The Iron Age 1906-09-20: Vol 78 Iss 12

THE IRON AGE New York, Thursday, September 20, 1906. The Atlanta Tin Plate & Sheet Mill. A representative type of independent finishing mill devoted to the manufacture of sheets is that of the At- lanta Tin Plate & Sheet Mill, Atlanta, Ind., which has just been placed in operation. This mill was completed in the summer of 1904 by the Atlanta Rolling Mill & Tin Plate Company, its erection having been undertaken the pre- vious year, but was never operated by its original owner and was recently purchased from receivers’ hands by new interests. Its output will consist of light sheets and black plates as specialties, although its builder in- tended it for the manufacture of both sheets and tin plate. The plant is located on a site of 7%4 acres on the out- skirts of the city of Atlanta. As shown in Fig. 2 it con- Bass Foundry & Machine Company, Fort Wayne, Ind., equipped with an 18-ft. flywheel weighing 55 tons. The cold rolls are geared to a 24 x 48 in. Corliss engine by means of three straight tooth gears. Two 44-in. and two 38-in. doubling shears are located in front of the hot rolls and between the latter and the heating furnaces. They are driven by individual West inghouse motors of 7% and 5% hp., respectively. The four-sheet and pair furnaces shown in Fig. 1 were built by the Amsler Engineering Company, Pittsburgh, and are operated by producer gas. The sheet furnaces are 7 x 8 ft. in the clear and pair furnaces 6 x 8 ft. Provision has been made for installing two additional furnaces, but the gas producer equipment will not be added to, as the two now in operation are of sufficient capacity to supply the requirements of the ultimate installation. Other shearing machinery consists of two pairs of eran et Fig. 1.—Interior of the Main Building of the Atlanta Tin Plate & Sheet Mill, Atlanta, Ind., Showing the Hot Rolls and Heating Furnaces. sists of a main building, 60 x 464 ft., with a 20-ft. lean-to 165 ft. of its length; packing room, 60 x 120 ft.; machine shop, 40 x 100 ft., and boiler house, 50 x 100 ft. The sheet mills, heating and annealing furnaces and the pickling vat are located in the main building, Figs. 1 and 3. This building is equipped with a 20-ton electric trav- eling crane, built by the Whiting Foundry & Equipment Company, Harvey, Ill., having a span of 56 ft. 7 in., with a hight to the top of the crane girders of 25 ft. The four hot mills, two of which have 36-in. rolls, and the other two 32-in., parallel the length of the building, while the cold mills, Fig. 4, which are operated tandem, are at right angles to the hot mills. Provisions have been made for the installation of two additional 40-in. hot mills. They are all of standard type, having steel spindles, boxes, housings and rolls, and were built by the United. Engineering & Foundry Company, Pittsburgh. The hot mills are driven through a 14-ft. steel gear weigh- ing 40 tons by a 32 x 60 in. Corliss engine, built by the 60-in. squaring shears operated by individual 7-hp. Westinghouse motors, one 126-in. squaring shear driven by a 10-hp. motor, one pair of bar shears driven by a 20-hp. motor and a 26-in. roll lathe equipped with a Reeves’ variable speed device, which in addition to the shears was installed by the United Engineering & Foun- dry Company. The pickling vat, which is located in one of treme ends of the building, was installed by the Mesta Machine Company, Pittsburgh. The double annealing furnace, which is heated by gas from a single gas pro- ducer, installed by the Amsler Engineering Company, is 231, ft. long and 20 ft. 6 in. wide. Provisions have been made for an additional furnace, which will be built as soon as the two additional hot mills are added. This furnace is located directly below the cold rolls, the ma- terial coming into the plant at one end in the form of sheet bars and passing through the various stages of manufacture from the hot mills to the cold mills, after the ex- 5 RN SA 8 ET RE EOL AR CRED ANCL TS RETAIL OTE TR ian 726 THE IRON which it is annealed and pickled or immediately shipped, as desired, The sheets are placed in the furnace by means of a Freeman charger, built by the George A. Hogg Iron «& Steel Foundry Company, Pittsburgh. The charging ma- chine, as shown in Fig. 5, is equipped with a hydraulic jack of 30 tons capacity, which is used in giving the table of the charger a_ vertical lift of 3 in. and a horizontal forward movement of 10 in. After the sheets are placed on the charger and covered with the charging boxes the entire load is raised to the level of the floor of the furnace and is drawn in by means of a traveling ia sare a - 990-0. NO=4-61i2—tONG e — PACKING ROOM ag ee “| | om & | GO’ x 1% Sees =o = | af 160. z | | —_ ‘ \_—_—_—_—__—_—__—__—_—_—_— 1! HEATING FURNACES’ i t “oe CCLBLING SHEARS : _ = coo 6 mice. MAIN BUILDING TINING woot | <—5i)~| 60x 80% br s ~ je: 0X oP). 4g42_NOT MILLS “= | 2 z : | fe -——— ' |32 swore BOILER ROOM | oo x® 40°x 100 ri = | = < 12 a September 20, 1906 AGE well equipped with tools for making such repairs as are required in a plant of this kind. A tin house, 60 x 80 ft., has been proposed, but will not be built unless the manufacture of tin plate is decided upon. The packing room, in which the main office is also located, parallels the main building. The generating plant is located in one section of the machine shop and consists ol an 18 x 18 in. Skinner automatic engine, built by the Skinner Engine Company, Erie, Pa., direct connected to a 150-kw. generator, installed by the Fort Wayne Electric Company, Fort Wayne, Ind. electric Power is supplied for op- erating all of the motors and for lighting, the main — ee ee ith ' ' —— | TF J =— jac 8 100° - Ney, a, A 7 < ' * Crt 48K One | e LOnG 16> 2 I. » v Ss 3 @ ey i+ —wno-=-2 _ 5 @ “. onan i a se a ain. ee ; os ~ -4___- Ais ____—= = hte gh ——— +13 j8'csan Another View in the Main Building.—The Hot crane, After the annealing boxes are deposited in the furnace the lifting mechanism of the charger is lowered to its normal position and the charging machine is with- drawn from the furnace. The brickwork of the furnace is raised to a point 30 in. above the floor line and the heated air enters the sides and bottom through checker brickwork. Steam is generated by eight tubular boilers of 150 hp. each, built by the Bass Foundry & Machine Company and equipped with Roney stokers, installed’ by the West- inghouse Machine Company, Pittsburgh. The pumping plant includes two pumps of 1600 hp., installed by Henry R. Worthington, York. The machine New shop is Ground Plan of the Atlanta Tin Plate & Rolls Distance. THE iRON AGE Sheet Mill. and Doubling Shears in the Foreground and Cold Rolls in the building being well provided with are lamps for night operation, <All of the buildings are of brick, except the main building, which is of steel. The plant was designed and built under the direction of W. H. Jones, its superintendent under the first owner. The mill has a rated annual capacity of 1400 tons, and purchases its steel supply in the open market. The offi- cers of the new company are: President, Edward L. Me- Kee, Indianapolis; vice-president, Harold D. Hibben, In- dianapolis; treasurer, Edward B. Porter, Indianapolis; general manager, Charles A. Ford, Kokomo. Other directors are Hiram P. Wasson, Indianapolis; Wm, H. Marer, Tipton, Ind., and Edgar S. Welton, Atlanta, Ind. September 20, 1906 THE IRON AGE "sé The New England Foundrymen’s Association. This society resumed its monthly meetings Wednesday September 12, at the Exchange Club, Boston. Vice-presi the August outing at Providence one of the most success- ful the association has held. Vice-president Bense an- nounced that the Executive Committee had secured some of the most prominent men in the foundry industry to address the association the coming season and urged the Bra lw ct The Four Stands of Cold Rolls Annealing Furnace, with dent Bense presided. Application for membership was received from Milford Iron Foundry, Milford, Mass., and it was unanimously elected. A vote of thanks was extended to Henry A. Carpenter for his efforts in making the Freeman Charger in the Foreground, members to renew their efforts to increase the member- ship. After dinner the chairman introduced E. H. Mum- ford, Philadelphia, who gave an illustrated talk on “ Re- cent Molding Machinery and Methods.” ' | a ' i : as > ae Mere grenen mrmr * pleat sewer Cd Meat A Western Silica Brick Plant. The operation of the silica brick plant of the Amer- ican Refractories Company at Joliet, Ill., marks the first westward movement of this industry, which has been confined to Pittsburgh and the East, owing to the proxim- ity of the ganister deposits. In fact, the manufacture of this high grade refractory, which is indispensable in steel works practice, has been limited almost entirely to the State of Pennsylvania, owing to the accessibility of the raw material. The location of extensive deposits of ganister in the Baraboo district of southern Wiscon- sin, however, threatens to wrest the center of this indus- try from the East, as the virgin rock is found in large quantities along the shore of Devil’s Lake, from which the American Refractories Company draws its supply and where it has acquired large tracts. An analysis of the rock shows that it is the equal of the deposits in the famous Hollidaysburg district in Pennsylvania, and owing to its extremely low alumina eontent the manufactured product has a long life when subjected to high tests. The following analyses indicate the refractory qualities of the boulder, solid material in the intermediate stage of manufacture and the finished product : Boulder. Solid material. Brick. si cb ede Seca ee + «ass 97.76 98.28 97.10 te ee ee 1.02 0.77 0.93 BAe seed é ke cexete 0.78 0.57 0.93 COD ko4 een aes chee 0.06 0.04 1.58 MO rein cteeecassaweuen 0.05 0.03 0.11 End a as os Seen 0.38 0.35 0.06 The plant, which has a daily capacity of 50,000 standard silica brick, has been built on a site of 40 acres at Rockdale, a suburb of Joliet, and contains nine round kilns, each with a capacity of 100,000, and three square kilns, each of 30,000 capacity. The plant has been so designed that the second unit can be located between the office building and the first unit, and sufficient room has been provided for increasing the output to the enormous total of 250,000 daily, or 75,000,000 per year. The erection of the second unit is now under consideration, as the eapacity of the present installation “ hard pressed to cope with the demand. The round kilns have inside dimensions of 32 ft., are of the circular down draft type and are provided with eight fireboxes each. The square kilns are 15 x 30 ft., have three fireboxes at either end and are similar in construction to those used im the manufacture of magnesite and chrome brick, to which purpose they may be ultimately put. The main building, which contains the molding floor, grinding room, bins and the power plant, is 130 x 240 ft. It is of steel construction throughout and absolutely fire- proof. The ganister, which is shipped over the Chicago & Northwestern and Elgin, Joliet & Eastern railroads from Devil’s Lake, a distance of 180 miles, is dumped from a trestle 20 ft. high, paralleling the main building, into a crusher, where it is broken into sizes suitable for use in the grinding pans. It is then elevated by means of a bucket conveyor into three steel bins with inclined hoppers, from which it is fed into the grinding pans as required. Another bin will shortly be installed, and owing to their location two have center dump hoppers and those on the outside side drops. The bins are constructed of steel beams and plates and have a capacity of 150 tons each. The hoppers are provided with automatic measur- ing chutes and the doors are controlled by levers. The three grinding pans, which reduce the material with two steel rollers, each weighing 8500 Ib., were installed by the Clearfield Machine Company, Clearfield, Pa. The mold- ing floor, which has an area of 25,000 sq. ft., is covered with steel plates and the bricks, which are all hand made, are dried by exhaust steam. The power plant contains two 260-hp. Rust vertical water tube boilers, installed by the Rust Boiler Company, Pittsburgh, which generate steam for one 250-hp. Corliss engine, built by the Bates Machine Company, Joliet. A 30-kw. Western Electric generator provides all the power required for lighting purposes. Transportation facilities are unexcelled, as the com- pany has direct connection with the Elgin, Joliet & East- THE IRON AGE September 20, 1906 ern Railroad, Chicago’s outer belt line, which connects with all roads entering the Western metropolis. A spur from the Rock Island system enters the property and the proximity to the Lllinois coal fields makes the location particularly economical as to fuel carrying charges. The plant, together with its Wisconsin ganister prop- erties, represents an investment of $250,000. The com- pany was promoted by E. M. Allen, its general manager, who has had wide experience in the manufacture of high grade refractories for manufacturing purposes, having formerly been president of the Fayette Mfg. Company, Pittsburgh, which was absorbed by the Harbison-Walker Refractories Company, and was subsequently a director of the latter concern. O. L. Jones, the superintendent of the plant, formerly occupied similar positions with the Fayette Mfg. Company at its Chester, Pa., works, and the Hays plant of the Harbison-Walker Refractories Com- pany, Pittsburgh. __o--o———————_ New Standard for Hexagon Head Screws and Nuts. The standard bolt and nut thread known as the U. 38. or Sellers standard was proposed by William Sellers and recommended by a committee of the Franklin Insti- tute in 1864. In 1868 it was adopted by the United States Army and Navy departments and afterward by the Mas- ter Mechanics’ and Master Car Builders’ associations. In this thread both the point and root of the thread are flattened, in the first case one-eighth of the point being removed, and in the other the root being filled in one- eighth, thereby leaving three-quarters of the depth of the thread for a bearing surface. The thread has an angle of 60 degrees. It has long been recognized that in this standard the pitch of the threads is too coarse and the heads and nuts of the different sizes are too large. To remedy this trou- ble the Association of Licensed Automobile Manufactur- ers, through its mechanical branch, has adopted a new standard for hexagon head screws, castle and plain nuts. The committee appointed for this work was made up as follows: A. L. Riker, H. E. Coffin, H. P. Maxim, Charles B. King, John Wilkinson and Russell Huff, with Henry Souther in consultation. The standard was adopted April 6, 1906, and has just been made public in Bulletin No. 18, issued by the asso- ciation. The castle or lock nut mentioned is formed with six transverse grooves in one of its surfaces to receive a cotter pin passing through a hole in the screw. The fol- lowing table is arranged to give the principal features of the new standard, together with those of the U. S. stand- ard: A. L. A. M. Standard. U. 8S. Standard. a oo A ——__—,, Thick- Thick- Short ness of Short ness Diam Diam- nut semi- Diam of nut eter. eter. finish. eter. finished. Inch, Pitch. Inch. Inch. Pitch. Inch. Inch. 1-4. .28 3-8 7-32 20 7-16 3-16 5-16 . .24 1-2 17-64 18 17-32 1-4 3-8 . 24 9-16 21-64 16 5-8 5-16 Bee. cowncee 11-16 3-8 14 23-32 3-8 _ . 3-4 7-16 13 13-16 7-16 9-16 .....18 7-8 31-64 12 29-32 1-2 5-8 . .18 15-16 35-64 11 1 9-16 11-16 . 16 1 19-32 —— oe 3-4 . 16 1 1-8 21-32 10 13-16 11-16 re 14 1 1-4 49-64 9 1 3-8 18-16 1 ‘one 1 7-16 7-8 8 1 9-16 15-16 In the new standard the threaded portion of the screws is one and one-half times the body diameter. These proportions are intended only for steel screws; screws to be used in soft material like cast iron, brass, bronze or aluminum are to conform to the old standard. Not the least important recommendation is that re- garding the quality of the material of which the screws are to be made. Screws now in use have a tensile strength of from 50,000 to 60,000 Ib. per sq. in. and an elastic limit of about 35,000 Ib. The new screws are to have a tensile strength of not less than 100,000 Ib. per sq. in. and an elastic limit of 60,000 Ib. September 20, 1906 The Golden Tilting Steam Trap. One of the newest products of the Golden-Anderson Valve Specialty Company, Fulton Building, Pittsburgh, Pa., is the Golden high and low pressure automatic tilt- ing trap, shown in the accompanying illustrations. The special claims made for this trap are with respect to its simplicity, durability and efficiency. It is claimed to be positive at all times; to show instantly by a glance whether it is working properly or not; to give the full area through the discharge valve, and to discharge promptly and quickly, and with practically no noise. All working parts are bronze and removable when necessary. It is a valve suitable for all varying pressures up to and Fig. 1—The Golden High and Low Pressure Tilting Steam Trap. THE IRON AGE 729 the lever assumes the position shown in the illustration. and the pivoting point is again shifted so that the re ceiver will not tip down until a full charge has been accumulated in the receiver. The tilting action of the receiver opens or closes an auxiliary valve, allowing the steam pressure to act on a piston, which in turn opens and closes the main discharge valve controlling the out- let in the trunnion. The compensating roller bearing in the lever eliminates the damaging feature of sudden open- ing and closing of the valve that exists in ordinary tilt- ing traps. The Golden trap has no floats, no valves and no buckets inside of the trap. All of its working parts are outside. No wrenches are required, it being only neces sary to tighten the trunnion nut by hand. The valves are made in sizes of inlet and outlet rang- ing from % to 4 in. The smallest has a capacity for draining 10,000 ft. of 1-in. pipe, based on a pressure of 50 Ib. at the trap, and the largest has a capacity of 160.- 000 lineal ft. The main valve, as explained, is an auxil iary operated valve, and is entirely of bronze and of a heavy pattern. The trunnions are bronze, and, in fact, all working parts are bronze and are extra heavy. The re- ceiver yokes, base plates and balancing ball are cast iron: the lever is malleable iron and the piping wrought iron. ———»-oe——_— The Westinghouse Air Brake Company. The stock of the Westinghouse Air Brake Company, Pittsburgh, Pa., is now on a 380 per cent. basis yearly, while its earnings are at the rate of 32.95 per cent. an- nually on the $11,000,000 capital stock, as shown by the report, just issued, for the year ended July 31 last. It is one of the most profitable industrial corporations in the United States. In 1900-1901 dividends at the rate COMPENSATING ROLLER GEARING THE IRCN ACE Fig. 2.—End and Side Sectional Elevations of the Golden Steam Trap, Made by the Golden-Anderson Valve Specialty Company, Pittsburgh, Pa. including 275 lb., and giving a full area of discharge it will handle a very large volume of condensation. Fig. 1 shows a general exterior of the trap, and Fig. 2 an end view, partly in section, and a longitudinal side sectional elevation. From the latter the operation of the trap may be understood. It is as follows: The condensed steam entering the trap through the trunnions passes through the curved interior pipe, discharging near the outer end of the receiver. As the receiver gradually fills its weight overcomes that of the counterbalancing lever, and the receiver drops at its outer end and concurrently the lever shifts its pivoting point, so that the trap is allowed to discharge entirely before the weight is suffi- ‘cient to restore the trap to the horizontal position. When completely discharged the balance weight on the lever causes the ‘Yeceiver to tilt back to its filling position, which releases the auxiliary valve, allowing the main valve to close without shock or jar. At the same time of 25% per cent. were paid; in 1901-1902 and 1903-1904 the rate was 24 per cent.; in 1904, 21 per cent., and in 1905, 20 per cent. According to the annual report the total income for the last fiscal year was $10,546,398, an increase of $2,587,828 over the 12 months preceding. The surplus, after charges for depreciation, was $3,625,749, an in- crease of $666,970. The year 1905-1906 was the most profitable in the history of the company, having been approached but once. This was in 1902-1903, when the total income was $9,179,588. Last year’s net earnings were $4,013,111, or $1,054,332 greater than for 1905. The profit and loss surplus in- creased from $3,914,129 in 1904 and $4,674,693 in 1905 to $6,101,148 in 1906. Since July 31, 1905, the assets of the company were increased by $1,962,877, being mainly in the items of cash, accounts and bills receivable, stock in associated companies and factories. ee NN ear smn — ee call ve er ee SE oe ene a Sate et eg an ean het ae EA A ier 739 THE Two Men in Two Deep Ruts. A Study of American Export Methods, BY S. D. V. BURR. We are very prone to blame the barbarian and him of semicivilization because they prefer the hand methods of their forefathers and ignore our labor saving appliances. We do not understand why they should stick to a forked branch when we can send them a beautiful chilled plow ; we are really sorry they cannot see the advantage of our devices, the outcome of our genius, and will still persist in using their own, or those of other make than ours. We draw down our faces, assume a sad air and say: “They are in a rut.” That is true; and the rut is very We are astonished that they do not scramble out, forgetting that it is hard to kick over the traces of an environment of centuries. That rut was dug during hundreds of years of doing the same thing in the same way. If the will exercise a little honest self examination he will perceive that he is in a rut deeper and narrower than that occupied by either the dark man of Africa or the man of the Far East. deep and very narrow. American He will also find that the rut is of his own digging, fashioned after his own design, and is stamped with his own personal trade- mark. It is such a grand specimen of a rut that it de- serves to be classed as a discovery and not as a mere in- vention. He has knowledge enough to get out of that rut, but lacks wisdom to apply the knowledge; he could if he would, but he won't. What the American Does Not ‘fry to Know.” For many years the American has been seeking a foreign market for his machinery, particularly in the rich and undeveloped, but developing, countries of Asia, Africa and South America. He follows precisely the same trade methods now that he did at first. when he sent warming pans to Cuba, not knowing that they make elegant skimmers in the sugar factories. At the present time he knows lamentably little about the character of the people he would like to deal with, and he is making practically no effort to learn their customs and require- ments. Climatic conditions he is not bothered with at all. He has never studied, and to-day is not studying, the circumstances under which his machines will have to work. He knows they will work in the wilds of the Dakotas and amid the refinements of Connecticut, and, therefore, they will work anywhere and under any and all conditions. The American ships his goods in ton cases when they are to be lightered from the vessel: he packs them in 1000-Ib. packages when they are to be transported mule back ; he sends open bearings to the Sahara Desert: and the trouble is he does all this when he knows better. But he is only firm, not obstinate. He sends tons of beautiful literature, written in perfect English and em- bellished with the finest engravings, to countries that only know a mighty little even of their own tongue. A personal representative he has heard of—but only the slow going Germans do that trick—but he does not be- lieve in that way of introducing his wares to a distant people. He makes his machine 10 ft. wide and is not troubled as to whether it will go through the custom house of the country or not; that is the way he has al- ways built it and if they don’t want it they can leave it alone. If an American purchaser wanted that same ma- chine turned upside down with the legs waving in the air he would cheerfully build it that way, under the im- pression that the purchaser knew what he wanted and since he was willing to pay for it he oight to have it. But the pleadings of all the wild men of Borneo would not induce him to add half an inch to the length of an unimportant screw. The American is constituted that way and perhaps he cannot help it. The whole thing is a case of a great deal too much independence and too But; as intimated before, he is not little common sense. IRON AGE September 20, 1906 learning; if he only showed a small degree of advance- ment the case would not appear so hopeless. The Conviction That American Products Are the Best. We certainly know of one cause of the trouble. The American manufacturer has, deeply embedded in his make up, the conviction that his products are the best on earth. He is also satisfied they are suitable for any country under the canopy, just for the simple and sole reason that they are adapted to his own land. He shuts both eyes and then fails to see any difference in the con- ditions that may surround his appliances when used abroad. And, further—and this wonderfully short sighted policy—he will exert no effort to find out how, or where, or by whom the devices are to be used. He knows they will work, and that settles it as far as he is concerned. seems a He sees one sale, but for some reason he cannot see the second; and as for building up a trade he has not even the faintest conception of the steps to take to do it. In the fatherly interest it takes in his welfare the United States Government has located consuls all over the earth. ‘Through the reports of these representatives he is kept in touch with the trade requirements of distant He has been told, time and again during past years, what will sell in certain countries and what will not sell; the kind of machine has been specified, and even the details of the packing have been described. Those who have read the consular reports must have been im- pressed with the repetitions that occur; the second chap- ter differeth not from the first, and the third is like unto the second, and so on. They abound in instructions that must be followed if the trade of any particular country is to be obtained and retained. The manufacturer is told what he must do and what he must not do, but, cui bono? The Government money is wasted, the temper of the consul is ruined, because he is the man on the spot upon whom all the kicking is performed, and trade is sent to Europe. The American sits himself down on a stump and growls about what fools there be in this world, for- getting the shape of his own head gear. He will prate about the advantages of a large merchant marine, but will do nothing toward filling the holds of the vessels. He forgets that ships are not built just for the pleasure of carrying the Stars and Stripes to the outermost parts of the earth. He knows two most essential facts, but he knows them only to ignore them. He knows there are many rich countries with which his trade is worthless. He also knows, but he hates to think of it, that the people of those countries are not crying for anything he makes. He further knows, but will not act upon it, that if he wants a part of that business he must go after it in a straight- forward manner, displaying some energy and exhibiting some anxiety to get it. You cannot pitch an article even to heathen, especially if they think they don’t want it, and then grab their money. peoples. The Germans Have Ideas of Their Own. The American builder should uproot the idea that all German appliances are founded upon ideas stolen from him. Once in a while the German has an idea of his own, the result of the working of his own private lot of gray matter. The foreigner has not always followed along the path the American pointed out; in many cases the poor outlander has done a little pioneer work him- self. If the American will go to the nearest public li- brary and obtain a book on the history of education he will find that the kindergarten system originated in Germany. Having absorbed a little of this he will easily perceive that the Germans are applying that system to their trade methods of introducing their machinery. They train themselves first as to the conditions of the country they expect to trade with, and then they train the natives of that country. A mutual acquaintance is fostered. Froebel did not advocate teaching conic sec- tions to the infant; neither does the German fhrust a re- fined product upon a people to whom a jackkhife is an intricate mechanism. They first do the necessary mis- sionary work along mechanical lines. A consular report only a few days old contains the following: Ra DE yt = Fe see tS ae eet September 20, 1906 American manufacturers might well co-operate in sending out representatives to report to them direct if they are in earnest in wanting Egyptian trade. For example, all those interested in the manufactures included in machinery, iron and steel, metals, hardware, should have no difficulty in coming to some mutual arrangement, the cost of the mission being divided. The biggest field for the expansion of American trade being in iron and steel, these are mentioned as an illustration of such commis- sions. It should consist of a skilled mechanical engineer, a fore- man founder ard a trade expert perfectly informed as to the cost of production in the United States. The duties of the commis- sion would be to examine machinery under cover and in the open all over the country, from the moist and salt atmosphere of Alexandria to the heated and sand charged air of Upper Egypt; to examine stocks carried of all iron and steel, brass and copper, lead and tin and other wares, whether in the rough or finished. The commissioners should interview and collect all possible infor- mation from the engineers in charge of factories and machinery used on the large estates, and in particular should examine thor- oughly American machinery relegated to the scrap heap. One thing may be taken for granted: the Cairo consul never evolved the idea out of his own inner consciousness. That method has been followed by the Germans, either in groups or as individuals, fer many years in all parts of the world, and their secure trade foundation has been directly due to its working. Further, the advice will bear no fruit, although it is sound and sensible. The American knows all about that policy and he doesn’t like it. He much prefers his own utter lack of system, even when he is satisfied that it will not be to his benefit. He would seemingly rather go without the trade than go after it in any such fashion. Careless Packing. Upon the subject of careless packing the consul at British Honduras says: Years ago, and yearly thereafter, consular and departmental trade reports have called the attention of exporters to this vital point. It seems strange that so practical a people in all other branches of trade should devote so much time and scientific labor to the production of the most advanced manufactures, in many cases more or tess fragile, and after such achievement turn over the products to scme “ handy man” for packing, when they should be turned over to the most scientific force in the factory or warehouse. What particular economy is fulfilled in dumping wares which have been so scientifically produced, in crates, bales, boxes and barrels and consigning them to transportation companies to be tossed about and broken up in the rough han- dling to which all exported goods are subjected, it would be diffi- cult to say. It is full time that our manufacturers awoke to the fact that for export all their time and labor are more than wasted if the products do not reach their destination in good condition. This poor consul says he has been harping upon that one topic for years. He certainly possesses his soul with patience. His effusions will do no good and he might better restrict his energy to personal matters in his imme- diate neighborhood. Complaints of similar character ap- pear every month, sometimes oftener, from every quarter of the globe to which American products are sent. Overwhelming Conceit. The keynote of the whole matter may be found in the overwhelming conceit of the American producer. He is thoroughly convinced that he makes the best of every- thing, and if other folks do not want it it is their loss and not his. The consul at Rheims hits the nail a square blow when he says: “Do not expect to ride roughshod over local traditions and customs. American goods can- not be sold that way.” It would be well if the American quit accusing the Germans, and more recently the Japan- ese, of stealing his ideas, and copied the trade getting methods of the former. His own personal opinion counts for nothing in the markets of the world; if he has the best he must prove it, and the proof must be presented in a sensible way. He should not forget that in these days of grace courtesy will get more trade than a blun- derbuss. The result: While he is sleeping the foreign markets of the world are being occupied by his-rivals, who cer- tainly display a modicum of common sense when they make an‘effort to enter an untried field. Now, of the two men, each in his own deep and nar- row rut, one deserves pity and the other censure. One had his rut thrust upon him and needs help to get out; the other built his own rut, so deep that he has to reach up to touch bottom, and yet out of which he could easily climb if he wanted to. THE IRON AGE 73% A Gas Driven Electric Power System. The only gas engine power plant of its kind in ex- istence is said to be that of the Warren & Jamestown Electric Street Railway at Warren, Pa., which is de- scribed in an interesting paper recently presented by J. R. Bibbins before the mechanical section of the Engi- neers’ Society of Western Pennsylvania. Primarily the paper deals with the gas power plant, although some essential features of the electric railroad system are in- cidentally mentioned. The plant has a capacity of 1000 hp. in two units, and there is no dependence upon a steam reserve. The system has a total length of 42 miles of track, half city and half interurban. The engines are of the horizontal double acting tandem four-cycle type built by the Westinghouse Machine Company, having 21 x 30 in. cylinders and running at a speed of 150 rev. per min., and are directly connected to revolving field engine type solid coupled Westinghouse alternators generating 300- volt three-phase 25-cycle current. The load is of an extremely variable character, im- posing upon the gas engine the most severe service pos- sible, except perhaps that of a rolling mill. The author considers the following points to have been proved from the operation of this Warren gas engine plant: That gas engines are able to handle variable loads; that regulation suitable for alternating current parallel operation is possible; that the effect of misfires is negligible; that sufficient reliability for regular service is had; that the deterioration from wear is quite normal; that the general character of labor required is not above the ordinary ; that oil and water consumption is low (automatic sys- tems desirable), and that an automatic starting system is quite sufficient for any emergency. The fuel cost for the plant has been from $10 to $12 a day. This for a 42-mile road clearly indicates the econ- omy of gas power, especially with the price of gas equivalent to $4 coal. About $31 per day, or $1.67 per running hour, covers the cost of operation, including fuel, labor and supplies and repairs. This figure corre- sponds to 0.11 cent per ton mile, or 3.8 cents per car mile, for the interurban system alone. With the city system serving to increase the load factor of the plant the total operating cost per ton mile was reduced to 0.05 cent. and the cost per car mile to less than 0.01 cent. The engines in this plant are of the same type as those installed in the Carnegie Technical Schools plant and de- described in The Iron Age of May 17, 1906. initisilihalldasilasic The Delphos Can & Mfg. Company.—This company, successor to the Delphos Can Company, Delphos, Ohio, has made extensive enlargements in productive capacity. A number of new buildings has been erected. One of these is 60 x 144 ft., two stories, intended for the manu- tacture of eaves trough, conductor pipe and elbows. One building to be used for stock is 60 x 60 ft., two stories. A building for the galvanizing department is 60 x 200 ft., one story, having a capacity of 60 tons in 24 hr. Other buildings comprise a warehouse, 30 x 70 ft. two stories, and an office building, 20 x 40 ft., two stories, all of brick. These structures, to- gether with the old building, 60 x 180 ft., three stories, cover over 4 acres of ground adjoining the main line of the Pennsylvania Railroad, to which ready access is had directly from factory to car, while in addition a switch to the same line runs through the company’s premises, thus affording every convenience desired for the prompt handling of incoming and outgoing freight. The new company takes over the business of the Delphos Can Company, comprising its entire line of oil cans, oil pumps and other oil specialties, and in addition will at once manufacture a full line of eaves trough, conductor pipe, elbows, &c., and later a line of galvanized tubs and pails. oe The Passaic Steel Company, Paterson, N. J., will establish a branch office at 170 Broadway, corner Maiden lane, New York, in charge of H. B. Thomas, September 24. H. V. De Hart, general sales agent, will continue to maintain his headquarters at the general office at Pater- son, but expects to divide his time between the two offices. mr emrermceenmen rami 4 MPA ALLE GE ILE TTD SL LT ILI CTT IIL ET TE LIE TT OES SE RSLS S RS es IDE 5 PAE CARINE SALLIE C= men were ede eer ae Se lidedeat condeneae eee 732 THE IRON AGE The Hanna Portable Radial Reamer. It has become common in bridge and structural iron and steel work to specify that all rivet holes be reamed after punching and assembling, and the increasing tend- ency to use large, heavy and unwieldy members has indi- cated the need of a reaming machine that may be taken to the work and moved about and that will have suf- ficient power to drive positively the correct feeds for high speed drills operated to their limit. With the object of providing such a machine, capable of quick and easy adjustment and handling, the Hanna Engi- neering Works, Chicago, has produced the portable radial reamer, two views of which are herewith presented. The base of the machine is of such weight and size that with the rail in its highest position and the head at the extreme end of the rail, as in Fig. 1, there is no September 20, 1906 are supplied for moving the head on the rail, though they are seldom used, as the head is mounted on wheels, which allows it to be pushed in or out on the rail without much exertion. The column is bolted solidly to the base, and the rail is mounted thereon on roller bearings in such a manner that when the base is level and the head is at the extreme end of the arm a horizontal force of 35 lb. applied on the spindle will easily swing the rail around the column. The rail is raised and lowered on the column by manipu- lating a slip gear clutch and reversing switch in the motor circuit. The clamping is such that no extra strains are put on the roller bearings. The gears are cut from solid steel. The complete machine weighs approximately 10,500 Ib. Two of these machines have been installed, one in the shops of the Pennsylvania Steel Company, Steelton, Pa., Fig. 1—A Portable Radial Reamer Built by the Hanna Engineering Works, Chicago. need of bolting it to the floor or a foundation. In every sense the machine is entirely self-contained. At each corner of the base there is a screw jack for taking the weight off the wheels. so that the machine will remain stationary while in operation and may be readily aligned with the work. These wheels have a tread for running on T-rail track, as well as a wide flange for bearing on the flat floor in case rails are not used. The wheels are operated by a ratchet lever. The machine is driven by a 7\%4-hp. alternating current Westinghouse motor mounted on a bracket at the rear of the rail bearing on the column. The motor is directly geared to the spindle through a speed changing gear box giving eight changes suitable for reamers from % to 4% in. in diameter. Four positive gear driven feeds are pro- vided, ranging from 0.007 to 0.054 in. per revolution. The spindle has a vertical feed travel of 18 in., and a range of movement on the rail from 20 in. from the center of the column ‘to 7 ft. 8 in. at the end of the rail, and the rail may be raised to a greatest hight of 6 ft. 3 in. above the top of the base. A rack and pinion and a hand wheel and one in the Smeeth Company, Chicago, where the builder claims they are giving excellent satisfaction. ——+-e___—_ The coercive force and the hysteresis loss in steel seem to increase with an increase in the silicon content, but the maximum induction appears to be only slightly influenced. The disadvantage of largely increased hys- teresis loss far outweighs the corresponding gain in lower electrical resistance,’ hence the effort should be, in the case of sheet metal, to keep the silicon as low as consistent with the other factors in the case. In cast steel, on the contrary, the results seem to be quite dif- ferent. The electrical resistance is notably increased, while the properties of permeability, remanence, and maximum inductance undergo scarcely any alteration, The Transvaal gold output for August broke all pre- vious monthly records, the total for the first time in the history of the industry exceeding half a million fine ounces. The exact yield was 509,115 ounces. September 20, 1906 Guest, Keen & Nettlefolds, Limited. The annual meeting of Guest, Keen & Nettlefolds Limited, was held at Birmingham, England, August 30. As this is one of the great English iron and steel com- panies the proceedings are of interest to many on this side of the Atlantic. At this meeting the chairman re- ported that the company had had a good year, not be- cause trade had been buoyant, but because there had been a fairly increased activity and demand in British trade. The total sales had shown a satisfactory increase and were the best the company had had during the five years in which it had been carrying on its operations. In the iron and steel departments the company had done better than in the colliery department, but owing to increased value more than increased demand. This was because foreign competitors, especially Germany and America, THE IRON AGE 733 on June 30, 1906, to £167,145. The company has paid 10 per cent. annually on the common stock for the past five years, The business of this company is stated to date back to 1853. In 1864 it was registered as a corporation, the name then being the Patent Nut & Bolt Company. In 1900 the first great expansion took place, in which year the properties of the Dowlais Iron Company and Guest & Co., iron and steel manufacturers, colliery proprietors, &ec., were absorbed. These concerns had been in opera- tion for over 150 years and ranked among the largest producers of coal, iron and steel in South Wales. In- cluded in the business of Guest & Co. was a large interest in the important mines of the Orconera Iron Ore Com- pany, in the north of Spain. Further expansion took place in 1901, when Guest, Keen & Co., as the company was called after the acquisition of the South Wales proper- Fig. 2.—The Hanna Portable Reamer, Showing the Opposite Side of the Rail. were very busy, and in consequence the company at pres- ent is able to compete more successfully and on better terms than it had been able to do for some time. In the departments producing the smaller manufactured goods the company had had to meet very severe competition from home and abroad, but it had held its own and main- tained its markets. During none of the previous years had the amalgamation been of so much service to the company in resisting the attacks of its opponents in these departments as it had during the past year. The capital. of the company, including debentures, is placed at £4,535,500. The profits for the 12 months ended June 30 reached a total of £427,156, as compared with £407,557 the previous 12 months. After providing for interest on debentures and dividends on preferred stock a balance was available for distribution on the common stock of £270,837. A dividend of 10 per cent. was de- clared on the common stock, which required £96,500, thus leaving a surplus of £174,337. Of this surplus £150,000 was placed to the reserve fund, which amounted ties, acquired the business of Crawshay Brothers. The most important step, however, was taken in the early part of 1903, when it was announced that an amalgama- tion had been brought about between Guest, Keen & Co. and Nettlefolds, Limited, the well-known Birmingham firm of steel and wire manufacturers. $y means of these various amalgamations the company has command of its raw material and is thus to a large extent, if not entirely, rendered independent of outside sources of sup- ply. Commenting on these developments the London Statist says: “ Both Guest, Keen & Co., Limited, and Nettlefolds, Limited, were recognized as most progressive and go- ahead concerns. The chairman of Guest, Keen & Co. visited the United States four years in succession in order to obtain the fullest knowledge of the most im- portant machinery and efficient methods of working prev- alent over there, so that all possible improvements based on American working could be introduced in the works on this side.” OS ame eT oR AORN TENTS 2 HS THE IRON AGE Amos Whitney. Amos Whitney, one of the founders of the Pratt & Whitney Company, Hartford, Conn., and Mrs. Whitney celebrated their golden wedding at Hartford, September 8, a great circle of friends joining in the festivities, which marked the important anniversary. More than 1000 people attended the reception given by Mr. and Mrs. Whitney at their residence, where they were assisted in receiving by Mr. and Mrs. Clarence E. Whitney, Miss Whitney and George F. Whitney. Mr. and Mrs. Whitney were married in Hartford in 1856, Mrs. Whitney then being Miss Laura Johnson. Clarence E. Whitney and Miss Nettie Louise Whitney are the surviving children. Though approaching his seventy-fourth birthday Amos Whitney still fills an active and important part in the industrial life of Hartford, after more than half a century of busy manufacturing experience. The corpora- tion that bears his name is known the world over as one of the greatest of its kind. Its name has always been identified with machinery and machinists’ tools. as denoting a standard of ex- cellence. The two great New England names of Pratt & Whitney and Brown & Sharpe have for years been linked together everywhere that metal is fashioned, and Mr. Whit- ney has the enviable and honorable distinction of be- ing not only a founder of one of these great estab- lishments, but: also one of the men who have carried it through from a small beginning to its great pro- portions of the present day. He is still a director of the corporation, though taking a less active part in its management than he did up to a few years ago. His career is one of unu- sual interest and impor- tance. He was born in Bidde- ford, Maine, October 8, 1832, of old New England stock. His father, Aaron Whitney, was an expert locksmith and machinist. Amos Whitney received his early education in the village schools, and at 14 years of age was apprenticed to learn the machinist trade with the Essex Machine Company, Lawrence, Mass., where his family was then residing. The shop was a large one for its day, manu- facturing cotton machinery, locomotives and machinists’ tools’ and his apprenticeship was served on the latter work. He remained with the company for a year after the ex- piration of his apprenticeship ; his employers were glad to keep him for he had become an expert at his trade. Then he followed his father to Hartford, to the Colt fac- tory, where both were working as machinists in 1850. It was there that Amos Whitney and Francis Pratt came together, forming a friendship which was the foundation of their future business association. Mr. Pratt soon after went to the Phenix Iron Works as superintend- ent. Mr. Whitney followed him in 1853, leaving a con- tractor’s job which earned him $8 a day for one worth about $2, because he believed that the experience to be had in working on machinery would be vastly more valu- able to him than that of pistol manufacturing, and this decision was reached in spite of strong effort on the part of the Colt management to persuade him to remain there. The firm of Pratt & Whitney had its beginning in 1860, in a little device known as a spooler, used in textile manufacturing. Messrs. Pratt & Whitney saw in its AMOS WHITNEY. September 20, 1906 manufacture the opportunity to make some money, and they formed a partnership and established a small shop in an old car factory. The owners continued their duties at the Phenix Works. In the beginning two men were employed and the number had increased to 12 when their shop was destroyed by ‘fire. A room was taken in an- other building, and soon that entire structure was oc- occupied. Before the end of the Civil War 100 me