The Iron Age 1908-07-23: Vol 82 Iss 4

THE IRON AGE Published every Thursday Morning by David Walliams Co. 14-16 Park Place, New York. New York, Thursday, July 23, 1908. SS. Vol. 82: No. 4. Reading Matter Contents........ page 269 ~ Alphabetical Index to Advertisers “‘ 181 || 5 Classified List of Advertisers 66 171 TH E * 2 R E M e ¢ A L I B R E Advertising and Subscription Rates “ 180]; - — -—~-.Remington Autoloading Rifle REED F. BLAIR & CO./. FRICK BUILDING, PITTSBURG, PA. STANDARD CONNELLSVILLE \ e POUNDRY PURNACE CRUSHED > Se ih ies -* os SW READY FOR THE MARKET The .25 Remington is the only rifle made in this calibre which loads itself. It is an ideal gun for the smaller big game such as Ropes and Twines deer, antelope, coyote, wolves. foxes, wood chucks, etc. The a ; : .25 Rem. cartridge has a 117 gr. bullet and over 2,000 feet velo- 65 Wall Street, New York city. Itis a small calibre, flat trajectory, high velocity cartridge. Write for full particulars. The American. Mfg. Co. : Remington Autoloading Rifles are the modern big The Bristol Company game guns. Load themselves and sell themselves. Specialists in Remington Arms Company, llion, N. Y. Pressure Seapesntace and Sr ty CITT | | en Electricity, etc , etc. SOFT POINT The Bristol Co., Waterbury, Conn, 114 Liberty St., New York Agency, 315 Broadway, New York. Sete ete, Anes iii" } $WTATER TUBE Ghe Babcock @ Wilcox Co., 85 Liberty St t, SAMSON SPOT CORD BOILERS femcesacabdactiy 5 oe tog SSSs= Specified by Architects Everywhere Samson Cordage Works, Boston, Mass. TURNBUCHKLES iim ‘* Driven All Over the World ’’ THE CAPEWELL NAIL Holds the Best! Drives the Best! Cleveland City Forge and tron Co., + Cleveland, 0. “an oa NO imperfect NAILS TO SPLIT the foot. waza ay NO dull points to DAMAGE the most brittle or ui Sh Be delicate HOOF. re a NO DANGER of your horse casting a shoe at a critical moment WHEN “CAPEWELL’’ NAILS il Ci nd er ARE USED. Se Mi Girard Building, Phila. THE CAPEWELL HORSE NAIL COMPANY Pilling & Gran nel ite tee Hartford, Conn., U.S.A. —_ | | JUFHIN'. TH ESN AERC WORLD | THE LUFKIN RULE OO., Saginaw, Mich., U.S.A. | New York, London, Eng. Windsor, Can. JENKINS °96 SHEET PACKING The Original Unvulcanized Packing. Suitable for all steam joints. Not only does it make a tight joint quickly, but it makes a joint that wi// /ast. Made in sheets, and also, to order, in GASKETS cut to any size or shape. All genuine is stamped with Trade Mark as shown in the cut, and is guaranteed. JENKINS BROS., New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, London. “Sedo” Gold Roted Stel: Drawing ox stamping THE AMERICAN TUBE & STAMPING COMPANY SEE (Water and Rail Delivery) BRipesrort, Conn. PAGE MAGNOLIA ,, iron METAL The Standard Babbitt of the World We manufacture everything in the Babbitt Line. %, “ths MAGNOLIA METAL CO. LK. New York: 115 Bank St. Chicago: Fisher Building. Montreal: 31 St. Nichelas St. Use our “Apollo Best Bloom” Galvanized Sheets and save time and money— Their trueness to gauge and easy working qualities will enable you to do this. AMERICAN SHEET AND TIN PLATE COMPANY Frick Building, Pittsburgh, Pa.’ See our Ad. on page 17 2 THE IRON AGE TIN PLATE Us sucer /SNeet and Roll Brass ow ROSEDALE ROD and ou conto =| Wine TT est ie Rc BEST BRIGHT vs ~ ers, Lamps, p Trimmings LOW BRASS, SHEET BRONZE, seaesamtacemiaiiaiaaie Se ee any cron. Hl] SEAMLESS BRASS AND COPPER | ®° 58 Herworth Beliding, Rast Madi nena TUBING, BRAZED BRASS AND | ema mm Factories EE ||| sone vnc... ere oe ine SCOVILL MFG. CO. COMPANY Waterbury Brass Co. seemmmnnet BRASS, GERMAN SILVER, WATERBURY, CONN. Sheets, aaa Wire, and ods. P | TTS BU RG H 99 John St., New York. Providence, R. I. Brass Shells, een Hinges, Buttons, Lamp Goods. eee Bridgeport Deoxidized Bronze|} 9 °°“! Pras Seoésto Order Tin Plate & Sheat Stee! & Metal Co. WATERBURY, CONN. All Finishes, Sizes BRIDGEPORT, CONN. NEW YORK CHICAGO BOSTON and Gauges _e REGULAR OR DEEP Ca egzs Henry Souther Engineering Co, Ree ene Composition, Yellow Brass and Alumi- Seer See num Castings, large and small Consulting Chemists, Metallur- gists and Analysts. Complete Physical Testing Laboratory. Bxpert Testimony in Court and Patent Cases. Matthiessen & Hegeler Zinc Co. ae ott T, Rutter & i SMELTERS OF SPELTER AND MANUFACTURERS 256 Broadway, SHEET ZINC AND SULPHURIC ACID NEW YORK. Special Sizes of Zinc cut to order. Rolled Battery Plates. " Odean Plates for Btchers a aaleemembase a Small tubing in Brass, Copper, Selected Sheets for Paper and Card Makers’ use. Steel, Aluminum, German Silver, Stove and Washboard Blanks. &c. Sheet Brass, Copper and Gere ZINCS FOR LECLANCHE BATTERY. |man Silver, Copper, Brass and Seamless Brass and Copper Tube Copper and Brass Rod. * Search-Light”’ GAS Bicycle Lanterns 105-109 So, Jefferson St. Chicago. Best Bronze, Babbitt Metals, Brass and Aluminum SASTINGS NICKEL ANODES Send for Circulars and Electrotypes. GERMAN SILVER | NOSE ANODES = THE SEYMOUR MFG. CO. - - SEYMOUR, CONN.|| The BRIDGEPORT BRASS CO. Se BRIDGEPORT, CONN. HENDRICKS BROTHERS Postal Telegraph Bullding, Broadway and Sheet and Bar Copper, Copper Fire Box Plates and Staybolts, Wire and Braziers Rivets Ingot Copper, Block Tin, Spelter, THE RIVERSIDE Lead, Antimony, Bismuth, Nickel, etc. METAL CO, 49' CLIFF STREET, - : - - NEW YORK men Te RIVERSIDE, N. J. : PHOSPHOR-BRONZE GERMAN SILVER THE IRON AGE New York, Thursday, July 23, 1908. The Hamilton Coke Storage Machine. A departure from the usual method of handling stor- age coke has been made in a machine invented by Wil- liam E. Hamilton and built by the Hamilton Mfg. Com- pany, Columbus, Ohio. The machine illustrated is one installed in the yards of the Illinois Steel Company, at sible to do so, because either one breaks up the coke con- siderably. ‘The scraper conveyor of this machine, mov- ing at a slow speed, mechanically takes the coke from the base of the pile without breaking it, and the conveyor is filled by the coke rolling down from the 35-ft. pile that is shown in Fig, 1. The coke is screened at the end of the delivering conveyor. In one run of 4% hr. there were loaded 24 steel hopper Fig. 1.—The Hamilton Storage Machine Loading Coke from the Stock Pile. TRACK FOR BELT CONVEYOR DIT PIIIITN] PLL, PLEIN PLOT RTPI yp STOMA TENET PTET a PY PLT PON TIVITY TON m RE LOADING ort) it mheaeianel > | MOVABLE HOPPER OVER BELT . STORAGE BIN & BOX CAR LOADER MACHINE TRACK eth ber crete asl) sen ern br ered) mercer ds ar) STLE i ype OMMIPSIOT Peay TOT Ty) POINT NII TUITe p70 DB [Prrceppraxayrn ayo Vig. 2.—Plan Diagram of the Arrangement and Use of the Machine. Stockton, Ind. Fig. 1 shows the machine at work on one end of the storage yard, which has a capacity of about 100,000 tons, loading coke from a strip or siding 100° ft. wide, extending along the railroad track about 1% mile. Fig. 2 is a plan diagram, which gives a clearer idea of the manner of using the machine. Since coke is very friable, and it is necessary to de- liver the coke to the furnace in large pieces, the use of a grab bucket or a steam shovel is avoided where it is pos- bottom cars, containing in all 732 tons of coke. Three men operated the machine at a cost of $7 per day for wages, making the cost per ton for loading less than 1 cent. The cost of loading this material by hand, which was formerly done to prevent breakage, is 19 cents a ton. The operation of the machine required an average of 20 by., supplied in electrical current at, say, 30 cents an hour. Adding this to the labor cost gives a total actual cost of 114 cents a ton for the coke loaded, This means a saving 232 THE IRON AGE over hand loading of about $125 on the day referred to, exclusive of the charge for depreciation. Aside from this, the machine delivers the coke into the car in very much better condition than is done even by hand loading, and it is estimated that a saving of probably 5 per cent. will be made on this point alone. Coke on the yard costs about $5 a ton, and counting this Saving at 25 cents a ton, the machine in handling 100,000 tons will save its cost in a year’s time. Its first cost is much less than the cost of a traveling bridge, and it is claimed to have four times the capacity of a locomotive crane and grab bucket. The machine also stocks the coal in the yard, and here the same contention with regard to breakage is made. The coke is dumped on a platform from hopper bottom cars on the trestle, the nose of the machine being swung underneath the trestle; the delivery conveyor stocks the coal at the apex of the pile, which may be as high as 40 ft. if desired. The common method of putting coke into storage has been to dump a train load of coke in the yard, jack up the track on top of the coke, and to continue this operation until the grade the track takes to the top of the pile prohibits further storage. In doing this every 3 ft. of the pile is successively, pounded down by a loco- motive and train of loaded cars, and the céke thereby suffers in value for furnace use. This machine delivers the coke to the top of the pile without any drop, as the delivery conveyor may be raised or lowered to suit the hight of the pile. When the pile has reached the desired hight the machine moves by its own power a few feet fur- ther down the platform. Among the other points claimed for the machine is that of no investment in plant aside from the machine itself, the track on which it runs and the trestle or con- veyor belt at the side of the yard. When additional stor- age is called for the extension of the track and trestle is all that is required, for the machine moves as it builds or reloads the pile all along the length of the platform. In other words, it is declared to have the elasticity of a locomotive crane and the capacity of a traveling bridge, without the limitations of either. ——___»>- o> New Thermit Reactions. Before the German Bunsen Society, Dr. Hans Gold- schmidt of Essen, a. d. Ruhr, the inventor of thermit, spoke on thermit reactions, which he defined as such ac- tion of one or several reducing metals or metal alloys on a metallic compound, that the mixture, ignited at one point, continues to burn by itself, so that a fluid slag is formed, the active element being completely oxidized. The reduced metal is segregated as a regulus, free from the reducing metal. The cerium group of metals act like aluminum, a fact established by Professor Muthmann of Munich. Silicon, however, does not act in the manner indicated, in spite of the statements of some investi- gators. While it is true that a similar reaction takes place with certain more highly oxidized compounds, the resulting metal is never free from silicon. When metal- lic calcium appeared on the market, the suggestion was obvious, to employ this metal for reducing purposes. It was soon shown, however, that calcium, like magnesium, cannot be used for technically satisfactory reduction, be- cause the reaction is too violent, and because the slag, CaO, is too difficult to melt in order to permit of a clean separation of the metal. Conditions are different when calcium is used in conjunction with silicon as the reduc- ing agent. The rapidity of the action of the calcium is greatly moderated by the much more sluggish silicon, and a readily fusible slag of silicate of lime is formed at the same time. By a long series of tests the limits were de termined within which an alloy or mixture of calcium and silicon furnishes technically useful reactions. Aluminum acts like silicon upon the speed of reac- tion of calcium, and a combination of the three, silicon, aluminum and calcium, yields good separation of metals. Magnesium may be substituted for calcium with similar success. Experiments showed that an alloy of calcium and silicon may not only be obtained by melting the two together, but also by heating silicon and lime together. July 23, 1908 Silicon reduces lime, forming a silicide of calcium, with about one-third of calcium and two-thirds of silicon. This silicide is not affected by exposure to air, has a brilliant fracture, and has a specific gravity of about two. Besides being used as a reducing agent, this alloy may be advantageously employed in the steel industry for de- oxidizing the bath in the place of aluminum or of mag- nesium. The chief advantage is compared with alumi- num and magnesium that a readily fusible slag is formed (melting at about 1350 degrees Celsius), which rises to the surface readily and completely. Besides, it is possible with this silicide of calcium to lower the sulphur con- tents of the steel considerably which is of importance in the case of special steels. —— »+-@—____ An English University Confers an American Degree. A novel and charming ceremony took place at Liver- pool on July 2, the circumstances being the following: Last June the Board of Trustees of Lehigh University, of South Bethlehem, Pa., voted to grant to Horace Field Parshall, of London, England, the honorary degree of Master of Science, which is the highest honorary degree Lehigh gives to its alumni. Mr. Parshall is an American, a graduate of the electrical course at Lehigh in 1887, and a very eminent electrical engineer. Important duties be- fore a Parliamentary commission in London made it im- possible last June for him to come to this country to receive the degree. It was then that the faculty of Lehigh University decided upon the novel plan, which in substance is to authorize by power of attorney a foreign institution to confer the honorary degree. Through the interest taken in the matter by Sir William Ramsay, per- haps the foremost technica] chemist in the world, the University of Liverpool, an institution devoted to tech- nical teaching, was selected to act as the representative of Lehigh University in conferring the degree. When the matter was brought to the attention of A. W. W. Dale, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Liverpool, it impressed him so favorably that it caused him to remark in his letter to Dr. Henry S. Drinker, presi- dent of Lehigh University, accepting the duty: “So far as I am aware no precedent or parallel for such an act can be found in the history of British Universities. But it is our business to make precedents as well as to follow them, and we trust in so doing our act will be regarded as an expression of fellowship and sympathy with kindred institutions carrying on similar work, established for sim- ilar services, and bound to us by many ties.” +e ____—__ American Iron and Steel Institute. There has been issued in pamphlet form the consti- tution, by-laws and the list of officers and members of the American Iron and Steel Institute, which was formed as the outgrowth of the Gary banquets last winter. There is little in the pamphlet which defines more defi- nitely than has been done hitherto, the aims and scope of the new organization, except that article VIII ‘states that the standing committees shall be: a Committee on Foreign Relations, a Committee on Statistics, a Com- mittee on Improvement in Methods and a Committee on Membership. Each of the first three committees consists of five members, who do not appear to have been named, while the Committee of Membership consists of nine mem- bers, including the president, the present incumbents be- ing Elbert H. Gary, chairman; E. A. 8. Clarke, William E. Corey, E. C. Felton, Willis L. King, Samuel Mather, Charles M. Schwab, Powell Stackhouse, and John A. Top- ping. There are now 163 members of the Institute, of whom 43 are connected with the United States Steel Corporation. + The Government has filed a petition in the James- town Exposition litigation, setting forth its prior clai: on the assets of the exposition company on account of a balance of $897,953 on the $1,000,000 loan to the ex- position. This debt, the petition claims, is a first lien under the special statute appropriating the loan. July <3, 1908 Boiler Manufacturers’ Convention. Twentieth Annual Meeting at Atlantic City. The twentieth annual convention of the American Boiler Manufacturers’ Association was held at the Marl- boro-Blenheim, Atlantic City, N. J., July 14, 15 and 16. First Vice-President T. M. Rees, Pittsburgh, presided over the opening session. He referred in his remarks to the work of the association in bringing before State and national, authorities the sentiment of the trade in favor of improvement in inspection of boilers and a revision of regulations covering their canstruction and use. He congratulated the association upon the action of Presi- dent Roosevelt in appointing a commission on the re- vision of laws relating to the safety of life at sea, the association having long sought to have such a commis- sion created. At the Tuesday afternoon session Col. E. D. Meier of the Heine Safety Boiler Company reviewed the work of the association in its endeavor to obtain a higher grade of boiler plate with reduction of the phosphorus and sul- phur contents, also its part in the movement for uniform boiler inspection laws. From the revision of the national marine inspection laws, now well under way, excellent results are expected. William L. Hirsch of the Carnegie Steel Company, Pittsburgh, spoke from the standpoint. of the steel manu- facturer. He referred to the improvement already made in the quality of boiler steel from the study of chemists and metallurgists in recent years, and said that manufac- turers are ready to take a forward step whenever this is practicable to meet not only the demands of the domestic trade, but to enter more largely into foreign markets. As an example of the importance of heat treatment in the manufacture of steel, he said he had seen steel plate bent cold flat on itself without injury, and the opposite end of the same piece heated to a cherry red and bent flat without fracture. But the same piece of steel when heated to about 500 degrees F. and bent flat will crack like glass. The speaker answered the question why it is more difficult to reduce phosphorus and sulphur to a minimum in acid steel than in basic steel. A discussion followed, participated in quite generally, in which various causes of imperfections in boiler steel were alluded to, including variation in rolling, segrega- tion in the ingot, the percentage of sulphur, &c. Uniform Boller Specifications, At the Wednesday morning session the Committee on Uniform Boiler Specifications presented its report through Col. E. D. Meier, the chairman. The appointment by President Roosevelt of a commission on the revision of laws relating to the safety of life at sea was spoken of as the culmination of the association’s efforts, beginning with the convention of 1901 at Buffalo. The Massachu- setts law relating to boiler construction was reviewed at length and commended in the main as a pattern for other States. One anomaly was pointed out—namely, permit- ting open hearth flange or boiler steel for the combustion chambers and furnaces and prohibiting it for shells, drums and butt straps. The committee made inquiry on this point and was told that the provision is a temporary one, the intention being to eliminate open hearth flange steel altogether and insist on the use of firebox and extra soft steel. The committee thinks steel castings are given more prominence in the rules than they deserve, in view of the losses sustained by boiler manufacturers through the porosity of such castings. But cast iron is eliminated from boiler work in a number of parts and wrought or cast steel specified, so that the best practice will soon leave wrought steel only. The committee had protested to the Massachusetts Board of Boiler Rules against the paragraph regarding drilling of rivet holes and tube holes, believing that much more accurate work can be done by punching and then reaming than is possible on ' { drill press. A series of tests was recommended which it was believed would show that- good punching, with after reaming to make smooth surface and remove burrs, is first-class workmanship for boilers. The committee believes that a material which has to be so gingerly THE IRON AGE 233 treated that it cannot be punched with safety is not fit to go into a boiler. In the discussion of this report the question of proper limits on boiler pressures came up, and the point was made that if the diameter of boilers is to be limited (the Massachusetts rules making 84 in. maximum for ex- ternally fired boilers) there should also be a limit on working pressures. Uniform State Laws Advocated, H. J. Hartley of the William Cramp & Sons Ship & Engine Building Company, Philadelphia, read a paper on the “ Necessity of Uniform Laws Governing Construction and Inspection of boilers.” The writer had sent out let- ters of inquiry and had replies from 39 states saying that no State laws existed governing the inspection of boilers. Five have laws, and in some other States there are in- adequate provisions embodied in factory inspection laws. The paper referred to the prominent features of the municipal regulations in New York and Philadelphia and reviewed the new Massachusetts law. While it has been considered impracticable under our form of government to secure uniform inspection regulations throughout the various States and develop such an efficient system as ob- tains in Germany, the speaker believes that the functions of the Department of Commerce and Labor could be ex- tended to cover the execution of a national uniform boiler inspection law similar to that now in force in the marine service. A discussion followed in which the confusion result- ing from the present diversity of specifications in vogue in different parts of the country was spoken of as a great drawback. George Hartley spoke from the standpoint of the large buyer, being connected with a company which has about 275 boilers in different parts of the country. Manufacturers bidding on work in different States are often very much at sea because of the diversity of requirements. The Proper Working of Rivets, At the Wednesday afternoon session topical discus- sion was the order. D. J. Champion, Cleveland, Ohio, referred to the fact that wrong methods are often re- sponsible for complaints as to rivets. An important piece of advice is never to drive a rivet except on a rising heat and finish it before it becomes dark blue. Being asked whether it would be possible for rivet manufacturers to advise their customers as to the highest heat a particular Tivet would stand, the speaker said that he had not car- ried on any experiments which would permit an exact answer, but the general rule is that rivets must be worked while they are coming, not while they are going. This was corroborated by a member, who said that if a piece of boiler sheet is heated from a slight heat up to blue heat it can be flanged, but if the same piece has been heated up to regular flange heat and then allowed to fall back to blue heat it will break in working. E. M. Wilkinson said that boiler manufacturers should do more in the direction of preventing smoke, and sug- gested that the Dutch oven might serve as a groundwork for a practicable solution of the trouble. He favored the adoption of a standard depth from the grate line to the shell in boiler fronts, in the case of horizontal boilers, especially where bituminous coal is used. The majority of manufacturers make their fronts so that the grate line will be on a level or within 2 ft. of the shell of the boilers, so as to reduce the cost of the fronts. With the majority of Pennsylvania coals this distance is not enough. In two boilers recently installed, of 200 hp. each, the distance from grate line to the bottom of the shell, which had been 26 in. in the boilers replaced, was in- creased to 40 in. The difference in the amount of smoke made and the saving in fuel were pronounced. The speaker thought that a 48-in. space would give still better results. The legal aspects of a federal boiler inspection law were taken up for consideration. The opinion was ex- pressed that this is a subject for State regulation and that federal control could not be had over land boilers. It was felt by some members that the question would need to be handled by agitation and by impressing the sense of the trade upon the authorities of the different States with a view to securing uniform legislation. Fee ae nese eee nn sae a pee es Mae ee ee ee | | } ' ' | : NR rrGreeQQQG UU 234 THE IRON AGE Hight of Stack, The question of relative hight of boiler stacks in dif- ferent altitudes was raised. It was said that both the grate size and the horsepower must be taken into con- sideration as well as the altitude. Colonel Meier has followed the rule of about 8 per cent. additional hight of chimney to over 1000 ft. of altitudes. Enlarging the grate area will not answer unless the necessary hight is obtained. Mr. Wilkinson said that with a boiler de- veloping 200 hp. and requiring a stack 100 ft. high with natural draft, the hight could be cut down to 65 ft. with forced draft and give better results. The case was cited of boilers developing 950 hp. at Pittsburgh where two stacks too care of four boilers with induced draft. The Stacks, which were 135 ft., were found to be too high and were cut down to 90 ft. The fans were taken out and more horsepower developed than required. Using forced draft with a very large stack forces a larger volume of air into the stack than it is able to carry and the gases become chilled. Mr. Hartley said that while it is true a Stack can be too large, generally the mistakes are the other way For stationary work he added one-quarter to the area of the tubes and never had any trouble with the Size of stacks. The question was asked whether a round or a square stack is preferable, and it was answered that a round stack is the perfect shape, as can be shown by permitting a column of smoke to ascend through a glass retainer. It will be found that the smoke does not stain the corners. Iron versus Steel, The Thursday morning session was marked by a dis- cussion on the comparative advantages of iron and steel. R. H. Bate believed iron rivets properly driven are bet- ter for light work and repair work, arguing that they upset better in the hole. A great quantity of poor work is done in boiler shops, he said, because of defective holes, and this is avoided by punching with a rack. The practice in the speaker’s shop had been to drive rivets at a white heat, though he knew many did not heat rivets up to that point. The speaker preferred iron to steel tubes, provided they can be had at the same price. He did not see that there had been any improvement in tubes. Geo. N. Riley said that his company, the National ‘Tube Company, is governed by the demands of the trade in the use of iron or steel tubes. The drift at present Seems to be toward steel. The navy has adopted steel and the railroads are specifying steel, both seamless and lap welded. Mr. Rees said that he had been known at one time as a crank on iron rivets, but had been con- verted to steel. He was astonished at the advance made in their quality and effectiveness. In all his experience the speaker had not had flues as good as those he is using to-day, of any of the makes of cold drawn tubes. They will turn over without a crack, and, so far as his experience goes, they are superior to those of the old days. New Officers, At the banquet Thursday evening Col. E. D. Meier, president-elect, was toastmaster, and responses were made by Charles M. Schwab, the guest of honor, and by T. A. Daly, James G. Mitchell, BE. M. Wilkinson, F. M. Campbell, George Slate and W. O. Duntley. Mr. Schwab prophesied that 10 years hence steel production in the United States would treble the present figures. He re- ferred to the co-operation now more common than ever among manufacturers, and said that the steel manufac- turers of the country desired to treat all alike and see that the large buyer pays as much as the small one for the same product. Detroit was chosen as the place for the convention of 1909. The following officers were elected: President, E. D. Meier, New York. Secretary, J. D. Farasey, Cleveland, Ohio. Treasurer, Jos. F. Wangler, St. Louis, Mo. First Vice-President, T. M. Rees, Pittsburgh, Pa. Second Vice-President, J. Don Smith, Charleston, S. C. Third Vice-President, W. A. Brunner, Phillipsburg, N. J. Fourth Vice-President, H. D. McKinnon, Bay City, Mich. July 23. 1908 Fifth Vice-President, M. A. Ryan, Duluth, Minn. The associate members and supply men re-elected the following officers: W. O. Duntley, Chicago, president; J. T. Corbett, Chicago, vice-president; W. H. 8S. Bateman, Philadelphia, secretary; H. B, Hare, Cleveland, Ohio, treasurer. ———_—_»--e—_____— An Important Ruling on Industrial Switching. The Interstate Commerce Commission has made a report of far reaching importance on the question of “industrial switching,’ which was discussed in an edi- torial in The Iron Age of June 4, page 1796, entitled “Terminal Railroads at Iron and Steel Works.” The case of the General Electric Company vs. the New York Central and the Delaware & Hudson railroads is the one on whi¢h the ruling has been made. In 1906 these rail- roads discontinued an allowance which they had made for a number of years to the General Electric Company for switching service performed by the company on ter- minals which it had provided at considerable expense. Section 15 of the Interstate Commerce law authorizes carriers to pay a shipper for any service he performs or for any “ instrumentality ” which he furnishes in connec- tion with transportation, and gives the commission the power to fix a maximum rate or charge. The General Electric Company filed its complaint, and asked the com- mission to order the payment by the above carriers of a reasonable rate for switching. The commission has sum- marized its ruling as follows: 1. Where a manufacturing plant has so increased in size as to require within the plant inclosure 12. miles of broad gauge switching tracks and seven miles of narrow gauge electric tracks for the prompt, successful and economical operation of the in- dustry, and with its own motors, engines and crews does a vast amount of purely internal switching, which would be seriously interfered with by the switching engines of the railroad if per- mitted access to the plant, and has on that account assumed charge also of the in-and-out switching and spotting thereto- fore done by the railroads ; held: That it is not entitled to com- pensation from the railroad companies to cover the cost of the movements of loaded and empty cars between the interchange tracks and certain shops, foundries and other buildings within the inclosure. 2. Common carriers are under no duty to extend their trans- portation obligations with the extension of great industrial plants, and to accept and deliver cars within the inclosure over a network of interior switching tracks constructed as plant facilities to meet the requirements of the industry. 3. On the facts of the case, held: That the complainant does nothing within its plant inclosure which it can lawfully call upon the defendants to do for it, and therefore nothing for which it may lawfully demand compensation. Under the cir- cumstances shown of record the obligation of the defendants to complainant involves only an acceptance and delivery of cars at some reasonably convenient point of interchange. 4. The commission has no power either to enforce the spe- cific performance of contractual obligations or to award dam- ages for the breach of such agreements between carriers and shippers. Following this ruling the commission has dismissed a similar complaint by the Solvay Process Company against the New York Central and the Lackawanna roads. In both of these cases the internal switching from one building or department to another had grown to such proportions that it would be unsafe and impracticable for railroad switching crews to work in the plants, and the necessities of the industries are so exacting that they could not await the convenience of the railroad to per- form the in-and-out service and spotting of cars. In both of these cases the industrial switching was under- taken voluntarily by the industries. A similar complaint was filed some time ago by the Buffalo Union Furnace Company, Buffalo, N. Y. The commission, it should be noted, has not held that it would be illegal for the railroad to pay a switching allowance. It has merely refused to order such payment where the railroad resists the demand. The orders in these cases do not make illegal or affect in any manner the status of hundreds of other large industries where railroads make allowances for industrial switching. An order by the commission on a specific complaint does not establish- any general rule. July 23, 1908 The Climax Spur Gear Chain Block. A patent has recently been granted to the Climax Hoist Company, 1753 North Howard street, Philadelphia, Pa., on a new spur geared chain block, an exterior view of which is given in Fig. 1 herewith and details of con- struction and operation in Fig. 2. Excellent efficiency and durability are the two principal contentions made for Fig. 1.—A 1-Ton Climax Spur-Geared Chain Block. the block; it is also claimed to be low in cost and to be of considerable advantage in that the load is carried on hardened and ground steel rollers, It is this latter fact which is largely responsible for the high efficiency, 80 per cent. The gears are all enclosed. in a dustproof case and run in an oil bath, and the hoist is remarkable for FRICTION — WASHERS RATCHET FRICTION PLATE Fig. 2.—Side and Cross Sectional Elevations of the New Climax Chain Block. its small number of parts, all of which are interchange- able, being made to jigs and of standard sizes. The action of the block can be understood from the side and sectional elevations given in Fig. 2. Pulling on the side a of the hand chain causes the hand chain wheel b to revolve the driving shaft c; this shaft carries a pin- ion, d, which meshes with an internal gear, e. The latter is mounted on a stud and is integral with a pinion mesh- ing the internal gear f, which is the load gear, this gear THE IRON AGE 235 being mounted on a quill carrying the load wheel d. The lowering is accomplished by pulling on the side h of the hand chain, which action releases the friction brake and permits the load to descend. The retaining brake is of the company’s own design, and is declared to be abso- lutely secure, smooth and noiseless in operation. The chains are specially made for the company and are claimed to be of a very high grade of iron, The hoist is made in seven sizes, from 1000 to 10,000 lb. capacity, and ranging in standard lifts from 8 to 12 ft. Greater lifts can be had on order. The smallest block weighs 68 Ib. and the largest 390 Ib. +e Customs Decisions. The Treasury Department has decided to acquiesce in a recent decision of the United States Circuit Court of Appeals at Philadelphia relating to so-called arched Purves furnaces. The Government conducted a long lit- igation to compel importers to pay duty at 2% cents per pound under the tariff provision for welded cylindrical furnaces’ made from plate metal. F. B. Vandegrift & Co.’s claim that the furnaces are in reality “ flues,” duti- able at 2 cents per pound, was sustained by the appellate tribunal. Another acquiescence on the part of the Government to suits won by importers relates to crude hematite ore, which was returned for duty at 30 per cent. as a “ pig- ment.” Francklyn & Ferguson were sustained in the claim that the commodity is iron ore, with a duty of 40 cents a ton. The Board of United States General Appraisers has decided that ornamental metal stands, made to hold boxes of safety matches, do not fall within the provision in the Dingley tariff for ‘smokers’ articles.” The Jor- dan Marsh Company, Boston, have been sustained in their objection to the action of the Custom House au- thorities in fixing a 60 per cent. duty, and their claim that the articles should be admitted at 45 per cent. as manufactures of metal. In sustaining a claim filed by C. H. Wyman & Co. of St. Louis, the board held that there is no reason why an importer should not be relieved of the burden of ad- ditional duty when by a clerical error he enters his in- voices too low. The merchandise in question consisted of steel wire. The Board of United States General Appraisers de- cides that specially prepared woven belting used for the transmission of power to machinery is dutiable under the provision in the tariff for “ manufactures of wool” at the appropriate rates according to value. Thomas Meadows & Co., New York, had objected to the action of the customs authorities in classifying the merchandise as “ beltings of wool,” at the rate of 50 cents per pound and 60 per cent. ad valorem. The belting is composed of vegetable fibres and wool, impregnated with a water- proof adhesive cement containing tar and edged with a raw hide cord. The decision points out that all of the articles provided for in paragraph 371, which includes belting, are wearing apparel and articles of luxury, and that to include machine belting in this category is con- trary to the spirit of equity. Oo The Clark Car Company, recently incorporated under a New Jersey charter, with a paid in capital of 50,000, has established offices at 1468 Frick Building Annex, Pittsburgh. It will build steel box and dumping cars of special designs and motor trucks. Its officers are the fol- lowing: Charles H. Clark, president, formerly chief engi- neer of the Tennessee Coal, Iron & Railroad Company ; Geo. E. Slater, secretary, and Justin R. Swift, treasurer. Colne & Co., 11 Broadway, New York, formerly Pow- ell & Colne, contractors for the: erection of Tropenas steel casting plants, have completed an equipment at the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, which is now in suc- cessful operation. This makes 33 converters installed by this firm. As a sign of revival of business Colne & Co. report several inquiries lately from existing and con- templated foundries. 230 THE IRON AGE A German Automatic Screw Machine. The machine shown is built by Hans Richter, Berlin, Germany, for automatically producing screws, nuts and general profile work from rods of any kind of metal. To Fig. 2.—Front View or Working Side. July 23, 1908 revealed; Fig. 2 is a front view showing the working parts and Fig. 3 a near view. Referring to the first illustration, the spindle a is glass hard and runs in bronze bearings. At the front end it is provided with a chuck to take in rods from about 1-32 in. up to the full diameter of the spindle bore. Fig. 3.—Rear View or Driving Side. A New Automatic Screw Machine Built by Hans Richter, Berlin, Germany. do this work four independent turning tools, a boring tool and a tap are used. One workman can serve six such machines, as his work consists principally in re- placing worked-up rods. Fig. 1 is a top view of the ma- chine in which the principal mechanism is quite clearly There are three sizes of this machine, their dimensions being as follows: e's 2 3 Inches. Inches. Inches. ERE Bit Ao 6 Sa Sidee Cine 1% % wy Greatest diameter of screw........... 5Q T/ie yy yreatest length of screw..............3% 2% 17/16 Turns up to a length of..............3'/16 2% 1% a . Si tS ANN inane July 23, 1908 The machine illustrated is the smallest of the three sizes. The tools are held in a carriage, b, Fig. 3, that slides on the profile cam c. The levers d, e, f and g, which work independently of each other, serve to hold the tools fast. By means of eccentrics on the parts and i, the levers are brought into action in a manner corresponding to the shape and character of the piece being made, either one after another in any desired order, or any two or three together, or all four together. On the main slide }b travels the cross slide j, in which the boring tool k and the tap J are adjustably held. The lever m.actuates the cross slide by means of the profile cam n, from the axial line of the boring spindle to the middle of the threading tool, so that when a hole is bored, the threading tool comes in line axially and cuts the thread in the bore, or it can also cut an outside thread. The lever o presses the boring tool (or the threading tool, as the case may be), by means of the pro- file cam p, against the work piece. The tight pulleys q and r act alternately in thread cutting. When the piece is cut off, the chuck a is opened by , THE IRON AGE 237 way 50 x 180 ft. has been erected, and two new furnaces have been about completed. Pipe lines throughout the plant have been changed, and an innovation in connection with the water supply is the use of compressed air for its distribution throughout the plant. The guide mills have all been rearranged, and a Belgian mill has been installed. Instead of the 69-ft. cooling table, one 90 ft. in length has been provided, sufficient to handle any size material in demand. The company has also added two 150 hp. boilers, which will utilize the waste heat*from the furnaces. The new electric crane will supplant the old hand method of loading and unloading material and transporting it about the shops. It is equipped with a magnet of sufficient power to carry several tons of rolled material. The improvements will be completed in about a month, and then if business warrants the plant will be placed in operation. (a ee A New Reed Motor-Driven Wood Lathe. The F. E. Reed Company, Worcester, Mass., has brought out a new motor driven 10-in. wood turning A 10-In. Motor Driven Wood Turning Lathe for Manual Training Shops, Built by the F. E. Reed Company, Worcester, Mass. the lever s; at the same time, the lever ¢ strikes a dog and holds the material tight in the chuck. The driving belt fork q is in the idle position during the shifting of the rod, and at the same time the lever uw brakes the spin- dle. The slide b, with the material, is then drawn back by means of a spring to an adjustable dog, which fixes the length of the piece made. The various cams are actuated by two shafts v and w, journaled on the two sides of the bed. These shafts are driven by worms which can be given any desired speed by means of stepped pulleys. A hand wheel serves for starting. The handle @ is used for temporarily throwing out the cam shafts. The automatic throw out mechanism y comes into play when the material is worked up clear to the chuck jaws. Of each rod about 2% to 3 in. remains unworked. Oe Improvements at the Sligo Rolling Mills.—The Sligo Iron & Steel Company, with sales offices in the House Building, Pittsburgh, and mills at Connellsville, Pa., is remodeling its plant and making improvements which will increase its efficiency and capacity. The machinery will be electrically operated, two large transformers and a trolley line 1000 ft. long having been installed. A crane- lathe, particularly designed for manual training schools. Its new feature is the use of a constant speed motor, which, as shown in the illustration, is located within an enclosure underneath the bed. The motor shaft is belted to the lathe spindle through three-step cone pulleys, which give a sufficient range of speeds for the purpose. The motor is mounted on four threaded studs, and may be adjusted vertically by means of nuts to give the cor- rect belt tension. One advantage of the location of the motor at the base of the machine is that there is a minimum of vibration there, and there is further benefit in the fact that the motor is not convenient of access to the student and is therefore less likely to be tampered with. The company also builds a lathe of the same general type, with vari- able speed motor mounted as part of the head, the arma- ture shaft being the head spindle; but this requires more expensive controlling apparatus. ——_ ~~ om An electric railroad about 10,000 ft. high is being built on the Zugspitze, Bavaria, the highest peak of the Alps. It will run to the summit, and at the 7000-ft. level a hotel will be built. cet Rae Sek NE ERNE ee EEO — OO EEE NEO OE EE EEE EO OEE EO eee Sih UOESS WATE AO Liebe ah aaa! tte cAi Pisin E ee rarest HES a 238 THE IRON AGE July 23, 1908 The Power Required in Rolling Steels. BY J. A. Past Methods of Arriving at Engine Sizes, When the question comes up “ What size engine wil! be required to drive a roll train on which a given shape is to be finished?” the method often pursued is to see what size engine some one else uses in the manufacture of a similar product, perhaps make a few inquiries about the operation of the train, available steam pressure, &c., and with this information as a basis, fix the size of engine to be used for driving this particular roll train. It will be conceded by most men familiar with the conditions prevailing in different mills manufacturing like or similar products that this is not exact knowledge, although it may be the best knowledge and information available at the time being. This method of fixing the size of rolling mill engines has been used very much in the past, and millions of tons of steel have been worked up in roll trains driven by steam engines, the size of which was thus determined. This speaks well for the steam engine— not necessarily for the method pursued in determining its size. The purpose of this article is to propose a better, more scientific way to determine the power required for the rolling of any kind of product under any of the different conditions existing in the manufacture of the many kinds of steel shapes. These methods for deter- mining the power required for this purpose may, of course, be still further improved as more accurate data become available. The writer hopes in this article to be able to point out the direction along which improvements of such method should progress. Present Practice Makes Exact Methods Necessary. At the present time the steam engine begins slowly to be pushed out of the position of being the only prime mover for driving rolling mill trains. It has done much service in this field, but is no longer regarded as the only power available for such work. The electric driven roll train, receiving the current for its motors from a gas engine electric central station, and the gas engine driven roll train are beginning slowly, but surely, to contest for a share of this service so long done by the steam en- gine exclusively. With the arrival of these prime movers in this field and with their limitations peculiar to them- selves, the need of more exact knowledge and informa- tion insuring their successful operation in this special field becomes at once evident. That this has been recognized by the men responsible for the design and operation of such installations is proved by the fact that in nearly every case they have made unusually careful calculations, often based upon exhaustive tests,* with a view of insuring success from the standpoint of the operating department. However, it will be found on examination that all these tests have covered special cases only; that is, a special product, the rolling of rails or plates, for instance, and to the writer’s knowledge no attempt has been made to arrive at such practical conclusions as would permit the applica- tion of their data to any kind of product. The problem in the past seems always to have been “ What is the average and maximum power requirement to roll a rail or plate of a certain section and length in so many passes?” If it were desired to roll that same shape in more or less passes than were used when the investigation was made, the data obtained during the test would not be ap- plicable to the new case at hand. Tests of Engines Driving Plate Mills. The writer had recently the opportunity to make a number of tests during the regular operation of mills on engines driving 21 in. plate mills, made up of three- high roughing rolls, three-high planishing rolls and two- high finishing rolls. The 36 x 48 in. engines are directly connected, have flywheels each weighing from 60,000 to 65,000 Ib. and are run noncondensing. All engines with the exception of one were built nine years ago and are of * See Power, June, 1907, p. 370; also The Iron Age, January 16, 1908, p. 206, et seq. KNESCHE, reputable make. The purpose of these tests among other things was to ascertain the. power required to roll 0.07 per cent. carbon steel as used in the manufacture of the plates referred to later. These tests were made with great care and all pos- sible refinements were used that did: not interfere with the operation of the mills. Throughout the tests con- tinuous indicators with electric pencil attachments were employed, thus recording every stroke the engine made during the rolling of the piece. A chronograph with elec- tric recording device showed the exact time for all passes, the intervals between passes and recorded also the slight- est variations of the engine speed. The width and thick- ness of piece after each pass were obtained with great accuracy in the following manner: After all the data for the test had been obtained, without making any change on the rolls, billets were passed through them in . the regular way; after the first pass the first billet was thrown away, after the second pass the second billet, after the third pass the third billet, &c. When enough billets had been put aside for all the passes, and when these had become cold, the thickness and width were care- fully measured. The length was obtained from the origi- nal billet weight. Thus the sectional aréa was obtained with great accuracy. Of course this method would not have been possible had the billets been very large, because of the great waste of steel. As it was, the waste was practically nil, because the pieces resulting after the first few passes were recharged into the heating furnace and the last few passes were used in the blacksmith shop. Formula for Determining the Actual Horse Power Hequired. Much useful and interesting data embodied in two speci