The Iron Age 1906-06-14: Vol 77 Iss 24

‘is Ne Me 4 > eed THE IRON AGE New York, Thursday, June 14, 1906. A German Cold Rolling Mill. Cold rolling mills and steel rolls are specialties of the Walzmaschinen-fabrik, August Schmitz, Diisseldorf, Germany. The rolls are hardened cast steel and are made in various sizes. The smallest mill, known as D-2, has rolls 4 inches in diameter by 5 inches wide, and the largest rolls 8 inches in diameter by 9 inches wide. The illustrations are of a middle size, D4, having rolls 6 inches in diameter by 7 inches wide. A view of the mill from the side at which the stock enters is given in Fig. 1, and Fig. 2 shows a view of the opposite side. In Fig. 2 it is especially to be noticed that the drive has been compactly arranged, the tight and loose pulleys being mounted on brackets cast on the frame and the pulleys partly recessed into the frame. Manipulating either of the two levers shown at the near end in Fig. 2 7. there are springs between the boxes of the upper and lower rolls, which may be distinguished in the view given in Fig. 2. The rolls are hollow and are arranged for water cool- ing, the connections for which may be seen in Fig. 2. The water passes first through the upper roll and is then conducted to the lower roll by a short section of flexible hose. In the illustration may be seen the fixtures for maintaining tight joints between the hose and the re- volving rolls. Short arms extending out from the out- side housings support yokes, intermediate between which and the ends of the hose are springs for keeping the ground ball and socket joints between the hose and the rolls in contact. The passage of the material through the machine may best be followed by referring to Fig. 1. The stock is placed upon the reel shown at the left, which it will be observed is adjustable to any position vertical, hori- Fig. 1.—A 6 x 7 Inch Cold Rolling Mill Built at the Walzmaschinen-fabrik August Schmitz, Diisseldorf, Germany. shifts the belt for starting and stopping. In the latter operation when the belt is shifted to the loose pulley a brake is simultaneously applied to the tight pulley to stop the machine quickly. The shaft to which the tight pulley is secured carries at its end a pinion meshing with a large gear on the shaft of the lower roll. The ratio of gear reduction is about 1 to 7. ‘The two short housings near the large gear contain the bearings for the driving sections of the rolls which are geared together with pinions within the casing be tween the housings. From these housings to the adjacent housings in which the rolls are journaled are universal connections for allowing vertical adjustment of the upper roll. The inner ends of the driving shafts have square ends fitting loosely in square holes in sleeves, which are connected by short square shafts with similar sleeves fitting loosely on the square ends of the rolls. The lower roll is journaled in stationary bearings and the upper roll has boxes which are vertically adjustable, the down- ward tension on these being regulated by screws with hand levers at the top. To hold the rolls normally apart zontal or at an angle to best accommodate the material and its most advantageous introduction into the machine. The strip first passes between wooden blocks under the clamp mounted on the extension bracket in front of the rolls. The wooden blocks are faced with cloth or some substance to clean the strip during its passage and the clamp is tightened sufficiently to put a tension on the strip and regulate the rate at which it is drawn in by the rolls. The strip from the clamp passes between guides immediately in front of the rolls and then be- tween the rolls where it receives a reduction in thickness. Issuing from the other side of the machine the strip is coiled on a reel the drive of which may -be seen in Fig. 1. The reel tends to run faster than the material comes from the rolls, so that a tension is exerted coiling the strip very tightly, and the excess speed is lost in the slipping of the belt. The reeling drum is an interesting device and is made expansible, being set at its largest circumference when about to reel on the stock. After the material is coiled on the drum the drum is contracted, allowing the coil to be removed easily. The essential features of the drum in : f | a eS ees FE RLS SRR ERE a TT GARR PRET S 1894 THE IRON AGE are four quarter sections loosely connected to a flanged plate which is in one piece with a hub on the shaft. Mounted on this hub is a slidable cone the outer sur- face of which is tapered to correspond to an internal taper on the four segments of the drum. When the cone is slightly withdrawn it allows the segments to contract, and when the drum is expanded by pushing the cone back a turn of a clamping handle locks it in po- sition, holding the drum expanded. Ordinarily the tension of the coiled strip is sufficient to force the cone out when the clamp is released so that the drum is immediately contracted. Many of the parts of the mill have been made of steel castings where formerly cast iron was used. The result has been a saving in weight and a reduction in the size of parts, making the mill much more compact than formerly, while equally as strong if not stronger. The parts which are now of cast steel are the housings of the rolls, the large gear and the connections between the rolls. All gears are cut from the solid, and all bear- ings are ring oiling. The pinions transmitting the drive June 14, 1906 inches wide, D-6 takes stock % inch thick and 4 inches wide, D-7 takes stock 5-32 inch thick, 5 to 6 inches wide. Experience has shown that machines D-3 and D-4 are most successful in rolling material down to the thinnest gauges, for example 1-1000 inch thick. ———+—-e____—_- San Francisco and European Exports of Iron and Steel. San Francisco apparently will be credited for some time with any movement out of the ordinary in the iron trade of Europe. The recent purchases of pig iron in England by German works, which have given an im- proved tone to the British market, were attributed in some quarters to the demand for material coming from San Francisco contractors. The London Statist of May 26 says, in reviewing the British export trade in iron and steel : A feature of the last week or two has been the receipt of quite a number of orders for structural steel for shipment to THE JRow AGE Fig. 2.—View of the Opposite Side of the August Schmitz Cold Rolling Mill. from the lower to the upper roll shaft run in oil and have staggered teeth, taking the place of the helical or herring bone teeth which are often used, but which it is difficult to cut. The staggered-tooth pinion accomplishes the same object, which is to avoid non-uniformity in the rolled material consequent upon irregular rotation. The pinions are made in two parts and are pinned together to hold their teeth in staggered relation and are keyed to the shaft with two keys each. The rolls are designed to run at a speed of about 35 revolutions per minute, which requires a driving pulley speed of about 245 revolutions per minute. The following are the dimensions of the five standard sizes in which the cold rolling mills are made: Size D-2 con- tains 4 x 5 inch rolls, weighs 3530 pounds and occupies, including the winding and unwinding reels, 47 x 108 inches; size D-3 has 5 x 6 inch rolls, weighs 4200 pounds and occupies a floor space of 59 x 118 inches; size D-4 has 6 x 7 inch rolls, weighs 5100 pounds and occupies a floor space of 65 x 106 inches; size D-6 has 7 x 7 inch rolls, weighing 7000 pounds and occupies 67 x 142 inches, and size D-7 has 8 x 9 inch rolls, weighs 7500:«pounds and occupies a floor space of 71 x 142 inchés. The small- est machine, D-2, will roll strips 1-32 inch thick and 14 inches wide, size D 3 takes stock 3-64 inch thick and 2% inches wide, D-4 takes stock 5-64 inch thick, 3% to 4 South America and to the Far East. There have also been transferred to England and Scotland some considerable orders for black sheets which ought to have been shipped from Ger- many. The inference is drawn that many of the export orders for structural steel have also been transferred from Germany, and the supposition is that Germany has contracted to send so much steel to San Francisco within a limited time that she is purchasing from us to cover some of her other export trade. This is mere surmise in the meantime, but it finds some support from the fact that there are inquiries in the freight market for steamers to carry 40,000 tons of material from Hamburg, Rotter- dam and Antwerp to 'Frisco. German merchants who have sold in the East and elsewhere probably find that they can get quicker delivery from British makers than in Germany. At the same time it is not improbable that American contractors for San Francisco building may have covered themselves to a large extent in Germany and will order forward the stuff when they see that American makers cannot deliver quickly enough. As was the case a few weeks ago, it cannot be as- certained that foreign steel makers have secured any orders of moment in San Francisco for the reconstruction of buildings. In no line is the demand such that Amer- ican works cannot take care of it. The fact is that the German iron trade is unusually strong on its own ac- count and that consumption of iron and steel in all coun- tries is drawing in an unprecedented way upon German and British works. The predictions of worldwide activ- ity following the conclusion of peace by Russia and Japan seem at last to be in process of fulfillment. June 14, 1906 An Economical Electric Ore Hoist. Following is an extract from the president’s annual address, delivered before the Montana Society of Engi- neers, by Ernest W. King: In hoisting ore with an electric hoist, owing to the great variation in power used, it has been impossible to contract for electrical power at anything within reason. For instance, one of the large plants in Butte, using a 2000 horse-power hoist, requires not over 300 horse-power running continuously for the actual load, yet it would be necessary to pay for the whole 2000 horse-power if it was bought from any of the power companies. This is being overcome now by using a motor generator set, of which the General Electric Company is now installing several in Mexico at El Oro for the Mexican Light & Power’ Company, and will probably also install two plants in Butte in the near future, one for the M. O. P. Company and one for the Butte Copper & Zinc Company at the Emma mine. A slow speed, direct current motor is either geared or directly connected to the hoisting drum and receives cur- rent from a direct current generator driven by a motor. The motor generator runs at high speed and carries a fly wheel, which is of sufficient capacity to operate the hoist for one continuous trip without any power being supplied from the system. The object of the fly wheel is to store up power during nine-tenths of the time that the hoist is idle and to give it out during the few sec- onds the hoist requires it. The result is that the power drawn from the supply system is practically constant and the wide fluctuations in current are confined to the con- nections between the hoisting motor and the generator. The power drawn from the system is therefore only a fraction of that required to start the hoist. The system of control is by regulating the field of the generator and therefore the voltage supplied to the motor on the hoist. This means that only 1 or 2 per cent. of the power current passes through the controller, which makes it a much more easily handled piece of machinery, and the speed of the hoist can be controlled from full speed to just barely moving. The cost of the motor generator set, fly wheel and motor on the hoist is only about 50 per cent. greater than that of an induction motor connected direct to the hoist, so that the extra cost of installing is as nothing compared to the cost of power that would be saved by the new method. Oe Iron and Shipbuilding in Scotland. Giascow, June 1, 1906.—While the expected has not come to the iron trade here, the unexpected has. That is to say, we have not received the large orders for pig iron or steel for San Francisco that some sanguine souls predicted, but we have received a great many orders from Germany that the market generally was not looking for. Whether or not Germany has actually sold finished material to America, she is certainly buying largely crude material here. The shipments have been so large that the warrant stock of Cleveland No. 3 has been drawn on and reduced under 640,000 tons. It is not, however, Ger- many alone that has been buying, for a good deal has been going to other parts of the continent as well, and Scotland is now taking more Cleveland iron than last year. Experienced dealers predict that the present ex- port demand for pig iron will continue for some months. Perhaps once more the wish is father to the thought, but the shipments in May have reached a record total. Steel makers and iron manufacturers are not buying crude material as freely as they were. But that both trades have been doing well is shown by the awards of the arbitrators under the respective conciliation boards, who have just conceded to the iron workers in Scotland an advance of 2% per cent. in wages, and in the north of England 3 pence per ton on puddling and 2% per cent. on mill wages, as the result of the higher net prices real- ized during the months of March and April. These are the second advances to the like amount this year. The price of ferromanganese, however, has just been reduced THE IRON AGE 1895 £2 per ton, making the quotation for 80 per cent. now £14 per ton, which does not look so lively. Steel plate makers here are still busy on contracts and have enough work on hand to keep them busy for some time, but they are not booking many new orders. Angle makers are not only sufferers from want of specifi- cations, but the Scotch and English makers are worry- ing each in their respective districts. English makers, for instance, offer angles here cheaper than the Scotch makers are willing to sell at, and the latter retaliate by undercutting in the north of England. This is poor busi- ness, but negotiations are now in progress for a working agreement, similar to that which exists among the plate makers, to avoid senseless competition. In the bar iron trade there is a fair business doing, one of the features of which consists of demands from Can- ada. This branch of our industries is benefiting by the activity in Germany and Belgium, which prevents the makers in these countries from undercutting in our mar- kets as they have been doing. Moreover, a good many English exporters who have been in the habit.of placing their orders on the continent at low figures are now com- pelled to turn their attention here because Belgian and German quotations are no longer tempting and deliveries are slow. Cast iron pipe makers are now better employed, hav- ing booked some good orders recently. There is an in- quiry for 8000 tons of pipes for South America, said to have come here because makers in the United States are too busy to face it. Makers of railroad material and rolling stock are now well contracted, and the Scotch nail makers have just advanced their prices 5 shillings per ton for all descriptions of cut steel nails. There is also a good deal doing in boiler plant. While the report comes from America that a quan- tity of steel ship plates has been sold for a British ship- yard, nothing is known of the transaction here, nor is it believed in. But an order has been received from Amer- ica for a cargo of foundry iron to be shipped from the tees to an Atlantic port for pipe making purposes for ex- port. Such a transaction, however, has no market-sig- nificance. We have inquiries from Canada for basic pig iron, said to be for rail making. The quantity named is 150,000 tons, to be delivered over three years, but both quantity and delivery are doubtful, though that Canada will buy a considerable quantity of pig iron from us this season is tolerably certain. The end of the fifth month of the commercial year finds us with a record production in shipbuilding. The total output from all the Scotch shipyards in May was 55,148 tons, and in the five months ending May was 232,420 tons. This exceeds all previous records of the first five months, the nearest to it having been 217,750 tons in the first five months of 1899. — »-e—_____ The Philadelphia Foundrymen’s Association. The one hundred and fifty-eighth regular meeting of the Philadelphia Foundrymen’s Association was held at the Manufacturers’ Club June 6. Owing to the fact that many of the members were in attendance at the annual convention of the American Foundrymen’s Association in Cleveland, the number present was small. H. O. Evans occupied the chair. The treasurer’s report showed a very satisfactory financial condition of the association, there being a balance amounting to $2,339.72 on hand, with no outstanding indebtedness. The application of the E. H. Mumford Company, manufacturer of foundry molding machines, represented by E. H. Mumford, for membership in the association was favorably acted upon, the ballot being unanimous. There was no regular paper before the association at this meeting. An informal discussion on the subject of tramp or floating labor in the foundry fol- lowed the business meeting. _———2eo The new Cunard Line steamer Lusitania, the world’s largest liner, was successfully launched at Glasgow, Scot- land, June 7. The vessel is 790 feet long, its greatest breadth is 88 feet, and its displacement is about 40,000 tons. Turbine engines will drive it at an expected speed of 24 to 25 knots. 1896 The Ernst Wiener Company’s New Shops. The new shops of the Ernst Wiener Company are devoted to the manufacture of industrial railroad equip- ment of every description for mines, quarries, con- tractors, plantations, brickyards and manufacturing plants. The aggregate floor area exceeds three acres, and the location of the buildings upon a 12-acre lot provides for liberal future expansion. In erecting the new addi- tions to this plant great care was taken to make the design and equipment up to date in every particular. The location at Youngstown, Ohio, favors the obtaining of raw material at a low cost, being within a short dis- tance of its source. The shops have a frontage of 600 feet on the yards of the Pennsylvania, Baltimore & Ohio, Pittsburgh & Lake Erie and the Erie railroads, provid- ing excellent facilities for shipping product. In addi- THE IRON June 14, 1906 supported on ten steel trusses, and is covered with asphalt roofing. A skylight runs the entire length of the build- ing, and the windows face east and west. Along the east side is a gallery, under which the smaller machine tools are located, being driven by the only line shaft in the shop. This shaft is driven by a 20 horse-power Westinghouse electric motor and drives nine machines, including two boring mills for large car wheels, two 20- inch lathes, shapers, radial drills and other small machine tools. All other machines in the shop have individual electric motors. Among the more important are a 60- ton hydraulic ram, driven by a 3% horse-power motor ; one special axle lathe, driven by an 11% horse-power motor ; two Pels punches, driven by 4 horse-power motors ; one punch, driven by a 7% horse-power motor; one cold saw, chain driven by a 5 horse-power motor; one com- bination punch and shear, besides numerous lathes, shears, riveters, small punches and other small tools. In the southeast corner of the shop is an Ingersoll-Rand AGE AL INDUSTR STORAGE w ° < x ° e © NEW SHOP THE !RON AGE Fig. 1.—Plan of the Ernst Wiener Company’s Shops at Youngstown, Ohio. tion to these railroads the Lake Shore & Michigan South- ern and Youngstown & Southern center at this point. Fig. 1 shows the location of the principal buildings. These comprise a new shop, 80 x 200 feet; car erecting shop, 80 x 270 feet; wood working shop, 80 x 60 feet; foundry, 60 x 110 feet, and a machine shop, 60 x 160 feet, besides numerous small buildings used for storage pur- poses. Throughout the plant the transportation of raw material has been well worked out. Spur tracks from the yards of the railroads run into the grounds and branch out into nine sidings reaching to all the principal shops, one of them leading into and extending the full length of the machine shop. Besides these standard gauge tracks there is provided an interworks railway system connecting the machine shop, foundry, car erect-. ing shop, &c. The buildings are of brick and steel construction. In the new shop steel girders and columns divide the wall into ten panels, each containing six large windows. This shop, an interior view in which is given in Fig. 2, being the newest, is of most interest. It is exceedingly well lighted, and, there being no overhead shafting, a clear headway is provided throughout the entire central por- tion of the building. The floor is of 4inch yellow pine laid on slag filling, each machine, however, being pro- vided with a specia} foundation of concrete. The roof is air compressor having a displacement capacity of 250 cubic feet of free air per minute when operating at 180 revolutions per minute. This compressor is gear driven by a Westinghouse 50 horse-power motor, controlled by a Cutler-Hammer self starter. Air is stored in a 40-inch by 10-foot receiver located in a pit near the compressor. From the receiver a 4inch main air pipe extends under- neath the floor the entire length of the building, provid- ing numerous 1-inch outlets to which pneumatic tools may be connected. These tools form an important part of the shop’s equipment, since there is a great deal of riv- eting and chipping done, as almost all the small steel cars are constructed of steel plates riveted together. A 5-ton electric crane operates along a central crane- way 80 feet wide. This crane has a lift of 24 feet and has two 25 horse-power motors for the hoist and trolley travel and a 2 horse-power motor for the bridge travel. At each end of this shop there are large double doors, permitting the entrance of freight cars. Along the west side there are two smaller doors, through which a works railway leads to the other shops of the plant. As a rule, rough castings are received at the north end of the shop and finished product is shipped from the south end. The material manufactured in this shop consists entirely of steel cars and metal parts. Wooden cars are erected in a large building situated June 14, 1906 at quite a distance from the new shop and forming one of a group of buildings which comprise the older part of the plant. It is 270 feet long by 80 feet wide and con- tains 16 standard gauge tracks running crosswise of the building and having a capacity for assembling 32 stand- ard gauge cars at a time. A transfer table operates THE IRON AGE 1897 horse-power electric motors. The forge shop contains seven forges operated by compressed air under 25 pounds pressure. It also contains steam hammers, a bulldozer, a gang drill, numerous small drill presses, bolt threading machines and automatic bolt and nut machines. Bar iron is stacked just outside the building and large steam Fig. 3.—Two of the Units in the Power Plant. alongside this shop in a pit 350 feet long by 30 feet wide, and is used for conducting the various sections, such as trucks and frames, from the other shops to the erecting shop. Across the transfer table from this shop are located the wood working and forge shops. These shops are well provided with machine tools, driven in groups from shafting operated by 25 and 50 engine driven shears are provided for cutting stock. sack of this group of buildings is a large lumber yard containing 1,000,000 cubic feet of lumber, which is kept on hand for stock purposes. The foundry, situated north of this group of build- ings, is 60 x 110 feet, and is used for casting car wheels, brake shoes, fixtures and other parts used in car con- 1898 struction. It is well lighted and provided with molding machines and machine tools driven by a 20 horse-power electric motor. Fuel and iron are carried to the charging floor by a hydraulic elevator of 1 ton capacity and hav- ing a platform 6 x 6 feet. This foundry is one of the older buildings, but it is the intention to bring it up to date in every particular. Pneumatic sand rammers, chipping hammers and other improved apparatus will very shortly be installed. Motive power for the entire works is generated in a power house, 30 x 40 feet in size, containing three 85 horse-power Westinghouse gas engines direct connected to 57144kw. electric generators. Two of these units may be seen in Fig. 3. This installation provides an exceed- ingly economical source of power for the works. The engines are run by natural gas possessing a calorific value of 1000 British thermal units per cubic foot and costing but 28 cents per 1000 feet. As the engines con- sume only 10% cubic feet per horse-power hour, the cost of fuel is only 0.3 cent per horse-power hour. The engines thus far have been running night and day and have operated most satisfactorily. Cooling water for the jackets is obtained from a cooling pit having a capacity for 38,000 gallons, and is circulated by means of a centrif- ugal pump. The engines are supported on concrete foun- dations 5 feet deep. The total weight on each founda- tion is 36,000 pounds. A current of 220 volts is used for both power and lighting. A general office building, situated at the entrance to the grounds, contains the office of the superintendent, a drafting room library and a room for making blue prints by the Wagenhorst automatic electric process. All build- ings are provided with fire extinguishing apparatus. Water mains supply water under 60 pounds pressure to numerous hose boxes, beside which fire pails and extin- guishers are placed at convenient points. THE ——\—_9-o——__—_ The Northwestern Iron Company. A statement concerning the properties and operations of the Northwestern Iron Company, Milwaukee, Wis., is contained in a circular recently issued in connection with the offering by Chicago bankers of $400,000 5 per cent gold bonds of the company. The bonds are secured by mortgage on all the property of the company, including 386 acres of iron ore lands in Dodge County Wis., lime- stone quarries and two blast furnaces, with an annual capacity of 165,000 tons, at Mayville, Wis., 55 miles west of Milwaukee. The total valuation of the property is $1,834,000—namely: Furnace A, land, tracks, houses, &c., $500,000 ; furnace B, under construction, to cost approxi- mately $450,000; iron ore lands, mines and limestone quarries, $750,000; cash and cash assets, $134,000. The trust deed requires the company, on and after January 1, 1907, to keep its working capital at or over $200,000, and also provides for the payment to the trustee of $1 per ton for every ton of ore in excess of 150,000 tons taken from the company’s lands in any year. A letter of Presi- dent Irving M. Bean, January 9, 1906, contains the follow- ing statement in substance: Incorporated in February, 1854, but had been producing pig iron for some years previously ; one of the oldest established fur- naces in the United States. Has had a successful history, due in no small measure to its ownership of a deposit of iron ore within four miles of the furnace, now costing not exceeding 50 cents per ton delivered at the furnace. For many years we have oper- ated on our 68-acre tract, but we recently purchased other tracts comprising several hundred acres. We have demonstrated that in our 68 acres we have at least 1,000,000 tons of ore in sight. On the remaining acreage we are convinced we have up- ward of 4,000,000 tons of ore, or enough for our two furnaces for upward of 100 years. We also own our limestone quarries, and have made satisfactory contracts for a supply of coke from the by-product coke ovens at Milwaukee, within 55 miles of the furnace. For some time past our company has paid dividends of 10 per cent. per annum, and it has accumulated a surplus. Some years ago we remodeled the furnace as an up to date coke fur- nace. The ever increasing demand has led us to erect a second furnace with larger and more modern equipment, at an estimated cost of over $450,000, to be met in part from the proceeds of these bonds. Construction is now actively under way, inscharge of Julian Kennedy of Pittsburgh. The orders booked insure a profitable year in 1906, and we feel confident that under all con- ditions we can earn a minimum average of $1 per ton net profit upon all iron we produce. IRON June 14, 1906 Developments in Canada. AGE Electric Smelting. Toronto, June 9, 1 —Dr. Haanel, Dominion Super- intendent of Mines, has put in the hands of the Minister of the Interior his preliminary report of the experiments made in the electric smelting of iron ores at Sault Ste. Marie. These experiments, it will be remembered, were carried on under an arrangement with the Government. Dr. Haanel, an official of the Government, presided over them; the cost of them was wholly or partly paid by an appropriation voted by Parliament; if proved successful Dr. Héroult, the inventor and owner of the process, was to have certain rights in Canada, It is to be added that the Lake Superior Corporation supplied the power for the experiment without charge. In this preliminary report Dr. Haanel says nothing as to the feasibility or economy of producing steel by the process, though at the conclusion of the experiments it was given out that the results in this particular were extremely satisfactory. Possibly that aspect of the mat- ter will be dealt with in the fuller presentation that must be expected to follow a report that is described as “ pre- liminary.” In this report the following conclusions are set forth: That magnetite can be as economically smelted by electro- thermic process as hematite; that ores of high sulphur content not containing manganese can be made into pig iron containing only a few thousandths of 1 per cent. of sulphur; that the sili- con content can be varied as required for the class of pig to be produced; that charcoal, which can be cheaply produced from mill refuse or wood that could not otherwise be utilized, can be substituted for coke as a reducing agent without being briquetted with the ore; that a ferro-nickel pig can be produced practically free from sulphur and of fine quality from roasted nickeliferous pyrrhotite; that titaniferous iron ores up to perhaps 5 per cent. titanic acid can be successfully treated by the electric process ; that pig iron can be produced for $10.69 per ton; that a 10,000 horse-power plant to make 120 tons of pig iron per day would cost $700,000. The last named estimate is given on the authority of Dr. Héroult. Dr. Haanel considers that probably the largest unit possible on the model of the experimental plant is one of 1500 horse-power. To make the most of the experimental furnace it would be necessary to alter its construction for the application of labor saving machin- ery for charging and to provide for the collection and utilization of the carbon monoxide produced by the re- duction of the ore. For the purpose of smelting roasted nickeliferous pyrrhotite commercially Dr. Haanel con- siders that no other modification of the experimental furnace is needed except enlargement. Of the expectations raised by the experiment it does not appear from this preliminary report that any have been realized, except that a good pig iron can be pro- duced by the process from the magnetite ores of north- western Ontario. It is not made clear that even in this respect the process yields results greatly superior to those obtainable in the ordinary blast furnace, As to the reduction of cost that was looked for, it can scarcely be said to have been effected. At all events, $10.69 a ton is not as far below the cost of production in blast fur- naces as the process seemed to promise. Perhaps too large an allowance has been made for power, which ought to be procurable at Sault Ste. Marie for $15 per horse-power, nearly twice the Hydro-Electric Power Com- mission’s estimate of the cost of producing it at Niagara Falls. Further, if, contrary to the general understanding, the experiments have failed to demonstrate advantages of the process for steel making, there will be some dis- appointment. But the more complete report may show that the optimistic accounts which appeared in the press at the close of the experiments were waranted. Explorations for Iron Ore. If Canada has any great undiscovered fields of iron ore they should not long escape the search that is now being carried on for them by authority. In the provinces of greatest repute for their mineral areas—Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia —the crown lands are provincial property, the Dominion Government having no power of disposal over them. It is otherwise with the three provinces in the western in- terior. In the old provinces mentioned above the several June 14, 1906 Governments give marked attention to mineral explora- tion and development. This has not prevented the Domin- ion Government continuing in these provinces the service of its geological survey, which has made many important discoveries of ore bodies and pointed the way to others. Still another agency is to be added. This is the mines branch of the Interior Department at Ottawa, which branch is under the direction of Dr. Haanel. He is be- ginning an investigation of the iron ore resources of the Dominion. Properly speaking, this is not a new depart- ure. Some time ago a study of the zine deposits of British Columbia was started under the same auspices, and the commission appointed for that work is expected to present its report in the early future. This year the iron ore quest will be directed along three tracts. Eastern Ontario and Quebec will be in charge of F. Cirket, west- ern Ontario in charge of J. Shile, and Nova Scotia in charge of Professor Woodman. This investigation is un- dertaken in the interests of the practical operator and in- vestor, but geological data will not be omitted where they are material to the economic objects aimed at. Magnetic surveys will be made of promising deposits and samples will be collected for analysis. Water powers are to be examined in any ore locality and estimates of their ca. pacity are to be made. Evidently the controlling idea in this enterprise of the mines branch is to obtain informa- tion of conditions favorable to the application of the elec- trical treatment of ores. Business for Rai Mills. Thursday was the last day for receiving tenders for the 65,000 tons of rails the National Transcontinental Railway Commission desires to obtain. No announce- ment has yet been made as to the placing of the order. It is understood that four parties put in tenders—the Algoma Iron & Steel Company, the Dominion Iron & Steel Company, the representative of an American com- pany and the representative of a British company. It is further stated that the outsiders’ prices were higher than those of the Canadian companies and that the latter will have the order divided between them. The Dominion Iron & Steel Company is the more conveniently situated to supply the steel for the eastern half of the Govern- ment division, and the Sault company will have the advantage in the western half of that division. The latter’s works lie at one end of Lake Superior, and Fort William, the lake terminus of the Grand Trunk Pacific’s Lake Superior branch, is at the other. This branch is being built with expedition and will be laid with rails from the Sault mill. Over that branch can be forwarded from the same mill the rails for the 245-mile section of the National Transcontinental that is now under con- tract between the junction with the Lake Superior branch and Winnipeg. In Quebec another section is under con- tract—the 150-mile stretch between Quebec city and La Tuque—to the northwest. For this section and additions to it the Dominion Iron & Steel Company will doubtless supply the rails. Six thousand tons of rails were recently forwarded from the Sydney mill via Cape Horn to Vancouver, to be used in J. J. Hill’s Victoria, Vancouver & Eastern Rail- road. Though the trip will take three months, the saving in freight will be some thousands of dollars. The bill to incorporate the Grand Trunk Pacific Branch Lines Company is believed to have reached its final shape in Parliament. It authorizes the construc- tion of lines aggregating 5000 miles, all subsidiary to the trunk line of the National Transcontinental Railroad. One provision added to the measure is that to preserve the right to build any branch its construction must be begun within two years and completed within five. These branch lines will therefore add another 5000 miles to the railroad track to be laid before the close of 1911. The Dominion Stee] Company’s Operations, J. H. Plummer, president of the Dominion Steel Com- pany, gave a recent newspaper interview from which some remarks are here taken: The earnings, though not what we hoped, show great im- provement and will leave a substantial margin over fixed charges for the past year. We did not, however, get much bene- fit from the rail mil] till well on in the year, and we have suf- fered this spring from a duli market in wire rods. THE IRON AGE 1899 Under the present law it must be remembered that the beun- ties will be much lower after July 1, and we should suffer accord- ingly, but we expect that they will be extended. I do not doubt that a reasonable extension of the bounties will have the desired effect of establishing the iron and steel industries on a sound footing, and so fulfill the purpose for which Parliament granted them. The rearrangement of our finances has never yet come before the board, while as to arrears of dividend, their payment is out of our power, for we have not earned them. I regard the outlook for business as highly satisfactory, with little probability of a check for some years to come. To keep the mills at Sydney and the Soo busy the Canadian roads would have to lay over 3000 miles of track of 80-pound rails every year. Should lighter rails be used a greater mileage, of course, would have to be laid. I do not think this mileage will be used, and it may be necessary for us to seek an export market for our surplus. We are even now negotiating with foreign buyers. Counterfeiting of “Sheffield » Alleged. The Cutlers Company of Sheffield, England, has taken action against the Ontario Silver Company of Niagara Falls, Ont., the charge being the latter has made fraudu- lent use of the word “ Sheffield” on knives and of the firm names of several Sheffield cutlery concerns. The crown is not unlikely to take a hand in the proceedings. CAC. J ———__~- Milliken Brothers, Incorporated. In connection with the offer by New York bankers of the first mortgage convertible 6 per cent. sinking fund gold bonds of Milliken Bros., Incorporated, of New York, a statement is made concerning the business and the firm’s new steel plant on Staten Island. The authorized issue is $3,000,000, dated February 1, 1906, and due Feb- ruary 1, 1921, but subject to redemption, in whole or in part, on any interest day at 105 and interest. The sink- ing fund will purchase at 105 and interest $300,000 bonds annually, beginning February 1, 1912. Bonds may be converted into 7 per cent. cumulative preferred stock at par upon 30 days’ notice before interest dates, from Au- gust 1, 1911, to February, 1918. President Foster Milli- ken, under date of March 15, 1906, writes to the bankers, referring to their purchase of the bonds, “the proceeds of which are to be used in part payment for the construc- tion of an addition to our plant of open hearth steel furnaces and rolling mills for the manufacture of rolled structural shapes,” in substanee as follows: Organization.—This business was established in 1857 by Sam- uel Milliken, Jr., and on January 10, 1906, was taken over by the corporation, organized under the laws of the State of New York, with the following capitalization: Stock—Preferred, $3,- 000,000 ; common, $2,500,000. First mortgage convertible 6 per cent. 15-year sinking fund gold bonds, $3,000,000. The business covers constructional work throughout the entire world, not only for the supply of structural steel work for buildings and bridges, but, in addition, general contracting, embracing all work neces- sary to a completed structure. Particular attention is given to export work, the company having offices in London, Antwerp, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Havana, Mexico City, San Francisco, Portland and Honolulu. So far as general contracting work in foreign countries is concerned we have furnished complete the American Tobacco Company’s building in Havana, are just fin- ishing the Barnato Building in Johannesburg, costing approx- mately $1,000,000, and have had large contracts from the Mexi- can Government in connection with its National Post Office and the National Theater, &c. Plant.—The present bridge and structural plant occupies about 25 acres on a plot of 165 acres of land, having a frontage of one-third of a mile directly on tidewater on the northern shore of Staten Island, New York City. The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad tracks run directly into the property. The new structural steel rolling mill plant will be the only one of its kind located on tidewater. Five 50-ton open hearth steel fur- naces are being erected, with a capacity of about 136,000 tons of finished material per year. By the addition of seven open hearth steel furnaces, at an expenditure of $850,000, the output of the plant can be increased to 1000 gross tons per day. The general layout is so made that the furnaces can be increased to 21, which will give an output of 2000 gross tons per day. According to appraisals made by experts, the value of the pres- ent plant is $2,084,154; estimated cost of new steel mill, $3,- 294,000; quick assets of company, $864,203; total, $6,242,357. This appraisal is exclusive of the good will. The value of our real estate is here appraised at nearly $1,200,000. Earnings.—The statement prepared by certified public ac- countants shows that for five years, less one month, commencing January 31, 1897, and ending December 31, 1901, the net profits averaged $163,864. The profits for the years 1902, 1903 and 1904 (in which period the plant was moved to its present site) were $1,212,407, but to this should be added an additional amount of $39,213, representing further profits on contracts then uncompleted, which makes a total of $1,251,619, or an aver- “aE. biome eee F ls ' poo, Pherae Ter, as aaah Manis 1900 age for these years of $417,206. 4 The net profits for the year 1905 were $450,498, makin f . ov - g the average for the nine years $280,160. The new steel mill will add very largely to the earn- ing capacity, as it will give us a much wider field of operations. On the basis of the present cost of pig iron, scrap iron, coal, labor, &c., and on the present selling price of finished structural steel shapes, it is conservatively estimated that there is a profit of not less than $7.50 per net ton, and as the plant produces 136,000 net tons per year, this shows a profit of $1,020,000 per annum. We ourselves consume over 40 per cent. of the intended output, and if this mill were in operation to-day we would con- sume over 65 per cent. The earnings of our present business amount to over twice the interest charge. It is expected that the new steel plant will be turn- ing out material on October 1, 1906. —_-o—____——_ The Gilson Small Gasoline Engines. For the users of limited power the Gilson Mfg. Com- pany, Port Washington, Wis., is manufacturing, in addi- tion to larger capacities, a line of gasoline engines in 1, 1% and 2% horse-power sizes, the general type being shown in the accompanying illustration. The smallest size is air cooled, has a 154%-inch fly wheel and 2-inch pulley and develops 1 horse-power at 500 revolutions per minute. In the construction of this engine the manu- facturer has aimed to secure compactness, simplicity and accessibility of all parts, making it particularly well adapted for use in portable outfits. +All danger of gasoline leakage is eliminated and a uniformity of gas mixture obtained by a well regulated suction feed arrangement. The gasoline tank, which is of heavy galvanized iron, securely riveted and soldered, is placed below the intake pipe and its only opening is on top. Through this open- ing a feed pipe extends from the tank to the intake pipe and no gasoline can escape unless drawn upward through the feed pipe. This happens only when the engine is in operation. The movement of the piston creates a vacuum in the cylinder, which automatically opens the intake valve and forms a suction which | draws .the gasoline through the feed pipe and intake pipe into the cylinder. Air is also drawn through the intake pipe, and the quantity of air and gasoline nec- essary to make a good mixture is regulated by a needle valve. As soon as the engine stops the suc- tion ceases, and whatever gasoline may be in the pipe at the time returns to the tank. By an ingenious arrangement the intake valve is held automat- ically closed during the time the exhaust valve is open, thus mak- ing it possible to use any length of exhaust pipe without affecting the power of the engine. This is a desirable feature where en- gines are placed in houses or any place where a minimum of noise is desired. The engines are so balanced that when running without a load they can be operated without fastening skids to the floor. The ignition is by jump spark supplied by a dry battery and spark coil. No water is required for cooling. By means of a number of flanges around the cylinder a cooling surface is provided of approximately 1000 square inches in the 1% horse-power size and 1400 square inches in those of 2% horse-power capacity. The cooling is augmented in the 2 horse-power size by a fan provided with a baffle plate, which throws a strong current of air directly against the cylinder head. The 1 horse-power engine is not regularly supplied with a fan, but is so constructed that a fan can be attached at any time. As the spark ‘ plug, intake valve and exhaust valve are all located in the cylinder head, they are kept cool by the air which constantly passes over them. — The new foundry for the Winona Technical Institute at Indianapolis is nearing completion. The building, which is of brick, is 58 x 120 feet. It will be equipped for practical foundry work. Edward A. Johnson of the THE IRON AGE June 14, 1906 University of Minnesota, a practical molder, will have charge of the foundry school at the institute. The school is for the training of molders, that the foundries of the country may more easily obtain skilled workmen. The National Founders’ Association contributes $3000 a year to the support of the school. ——s+- eo Lackawanna Open Hearth Work. A correspondent who is thoroughly familiar with the conditions noted has furnished the following interesting statement: The new open hearth furnaces at the Lackawanna Steel Company’s works at Buffalo, N. Y., have been doing some remarkably good work. None of the five new furnaces of this type has as yet been out for repairs, but the first to be put in commission, No. 7, has already made 300 heats without repairs and is good for from 50 to 100 heats more, the ports and roof being in absolutely perfect con- dition, the only weak spot being that the checkers are clogging up, so that the furnace is only making from 15 to 16 heats a week. But when it is considered that this is on producer gas and all cold metal, what furnace is doing as well on heats averaging over 60 gross tons of ingots per heat? The last week in May No. 11 made 20 heats, produc- ing 1260 gross tons of ingots, an average of 210 gross tons of ingots per day, with 414 pounds of coal per ton A Portable Gasoline Engine Built by the Gilson Mfg. Company, Port Washington, Wis. of ingots, and this on producer gas and practically a cold metal charge, the small amount of hot metal available be- ing high in silicon, requiring as much time to work down with ore as was gained by having the metal hot, and being used in such small quantities that no time was saved over the use of a straight cold metal charge. The equipment for getting stock up to the furnace is inade- quate and is being remodeled, so that unusual delays oc- curred during this week’s performance, the furnace actually standing idle, waiting for stock, for 13 hours and 15 minutes during the week. What will such a fur- nace do with hot metal from a mixer where it can be delivered of uniform chemical composition and at the time the furnace is ready for it? The credit for this performance belongs to T. 8S. Blair, Jr., who designed the furnaces, and R. T. Harris, super- intendent of the open hearth department, both of whom are well known to the open hearth world. The original six furnaces are now being remodeled to conform as nearly as possible to the proportions of the new furnaces, and when the construction work has been finally completed some interesting developments may be looked for from this plant. June 14, 1906 No Labor Legislation Before Congressional Recess. WASHINGTON, D. C., June 12, 1906.—As the result of a determined stand which appears to have been recently taken by the House leaders, all indications now point to the adjournment of the present session of Congress with- out action on any of the radical pro-labor legislation pend- ing in either House. The drastic 8-hour bill, favorably reported from the House Committee on Labor a fortnight ago, will probably remain undisturbed on the House cal- endar until after the Summer re