which determines the point at which feed- ing ceases. The segment is set and locked in position by the screw N. The machine keeps feeding automatically until the ratchet has rotated a predetermined number of teeth, after which the pawl is unable to engage the next teeth, because they are covered by the guard L of the segment. The pawl acts idly on the guard and feeding ceases. The feed is 4 of 1-1000 inch for each tooth of the ratchet. In conjunction with the micrometer wheel on the screw, reading to thousandths, it is easy for the operator to place the stop segment at the desired point. The bearings of the chuck spindle are fitted with taper bushings, which can be closed up and adjusted by the two collars immediately above and below the graduated hand wheel. The grinding wheel spindle is similarly fitted. The bearings are provided with dust guards and are ad- justable for wear. The gearing is fully enclosed. The diameter of the magnetic chuck is 8 inches, great- est distance chuck to center of wheel 544 inches; vertical adjustment of chuck 1% inches; hight of chuck from floor 44 inches. The Heald Machine Company is adding to this line a machine for handling similar work of larger size, up to 20 inch diameter, designed on a similar plan but with certain modifications, due to the difference in range of work to be handled. When the machine is intended for wet grinding it is fitted with a rectangular water guard about the chuck, as shown in Fig. 4; and the wheel is furnished with a special guard and water supply pipe. A large water tank with pump is mounted on the rear of the pedestal and connection is made for both supply and waste pipes. For grinding hardened steel dies, collars, saws and case hard- ened pieces the use of water is of great advantage,.as it guards against drawing the temper of the work, and in the case of thin pieces overcomes the tendency to spring or warp out of shape from unequal heating. The mag- netic chucks used on these wet grinders are specially constructed for use in grinding with water, which is not the case with those regularly furnished on the dry grinders. pe Woods & Huddart, dealers in structural material, rails, wrought pipe and lock bar steel pipe, have estab- lished their headquarters at 2123 Pierce street, San Fran- cisco, and are now in position to furnish supplies in the lines stated. 1742 The Tin Deposits of Alaska. WASHINGTON, D. C., May 26, 1906.—The most im- portant contribution of the year to the literature of the tin deposits of the United States has just been completed by Frank L. Hess, of the United States Geological Survey, who last August and September visited and examined the prospects and development work in the York region of Alaska. Through the courtesy of the Survey the cor- respondent of The Iron Age is enabled to present the following abstract of Mr. Hess’ report: The York Lode Tin Deposits. The first discovery of lode tin in Alaska was made in the summer of 1903, on Cassiterite Creek,. a tributary of Lost River, about 7 miles from the sea. A small amount of prospecting was done that year, enough to show that the tin ore occurred in a large metamorphosed acidic dike. During 1904 and 1905 prospecting continued, several more dikes carrying cassiterite were found and several veins in the limestone were discovered. At the time of the writer’s visit to this region, in September, 1905, the only known local deposits of cassiterite were on the Crim, Randt, and O’Brien group of claims, and one other, Discovery claim, on a dike known as the Dol- coath lode. The Crim, Randt, and O’Brien deposits in- clude those originally discovered and several veins and tin-bearing dikes found since. The original discovery was on a rhyolitic dike, called the Cassiterite lode, run- ning from Cassiterite Creek across the mountain east- waru to Tin Creek, a distance of about a mile. During 1904 two tunnels were driven into the main dike on these claims. In 1905 another tunnel was run into a hill somewhat lower. In this the dike was again found and is said to carry tin. Owing to water in the tunnel, work was suspended until the freeze-up. By stripping the debris, 3 to 10 feet thick, another dike or a branch of the one described above was uncovered about 100 feet to the south. The dike was laid bare to a width of 25 feet, but its full thickness was not reached. Several small tin-bearing veins were found in the dikes, varying in width from 1 to 2 inches, and occasion- ally widening out to form vuggs almost entirely filled with beautiful dark cassiterite crystals embedded in fluorspar and zinnwaldite (a lithia-iron mica). A prospect cut in the bank of the creek exposed the same carrying a small amount of tin. A stream-cut bench in the dike 3 to 4 feet above the present creek bed, covered with 3 feet of gravel overlain by about 8 feet of debris, was also exposed. The gravel carries angular crystals of cassiterite and from the ease with which it can be handled would probably pay for working in a small way. To judge by the con- tour of the surface, the gravel deposit appears to be a quarter of a mile long and 50 feet wide. A dike known as the Ida Bell lode is-on the west side of Cassiterite Creek, just above the Cassiterite lode. A tunnel has been run about 100 feet along the east side of this dike, with a crosscut about 50 feet from the mouth. Some tin is found along a horizontal fault zone on the east side of the dike, and more is said to have been found at the end of the tunnel. About 5v0 feet north of the Ida Bell is another dike called the Bear lode. A tunnel about 55 feet long was run into it from the creek level and a winze sunk 69 feet along the west or hanging wall. This was filled with water, so that it could not be entered. It was said that many small tin-bearing veins were found running in various directions, most of them near the middle of the dike. Fragments of rock in the dump showed veins of almost pure cassiterite and quartz about one-half inch thick, and other veins carrying cas- 8.terite, chlorite, and some wolframite up to 1% inches thick. Promising Prospects Near Cassiterite Creek, At a number of places in the neighborhood of Cas- siterite Creek the proximity of dikes is indicated by the vast number of siliceous veinlets in the limestone. Three known tin-bearing veins of noticeable and possibly work- able size occur in the limestone. One is a quartz vein about 4 inches wide, on what is known as the Jupiter claim, but it has been traced only a short distance. Dur- THE IRON AGE May 31, 1906 ing 1904 a few tons of ore were extracted from this vein and shipped to Seattle. Another vein occurring a few rods northeast of the one just described is about 4 inches thick and has been traced between 200 and 300 feet. It is composed of slender quartz crystals forming inter- locking combs. On the quartz crystals, and sometimes embedded in them, are small crystals of cassiterite, oc- curring singly and in small masses. ‘On the hill between Lost River and Cassiterite Creek is a third vein about i quarter of a mile southwest of those already described. It is from 1 inch to 6 inches thick, and has been followed by an open cut about 30 feet along the strike and 10 feet along the dip. The quartz and cassiterite are rather finely crystallized and fill the vein with a banded structure. The limestone is much altered for several feet on each side of the veins, and whether they will pay to work seems to depend largely on how much tin is earried in the altered limestone accompanying them. Should the dike deposits be mined, at least the first-described vein would probably pay if worked in connection with them. There seems little doubt that these veins can be traced to the rhyolitic dikes in the neighborhood. ‘The Cape Mountalu Area, On Cape Mountain prospecting for tin has been car- ried -on since 1902, and a large amount of work has been done, especially by the Bartells Tin Mining Company. It is a particularly bleak, inhospitable portion of the coun- try, and the determination and endurance of Alaskan prospectors are exemplified in the men who are attempt- ing to open up the tin mines, this applying with equal force to Buck Creek, and only in a less degree to Lost River. Fine pieces of float tin ore made up of quartz, tourmaline and cassiterite were found at many locations in the vicinity of Cape Mountain, but it was not until 1904 that the ore was found in place. During 1905 there were further discoveries of tin ore that made.the outlook . encouraging. Float cassiterite is reported from the vicinity near Cape Mountain. It is reported from the vicinity of Cape Prince of Wales, and a fine piece, weighing several pounds, is said to have come from a point about 12 miles east of the cape. Little has been seen on the south side of Cape Mountain, and by far the largest amount has been found on the north and northeast sides, where masses of nearly pure cassiterite, weighing from 20 to 30 pounds, have been picked up. The float indicates three distinct sets of veins—veins of cassiterite with tourma- line and quartz, tin-bearing quartz veins, and veins of almost pure cassiterite. The plant of the Bartells Tin Mining Company in- cludes an assay office, storerooms, engine and living rooms under one roof at Tin City. A gasoline engine furnishes power for electric drills used in mining, to which the current is carried about a mile across the mountain by bare copper wires. The electric drill seems peculiarly well adapted for work in this region. A 3-stamp Merralls mill, with Wilfley tables, was being erected at the time of the writer’s visit, and a well to obtain water for winter werking was being sunk near by. The finding of water in this frozen ground is problemati- cal, though not totally hopeless, there being strange dif- ferences in the depth of the frost at different places. At Eagle, water is obtained below 50 to 60 feet of frozen ground; at Rampart a hole 225 feet deep had not reached the depth of the frost; at Nome, in places, there is no permanent frost in the ground, while at other places it goes down over 100 feet. Prospect tunnels and shafts ‘have been dug at numer- ous places, and .a large amount of work has been done upon them. In 1904 some small tin-bearing veins were struck in a prospect tunnel known as the Lucky Queen, about 1% miles north of Tin City. This tunnel was un- used and largely filled with ice in 1905, and the principal operations of the company had been transferred to the North Star claim, lying a short distance east. By far the largest and most promising prospects so far found are in the North Star tunnel, driven into the granite over 200 feet. A short distance from the mouth of the tunnel a large limestone inclusion was passed. About 100 feet May 31, 1906 THE from the mouth of the tunnel] another inclusion of lime- stone was struck that was in a broad band 10 to 20 feet thick. Along both sides of this limestone was a consider- able amount of iron oxide, carrying some tin. The con- tact of the limestone and granite was followed to the northeast about 52 feet, where the dip became almost vertical. A winze was sunk 20 feet, when the dip be- came gentler (17 degrees), but 70 feet from the winze the contact dips 37 degrees. From the foot of the winze an incline with its floor on the limestone has been run about 90 feet, parallel to but in the opposite direction from the main tunnel. Tin- bearing veins were struck at several places along the course of the incline and drifts turned off at two places. One of these is said to carry pay ore, but had not been systematically sampled. In the second drift 3 feet of rock, much impregnated with iron oxide and carrying a large amount of cassiterite, was encountered. . About 20 feet from the mouth, another, and by far the most prom- ising, ore body, was found. This ore body follows a verti- cal fault, formed by the replacement of the granite, through a space of from 12 to 18 incnes on each side of the fault, by quartz, tourmaline, cassiterite, feldspar, and a decomposed mineral in long, white crystals. The whole vein averages between 2 and 3 feet in width. Little that is definite can be said of the richness of the deposit, as it was struck only the day before the writer left the vicinity, and it had not been samp.eu, but it appears promising. It is reported that work during the next few days showed the ore body to be increasing in richness. Some tin ore was found in the main tunnel 30 feet above, which may have been the same deposit, though at that point the vein is said to be small. Other Prospecting Operations. About 1 mile north by west from the North Star, and 2 miles northeast of Cape Mountain, a large amount of excellent float-tin ore has been picked up in the vicinity of a granite sill in the limestone on Walker, Lovell & Co.’s prospects. The cassiterite is imbedded in masses of fine needles of light-blue tourmaline, occasionally with portions of granite adhering to the mass. Lumps of the ore have been found that were estimated to weigh 400 pounds or over, of which by far the larger part was tourmaline. A prospect tunnel has been run into the limestone nearly 100 feet at this point, and about a quarter of a mile north by west an open cut made, which uncovers two thin sills, one of aplite carrying small erys- tals of fluorspar and one of coarse pegmatite. About half a mile east of Walker, Lovell & Co.’s claim Goodwin & varlson had run a prospect cut along the con- tact of a granite dike with the limestone country rock. Faulting is evident, there being 2 to 3 feet of crushed rock along the contact. The granite carries some fluor- spar and brassy looking pyrite. The limestone above the granite is silicified through an area several hundred feet wide, silicification gradually lessening in the outer part of the area. The United States Alaska Tin Mining Company has a claim and a couple of small warehouses on the beach at Tin City and has started a 10-stamp mill a quarter of a mile back from the beach. * Power is to be furnished by a gasoline engine. The claim on which the company is at present working is situated on the north side of Cape Mountain. A shaft sunk on this claim is said to be 15 feet deep, but was filled with water, so that it could not be seen at the time of visit. A contract was let in the fall for 300 feet of tunnel to be run during the winter from a point lower down the hill, in the hope of cutting within that distance the vein from which the quartz float is derived. Prospecting has been or was being done at a large number of other places. It was said that float-tin ore had been found nearer the cape, and some prospecting done, but the locality was not visited. At another point a dark basic dike was being prospected by a crosscut, but in such rocks the chances of finding tin ore are small. At present wages in the York region are $5 and board, and good board cannot be considered as worth less than $1.50 to $2.50 per day, making wages the equivalent of IRON AGE 1743 $6.50 to $7.50 per day. It seems safe to figure that under present conaitions nothing less than 21% per cent. ore can be worked with a reasonable assurance of profit. Placer Deposits. The placer tin deposits on Buck Creek are the only ones in Alaska from which there has been any production and they have yielded to date about 91 tons of ore that would average probably 65 per cent. of metallic tin. In this amount is included the production of 1905, which was very small, owing to bad weather and other reasons. During the year the trail between York and Buck Creek was changed somewhat. The total haul is now from 14 to 16 miles. But one company operated on the creek during the season. Its plant consisted of an oil-burning 35 horse- power upright boiler and engine, French scrapper with belt conveyor, and sluice boxes elevated 16 feet above the ground. Two sets of sluice boxes side by side are used, so that there need be no stoppage of work for clean ups. The work has shown the gravel to carry an average of from 20 to 30 pounds of concentrates, running from 60 to 70 per cent. of metallic tin and about 40 cents in gold per cubic yard. The gravel is from 120 to 160 feet wide, averaging about 125 feet, by 3 to 6 feet in depth, averag- ing about 414 feet. The tin bearing gravels extend from the mouth of Peluk Creek, a tributary of Right Fork. ett Fork and Peluk Creek are said to also carry stream tin, but obtaining water for sluicing will be a serious difficulty in case of the latter. Sutter Creek has so far shown but little stream tin. There is probably a length of about 4 miles of tin bearing gravels in the Buck Creek Valley. The great interest that these deposits have aroused is shown by the amount of “ experting ” that has been done. At least seven parties have been sent to Buck Creek by firms or private persons to examine and report on the tin gravels, and the expense has probably been much in excess of $50,000. Holes have been started where bed rock could not be reached except with a steam pump, or a bed-rock drain, neither of which was to be had, and signs of crosscuts are almost wholly wanting, yet reports were probably made on the depth and value of these gravels. One man said that it was “impossible to ex- amine any of the rock in place, except on the extreme summits,” and yet the bare slate stands along the creek in a bluff 75 feet high. w. L. C. ed Concrete as a material for tall chimney construction is growing in favor, as may be seen by noting the fact that during the past 18 months three have béen constructed or projected in the far Western ‘part of the United States alone, each more than 200 feet in height. The chimney erected for the Portland General Electric Company is of concrete steel, 230 feet high, with a 12-foot flue. For the Tacoma Smelting Company one has been erected 300 feet high, with a flue diameter of 18 feet. The largest of all, that projected for Butte, Mont., is to be 450 feet high. Among the special advantages claimed for this con- struction are the ability to dispense with a lining, as the concrete will resist any temperature up to 1500 degrees, and the provision of a smooth surface, both inside and out. It is also a good nonconductor of heat. There has recently been turned out from the Rick- mers’ yard in Bremerhaven a peculiar type of ship which might be designated a steam sailing vessel, it being a five- masted bark with auxiliary power, to be used when con- trary winds are encountered. The ship has a length of 402 feet, an extreme breadth of 55 feet and a depth of 32 feet. The displacement under full load is 11,350 tons, while the dead weight carrying capacity is 8000 tons. To offset the difficulties incident to narrow channels and head winds, a triple expansion engine of 1000 horse- power is fitted for propulsion whenever required. The speed under steam is some seven or eight knots. The bunkers will carry 630 tons of coal, which would suffice for a trip of 4500 miles. The winches and steering gear are operated by steam. | a Ornamenting Metallic Surfaces by Inlaying. Damascening or the ornamenting of metallic surfaces by inlaying patterns of other metals was discussed along with other methods of metal ornamentation by Sherrard Cowper-Coles in a lecture before the Society of Arts in London May 8. London Engineering gives an interesting synopsis of the address: Two principal methods of inlay- ing were practiced by old-time Moorish workmen. In the first, dovetailed grooves were cut in the surface to be decorated and the design filled in by hammering in wires of the metal to be inlaid. The other process con- sisted in cross hatching the surface with fine lines like a file where the precious metal was to be inlaid, and ham- mering the latter in so that it was held securely by the minute teeth formed by the crossing of the lines. The whole was afterward polished and possibly chased as a further refinement. Niello work, still practiced largely in the Caucasus and to a less extent in Italy, Siam and Turkey, consists in producing a design in dark lines upon a smooth metallic surface, usually of silver or gold. The design is engraved on the surface and the incised lines filled in witha borax flux, after which a powder com- pounded of sulphur, silver, copper and lead, fused to- gether, is spread on the_plate and carefully melted. The superfluous sulphide, when cold, is scraped off, and when ‘the plate is repolished the most delicate detail of the de- , sign appears. There are also the methods of depositing gold by the evaporation of a matured mixture of sul- phuric ether and nitro-muriate of gold, the soldering or fusing of a veneer to the surface and the electro deposi- tion of metal. About five years ago Sherrard Cowper-Coles discovered that metallic dust when heated to a temperature far be- low its melting point seemed to give off vapor which would unite with other metal surfaces buried in it. By being baked in zine dust, iron can be coated to any de- sired depth with zinc, and a thorough protection against rust insured. The process is also useful for decorative work, for by confining the deposition of the metal from the dust to desired areas, by coating the other parts with a suitable composition, practically any pattern may be produced. The deposition is perfectly adherent; in fact, there is no definite division between the two metals, but an alloy, merging on either side into pure metal. Ex- tremely delicate patterns may be formed. A temperature of 500 degrees F. will cause zinc to be deposited from com- mercial zine dust, although the melting point of zinc is nearly 300 degrees higher. Other metals besides zinc may be deposited in the same way, and the various colored alloys add to the beauty of the pattern. -If the surface is previously etched with acid the final pattern may be flush with the original surface, or it may be raised as much as desired. Electrotypes in which the figures in relief are so treated have a particularly pleasing effect. ———~-e—___- The report presented at the recent meeting of the Iron and Steel Institute in London showed that the membership was 2033 at the close of 1905, as compored with 1555 at the close of 1895. 1744 THE IRON AGE May 31, 1906 Yale & Towne Electric Trolley Hoists. - For conveying all kinds of material and handling loads ranging from a few hundred pounds to 10 tons overhead trolley systems have an attractiveness peculiarly their own. Such a system can easily cover an entire plant aggregating several thousand feet of track, in which may be incorporated curves, switches, turntables, and lateral spurs, so that every nook and corner of the establishment can be reached. The handling of material in this way is very economical, as one man can easily -handle a load under 2 tons, with trolleys of the best design, and two men can handle 10 tons, without gear- ing, pushing the load along as fast as they can walk. One of the latest acquisitions to the new Wanamaker store in New York City is a complete overhead trolley system of standard I beam track, installed by the Yale & Towne Mfg. Company, New York City. — Still greater economy of labor and more rapid han-\"! dling of output is obtained by the use of electric driven Fig. 1.—A Yale & Towne Motor Driven Trolley with Operator’s Trailer Cage. hoists and trolleys, such as are shown in the illustra- tions. The trolley hoist appearing in Fig. 1 is con- structed of wrought steel for all parts subjected to ten- sile stress. The general design is such that the lines of force due to the load meet at the point where the load is suspended in the trolley eye, giving maximum strength. The track wheels are keyed to the axles and the ends of the axles turn at each end in patent bronze bearings. This provides strong and easy running journals, and is considered better practice than fixing the axles and hav- ing overhung bearings. The hoist attains a traversing speed of 350 feet per minute, fully loaded, on straight track. The current is taken from bare copper trolley wires stretched along- side the I beam, or where the machine passes over switenes or turntables from bare copper strips, which are insulated on the under side of the I beam, contact being made through collector shoes on the trolley. In Fig. 2 the hoisting mechanism is shown attached to the trolley by a hook connection, which gives flexibility and permits the hoisting mechanism to swing out to an angle when a lift is made from a point not directly under the May 31, 1906 THE machine. Lifts at an angle of as much as 45 degrees may be made with this equipment. The I beam track may be bolted directly up against the under side of the overhead support, requiring little head room. The trolley requires very little more head room than the actual depth of the track and the com- plete machine may be used in very low buildings. The hoisting mechanism supports the load on two drums, which are keyed to the same shaft. The two hoisting ropes wind on the drums in such a manner as to balance the 1oad on the single point of support in the trolley eye. Tunis always insures the trolley being equally loaded on its four wheels, further insuring the proper tractive re- sistanee on the geared trolley wheels, to pick up the Fig. 2—Yale & Towne Electric Hoist and Trolley Handling Coal and Ashes. traversing speed properly and prevent grinding on the track. Where extremely long distances are to be traversed by the equipment an operator’s trailer cage is attached to the motor trolley, as indicated in the engravings. Fig. 2 shows a standard 2-ton electric hoist hooked in a 2-ton motor driven trolley with trailer cage attachment. The trailer trolley shown is connected to the main trolley by a swivel connection, so that the whole equipment will traverse short radius curves, and is arranged so that the customer may substitute a special trailer cage instead of the regular one. The trailer cage shown has been made to drop low enough for the operator to control the horizontal movement of the trolley and the hoisting movement from the cage, and at the same time dump and manipulate the bucket or load from the cage. A motor trolley hoist of this character can also be used as a locomotive for pushing or pulling several loaded trolleys along the I beam runway. Such a system can reach all parts of the plant, warehouse or yard, handling material to and from nooks and corners which are impossible to reach with overhead traveling cranes, industrial railways or trucks. A single operator with Such an equipment could handle a large amount in a day, landing material at all parts of a works, which may IRON AGE 1745 be covered by an I beam system incorporating switches, turntables and lateral spurs to all machines and storage locations. At the same time such a system may supple- ment the traveling cranes in the larger bays. This sys- tem can be supported from brackets on the side columns or attached direct to roof trusses. The trolley hoist may be operated from the cage, or from the floor at a point near the work. The hoist may readily be removed from the trolley and the trailer cage can also be easily disconnected from the motor trolley, making the machine adaptable to all classes of usage, and insuring ready accessibility to all parts for atten- tion and adjustment. The machine is comparatively simple and ought to stand a long period of severe usage, with little expense for repairs. +> Remarkable Record of Coal and Ore Roads. The results of operations in 1905 on the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie and the Bessemer & Lake Erie Roads are re- ferred to by the Railroad Gazette as little short of mavelous. It says: ‘“ When two railroads are able to show average revenue trainload figures, one of 937, the other of 1076 tons, it is remarkable enough; but when we learn that the average tonnage southbound on one of them is 1406 tons per train, there is a chance to realize the immense economies of modern methods of handling heavy tonnage. The Bessemer & Lake Erie, which shows this exceptional figure, is largely an ore-carrying road, ore furnishing nearly six of the 9,500,000 total tonnage. As part of the machinery developed by the United States Steel Corporation for transferring Lake Superior iron ores to the Pennsylvania mills, the road shares in the tremendous economies which have been brought about by modern methods of handling and trans- portation. On the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie, on the other hand, coal and coke furnish over 14 of the nearly 25 mil- lion tons, ores amounting to not quite 3,500,000 tons. A large tonnage of manufactured iron and steel products in addition helps to make the road nearly twice as heavy an earner on a mileage basis as the Philadelphia & Reading, which has the next largest gross earnings per mile of any American railroad. The fact that the Van- derbilt road is operated at 43.4 per cent: of gross for expenses and the Steel Corporation’s line at 48.99 per cent. goes to show how profitable railroad operation can be when sufficient traffic is available.” ——__ ~-e___—_ In commenting on some of the records of production at Steel Corporation blast furnaces in March, as given in our issue of April 19, 1906, the London Jron and Coal Trades Review says: “If the production of pig iron in our own country could be carried on and maintained under the same conditions, 40 furnaces would be equal to supplying the whole of our pig iron output, instead of the 350 required to achieve that result at the present time. We have seen pig iron production go from an average of less than 25,000 tons a year per furnace to one of over 234,444 tons in a few years. What may it not reach in another half century?” The latter figure can scarcely be spoken of as an average annual output, as it is arrived at by multiplying an exceptional month’s record by 12. In Canada’s third census of manufactures, recently issued, are given interesting figures showing the distribu- tion of charges in connection with the production of iron and steel manufactured articles. In Canada the percent- age accounted for by labor charges is 33.87; materials absorb 42.48 per cent.; miscellaneous expenses, 5.95 per cent. This leaves 17.7 per cent. for fixed charges and profit. These items are contrasted with similar ones for the United States, as follows: Labor, 24.53 per cent. ; materials, 49.35 per cent.; miscellaneous expenses, 10.79 per cent.; fixed charges and profit, 15.33 per cent. It would appear that, considering the higher cost of labor generally in the latter country, the figures as given show the American product figured on the basis of a more ad- vanced stage of development. 1746 THE The Chemist in the Machine Shop. BY H. 8S. BROWN. In designing and constructing gas engines, and in fact most machinery, the chemist should be consulted at the outset. He should decide as to the carbon, silicon, sulphur, phosphorus, manganese and nickel in the iron or steel, so that the machine will meet the conditions im- posed by the purchaser. The material must be such that it will machine at a cost to meet competition, and to this end also an analysis is important. If a broken pis- ton rod or a hot crank pin or main shaft bearing were analyzed, it would show that the chemist had not been consulted in the construction of the machine. The steel parts are not the only ones which should be considered, for the castings should be as well. There is a demand from many engineers that the cylinders, valves, &c., of an engine should be hard, but there is a difference Fig. 1—A Planer Chip Taken from a Close Grain Casting. of opinion concerning hard cylinders, and the writer is one who has found by experience that something else is required. In substantiation of this the following cases are cited. A complaint came to the shop of a steam engine builder that the iron in the cylinders was too soft. An order was sent to the foundry to make the cylinders hard. Two were made, and it required 12 days to bore one of them. That was about 21 years ago and it was the last of hard cylinders in that shop. In another case, an old cylinder of about 40-inch bore was received in a carload of scrap iron. The cylinder came from an old power plant, where the engine had been in operation for about 40 years. A careful examination showed no sign of its ever having been rebored. The bore was as smooth and polished as amirror. A piece of it was broken off and taken to a planer in the shop to test the quality of the iron of which the cylinder was made. When