The Iron Age 1908-10-22: Vol 82 Iss 17

THE [RON AGE Published every Thursday Morning by David Williams Co. 14-16 Park Place, New York. Vol. 82: No. 17. New York, Thursday, October 22, 1908. ae Reading Matter Contents ....... page 1184 Alphabetical Index to Advertisers ‘‘ 182 Classified List of Advertisers - 172 es and Subscription Rates ‘* 1195 REED F. BLAIR & CO. PRICK BUILDING, PITTSBURG, PA. STANDARD CONNBLSVILLB COKE POUNDRY FURNACE CRUSHED These new and up-to-date Remington firearms are in a class bye" themselves. The Remington SOLID BREECH. HAMMERLESS® NRE a » «t STILLSO N IDEA appeals to sportsmen. The Autoloading Shot Gun and Rifle \ ee WRENCH ”* reload by their own recoil. The Pump Gunis slide action. They” < co JS > are 20th Century firearms. Ss is manufactured by J WALWORTH MFG. CO., Boston, U.S. A. And bears their registered Trade-Mark It’s sound judgment to carry the *‘ Solid Breech Line.’’ ry THE BRISTOL COMPANY THE SastnN. Some REMINGTON ARMS COMPANY The oe Bristol Ilion, N. Y. Pyrometers For High Temperatures Agemecy, - - 315 Spencway> New York oy THE BRISTOL CO. Waterbury, Conn. WATER TUBE She Babcock a Wilcox Co., SA - SON SPOT CORD |} BOILERS See page 51 a . ge or Specified by Architects Everywhere Samson Cordage Works, Boston, Mass. No Danger of Nails Splitting TURNBUCKLES No danger of nails breaking! No danger of injuring a me Hag, it horse’s hoof or foot b f dull poi Gincentee NT. Guta. > rse’s hoof or foot because of dull points or weak blades, ruUnRNBUCEZL™S'| when Capewell nails are used. MERRILL BROS. i a ied Maspeth, MADE BY New a eee 3. N. Y. Any Minceceane|| The Capewell Horse Nail Company, COKE Phitada Hartford, Conn. Machesney Bidg.. Pittsburg a Re ET acl eeamchnmal Bidg., New York pa 1UFHIN ,*.. RICA and THE BEst iN THE WORLD a, RULE CO, Sagi Windsor an Jenkins °96 Sheet Packing is the kind that will prevent loss of steam. Its great strength and durability give it maximum ef- fectiveness when used under pressure ofsteam,acids orammonia. It does not blow, burn or squeeze out. Jenkins ’96 is also made with wire insertion. JENKINS BROS., New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago " AMBRICAN TUBB & STAMPING COMPANY SBB 26 (Water and Rail Delivery) Beipesport, Conn, PAGB _ MAGNOLIA rucrion METAL SPECIFY 32 Pounds Coating ROOFING TIN “The Terne which turns the elements.” Send for our Pocket Reference Book, containing descriptions of om various Sheet and Tin Mill Products—tables of weights, etc. It is mailed free te those interested. AMERICAN The Standard Babbitt of the World SHEET AND. TIN PLATE ements Frick Building, Pittsburgh, Pa. “on MAGHOLIA METAL CO. See our Ad. on page 17. New York: 115 Bank St. Chicago: Fisher Building. Montreal: 31 St. Nicholas St. THE IRON AGE The Plume & Atwood Mfg Co Manufacturers of ELECTRICALBRASS/"=,, Pfu STEEL \COPPERS: SHEETS GERMAN SILVER WIRE LOW BRASS, SHEET BRONZE, FOLLANS BEE scamesssrass ann copper TUBING, BRAZED BRASS AND BROTHERS | sronze tsnc: : : : COMPANY have given satis- Waterbury Brass Co. WATERBURY, CONN. faction under most critical and Providence, R. f. carefully con- ducted tests. Particulars on application. — made by— 99 John St., New York. Bridgeport Deoxidized Bronze & Metal Co. BRIDGEPORT, CONN. Phosphor and Deoxidized WORKS FOLLANSBEE, W. VA. Bronze OFFICE PITTSBURGH | Composition, Yetiow 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. ¢GERMAN SILVER 2 © In Sheet, Wire, Rods, Blanks and Shells NICKEL ANODES BRASS, BRONZE, COPPER in all forms THE SEYMOUR MFG. CO., Seymour, Conn. Wj HENDRICKS BROTHERS Sheet and BarCopper, Copper Fire Box Plates and Staybolts, Wire and Braziers Rivets Iimpertersa and Desiers in Ingot Copper, Block, Tin, Spelter, Lead, Antimony, Bismuth, Nickel, etc. 49 CLIFF STREET, - - - - NEW YORK Sheet and Roll Brass, Wire, Rods, German Silver and Brass Goods in great variety. Rolling Mill Factories Thomaston, Conn. Waterbury, Con: Branch Offices New York Chicago St. Louis and San Franciseo Sells Everywhere STANDARD WIRING FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT AND POWER By custina Leather Cover THIRTEEN EpITIONsS Pocket Size One Dellar. Postpaid DAVID “WILL Ams COMPANY 14-16 Park Place - New York SCOVILL MFG. CO. Manufacturers of BRASS, GERMAN SILVER, Sheets, Rolls, Wire, and Rods. Brass Shells, Cups, Hinges, Buttons, Lamp Goods, Special Brass Goods to Order. Factories WATERBURY, CONN. Depots: NEW YORK CHICAGO BOSTON HenrySouther Engineering Co. MARTPORD, CONN. Consulting Chemists, Metallur- gists and Analysts. Complete Physica! Testing Laboratory. Expert Testimony in Oourt and Patens Cases. Arthur T. Rutter & Co. 256 Broadway, NEW YORK. Small tubing in Brass, Copper, Steel, Aluminum, German Silver, &c. Sheet Brass, Copper and Ger- man Silver. German Silver Wire. Brazed and Seamless Brass and Copper Tube. Copper and Brass Rod. THE BRIDGEPORT BRASS CO. BRIDGEPORT, CONN. Postal Veledraph sew, York Breatwey and Murray St 85-87 earl St., 17 N. 7th St., Bo hiladelphia. MANUFACTURERS OF Brass SHEET AND TUBING Copper | WIRE Metal Goods made to order from Sheet, Rod, Wire and Tubing. THE Riversioe METAL. Co. . RIVERSIDE, N.4 Copper, Brass and THE IRON AGE New York, Thursday, October 22, 1908. The Keystone Gasoline Well Driller. In The Iron Age June 25, 1908, there was described a gasoline engine driven road roller, the first of its type, and now, marking a still further invasion of the gasoline engine into the steam engine field, there is announced a gasoline driven well drilling machine by the Keystone Driller Company, Beaver Falls, Pa. That both of these applications were not made successfully earlier has been due in large part to certain acknowledged limitations of gasoline engines as compared with steam engines. Par- ticularly in well drilling the steam engine has certain advantages as a motive power—reversibility, fine speed adjustment (toe suit the drop of the drill and the depth of the well), and substantially constant power under vari- rig. 1.—The Keystone Auto Gasoline able speeds. Given a means of approximating these ad- vantages with a gasoline engine which has its own pe- culiar advantages of convenience and the combination is nearly ideal. In the Keystone driller this has been ac- eomplished in the transmission which permits the engine to run at constant speed in one direction, at which its highest efficiency is realized, while the drive may be re- versed and the speed changed. It was an even more difficult problem than confronted automobile manufac- turers, as a few stepped changes of speed are not suffi- cient for well drilling. It is significant that both the road roller and the well driller in their gasoline engine driven forms have been developed by builders of their steam prototypes. Primarily the gasoline driller is intended for use where fuel or water is scarce, but in any locality it com- pares favorably with a steam driven machine. In fact the only difference between the Keystone gasoline and steam drillers is the substitution of the gasoline engine and its equipment for the steam engine and boiler, with the addition of the specially devised power transmission. In the elimination of the boiler alone, saving its weight and the attention and repairs it requires, much has been gained. Figs. 1 and 2 give side and end views of the new driller, and details of the engine and transmission are given in Figs. 83 and 4. The machines are made in two- sizes and in traction and nontraction types. The No. 3 plain machine has a 14-hp. engine, the No. 3 combined driller and traction engine and the No. 5 nontraction machine each have 20-hp, engines, and the No. 5 traction machine a 30-hp. engine. The engines are of two-cylin- der, four-cycle type, with pistons opposed, so that the crank shaft receives an impulse at every revolution. Also since one piston counterbalances the other there is practically no vibration. The crank shaft bearing and the pistons are inclosed to exclude dust, but nevertheless all of the internal parts of the engine are easily remov- nble through a covered aperture in the engine frame. Drilling Machine. The engine is light and strong. It is oiled by a splash system from a reservoir in the crank case, hence grease cups and oilers for the pistons and crankshaft bearings are not required. A check valve prevents oil from leak- ing out from the main bearings of the engine. The cylinders and frame of the engine are cast in separate pieces, so that any single part may be replaced at less expense. The engine is governed by a fly ball type of throttling governor driven direct by the engine without belts, and through it the constant speed which the en- gine will maintain can be changed as desired. The cylinders and frame are cast iron. The cylinders are water jacketed. The very long pieces at the ends of the engine rest upon and are securely bolted to the side sills of the machine, not only preventing displacement or disarrangement of the engine, but bracing and stiffening the frame of the machine as well. The pistons are of close grained iron, ribbed and braced, and permit a very close fitting to the cylinders. The rings are also close grained hard iron and are about twice the thickness of such rings as commonly made, principally to insure their perfect fit, so as to hold the compression and working pressure of the engine by preventing leakage. The valves are of a special steel highly resistant to wear and 1130 THE Fig. 2.—Front View, Showing Controls and Transmission. oxidizing effects of the gases. A large valve area and lift makes it possible for the engine to operate at piston speeds of 1000 ft. per minute and take in full charges, giving the highest mean effective pressure. The rated power of the engine being based on a piston speed of 550 ft. per minute, the engine is capable of developing much more than its normal power. The crankshaft and connecting rod are steel forg- ings of liberal proportions, and the bearings of the crank- shaft and connecting rod are phosphor bronze and of large surface. They are flooded, self-oiling and arranged IRON AGE October 22, 1908 to use the oil over repeatedly. No oil cups except one feeder are required for the entire internal part of the engine. All bearings are adjustable for wear. Jump spark ignition is used and a timer of the com- pany’s own make, which is claimed to conduce to long life of batteries. Each machine is equipped with dupli- cate sets of five cells of battery, each arranged in a weatherproof box with the spark coil. After the engine is started the ignition current is furnished by a dynamo, thus relieving the batteries. Both sets of batteries and the igniting dynamo are controlled by a switch placed on the left rear post just below the steering and control wheels. A key is provided for the switch, without which it is impossible to start the machine. The carburetor is of the gravity float feed type. Two 40-gal. galvanized iron tanks, marked G and W in the Figs. 1 and 2, contain the gasoline and cooling FRICTION WHEEL ~_ FRICTION DISK - ADJUSTING SCREW TRANSMISSION SHAFT j FRICTION | WHEEL BELT PULLEY ropa ADJUSTING SCREW Fig. 4.—Dlevation and Plan of the Variable Speed Reversible Transmission. water for the engine jacket. A tank full of gasoline will run the engine under ordinary loads for 30 hr., 5 or 6 gal. will run it 10 hr. without load and one tank full of water is sufficient to cool the engine for 24 hr. It is specially to be noticed that in the motor there is but one pair of gears. These are made of steel and iron, are of coarse pitch and large teeth, and run in oil. The engines are equipped with a starting device, and in addition each cylinder is provided with a valve for re- lieving about two-thirds of the compression, so that even though these engines are of comparatively large power, they are very easily started under any circumstances. Fig. 3.—Plan, Side and End Views of the Engine.. October 22, 1908 One of the new features of the machine is shown in Fig. 2, an automobile type of front axle and steering de- vice. The axle is stiffer than formerly, and the steering mechanism is of the worm and sector self-locking type, controlled by a steering wheel at the rear of the machine. An emergency brake is placed on the left side of the ma- chine near the steering and control wheels at the driver’s post. That which more than all else has made the gasoline driller a success is the graduated reversible power trans- mission. This comprises a combination friction driving disk and flywheel on the motor and a driven wheel on a transverse transmission shaft. On the latter shaft at one end is placed a pulley which drives the drilling mechanism by belt, and on the other end of the shaft is the traction driving gear. This transverse shaft runs in hardened steel ball bearings, slidable so as to engage the driven wheel with the friction driving disk at any point across the diameter of the latter, so that the speed may be graded from zero to high speed in either direction. The friction driving disk has a hardwood filling, with the end grain exposed, and will wear down 2 in. before needing renewal. The position of the driven wheel is instantly controlled by a lever and hand wheel on each end of the machine. The motor runs constantly in one direction at any speed, determined by the governor, from 250 to 500 rev. per min., and at such speed will develop any power placed upon it from no load to full load, as required. At the forward end of the machine are located all controlling means necessary during the operation of drilling, just as those for propelling the machine as a traction engine are located at the rear platform. Blast for a forge fire used in dressing tools is furnished by a rotary blower supplied with the machine and driven by a friction con- tact with the flywheel of the engine. A hose is used to convey the air to the forge on the ground. On the traction machine the traction gearing is driven from a pinion on the end of the transverse shaft, as be- fore stated. The ability to vary the speeds is of im- portance here as well, so that steep hills can ‘be nego- tiated. All the drilling tools, derrick, &c., used in well drilling are carried on the machine in the same manner as on a steam driven driller. Provision is also made for attach- ing a trailer or tender wagon, in which may be carried extra fuel and water for several days, and additional pipe, camping equipment, provisions, &c. The tractive power is sufficient to haul several trailer wazons or other machines if necessary. ——__+- The Texas Metal Trades Association. The annual convention of the Texas Metal Trades Association was held in San Antonio, October 8 and 9, with good attendance. W. S. Mosher, president, of Dallas, was in the chair, and W. C. Trout, secretary, of Lufkin, was at his desk. It was resolved to incorporate under the laws of Texas, the membership to include founders, machinists, boiler and tank builders and structural and bridge builders. Three new members were added to the organization, besides the election of Hardy Greenwood of San Antonio to honorary membership. Papers and discussions were as follows: D. R. Jamer- son, Union Iron Works, Houston, on “Shop Cost Sys- tem”; W. C. Trout, Lufkin Foundry & Machine Com- pany, Lufkin, on “ Buyers’ Contracts,” especially that ap- plying on pig iron and as adopted by the Iron Buyers’ Association; E. Y. Hartwell, Hartwell Iron Works, Hous- ton, on “Molding Machines.” Hardy Greenwood, San Antonio, sales agent for Pioneer pig iron and Milwaukee Solvay foundry coke, led the discussion on freight mat- ters, The members all appeared satisfied that the organiza- tion had done effective work in the past year. The elec- tion of officers for the ensuing year resulted as follows: W. C. Trout, Lufkin, president; J. H. Holmgreen, Alamo Iron Works, San Antonio, vice-president; D. R. Jamerson, Union Iron Works, Houston, secretary. Committees were appointed, and it was decided to meet in Beaumont next year. THE IRON AGE 1131 The Ferracute Electric Press Operator. An electric press operator is used by the Ferracute Machine Company, Bridgeton, N. J., to take the place of a boy while testing single-stroke presses. Its function is to depress the treadle at the proper intervals to keep the press in continuous operation, but it is not intended as a substitute for a human operator in the doing of work on the press. The company makes a specialty of presses for stamping sheet metals, and before shipping its machines tests them by running them a day or so that any defects in their action may be revealed. Machines of this class are usually provided with a clutch connecting the fly wheel or gear wheel to the shaft, which is engaged when the operator places his foot on a treadle. Formerly boys were employed to do this during testing, but the recently constructed electric operator, shown in the illustration, An Electric Device for Continuously Operating a Single-Stroke Press While Under Tést, Built and Used by the Ferracute Machine Company, Bridgeton, N. J. has been found to do the work much more satisfactorily. The essential part of the contrivance is a weight or plunger which is raised by a solenoid and dropped by gravity when the current is broken. The core of the sole- noid projects through the top of its casing, affording an opportunity to suspend it by a latch when not in use. What corresponds to the foot of a boy is connected to the solenoid by a ball joint, eliminating friction when pres- sure is applied to the treadle. An arm attached to the ram of the press raises the trip rod as the ram nears the top of its stroke, breaking the current and releasing the weighted core or plunger which then drops upon the treadle. The trip rod descends with the arm until con- tact is again made, when the weight raises and the con- tinued making and breaking of the circuit gives the de- sired intermittent vertical motion closely resembling the action of a human foot on the treadle. The device is adjustable to adapt it to the wide va- riety of sizes of presses built by the company, there being a split sleeve at the base, allowing the foot to be ad- justed up or down, and the trip rod being long enough to reach the rams of all ordinary sizes of presses. The necessary portability of the apparatus is secured by mounting it on casters, so that it may be pulled or pushed to the machine that it is desired to operate. In the Ferra- cute shops all the machine tools are motor driven and current supply for the electric operator may be obtained in any part of the works, 1132 Shop Heating and Ventilation. The System Used in the Abendroth & Root Mfg. Company’s Plant. The accompanying drawings and half-tones illustrate a heating system recently installed in the plant of the Abendroth & Root Mfg. Company at Newburgh, N. Y., that presents some interesting solutions of problems in heating and ventilation. The outfit was designed by the en- gineers of the Green Fuel Economizer Company, Mat- teawan, N. Y., which concern furnished and installed the complete plant. The fan system is employed, an impor- tant feature of which is that it delivers the heated air near the floor level. The building is of the typical frame type used for bridge, boiler and sheet metal work, one story high, cover- ing a large area and with a high roof. The walls are of open construction and the exposed surfaces are composed THE IRON AGE October 22, 1908 of this nature and tends to increase expense and inac- cessibility, or around the end wall where they generally cress windows or cut off doors. With a fan system, it is often not convenient to run air distributing pipes in the interior of the shop on account of cranes. In this installation the fan and heater coils are placed at the central point of an end wall, the fan discharging upward into the main header duct which branches from the vertical duct on either side above the top of the end windows. From the main header duct branches are led at right angles along each row of columns, and pipes are dropped down alternate columns. These discharge in three directions, 2 ft. above the floor, bringing the heat to the point where it is needed and from which point it rises of its own accord after accomplishing its purpose. The opinion of the designers is that the trouble experi- enced with apparatus formerly installed is that, while the upper part of the building and the roof are well heated, the inhabited zone remains cold. This comes about through what is apparently an attempt on the part View in the Shop of the Abendroth & Root Mfg. Company, Main Air Duct and Arrangement of Branches and Outlets. largely of glass, having high radiating and conducting properties and admitting a considerable leakage of cold air. As is usual in shops where work of the nature is carried on, the workmen are quite active, so that the temperature required does not exceed 55 to 60 degrees, and as the men are scattered pretty well about the build- ing a thorough distribution of heat is imperative, the con- ditions differing considerably from those in a shop where the men work at benches. Further, there is a large amount of stock and iron work generally on hand, which takes a considerable length of time to heat up. The old-fashioned method of stringing steam pipes along the walls was prohibited, on the ground that the results are invariably a prism of excessive heat near the walls, which promptly radiates from the adjacent win- dows or ascends to the region of the roof, leaving the central portion of the building cold. To secure a distri- bution of heat, even approximately uniform, with the steam pipe or direct system, it would be necessary to place coils in the center of the building, and as clearance must usually be provided for cranes, the connections have to be kept clear of the runways; the coils, which, of course, always form a pocket, would be dripped by piping under the floors, which is seldom feasible in a building Newburgh, N. Y., Showing Location of Motor, Fan, Heater, of the designers to force the hot air downward from the outlets a considerable distance by means of momentum currents. However, the momentum of an air jet is not long preserved, and in general it is considered desirable in ventilating to depend upon momentum as little. as, pos- sible, since it only implies drafts and gives an uneven distribution. The general subject of the most suitable air velocities, the size and position of discharge openings, and the inter- action and relative importance of momentum and convec- tion currents is one that frequently receives too little at- tention in the planning of heating and ventilating ar- rangements. In the present case care in this regard has secured the result that the shop is found heated evenly with the least amount of steam in the shortest possible time. The use of three discharges near the floor on each drop gives good distribution and avoids the trouble ex- perienced with one large pipe blowing directly in one place, which in other plants is sometimes claimed to be so bad that the men cannot work at that particular spot. As the number of occupants in the present case is relatively small for the size of the building, a consider- able economy is effected by drawing the air supply from the interior of the building. although provision is also October 22, 1908 5 Bax 12.) Os6%"’x 12% DAMPER FITTED WITH SET-SCREW ATTACHMENT THE IRON AGE 1133 aa ae FRESH AIR INLET 24° 10” TT Pha a in 19° ¥ 13" 18" » DOORS FOR RECIRCULATION 10" o EACH 2”’x 6” | HEATER | oO te") | i $$ —_ fies 30” ) Tf MH 16” 16" by 18" SS s ” , 8 10°" 14" ex 8-8 ~8'x 8" 8x 8 + *-B i : "W” iy 4 ny ' ondie-eer 8 x 8~ Qo ™ C os” x 92) 8'x 8 f-8'x 9” ne%"x 2+ DAMPER FITTED WITH SET-SCREW ATTACHMENT “ ” “ ” 8 X 8<-G-8 x8 Plan and Hlevation, Showing Location of Fan, Heater and Air Ducts. made for supplying fresh air in mild weather or in case an uncomfortable amount of smoke or dust makes a rapid change of air desirable. The air can be recirculated in the morning while warming up the building and then fresh air supplied for the remainder of the day. The heating and ventilating apparatus consists of a Green steel plate fan of the three-quarter housing type, having a wheel 6 ft. in diameter and 3 ft. 6 in. wide. Directly connected to the same shaft is a Green 7 x 8 in. vertical center crank throttling engine, open frame type, with hand lubrication. On the inlet side of the fan is placed the heater, of the patent Green type, containing 4080 lin. ft. of 1-in. pipe divided into five sections, having four rows of pipe each, making the total depth of the heater 20 rows. One “oe The Fan, Heater and Vertical Air Duct. section is arranged to take the exhaust from the fan en- gine and the remaining four sections may be supplied with either exhaust steam from the main engine or/live steam at will. Each section is independent of the others, having its own inlet and drip, so that any section may be shut off. Each section consists of horizontal lines of wrought iron pipe, expanded into cast iron headers at > 14— SQUARE Front and Side Elevation and Plan of Air Dact Outlets. each end. The covers of these headers are removable, so that the pipes may readily be cleaned or repaired, also providing an effective means of plugging a damaged pipe in a few minutes so that the heater may be used until it can conveniently be shut down for more permanent re- pairs, ap advantage which a mechanic experienced in heating coils will appreciate. When a pipe needs re- placing, instead of taking the whole heater apart the defective pipe can be pulled out through the header and --replaced with a perfect pipe by any one who can expand a tube into a header, and as the tubes are made from 1-in. wrought iron steam pipe, they can, of course, be bought almost anywhere. It is often necessary to cover the heater with insulating material; when this is done with the Green heater all ordinary repairs may be made 1134 without disturbing the covering. Owing to the fact that the pipes are horizontal, and all of exactly the same length, and as in addition the steam and water of con- densation travel always in the same direction, it is claimed that this heater is notably efficient. The steam circulates positively and any air present is carried to the outlet. There is no possibility of steam passing directly from the inlet to the outlet through the header. This form of heater is also well adapted for the circulation of hot or cold water or of cold brine, as the pipes are easily cleaned. An examination of the sizes of pipes and of the sizes of outlets as shown on the accompanying plan indicates that the total area of the 34 outlets is 2186 sq. in., or 15.2 sq. ft. This means that for every 100 cu. ft. of air delivered by the fan the velocity through the outlets averages 6.5 ft. per minute. Thus for 10,000 cu. ft. de- livered by the fan per minute, depending, of course, upon the speed at which it is run, the average velocity of air through the outlets would be 650 ft. per minute. The re- The Distributing Main duction in velocity in the ducts from the fan to the out- lets is not very great. The area of the 48-in. pipe, for example, is 1810 sq. in. and serves the 2186 sq. in. of outlet areas, indicating that the velocity at the fan is about 20 per cent. greater than the average at the outlets. +e The Universal Rolling Mill Company.—A new com- pany consisting of several parties formerly connected with the Waynesburg Forge, Sheet & Tin Mills at Waynesburg, Pa., has been organized as the Universal Rolling Mill Company with a capital stock of $75,000. It has acquired the sheet department of the above named plant and is removing it to Bridgeville, Pa., where a five- acre site has been secured having railroad connections with the Pennsylvania and Wabash systems. The output will consist largely of special heavy gauge steel sheets and light strips, intended more particularly for the man- ufacture of shovels and other sheet metal tools, as well as steel for stamping out various sheet metal products re- THE IRON AGE October 22, 1908 quired in the manufacture of agricultural implements. It is the intention of the company later on to establish in connection with the mill a drop forging and stamping de- partment for making these products. The present equip- ment will consist of three sheet mills, direct driven by a 30 x 30 Corliss engine, power being furnished by a bat- tery of Geary water tube boilers. It is expected to have the plant in operation about the middle of next January. H. B. Duncan is president and Walter H. Baker secretary and treasurer. ——__~»4—- An Alabama Briquette Project. The Standard Fuel Company, Birmingham, Ala., has been organized to manufacture and sell a fuel briquette made of soft coal and coke breeze, and expects to build and equip a plant within the next six months to turn out this product. The essential feature of the new briquette lies in the character of the binder used, which is said to be a vegetable substance not highly inflamma- , Branches and Outlets. ble, and yielding no smoke in combustion. The briquettes remain firm and hard under heat, and, like anthracite, do not disintegrate until entirely consumed. They burn with but little flame, and are practically smokeless. In a recent test a briquette 2% in. in diameter by 1% in. in length, after burning 1% hours, was found to be but half consumed, and after cooling was put back into the fire, and eontinued to burn over an hour longer before it was entirely reduced to ashes. Its superiority in this respect is aseribed chiefly to the character of binder used, which it is claimed contains no tar products in its composition. These briquettes are made on a special machine designed by R. M. Hale, formerly in charge of the briquetting experiments carried on by the Illinois Steel Company, with a view to briquetting furnace flue dust, which was afterward abandoned in favor of the sintering process. The officers of the company are Theo- dore Davis, president; R. M. Hale, vice-president and engineer; R. E. Seibels, secretary and treasurer. October 22, 1908 The Cape May Sand Company’s Plant. BY I. G. BAYLEY. The Cape May Sand Company’s plant is located on the southern coast of the State of New Jersey on the shore of Delaware Bay. On account of the natural for- mation of the bay and the tidal effects, the sand deposit at this location is unexcelled. Prior to the organization of the present company, in 1905, the plant was run on a small scale, but since new machinery and other improvements have been added 150,000 tons of sand and gravel have been shipped to all parts of the United States and Canada, to be used for many different purposes. While improvements are con- stantly being made and larger ones are contemplated, plans having been made for an extensive wharf, for sand barges and a plant exclusively for filtration purposes, the present operations consist of the following: A dry grading process, installed in a large, well heated building, shown in the accompanying illustration. A wet grading process, where the machinery is not covered, but supported on heavy timber framing, sur- rounded by the bins on the ground floor, as shown in the rear of the building in the illustration; a blacksmith THE IRON AGE 1135 All the large pebbles, shells, &c., which do not pass through the meshes of the drum are carried along by the rotation of the latter and discharged through the lower end into a ‘hopper, which communicates by means of a wooden pipe or spout to the inside of a cylindrical drum immediately under the first, this drum being made of heavy wire having a very large mesh. Here the pebbles and shells are separated from the rest, which falls through the meshes into a bin of large capacity beneath. whe sand which passes through the perforation of . fop or first drum is washed along wooden channels into the front opening of the next drum, of a smaller mesh, Here it is tumbled and washed through the meshes into a wooden trough beneath and passed on to the next drum farther on and a little below. The graded pebbles and gravel pass out through the lower end of the drum into wooden hoppers, which are connected by spouts of different lengths with the respective bins below. In this manner the material is separated into eight or nine grades of sand and gravel. As the material reaches the lower series of drums it becomes bulky and is not so easily passed through the finer meshes of the wire drums. For this reason the discharge is not so great and the meshes become more easily clogged. The drums are therefore increased in number, running in pairs, and an extra stream of water The Cape May Sand Company’s Plant. shop, repair shop, engine and boiler room, Italian quar- ters, storeroom and offices; a track system for the sand trucks, clam shell bucket cranes and locomotives for haul- ing; three miles of the beach have been staked off for future operations. Large clam bucket cranes, supported on trestle track work along the beach of the Delaware Bay being well in the water when at high tide, are used for taking up the sand and gravel, depositing it in 50-ton sand trucks, which are made of very heavy timber work. When full the trucks are moved to the plant, where they are un- loaded within easy reach of the lower hoppers of the conveyors, consisting of an endless chain of buckets, run- ning at a steep grade to a hight of 60 ft. above the ground level. The lower hoppers being filled, the buckets of the con- veyor pass through them, depositing the sand and gravel in a wet state into hoppers at the top of the timber work. The top hoppers communicate with the inside of revolving horizontal drums: built in steps or terraces to within 10 or 15 ft. of the ground level. The top or first drums are made of sheet steel perforated with certain sized holes and are slightly inclined, so that as they revolve the material inside is thoroughly shaken and moves down toward the lower end. In the wet grading process a 3-in. supply of water is pumped into the top hopper, meeting the discharges of sand from the bucket conveyor and flows with the ma- terial throughout the entire process of grading until it passes out through the walls of the last bin at the foot of the framework. is directed on the outside of them, helping to wash away the fine sand which clogs the meshes. The lower set of drums discharges the graded material through the lower ends into individual hoppers, which communicate with one spout discharging into the bin, while the fine sand passing through the meshes is washed along the trough beneath into a large bin at the extreme lower end of the apparatus, The water soon passes off through openings in the sides of the bins, leaving a very fine deposit of sand, which is designated as No. 0 grade. While the material produced by the wet process is good enough for all practical purposes, the grades are not so evenly sorted as in the dry process. This is done un- der cover, in a heated building. No water is used, but the material falls by gravity into the bins, and from one series of drums to others immediately below but farther advanced, until it reaches the lowest set of drums, 9 or 10 ft. from the ground. The process is the reverse of the “wet, the finer grades of sand being separated first. For this reason the top drums are in pairs, since they have to take the bulk of material. As in the wet process, the material is raised to a top hopper by means of an endless chain of buckets. Here it is screened to get rid of the larger pebbles and shell deposit. The rest falls into a hopper beneath the screen and is dropped through a metal spout into a long hori- zontal rotary kiln on the ground floor of the building. One end of this kiln, which: is lined with firebrick throughout, is open to and connected directly with a coke furnace which is provided with a 5-hp. blower. The other end of the kiln is open to a chimney and inclines enn—nnsnoneneil 1136 toward that end, so that as the kiln revolves the sand and gravel are tumbled toward and out the chimney end into a hopper, where it is lifted by means of an endless chain conveyor to the top drums, as in the case of the wet process. The high temperature through which the sand has been made to pass thoroughly dries it. That which passes through the meshes of the drums is caught in individual hoppers and discharged into the respective bins by means of spouts of different lengths or chutes. ae While there are at present sufficient screens to mor | eight or nine different grades of material, there is no rea- son why grades of any degree cannot be made for any purpose by changing the size of the mesh. In the wet process the material is loaded into the cars for shipment by means of clam shell bucket cranes, but in the dry process each bin is furnished with a small bucket chain conveyor, which shoots the material through spouts into the cars on the sidings. The bucket conveyors are oper- ated by individual clutches on a horizontal shaft, which runs the full length of the delivery side of the bins. Less than half a mile from the plant is a natural for- mation of “wind blown” or sand dunes, excellently adapted for filtration purposes without any preparation whatever, 1000 tons of this material having been shipped for that purpose recently, While for filtration purposes it is difficult to get a pure sand, free from loam and other foreign matter, seashore or ocean washed sand is entirely devoid of these impurities. It is also a recog- nized fact that round or globular grains are preferable to a sharp or angular formation for filtration purposes. The sand from this plant is used for foundation work, building and concrete construction, asphalt paving, con- crete bricks, the purification of water supply, sewage dis- posal and steel or iron molding. Much has been fur- nished for the sand blast process of cleaning castings. For this purpose a tough hardness of grain is preferable to a brittle hardness, and a clean hard tough grain sand can perhaps best be had from ocean washed or seashore sand. The offices of the Cape May Sand Company are in Cape May City, N. J., a few miles from the plant. Frank Entrikin is president, Lafayette Miller vice-president, and J. Henry Edmunds treasurer and manager. ————»~-e—___ The Standard Gauge Mfg. Company. The Standard Gauge Mfg. Company, which has been actively engaged in the manufacture of indicating and re- cording gauges, at Syracuse, N. Y., will move its plant and main office about November 1 to Foxboro, Mass., where the manufacture of these lines will be carried on extensively. This factory, recently purchased, adjoins the Taunton branch of the New York, New Haven & Hart- ford River Railroad, and comprises about 10 acres of land with the buildings already erected. There are two main buildings, each 60 x 210 ft., of brick and heavy mill con- struction, three stories and basement, giving available fioor space in these two buildings alone of about 100,000 sq. ft. The main power plant is installed in a two-story brick building, located between the two main buildings referred to, and consists of three Harris-Corliss engines and four Roberts return tubular boilers of 500 hp. capacity, along with other apparatus which goes to make up an ideal power plant. A 30 x 42 ft. two-story carpenter shop and a 38 x 42 ft. forge or blacksmith shop are also situated between the two main buildings. A thoroughly well equipped one-story brick foundry, 60 x 150 ft., is located north of the main buildings. A plant for the production and storage of gas is located near one of the main build- ings, and has a capacity of 300,000 cu. ft. in 24 hr., while a separate two-story brick building with slate roof and conveniently located serves as an administration building. : ‘ The purpose of the company is to develop and manu- facture a complete line of measuring instruments for in- dustrial purposes. It was incorporated in 1899 for $25,- 000 capital, which was increased in 1904 to $150,000, and to take care of the present enlargement in the business its capital has been further increased. Watson E. Good- THE IRON AGE October 22, 1908 year is president ; Bennett B. Bristol, treasurer ; Edgar H. Bristol, vice-president, and Arthur F. Mundy, secretary. The sales office addresses will be as heretofore: New York, 1770 Hudson Terminal, Fulton Building, and Chi- cago, 752 Monadnock Building. OO Sheet Steel and Cement in Building Con. struction. A new and undoubtedly large field for the consump- tion of metal lath and cement is about to be opened by the growing ‘popularity of the cemented, or what is com- monly called the “stuccoed,” house. This has proved an important influence in the development of a rapid and more economical method for making metal lath, which has come about coincidently with the excellence and cheap- ness of the American Portland cements. The scarcity and advancing price of lumber also have much to do with stimulating this form of exterior finish which is now well established as a fashion for new construction, but there is a much wider field for its use in the covering of the old frame houses now standing, estimated to number at least 6,000,000. The fact that, at a comparatively small cost, the appearance of such houses can be greatly improved and the comfort of the occupants, both in winter and summer, considerably increased appeals strongly in favor of the undertaking. It is said that the saving in fuel and repairs will in most cases run from 10 to 20 per cent. on the cost of the improvement, making it attractive from an investment standpoint. It would be possible to estimate the great tonnage of sheet steel and cement likely to be required for this pur- pose, but beyond that it is certain that the wide distribu- tion of demand and more general acquaintance of the public with the possibilities of these materials for recon- struction work will extend the use to stables and out- houses for animal protection, with resulting economy in food expenditure. By the same process a rough plank fence can be converted into a handsome paneled wall. —————»-o—_____ Customs Decisions. Kron Ore for Paint Making. Importers of oxide of iron, having failed to reach an agreement with Collector Fowler of New York regarding the classification of the product, have brought a test case before the Board of United States General Appraisers. The controversy with the customs authorities is arousing deep interest among wholesale paint dealers, especially those engaged in the manufacture of dry colors. The chief cases to come before the board stand in the names of C. D. Stone & Co. and R. F. Downing & Co. of New York, and the American Shipping Company, Chicago. All of the firms mentioned are customs brokers and rep- resent the actual importers. It appears from the testimony submitted that the oxide of iron is produced from iron ore which has been manipulated by processes of grinding, levigating, kiln dry- ing and powdering. According to the importers, the com- modity should be allowed to enter this country at the rate of 40 cents per ton under the tariff provision for iron ore. This contention, however, the Government denies, and avers that the product has lost its identity as iron ore owing to the processes to which it has been subjected, and has been converted into a new and distinct article of commerce known and recognized as a dry color, and dutiable accordingly. Judge Waite took testimony last week at Boston in a similar case standing in the name of George Z. Collins & Co. The Government’s interests are being safeguarded by Charles D. Lawrence, assistant treasury counsel. ai One of the New York members of the joint commis- sion of New Jersey and New York on a Hudson River bridge has made plans for a bridge at Fort Washington about 18ist street, New York. The shores of the river at this point are high bluffs and a 1400-ft. cantilever span over the New York half of the channel, which is the deeper, and three 640-ft. simple spans over the shallower westerly half are proposed. October 22, 1908 THE A Workshop Microscope.* LY J. E. STEAD, MIDDLESBROUGH, ENGLAND. During the last few years many improved forms of microscope stands have been designed for the examina- tion of metals and alloys, and there are few standard makers of this class of apparatus who have not turned their attention in that direction. The developments have, however, tended toward the requirement of the laboratory rather than of the workshop, and it can be stated, prob- ably without contradiction, that there is not to be found Fig. 1. Fig. 2. A Workshop Microscope. in the market a simple form of stand with illuminating arrangement suitable for the use of foundry foremen and assistants in steel and engineering establishments. That there is need of such an instrument is undoubted. For most purposes a high power magnification is not required. For instance, the examination of steel castings and forg- ings, in order to determine whether or not the treatment to which they have been subjected has been suitable for the purpose required, does not need a greater magnifica- tion than 20 to 50 diameters. Such magnification would enable the foundryman to determine approximately what is the proportion of phosphorus in his castings and pig iron, and whether or not the percentage of combined car- bon is great or small. In designing a microscope for use in the workshop, three essential conditions are imper- ative: 1. It must be simple, contain as few parts as possible. and be capable of bearing rather rough handling. 2. The illuminating reflectors and source of light must be attached to the object glasses. * A paper read at the Middlesbrough meeting of the Iron and Steel Institute. September 30, 1908. IRON AGE 1137 3. The cost must be low. The design of the microscope eventually approved was submitted to J. Swift & Son, who made the model ex- hibited and illustrated in Fig. 1. The stand consists of a disk supported by three legs, the length of which can be adusted by turning the milled screws. The lower ter- minals of the legs consist of hard steel points, and the upper ends are secured by screws into the brass disk. The microscope tube, 8 in, in length, is free to slide through a second tube secured in the center of the disk, and when in use focus is obtained by moving the tube upward and downward by the fingers. When the focus is found the tube can be fixed, if desired, by a small set screw, not shown in the illustration. The illumination is effected by the devices shown in Figs. 2 and 3. Fig. 2 represents a vertical section through the 1% in. object glass and illuminator. The latter con- sists of two tubes united as shown, at the junction of which a 44-in. cover glass, a, is placed at an angle of 45 degrees. One limb slides on the lowest part of the object glass, and into the other is placed a 4-volt incandescent electric lamp. <A small 4-volt dry battery supplies the electric current for the lamp. When the circuit is made, by switch or button, the rays from the lamp are partly reflected on the object, which is thereby sufficiently lighted to enable its structure to be clearly seen. The illumination can be changed from vertical or direct to oblique by a very simple device. The lamp is masked on the lower side by coating it with a metallic paint just sufficient to admit rays passing horizontally to the corner glass reflector, but not downward. By removing the cor- ner glass and rotating the lamp through 90 degrees the rays then fall obliquely on the object. The illuminator in Fig. 3 is similar in general design to the last, but it is so constructed that a 1-3 in. objective can be employed. In this, the reflector is placed above the nose of the objective. It consists of a piece of silver glass placed at an angle of about 45 degrees. As the posi- tion of the lamp is constant with relation to the reflector, the latter is fixed once for all at the exact angle to give the maximum illumination of the object. The silvered re- flector slides into the slit cut in the objective and projects about % in. outside, so that when it requires cleaning it can be readily removed and replaced. It is advisable to force the light to a maximum, for although the lamps do not last as long under such conditions they can be readily replaced with new ones, which cost only one shilling each, and the illumination obtained is so much better. When working with this microscope the object can, after preparation and leveling, be placed on an ordinary table or flat surface and the nose of the objective placed over it. The battery, if convenient, can be carried in a coat pocket, or be placed on a table near the microscope and the light switched on by pressing the button. Very little electricity is required, for it is only when looking at the object that the current is used. When it is desired to examine the finished surface of parts of machinery the microscope is placed over the part the examination of which is required, and the light is switched on. The sharp pointed legs of the stand when pressed on to the metal prevents the microscope from slipping. In this way either flat or curved surfaces can, after suitable prepara- tion, be readily examined. The structure of badly annealed steel castings and overheated steel is too well known to require illustration in this note, but the appearance of pig iron containing varying proportions of phosphorus is not so well known, therefore a few reproductions of photomicrographs of such metal are exhibited. In preparing cast iron to ex- amine for phosphorus it is not necessary to polish the metal surface highly, a workshop polish being sufficient. The e