The Iron Age 1907-08-15: Vol 80 Iss 7

THE IRON AGE Published every Thursday Moraing by David Williams Co. 14-16 Park Place, New York. Vol. 80: No. 7. New York, Thursday, August 15, 1907 itu. Reading Matter Contents...... page 462 9 eeeeeFeSeSSSMMMMMMMMMSSSSS Alphabetical Index to Advertisers ‘‘ 209 Classified List of Advertisers “. 996 Advertising and Subscription Rates*‘ 208 Reed F. Blair & Co. Frick Building, Pittsburg, Pa. COKE, PIG IRON CHROME ORE FERRO MANGANESE SILICON SPIEGEL, ETC. _ The Peart bem ore Ropes.and gt Sete Street, New Besa. AUTOLOADING RIFLE A modern, hammerless, repeat ing big game Rifle which is loaded by its own recoil and delivers smash ing, knock-out blows at short or long ’ range with lightning rapidity. Dealers will find a quick market for Bristol s Patent ; ‘Steel Belt Lacing these rifles, for their improvements over old-fashioned rifles are at once ob- Time, Belts, Money. vious to sportsmen. Good profits for the dealer. Greatest Strength Catalogues and Hangers on Request. with Least Metal : Send for Circu- REMINGTON ARMS COMPANY, -~ -_ Ilion, N. Y. lar QO and Free pen _ Samples Agency: 315 Broadway, New York City THE BRI STOL CO., Waterbury, Cenn. w York: 114 Liberty Street Chicago: 753 Monadnock Building SAMSON SPOT CORD WATER TUBE OGhe Babcock @ Wilcox Co. BOILERS sec pase so New York Also Massachusetts and Phoenix Brands SAMSON GORDAGE WORKS, Boston, Mass, TURNBUCKLES There is More Profit for the Merchant in Carrying “‘Capewell’’ Horse Nails Than others because there is such a large demand for this brand, Considerably more than half of all the horseshoe nails sold in the United States are ‘‘Capewell.”” It pays a dealer, therefore, always to carry these nails in stock. THEY SELL THE BEST Made by The Capewell Horse Nail Co., “Coun” im Cleveland City Forge and Iron Co., - Cleveland, O. TORN BUCKLE Ss. - MERRILL BROS., 465 to 471 Kent Ave., Brooklyn, E. D., N. Y. BASIC ENG. Girard oat Phila. Pilling & Crane jig. r The Best and Best Known Galvanized Sheets in the world are JENKINS BROS. VALVES do not require constant regrinding. When necessary to repair, a new Disc Tk ly will usually make the valve as good as new. /enkins Discs are inexpensive, om and can be readily applied by any one without taking valve from the pipe. YQ SULLA All parts interchangeable. Write for booklet. 3/ All genuine bear Trade Mark as shown in cut, A iS T Buy x JENKINS BROS., New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicagvu. wank raw caivanized sheets. | “GWVBOION” GOL Rolled Steel cet, Drawing a stamping : AMERICAN TUBE & STAMPING COMPANY SEE The Stencil on every bundle pro Water end Rail Delivery) BRIDGEPORT, CONN. PAGE 2 MAGNOLIA raicrion METAL The Standard Babbitt of the World tects the buyer, assuring long service and complete satisfaction. SEE AMERICAN SHEET & TIN PLATE COMPANY’S Ad. on page 17. We manufacture wer. in the Babbitt Line > MAGNOLIA METAL CO. Now York: t1g Bank St. Chicago: Fisher Building. Montreal: 31 St. Nicholas St 2 THE IRON AGE ‘FOLLANSBEE BRASS ™,|¢. 00 3a BROTHERS. ' Sheet and Roll Brass COMPANY (COPPER ™. WIRE WIRE Printers’ Brass, Jewelers’ Metal, German Silver and Gilding Metal, GERMAN | ae Copper Rivets and Burrs Pins, Brass Butt Hinges, Jack Chain, Kerosene | | HAMMERED | SILVER | ail Burners, Lamps, Lamp Trimmings, &c. : 279 Broadway, NEW YORK OPEN HEARTH ) LOW BRASS, SHEET BRONZE, Room 508 Heyworth mat ia Madi- SEAMLESS BRASS AND COPPER (| TUBING, BRAZED BRASS AND vesmnaie, cones wasnamne, ona. PLATES | |BRONZE TUBING THOMASTON. CONN WATERBURY. CONN. ’ * ‘\TSGOVILL MFG. CO. MANUFACTURERS OF BRASS, GERMAN SILVER, Sheets, Rolls, Wire Rods, Bolts and Tubes, Brass Shells, Cups, Hinges, Buttons, Lamp Goods, Special Brass ‘Goods to Order. MANUFACTURERS OF son St., CHICAGO, BRIGHT and ROOFING and WATERBURY BRASS CO., WATERBURY, CONN. - 199 John St.. New York. Providence, R. |. L | BLACK SHEETS | | SPECIAL DEEP | Bridgeport Deoxidized Bronze in REGULAR and DRAWING & Metal Co. FACTORIES : WATERBURY, CONN. DEpoTs: NEW YORK CHICAGO BOSTON Phosphor and Deoxidized PITTSBURGH | Bronze Henry Souther Engineering Co. Composition, Yellow Brass and Alumi HARTFORD, CONN. , e w - num Castings, large and small Consulting Chemists, Metallur- gists and Analysts. QUALITY BRIDGEPORT, CONN. ee —— Complete Pnysical Testing Laboratory. Expert Testimony in Court and Patent Cases. Matthiessen * oe Zinc Co., Arthur. Rutter’ Co, SMELTERS OF SPELTER 256 Broadway NEW YORK SHEET ZINC AND SULPHURIC ACID. ll tubing in B Special Sizes of Zinc cut to order. Rolled Battery Plates. Sma tu ing in rass, Copper, Selected Plates for Etchers’ and Lithographers’ use. Steel, Aluminum, German Si Iver, Selected Sheets for Paper and Card Makers’ use. Sen iaalimenndinene &c. Sheet Brass, Copper and German Silver. Copper, Brass ZINCS FOR LECLANCHE BATTERY. : and German Silver Wire. Brazed and Seamless Brass and Copper TTS co Spe ae ee ee nee nam “PHONO-FLECTRC Best Bronze, Babbitt Metals, Brass and Aluminum CASTINGS... ~ oo TS von” AND MANUFACTURERS OF TROLLEY, GERM AN SILVER NICKEL ANODES TELEPHONE Brass, Bronze, and Copper and THE SEYMOUR MFG. CO. - - SEYMOUR, CONN, TELEGRAPH HENDRICKS BROTHERS an PROPRIETORS OF THE onttits BRIDGEPORT BRASS COMPANY, Belleville Copper Rolling Mills, Pesan nroaeh SER Me ror Braziers’ Bolt oan Sheathing PHOSPHOR-BRONZE COP PEF Sx GERMAN SILVER COoOPrPrPw3HEN winm AND RIiVETs, TARE } —————— ingot Copper, Block Tin, Spates. Lead, Antimony, etc. Z THE RivEennes 49 CLIFF ST., NEW YORK. tent ar a * —— RIVERSIDE, N.J. a THE IRON AGE New York, Thursday, August 15, 1907. The Mayari Iron Ore District of Cuba. A Remarkable Bessemer Deposit Acquired by the Pennsylvania Steel Company, Estimated to Contain Over 500,000,000 Tons. Engineering Problems Worked Out in the Handling and Treatment of the Ore. While prophecies of an irom ore scarcity in another generation or two have been rife in the past year, active exploration of a new Cuban deposit has brought to light an ore body estimated to contain above 500,000,000 tons. It is suggestive, moreover, of a coming radical revision of estimates of the world’s ore reserves, put forth as having statistical value, that a single new discovery should add 5 per cent. to the figure representing the world’s total iron ore supply which appeared in the report of the Swedish Government experts published last year. Reference has already been made in these columns to the Spanish-American Iron Company’s Mayari properties near the northeast coast of Cuba. This subsidiary of the Pennsylvania Steel Company, as already told, has large plans for the development of the new deposit and the shipment of the ore to the United States for use at Sparrows Point, Md., and Steelton, Pa, Not only is the find remarkable, but also the fact that prospecting began in the early part of 1904 and that the thorough explora- tion and proving up of the ore body and the acquisition of lands and mineral rights has been carried on with so little publicity. The Pennsylvania Steel Company inter- ests feei assured, in ways that are indicated later in this account, that they have an exceptionally large body of Bessemer ore and the scale of their plans indicates con- fidence that the mining and shipping of the ore will be in progress for many years, beginning in 1909. The importance to the Steelton and Sparrows Point plants of so great a reserve of low phosphorus ores need not be dwelt on. In the United States Bessemer ores are to-day a rapidly diminishing quantity, and so far as the Spanish-American Iron Company’s Daiquiri deposits of hard ore are concerned, while considerable ore is in sight, the reinforcement that comes in the Mayari discoveries is most timely. In view of the great size of the new deposit and the guaranty it gives for the distant future, it is not improbable that the Sparrows Point plant of the Maryland Steel Company will be enlarged by the erection of one or more new furnaces. Already rails have been rolled at Sparrows Point from steel into which the new ores have entered, and these rails are now in service on the Pennsylvania Railroad. Location. The new ore range is located in the province of Oriente, formerly known as Santiago de Cuba province, in the district of Mayari, on the north coast of Cuba, about 12 miles south of the bay of Nipe. The general] location is shown in the map of the eastern end of the island, in Fig. 1. Fig. 2 is an enlarged map of the Mayari and Nipe Bay districts. In being a blanket for- mation, the ore body most closely resembles that of the Mesaba range of Minnesota—in fact, one of the large claims taken up by the Spanish American Iron Company has been named Mesaba; but unlike the Mesaba ores those of the Mayari district begin at the roots of the trees, there being no overburden requiring to be stripped. In this, as well as in other particulars, the deposit is unique, Its great extent and the mechanical and metal- lurgical problems the owners have attacked in bringing on the project to its present stage, warrant a detailed account of the steps taken up to the present time. The physical and chemical characteristics of the ore pre- sented one set of problems—particularly its high alumina and moisture and its constant percentage of chromium. The elevation of the territory in which the ore was found and the character of the adjacent country were the chief factors in the handling and transportation problem. Khe Ore Formation and Surface Features, The ore body is on the summit of a gently rolling plateau, roughly 10 miles long and four miles wide, with its principal axis lying northeast and southwest. Its elevation is about 1600 ft. at the northwestern extrem- ity, which is nearest to Nipe Bay, and it rises toward the southwest to an elevaion of 2200 to 2300 ft., with one peak reaching to 2600 ft., and another to 3200 ft. The surface of the plateau is almost entirely covered by a growth of pine timber of medium size and averaging some 40 trees to the acre. There is little or no under- growth other than ferns, and, except fer a few islands, or “keys,” of dense tropical forest, occurring in places where the ground is very moist, and where a certain amount of rich soil has collected, the entire plateau for 25,000 acres or more is open pine country. The deposit of iron ore, which is chiefly in the form of red earth, covers practically the entire plateau. On the immediate surface, where it has been exposed to the weather, the ore is in the form of particles like bird shot, this being slightly superior in iron contents to the earthy ore beneath, although the difference will generally not exceed 1 to 2 per cent. The blanket of ore covers the plateau, and follows out on the points to the extrem- ity of the gentle slope, stopping where the declivity becomes very abrupt, usually at an elevation of 1600 ft, The slopes of the two peaks mentioned are also bare of ore, Early Exploration. A trail, quite inappropriately called “Camino Real,” or King’s UWighway, runs diagonally across the plateau, and the red iron bearing earth has been known to every passer-by for years, but no one seems to have regarded aby of it, except the few inches of surface shot, and the occasional occurrence of hard ore, as a workable iron ore. After the Spanish-American War, the Spanish-American Iron Company, which was already operating mines at Daiquiri on the south coast of Santiago Province, began exploring for iron ore in the island, and deposit after deposit from Pinar de Rio Province, in the extreme west, to Santiago Province, in the extreme east, had been examined, with the almost invariable result of finding ore of excellent grade in isolated pockets, varying from a few tons to a few hundred thousand tons, and nearly always at a prohibitory distance from adequate trans- portation by land or sea. Moreover, the deposits of a few tons were numerous and those of a few hundred thousand tons were perhaps three in number. Every company that has opened mines in Cuba has been obliged to build its own railroad to tidewater, with shipping piers and terminal facilities, involving so large an expenditure that even the larger deposits found as a result of the above explorations were considered entirely insuffcient to justify their exploitation. This had been the experience of the Spanish-American Iron Company when, in January, 1904, it sent two of its engineers to the Mayari district to examine the hard ore to which attention had been called and samples of which, running over 50 per cent. iron, had been analyzed in the a 422 THE IRON AGE August 15, 1907 laboratory of the company at the Daiquiri mines. ‘The then taken of each six feet, the pits were superseded by hard ore occurs at several points on the plateau at the borings only, and the distance between these was in- source of the various streams where the water has creased to 300 and later to 400 and 500 meters. At first washed out the finer material and the ore has cemented into lumps and solid flat masses, composed almost en- tirely of shot-like particles cemented together. Mining claims were located at six such occurrences and four more Similar claims were subsequently added. 12 ft. was the maximum depth to which borings could be successfully made; but the system had so much to recommend it that it was continued and, after some ex- perimenting, the men became so expert that they were able to bore to bed rock in practically every case, borings =, Nuevitas yy’ TO. OE) NUEVITAS Ga SJiguani ( \ B Lonztitude Holguin Antitta f: \y © PTO. DE NIPE Moron Santiago de Cu -a — oye E s c wa Mayari Claims of sh American, Iron Co. P R. Raneret oa ay Oy et Cc Guantanamo La Maya ' Fig. 1.—-Map of the Eastern, or Oriente, Province of Cuba, Showing the Mayari Ore District on the North Coast and the Daiquiri Mines of the Spanish-American Iron Company on the South Coast. —~ ates 2.—Map of the Mayari District, Auger Borings. In March, 1904, the district was visited by President Charles F. Rand, with four other engineers, and analyses of the samples taken on this trip and during the prelimi- nary investigations showed that the surface ore was sub- stantially of the same quality as the so-called hard ore. This led to a systematic exploration of the country by pits 100 meters apart, with borings made with a 2-in. carpenter’s auger in the bottom of each pit. At first each foot of pit and borings was analyzed separately, but the ore proved of such uniform quality that samples were Antilla — ARROYO LANCO J ta MINE © from which the experimental cargoes were taken. Showing the Spanish American Iron Company’s Claims, the Railroad to Nipe Bay, and the Proposed Village of Felton on Cagimaya Key. Smink Mine Is Also Located. having been made to a depth of 51 ft. In all, 3030 bor- ings were made, and upwards of 15,000 analyses. Fig. 3 shows the withdrawing of the elongated auger in the taking of a sample. By this method a large area was covered rapidly. economically and with sufficient accuracy. The work of boring was further checked by shafts, tunnels and open cuts, but even before these were made it had become evident that practically the entire surface of the plateau was of the same character. The ten original claims were abandoned and a large claim, known as the Mayari August 15, 1907 THE and covering 12.575 acres, was located. To this were subsequently added 24 other claims, covering the entire plateau, and aggregating, with Mayari, 27,879 acres. The Extent of the Deposit, At an early stage in the explorations it was apparent that a very great tonnage of ore exists in this deposit. At certain points borings were made only 50 ft. apart, to IRON AGE 423 others the ore reaches a depth of 40 ft. or more, but in general the depth is reasonably uniform. A side of an open cut made in the Mesaba claim is shown in Fig. 4. A fair average depth over 18,525 acres is 15 ft., which, at 20 cu. ft. to the ton, gives 605,000,000 tons. The engineers of the company consider it not improbable that when every acre of the ore ground has been explored, this figure may be exceeded and regard it as certain that not ~ Fig. 3.—Prospect Boring on the Mayari Claim, Using 2-In. Augers and Extension Rods.—Drawing the Auger. Fig. 4. determine the topography of the underlying rock, with a view to the most economical working of the ore body: but the greater part of the later borings were spaced 1000 ft, apart. In this manner 10,000 acres were cov- ered in 1904 and 8500 acres in 1905. By July, 1904, over 53,000,000 tons was calculated as in sight. The earlier pits and borings reached a depth of 5 to 12 ft.. the bot- tom generally in ore; but all the 1995 work was carried to bed rock. No attempt was made to cover every acre of the ore ground, as an enormous tonnage was already sufficiently assured. The 1905 borings averaged 16.93 ft. in depth of ore. The underlying rock is serpentine, partly decomposed, ané@ in some places so soft that the auger will enter. This rock outcrops in a few places, and in Face of Ore in the Mesaba Claim. less than 500,000,000 tons of ore accessible for economical mining exists on the plateau. Quality of the Ore. The ore is generally a limonite, varying from dark red to yellow in The latter color is found at greater depth, but there is no difference in chemical analysis. Some analyses indicate the existence of hema- tite with limonite. About 5 per cent. of the borings are in material below 27 per cent. in iron and high in silica or alumina, or both. This can be avoided in mining. Omitting the above and also the borings which were made at intervals of 50 ft. at points where the ore was known to be 1 or 2 per cent. above the average, a rep- resentative general sample runs as follows: color. Samples. Per cent. Iron dried at 212 degrees I... .918 46.03 Se ea ee .918 5.50 EG Sk RG Seas lerta eh Mary woe ge wwe ele 889 10.33 SD: oi wicks vise Gielen 889 1.73 Phosphorus cat ako vache tacnce airpkiel a ic8 a et 889 0.015 CS chee ccicn > an Kole kios & 61 31.63 I alt eta ras Sein eae Ale © 37 13.62 The above may be regarded as correctly representing THE IRON AGE August 15, 1907 caused by the action of water and sun. These occur- rences while local will aggregate several million tons. Second, is the shot ore, which while forming a large total tonnage could not be mined separately, as it consists of from an inch to as much as a foot on the immediate sur- Finally, there is the great bulk of the deposit, which is an earth dark red, through light red to yellow in color. face. A View in the Open Cut in the Mesaba Claim, Showing of the Fig. 6. the quality of the ore. The uniformity of the deposit is shown by the following table: inalyses Per cent. SO Be DP WOE IE BIOIN g nxn one nic sie sinc oa sh apasnng eee 4 20 to 30 per cent. iron re Miia kid Sh Sied wep Ae bse ee & 2 30 to 40 per cent. iron.............. ‘ eens 8 oe 6 OD Oe SE Gr COE. BOG. onc nc ee Se Wer se cewesweeass 6 Above 4B per Cent, BOON. 6c ck 5c cece cccccewesecsenssees 82 TORRES wesc eceiceas Les baw ras baw en BENS Cow bee 100 Ninety-four per cent. is therefore regarded as wor.<- able ore. Physical Character. Physically the ore presents some noteworthy pecu- First, there is the hard ore already referred to, an agglomeration of the shot-like particles liarities. which is the Nature of the Underlying Rock. Ore Begins at the Roots Trees. The large percentage of hygroscopic moisture together with the high alumina contents gives a clay-like consist- ency to the entire mass. In shafts 20 ft. deep, which were sunk more than two years ago, the sides are still vertical and intact and every pick mark is still visible: this is also the case in the sides and roof of the tunnel. This is somewhat remarkable in view of the fact that the ore carries 45 per cent. of water. In the open cuts where the faces are exposed to the direct sun there has been some little caving. The Problems to Be Dealt With. It is evident that this Mayari deposit presents new features both mechanical and metallurgical, from the mining of the ore to the final rolling of the finished steel product. Its soft nature and blanket form invite the use August 15, 1907 of steam shovels, but its tenacity, amounting almost to stickiness, has made it necessary to design a new form of car for its transportation, as it will not tip from any known form of dump car. The high percentage of water contained make some sort of drying process indispensable as preliminary to shipment, to avoid paying freight and duty on water. The finely divided, almost dust like, character of the dried ore requires that this drying process shall go a step further and produce an agglomer- ated product in the form of clinker or bricks, to make it suitable for use in the furnace. The alumina content produces an unusual blast furnace slag and one which demands careful and intelligent operation. The chromium present, going into the pig iron, must be largely elimin- ated from the steel, and the characteristic behavior of the small remaining quantity of chromium in combination with varying percentages of carbon required to be studied in detail. By careful experiment, carried on in the past few years, it is stated that these various difficulties have all been solved, regard being had to the commercial aspect of the problem and the necessity of economical operation at all stages of the mining, transportation and treatment, in order that this ore may be turned into steel at a cost favorable to competition with any of the higher grade ores. The experiments with drying and clinkering plant and with the elimination of chromium in the steel making process have been carried on at the Sparrows Point and Steelton plants of the Pennsylvania Steel Company. For studying the ore by actual tests in the furnace and mills a large sample was necessary; but the difficulty of securing pack animals and the cost of transporting the quantity required over rough trails and roads by pack mules, and then by lighters for a total distance of 16 miles, were almost prohibitory. After some search a small deposit of ore, practically identical with the Mayari ore, was found within two and a half miles of Levisa Bay, just east of Nipe Bay. It is known as the Smink mine and is indicated on the map in Fig. 2. Over 5000 tons of this ore was shipped in three schooners and fur- nace runs were made and steel was manufactured. In Fig. 5 the loading of ore at the Smink mine is illustrated. In having the ore immediately at the surface, the Smink mine is typical of the entire Mayari deposit, as far as ex- plored. Fig. 6 shows the full depth of one cut in the Mayari deposit, from the roots of the trees to the ser- pentine rock. Transportation to Tidewater, Once the existence of a large ore body had been dem- onstrated the engineers of the company studied in detail the question of transportation and the best outlet to tide- water. Nipe Bay is the natural point of shipment and Cagimaya Key (Fig. 2), an island of about 3870 acres, separated from the main land by a narrow estuary, was finally fixed upon as the most suitable location for a rail- road terminal and docks. The plateau on which the ore is found drops off abruptly and from its foot to the sea, a distance of about 10 miles, the fall is only about 180 ft. The difference in elevation near the mines could not be overcome, therefore, by any railroad except a very long one, and the use of inclined plane cable roads in com- bination with a railroad was decided on. The Inclines. It is expected to mine the ore by steam shovels and load it into 5)-ton cars. These will be lowered by double- track, inclined cableroads to a yard two and one-half miles distant. Two separate inclines are contemplated, connected by 4000 ft. of level track. The inclines will be laid with 90 Ib. steel rails and operated by “ barney ” ears, running on a narrow-gauge track of 60-lb. rails, in- side the main track, The two barneys to which the main cable is to be attached will be connected by a tail rope running around a sheave at the base of the incline. T'wo cars will be lowered at a time, over a maximum grade of 25 per cent., and simultaneously two empty cars will be raised on the other track. The acceleration due to gravity is sufficient for the loaded cars to raise the empties, but powerful winding engines will be installed at the head of each incline to provide for rapid starting and better control. The main hoisting rope, 2% in. in THE IRON AGE 42 wr diameter, will be continuous from barney to barney, and pass around the drums of the winding engine in the usual manner. The smaller tail rope, connecting the rear ends of the two barneys, is for convenience in manipulat- ing them. At the foot of the incline the barney will drop into a pit and the loaded cars will run out over it to the yard track, while the empties to be hoisted on the next trip are fed by gravity past the barney-pit, to be picked up by the barney as it comes from the pit in its up trip. From the foot of the upper incline to the head of the lower, a locomotive will shift the cars over the 4000 ft. of intervening level track, but at the foot of the lower incline no locomotive is required, as, by an in- genious arrangement of yard tracks the loaded cars from either incline track will run off to the same yard track where they are coupled up into a train, while the empties in the yard feed in by gravity to either incline track. The inclines will have a capacity of 6000 to 8000 tons in 10 hours, and will be so arranged that the size of the rope may, when necessary, be increased to carry ears, thereby increasing the capacity 50 per cent. When further additional capacity is required the upper in- cline, which is 7000 ft. long, can be divided at about the center, and by the installation of a third winding engine there will be three inclines, thus increasing the total capacity by somewhat less thah an additional 50 per cent. The Bailroad to the Bock. From the foot of the lower inclive a railroad 13 miles long, with a maximum gradient of one-half of 1 per cent,, all grades favorable to the traftic and a maximum curva- ture of six degrees, will transport the ore in 39-car trains to the terminal town of Felton, on Cagimaya Key. The railroad, which is now under construction, is being laid with hardwood ties and 90-lb. rails, and heavily ballasted. All bridges, except a trestle across the narrow estuary which separates Cagimaya Key from the mainland, are to be of steel, culverts of concrete and drains of cast iron pipe. With the easy curvature, light grades and a sub- stantial track construction, the cost of operation of the railroad is expected to be low. Ore Drying Plant. At Felton, the tidewater island terminus, the ore will be dried and stockpiled for shipment. The ore cars will open on one side, and cranes will lift the entire car body off the trucks by the other side, so that the bottom of the car may, if necessary, be raised to a _ vertical position, and the ore will slide out into a long trough. From this trough it will be lifted by a 15-ton grab bucket, operated from a bridge or gantry, and stored or fed directly to the drying plant. The product of this plant will be carried by an electric transfer car to the storage for clinkered ore. This will be located with its main axis parallel to the shore line and as close thereto as conditions permit. The transfer car will deposit the dried ore in another trough from which a second bridge with a 15-ton grab will lift it for storage in a stock pile, or, by means of an extension boom reach- ing out over the water, load it from the pile into steam- ers lying along the water front close to the isiand. Harbor and Coal Unloading, A dredged channel, 3000 ft. long, 200 ft. wide and 28 ft. deep, will allow vessels to reach the shore line of the island, where a dredged basin will give 1000 ft. shore frontage and admit of turning the vessels. As the process of drying the ore requires a large amount of coal, all of which must be imported in steamers, provision for coal discharge and storage will be made along the 1000 ft. of deep water front. The coal will be discharged by unloading machines or a bridge similar to the ore bridge and stored in a pile near the shore and in continuation of the ore pile. The cranes, bridges and unloading devices will all be electrically operated, and an electric power and lighting plant, together with machine, blacksmith, boiler and car- penter shops, foundry and terminal railroad yards, forms part of the installation at the Felton terminal. Mining and Shipping Villages, Both at the mines and at Felton, villages will be re- quired for superintendents, clerks, mechanics, trainmen, three 20 THE IRON foremen and laborers, as no settlement exists nearer than the town of Mayari, about half way between the mines and the bay. As the greater part of the labor will be more or less skilled, a large number of small houses will be required and very few of the barracks usual in the mines in Cuba. The great size of the ore deposit and the consequent permanent nature of the work will permit a substantial class of construction, both for working plant and dwell- ings. The villages will be provided with water, light and a sewerage system. The situation of Felton, on a level island, 15 ft. above the bay, and that of the mining vil- lage, in the pines, and commanding from its elevation of 1600 to 1700 ft. a splendid view of the Mayari valley, five bays and the ocean beyond, both lend themselves to a treatment from the view point of landscape engineering. On the plateau the elevation is such that the climate is favorable for the continuous working of the mines. The nights are so cool as to make blankets a necessity.. At the dock terminal of the railroad employment will also be given the workmen continuously, unlike the Lake Superior ports, which are closed five months of the year by ice. Timber. The pine timber on the plateau extends over the entire 27,000 acres of the ore lands, with the exception already noted of a few patches of hardwood timber. Near the edge of the high land it is coarse grained with little heart and practically worthless for lumber. The remainder is workable timber, running a little over 5000 ft. board measure to the acre. The trees are small, running 12 to 16 in. in diameter, with a few up to 24in. The hight runs about 50 ft. to the first branch. There are probably some- thing over 100,000,000 ft. of timber on the property. Lumbering operations will be carried on simultaneously with those of mining, as timber must be felled and re- moved ahead of the steam shovels. Production. The daily production of ore at present in view is 2500 tons of dried ore, which involves the mining and trans- portation to tidewater of about 4500 tons of crude ore daily. The inclines, railroads, drying plant and shipping facilities will have a capacity and equipment largely in excess of this requirement and, while ample provision has been made for their extension, this is not likely to be re- quired, except in the case of the drying plant and ship- ping devices for some years to come. E. C. Felton, president of the Pennsylvania Steel Company, in his recent letter to the company’s bankers says that he believes the Mayari properties constitute a very considerable and welcome addition to the world’s available supply of iron ore, and an asset of great value to the Pennsylvania Steel Company. Personnel, Those who are responsible for bringing about the re- sults detailed above are Charles F. Rand, president of the Spanish-American Iron Company; Jennings 8S. Cox, Jr., general manager; George W. Pfeiffer, general super- intendent; Pedro Aguilera, George A. Wright, S. A. Bar- ratt and E. M. Holmes, mining engineers, and A. C. Reed, chief engineer of that company. The property has been visited and examined several times by E. C. Felton, pres- ident of the Pennsylvania Steel Company; Frank Tenney, assistant to the president; F. W. Wood, president of the Maryland Steel Company, and H. H. Campbell, metallur- gical engineer; also by F. C. Smink, president of the Reading Iron Company, Reading, Pa. The metallurgical problems have been worked out under the direction of F. W. Wood, H. H. Campbell, J. W. Dougherty and Frank D. Carney. ; . —_—__»--e A 4000-hp. electric locomotive has just been completed by the Westinghouse Electric & Mfg. Company, of Pitts- burgh, Pa., designed to suit the conditions in the Penn- sylvania tunnels under New York City. Between the tunnels and outside levels it will be necessary to estab- lish mountain: grades on which the traffic must be handled at high speed. This calls for a locomotive more powerful than heretofore built of any type. In the pre- liminary tests alternating current was taken from over- head conductors at 11,000 volts, single phase. AGE August 15, 1907 Bethlehem Special Shapes. A 40-page, pocket size pamphlet, just issued by the Bethlehem Steel Company, South Bethlehem, Pa., is de- voted to this company’s special structural shapes for buildings and bridges. Details are given of Bethlehem special I-beams, rolled girder beams and rolled H-col- umns of open hearth steel. The characteristics of the Bethlehem special shapes rolled by the Grey universal beam mill were described at some length in the article dealing with the new Grey universal mills at South Bethlehem, which appeared in The Iron Age of Novem- ber 1, 1906, page 1142. These mills are now about com- plete and ready for operation. The tables in the new pamphlet give the following information: Weights, dimensions, areas and structural properties of minimum sections of girder beams; of the special I-beams usually rolled, ranging from 8 to 24 in. in depth; of H-column sections for all the variations in size that are rolled; also the safe uniformly distributed load in tons on Bethlehem beams for a maximum fiber stress of 16,000 Ib. per square inch. The minimum sections of the special I-beams from 8 to 24 in. in depth have the same section modulus and coefficient of strength as the minimum sections of American standard beams of the same depth, but it is stated that in view of the more economic distribution of metal between the web and flange areas the Bethlehem special beams weigh 10 per cent. less than the corresponding standard section. It is stated, for example, that a Bethlehem special I-beam 15 in. deep weighing 54 lb. per foot, has a coefficient of strength of 868,100. The corresponding American stand- ard section is a 15-in. I-beam weighing 60 Ib. per foot. with a coefficient of strength of 866,100, so that for equal strength the Bethlehem beam weighs 6 Ib. per foot less than the American shape, or a saving of 10 per cent. in weight. Instead of the horizontal grooved rolls of the usual beam mill the Grey mill has horizontal and ver- tical rolls forming the web and flanges of a beam by combined rolling operations acting at right angles. To quote from the pamphlet: Webs of the usual standard beams are much thicker than required for am economical section. It is not practical to re- duce the web thickness in the ordinary mill, but with the Grey mill the web can be reduced to the desired thickness. By adding part of the metal thus saved to the flanges, the strength of the section is maintained, resulting in a lighter section for the same strength. Heretofore the largest beam rolled in this country has been 24 in. deep, weighing 100 lb. per foot, having a section modulus of 198. Whenever a greater section modulus was re- quired a riveted girder was necessary. Bethlehem beams range to a maximum size of 30 in. deep, weighing 200 Ib. per foot, with a section modulus of 610, which is more than three times the strength of the largest beam previously rolled. The field for the use of rolled beams in place of riveted girders is thereby increased "more than ‘threefold. Emphasis is laid upon the fact that as compared with riveted sections wide flange beams rolled on the Grey mill can be used for a variety of purposes with economy in weight, or with a saving in the cost of fabrication and in some cases both. ———_»--o—__—_ The Dutiability of Ground Corundum.—A sharp con- troversy has arisen between certain importers of ground corundum ana the customs officials over the question as to whether this product is entitled to free entry as “ sand, crude or manufactured,” or is liable to duty at the rate of 1 cent per pound by similitude to ground emery. In a decision by the United States Circuit Court for the dis- trict of Vermont, as noted in The Iron Age of August 8, corundum is held to be dutiable, but the importers have advised the department that an appeal will be taken to the Circuit Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. If the state of the record in this case will permit the Gov- ernment will endeavor in the Circuit Court of Appeals to put forth the alternative contention that if the simili- tude clause does not apply in this case corundum is not necessarily free of duty as sand, but is subject to the provision of section 6 of the tariff act, which levies a rate of 10 per cent ad valorem on “ unenumerated un- manufactured articles” and of 20 per cent. on unenu- merated manufactured articles.” August 15, 1907 Charts from the Brown Speed Recorder. In The Iron Age, April 4, 1906, a description was given of the new recording revolution indicator made by Ed- ward Brown & Son, 311 Walnut street, Philadelphia, Pa. One of the principal uses of this instrument is the tak- ing of a continuous record of the speed of blast furnace blowing engines, and in that work it is being found very useful. The records from blowing engines herewith reproduced in reduced facsimile afford an interesting commentary on the existing conditions. Fig. 1 shows a chart from a recording revolution indicator connected with a blowing engine at an eastern Pennsylvania furnace. It will be noticed that the number of revolutions per minute fluctuates several revolutions at times. The hour or minute at which the engine has been slowed down or stopped is also clearly shown. Fig. 2, a record made at the Youngstown Steel Company, Youngstown, Ohio, shows an excellent condition of affairs, as the steam driven blast furnace blowing engine was kept at very closely constant speed, the speed seldom varying over a quarter of a rev- olution except when the engine was stopped. A chart taken from an instrument used in connection with a gas driven blowing engine of a well-known type at the Park Gate Iron & Steel Company, Rotherham, Eng., is shown in Fig. 3. It is evident from this that the number of revolutions of a gas blowing engine is subect to very sudden and great fluctuations, a feature which walt THE IRON NO Rs AGE +> Ww ~ Smooth-On Iron Cements. The Smooth-On Mfg. Company, Jersey City, N. J.. furnishes the following description of its products: The chemical iron compound named Smooth-On was first made in 1893 by Vreeland Tompkins, a chemical stu- dent and graduate of Rutgers College. The object sought Was a compound that could be easily applied to cracks and holes in iron to make permanent repairs. To fill this purpose satisfactorily, the compound must metalize prac- tically as hard as iron. It must expand while metalizing, so as completely to fill any opening into which it is intro- duced and also force itself into the grain of the iron. When metalized it must expand and contract the same as iron. After two years of experimenting this was accom- plished, and the compound was invented which forms the base or starting point for the different Smooth-On cements. It was first prepared only in powder form and used by mixing with water to the consistency of stiff putty and immediately applied to cold metal. In a few hours it be- came as hard as the iron, with the same color and ap- pearance and the same power of expansion and contrac- tion. This cement, while very useful where small amounts were required, necessitated the hurrying of the work. when handling large quantities, to get through be- fore the cement became too stiff. By further experiments a solvent was found that would evaporate upon the appli- eation of heat, and this has enabled Smooth-On to be pre- pared and kept in paste or fluid form, until wanted for w 6AM. Fig. 1. Fig. 2. Fig. 3. ‘i Charts from Brown Recording Revolution Indicators Connected with Blast kurnace Blowing Engines. is not favorable in the operation of blast furnaces, Ac- use. This greatly enlarged the use of the cement, as it cording to the record illustrated a fluctuation of as much as 10 rev. per min. occurs at intervals of every few minutes, except for a space of several hours, during which time the speed did not vary a revolution. It is difficult to give a reason for such a peculiar record, un- less the conditions in England are greatly different from those in this country. The company makes recording revolution indicators with charts adapted to German requirements, and one of them is in use at a well-known German plant upon a gas blowing engine. It has been necessary to make some slight changes in the design of the instrument to suit the conditions in Germany, but this has not affected the suc- cessful use of the recorder. The instrument, as explained in the issue containing its description, makes use of the action of centrifugal force. A body of mercury contained in a central chamber is thrown outward and upward into hollow revolving arms by an amount proportional to the speed at which the arms are revolved. A float resting on the mercury is connected to a pen arm, which traces a line on the chart. the latter being driven by clockwork. These instruments have heretofore been furnished with a chart 6% in. in diameter, but are now being manufactured with an 8-in. chart, making it possible to use wider divisions. It is not to be construed from the foregoing that the instrument is only adapted to blast furnace engines, for its successful application is quite as possible to all kinds of engines, machines, dynamos and motors where a record of the revolutions or speed is desirable. may now be applied to hot or cold metal. There are six Smooth-On preparations, each made for a special purpose, as follows: Smooth-On for foundrymen, the first Smooth-On iron cement made, for removing blemishes from iron or steel castings, and used for such purposes by the largest iron and steel manufacturing concerns throughout the world; compound for engineers, for making repairs on steam or hydraulic work, when the application can be made to cold metal; joints, for making joints on cast iron hub joint pipes; elastic cement, in fluid or paste form, for running into very small cracks, holes or seams; sheet packing, a combination of Smooth-on iron cement and rubber, which completely fills any uneven places in the flanged faces, making a perfect joint in- stantly; coated corrugated steel gaskets, made from specially prepared, mild, tough steel, stamped with con- centric corrugations and then coated with Smooth-On elastic iron cement, joints thus made not being affected by steam, water, oil, air or ammonia. ——»~- oe At a recent meeting of the Institution of Civil Engineers, of England, details were given of the speed and coal consumption of the turbine steamer Virginian of the Allan Line, running between Liverpool and Mont- real. In a series of voyages it has averaged 17.2 to 17.65 knots at an estimated power of 12,700 i.l.p. The aver- age coal consumption was 1.30 lb. per i.h.p. for the pro- pelling machinery alone, 1.42 lb. including the auxiliary machinery, and 1.507 Ib., including also the electric light machinery. The Goodman Electric Locomotive for Iron Mines. Electric haulage of cars in iron mines imposes condi- tions somewhat different from those met in other classes of mining service. To meet these peculiar conditions a special iron mining locomotive has been developed by the Goodman Mfg. Company, Chicago, and Fig. 1 herewith shows the appearance of the machine as built to 24-in. track gauge. In several ways the design and construction of this locomotive are unique. The main distinguishing feature is the use of a single motor, its armature lying length- wise between the wheels and geared to both axles. the four Thus wheels are constrained to work together as a THE IRON AGE August 15, 1907 nion in the frame, concentric with the center line of the motor armature. One-half of the weight of the locomo- tive is transmitted through this trunnion to the second pair of wheels. This permits independent movement of the four wheels to accommodate all irregularities of track surface. Such flexibility is of advantage, not only for maximum driving contact, but also in reduction of liabili- ty to derailment. Moreover, the equal distribution of weight to four wheels reduces to a minimum the pressure per unit of track length and thus relieves in a measure the severity of the service on the track itself. The locomotive is symmetrical in design, built entirely within the breadth limits set by the track wheels them- selves, and has the great preponderance of its weight concentrated between the axles. Thus the locomotive may be operated in the narrowest haulageways; it is Fig. 2. A Pian View of the Uncovered Working Parts. unit of driving power. This arrangement gives greater starting and hauling power, due to the fact that no whee! ean slip until they all slip—a desirable condition, im- possible of attainment in locomotives which, like street ears, have the axles driven independently motors. Fig. 2 shows the arrangement of working parts in a locomotive of this type turned on its side. This view also illustrates the accessibility of the parts, which are uncovered, as indicated in this engraving, by simply lift- ing off the top magnet casting or motor shell, after re- moving the brake bar and gear cases. Another feature of importance in a locomotive designed to operate on tracks roughly laid and of comparatively temporary character is the provision of flexible wheel base, such that there may be an equal distribution of track-wheel pressure for good driving contact at all times. Flexibility in this locomotive is secured by an application of the three-point principle of suspension. Two points are two of the wheels, their axles turning in fixed bear- ings on the locomotive frame; the third point is a trun- by separate The Single-Motor Electric Locomotive for Iron Mining Service Built by the Goodman Mtg. Company, Chicago. much easier to get around and safer for men to pass than is a locomotive of greater width. The wheels, being at the outside, facilitate replacing on the track in case of derailment, this work being done with the ordinary wreck- ing frogs and the locomotive’s own power, and also the brake-shoes are more accessible and, therefore, very easily and quickly renewed. The design of this locomotive makes it admirably adapted to double-end control, the motor being carried be- tween the two axles and occupying no space beyond them. Double-end control has a number of substantial advan- tages. The motorman, since he can always keep a posi- tion between the locomotive and the trip, is within easy reach of the coupling pin between the locomotive and the first car, so that he may do at least a portion of the switching. The motorman faces always ahead and does not have to twist around in his seat to observe the track before him. The trolley pole, located midway between the axles, brings the trolley wheel and rope always within easy reach of the motorman, who can, therefore, prevent the trolley wheel from leaving the wire in many cases when it otherwise would when beyond his reach half the time on a single-end locomotive. Under such cir- cumstances the motorman may operate with greater con- fidence and run at higher speed. All parts being accessible from above, no pit is re- quired in the motor house, and all work on the locomotive is done in good light and to best advantage. The wiring from end to end is placed in a special duct provided in the main frame casting, sealed in with insulating com- pound and protected by a steel cover. Simplicity is a notable characteristic of the construc- Since there is only one motor, there is only one tion. August 15, 1907 armature, with two field coils and two sets of brush holders. These few parts are all large and substantial, because the motor is large, providing power, as it does, for the entire locomotive. Under the conditions of operation in mines there are very important advantages in a ma- chine which consists of a small number of large parts as opposed to one having a greater number of parts rela- tively small. The more simple construction minimizes the expense of maintenance and increases the reliability. The longitudinal position of the armature gives plenty of room, even on narrow-gauge tracks, for parts of gen- erous dimensions, thus permitting the use of a broad commutator, long armature journals, ample axle bearings, and wide-face driving gears. The construction also makes it practical to bolt the spur gears directly to the driving wheels, thus reducing the tortional strains on the axles as compared to the construction wherein the gears are keyed to the axles themselves. No sanding of tracks being required in an iron mine where the rails are constantly sprinkled with ore, sand boxes are not provided on this locomotive, and this omis- sion gives increased room for the motorman in the cabs. Special provisions are made for protection of work- ing parts against the cutting action of the ore; the gears are fully incased and the bearings are fitted with dust caps. Radial or swinging drawbars are provided, so as to facilitate going around curves of short radii without the danger of cramping or derailment. The locomotive illus- trated is one of four furnished during the past few months to the Oliver Iron Mining Company for use at Ely, Minn. The track gauge is 24 in., the hight 40 in., the extreme breadth 36 in., the wheel base 38 in. and the wheels themselves 28 in. in dia