The Iron Age 1909-11-11: Vol 84 Iss 20

NOV 121909 THE IRON AGE Published every Thursday Morning by David Williams Co. 14-16 Park Place, New York. Vol. 84: No. 20. New York, Thursday, November 11, 1909. i ae eee Postage. Reading Matter Contents page 1530 : ; —_ : . nn ne Alphabetical Index to Advertisers ‘* 192 , = | Classified List of Advertisers - ee Advertising and Subscription Rates ‘‘ 1539 FERRO ALLOYS) '§\’ > we nig For Remington and a FERRO MANGANESE—FERRO SILIGON? | “NU You 4g oe Billes Wi; SILICON SPIEGEL AAR od UMC. crrdgen es ’ C Every new breech loader has had a U.M.C. REED F, BLAIR & 6O,, Pittsburgh, Pa. 2 > OY cartridge designed for it by our cartridge specialists, ; ‘i U.M.C. were America’s first metallic car- The eriginal and only Genuine Ate ie tridges manufactured in large quantities. That wot on ? ‘STILLSON ‘ yams was 50 years ago Tm i SON: e» iY ae To-day, as then, they e world. ove. WRENCH a te a em A, Put U.M.C. cartridges on your shelves for is manufactured by \ oe WP} sf — every rifle in your community WALWORTH MFG. CO., Beston, U.S. A. fz ‘ 4 ; U.M.C. Cartridges carried the day at the And bears their registered Trade-Mark eZ We . Military Shoots of 1909. BRIDGEPORT, CONN. Agency, 315 Broadway, New York City | BRISTOL'S PATENT STEEL LACING BELT | , . | THE UNION METALLIC CARTRIDGE CO. _The Briste! Company, Waterbury, Ct. || WATER TUBE The Babcock & Wilcox Co., SASH CORD ||BOILERS __ s+: »s0- « w tapers sre AND ALL KINDS OF BRAIDED CORD Samson Cordage Works HARDWARE DEALERS WHO FIGURE Boston, Mass. ——— find that the Annual Profits on ‘'Capewell”’ TURNBUCKLES Horse Nails is far greater than-on other brands. Cost of Handling Light: Horseshoers throughout the land already know that ‘*Capewell’’ nails are the best in the world. Cleveland City Forge and Iron Co., Cleveland, 0. | Dealers do not have to spend time educating them. TURNBUCHIES “Repeat” Orders: Buyers come back for more of the MERRILL BROS. same kind of nails. This saves Dealers time and money. The Quality Maspeth, of the nails brings ‘‘repeat”’ orders without expense to Dealers. Y N.Y. oe Handle “‘ The eee ”! It’s Profitable! AS NLT ARP 5 i RNB En A RNR CS SSNS OS SOFT COAL. ————.«.. THE CAPEWELL HORSE NAIL COMPANY Pillin & Gra Real Estate Trust Bidg., Phila. aiiienienamneniaa ee. g Empire Bullding, New York The Largest Manufacturers of Horseshoe Nails in the World. UFAIN “= JENKINS °96 PACKING RU LES IESG IG 3) = peck Sones uneven surface, making absolutely leak- : ts € pressure and heat cause the pack- DEIN AMERICA and MEE) = ioe to vuicanize, fill up im : equalities of surface and afford a THE AREST IN THE WORLD | | 1 Pees 1) aes 1 perfect fit. Itis easily and quickly applied in either hot or The Genuine bears our Trade Mark. ULE CO., Sagina: ch., {) = York. Ton. ‘ene Mi, = ~ cold joints. JENKINS BROS., New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago an a ih i fy You will aoe ae to make _ a ial right on the Job if you use 6 is wnex- “ . ' of! “Swodon”’ Cold Rolled Steel csues'ts: Drawing «« Stamping aerees aoe ae THE AMERICAN TUBE & STAMPING COMPANY SEE 29 7, (Water and Rail Delivery) (Barperporr, Conn. PAGE a are always right to start . z MAGNOLIA reaNTh. METAL AMERICAN 3 The Standard Babbitt of the World SHEET AND TIN PLATE We menufactase Frick Gatiding _ anew Pe es : a ——— MAGNOLIA METAL CO See our ad ¢ on page 19 New York: 115 Bank St. Chicago: Fisher Building, Montrealy 31 St, Nicholas St, SCOVILL MFG. CO. Manufacturers of BRASS, GERMAN SILVER, Sheets, — Wire, and s. 2 THE IRON AGE BR ASS SMFop | the Plume & Atwood Mfg, Co, WIRE Manufacturers of ME ean le . , Rods, German Silver and Br. Bros. Co, Pittsburgh SILVER cane Goods te sank aide re BRIGHT Charcoal — Bip Seon Fe owt . cape es, cago n rom sco TIN PLATE Pat. Leveled Sign Brass |*3ie.., com. Mitts, coun te No Buckles, Clean Surface, | —————————_————— even the “0ld are Polished or Plain STEEL DIES meg” ar PAT.LEVELED GERMAN SILVER|] don't mark more Impressions \\ Polished or Plain for Soda |don't want your orders. ‘ Water and Bar Fixtures Matthews of Pittsburg CTRICAL Low Brass, Gilding and Bronze ELE Metal, Sheet, Rod and Wire —_ - ‘| SHEETS Manufactured Goods eae STEEL in Great Variety TEFF; ai menca wea | Waterbury Brass Co. BLUE Privy 58 FOR WATERBURY, CONN. OUR | 1 Cliff St.,New York Providence, R.I. Brass Shells, Cups, Hinges, Buttons, Lamp Goods, Special Brass Goods to Order. ab . eae Factories oe so 4” een Bronze WATERBURY, CONN. NEW YORK CHICAGO BOSTON AND BRIDGEPORT, CONN. “Follanshee Blue” Phosphor and Deoxidized Henry douther Engineering (0. FOR RANGES, STOVES, STOVE PIPE ELBOWS, Bronze es en ETC. Composition, Yellow Brass end Alumi- Consulting Chemists, Metallurgists num Castings, large and small and Analysts. Complete Physical Tgsting Laboratory. Expert Testimony in Court and Patent Cases. Arthur T, Rutter & Co, 256 Broadway, Matthiessen & Hegeler Zinc Co. LA SALLE, ILLINOIS SMELTERS OF SPELTER AND MANUFAOTURERS e SHEET ZINC AND SULPHURIC ACID NEW YORK. RAeeeaenerabEneanen WIRE, BRASS, COPPER a BRONZE AND GERMAN ZINCS FOR LECLANCHE BATTERY SILVER Fine Sizes a Specialty. “Search-Light’’ | GAS Bicycle Lanterns Send for Circulars and Electretypes ‘ GERMAN SILVER W2T 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 ANODES 2245S. BRONZE, COPPER in all forms THE SEYMOUR MFG. CO., Seymour, Conn. / HENDRICKS BROTHERS | Manufacturers of Sheetand Bar Copper, Copper Fire Box Plates "Searle teieieaieatieeieernie enna: The BRIDGEPORT BRASS CO. BRIDGEPORT, CONN. Postal Telegraph Building, Broadway and Marray Street, New York and Staybolts, Wire and Braziers Rivets PHOSPHOR-BRONZE Importers and Dealers in GERMAN SILVER Ingot Copper, Block, Tin, Spelter, THE RIVERSIDE Lead, Antimony, Bismuth, Nickel, etc, METAL CO, RIVERSIDE, N.J 49 CLIFF STREET a i NEW YoRK!™"- THE IRON AGE New York, Thursday, November 11, 1909. The Oxhydric Process of Cutting and Welding Metals. Its Use Following the Pabst Boiler Explosion. The new oxhydric process of cutting and welding had a rather dramatic introduction to the metal users of this country, in connection with a disaster at Milwaukee, Wis., where its usefulness was proved in the first public test to be made, anticipating by a week a series of demonstrations which were to have been conducted in the steel foundry of the Falk Company, Milwaukee. The Boller Explosion, On the morning of October 26 four boilers in the power house of the Pabst Brewing Company burst, caus- boiler house exploded. Whether they all exploded at the same instant or whether the wrecking of one so weakened the others that they also burst is hard to de- termine. However, the latter is probably the case, as it seems the men had some sort of warning before the wreckage was complete and some succeeded in getting out doors. The boilers were of the water tube type. The main bank of tubes was fastened to the usual serpentine header, which in turn connected to a cast steel yoke or header between the two steam drums. These drums were A Part of One of the Pabst Brewery Company’s Boilers Thrown ing the death of one man and the serious injury of a second, together with a property loss estimated at about $200,000. The accompanying illustrations show some- thing of the extent of the damage. The explosion de- molished the boiler house, threw one boiler section to the roof of an adjoining building, and moved a six-story steel frame grain elevator, which stood next to the boiler house, 4 ft. sideways on its base. The wrecked boiler house was 4914 ft. wide and 161 ft. long, and was only a few years old. It was of brick construction. The building contained eight boilers ar- ranged along the south side of the building. They were divided into two sections of four each, with a brick stack between them. Two Edge Moor boilers had only recently been set in place and were not yet in service. The other six were Munoz boilers. As near as can be determined four of these boilers at the east end of the to the Top of a Building on the Opposite Side of the Street. 36 in. in diameter, and the steel was %in. thick. At each side of the furnace was a row of vertical tubes running from a mud drum to the steam drums. Where these tubes entered the drum the latter was reinforced by a sheet of steel extending the entire length of the drum. This sheet was fastened by a single row of rivets at each side. The rivet holes had a pitch of 2% in. and were 13-16 in. diameter. An examination of the ex- ploded boilers seems to indicate that they all failed in the same place, which was lengthwise of the drums, through the rivet holes on each side of the plates men- tioned. In most cases this plate was found still fastened to the vertical tubes and mud drums. The remainder of the steam drums and the banks of tubes were a tangled mass of wreckage spread, for the most part, about the wreckage of the boiler room. At 11 on the morning after the explosion, a hurry call eee 1468 was received at the plant of the Falk Company asking that the oxhydric apparatus, being developed by this company, and operators, be sent to the Pabst plant to assist in clearing away the wreckage of tangled metal. Only four men in this country have yet had experience in handling the oxhydric These are Primo Lulli of Genoa, who invented the process; Hans Mueller, a Belgian, who perfected the apparatus, and two Amer- icans connected with the Falk Company, who have mas- tered its use. Ten minutes after the call came these four men were rushed in an automobile with their apparatus to the Pabst works. There, under the personal superin- tendence of Herman Falk, they began cutting through steel girders, metal sheets and great banks of iron to clear the plant in the shortest possible time. For nearly 25 hours these men continued their work, until Lulli was injured by a falling beam. After a short rest during the day the other three men continued the work through the night. Hans Mueller had his foot crushed by a sliding mass of metal and was compelled to drop out. The two remaining operators, Americans, continued to clear away the wreckage until it was possible to clean everything out and start the repair work. process. THE IRON AGE November 11, 1909 metal in about 4 per cent. of the time formerly required. Both the original and the new apparatus use two noz- zles, one of which supplies a mixture of oxygen and hydrogen, while the other furnishes pure oxygen. The effect of the original device is to melt the metal, and for such purposes is entirely satisfactory, but it cannot produce a smooth, accurate cut of any length. With the improved apparatus one nozzle, delivering mixed oxygen and hydrogen, is used for preheating the metal to the re- quired temperature. A second nozzle, fastened to the first in such a way that it always follows the first, and set so that the streams of gas from both nozzles strike the metal in the same place, delivers only pure oxygen. The oxhydric process is based on the chemical attrac tion which exists between iron and oxygen, whereby iron in an atmosphere of oxygen burns freely and rapidly. The action is particularly pronounced if the iron has been heated before coming in contact with the oxygen. With the apparatus described the preheater raises the iron to a temperature of from 1300 to 1500 degrees F., which is the temperature at which the oxygen acts most freely on the iron and produces different forms of oxides. The whole action is to cut the metal by oxidizing it ‘The Elevator Building at the Left, a Steel Frame Structure, One of the most unique pieces of work done at the Pabst plant was in the cutting of a large square hole in the bottom of an overturned coal bunker. In falling this bunker with the coal it contained had turned turtle, and lay bottom side up so that it was impossible to get at the coal. No machinery at hand was capable of lifting the bunker, so the expedient of cutting through the upturned bottom was resorted to. In a few minutes a hole 3 ft. square was cut and made possible the removal of the coal. Other Tests of the Apparatus. Before this application of the oxhydric apparatus to commercial work it had been thoroughly tried out in shop tests. One of the most striking of these was the cutting of a piece of 9-in. chrome-nickel steel to a cir- cular outline. This was done at a speed of a linear foot of cut in 24% minutes. The apparatus has also proved useful in cutting thinner pieces, or patterns requiring an irregular outline, as will be mentioned later. The Apparatus, The apparatus used in obtaining such remarkable re- sults is an adaptation and improvement of one patented in 1901 by the Cologne Meusen Mining Company for opening plugged blast furnace tap holes, and which is: quite extensively used in this country. This original de- vice has cut holes through more than 4 ft. of solid Was Moved 4 Ft. on Its Foundations. without melting it, and the oxides formed are blowm away by the force of the blast. The resulting cut is similar to that which might be made by a cutting tool. The effect of the heating is only local and does not pene- trate more that 1-64 in. into the surface of the cut, the width of which is no greater than a saw cut. The new double nozzle torch can be used on thick or thin plates, twisted sheets, structural shapes, castings, tubes, and, in short, on any piece where the flame can be applied. It may be controlled by hand or in a mechan- ical device especially designed for the work. Lines of any sort can be followed, the circular or irregular curve being worked as successfully as the straight line. Bev- eled or perpendicular cuts can be made with equal ease, and the width of the cut is practically uniform from top to bottom. Harveyized high manganese or nickel chrome steel, tempered, or hardened, forged, cast, or rolled steels can all be cut. The complete apparatus for cutting consists of two steel bottles which contain the oxygen and hydrogen, the pressure gauges which go with them, the mixing cham- ber, the nozzles, and the armored tubing carrying the gas. The pressure maintained in the bottles varies from 1500 to 2000 lb. per square inch. The gas leaves the bottle through a needle valve, which admits it to a pressure regulating valve that constantly maintains an even flow and pressure from the bottles through the mixer to the November 11, 1909 THE nozzles. A low pressure gauge on the regulating valve serves to guide in the setting of the valve for various kinds of work, while a high pressure gauge on the bottle can be used in determining the amount of gas used. Heavily armored rubber tubes convey the gas to the mix- ing chamber, which is separate from the rest of the ap- paratus and water cooled to safeguard against explosion. Worm shaped conical pipes in the mixer combine the two gases thoroughly before they leave. More heavily armored rubber tubing conveys the gas to the nozzles al- ready mentioned. Gas Consumption, This apparatus has been in use abroad long enough now so that quite accurate figures are obtainable as to the amount of gas, size of nozzle, &c., necessary. Table Table Thickness of metal. — —— 8-82 to %.....; 2 2% 2% 34% es ssa a os ¥% to 3-16...... qa be si bie 3% 4% 4% 5% Si8 t6 $-36....4. «. . a is on al deatieagepias ee ea co ee $3 328 33 4.5 5.2 5.9 6.6 7.4 7.4 8.7 10.4 138.0 18.0 205 23.0 25.5 Hydrogen I gives figures of the cubic feet of gas used in cutting slabs of various thickness of metal from 1% to 6% in. On 4-in. metal the cut was \% in. wide, while on thinner metal it was only 5-64 in. The surfaces are as smooth as a saw would leave them. Table II gives a somewhat closer graduation of gas consumed. Table 1. Number of piece count Consumption of gas for ing Thickness of each lineal foot of metal cut. from the left. metal in inches. Oxygen. Hydrogen. Rexeshi sb isewd settee 1% 3.9 3.9 ae are HAN iss oes CaS 2 4.8 4.38 Bis idCe ir tas bate ba ea 256 8.3 5.8 Riwints Sirk ee’ kien alee 4 14.4 7.7 Wek coca a hse 4% 15.5 8.8 ei SES ic as ra oe 4% 17.5 9.0 Div iniutasvleceseen4 6% 22.3 10.3 Table I.—-Gases used in cutting slabs shown in Fig. 5. Table II. Size of nozzle for Size of nozzle Cubic feet Thickness of cutting for heating of gas used for each metal, or oxygen or oxhydric lineal foot of metal cut. inches. torch, inches. torch,inches. Oxygen. Hydrogen. 0.2 0.06 0.12 1.5 1.5 0.4 0.06 0.12 1.9 1.9 0.6 0.06 0.12 2.2 2.2 0.8 0.06 0.12 2.5 2.5 1.0 0.08 0.16 2.9 2.8 1.2 0.08 0.16 3.3 3.2 1.4 0.08 0.16 3.8 3.4 1.6 0.08 0.16 4.4 3.6 1.8 0.08 0.16 8.1 3.8 2.0 0.08 0.16 5.8 3.9 2.2 0.08 0.16 6.5 4.1 2.4 0.08 0.16 toa 4.3 2.6 0.08 0.16 8.0 4.6 2.8 0.08 0.16 8.8 4.8 3.0 0.08 0.16 9.7 5.0 3.2 0.08 0.16 10.7 5.3 3.4 0.08 0.16 11.8 5.6 3.6 0.08 0.16 12.8 6.0 3.8 0.08 0.16 13.9 6.4 4.0 0.08 0.16 15.0 6.9 4.2 0.08 0.16 16.2 7.4 4.4 0.08 0.16 17.5 8.0 4.6 0.08 0.16 18.8 8.5 4.8 0.08 0.16 20.2 9.0 5.0 0.08 0.16 22.7 9.5 Table II.—Amount of gas and size of torch used while cut- ting steel from 1-10 to 5 in. thick. Adaptations, Different appliances have been designed for cutting various shapes. One is arranged so that the torch can be moved in two directions at right angles to each other. With this device strips of steel % in. wide have been cut. Other appliances are furnished for cutting circular and irregular shapes. These are all so arranged that the preheating nozzle precedes the oxygen nozzle. In the cut- ting of steel tubes this method has proved extremely successful. A special attachment is made which holds IRON AGE 1469 the tube firmly in the center and provides means for ro- tating the torch outside. This can be used on either plain or flanged tubes. Table III gives the gas consump- tion for cutting different diameters of pipe. ‘The oxhy- drie flame can be used also in cutting manholes and irreg- ular openings wherever needed and much quicker than by other methods. Rivets are easily taken off and the ap- paratus proves itself useful in many ways in the machine and boiler shop. In the cutting up of junk to sizes suit- able for charging it has proved very effective. In one case an old armored cruiser was dismantled and cut into scrap in two and one-half months, where similar jobs before had taken a year and a half. In the foundry it is useful in removing sprues, risers, &c., which it cuts off cleanly and regularly. Ili, —Outside diameter of tubes in inches.-— ~ 5% 6% 6% Pte aver, Aaa cd bela its 7% 8% 8% 9% 10 10% 12 oe TY } Cubic feet of gas consumed.- . bine eieienenesite 8.1 8.8 9.5 14.4 15.3 163 17.3 18.0 19.0 21.5 24.0 . 28.0 30.5 33.0 50.0 53.5 57.0 60.5 66.0 70.0 75.0 83.0 Table III.—Amount of gas used for cutting and welding tubes from 2 to 12 in. in diameter. Oxhydric Welding. It has been found that the oxhydric process is ap- plicable to the art of welding as well as in the cutting of metals. However, for welding a single nozzle is used which burns only the mixed hydrogen and oxygen gases. This flame reduces rather than induces oxidation, whicb latter is undesirable in welding. Except for the single nozzle and the single hose from the mixer, the apparatus used is the same as that described previously. This method of welding does not affect the ductility of the metal. A light hammering of the joint, while the metal is cooling, or applying a heat treatment after the metal is cooled, will generally make the joint nearly as strong as the original metal. In the older fusion method of welding thick plates they are quite commonly made with the joints in the form of a V. This is then filled by melting metal from a rod. If the metal is properly fused a good joint results, but if drops of hot metal are After the Explosion Preparing to Cut Away the Intertwisted Iron Work with the Oxbydric Process. 2 ae ne oor BR al A. SOI as SE EAE SE RS, moe Ui ie eS eS ee Se = = A wo Sub SEL o 1470 allowed to fall on a joint not properly heated, the two will not fuse and the joint will be imperfect. With the oxhydric process applied to sheets from 3 to 1 in. thick, the two pieces to be welded are placed with their ends in contact, but not lapping. Two ox- hydric torches are used, one on each side of the metal, and exactly opposite. The flame contact is made as broad as possible. By the time the surface metal begins to show signs of melting it is probable that the interior of the pieces are at a white welding heat. At this point the torches are removed and the joint lightly hammered on an anvil, which completes the weld by a rearrange- ment of the molecular structure. When this process of welding was first conceived there was a difficulty which was hard to get around. The welding gas should consist of one part of oxygen to four or six parts of hydrogen, and it is important that all the oxygen be absorbed in order to produce a flame of uniform character. A gas with these proportions is very explosive, and at first there was fear from this source. The difficulty was surmounted by causing the gas to travel at a speed greater than that of flame propa- gation. The velocity of flame propagation depends on the kind of gas and increases as the square of the tube section. This being the case, an explosive gas will not ignite in its containing tube if given a velocity greater than that of flame propagation, and this was done in the present case. Having thus determined the minimum velocity, the maximum velocity was determined from the practical consideration that the jet of gas must not be strong enough to disturb the drops of molten metal which constitute the weld. The torch used in the weld- ing process has an enlarged chamber, which the gas first enters, which materially reduces its velocity. From this it passes through a conical tube having a smooth interior, and which has a bore gradually decreasing in size until the nozzle is reached. The dimensions of this tube and nozzle are so proportioned that the gases at- tain the desired minimum velocity on leaving. The American Oxhydric Company, Milwaukee, Wis.. has developed the methods described, and manufactures the various devices necessary for its use. It also manu- factures commercially the oxygen and hydrogen, and supplies it in the metal bottles mentioned. The cost of this method of cutting and welding is claimed to be no greater than by other methods. No machinery is neces- Sary, and the portability of the apparatus makes its use extremely flexible. ————>- ___ The Philadelphia Foundryme2n’s Association The regular monthly meeting of the Philadelphia Foundrymen’s Association was held at the Manufac- turers’ Club, in that city, on the evening of November 38, President Thomas Devlin occupying the chair. Routine business being transacted, A. G. Rodgers of the Carbo- rundum Company, Niagara Falls, N. Y., was introduced and presented a paper on “Carborundum and Carbo- rundum Products Used in the Foundry.” Considerable discussion follewed the reading of the paper, particular as to,the use of carborundum fire sand for special mold- ing’ work in foundry practice. Its use as a lining for brass furnaces was also favorably commented on. A vote of thanks was tendered Mr. Rodgers for his excel- lent paper. Walter Wood, chairman of the Pig Iron Specification Committee, followed with a few remarks referring to the discussion of pig iron, as well as other specifications at the congress of the International Society for Testing Materials, held in Copenhagen, Denmark, in September. At the conference of the specification committees from the different societies, he said, that from America was the only one which had seriously taken up the question of pig iron specifications, although those in connection with the various steel products—car wheels, cast iron pipe and test bars for foundry castings, &c.—were gen- erally considered, the English society confining itself more particularly to steel specifications. Owing to the fact that the other national societies had not considered these matters fully, the matter has been referred to the International Committee on Specifications, which will THE IRON AGE November 11, 1909 gather further data regarding pig iron, cast iron pipe and test bars with a view of arriving at the best method for the unification of those specifications, The subject has been brought to the attention of the Iron and Steel Institute, as indicated in the following copy of a letter written by Mr. Wood to Sir Hugh Bell, president of the institute: As promised, I hand you herewith the action of the con- gress of the International Society for Testing Materials: Resolution as to Pig Iron, adopted September 8.— For the purpose of defining more accurately the quality of pig iron than is possible by the present method of grading by fracture, the Congress recommends that Sub-Committee 1A be instructed to inquire in the various countries concerned as to how far speci- fications by analysis may be usefully substituted for the present method of grading by fracture, and that they may be authorized to take such steps as they may deem advisable to give effect to this resolution. The committee consists of Baurath A. Rieppel, Nurn- berg Machine Works, chairman; Prof. R. Stribeck, Krupps ; Director H. Vehling, Roth-Erde; F. E. Robertson, London ; F. W. Harbord, London; W. R. Webster, Philadelphia ; Walter Wood, Philadelphia. The situation at present is that the Foundrymen’s Na- tional Association of America has adopted specifications for buying as per inclosed copy. The furnace operators in Ger- many are willing, when requested, to furnish metal with a guarantee (by analysis) as to its quality. As to how far the proposed scheme is incorrect in prin- ciple or in its details is a subject for discussion. If there are changes to be brought forward the committee is desirous of receiving and duly and carefully considering them. While immediate action is not contemplated, it is but proper that they receive such without too prolonged delay. The plan suggested contains provision for a wider “‘ ware- housing” of iron than has been possible heretofore, and also arranges for a definite basis of market quotations, which will be similar in all countries, as well as adjustments of errors in delivery of (or difficulties of a furnace produc- ing) metal in accordance with contracts. It is not ex- pected, because a basis is reached for international trading, that the local customs in any country should (unless it seem desirable) be discontinued for home use. Resolution of Sub-Committee 1A as to specifications for cast iron Se in view of the close approximation of existing specifications for cast iron pipe in the various countries inter- ested, the Sub-Committee 1A be instructed to submit to the associations in the respective countries copies of the specifica- tions for cast iron pipe that have been placed before the Con- gress with their suggestions as to how unification can best be obtained. Action of Sub-Committee 1A as to test bars.—In view of the general acceptance in principle of a separately cast * arbi- tration bar” to ascertain the quality of the metal going into iron castings, and the further acceptance of a bar of round section cast on end in dry sand, there remains only to deter- mine the length of bar best calculated to give the most satis- factory technical and commercial results. It is therefore recom- mended that each country interested make a series of tests with bars approximating 114 in. in diameter and cast under standard conditions, the length varying from 6 to 24 in. be- tween supports, from which this information can be obtained. A set of 10 bars each for three classes of ordinary gray iron 1.50, 2 and 2.50 per cent. silicon is suggested, enough bars being cast 26 in. long and cut up for test purposes. The analyses and records of tests are to be sent to Committee 1A for its in- formation. German ironmasters have to a considerable extent, Mr. Wood said, shown a willingness to furnish iron ac- cording to specification by analysis; the English iron- masters, however, move slowly in that respect, owing largely to the long-established customs which they have followed in the sale of good merchantable brands of pig iron and the warehousing of certain grades. Mr. Wood stated, however, that he did not believe that the difficulties in the adoption of a satisfactory hasis for specifications were as serious as might generally be considered, as the buyers of pig iron are becoming more and more deter- mined to buy their iron “on a basis of what it con- tained rather than what it looked like.” A general discussion of the foundry situation in this district followed, reports from various members indicat- ing that the conditions in the trade are better; while all the plants are not fully engaged the volume of business is increasing and there is a strong tendency toward a higher price level. Adjournment followed, after which the usual luncheon was served in the dining room of the club. a The La Follette Iron Company, of which F. P. Howe of the Cranberry Furnace Company, Johnson City, Tenn., is president and M. H. Maury manager, has leased the blast furnace of the La Follette Coal, Iron & Railway Company, La Follette, Tenn. Improvements are being made and the furnace will be put in blast early next year. November 11, 1909 ‘Census Preparations. Schedules of Manufacturers for the Thirteenth Census. WASHINGTON, D. C., November 9, 1909.—Census Di- rector Durand has approved the final draft of the general schedule of inquiries which will be used in the collection of statistics for the thirteenth census of manufactures, covering the calendar year 1909. The schedule is in the form of a four-page folder, a little larger than letter size. It is less complicated than the schedule upon which the 1900 and 1905 censuses of manufactures were taken, while the general scope is the same less than half as many entries are required. The schedule was prepared by the director, the assistant director and the chief sta- tistician for manufactures, with the advice of the eco- nomic and statistical experts constituting the so-called Advisory Board of special agents. The general schedule of manufactures will be distrib- uted immediately after January 1 next by the special agents, of whom about 1600 will be appointed. There will be two classes of these employees; one called * chief special agents” and the other “ assistant special agents.” The chief special agents will each be placed in charge of a given territory or district of a State and the assistant special agents will be assigned to assist them. Information to Be Contidential, Director Durand has drafted a brief statement, which will be printed on each schedule, setting forth the author- ity under which the census is taken and guaranteeing manufacturers against the disclosure of information which they may furnish. In this connection, he says: All answers will be held absolutely confidential. No pub- lication will be made in the census reports disclosing the name or operations of individual establishments in any particular. The act of Congress provides that the Bureau of the Census shall not permit any other than the sworn employees of the bureau to examine the individual reports. It also provides that any employee who shall, without the authority of the director of the census, publish or communicate any information coming into his possession, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction be fined not to exceed $1000, or to be im- prisoned not to exceed two years, or both, in the discretion of the court. sefore adoption by the director, the schedule was sub- mitted to well-known business men, representing boards of trade, chambers of commerce, manufacturers’ associa- tions, and also to individual authorities in the large man- ufacturing cities. The schedule has met with quite gen- eral approval of those to whom submitted. The director was authorized by Congress to determine the form and subdivision of inquiries necessary to se- cure the information required for statistical purposes. Throughout the preparation of the schedule simplicity of inquiry has been sought, with the necessary complete- ness which will permit correct interpretation. Advan- tage has been taken of the experience of the bureau at the census of 1900, and it is believed that the application of the blank will result in a complete and satisfactory census. There are in the new general schedule 13 principal questions, with their subdivisions. This is the same num- ber as in the general schedule for 1905. There are, how- ever, important differences between the two schedules. These comprise, in the 1909 schedule, the new questions authorized by Congress, the elimination of former queries to which it is believed to be impossible to obtain accurate replies, and also the simplification of others by their sep- aration or combination in other forms. Inquiries to Be Propounded,. The 13 principal questions are, briefly: 1, A descrip- tion of the establishment; 2, time in operation and hours worked; 3, capital invested; 4, salaried employees; 5, wage earners, including pieceworkers, on the payroll December 15, 1909, distinguishing men, women and chil- dren; 6, wage earners, including pieceworkers, employed on the 15th day of each month, without distinction of sex or age; 7, salary and wage payments; 8, materials, mi!l supplies and fuel; 9, miscellaneous expenses; 10, products; 11, power; 12, fuel; and, 13, remarks. THE IRON AGE 1471 Under the heading “description of establishment,” manufacturers are requested to state the tine of the establishment, the name of the owner, j yn, the post office address of the general offices, iod cov- ered by the report, the character of the organization, the number of proprietors and partnership members, if a nonincorporated organization, or the number of stock- holders if an incorporated organization, and the charac- ter of the industry. In reporting “ capital invested,” the return is to be made for that which is both owned and borrowed, divided among (a) land, building, machinery and tools; (0) materials, stocks in process, finished prod- ucts, fuel and miscellaneous supplies; (c) cash, plus trading and operating accounts and bills receivable. Un- der the heading “materials, mill supplies and fuel,” manufacturers are asked to report (a) total cost of all materials (other than fuel) and mill supplies used dur- ing the year; (b) cost of fuel and rent of power; (c) amount paid, if any, for freight on above which has not already been included; and (d) names of principal mate- rials used. Miscellaneous Expense Item Important. The bureau regards the item of * miscellaneous ex- penses”’ as one of the most important in the schedule, which should include the items of (@) rent of factory or works; (v)) taxes; (c) rent of offices and buildings other than factory or works; (d) rent of machinery; (e) royalties; (f) use of patents; (g) insurance; (h) ordi- nary repairs of buildings and machinery; (j) advertis- ing; (k) traveling expenses; (1) all other sundry ex- penses, and (m) contract work. Under the item of “products” the schedule names the following instructions: Give the selling value or price at the factory or works, and account for all products manufactured during the year (whether sold or not), including by-products. The principal products should be enumerated separately and the total value given for each, which value should include that of the containers, if sold with the goods. Under “ All other products, including amounts received for custom work and repairing,’ should be reported the total value of all products, other than those for which separate values are given, together with amounts received for custom work and repairing and work done on materials furnished by others. A special effort will be made by the Census Bureau to secure accurate statistics regarding power, and manu- facturers will be requested to return all mechanical power employed, either owned or rented, under the items of (a) steam engines, (¥) gas engines, (c) water wheels, (d) water motors, and (e€) other power, specifying the kind. A new question under the heading of “ power” is the name of the stream or lake fromtswhich water is obtained to generate power and whether direct or elec- tric. This information will furnish data for a census of the country’s water power plants and operations which Congress will probably be requested to authorize in the near future. In this connection the names and addresses of establishments supplying any part of the rented power will also be requested. Under the heading of “fuel used” separate returns will be requested for (a) anthracite coal, (b) bituminous coal, (c) coke, (d) wood, (e) oil, (f) gas, and (g) other fuel, stating the kind. In reporting fuel by the ton, man- ufacturers are requested to state whether the gross or net ton is used. This question concerning fuel is a new one, and is expected to elicit replies affording valuable data on the fuel conservation question. In addition to the general schedule the bureau will also prepare special schedules covering the details of the leading industries of the country. M. C. —_—_ +e R. F. Lang, 31 and 33 Broadway, New York, has been appointed sales agent for this country for the sale of Ferrool-Hocksit, a German preparation, patented in all countries, for soldering cast iron fractures. It can be applied by any workman knowing how to hard solder. The claim is made that a fracture thus soldered makes the broken part stronger than it was originally. Illus- trated circulars show numerous instances of heavy and light castings which have been successfully treated in this manner. weneed abiameenk 2 aoe wt Bas Bi ST ae. oa es Oe eee, Lee > Dee Ee i SR ee SE a US ET ET cee 1472 The Japanese Commercial Commissioners at Pittsburgh. The 39 honorary commercial commissioners from Japan who are visiting the United States by invitation of the associated chambers of commerce of the eight leading Pacific Coast cities reached Pittsburgh Friday morning, November 5. Under escort of members of the Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce and representatives of local manufacturing companies the party was taken on a trip to leading Pittsburgh works. At Homestead Col. H. P. Bope, Samuel A. Benner, A. R. Hunt and other officials of the Carnegie Steel Company conducted the visitors through the plate, open hearth, armor plate and structural departments. The tapping of a 50-ton open hearth furnace, the operation of the 140-in. plate mill, large hydraulic shears, the 12,000-ton Bethlehem press, the large furnaces, the 10,000-ton forging press in the armor plate department and the hardening process were particularly interesting. Luncheon was given at the Carnegie Hotel and there was some speech making by General Superintendent A. R. Hunt, C. A. O’Brien of the City Hall, President Lee S. nm Nei 7 N y =! ‘LI ee iD tL F Vv; i é NI i Fig. 1—The Five Lidgerwood Unloading Cableways at Gatun, Smith of the Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce, Baron Eiichi Shibusawa and others. In the afternoon most of the Japanese party visited the Westinghouse plants at East Pittsburgh and Wil- merding. At East Pittsburgh they were conducted by E. M. Herr, W. M. McFarland and others through the gas engine and turbine departments. A large turbine was shown under test with the latest attachment, the Melville- MacAlpine reduction gear. On the erecting floor of the Westinghouse Electric & Mfg. Company were several large electric locomotives. One of the orders being exe- cuted is from the Pennsylvania Railroad Company for service in its New York City terminal, while another is for large freight locomotives for the New York, New Haven & Hartford. Late’in the afternoon the Westing- house Air Brake Company’s plant at Wilmerding was visited and the party inspected the foundry, machine, assembling and testing departments. Other Pittsburgh District plants, particularly glass works, were visited by the Japanese delegation on Satur- day, and there were various social events connected with the visit. The souvenirs distributed included a book of Westinghouse views and a booklet prepared by the Chamber of Commerce giving tonnages of various prod- ucts turned out in the Pittsburgh District in 1907 and other industrial information. THE IRON AGE November 11, 1909 The Panama Canal Cableways. The building of the Panama Canal is now in its third and fourth stages. The first stage was the sanitation of the canal zone; the second the rebuilding of the Panama Railroad so as to supply facilities for transporting the spoil from the excavations to the dumps; the third the excavation of the canal, the fourth and last stage the building of the Gatun dam and locks, and the locks at Miraflores and San Miguel. On August 1 of this year the excavation (182,000,000 cu. yd., of which 40,000,000 cu. yd. available had been done by the French) had advanced to a point where only 101,000,000 cu. yd. remained to be done, which, as officially stated by Colonel Goethals, can be finished by August 1, 1911. The remaining excavation is proceeding at the rate of about 3,000,000 cu. yd. per month. Keeping pace with the speed of excavation are the construction operations in connection with the Gatun dam and locks. The most important part of the mechan- ical equipment installed for building these locks is 13 high speed cableways, which were especially designed Isthmus of Panama. for this work by the Lidgerwood Mfg. Company, 96 Lib- erty street, New York. Upon five of these, those illus- trated in Fig. 1, and known as the unloader cableways, will fall the brunt of the work, and upon their ability to handle the amount guaranteed, or more, depends the question of whether the canal will be completed and in operation on January 1, 1915, or earlier. The cableways have exceeded their guaranteed capacity by a large per- centage, and the engineers in charge of the work are confident that it can be finished at an earlier date. Fig. 2 is a view of the tail towers of the unloader cableways showing the position of the barges and the location of the operator’s platform. The work of these five cableways is to handle the broken stone and sand which will be required for the walls and floors of the locks. There are six locks, each 1000 ft. long and 110 ft. wide. They lie side by side in flights of three, making a total length of more than 3000 ft. Together they provide a total lift of 85 ft., with some t» spare for changes in the initial water level. In these locks there will be used 2,000,000 cu. yd. of broken stone, 1,000,000 cu. yd. of sand and 2,200,000 barrels of cement. The sand and stone arrive in barges on a branch of the old French canal, and the unloader cableway takes them out of the barges with grab buckets and delivers them 600 ft. or more away to heaps in the storage yard. From here November 11, 1909 THE IRON AGE 1473 Fig. 2.—The Tail Towers of the Unloader Cableways. them are taken by the cars of an automatically operated electric railway to the mixers, and from there the con- crete is taken in other electric cars to where the second set of eight cableways, those for building the locks, can put it in place in the forms for the walls and floor. The four cableways, Fig. 1, arranged in pairs on two sets of towers handle the broken stone and a single cableway with independent towers unloads the sand from the barges and deposits it on a storage pile. Each cable- way has a span of 800 ft. In the duplex cableways the cables are 18 ft. apart. This corresponds with the dis- tance apart of the traverse bulkheads in the barges. The cableways are all mounted on steel towers 85 ft. high. The towers are mounted on trucks and travel on tracks, so that each cableway performs the function of a traveling crane. The unloader cableways travel the length of the storage yard. Those for building the locks travel more than 3000 ft. They are all moved eleéc- trically, each pair in unison. From the carriage of each of the five unloader cableways is suspended an improved special 70 cu. ft. iron ore type excavating bucket, shown in Fig. 3, which grabs an average load of 54 cu. ft. The load is hoisted 85 ft., conveyed about 600 ft., dumped on the storage pile, and the carriage and bucket returned. This round trip has been made in 1 minute 8 seconds. The cableways were guaranteed to handle 50 eu. yd. an hour each, but have carried 90 cu. yd. in an hour, and the average operation up to date is 60 cu. yd. per hour. It is Claimed that this average should be materially in- creased with practice, and the present record is declared to be double that of any cableway previously employed anywhere. The machinery for operating is mounted in the head towers. It consists of two 150-hp. motors for each un- loader cableway; one for opening, closing and hoisting the bucket, and the other one conveying the carriage. The lock building cableways each have a 150-hp. motor which does the hoisting and conveying, and a motor of 25 hp. to run the dumping device. Both the head and tail towers are propelled by motors. One man operates each cableway, and is stationed on an elevated platform in one of the towers commanding a clear view of the bucket or skip at all times and in all positions. He controls the two 150-hp. motors by master controll- ers of the New York Subway type, and the air brakes by two levers operating magnet valves 800 ft. away. The physical effort of operation is stated to be so easy that the operator can comfortably maintain the high speed. In previous cableways this effort was fatiguing, and, although it was possible to attain a speed of 35 round trips per bour with mechanical levers, this could not be sustained for any length of time. The high speed and consequent increase in the capac- ity of these cableways is due to the ease of operation, the rope-lead that simultaneously raises and traverses the bucket; the high speed shock absorber with which the fall rope carrier is equipped, and a new type of button stop for the fall rope carriers. The rope lead which simultaneously hoists and traverses the bucket causes the latter to move in a curved line corresponding somewhat to the hypothenuse of a triangle, instead of moving on the vertical and horizontal sides. Considerable increase of speed and diminution of travel is thereby affected. Fig. 4 gives a near view of two carriages and a bucket showing the fall rope carriers which are used to support the fall rope and the ropes for opening and closing the bucket. The fall rope carriers have a most important function to perform. Their purpose is to support the fall rope and the opening and closing ropes so as to allow of the full operation of the fall and bucket without inter- ference by the weight of the constantly increasing length of the bite of the ropes as the carriage runs out. When the carriage starts its trip the carriers are mounted on the saddle (one is shown on the saddle of Fig. 3.—A View Down on & Barge from the Operator’s Platform, Showing a Bucket Ready to Take a Load of Broken Stone. ee ent ss etiam Ae nae Sr cis Bi dé Neti tee Sey ama ae oc orien teense alata: 1474 ~ ™~ oe THE IRON AGE November 11, 1909 Fig. 4.—Two of the Bucket Carriages.—One of Them Has Left the Last Cable Carrier and the Other Is Picking up a Carrier on Its the carriage at the left of the illustration) and as the carriage runs out are automatically spaced on the cable by contact with various, sized buttons, similar to those in Fig. 5. The rings in the heads of the carriers are made of proper diameters to engage with their respective buttons. On the return trip the carriers are picked up on the saddle. This button-stop method has been suc- cessfully tested experimentally with a fall-rope carrier running at a speed of 3000 ft. per min., and has an ad- vantage over the chain type of carrier in that there are no loops of chain to buckle when they are collected. The buttons are prevented from slipping on the cable, when they receive the shock of engaging the carrier, by the insertion of a steel core in the part of the cable run- ning through the button, which forms a wedge in the direction of blow. Cores are also inserted just above and below the button, causing the enlargement of the cable, which is noticeable in the illustration, and further in- sures it against slipping. The three cores used are shown on the front edge of the lower rack. The high speed shock absorber with which the car- rier is equipped permits the carriage to travel at the unusual speed of 2500 ft. per min., said to be more than double the speed of any previous cableway. This is the limit of speed allowed, although the cableways have fre- quently been operated at a speed of 3000 ft. per min., which at present is too severe for the fall-rope carriers. Some of the small pieces forming the heads of the car- riers are being replaced with heavier pieces, which, it is believed, will admit of a higher speed. Another feature of these cableways which is new is that the bucket is counterbalanced like a passenger ele- vator. Thus only the net load has to be hoisted and only enough power is required to do this and overcome friction and inertia. The eight cableways used for put- ting the materials in place in the lock walls are similar in span, hight, style of towers and method of control to be of I ed \ 4 ‘ A iho el anal LD ee TE C00 ae a PE aT) is rT i 4 , ‘i I Wy | | | | Ti Fig. 5——The Buttons of Graded Size Placed on the Cableways to Selectively Arrest the Cable Carriers. teturn Trip. those for unloading the materials, but they will never be called upon for such rapid work. While they will handle the entire amount of concrete and, besides this, the wooden forms and the many tons of old rails which are to be put into the concrete for reinforcement, there are eight of them, as against five of the others, and each will have much less to do. This is necessary, as the placing of concrete requires care and deliberation. The immense quantity of concrete mate