The Iron Age 1908-01-16: Vol 81 Iss 3

TH Published every Thursday Morning ON AGE David Williams Co., by 14-16 Park Place, New York. Vol. 81: No, 3 Reading .Watter Contents page 250 Alphabetical index to Advertisers ‘‘ 207 Classified List of ‘Advertisers “197 Cirortioteg and Bubsoription Rates ‘‘ 206) New York, Thursday, January 16, 1908. REED F. BLAIR & C0. PRICK BUILDING, PITTSBURG, PA. STANDARD CONNELLSVILLE COKE FURNACE FOUNDRY CRUSHED Co. The American-Mfg. Ropes and Twines 65 Wall Street, New York BRISTOL'S Steel Belt Lacing 266 © 6 es orrns. SAVES Time, Belts, Money. Greatest Strength with Least Metal Send for Circu- lar QO and Free FINISHED JOINT Samples , THE BRISTOL CO., Waterbury, Sonam NEw YorK and Cu1caGo READY TO APPLY Samson Spot Cord is the best sash cerd at any price. Phoenix Sash Cord is better than most and as theap as any. We make both, and everything else in the line of braided cord. SAMSON CORDAGE WORKS, Boston, Mass. TURNBUCHKLES ele Cleveland City Forge and iron Co., - Cleveland, O. TORN BVCHRiUES. Mae i cs vena Mill Cinder Brooklyn. E. D.. N.Y. Girard Building, Phila. Pilling & Crane Machesney Bld., Pitts’g Empire Bid., New York ‘TAPES | JTUFAIN and RULES ADE IN AMERICA THE BEST " THE WORLD | nd THE LUFKIN RULE Co. Saginaw, Mich. U.S.A. New York, London, Eng., Windsor, Can. There may be some sub- stitute for HIGH QUALITY —but so far it has not been discovered. See AMERICAN SHEET & TIN PLATE COMPANY’S Ad. on Page 16. $8 00 a Year, including Postage. Single Copies, 15 Cents. The Shooter’s Comfort was the prominent thought of the in- ventor of the Remington Autoloading Shotgun. A large steel spring con- sumes the recoil and prevents bruised shoulders. A solid steel breech is absolute protection to the face. In addition, this modern and perfected wild fowl gun is a repeater of five shots, which loads itself. If you don't carry ‘the modern gun for the modern hunter,” send for catalogue and particulars, Shooters want it, List price $40. Remington Arms Company Write to M. Hartley Company, Sole Representative, 313-315 Broadway, New York City. WATER TUBE Ghe Babcock @ Wilcox Co. BOILERS — 85 Liberty Street New ¥Yors | WHEN IT’S a QUESTION of PROFITS People Are Inclined to be Interested q Hardware Dealers find ‘Capewell’”’ nails the most profitable to handle. Horseshoers and Horse Owners believe them to be the most eco- nomical to use. ‘ @ The great volume of “Capewell” sales throughout the country attracts Merchants. The abso- lute reliability and superior qualities of “‘Capewell’’ nails satisfies Shoers and Owners. MADE BY THE CAPEWELL HORSE NAIL CO., Hartford, Conn. Excelsior Straightway Back-Pressure Valve has a full, unobstructed passage through it nearly in line with the pipe, and therefore offers no resistance to the free flow of steam. Thoroughly reliable when used as a back pressure valve, it is also adapted for use as a relief or free exhaust valve for condensers. By changing position of outside lever, it will work equally well in a vertical or horizontal position. JENKINS BROS., New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, London. “OWBOON” GOld ROMO St6e! cet es Drang 2% btamping celled for THE AMERICAN TUBB & STAMPING COMPANY SEB ( Water and Rail Delivery) PAGE BRIDGEPORT, CONN, MAGNOLIA enaiciion METAL The Standard Babbitt of the Worid We manufacture Babbitt MAGNOLIA METAL CO, New York: 115 Bank St. Chicago: Fisher Building, Montreal: 31 St. Nicholas St. THE IRON AGE BRASS} "2 os COPPER: SHEET ROD GERMAN SILVER WIRE LOW BRASS, SHEET BRONZE, SEAMLESS BRASS AND COPPER TUBING, BRAZED BRASS AND BRONZE TUBING ee RRS a LARGE STOCK ENAMELING STEEL WRITE DEP’T. S FOR STOCK SHEET SHOWING GAUGES and SIZES READY FOR IMMEDIATE DELIVERY FOLLANSBEE BROTHERS COMPANY PITTSBURGH Sew * a WIRE WATERBURY, CONN. 99 John St., New York. Providence, R. 1. & Metal Co. BRIDGEPORT, CONN. Phosphor and Deoxidized Bronze Composition, Yellow Brass and Alumi« num Castings, large and small Matthiessen & Hegeler Zinc Co. La Salle, Illinois. SMELTERS OF SPELTER AND MANUFACTURERS SHEET ZINC AND SULPHURIC ACID Special Sizes of Zinc cut to order. Rolled Battery Plates. Selected Plates for Etchers and Lithographers’ use. Selected Sheets for Paper and Card Makers’ use. Stove and Washboard Blanks. ZINCS FOR LECLANCHE BATTERY. BEL NN i arrest HU 105 -109 So, Jefferson St... Chicago. NaS Ge SORIA SEL EC GR uLaC UR Sa yee VICES: UT HHHPA TI paneer GERMAN SILVER | NICKEL ANovEs | Brass, Bronze, and Copper THE SEYMOUR MFG. CO. SEYMOUR, CONN. HENDRICKS BROTHERS Belleville Copper Rolling Mills, Manufacturers of Braziers’ Bolt and Sheathing COPPER COPPER WIRE AND RIVETS Importers and Dealers in Ingot Copper, Block Tin, Spelter, Lead, Antimony, etc. 49 CLIFF ST., NEW YORH. Proprietors of the : | THOM ASTON, CONN. Waterbury Brass Co. Bridgeport Deoxidized Brome | The Plume & Atwood Mfg. Co. Manufacturers of Sheet and fol Brass WIRE Printers’ Brass, Jewelers’ Metal, German Silver and Gilding Metal, Copper Rivets and Burrs Pins, Brass Butt Hinges, Jack Chain Kerosene Bu rners, Lamps, Lamp Trimmings, &c. 279 Broadway, NEW YORK Room 508 Heyworth oy a Madi- son St., CHICAGO, Rolling Mill Factories WATERBURY, CONN. SCOVILL MFG. CO. MANUFACTURERS BRASS, GERMAN " SILVER, Sheets, Rolls, Wire Rods, Bolts and Tubes, Brass Shells, Cups, Hinges, Buttons, Lamp Goods, Special Brass Goods to Order. FACTORIES: WATERBURY, CONN. DEPOTS: NEW YORK CHICAGO BOSTON HenrySouther Engineering Co, HARTFORD, CONN. Consulting Chemists, Metallur- gists and Analysts. Complete Physical Testing Laboratory. Expert Testimony in Court and Patent Cases. Arthur T. Rutter & 60. 256 Broadway NEW YORK Small tubing in Brass, Copper, Steel, Aluminum, German Silver, &c. Sheet Brass, Copper and German Silver. Copper, Brass and German Silver Wire. Brazed and Seamless Brass and Copper Tube. Copper and Brass Rod. “Search-Light”’ GAS Bicycle Lanterns Send for Circulars and Electrotypes. The BRIDGEPORT BRASS CO. BRIDGEPORT, CONN. Postal Telegraph Bullding, Broadway Murray Street, NEW YORK PHOSPHOR-BRONZE GERMAN SILVER innit eiaetienieniinetamemteinntetenntntll THE RIVERSIDE METAL Co. RIVERSIDE, N. J. , MARA om THE IRON AGE New York, Thursday, January 16, 1908. The Sheldon Retort Coke Oven and Process. AR IR aw [Lieaary of CONGHT Ss ! Two Copies Recaiy.. JAN 17 1908 CopyPain ciary CLASS AAG. A COPY 8, enc onto A Chamber for Precoking and the Coal Under Compression During the Coking Operation. BY S. B. SHELDON, BUFFALO.* In the last few years the commercial aspect of the manufacture of coke for blast furnace purposes has been forced to the attention of both the pig iron producer and the coke manufacturer with ever increasing acuteness. The technical good quality of the so-called Connellsville coke, which we used to hear so much of, has ceased to be anything but pleasant fiction, except in the case of a few specific operations that have been conserved by cer- = mS ab u LLL (ia ho What the New Process Proposes, Of any number of processes for the manufacture of a given article, if the quality remains the same with each, it becomes a matter of simple commercial computation to know which to adopt. This appears to be true of prac- tically every commodity on earth except the very neces- sary and, to put it mildly, disappointingly variable ma- terial called coke, which is so largely the basis of the + suaubuee: WANA VIN SR. 1 EEE SS \} * * + | Bu / ESCAPE! HOLE tif a mast iE SSS HN SS ae 3 SS iH LET LTTE $ ek SSSSSSSSSY47/| EA a SIN SSSSSSSSSSy b Roth SSS SSNS tet LL = SA ane Pitt = SSSSSSS Li SSS —- SSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSS WIE SSSSNSSNINISVESISG: i Ne — eS 3 SI 3 SSS Re SSS oe Unt ti Sv > >>s Sap rays LS b> >>> RSS pee Pe Skt VITA SSS Pe MMPI ET fps LI AJGAA 7 ey VAApp Ag dsddiitdt Vi; Sion BORD BP LISA SPAS LEA DLLSIITSSS WZ. ror rahe Cag KX KK 7 "uated SSE I OEE y We Z Gye Ue, GI tis GG OE foe TUE: ou CLL a add CALM CMe GE a Aaa a RJ Ganrans ‘ RQ Z--| L SS Ny SY HA = TH os Al Ti LIC Tih BepAL IT T ieee C222 i eA oe Arto Lk Te Ze a oe EN : B eee te ee PPLE ALLA NN iA Cdk NSS 4 io i A AGI E- e 3 i . =H CE EERE B SI + ‘pn SoRR sai SLE . ZEEE ITE RK 15-5 Fig. 1—The Sheldon Retort Coke Oven in Section, One Half Through the Coking Chamber and the Other Half Through the Flue System. tain of the large producing companies for special uses. The tendency for a number of years has been toward deterioration in the physical quality, from the tremen- dous pressure brought to bear upon production, and on account of increasing sulphur and ash, and in many cases phosphorus, owing to change in the character of the coal as mining has proceeded. Relief is to be found in a process which will conserve the coal supply and produce a larger yield of merchantable coke from a given tonnage of raw material, which means a lower loss in conversion, this in turn giving a lower percentage of phosphorus, sulphur and ash than the more wasteful process. If at the same time this process makes available for use and for sale valuable by-products which are now thrown away in the production of a vast majority of our coke, it must of necessity take precedence over one which offers a less theoretical commercial advantage. * General superintendent of the Lackawanna Steel Company. iron industry. It is not the intention in this article to go into the discussion of the wherefore of good or bad coke from this or that process, but rather to make a gen- eral commercial comparison between the merits of the beehive and retort ovens, and to suggest an oven and process which appear to solve a large number of techni- cal difficulties in the manufacture of coke. This process, which is almost revolutionary, at the same time offers possibilities of commercial return and regularity of prod- uct, with the elimination of a considerable amount of operating complication, in a more logical manner than any similar device which has been placed on the market in recent years. The figures quoted should not be con- sidered as statistically accurate, but are cited in a gen- eral way for a comparison of the beehive and retort processes, and the article is written with the idea that a large proportion of those who read it are familiar with many details of both. In developing the new process two 198 things were kept in mind: The commercial needs of the producer of coke, whose path has certainly not been one of roses, in view of the labor situation of the last three years at least, and also the technical requirements of blast furnace managers, upon whom the burden finally falls, and who, it must be admitted, have been patient in long suffering. Beginnings of the Retort Oven. The beehive oven came into existence about 1750 in England, and in 1835 in the United States. In this coun- try at least it has marched down the commercial high- way, brushing aside all competitors—really having little within the last four years. or no competition until -About 1856 the first retort oven was_ introduced in Europe, and it has progressed to such an extent that for many years coke in Germany has been synonymous with by-product coke. While the old process has maintained its supremacy in this country, its com- % : R ——— ey boy) E> Ee h~ corr EE << SS 0177, SSH 9995 THE IRON WL KLIZZZZZZZZZZD JA Ronn SS AGE January 16, 1908 lows that it must be commercially desirable at other points or its erection would cease. Possibie Saving on the Pennsylvania Output, The production of beehive coke in Pennsylvania in the year 1907 was probably over 20,000,000 tons. If we esti- mate the cost of this coke and that of an equivalent amount made ina retort oven, with by-product recovery, at the present price of coal, sulphate of ammonia and of gas at Pittsburgh, we find that it has cost about $15,000,000 more than it would to produce it in retort ovens. This estimate has taken into consideration a probable decrease in the price of sulphate, and the value of the tar has been neglected, in order to compensate for the probable Tter } | | } tf 7s > Vy \ tu ' | fi wujatala Se pat ecz a? & Fig. 3.—Plan View Showing General Arrangement of the System. petitor has superseded it in Germany in a comparatively short time. In 1894 the Cambria Steel Company installed at Johnstown, Pa., a battery of retort ovens. The plant has been steadily added to, until now practically all the com- pany’s coke is made by this process. The use of retort ovens in the United States since the original installation at Cambria has so extended that in 1907 the production was, approximately, 5,000,000 tons of coke by this process, or probably 20 to 25 per cent. of the total produced in the State of Pennsylvania. The retort oven has forced its way to the front thus far in the face of high installation cost, as compared with that of a plant for an equivalent output from beehive ovens, and also in the face of a de- cided prejudice on the part of the average furnaceman against retort or by-product coke. It must be self-evi- dent that its use in Europe must be commercially success- ful, otherwise new installations would cease. It is evi- dent also that this method of manufacture is satisfactory to the pioneers of the process in this country, and it fol- decrease in selling price if such a large quantity of sul- phate were placed on the market as would result from the production of the tonnage of coke referred to above. This is permissible, since the minimum value of the tar pro- duced would be equal to a corresponding number of pounds of coal for fuel purposes, and actually would be considerably greater. The figures indicate in a general way the relative economic conditions. It has been demonstrated time and again in this country that a ton of by-product coke will make as much iron in the same furnace, from the same ores, as will a ton of average beehive coke. Exceptions may be taken to this statement, but it is a fact, and is well known to those who have impartially investigated both sides of the question. We have, then, a somewhat incongruous state of affairs—namely, a crude, wasteful method successfully competing with one having economies never claimed for the old process, and which produces under certain conditions an article equivalent in quality. It would seem a pertinent question to ask why this waste January 16, 1908 is still allowed to go on, and why the larger portion of our coke is still made as in the days of our greatgrandfathers, with the same, or, in most cases, a larger waste. It is not sufficient to pass the question by with the answer that because of our plethora of raw material, we have not yet reached the economic state, where maximum economies are desirable or necessary. Neither would the assertion that the cost of the investment per unit of product is prohibitive satisfactorily answer the question. It is taken for granted that the inherent theoretical economies of the retort process are accepted without question. Why Not More Retort Ovens, Some other reason why retort ovens long ago have not driven the more poorly equipped competitor from the market must be looked for. As a matter of fact, the argu- ments are many and varied. In the opinion of the writer, they can be summarized as follows: 1. The fact that very few people in this country thor- oughly understand the rationale of both processes. For instance, there are many who are skilled in the art of manufacture of coke in a beehive oven who know prac- tically nothing of even the mechanical side of the retort oven, to say nothing of the chemical side thereof. There are others who are builders of this or that type of oven whose conception of the merits of their own device is possibly of a higher order than may be realized when subjected to the rigorous demands of commercial opera- tion. 2. There has always been a veil of mystery surround- ing the manufacture of retort coke, which has not tended to increase the use of the higher grade machine. 3. The retort oven costs more money to erect. 4. Possibly the crucial reason is the fact that while a larger range of coals may be coked in a retort oven than in a beehive oven, with unquestionably greater efficiency both as to quality and cost, yet it is not a machine for universal use in the present state of the art, for the fol- lowing reasons: a. It is very difficult to make satisfactory blast fur- nace coke out of coal that runs over 28 per cent. in vola- tile constituents; and it so happens that the majority of those who might be attracted to the commercial side of the retort process, unfortunately for both themselves and the process, possess coal which will make a brittle coke in a retort oven. b. The retort oven is a relatively complicated, high cost machine, in the operation of which a considerable degree of technical skill is required as well as executive ability. The product is susceptible to the personal equa- tion not only of the superintendent, but of every man who is concerned in the manipulation of the oven. Essentials of a Retort Oven. Refined as the retort process is by comparison with the beehive, there is still much to be desired as to the mechanical operation. As far as the selection of the type of machine is concerned, it would appear that this should be the simplest part of the proposition if viewed from the standpoint of one about to purchase an ordinary regenerative furnace. Stripped of its mystery, a retort oven in its elements is a simple type of furnace wherein to heat coal. Like all furnaces for any specific purpose, it has certain functions to fulfill to be commercially per- missible. The first of these must be even distribution of heat throughout its entire length. Without this feature no satisfactory coke can be made. If a part of the oven runs cold and part hot, there will be finished coke in one place and unfinished coke in another, resulting in a varia- ble mass in the length of the oven. The apparatus should be substantial and durable, with as few complications as possible, both structural and operative. It should be built of brick of as nearly stand- ard shapes as possible. and it should be cheap. These considerations are not usually given sufficient weight in the selection of an oven. It is a common expression that this or that specific type makes good or bad coke out of the same kind of coal. The fact is that there is no oven on the market, either in this country or abroad, that cannot be made to produce good coke; neither is there any oven which will not produce bad coke from coals THE IRON AGE 199 within the range of the process. A large number of the ovens on the market are structurally inadmissible. An- other class does not give a satisfactory distribution of heat, although it is only fair to say of this latter kind that all of them can be made to produce satisfactory coke in the hands of skilled operators. Those of still another class, while they possess the necessary and desirable fea- tures of such a machine, are unduly expensive to con- struct and are imperative in their demands for space, creating in some cases an objectionable and expensive delivery of coke on the discharge side of the oven, and their complicated structure renders safe the prediction of early and frequently recurring repairs. Features of the Sheldon Oven, In view of these conditions, the writer has been prompted to devote some thought to the improvement of the retort process, having in mind the possible economies and the necessity for some economic change in the man- ufacture of coke in this country, as we with such rapidity approach the conditions of our European competitors in depleted fuel reserves of the higher quality. This leads to a consideration of the oven and process upon which patents have recently been granted the writer. The oven is shown in Fig. 1, the cut representing a broken section longitudinally of the oven, one-half being through the coking chamber and the other half through the flue system. The burners are shown at AA. The interior burner is made up of hollow brick provided with shoulders, making a male and female joint which may be clayed up and made gas tight. This burner lies loosely in the floor of the combustion chamber as shown. It is very evident then that the gas passes up through eight flues at a time in place of 16, as in the ordinary construc- tion. The total surface heated is the same as in the ordinary construction, since we have two sections of flues carrying the immediate products of combustion, the sum total being equal to the length of the flue section in ordi- nary use. The damper brick on top of the flues regulate the draft of each flue in proportion to its distance from the stack. It will also be noted that various combina- tions of the travel of the gases may be made should occa- sion arise. The paths of travel are shown by the various arrows. This will do away completely with the occur- rence of zones of variable temperature, which are liable to be present in every oven thus far built, regardless of the regulation usually provided in the attempt to equalize this effect. There is probably no oven built to date that is not subjected to trouble upon exposure to severe winds blowing continuously from one direction, impinging on the end of the oven. Under such conditions one-half of the oven in question can be reversed once an hour, or as often as may be necessary to preserve the heat near the door of the end exposed, tae other half being operated independently. Points in Construction. Structurally, this oven is simple. It embodies the strong structural features of a well-known type, but will do away with the only point susceptible of logical criti- cism on the type in question—the equalization and the preservation of the uniformity of the heat. The oven, as shown in the drawing, is built on beams, which are car- ried on retaining walls, the floor of the oven resting on the sole plate on top of the beams, thus effectually seal- ing the oven and allowing the brick to slide in case of expansion. Connection to the regenerators is made by means of brick lined metal tubes, riveted to the sole plate and connected to the regenerators by means of a sand seal. This makes the superstructure practically inde- pendent of the regenerators, so that no broken connec- tions result from difference in expansion; it also pro- vides a means whereby the elevation of the oven proper may be made any hight desirable without the necessity of raising the regenerators. It should be noted that the number of special shaped brick is reduced to a minimum, the oven being practically built of tongue and groove rectangular brick. It is claimed for this oven that greater heat uniformity with less operative complications may be obtained than in any type yet proposed, and that it can be built at a much 200 lower cost than any other desirable type now in the mar- ket. Preheating the Coal, The process is continuous, and can be applied to prac- tically all retort ovens. It consists in general of pre- heating the coal outside of the oven proper, and then charging by gravity into a metal chamber forming an ex- tension to the coking chamber and flue system. ‘The chamber is made of iron, and is called the precoking chamber. It is provided with a door and a hydraulic plunger for each oven, the plunger working inside the door. In present retort practice 50 per cent. approxi- mately of the coking time is absorbed in raising the geo- metrical center of the mass within the oven to about 400 degrees F. This is shown by actual -test in Canada, Eu- rope and the United States of ovens from 14 to 22 in. wide, and of various types. Since practically all coals will stand a temperature approaching 400 degrees for a reasonable length of time without suffering physical change as far as their coking properties are concerned, it follows that a logical advantage may be obtained both in fuel consumption and decrease in time of coking, if this fact is taken advantage of and the coal preheated approximately to this temperature by waste heat prelim- inary to its being charged into the precoking chamber. Fig. 2 shows diagramatically, the adaptation of this process to a retort oven. B is the precoking chamber. Gas is introduced at C, and ascends through the flues aa, formed by ribs on the apparatus, transmitting heat to the iron, and leaving the apparatus through the flue D. It ascends around and through a bin system continuous in structure, and extending over the chambers devised to heat coal before its introduction into the precoking cham- ber. The coal is heated to somewhat below 400 degrees. It is then fed in front of the plunger E through a gate provided for the purpose, and exposed to the coking ac- tion. Fig. 3 shows the general arrangement in plan. The Method of Compression. It has been found that under these conditions at the end of one hour the mass is superficially coked to such an extent that it may be moved by the plunger. After intro- duction into the coking chamber the coal is compressed by the action of the plunger to a considerable degree. It should be noted here that we have an effective means for the compression of coal in a coking chamber and the maintenance of that pressure in whole or in part during the coking operation. It has been found that three hours’ exposure in the iron apparatus surrounds the mass with coke of sufficient strength to push a mass equal to that in an oven of the ordinary length and width ahead of this superficially coked mass. This mass may be compared to a girder, built of coke on the outside and coal in the in- terior. At the end of the first hour the plunger is ad- vanced one-third of the length of the precoking cham- ber; the plunger is then withdrawn and coal allowed to feed in. At the end of the second hour the operation is repeated, and so on indefinitely. The discharge of the fin- ished coke is effected by trapping the coke off, by means of a depending chamber provided with two separated valves, shown diagramatically at the discharge end of the oven. Since the coal is effectually compressed and pres- sure maintained during the coking action, a harder coke would be expected than in the ordinary method; and an oven of this description has made, from a 35 per cent. volatile coal, coke having a crushing strength of 1100 Ib. per square inch. It would also be expected that the tendency to produce the initial cross fracture so common in the retort process would be eliminated in whole or in part. This is found to be the case. As the coal is introduced progressively at the rate of a fractional part of an oven per hour, a gas more uni- form and much higher in heat units will be obtained. The gas must of necessity be driven through the coal in the precoking chamber, there being no other means of egress. It is therefore fair to expect a decided chemical change. which would result in a radical difference in the chemical composition of the tar. Samples taken from the experi- mental oven show as high as 8% per cent. in phenol and as low as 9 per cent. of fixed carbon, thus making the tar higher in value than ordinary retort tar. THE IRON AGE January 16, 1908 A 200 Per Cent. Production, In actual practice the plant will be designed to operate the process in units of 10. For instance, in a battery of 50 ovens, there would be five operative units of 10 each, the movement of one valve only being necessary to move 10 plungers and discharge an amount equal to the length exposed 1 hr. in the precoking chamber from each oven. It has been found in an experimental oven, that a rate of coking may be obtained equal to 200 per cent. of the rate of the oven when charged from the top with un- prepared coal and coked in the ordinary manner, the same heating means being used in both cases. Since the early part of the coking operations are carried on in con- tact with iron walls in place of brick walls, only a very low temperature head is necessary, which will be well within the limits of the cast iron. On the basis of the operations of a given oven at 200 per cent. of present pro- duction now obtained per 24 hr., the rate of discharge will then be one-twelfth of the length of an oven each hour. We therefore have in 10 receiving chambers at the end of each hour, a little more than the equivalent of 83 per cent. of the contents of one oven. A standard gauge car especially adapted for the purpose, will receive this coke quenched and ready for shipment, the quench- ing having been done in the discharge chamber between the two separated valves. This feature renders steam quenching possible, which will insure the delivery of moisture free coke at the shipping point. It should also be noted that practically the only handling the coke gets is in sliding from the oven into the chamber and from the chamber into the car. Since hot coke breaks up less than cold coke under similar conditions, and since the handling is reduced to a minimum, a very small amount of coke breeze will result, thereby increasing the yield of coke and saving considerable money now expended in cleaning up. The gas collecting main will be placed very near the entrance end of the oven, and since the maximum tem- peratures will not be obtained at this point on account of the continuous introduction of fresh material, relief may be expected from carbon deposits, doing away with the trouble and expense of tar chasing, so well known to retort oven operators. As the oven is never empty and the brickwork is never completely cooled, but remains at uniform temperature, favorable conditions for the long life of the brickwork have been introduced. It should be noted also that the precoker is slightly less in width than the oven proper. This reduces the wear of the oven walls by confining abrasion to the bottom of the oven. Since 50 per cent. of the work is done outside of the oven proper and with waste heat, and in any coke oven as ordinarily operated practically all the gas is burned that the combustion areas will allow during the entire time of the conversion from coal to coke, it follows that just as in any producing operation requiring heat the amount of fuel used per ton of material will be dependent on the rate of production of that material per unit of time, other things being equal. It can readily be seen, therefore, that large savings in gas may be expected from this apparatus, both from the work done by waste heat outside of the oven, the increased heat transmission effi- ciency of the primary iron chamber as against brick, and the maintenance of the temperature of the oven from the progressive introduction of coal. Labor Saving Through Continuous Operation, Through the elimination of operations by the applica- tion of the continuous principle and the increased output made possible, a large saving of labor may be expected. A comparison of the number of men necessary for the two processes is interesting. In a plant of two batteries and comprising 100 ovens, operated by existing methods, it would be possible to so arrange and equip it to operate with the following number of men per turn: 2 1 foreman. tar chasers. 1 pusherman. 1 mud mixer. 1° quenching car operator. 4 door luters. 1 doorman on top. 2 door operators. 2 standpipe men -= 1 larryman. 17 men, or 34 for 24 hr. 1 heater. The product, operating with about 100 per cent. effi- January 16, 1908 ciency, assuming the units to be five tons, would there- fore be 500 tons per 24 hr., or 14.7 tons per man. How- ever, it should be noted here that this condition has never been obtained in present practice. With the continuous process, the following men would be necessary per turn for the purposes specified : 1 heater for each battery who will be in complete charge of bat- tery. 1 sanenienili 1 receiving car man. 1 man on top for each battery, who will operate discharge door and who will quench the coke in the discharge chamber. Total for 24 hr. and two batteries, 12 men. The product, based on 200 per cent. of the present out- put, would be 1000 tons, or 83 tons per man. The ratio of efficiency will be, therefore, 14.7 to 83 tons per man. Another very apparent advantage in the continuous proc- ess will be absolute freedom from black ends and non- uniform coke resulting from variable temperatures, since all parts of the mass must pass by each point in the oven, and also since all tie coke will be produced from coal which is, to say the least, moisture free before en- tering the oven. Further, since the receiving car will earry away each hour a vortion of the material from 10 ovens, a still further uniformity of product may be ex- pected. It has been found by experiment that a rate of coking may be obtained by this process which will com- pletely coke the mass some distance before the discharge end of the oven is reached, even when working at a rate 100 per cent. greater than that obtained in present prac- tice. The possibilities under this process of improving the present method of operating retort ovens by affording a logical mechanical control, replacing the cumbersome and relatively crude methods now necessary owing to the limi- tations of the present machine, the maintenance and bet- terment of the economic advantages inherent in the retort process, the widening of the range of raw material usable, the close regulation and improvement in the quality of the product, will, it is believed, furnish food for reflec- tion to both producer and consumer of coke. ———————_-_ > +e Customs Decisions. THE Notice of 30 Days Before Changing a Duty. The Treasury Department, acting on the petition of influential importing interests of the country, announces that hereafter a notice of 30 days will be given when it is proposed to change from lower to higher rates of duty. This concession is made by the Government, in order to obviate the disadvantages under which importers have suffered in the past by reason of sudden changes in the classification of imported merchandise. An official state- ment on the subject says: Under the operation of the present tariff law for the past 10 years, changes in classification to higher rates have been made, as is well known, without previous notice, resulting, in instances, in considerable loss to importers, especially on those lines of merchandise carrying a very small margin of profit. Under the recent instructions of the Department, the importing trade will have 30 days’ notice of intended raise in the rate of duty to be applied to any particular line of merchandise. This will give fair opportunity for the readjustment of contracts and terms of sale to meet the prospective change of tariff condi- tions. During the pendency of such 30 days’ notice the old prevailing rate will be returned as the advisory classification by the appraiser, while in the meantime the matter will be sub- mitted to the Treasury Department, and, in the absence of con- trary instructions therefrom, the higher rate will become effect- ive on all like importations on and after the date fixed in the notice to the importer. This question does not, of course, apply to errors, intentional or accidental, made by importers or brokers when making entry, but where changes are contemplated in the rate of duty that has prevailed in the official returns of appraising officers. It is desired by the Department that as wide publicity as possible be given in each instance of proposed change of classification to a higher rate, and besides especially notifying the importer upon whose invoice the question first arises, the appraiser’s office will furnish to the press, and also conspicuously post on bulletin boards throughout the Public Stores, notice of any such contemplated advance in rate. In view of the fact that the Board of General Appraisers and the courts have been for some years threshing out questions of classification, most of which would now appear as perma- nently settled nnder the present law, it is not expected that the number of changes from lower to higher rates will be very large. IRON AGE 201 Duty on Statuary. In a decision handed down by the United States Cir- cuit Court of Appeals at New York, it is held that, re- gardless of the fact that artisans perform work on metal statues, they are nevertheless to be deemed “ statuary ” within the meaning of that word, as used in the tariff act, and accordingly dutiable at the rate of 15 per cent. ad valorem under the terms of the reciprocity treaty with France. The case before the appellate tribunal stood in the name of Tiffany & Co., who objected to the action of the customs authorities in exacting duty on a statue of ivory and metal representing La Bellona, the Roman goddess of war, as a manufacture of ivory at 35 per cent. ad valorem. The work was one of the last pieces wrought by Gerome, the famous French sculptor, and the claim was made by the importers that the piece should be classified as “statuary” with duty at only 15 per cent. The Board of General Appraisers, while ac- knowledging that the figure was artistic in its produc- tion, held to the view that as the tariff stands it is requi- site to the entry at the lower rate of duty that all of the work on a statue be done by the professional sculptor himself. On this account the board overruled the conten- tion of the firm, and affirmed the action of the Collector of Customs in classifying the work as a “ manufacture.” The Circuit Court, however, took a different view, and held that, while some parts of the statue was executed by ordinary workmen, it was all done under the per- sonal supervision of M. Gerome. Sundry Decisions, The Board of General Appraisers has decided that knives having deerfoot handles, with folding blades 5 in. long, are to be regarded as “ hunting knives,” with duty at the rate of 45 per cent. The issue came before the tribunal on appeal by George Borgfeldt & Co., New York, who objected to the action of the customs authorities in returning the articles for duty as clasp knives at the com- pound rates applicable under the provisions of paragraph 183 of the tariff act. The protest is sustained. The board has taken favorable action on a protest filed by the Electric Goods Mfg. Company, Boston, it be- ing held that hollow cylinders of carbon are dutiable properly under the tariff provision for porous carbon pots for electric batteries. The tribunal directs that the col- lector’s assessment of 35 ver cent. under the provision in the law for “carbon not specially provided for” be set aside. In a finding against the contention of A. Kastor & Bro., New York, the board lays down the principle that diminu- tive pen knives, with cutting blades and other metal parts of cheap Bessemer steel, are not to be deemed “toys” within the meaning of the word as used in the tariff. Instead, the board rules that such articles are dutiable as “ pen knives” at the rate of 40 per cent. ee Berger Salesmen Meet.—The annual meeting of the salesmen of the Berger Mfg. Company, Canton, Ohio, was held during New Year week. Thirty- two traveling salesmen were present from various sections of the country, as well as_ representa- tives from several of the company’s branch houses. The meeting closed with a banquet given by the company at the Courtland Hotel on the evening of Jan- uary 3. At the beginning of the banquet Ed. A. Langen- bach, president of the company, was presented with a mahogany hall clock. A programme of speech making followed the banquet. The Berger Company has just in- creased its capital stock from $1,500,000 to $2,000,000, more capital being needed because of the growth of the company’s business. eR The Gautemalan Railroad, a new transcontinental line, running from Puerto Barrios on the Atlantic side to San Jose on the Pacific side of Gautemala, has been completed and its opening to traffic .will be celebrated within a few days. It is 270 miles long. Construction was begun 25 years ago, but lagged until 1903, when American enter- prise and capital took charge and pushed the work through. 202 THE IRON AGE January 16, 1908 The Inland Steel Company’s New Furnace. On July 28, 1907, the first lake cargo of iron ore to enter the State of Indiana was received at the docks of the Inland Steel Company’s new blast furnace. This, the Madeline, is situated on the east shore of Lake Mich- igan at Indiana Harbor, about midway between the South Works and the new Gary plant of the Steel Cor- poration. A little more than a month later, on August 31, the furnace was blown in, thus achieving for the Inland Stee] Company the distinction of having put into operation the first of a group of furnaces that will soon ' give Indiana important rank as a steel producing State. Previous to the installation of the furnace, the company had purchased its steel making iron from outside sources, but it is now a producer from ore to the finished prod- uct. Both in design and construction this furnace plant embodies and represents the best ideas in modern ore PUMPING STATION = ~ j INLAND STEEL CO. z = 48 z j = : MILLS 5 z < = = 3 rf « t Zi] :| z < 2 i « a “ aa sit = « o = £ | =!1 z « & 7 & =} = < > = o New c w 2 oS e| . x * » Wes ° - I zo z i} Peo 1s e wi? =z = z & = onl 5 ° s - so c -— < w az 2 = € = 66 el] = 2 ' z = Z a < ' S <= =< < : z 2 7 LI 3 Sil: gi] < = 2 ail< 2 < « z S ofc 2 < =) con ° = « > pi | Me = x ° 2 x is | ofon”. @ ° S e : : i rans & < z 6 4 Rs one z z ; = < <\i/ a z = \ RH Eno -\) < e ~ Q . 3 OL hi= z = - 2 ue o = w 2 Ss o = is ° 2 s ; 7 ‘| " © é oh in 2 Z | = w = e @ ° z w > | ° © 5 = & > zx = 2 io w oF “ = = lof z0 © - < ion = i = = = ol (Oi nN 2 2 > i 3 4 2 z oO 2 ° i < 2) = 1 > = ' 1 z i< ' ° ,2 | ROLL SHOP, [ 4 om 24" SHEET BAR MILL \ CHICAGO, INDIANA & SOUTHERN R.R, ‘ 7 reducing practice, suitably adapted to meet the require- ments of local conditions. AS usual when extensive improvements not in- cluded in the original layout are to be made, the con- struction of this plant involved problems of co-ordinate operations of the furnace and steel mills that required special consideration and treatment. For instance, as the plan of the works indicates, the furnace is sep- arated from the steel mills by the tracks of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern, Baltimore & Ohio and Chi- cago, Lake Shore & Eastern railroads. To transport hot metal from the blast furnace to the open hearth plant a concrete subway and tunnel under the tracks was planned and is now under construction. Through this hot metal in truck ladles will be speedily transferred to the open hearth furnace beyond ‘the tracks, or to the pig machine. at the casting house east of the tracks, as de- sired. In the meantime the tracks of the Indian Harbor Railroad, which pass at the south of the furnace prop- erty. are being used. Other conditions to be met in the general design of the plant required the furnace filling and distribution to be as far as possible automatic: coke is I Plan of the Inland Steel Company’ and limestone to be unloaded into bins and stock piles from cars on the trestle; electric power equipment with its complement boilers, engines and generators of ample capacity to furnish power to the steel mill in addi- tion to supplying the blast furnace; the provision of water storage capacity for two or more furnaces and a possible steel plant, and all tracks and buildings to be laid out with a view to future extensions. A well pro- tected harbor 300 feet wide, a good dock 1000 ft. long for receiving raw-material and an abundant supply of pure lake water, for cooling and other purposes, made the site one of great economic advantage. The harbor of and dock alongside of the plant were constructed several years ago, but the channel, having an average depth of only 17 ft., it was necessary to dredge it to a depth of to accommodate the largest lake vessels. 22 ft., New ‘ —_———< Te ee so ie Ns ¥ i <™. » 5 H & tae , z< Hwo Va \ \ "3 Hoo Y " \ Wz Hz : } 4 = 3 j > INTAKE : POCKETS fet CLAST Funnace oe th = + ~* a => ig a © © o of Stoves ee — RGAE WASHER & SliBT CATCHER =< [ BouER mouse te Hy “ef OYNAMO HO: i tH —_— ~ BLOWINE-VENGINE & Pumps ——_ == = oe’ ° ~~~ 26 WATER maw < ey, , INTAKE Y \ 4 * 4 { G 3 é g = : 4 2 i so uw 4 | o < é ° > 5 a be 3 a A wy : . : =z % s Works at Indiana Harbor, Ind. features have been introduced in the construction of the ore bridges, whereby ore is taken direct from boats to storage piles, or, when required, direct to the bins, thus saving much rehandling. Particular mention of this equipment will be made later. The yard level near the furnace was established at 15 ft. above lake level. As the natural profile of the ground here averaged only 2 ft. above, a large amount of filling was necessary. This was accomplished by a sand sucker, which deposited the soil obtained in deepening the har- bor on one side, and by dumping from cars on land. Only enough filling was placed to establish tracks and yard- ways at the proper level to start the furnace; the re- mainder of the filling will afford a convenient disposition of the slag from the furnace. The Blast Furnace. ‘The stack is of 400 tons capacity, 85 ft. high, with bosh and hearth diameters of 20 ft. 6 in. and 18 ft. 6 in., respectively. The hearth jacket. 20 ft. 6 in. in diameter, is built up of 14-in. plates and is 9 ft. 6 in. high. For cooling the hearth, 114-in. pipes, each 9 ft. 6 in. long, are January 16, 1908 used and spaced 12 in. apart around the inside of the jacket. Feed pipes of %4-in. diameter were placed within the 114-in. pipes and supply water to the bottom of the latter. The water overflows from the top of the larger pipes and flows down the outside of the jacket wall into the well. Cast iron cooling plates, 9 ft. 6 in. long, are used on the iron and cinder notches. A unique feature of this furnace is that it is supported by six cast iron columns, making the distributioh of its twelve 6-in. tuyeres uniform, and much more satisfactory than when eight columns are used, as has been the prac- tice in furnaces of this size. The bosh is built up with Smeeth cooling plates and is reinforced with 12 cast steel buckstays and seven rows of 1-in. bosh bands, one 8-in., one 10-in. and five 12-in. wide. The stock is delivered to the McKee distributer from the stock house by a double track skip bridge, which has a pin connection with the furnace platform. The large and small bells are controlled through bell beams by 14- in. and 10-in. steam cylinders, respectively. These are operated from the cage at the base of the skip bridge. Ample room was allowed on the platform to provide for THE IRON AGE 203 The Hot Blast Stoves, The furnace is equipped with four stoves of the Kennedy center combustion type. Each stove is 22 ft. in diameter and 93 ft. high. They discharge to a self-sup- porting steel stack through brick lined flues laid in the foundation 11 ft. below the base of the stoves, and are arranged to offset the center line of the furnace 16 ft., thereby permitting a straight lead of the hot blast pipe to the furnace. The two down comers, each 5 ft. 9 in. inside diameter, connect with a dust catcher 20 ft. in diameter. Directly connected to the dust catcher is a Mullen gas washer, from which two leads from the opposite side of the washer convey gas to the boilers and stoves. The gas main to the stoves is also provided with a 12-in. connection, which leads to the ladle drying house. The stove foundations were brought up to the level of the cast house floor in order to assure ready access from one to the other. ‘This level is 17 ft. above the general yard level. The Power Plant. The boiler plant, situated directly back of the furnace, comprises eight 500-hp. Stirling boilers, with independ- The Inland Steel Company’s New Furnace Plant as Seen from the Water Side, Looking West. dismantling the top parts, if necessary; a jib crane handles these parts to the slag pouring track at the base of the cast house. The skip cars on the bridge are oper- ated by a 14x 14 in. Otis double drum hoist engine, which is located in a small brick engine house at the bottom of the bridge. The Stock House Equipment, The steel stock bins are of a simple and inexpensive type that has been found satisfactory after years of serv- ice in a number of plants. The coke bin, 60 ft. long, has two doors, one feeding directly into each skip car, and operated through a system of levers from the operator’s cage nearby. The bin system served by the ore bridge is covered by a three-track steel trestle, 211 ft. long, con- nected with the outside railroad system and with a spur running the entire length of the stock yard. Six lime- stone and ore bins, 91 ft..9 in. long, covered by two of the trestle tracks, deliver material to the electrically operated scale car of 10 tons capacity. The ore bins are filled either directly from the stock pile by the bridges from the track system, or by a 30-ton transfer car oper- ated along 568 ft. of trestle. The cast house is 108 ft. long, with an addition 104 ft. long, used for clay mixing and ladle drying purposes. The cast house, which will accommodate 10 iron ladles, is spanned by a Case crane of 25 tons main hoist capacity and a 5-ton auxiliary. ent stacks. Three Epping-Carpenter duplex pressure pumps, 14 x 8 x 16 in., supply these boilers with water, first passing it through two Cochrane feed water heaters of 250 hp. Service water is supplied by two Epping- Carpenter compound duplex outside packed plunger pumps of 4,000,000 gal. capacity each. These pumps are provided with two discharge lines, one leading direct- ly to the furnace and the other to the standpipe. The latter main is also by-passed around the standpipe, which has a diameter of 20 ft. and is 125 ft. high. The blowing engine plant comprises two pairs of 44 and 84 by 60 in. and 84 and 84 by 60 in. vertical, dis- connected, long crosshead engines, built by the Allis- Chalmers Company. These engines are designed to run either single or in compound condensing pairs. The steam may pass through a reducing valve when the 'ow pressure side is run singly. A 25-ton Case crane com- mands the blowing engine house. The cond