The Iron Age 1909-12-16: Vol 84 Iss 25

3 os £ THE IRON AGE Published every Thursday Morning by David Williams Co., 14-16 Park Place, New York. 5.00 a Y ludi Post Vol. 84: No. 25. New York, Thursday, December 16, 7909. Scie anne. on eens ostage. Reading Matter Contents....... page 1867 muta” « | Remington Power Advertising and Subscription Rates *“* 1868 FEF ER R ERRO AL LOYs| FERRO MANGANESE—FERRO SILICON Photograph of SILICON SPIEGEL = Sanaa 30/30 Rem. trated by burgh, Pa, | P°"° REED F. BLAIR & CO,, Pitsburg, pa | Psntrate The original and only Genuine bullets from 4 25 Rem. **STILLSON || Remington - Autoloading em. “ETILLSONS WRENCH ae ; ie manufactured by * Autoloading WALWORTH MFG. CO., Besten, U.S. A. Cartridges And bears their registered Trade-Mark i Used BRISTOL'S PATENT STEEL BELT LACING ** Loads Itself ”’ Powerful shooter—powerful seller Send for Literature REMINGTON ARMS COMPANY Ilion, N. Y. Agency 818!Broadway, New York The Brtatel Commeny, Wetereurr. Gene | WATER TUBE The Babeock & Wilcox Co. MILLWRITING BOILERS see pase 50 65 Liberty, street The New Building Estimator By By JAS. | F. HOBART, 6x9”, 401 Pages, An Indispensable Aid to Contractors 141 INlustrations. Price $3, Delivered. David Williams *Co. 14-16 Park Piace, NEW YORK. It gives cost data on all classes of building construction and equipment, with helpful analysis, and with material, labor and time TURNBUCKLES figured in full detail. =a i a Cleveland City Forge and Iron Co., Cleveland, 0. eee eect conti ceeeiaieanieebaraamaaninesnamastenteree TruouRNBVUOCOB UES MERRILL BROS. I viaenets. New Yerk, N. Y. IRON ORES PILLING & GRANE, inpire'niag, New York. [UFAIN ve IN AMERICA and THE BEST IN HE oe eee THE RULECO., Saginaw . tate ‘an Eng. Windsor, Can. “* Assembles a surprisingly large amount of cost data and fills'a real need in the contracting field.”— American Architect. “A grand book. Covers the STM Es completely. “M, L. H “Of the Manufacturers’ Appraisal Co,’» “* Have never seen a ae that treats the subject so seamonghty. “C. M. CRUIKSHANK, Gen. “William Cruikshank’s Sens - ~ Co,” A 437-Page Handbook with a 13-Page Cross Reference Index. Price, $2.50, Delivered. Published by DAVID WILLIAMS CO., 14-16 Park Place, New York Jenkins °96 Sheet Packing is the kind that will prevent loss of steam. Its great strength and durability give it maximum ef- fectiveness when used under pressure of steam, acids orammonia. It does not blow, burn or squeeze out. Jenkins '96 is also made with wire insertion. JENKINS BROS., New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago “Swedoh” Gold Rolled Stool ,.2*: Drawing »« Stamping THE AMERICAN TUBE & STAMPING COMPANY SEE 3 5 (Water and Rail Delivery) BripesPorr, Oonx, PAGE MAGNOLIA rsicrion METAL The Standard Babbitt of the World MF 32 pounds coating ROOFING TIN * is asure and lasting protection against fire, wind, and water AMERICAN SHEET AND TIN PLATE - We monntnctese COMPANY Babbitt Line. Frick Bullding eed Pittsburgh, Pa. MAGNOLIA METAL 00. See our ad on page 19 New York: 115 Bank St. Chicago: Fisher Builcing, Montreal: 41 St, Nicholas St. 2 THE IRON AGE BRASS {hop The Plume & Atwood Mfg. Go. WIRE Manufacturers of GERMAN j seer |acttyttfat bam SILVER aw Goods in great variety WIRE ~ Sales Office 279 Broadway, New York a Branches, Chicago San Francisco Pat. Leveled Sign Brass] *ti28tcs, con, Waterbury, Conn No Buckles, Clean Surface, Polished or Plain TIME CHECK SYSTEMS PAT. LEVELED GERMAN SILVER|] creat every cnplover of labor Polished or Plain for Soda Send for Paull Reports. Water and Bar Fixtures Matthews of Pittsburg Re TIN Pte PN ANE NL Founded 1850 fy Low Brass, Gilding and — Metal, Sheet, Rod and Wire | es ee SCOVILL MFG. CO. Manufactured Goods ncieshainabeniae in Great Variety BRASS, GERMAN SILVER, Sheets, —~ Wire, and . FOLLANSBEE POLISHED FOLLANSBEE BLUE Waterbury Brass Co. STEEL SHEETS ae CONN. FOR STOVES, ™ 1 Cliff St., New York Providence, R.I. RANGES, en ETC. wi ee Bridgeport Deoxidized Bronze & Metal Co. Brass Shells, Cups, Hinges, Buttons, Lamp Goods. Special Brass Goods to Order. Factories WATERBURY, CONN. De; $ NEW YORK CHICAGO BOSTON SUPERIOR BRIDGEPORT, CONN. a: Sain dente Lae aa FINISHES Phosphor and Deoxidized Henry Souther Engineering (0. FOLLANSBEE BROS. Co. Bronze PASE, SESE PITTSBURGH Consulting Chemists, Metallurgists Composition, Yellow Brass and Alumi- num Castings, large and small and Analysts. _° Complete Physical Testing Laboratory. Expert Testimony in Court and Patent Cases. Matthiessen & Hegeler Zinc Co. ies Arthur T, Rutter & Co, SMELTERS OF SPELTER 256 Broadway, "AND MANUFACTURERS SHEET ZINC AND SULPHURIC ACID NEW YORK. Special Sises of Zinc cut to order, Rolled Battery Plates Selected Plates for Etchers' and Lithogrsphers’ use T ed S d Selected Sheets for Paper and Oard Makers’ usé. urn 9 tampe 9 Stove and Washboard Blanks ZINCS FOR LECLANCHE BATTERY Drawn Work. GERMAN SILVER Witt: \ Brass, Copper and See. In Sheet, Wire, Rods, Tubing and Blanks. BRIDGEPORT, CONN. Polished wide sheets, patent levelled, for soda foun- Postal Tod Murray St.. New York ; ° . ° St., Boston tains, bar fixtures etc. German silver for spinning. 17 N. 7th St., Philadetphie Manufacturers of NICKEL ANODES BRASS, BRONZE, COPPER BRASS SHEET in all forms THE SEYMOUR MFG. CO., Seymour, Conn. / ‘AND TUBING HENDRICKS BROTHERS an | Sa Metal Goods made to order from Manufacturers of Sheet, Rod, Wire and Tubing SheetandBarCopper, CopperFireBoxPlates and Staybolts, Wire and Braziers Rivets PHOSPHOR-BRONZE Importers and Dealers in GERMAN SILVER Ingot Copper, Block, Tin, Spelter, ¥ coe aaea Lead, Antimony, Bismuth, Nickel, etc. Ne "aeereaee oo . 49 CLIFF STREET © . NEW YORK causes - F mssz AIVERGIDE, Wd. THE IRON AGE New York, Thursday, December 16, 1909. Titusville Gas Engines. The Titusville Iron Company, Titusville, Pa., has recently installed for the South Penn Oil Company, Bradford, Pa., at its station near Simpson, McKean county, three vertical three-cylinder engines of 175 brake hp. each, arranged for belt connection to air compressors for supplying air for pumping oil wells. This type of engine is now in successful operation, driving air compressors, hydraulic pumps and electric generators. Two of these engines, each directly con- nected to a 105-kw. alternating current generator, were installed in the Titusville Electric Light & Power Com- pany’s station at the beginning of this year, and their down to the diameter at the root of the thread for a considerable portion of their length, so as to make them more elastic under sudden shocks. The water jacketing of the cylinder barrels is en- tirely independent from that of the cylinder heads, and the drain from each cylinder head is piped directly into the exhaust pipe. This acts as a silencer and also keeps the exhaust valve stems so cool that there is no need for water jacketing them. Stems and valves which have been in operation for about two years are still in good condition. The inlet and exhaust valve cham- bers are cast on opposite sides of the cylinders, and the valves are operated from independent cam shafts extending along the inside of the main frame. All Fig. 1.—Two Vertical Three-Cylinder Titusville Engines in the Titusville Electric Light & Power Company’s Station. performance is reported to be very satisfactory. Only one of the engines is required for the day load, but at night the two are synchronised and operated in parallel. A general view of the engines in this station is shown in Fig. 1, and a sectional view in Fig. 2. Fig. 5 shows the general design of the bedplate and crankshaft. The cylinders are 14 in. in diameter by 18 in. stroke. The revolutions are 257 per minute, giving a piston speed of 771 ft. per min. The bedplate is of very sub- stantial design and is cast separate from the housing or main frame. The main bearings, four in number, have bottom boxes of cast steel lined with babbitt, and are adjustable by wedges from the outside of the bed- plate. The crankshaft is a solid forging of open hearth steel with cast iron balance weights securely bolted to each crank web. The generator shaft was furnished with the generator and is connected to the engine shaft by a flexible coupling shown in Fig. 1. The connecting rods, one of which is shown in Fig. 3, are of forged steel, and have solid ends with wedge adjustment at the piston pin, and the crank ends are of the marine type. The piston pin bearing is of special bronze and the crank pin bearing is of bronze lined with babbitt. The connecting rod bolts are turned stems extend downward and the valves can easily be taken out for examination, by simply removing the cover on top of the valve chamber. The ignition is of the mechanical make-and-break type. The latest type of igniter plug is shown in Fig. 4. It is located on the side of the inlet valve chamber. Its gasket is formed of a copper end asbestos ring and makes the joint close to the inner wall of the chamber. The oval flange is free of the outer wall of the chamber and the body of the plug is cut away as much as pos- sible to allow air to circulate around it and keep it cool. The movable electrode is actuated by a trip, driven by an eccentric on a small shaft, which in turn is driven by a silent chain from the exhaust cam shaft. The timing of the spark can be advanced or retarded by raising or lowering the trip rod for each cylinder in dependently, and by means of a graduated quadrant on this raising and lowering device the attendant can tell at once the point of stroke where the spark is oc- curring. The ignition current for both engines is fur- nished at 115 volts, and a bank of lamps placed in a prominent position on the engine affords the necessary resistance and acts as a tell-tale to indicate that the sparking is taking place properly in each cylinder. See a % 1818 Sis L ceeceealip } Sos Fig. 2. Sectional View of the Titusville Engine. THE IRON AGE December 16, 1909 Fig. 5.—Detail of the Bedplate and Crankshaft. apparatus is so efficient that an engine can be started and synchronised with the other in 45 seconds. The exhaust from each engine is led separately to a muffler tank placed under ground outside of the building, and then passes to the atmosphere through a larger pipe from the muffler tank up to beyond the roof of the building. This effectually prevents any annoyance of sound or gaseous vapor. A typical indicator card taken when the engine was developing 176 brake hp. is shown in Fig. 6. In tests for gas consumption at different loads it has been found that 9.4 cu. ft. of gas per brake hp. is required at full Fig. 4.—Igniter Plugs. Current is also furnished by an Edison primary battery for starting and for use in cases of emergency. The engine is started by admitting compressed air to one of the cylinders through a valve operated auto- matically by a cam on the outer end of the exhaust cam shaft. The governor is of the fly ball type, connected to the mixing valve by a shaft and levers, and governs the quantity of the mixture passing into the engine. A small series motor operated by the exciter current and controlled by a switch on the switchboard is used for synchonising; it is bolted to the governor bracket and through a worm gear regulates the tension on the con- trolling spring of the governor to vary the speed of the engine. This device combined with the air starting load; 9.8 cu. ft. at three-quarter load, and 12.5 cu. ft at half load. The generator, built by the General Electric Com- pany is of substantial design, and in general appearance harmonizes with the engine. Although rated at 105 kw., it has frequently carried loads of 135 kw. for hours at a time. — re The Fort Pitt Engineering Company, composed of J. B. Cessna and E. P. Dandridge, has opened offices in the Lewis Building, Pittsburgh. The company is local representative of the Stephens-Adamson Mfg. Company, Aurora, IIl., manufacturer of elevator, con- veyor and coal washing machinery. December 16, 1909 The Welfare of Employees.* The Yale & Towne Mfg. Company’s Provisions Against Injury and Ill Health. BY HENRY R. TOWNE, It is an old adage that prevention is better than cure. Preventive medicine is an increasingly important factor in medical practice. Pensions and old age in- surance are designed to be a partial remedy for the disabilities and needs of old age. Anything tending to prevent “or to delay the advent of these disabilities should certainly be recognized and encouraged. If effective, it not only defers the time when aid may be needed, but prolongs the period of activity and use- fulness of the individual. In considering the pension problem we are some- times apt to forget or overlook the large expenditures which are being made continually for purposes tending to prolong the period of usefulness of employees and to delay the advent of disability. While these expendi- tures have usually been incurred primarily for pur- poses not largely, if at all, altruistic, they have none the less tended to improve the comfort and health of employees. The expenditures referred to relate to the following provisions affecting the efficiency, health and comfort of employees: 1. Heating and ventilating. 2. Sanitation, drainage and water supply. 3. Effective lighting by day and by night. 4. General cleanliness of premises. 5. Wholesome drinking water, filtered if necessary and properly cooled. 6. Comfortable and sanitary lavatories. 7. Locker rooms, with individual lockers for each employee. 8. Emergency service; provisions for first aid to injured. 9. Removal of dust and noxious fumes, where these are incident to manufacturing processes. 10. Safety appliances on machines, to prevent or minimize danger of accident. 11. Libraries, reading rooms and lecture rooms where these exist. Many of these provisions are more or less necessary to the effective operation of a plant, but beyond the ex- penditures strictly necessary for this purpose, it will be found in many cases that a large additional ex- penditure has been made chiefly for the promotion of the comfort, health and safety of employees, while others have been incurred solely by consideration on the part of the employer for the welfare of his em- ployees. The aggregate effect of these many provis- ions is greatly to promote the comfort of employees, and undoubtedly they have a further tendency to pro- long the period of useful efficiency and, therefore, presumably the expectation of life, in the case of all employees who are fortunate enough to come within the scope of these benefits. Investment and Maintenance Cost at Stamford, Persons unfamiliar with the organization and op- eration of a modern industrial plant have but little idea of the extent of the provisions referred to, and still less idea as to what they represent in initial in- vestment and in operating cost. To elucidate this point and to furnish a basis of fact on which an intelligent understanding of this subject may be formed, I think it will be helpful to study the figures applying to an actual case fairly representative of good modern prac- tice. For this purpose I have naturally taken the statistics relating to the industry conducted under my direction, namely, that of the Yale & Towne Mfg. *A paper read at the New York meeting of the National Civic Federation, November, 1909. THE IRON AGE 1819 Company, whose works are located at Stamford, Conn., and which is best known as maker of the Yale locks. Stated under the two heads of “Investment” and “ Operating Expenses,” these statistics are substantially as follows: Investment. en a errr ae $74,200 2. Sanitation, drainage and water supply............. 49,400 i re 18,000 Op NS 6a ocd wre sens cand ccseadecawees 0 5. Drinking water, filtration, refrigeration and distribu- its Dsus ieee waw shawn cade eee ean ee keene 6,200 6. Lavatories (included in item 2)...........eceeee- 0 pF ET 57,200 8. Emergency room and equipment................-- 1,200 9. Apparatus for removal of dust and fumes.......... 8,000 10. Safety appliances on machinery.................. 4,000 11. Library, reading rooms, lecture rooms and bicycle SN sachin cansar' th sal LW pe aes, © 7D 4s Wala 4 pnw aie wa EM erala aoe 7,000 ME cad hae eh aks Oe we DR ESty es Datardewsalanee 0% $225,200 Annual Operating Expenses. er eer ree $14,620 2. Sanitation, drainage and water supply............. 6,324 i ONOCGNEO QE rs oi ieccccccedoescceeus 3,129 SS eee eT eT Tee Cee 4,811 Se eee 932 6. Lavatories (included in item 2).......ccccrcccesee 0 Terme, COOUES GE WOCMOTBS ooo k cis cictewadceccaus 6,467 rE ROUEN a 5 6.08 6 5.6e 0S We 48 6440 GO ROD Oe owes 1,303 9. Apparatus for removal of dust and fumes......... 1,200 10. Safety appliances on machinery.................-- 445 11. Library, reading rooms, lecture rooms and bicycle NE Fad re Wea ne Nc e bere we ae wk Wels OP ae ek She 6,206 RT ik aM a a Ale Sore eine apn wk of eee ee $45,437 In round figures the foregoing statements imply an investment for the above purposes of about $100 per employee and an annual expenditure of about $20 per employee. While admitting frankly that this expendi- ture, both fixed and current, is “ good business,” be- cause tending to increase the efficiency of labor and the contentment of employees, it can with equal fair- ness be stated that, if limited strictly to business re- quirements, these outlays, both fixed and current, would largely be reduced, probably one-half, and that the excess over what is necessary represents, on the one hand, a voluntary contribution by the employer to the welfare, comfort and health of the employee, and, on the other hand, a substitute or equivalent to the em- ployee of a direct contribution to an insurance or pen- sion fund, because serving indirectly a similar purpose by increasing the earning power, by prolonging the activity and thus by augmenting the potential savings of the employee. In considering the broad subject of industrial insurance and pensions, it is pertinent to keep in view the character and influence of the ex- penditures thus made by the employer, especially in modern plants of the best type, and to recognize the substantial contribution thus made for the benefit of the employee. In like manner, those who are active in forwarding the movement for industrial insurance and pensions, recognizing these facts, should make it part of their work, when studying individual plants, to note the ex- tent to which welfare work of all of the classes above specified has been carried, to award praise where it is justified and to stimulate improvement where it is needed, especially in plants of the older type and of minor character, and in localities where effective in- spection and supervision have not yet been undertaken by the State. ; To conclude as I began, “ Prevention is better than cure,” and while seeking effective remedies for all ex- isting evils arising from unavoidable causes incident to the operations of organized industry, equal attention should be given to the great possibility of reducing or eliminating such evils by preventive or alleviative measures. While seeking both, the effort should be, first, to eliminate all preventable injury or impairment of health and efficiency, and, second, to aid and com- pensate those who may be injured by conditions which are necessary and unavoidable. 1820 German Methods in the Manufacture of Cast Iron Pipe. Gustav Simon, Oberhausen, Ruhr, Germany, has an extended article in Stahi und Eisen, of November 3, 1909, on the “ Manufacture of Cast Iron Pipe.’ He says that cast iron pipe have not only to withstand interior pressure, but also internal and external shock and the action of the bedding material. Specifications, therefore, take these things into account, as may be Fig. 1.—Method of Molding Cast Iron Pipe at R. D. Wood & Co.’s Foundries. seen by referring to the standard specifications for cast iron pipe for the several countries that have issued them. Before going into the methods in use in’ Germany, reference is made in the article to the excellent system of R. D. Wood & Co., Philadelphia, which is particu- larly adapted to the smaller diameters. Fig. 1 shows the molds made in couples. The operatién of drawing accomplishes the ramming. The pattern for the outer surface vi the socket is pressed into the molding sand, THE IRON AGE December 16, 1909 and the pattern—the plunger—for the outer surface of the body of the pipe is set just to the top of the socket pattern and then drawn through the sand, compressing it properly. The upper portion of the plunger being smaller in diameter and having a conical portion be- tween it and the pattern part, when the plunger is drawn upward by hydraulic means the above mentioned compression takes place. The illustration shows the construction of the pipe molding machine. In operat- ing this machine, the pipe flask is placed on the flask containing the socket pattern and connected with it. Loose sand is now dropped into the flask. The valve being opened, the plunger rises to the distance of the lock nuts, which is just the hight of the socket. The socket pattern is thus taken upward and pressed into the pipe flask. At the same time the plungér is pulled upward, completing the mold. The plunger is now lowered and with it goes the socket pattern. It may be mentioned that the conical and lower portion of the plunger is a steel casting as the wear is naturally very severe. The German Method, The German method of making pipe is shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4. The apparatus consists of a flask with centering device attached, a socket pattern, the pipe pattern proper, the socket core and the pipe core. The flask is of cast iron parted longitudinally and machined at the joints. It is also parted transversely in several places. Thus in case of accident it is cheaper to replace a broken section, odd lengths of pipe can be Made, and it is possible to cast the socket upward if so tesired. The wedging of the flask parts is shown in Fig. 4, which is an improvement on the usual methods illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6, and to be much preferred from the practical standpoint. One half of the flask is fastened to suitable sup- ports; the other is intended to be movable, for directly after casting the connection must be loosened to avoid casting strains in the pipe. The flask should be heavy December 16, 1909 enough and provided with ribs, as well as perforations to facilitate the escape of gases. The illustrations show the method of closing the bottom of the flask and the centering device giving the best results. It is needless to say that the flasks must be placed vertical Figs. 5 and 6.—Flask Locked by Wedges. and fastened securely during the ramming operation. The pipe pattern is of cast iron, carefully turned where the guides are touched as well as the sand. The socket pattern is first put up into the carefully closed flask, and fitted exactly into the centering flange. If this is not done, or the flange is loose, bad pipes will result. The pipe pattern is now placed on the socket pattern, and must fit squarely. A guide at the top is seldom required, as with proper care in ramming this is not necessary. After the flask is rammed up, the pattern is withdrawn, this requiring considerable power. To ease this up, the pattern is often made a trifle smaller in diameter at the bottom, or else, par- ticularly in small pipes, a steel ring is shrunk on the Figs. 7 and 8.—Method of Making Socket Cores. bottom of the pattern and turned up conically, so that in drawing up the pattern a compression is exerted on the sand. The outer diameter of this ring will then give the proper size of the pipe. After the molds are blackened, the flasks are placed in the oven for drying. Drying with hot air is better than with the ordinary coke firing, having the ad- vantage of a cleaner foundry, and is to be preferred even to drying by the use of gas. With hot air the drying can be done just where wanted and to the ex- tent desired, which is not the case when an oven is used. The preparation of the cores is the work of a special department. Where the pipe is cast socket downward, the core consists of two parts. The pipe core proper is placed on the socket core, the centering arrangement shown in the illustrations serving this purpose also. Figs. 7 and 8 show the method of making the socket cores. For the smaller ones a cast iron corebox in THE IRON AGE 1821 two parts is placed on the socket patterns. The large socket cores are swept up in loam, as shown. The pipe core proper is generally swept up on ar- bors. Only in some of the Swiss pipe foundries is ramming up with sand resorted to. The arbors are of cast iron, well supplied with perforations for venting. Of late it has become the custom to pour pipe with direct metal, or rather a mixture of cupola iron and metal direct from the blast furnace. Usually direct metal with a relatively higher silicon content than the cupola metal is used, as this iron will hold its heat longer—a necessary procedure where the distance and the quantity taken to the foundry are great. Dumping the flasks is an important item. In well designed foundries, the same flask is used eight and sometimes ten times during a double turn. Attention is necessary so that the pipes may not be taken out too fast, for often very small things are the cause of un- necessary losses. The usual finishing operations are then carried out. a Safety Appliances in Factories. A lantern slide description of the work of the Safety Committee of the United States Steel Coropora tion, made at a presentation in Rochester, N. Y., by Director William H. Tolman of the Museum of Safety and Sanitation, New York, so impressed the superin- tendent of the Rochester Railway & Light Company that he came to Dr. Tolman at the close of the lecture and told him what a fine idea that was of the United States Steel Corporation, saying, “I can see no reason why a Committee of Safety cannot be organized in my company, employing 2500 people.” Some three weeks later, following a lecture by Dr. Tolman, under the auspices of the Empire State Gas & Electric As- sociation, in New York, he had the pleasure of hearing Mr. Russell describe the work of the Rochester Safety Committee and its various sub-committees. In lecturing again, December 1, under the auspices of the Rochester Chamber of Commerce, the Director of the Museum called attention to the object lesson which the United States Steel Corporation has given through its Committee of Safety. At the conclusion, the vice-president of the Rochester Railway & Light Company stated that he was personally indebted to the United States Steel Coroporation, because he was sure that, since the organization of its own Safety Com- mittee, his life had been made safer in going about his company’s plant and premises. a The Wire Goods Company Expands.—The Wire Goods Company, Worcester, Mass., has acquired the wire goods department of the FE. Jencks Mfg. Com- pany, Pawtucket, R. I. A new corporation has been formed at Pawtucket to carry on the knitting machine department of the business, under the name of the Jencks Knitting Machine Company. The wire goods end of the business retains the old name of the E. Jencks Mfg. Company, which is one of the oldest con- cerns in the line in the country, having manufactured wire goods for 50 years. The business will be retained at Pawtucket for the present, but doubtless will ulti- mately be removed to the Worcester plant of the Wire Goods Company. The policy of the Jencks Company will remain unchanged. Its New York agents, John H. Graham & Co., will be retained. The new owner. will, however, apply its own methods and machinery to the work, with the idea of modernizing manufactur- ing. The product is wire hardware, a specialty being made of cotter pins. — + Oe Notices were posted November 30 by the American Iron & Steel Mfg. Company, Lebanon, Pa., of a gen- eral advance in iron rolling mill wages, the new sched- ule being based on $4.50 for puddling instead of $4. ait a een ee ET 1822 A Powerful Waterbury-Farrel Cold Header. The No. 6 solid die double stroke geared header of the Waterbury-Farrel Foundry & Machine Company, Waterbury, Conn., is remarkable for its capacity, tak- ing work ‘up to % in. in diameter and 4 in. long. So far as is known, this is the only cold header producing THE IRON AGE December 16, 1909 joint. All other motions are taken from gears which turn once for two revolutions of the crankshaft. Thus great heading power is given to the slide, and one fin- ished rivet is produced for each two turns of the fly- wheels. A solid die block for a round heading die is furnished with the standard machine. The die is un- usually large to give it ample strength, and is backed by a hardened tool steel plate which distributes the pressure of the heading operation to the frame. The Views of Opposite Sides of a Cold Header for Heavy Work Built by the Waterbury-Farrel Foundry & Machine Company, Waterbury, Conn. work automatically up to such size. While the com- pany has not departed materially from its established design the machine is interesting in the details of its construction. Power and strength have been applied in a large way. The frame is a steel casting and the quantity of metal has not been lessened on account of its better quality, as will be seen in the fact that the weight of the machine is 42,600 Ib. The heading slide is actuated by a powerful knuckle die block is held in the frame by a double key fasten- ing, and the punches are firmly fixed in the punch holder and are so arranged as to permit of easy adjust- ment and replacement. The shifting slide for moving the punches up and down is a long steel casting well guided in the main slide. It is cam actuated, deriving its motion in such a way that there is no tendency for the punches themselves to get out of line. As the pres- sure needed in this machine is tremendous the toggles December 16, 1909 THE are made with exceptionally large surface, and their pins are of tool steel, hardened and ground. The crankshaft is of large diameter and rotates in bronze lined bearings in the frame. Each flywheel has a safety slip joint. One wheel is of extra width and weight and is used for the driving belt. The face of the other wheel is provided with cored holes for use with a pinch bar for turning the crankshaft by hand. The heavier flywheel necessitates the outboard bearing, which is furnished with a pedestal and sole plate to connect the bearing with the foundation under the machine. The gears which are used to time the vari- ous motions and to transmit their power are carrted on heavy studs held in the frame. These gears have cams for actuating the knockout and shifter movements, and crank pins from which the feed and cut-off mechan- isms are driven. The cam rolls have large face and tool steel liners at surfaces where the heaviest work takes place. The powerful cutting-off device is driven from a crank plate through a connection provided with a safety shear pin. The cut-off slide has a fiddle bow finger and is operated by the company’s standard double cam mechanism, which has an easy motion for the cutting off proper and a quick motion for the transfer. The feed mechanism is especially adapted to large work. The wire is fed in the usual way through ratchet driven rolls, which, however, instead of closing tightly together when there is no work between them are kept apart by an adjustable stop, so that they may receive the next wire readily. The feed rolls deliver the wire against a rigid feed stop which regulates exactly the length of feed. The feed roll ratchet is driven by three pawls. Provision is made for operating a fine adjustment of the length of feed while the machine is running. The knockout is actu- ated from a cam on one of the gears and is adjustable for different lengths of work. The stroke of the heading slide is 7 in.; the diam- eter of the heading die, 5'4 in.; the diameter of the headings punches, 33% and 3% in.; the diameter of the feed rolls, 15 in.; the extreme length of feed, 6 in.; the diameter and face of the outer flywheel, 70 x 12% in.; the diameter and face of the inner flywheel, 70 x 6% in.; the speed of the wheels, 70 rev. per min.; the floor space required, 1o ft. 8 in. square, and the weight of the machine, 42,600 Ib. ——_—_ pom-- —-- Labor Disputes in Canada.—The following statis- tics covering labor strikes and lockouts in Canada, as given in the recent report of the Minister of Labor, are furnished by Consul Paul Lang of Sherbrooke: During the two years in which the industrial disputes act has been in operation 55 disputes were dealt with, of which all except two were settled without strike or lockout, and in these two cases the findings of the con- ciliation boards were finally accepted. The calendar year 1908 was remarkable for the few strikes and lock- outs in Canada, the number being 69, a decrease of 82, which was fewer than in any of the preceding seven years. The only disputes of serious consequence were those affecting the cotton mill hands in various com- panies in the Province of Quebec and the strike of ma- chinists employed along the lines of the Canadian Pacific Railway. ee The Illinois Tunnel Company, operating the freight subway in Chicago, has been in the market recently in an effort to obtain 2000 freight cars for use in its ex- tensive tunnel system. Great difficulty has been en- countered in getting steel axles for these cars, as the mills which have the facilities for rolling them are booked so far ahead on business from regular custom- ers that they have been unable to promise shipment un- til several months after the placing of specifications. IRON AGE 1823 Rail Carbon Steel Bars. The Inland Steel Company, Chicago, in its cata logue of shapes rolled at its Chicago Heights mill, has presented an interesting discussion of what the com pany has named “ rail-carbon”’ steel, to designate bars and other products rolled from old steel rails. It is pointed out that all rails when ordered by railroads are required to conform to certain rigid specifica- tions, and before being accepted are tested chem- ically and physically to determine this. The re- heating and rerolling of this material improve its quality for many pur- poses. Before the rerolling, a rail is split into three pieces, so that the head, the web and the flange are used separately for the sec- tions for which they are most suitable, and the ends of the web are cut off to remove the portion contain- ing the holes for the joint. The material is rolled into bars suitable for agricultural implements, bedsteads, concrete reinforcement and many other commercial forms for which a stiff hard steel is often more suitable than soft steel. The peculiar merits of this material for concrete reinforcement are emphasized. Experts who have made exhaustive tests have pointed out that the elastic limit is the quality of steel which measures its value for reinforcement. Prof. Arthur M. Talbot of the Uni- versity of Illinois, in a bulletin on reinforced concrete, says: “ Reinforcement as high as 1% per cent. for steel of 33,000 lb. per square inch elastic limit and 1 per cent. for steel of 55,000 Ib. per square inch elastic limit may be used without developing the full compres- sion strength of the concrete.” Physical tests of rail-carbon bars show that the elastic limit is greater than 50,000 Ib. per square inch and usually runs 55,000 to 70,000 Ib., while twisted rail-carbon bars will run higher. It is stated that in mild or medium soft steel the elastic limit is usually 30,000 to 35,000 Ib., thus showing a great advantage in economy in favor of rail-carbon bars for reinforce- ment. nt CII. Section of an Old Steel Rail, Showing Where It Is Split for Rerolling Into Bars. —_————_ om. | Pittsburgh Foundrymen Preparing for the Convention. The foundrymen in the Pittsburgh District have already commenced to make arrangements for enter- taining the convention of the American Foundrymen’s Association to be held in Pittsburgh in June, 1910. At the regular monthly meeting of the Pittsburgh Foun- drymen’s Association, held on the evening of December 6, Joseph T. Speer of the Pittsburgh Valve, Foundry & Construction Company presided and announced the committees for that occasion as follows: Joseph T. Speer, Pittsburgh Valve, Foundry & Con- struction Company, chairman of the General Commit- tee; E. A. Kebler, M. A. Hanna & Co., chairman of the Reception Committee; E. D. Frohman, S. Obermayers Company, chairman of the Smoker and Get-Together Committee; J. S. Seaman, Seaman-Sleeth Company, chairman of the Finance Committee; W. A. Bole, Westinghouse Machine Company, chairman of the Plant Visitation Committee; H. E. Field, Mackintosh, Hemphill & Co., chairman of the Convention Commit- tee; O. W. Mason, Midland Steel Company, chairman of Ladies’ Entertainment Committee; F. H. Zimmers, Union Foundry & Machine Company, chairman of the Boat Ride Committee. 1824 THE IRON AGE December 16, 1909 THE MECHANICAL ENGINEERS’ CONVENTION. Thirtieth Annual Meeting, New York, December 7 to 10, 1909. While the attendance at this meeting was not as large as that at the last annual meeting, it cannot be charged to a lack of interest in the programme pre- pared; for, although the standard set one year ago was unusually high, the papers and excursions this year could hardly be considered much, if any, less at- tractive. The explanation for the falling off in attend- ance may very properly be attributed to the fact that the industrial prosperity now existing made it impos- sible for many to attend on account of business. Rather does the society deserve congratulation for having drawn together such a large number of mem- bers at such a time. Practically the plan adopted last year of entirely separating the professional sessions and excursions was repeated, with the one exception, that the Wednesday afternoon session was omitted to allow every one to take in the inspection of the nearly completed terminal of the Pennsylvania Railroad in Manhattan. This left but four instead of five periods for the consideration of papers. Even in proportion to the time allowed there were not so many papers as before, and the ar- rangement proved an improvement, for it did not un- duly limit the time allowable for discussions. Where last year there were 22 papers covered in the five ses- sions, including those of the simultaneous session of the gas power section, there were this year but 15 papers and four sessions. In consequence there was no necessity of cutting off a discussion when it was at the hight of its interest. The most animated discussion was brought out by the papers dealing with Venturi meters and Pitot tubes, bituminous gas producers, ball and roller bearings, pumping engine valves, cooling towers and leaky vertical fire tube boilers. The very elaborate programme of excursions, re- ferred to more at length later on, was almost too at- tractive as evidenced by the numbers that were drawn away from the professional sessions. Particularly interesting proved to be the excursions to the Interna- tional Steam Pump Company’s works, the power plants of the Interborough Rapid Transit Company, the New York Edison Company, the Brooklyn Rapid Rapid Transit Company, the National Phonograph Company’s factory, Crocker-Wheeler Company’s works and the works of the De La Vergne Machine Company. The social features were also very attractive. Counted as one of these was the president’s address, and re- ception on the opening night which was reported in The Iron Age December 9g, and the address given in full in another part of that issue. The reception and dance Thursday evening, the one really formal feature of the convention, was perhaps the most imposing affair of the sort that the society has ever held. It took place in the new ballroom of the Hotel Astor, which was only recently opened; in fact, this was the first dance ever given in the new ballroom. For the preparations for this convention, the local committee deserves the highest credit. For the first time the entire expense of the entertainment was borne by the local members, just as it is borne by the local members in other cities where the spring meetings are held. The society proper was absolutely at no expense for any of the social features involved in this meeting, all of the funds having been raised by subscription. SECOND SESSION. The annual business meeting was convened in the auditorium on Wednesday morning. The réport of the Council was read by Secretary Calvin W. Rice, as was also the report of the tellers on the election of new members; 166 new members in all grades were elected since the last meeting. The Plant Operations Com- mittee of the Gas Power Section reported that in ac- cordance with the instructions of the secretary of the section a standard set of forms had been prepared for the operation of gas power plants and submitted de- tails of these forms. Three amendments to the constitution were taken up next. The first of these dealt with the qualifica- tions for associate membership, and the principal change was the raising of the minimum age limit from 26 to 30 years; the second related to the admission of junior members, and declared that a person over 30 years of age was not eligible for junior membership; the last provided for the addition to the list of stand- ing committees of a new one to be known as the Public Relations Committee. After some discussion, it was voted to submit these amendments to the entire mem- bership by letter ballot. Prof. D. S. Jacobus reported for the Power Test Committee that the committee had gone over all the codes relating to tests and amended them where neces- sary to bring them all into harmony. Prof. D. S. Jacobus also reported for the Commit- tee on a Standard Tonnage Basis for Refrigeration and gave a résumé of what had already been accom- plished. Prof, C. E. Lucke presented the report of the Stand- ardization Committee of the Gas Power Section, which was in the nature of a preliminary one. Prof. D. S. Jacobus and R. H. Fernald discussed the report at some length. WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON EXCURSION. The Pennsylvania Tunnel & Terminal Railroad Company’s new passenger station and terminal at Seventh avenue between West Thirty-first and Thirty- third streets, was inspected by the members and guests of the society, through the invitation of the company’s chief engineer, Mr. George Gibbs. The visitors were met by representatives of the railroad company and conducted in parties through the ‘terminal which is now in the finishing stages. This is the most extensive public service plant, and one of the greatest engineer- ing accomplishments in the world. The passenger station building is 784 ft. long, 430 ft. wide, with an average hight above the street of 69 ft. and a maximum hight of 153 ft. The area of the building at the track level is 7.74 acres. The groups of visitors were shown through the arcade, waiting rooms, concourse, service plant, &c. The impressive features of the concourse are the large skylight area, and the structural iron work, which is sufficiently ornamental so as not to necessitate the covering of it with plaster. The service plant contains all the apparatus for lighting, heating and ventilating the terminal. The boiler room con- sists of five batteries of boilers, each of 525 hp., equipped with automatic stokers. WEDNESDAY EVENING LECTURE. Through the courtesy of Dr. B. T. Galloway, Chief of the Bureau of Plant Industry of the United States Department of Agriculture, an illustrated lecture was given in the evening in the auditorium by L. W. Ellis of that bureau entitled. “The Era of Agricultural Machinery.” THIRD SESSION. The first professional session convened in the audi- torium on Thursday morning and was devoted to the December 16, 1909 consideration of four papers dealing with the measure- ment of the flow of fluids. The first of these was Tests on a Venturi Meter for Boiler Feed. CHAS. M. ALLEN, WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC IN- STITUTE. BY PROF, This is a report of a complete series of tests on a 2-in. meter made at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute to de- termine whether a Venturi meter is sufficiently accurate un- der all conditions encountered in practice to be used to measure boiler feed. The apparatus was set up in the most convenient way, not only for weighing the water used, but also for heating it before it passed through the meter and for pumping. Four sources of supply were used; an injector, a duplex pump, a triplex power pump, and a pressure tank, all drawing water from a pit having a steam line to heat the water. As the capacity of the pit was large, an even tem- perature could easily be maintained. The water was dis- charged into 5000-lb. weighing tanks after passing through the meter. Cold water tests were first made to determine the coefficient of the meter; followed by tests with conditions the same as those in boiler rooms, the temperature ranging from 80 to 180 degrees F., while the pressure also was varied by different arrangements of the auxiliary apparatus. The results obtained showed that the meter tested was best adapted for use in a plant of over 200 hp., and as the maxi- mum and minimum variations noted were 3 and 0.82 per cent., respectively, the Venturi meter is adapted to measure hot water provided the proper size is used. In the absence of the author the paper was pre- sented in abstract by the secretary. Meantime the author arrived and added a few facts, which were that the test was made as a result of numerous inquiries received regarding the best form of hot water meter and that the addition of a sensitive recording apparatus would give much better results than those obtained. F. N. Connett, in discussing the paper, said that the correction for temperature was not so important with this type of meter as with mechanical meters for measuring volumes, as the Venturi meter automatically compensates for half the difference in specific gravity due to the change in temperature. The severe pulsa- tions of the feed pumps in his opinion interfere with the accuracy of the results and either two or three stage turbine pumps would give better results, although an air chamber placed on the pump so that the water would enter it and pass out with a uniform velocity would help to overcome the evil influence of pulsations in the pump. The inaccurate results obtained where the velocity was low were due to the inertia of the mercury in the manometer, as in meters where a larger amount was used fluctuations and inaccuracies were avoided. Clemens Herschel, the inventor of the Venturi meter, was present as an invited guest of the society and spoke at this point. He called attention to the fact that these tests have shown the meter to be re- liable for measuring the flow of hot water, which is a more or less unique service. He stated that several thousand Venturi meters are in use all over the world and are operated exactly the same for all sizes of main pipe from % in. to 10 ft. in diameter. They are but little dependent on a correction by coefficients. They are also used to measure gases, brine and chemicals, and now, although it was not anticipated, a new use has been found for the smaller sizes, that of measur- ing hot water. The secretary read a contributed discussion from Sanford A. Moss, who thought that some information as to the method of making the computations should be included. The results given in the paper were not what might have been expected, as they showed that the flow in pounds per hour with a given pressure in- creased as the density decreased, due to the rise of temperature. Efficiency Tests of Steam-Turbine Nozzles, RY PROF, FREDERICK H, SIBLEY AND T. 8S. KEMBLE, CLEVELAND, OHTO, The effect of the shape of the nozzle upon the efficiency of a steam turbine had not been determined prior to 1905, and a series of tests were begun at the Case School of THE IRON AGE 1825 Applied Science to determine the proper proportions and efficiencies of steam turbine nozzles for given steam condi- tions. The results obtained in the final tests which extended over two years are given in the paper. Three methods of de- termining the efficiency are, measuring the force of the jet when it impinges on an external surface, investigating the character of the jet by means of a search tube, and measuring the reaction of the nozzle when a jet of steam is flowing through it. The method employed was a combination of the second and third, as this tended to give results which prob- ably would be more accurate than those obtained from either method alone. Eighteen different nozzles of varying lengths, cross sections and finishes were tested. These included tests to determine the rate of flow through the various nozzles, calibration tests to determine the accuracy of the springs used to determine the reactions, and search tube tests to determine the pressure at the muzzle of the nozzle. When these were completed the reaction tests were begun. The reaction of any nozzle is defined by the authors as the sum- mation of all the components, parallel to its axis, of the pressures within the nozzle and in the chamber from which it leads; numerically this is equal to the pull of the spring measuring the reaction increased or diminished by the dif- ference between the apparent and true reactions due to the pressure in the plane of the muzzle being either less or greater than that of the surrounding medium. Preliminary reaction tests were run on all the nozzles, and two were selected for the final tests. These were exhaustive and of long duration, and the results are given in curves and tables appended to the paper. Smoothness of finish is apparently more important than contour, as no appreciable difference in efficiency is shown either with a variation of the cone angle between 9 and 20 degrees or variations in contour. P