Opening Pages
THE IRON AGE *ublished every Thursday Morning by David Williams Co. 14-16 Park Place, New York. ‘ol. 84: No. 13. New York, Thursday, September 23, 1909. Sinks tates, to cae Pron eading Matter Contents ee phabetical Index to Advertisers ‘' 188 tassifled List of Advertisers tee caning 9 and Subscription G4 = a SOUD BREECH. CONNELLSVIL re oo Ba AABMERLESS Sr LOW SULP ‘ . D SS: ee . FOUNDRY FURNAC Reed F, Blair & CO. Pittsbugh, Pa BRISTOL'S PATENT STEEL BELT LACING This beautiful window is attached right to the om. It comes in a tube and in sections, accom- READY TO_APPLY FINISHED JOINT panied by full instruc- The Briste! Company, Waterbury, Cena. . tions for putting up. 7 — 7 . Ducks are cut Out for pasting or the glass below the trim. Adjust able to windows 6x10 feet wide Sent free to any dealer who will use it a month. THE UNION METALLIC CARTRIDGE Co. Bridgeport, Conn. Agency, 315 Broadway, New York City Called for by all architects and builders, because it is guarante d free from imperfections, Samson Cordage Works, - Boston, Mass. WATER TUBE The Babcock & Wilcox Co., 85 Liberty Street See page 56 New York WRENCH ’’ Se is manufactured by WALWORTH MFG. CO., Boston, U.S. A. ————————}…
THE IRON AGE *ublished every Thursday Morning by David Williams Co. 14-16 Park Place, New York. ‘ol. 84: No. 13. New York, Thursday, September 23, 1909. Sinks tates, to cae Pron eading Matter Contents ee phabetical Index to Advertisers ‘' 188 tassifled List of Advertisers tee caning 9 and Subscription G4 = a SOUD BREECH. CONNELLSVIL re oo Ba AABMERLESS Sr LOW SULP ‘ . D SS: ee . FOUNDRY FURNAC Reed F, Blair & CO. Pittsbugh, Pa BRISTOL'S PATENT STEEL BELT LACING This beautiful window is attached right to the om. It comes in a tube and in sections, accom- READY TO_APPLY FINISHED JOINT panied by full instruc- The Briste! Company, Waterbury, Cena. . tions for putting up. 7 — 7 . Ducks are cut Out for pasting or the glass below the trim. Adjust able to windows 6x10 feet wide Sent free to any dealer who will use it a month. THE UNION METALLIC CARTRIDGE Co. Bridgeport, Conn. Agency, 315 Broadway, New York City Called for by all architects and builders, because it is guarante d free from imperfections, Samson Cordage Works, - Boston, Mass. WATER TUBE The Babcock & Wilcox Co., 85 Liberty Street See page 56 New York WRENCH ’’ Se is manufactured by WALWORTH MFG. CO., Boston, U.S. A. ————————} Are You Well Informed? TURNBUCKLES upon the subject of HORSESHOE NAILS? Do you realize the value of a ‘‘ good’ nail—the dangers and disadvantages of the other kind ? N; ails which are liable to split in driving, beckle or break at the Cleveland City Forge and Iron Co., Cleveland, 0. clinch, which prove weak in the blade or dull of point, are not only TURN BUCH UES the most costly and unreliable, but positively dangerous. Such a nail when driven into the hoof may turn aside from its true course ie MERRILL BROS. and. wound the tender part of the foot, or fail to hold the shoe Maspeth, during any unusual strain which may come upon it when the horse is New York, N. ¥. in service. THE USE OF “CAPEWELL” NAILS AVERTS rTrTRARPpPPriarr SUCH ACCIDENTS. PI ait THE CAPEWELL HORSE NAIL COMPANY ., Phila. a rine a.” ae Snes : HARTFORD, CONN. The original and only Genuine The Largest Manufacturers of Horseshoe Nails in the World. FAO ES OFA, a Jenkins °96 Sheet Packing RULES | | Tae ae is the kind that will prevent loss of steam. Its | 0] 1b sae : . ° e rut ADE IN AMERICA on4 | lh y great strength and durability give it maximum ef- THE LUFKIN RULECO., Saginaw, Mich., U.S.A. NL Peeeee iu fectiveness when used under pressure of steam, acids New York London, Eng. Windsor, Can. | (1) amas 1 Famed | orammonia. It does not blow, burn or squeeze out. Jenkins ’96 is also made with wire insertion. SHEE T Ss - = - JENKINS — a York, — Philadelphia, —— Black and Galvanized Sheets Swedoh Cold Rolled Stee celled for Drawing and Stamping of every description and for all m THE AMERICAN TUBE & STAMPING COMPANY 27 purposes. (Water and Kail Delivery) BRIDGEPorT, Conn. Pade Tin Plate Terne Plate - MAGNOLIA ouiNTt METAL AMERICAN SHEET AND TIN PLATE The Standard Babbitt of the World COMPANY qverpainy te tee Frick Building, Pittsburgh, Pa. Babbitt Line. a MAGNOLIA METAL CO See our ad on page 18 at New York: 115 Bank St. Chicago: Fisher Building. Montreal: 71 St. Nicholas St. AGE SHEET ROD WIRE SHEET WIRE THE IRON BRASS | GERMAN | SILVER Pat. Leveled Sign Brass No Buckles, Clean Surface, Polished or Plain PAT. LEVELED GERMAN SILVER Polished or Plain for Soda Water and Bar Fixtures Low Brass, Gilding and Bronze Metal, Sheet, Rod and Wire Manufactured Goods in Great Variety Waterbury Brass Co. WATERBURY, CONN. 1 Cliff St., New York Providence, R.I. Bridgeport Deoxidized Bronze & Metal Co. BRIDGEPORT, CONN. Phosphor and Deoxidized Bronze ELECTRICAL STEEL FOLLANSBEE SHEETS combine maximum efficiency with reasonable cost BEST MATERIALS BEST WORKMANSHIP. BRIGHT CHARCOAL TIN PLATE FOLLANSBEE BROTHERS CO. PITTSBURGH, PA. Composition, Yellow Brass and Alumi- num Castings, large and small Matthiessen & Hegeler Zinc Co. LA SALLE, ILLINOIS SMELTERS OF SPELTER AND MANUFACTURERS SHEET ZINC AND SULPHURIC ACID Special Sizes of Zinc cut to order, Rolled Battery Plates Selected Plates for Etchers’ and Lithographers’ use Selected Sheets for Paper and Card Makers’ use. Stove and Washboard Blanks ZINCS FOR LECLANCHE BATTERY “GERMAN SILVER W2ITE\ METAL | In Sheet, Wire, Rods, Tubing and Blanks. | Polished wide sheets, patent levelled, for soda foun- tains, bar fixtures etc. German silver for spinning. | NICKEL ANODES BRASS, BRONZE, COPPER in all forms \ THE SEYMOUR MFG. CO., Seymour, Conn. HENDRICKS BROTHERS Manufacturers of fo The Plume & Atwood Mfg. Co. Manufacturers of Sheet and Roll Brass, Wire, Rods, German Silver and Bras Goods in great variety Rolling Mill Thomaston, Conn., Branch Offices Chicago St. Louis and San Francisco TIME CHECK SYSTEMS Our various check systems should interest every employer of labor. Send for Full Reports. Matthews of Pittsburg founded 1850 SCOVILL MFG. CO. Manufacturers of BRASS, GERMAN SILVER, Sheets, —_ Wire, and 3. Factories Waterbury, Conn New York Brass Shells, Cups, Hinges, Buttons, Lamp Goods, Special Brass Goods to Order. Factories WATERBURY, CONN. Depots: NEW YORK CHICAGO BOSTON Henry Souther Engineering 60. HARTFORD, CONN. Consulting Chemists, Metallurgists aad Analysts. Complete Physical Testing Laboratory. Expert Testimony in Court and Patent Cases. Arthur T, Rutter & Go, 256 Broadway, NEW YORK. Turned, Stamped, Drawn Work. Brass, Copper and Steel. THE BRIDGEPORT BRASS C0. BRIDGEPORT, CONN. Postal Telegraph Building, Broadway and Murray St., New York 85-87 Peari St., Boston 17-N. 7th St., Philadeiphia BRASS | SHEET AND TUBING COPPER | WIRE Metal Goods made to order from Sheet, Rod, Wire and Tubing Sheetand Bar Copper, Copper Fire Box Plates and Staybolts, Wire and Braziers Rivets Importers and Dealers in Ingot Copper, Block, Tin, Spelter, Lead, Antimony, Bismuth, Nickel, etc. ee, 49 CLIFF STREET NEW YORK PHOSPHOR-BRONZE GERMAN SILVER THE RIVERSIDE METAL CO, RIVERSIDE, N.J. ~*~ ‘y THE IRON AGE New'York, Thursday, September 23, 1909. Stevens-Duryea Auto Engine Testing. Utilization of the developed by automobile : engines under test in the driving of machinery used in *. the manufacture of more engines is the ingenious prac- tice of the Stevens-Duryea Company at its plant at Chic- opee Falls, Mass. Usually the work done by engines dur- ing testing is wasted. power The oldest and commonest way is to absorb it in a prony brake, and the more modern way is to first convert the energy into electricity and dissipate it in a water rheostat or other resistance. The scheme followed in this case is much the same as the latter up to the point of disposing of the current, but it also has its in- dividualities in certain of the details. Principally unique, however, is the turning of the current into the shop power supply mains, which is made worth while in this plant because of the number of engines usually under test at one time. The equipment in the testing room consists of 18 electric generators, each mounted at one end of a stand on which a four or a six cylinder engine may be placed and connected with the water, gasoline and igni- tion and generator systems installed in the testing room. Each unit power plant is complete with all equipment when received from the motor, clutch and transmission assembling room, and after being placed on one of the testing blocks by means of a hand hoist with, trolley run- ning on an overhead I-beam, and connected to the differ- ent systems, the engine is started without cranking by using the generator as a motor. It is then run under its own gas without load for 2% to 3% hr., after which the generator is cut in on the factory power line and the test run continued for 10 hr. under loads varying with the model of the engine being tested. At this point the en- gine is taken apart, and every cylinder, piston, ring, bear- When found up to standard the motor is reassembled and again started and run idle for 2 or 3 hr., after which it is tested for maximum power. Standards are adopted for each model, and each engine has to attain these in power and fric- ing, cam and gear is inspected by experts. tional resistance as determined by the readings of elec trical instruments before it sembling department. is passed on to the car as The engines are run as nearly as possible under the View in the Testing Room at the Stevens-Duryea Company’s Plant, Chicopee Fails, Mass. conditions that exist in road use. The gasoline pressure is the same as in the car obtained by the use of a small tank located outside the building in which the proper level above the carburetor is maintained by the use of a ball cock interposed in the fuel line between a large 900-gal. tank and the small one. The latter is equipped with an automatic device for ringing a bell when the gasoline stops running into it. indicating that the large tank is empty, but it still holds enough to keep the mo- tors running until the large tank can be refilled. The water system is constructed so as to give the same pressure and circulation as in the finished car. At each end of the room is located a large tank provided with an overflow and supply pipes by means of which the water can be kept at a uniform temperature. These tanks are connected with each other at the top and bottom, and the engines on the blocks are supplied by pipes at each end and in the middle of the room. The return is taken entirely from the center and put through a centrifugal pump and by-pass, so that whether 1 or 18 motors are running the flow of water is the same through each en- gine. The exhaust system is as carefully worked out. 904 All engines exhaust into one large pipe, and by means of an automatically controlled electric fan pump, the gas pressure in the different manifolds is kept the same as when one motor is working alone. Even the ignition system is the same as on the deliv- ered car, regular stock spark coils being used. the current is supplied by a small motor generator set However, reducing the pressure from the generated 550 volts down The electric generators are machines, to 6. Magnetos are also used. Westinghouse 17-kw. 550-volt, direct current THE IRON AGE September 23, 1909 and the electrical output is used to operate the factory is understood to be the only one of its kind in use in the country, and as compared with the methods of testing by belt, prony brake, air fans, water pumps and screws is as much of an advance as the modern six-cylinder auto- mobile engine is to the single cylinder motor. Not only is it an improvement from the standpoint of economy, but it also has value in an emergency, aS was demon- strated a short time ago when a large pulley burst put- ting a big belt out of commission, which required over a The Connection of the Engines and Generators and the Locking Device for Holding the Transmission Gears in Mesh. Sai Ss Four and a Six Cylinder Engines Under Test with the Water Connections and Type of Stand Used. which are connected in parallel through the nine-panel switchboard with a large motor generator set. The lat- ter, a 150-hp. machine, transforms the alternating cur- rent with which the factory is mainly equipped to di- rect and supplies elevators and machines driven by di- rect current motors. The output from the blocks, rang- ing from 75 to 125 hp., relieves this transforming set, so that it draws very little current from the main generator. After the motors are tested on the blocks they are assembled in the chassis and again rigorously tested on the road by experts where all finishing adjustments are made. The car is then put through the paint and trim- ming shops, after which it is again tested on the road, so that by the time the car is delivered it is sure to be abso- lutey right in every respect. This system where the motors are tested on blocks week to replace. By connecting up spare motors and throwing a heavier load on the test blocks the factory lost no time by the accident. nme ++ —>~ The Frontier Boiler Mfg. Company, receutly incorpo- rated at Buffalo, N. Y., with a capital stock of $100,000 to engage in the manufacture of boilers, tanks, stills, stacks, structural steel and plate work, has secured the plant of the American Bridge Company at Bailey avenue and the Pennsylvania Railroad with a building 100 x 500 ft., and is equipping it with punches, shears, bending rolls, cranes, &c. A. B. Douglas, formerly with Farrar & Treffts, manufacturers of engines and boilers, is pres- ident of the new company, and Henry A. Bittner is secre- tary and treasurer. Set September 23, 1909 The Engine of Fulton’s Clermont. It is an interesting historical fact that Robert Fulton, who first made the steamboat a commercial success, was not the designer of the engine which propelled the famous Clermont on the Hudson River, ushering in the era of steam navigation. The engine was designed by Henri Frederic de la Frasse, who about 1803 had a ma- chine shop on Fair street, now Fulton street, New York, where he made models and did other work calling for the utmost precision. He was the only machinist of note then to be found in the city of New York. Capt. George W. Church, a grandson of Mr. Frasse, and who resides in Newark, N. J., has in his possession a small engine hand- ed down from his grandfather, which he treasures as the model of the engine used in the Clermont. The accom- panying illustration is a reproduction of a photograph of this model recently taken for this purpose by Frank K. Chew. For the historical points given below we are indebted to Henry Frederic Frasse 2d, also a grandson: As a man who had lived in France and spoke the language of that country, Mr. Frasse became acquainted Bike oath Br eh ee 4, ‘THE IRON AGE - 905 have been more appropriate than that, whose surface had been ruffled by the boat impelled by steam and rows of oars, a score or more years previous? The trial took place on Sunday afternoon and was witnessed by scores of people, for, with the curiosity of Americans, they gathered to watch and comment, just as they did several years later when the Clermont made its memorable trip up the Hudson River. After the model engine was per- fected it was taken by Fulton to England and followed in detail by Boulton & Watt, the result being the engine whieh served as motive power for the Clermont. How much money Mr. Frasse received for the model there is no way of ascertaining, for all records have been lost during the lapse of a century, but that he made the model and was really the brains that brought Fulton’s ideas to fruition is proved by the now living Mrs. 8S. J. Frasse. a daughter-in-law of the maker, who at an ad- vanced age recalls talking with her husband's father and also remembers seeing models, replicas of the orig- inal Clermont engine, in Mr. Frasse’s place of business, adding that they constituted a regular article for sale. Later, upon the demise of Mr. Frasse, in 1850. one of his sons, William Henry Frasse. used the same patterus as Model of the Engine of Fulton’s Clermont. with Fulton, who ascertained that the machinist could formulate and put into practical mechanical shape the necessarily crude ideas which Fulton had in mind. It will be recalled that Fulton was an artist and not a me- chanic, except in an amateur way, and not in the sense of boat engine conception, as shown by his audience with Napoleon, which resulted in his not gaining that monarch’s favor and interest in his boat, which was un- successfully tried on the Seine. As Mr. Frasse had had practical experience in Europe and had seen all the types of the then existing steam engines, his knowledge served him to apply the proper kind for driving a boat by means of side wheels. The outcome was that Mr. Frasse undertook to make a small model steam engine calculated to drive a boat. Drawings were made, and from them wooden patterns and castings were produced. In those days there were no steam driven lathes, but they were operated by foot or hand. Sometimes it was necessary to enlist the services of the apprentice to turn a crank for increasing the speed of a pulley in the opera- tion of turning or drilling soft metals. There were, no doubt. several sessions where the man with a desire and the other with mechanical ability talked over their hopes in the success of a boat steam driven. At last the engine was completed and following that a small boat was built, and when the two were assembled a trial was made on the Collect, as the pond was called on the site of which the Tombs and the Criminal Court Building now stand, that pond made famous by the previous trials of John Fitch. What body of water could E employed by the Clermont model, made duplicates and sold them. The grandson of the. subject of this story, Henry Frederic Frasse 2d, recalled as a small child go- ing to the place of business of his father, William Henry Frasse, in old Chatham street, now Park row, and seeing the same models in a glass showcase. Moreover, the late Charles H. Haswell, who was in the employ of New York City for some 50 years, was well acquainted with the senior Frasse, and were he alive could attest to the truth of these facts gained through conversation with the inventor and through having seen the original draw- ings. He so stated to the grandson. The subject of this article was born in La Brevine. Switzerland, his ancestors huving for many years been freeholders of a community La Frasse Sollanche, in the Duchy of Savoie. His name is carried by his daughter- in-law, Mrs. 8. J. Frasse, widow of William Henry Frasse. residing in Monterey, Cal., with her son, Dr. Irvin N. Frasse, a well-known surgeon; another son, named after his grandfather, Henry Frederic Fragsse, is one of the officials of the Edison Electric Illuminating Company, Brooklyn, N. Y. The late Peter A. Frasse, who for many years carried on the hardware business in New York now conducted under the name of Peter A. Frasse & Co., was another son of Fulton’s colleague. A daughter was the mother of Captain Church, who for many years was with Peter A. Frasse, then a partner in Montgomery & Co., later of the firm of Church & Sleight, and now man- aging the New York agency of the Chicago Rawhide Mfg. Company. BY £ BS ' ; ' t ’ i 906 Removing Oil from Machined Pieces. BY FORDYCE W. BROWN, SPRINGFIELD, ILL. The following describes the apparatus employed by the company, with which the writer is connected, for re- moving from the product in course of manufacture, the oil and grease gathered during the different operations. The material consists of small screws, studs, &c., used in the manufacture of watches and made by automatic machinery, oil being used freely to facilitate the work. Fig. 1 1 FAST - STOP SLOW > IOLER PULLEYS TIGHT PULLEYS Driving the Centrifugal Separator Fig. 2.—-Countershaft The material comes from the automatics in lots of 500 to 1000, dripping with oil, and before it can be used must be freed from all traces of oil and grease. The operator first places the mass in a machine con- structed as shown in Fig 1, consisting of the hollow cen- tral arbor a, turned from a steel bar, and carrying the circular steel plate.’ and the brass spider c. This spider has three arms situated centrally when viewed in cross section. Brass wire netting. d, is securely soldered in place around the outside of the plate and the inner edge of the spider. A top, e, of sheet brass fits smoothly into the upper end of the spider. and two small lugs, f f, en- gaging in the slots g g with a bayonet type fastening. pre- vent the cover from coming eff while the machine is in motion. The complete head, as it is known, is mounted upon the upright shouldered spindle fh, working in a bronze bushed collar, i, at the top and a similarly bushed bracket, j, at the bottom. A square key. k, in the spindle THE IRON * AGE September 23, 1909 engages with a corresponding notch in the arbor a and causes the head to turn in unison with the spindle. This spindle is rotated by a belt running over the pulley i. For reasons which will be explained later there are two speeds at which the head may be run. The main line shaft m, from which the machine receives its power, carries two pulleys, n and o, of different diameters, as will be seen by reference to Fig. 2. A countershaft mounted a short distance from m carries four pulleys, p pp p, directly opposite n and o; the two outside pulleys half as wide as the two inside ones, which latter are each an lL — ¥O BENZINE LINE { j WALL LINE IFFT IIIT PIS | os Apparatus in Which the Oil Diluted with Benzine Is Removed by Centrifugal Action. are idlers while the two outside pulleys are keyed to the countershaft. At the end of the countershaft is the grooved pulley gq, carrying a twist belt by which power is transmitted to the spindle a. A shipper lever working in a quadrant, as shown, controls the slow, fast and stop positions of the belts. Benzine is forced by means of compressed air from an underground tank to a small cock above the machine and a rubber hose allows a stream to be directed into any part of the head. The head is sur- rounded by a heavy circular receptacle, partly to catch the benzine as it comes from the machine and also to guard against accident should anything give way while the head revolves. The operation of the head in freeing the mass of ma- terial from oil is as follows: The cover is first removed and a batch of screws and oil dumped into the head. The shipper lever is then pushed to the left, or slow position (having been in the intermediate or stop posi- tion) ; thereupon the head revolves at about 400 rev. per min. and a stream of benzine is turned upon the mass by means of the flexible hose. This is continued for several minutes, the speed of rotation being high enough merely to cause the benzine to work its way readily through the mass, taking up the oil from the material in its passage, and to fly off the brass netting against the shield, which retains and holds it. In about 10 min. the mass of ma- terial is stripped of oil, but is still wet with benzine. At this point the stream is shut off. the head brought to rest by putting the shipper in stop position and the cover of the head securely fastened down. The operator then moves the shipper to the right. or fast position, which accelerates the speed of the head to about 1200 rev. per min. The high centrifugal force generated thereby causes September 23, 1909 BLAST NOZZLE _— os was / A mal ie AQ od / OPENING TO ACCOMMODATE TRAY | / | Y Fig. 3. the greater part of the benzine to fly through the netting and escape against the walls of the shield. While most of the liquid is removed in this manner, it is not possible to get the material thoroughly dry, and this is accomplished by drying the batch, as a final opera- tion, in hot sawdust. To remove the sawdust from fin- ished screws an air blast is used, controlled by a fixture consisting of an elongated member, s, Fig. 3, of inverted U-shape, carrying the hopper t and having an apron, uw, which can be raised or lowered. The hopper is mounted on a saddle, as shown, so that it can be moved forward or backward. At the back of the fixture is a tube, +, which is flattened out to form a flaring and at the same time constricted nozzle, as shown in perspective in Fig. 3. This tube works friction tight in an elongated bearing, so that it is also capabie of adjustment. A flexible hose from a compressed air main attached to the end of the tube completes the fixture. The combined mass of sawdust and material, the lat- ter now perfectly clean and bright, is poured into the hopper, the controlling slide w being closed. A tray having been inserted beneath the hopper to catch the screws, compressed air is admitted to the pipe v and so regulated by a stop cock that a steady stream of the de- sired force will blow through the member s, The slide ir is then opened sufliciently to allow the mingled screws and sawdust to fall in a fine stream down into the film of air coming from the nozzle. The fine sawdust, being lighter than the material, is blown on through the front of the device and prevented by the apron uw from mixing with the finished material, which by virtue of its greater weight drops into the tray at the bottom of the separator. It usually takes several trials to ascertain the proper relative position of the hopper, nozzle and apron, as some work is heavier than others, and sometimes the sawdust is heavier and soggier than at others, &c. If the oper- ator finds that the finished material is being blown over the apron she raises it a little and moves the hopper back. If she finds that the sawdust is falling into the tray instead of going over the apron, she moves the hop- per and nozzle forward and lowers the apron. In general heavy pieces and soggy sawdust require the nose of the hopper, the nozzle and the point of the apron to be in close proximity and the apron point low. Heavy material and light fine dust require a low apron, with the nozzle and hopper further back, while light pieces and light dust require the hopper and nozzle to be as far back as they will go and a high apron. All this was learned by ex- perience, as were also many other things in connection with the system. The former way of accomplishing the result was to wash the work as it came from the automatics in shallow trays filled with benzine and allow the material to dry by evaporation, being spread out for this purpose in other flat trays. This was always slow and never satisfac- tory. and the new system, which has been in use some five or six years, is a marked improvement. The oil used as lubricant for the cutters in the automatics is a medium grade of lard oil, which is readily soluble in the benzine. In Fig. 1 may be seen a pipe leading from the lower part of the shield, by which the mingled oil and benzine is THE IRON AGE 907 FRICTION SPRING TO HOLD APRON (NM ANY POS/TION Apparatus for Separating the Sawdust and Its Absorbed Benzine from the Machined Pieces. conveyed to a distilling apparatus. Here the two liquids are easily separated, as the benzine is highly volatile, and each is used over repeatedly. The sawdust used is that of boxwood, very fine in grain and very absorbent. It is also used repeatedly, being gathered up from in front of the apron and returned to the drying trays and heated by steam to drive out the absorbed moisture. om ——— Large Brass Helices. Reference was made in The Iron Age April 1, 1909, to the special screw machines developed by the Screw Cut ting Company of America, Seventeenth street and Sedge- ley avenue, Philadelphia, Pa., capable of cutting screws of any length, diameter, pitch or style of thread, mathe Large Brass Helices Cut by the Screw Cutting Company of America, Philadelphia, Pa. matically accurate. The accompanying illustration shows some rather remarkable work done recently by this com- pany for the United States Government. The brass helices shown were made by cutting a 14-in. pitch thread Y% in. wide on hard drawn seamless brass tubes 3% in. in diameter of No. 18 Birmingham wire gauge (about 3-64 in. thick). It is reported that the work was done rapidly and accurately, and it is believed that it would have been extremely difficult to have accomplished it by any other process than the one employed by this com pany. - le The Wisconsin Engine Company, Corliss, Wis., has re- ceived a contract from the Forged Steel Wheel Company, which is building open hearth steel works at Butler, Pa., for two 20 x 36 in. engines to operate with generators in the new power plant, and from the Carnegie Steel Com- pany, Pittsburgh, for a twin 32 x 42 in. engine for driving the Slick wheel roiling machine in its Homestead Works. The latter will be shipped about October 1. $4 \ i 74 PRT ee Be Se PASSER ROS 908 A Newton Special Crank Shaft Sawing Machine. A new adaption of cold saw cutting off machines, as designed and manufactured by the Newton Machine Tool Works, Inc., Philadelphia, Pa., is herewith illus- trated. Two cold saw cutting off machines, the bodies of which are of the Newton standard No. 38 type. are mounted, as shown, on a single bed and so arranged that the outside as well as the inside of the throw on crank shafts can be sawed and the machines adjusted to operate on both ends of the crank shafts at the same THE IRON AGE September 23, 1909 pitch and broad face hammered steel spur gearing and a hardened and worm wheel with teeth of steep lead. The worm is provided with a roller thrust bearing and runs in a bath of oil. The spindles friction variable in both directions when using a reversing motor and a double throw switch. The machines are furnished complete with pump, piping and attachment for lubrication, and are of more than suflicient rigidity to drive the modern inserted tooth saw blades to their limit of cutting The blades on the machines shown in the illustrations of the Premier inserted tooth type. steel worm bronze have constant feed, capacity. are The work tables of the machines are of an exception- Fig. 1.—A Special Machine for Cutting Crankshafts, Built by the Newton Machine Tool Works, Inc., Philadelphia, Pa Fig. 2. time, thus making two cuts at one time. This arrange- ment permits dispensing with the rotary planing ma- chines used for the outside of the crank shafts, as, after sawing the outside of the throw, the shafts are placed in a lathe and an undercut made, thereby removing the superfluous material in one large piece, instead of in small chips as is done when the rotary planing machine is used. The spindle of each machine is driven through steep ~Another View, Showing the Two Cold Saws at a Distance from One Another. ally convenient design, with tee slots on both the hori- zontal and vertical faces to secure work holding fixtures. The adjacent faces are arranged so as to permit the clearing of the saw blades, and removable auxiliary supports are provided, as shown in Fig. 1, so that if necessary the work can be clamped on each side of the saw blade. All the levers for controlling the operation of the machine, as may be seen in Fig. 2, are located in front in easy reach of the operator. The hand wheel A September 23, 1909 controls the hand adjustment of the saddle and is de- tachably titted on the square end of the adjusting screw so as to permit removing it when cutting angles or very broad work which would extend over the points where the hand wheels are located. Lever B engages and dis- engages the feed and quick return. Lever C shifts the friction roller for varying the feed. The crank hold D operates a pinion meshing a rack on the bed through Which the movable machine may be adjusted from or to- ward the left hand machine, which is bolted in a fixed position on the bed. In connection with the lubrication system, the base of each machine just back of E con tains a reservoir for holding the lubricant. Each individual machine is driven by a 7%-hp. motor, connected by chain or gear to the driving shaft. The total weight of the machine approximates 20,000 Ib., the diameter of the saw blades is 28% in. and the capacity for round stock is up to 8% in. in diameter and 15-in. I-beams in vertical position taking square or miter cuts. ———-—-+- oe ____ The Kern Drilling and Tapping Machine. A machine combining the functions of a sensitive drill press and a tapping machine has been perfected by the KXern Machine Tool Company, Cincinnati, Ohio. -ar- ticularly novel is the arrangement whereby the means of obtaining the reversing drive of the tapping attach- ment is made use of in doubling the forward speeds, as it is believed to be the first application of the principle in a drilling machine. By sovincreasing the range of drilling speeds it is claimed that a considerable saving of time is effected. As a drill the ma- chine embodies all the regular features of an approved sensitive drill press, but provides more than the usual number of spindle speeds, there being six. Three of these six spindle speeds are obtained through the three-step cone, as indicated in both Figs. 1 and 2. By shifting a clutch on the back shaft, shown in Fig. 2, either of the two pul- leys on that shaft may be engaged so as to drive the large and small spindle pulleys in either direction, and by mak- ing either of these, through another clutch, the spindle driving pulley, the range of speeds is dovbled. Funda- mentally the two friction pulleys are of different diameters to permit of the rapid backing out of taps, and it is claimed that with the use of the clutch starting. stopping and reversing of the spindle are accomplished without shock or jar. Thrust ball bearings are pro- vided for the spindle. The danger of breaking tools is avoided by the use of the friction drive of the spindle, as the friction can slip before the breaking point of the drill or tap is reached. The strength of the friction engagement is adjustable to vary the transmissable torque according to the work. The spindle is counterbalanced and is provided with an adjustable lever for the rapid approach and return of the drill. The table is of the square, oil grooved type, amply large, and is pro- vided with a cup center and V block. Both the head and table are adjustable vertically on the column of the machine. A specially made endless belt is fur- nished for the upper friction pulleys, which insures a powerful and steady drive. and a screw adjustment of the pulley shaft frame is used to regulate the tension of the belt. The normal hight of the tool is 79 in.; the total hight with the spindle extended 99 in.; the maximum distance from the spindle to the table 41 in.; the size of the table 1214 x 14 in.: the traverse of the sliding head 15 in., and the traverse of the spindle 5% in. The machine drills to the center of a 15-in. circle, and the spindle speeds THE IRON AGE 909 are 200, 340, 420, 480, 550 and 1000 rev. per min. The diameter of the spindle in the sleeve is 15-16 in., and the diameter of the spindle above the sleeve 7% in. The speed of the countershaft is 500 rey. per min. The spindle is fitted with a Morse No. 2 taper socket. The tight and loose pulleys are 2\% in. face by 6 in. in diameter. The floor space required is 2S x 34 in., and the net weight $25 Ib. >-o ’ Freight Rate Reductions.—Important reductions in freight rates on iron and steel commodities from Pitts burgh and other points in western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio have gone into effect. Effective September 10, the carload rate on steel rails from Johnstown, Pa., and Cumberland, Md., was reduced from $14 to $13.70 per gross ton. A new special commodity rate of $13.10 per gross ton on rails from Lorain, Ohio, to Pacific Coast terminals has also been made. Effective September 20, car wheels and axles, when shipped in straight carloads, were given a rate of 77 cents per 100 lb. from Pittsburgh, Butler, Homestead, McKees Rocks and Munhall to the Pacific Coast. ‘The old tariff imposed the local rate be- tween these points and Chicago or St. Louis, plus the €5-cent commodity rate regularly charged on car wheels between St. Louis or Chicago and the Pacific Coast. : ce—eiiaRiatecntintates The Erie Railroad Trying a New Cab Signal.—Ex- perimental tests have been made on the Newark branch of the Erie Railroad with the La Croix cab signal, the rights to which are owned by the Electrical Automatic Railroad Safety Signal Company, New York. The in- Fig. 1. Fig. 2. Two Views of the New Drilling and Tapping Machine Built by the Kern Machine Tool Company, Cincinnati, Ohio ventor claims that it will make collisions impossible. The signal is placed on the engine, and connections are made with the line wires through a shoe, which at certain points contacts with a short section of third rail. The apparatus is controlled by track circuits as in automatic block signaling. It is a closed circuit system, so that a break in the wire or failure of the battery will set the stop signal. i a | q 910 The New Fales & Jenks Rotary Fire Pump. The manufacturers of rotary fire pumps are bringing out a new design known as the type B, under specifica- tions drawn up by the Inspection Department of the As- sociated Factory Mutual Fire Insurance The pump shown in the illustrations, built by the Fales Companies. THE IRON AGE September 23. 1909 the purpose being to get rid of the multiplicity of sizes and individual arbitrary rating by the builders, with the tendency to overrate actual possibilities for fire service. Fig. 1 the motor drive and equipped with a double relief valve, there being a parti- tion in the Y casting to separate the discharge from each shows pump geared for valve. rotary ma- The principle points of difference between a this design and the ordinary commercial pump of Fig. 1.—The Fales & Jenks Type B Rotary Fire Pump Equipped Side and Sectional & Jenks Machine Company, Pawtucket, R. I.. is one of this class. in a tending It is of the well-known twin rotary type. built substantial manner and with improvements toward greater efficiency, durability The pump has been standardized in four sizes, very and reli- ability. Transverse for Motor Drive. Elevations of the Pump chine are that the water passages are made larger, so that there is less loss of pressure in getting water to and from the pump, that the pump is proof against rust, its working cams and water casing being of solid composi- tion metal, so that it can be started instantly after dis- September 23, 1909 use; that the shafts are made heavier and the bearings more liberal, with special arrangements to insure con- stant lubrication, and that a single pair of accurately cut steel gears on the driving end of the pump replace the usual two pairs of gears, a pair in each end, for driving the second cam or bucket shaft. The pump has a special cischarge casting and air chamber, together with special fittings, including pressure gauge, relief valve and cone, priming pipe and valve, starting valve and two to six hose valves according to the capacity. The details of the Fales & Jenks pump, built after these general specifications, are shown in Fig. 2. The power is transmitted to the buckets, or cams, as they are technically known, through the shaft a, the shaft b be- ing connected with it through a pair of gears at c. Thus one cam shaft drives the other, and also the cams are so designed that those on shaft @ would drive those of shaft b were the gear connection broken, a means of trans- mission which was employed in the earlier types of ro- tary. ‘The cams are so shaped that they mesh perfectly with the movement of the driving gears, thus preventing the water from forcing back the suction through the center. The second set of gears at the tail end of the pump has been dispensed with, abandoning a_ practice that had been in vogue for many years. Heavier shafts and one powerful set of gears on the driving end are be- lieved to accomplish better results, the theory being that where two sets of gears are employed before the second can do any work there must be a torsional stress in the shaft between it and the first set, and before this stress has transmitted any power to the second set it has over- come the lond at the cams and therefore done the entire work required. The inlet to the pump is at d@ and the discharge at e, while the relief valve which takes care of excess pres- sure is shown at h, and the starting valve at g, both dis- charging into the cone or funnel f. It will be noticed that the water passages are very large, while all edges in the discharge are rounded as much as possible, it hav- ing been established by test that the loss in capacity through the existence of sharp edges is a material one, se- riously reducing pump efficiency. The twin rotary type is not economical of power, though in this new design the makers believe that a ma- terial increase in elliciency has been effected as compared with previous models. ‘The rotary is seldom used where a continuous or daily service is required, partly because of its degree of efficiency and partly because of the ab- sence of means of compensating for wear inside the pump, which is not conducive to long continuous. use. For fire purposes, however, where its use is naturally in- frequent, it has its own strong advantages in the ease with which it will begin operating at full service, together with its ability to lift water a moderate distance, which latter feature is not shared by pumps of the centrifugal type; also the strength of mechanism and construction puts no limit in practice on the pressure it can handle. The rotary pump is a favorite type for driving by water power and is coming into more common use with electric motor drive. With reasonable care, particularly to avoid freezing and prevent the admission of foreign bodies, this type of pump will endure indefinitely. Care- lessness in these respects is responsible for a large per- centage of trouble. In modern installations the danger is largely eliminated because of the location of the pump in connection with an electric motor, which must be pro- tected from the elements. The standard sizes follow: Approx. Approx- horse- Nominal imate Speed power re- capacity. width of Approximate dis- Revolu- No. of quired for Gallons per buckets. tance between tions per 1%%-in. 100 lb. minute. Inches. centers.—Inches. minute. streams. pressure Ds occa os 8 Tor 8 275 2 60 Venda eas 9or10 Sor 9 275 5 90 i ee 10 9 or 10 250 4 120 See 12 10 or 12 250 6 180 The theoretical amount of power necessary to give a pressure of 100 lb. per square inch, with a delivery of 100 gal, per minute, is 5.24 or 53.4 hp. for 1000 gal. per minute under 100-Ib. pressure. This includes no allow- THE IRON AGE git ance for friction of water, for slip and for friction in the pump itseli, and in the driving gear. Experience with pumps bow in use shows that these losses, as pumps are commonly found set up. about double the power neces- saly, sc that 12 hp. is usually required for each 100 gal. per minute delivered at 100-lb. pressure, and 30 hp. is the usual ailowance for a 1%-in. stream, or its equivalent of from 15 to 20 automatic sprinklers. oo >-+> — The American Fire-Arms Factory in Australia. The New York Times prints the following statement from a London correspondent : Not a little excitement and displeasure are felt in this country over the announcement that the tender for the erection and equipment of the Australian small arms factory has been let to the Pratt & Whitney Company, a United States firm. To justify this action, the Minister of Defense has published the following facts concerning the reasons for the contract: The guaranteed plant will be interchangeable in all its parts. The American firm will receive three or four leading Australian workmen in its shops, and give them the best possible training without expense to the Com- monwealth, together with opportunities of work in other shops where guns are manufactured. The plant will make 50 cadet and 50 M. L. FE. rifles per day simulta- neously. The deposit of £2000 ($10,000) is to he for- feited if the guarantees are not achieved. The plant is to be delivered in 12 months, subject to a penalty of $1400 a week. Noyes Brothers, an Australian firm, assume all responsibility for the guarantees. The firm will furnish all skilled help until the plant is in full operation, and will send out two foremen to train men in Australia free of cost, and pay the extra cost of in- spection during manufacture. Engineer-Commander Clarkson, who visited England and the United States in connection with the contract, claims to have proved by actual trial with materials ob- tained from Birmingham and Enfield that Pratt & Whit- ney’s machinery can make small arms more efficiently than European machines, and that in many cases they can turn out double the work produced in England. The estimated cost for the present rifle (labor, supervision and material) turned out by the United States firm’s equipment is £2 19s., which is lower than the figures of any British firm. In fact, there is a saving for the Com- monwealth of 15s. 10d. on each rifle made by the Ameri- can company, for it costs £4 5s. at the War Office, this figure including the cost of manufacture and exportation. ———_—_——_ > oe -——_ The Herman Pneumatic Machine Works Enlarge- ment.—The Herman Pneumatic Machine Company, 1104 Union Bank Building, Pittsburgh, works at Zelienople, Pa., has recently increased its capacity by adding a new power plant of steel and brick construction, 40 x 60 ft., centaining boilers, engines and generators of 150-kw. capacity, air compressors, &c. A new addition to the present machine shop, 40 x (0 ft., of steel and brick con- struction, is nearing completion. The Arthur Koppel Company, Pittsburgh, has the contract for this work. Vhe Herman Company reports that during the last six months it has manufactured the largest jarring molding machines ever built. The dimensions are 6 x 9 ft., with a lifting capacity up to 15 tons. Among the large manu- facturers using such machines are three plants of the United Engineering & Foundry Company; William Tod Company, Youngstown, Ohio; Buckeye Engine Company, Salem, Ohio; Modern Foundry Company, Oakley, Ohio, and Otis Steel Company, Cleveland. The works are being operated double turn. +e The total production of briquetted coal in this coun- try in 1908, according to FE. W. Parker of the United States Geological Survey, was 90.358 net tons, valued at $323,057, as compared with 66,524 tons in 1907, valued at $258,426, a gain of 23.834 tons, or 36 per cent. in quan- tity. and of $64.€31, or 25 per cent. in value. = eke a eae FS. < a * - Ta oes q Sacer ss Bt Bai ope 8 puget 2 BLY TEI — ea Se oe EEA a g12 THE Special Sections of Iron and Steel.* The Rolling of Tie Plates, Concrete Bars, Sheet Piling and Other Shapes. BY WILLIS M’KEE, ELYRIA, OHIO. Until within a few years the question of rolling ir- regular shapes has been one of comparative simplicity, as most of the shapes it had been desired to roll were of comparatively plain cross section. But as it has been found desirable to have large quantities of metal bars and plates of more or less complex cross section, the question of rolling such shapes has become a matter of im portance. For the past five years the writer has been largely occu- pied in developing the possibilities of rolling steel into more or less complicated forms, and it is hoped that this brief discussion of the possibilities and methods of rolling such shapes, as well as the limitations on the work, will be of interest. The boundary between what is acknowl- edged as the possible and the impossible, between the practical and the impractical, is exceedingly flexible, for numerous reasons. Variables in Rolling Problems, 1. Rolling mill men themselves do not know the pos- sibilities of their own mills. 7 2. New demands for large tonnage of certain sections justify the mills preparing for such sections and experi- menting with them, when a few tons or even a few thou- sand tons would not in any way recompense the mill in rolling them. 3. New mills of new designs are opening up new pos- sibilities. 4. Often a proposition of some special section is not put up to the mill which is properly equipped with ma- a Ee {| a A } yi i A oD, | | ij | 444 \ i i Sener eenreneeer } j _S\Y ' . ht = = SS aT NVA a iH /- Jj ; x 4 > —V a <i. = — Fig. 1.—-Standard Sections and Arrangement of Final Passes. chinery and brains to handle anything out of the ordinary standard sections, or at sections in question. Neither the old school * do-as-your-fathers-did ”’ mill man nor the technical man without extensive mill experi ence is qualified to say least to handle the particular what can and what cannot be done. In a few mills there are organizations which are composed of a number of technical men together with some mill men who have been raised in mills and know mill conditions from start to finish, from a_ practical standpoint, and at the same time are willing to try to do new things in new ways. This is about the only com- bination that is able to work out the new problems which come up. The writer has been told by his rollers and roll certain things never seen them designers that they had were impossible, because accomplished, and the only Way we were able to get around such opposition was to get new rollers and roll designers, as we knew that as Jong as the mill men took that position they could block any scheme that came up. It is absolutely necessary in order to get best results to work on the supposition that everything can be done until it has been shown that it cannot be done. 5. Necessity makes many things possible which do not originally appear so. Take, for instance, the old two- Most modern mill men would say that this section could not be made, notwithstanding the fact that it was manufactured years ago when steel was being first introduced. The head of the rail was of steel, while the flange and web were of iron. Although this was a piece rail. *Read at a meeting of the Western Society of Engineers, Chicago, Seprember 1, 1909 IRON AGE September 23, 1909 Fig. 2.—Steel Sheet Piling. failure as a rail it is a very interesting example of early mill practice. Complete Contact In the Final Pass, Rolls are practically dies, which in revolving form the metal to their contour. It becomes necessary, there- fore, to confine our rolled sections to such shapes that the rolls in the last roll pass will come in contact with the whole of the surface of the section to be rolled. The illustration, Fig. 1, shows how it is customary to arrange the last pass in the rolls in rolling I beams, Z bars, splice bars, &c. This rule is apparently deviated from in the case of rolling some sections, such as lock piling, Fig. 2, but this is not truly a deviation from the rule, as these sections are rolled so that the material can clear the roll. and then in the last pass no work is performed but in bend