The Iron Age 1911-02-02: Vol 87 Iss 5

pubes Sing asia be the DAVID WILLIAMS COMPANY 14-18 Park Place, New York i at the New York Post Office as Second Class Mail Matter. Subscription Price, United States and Mexico, $5.00 per Annum; to Canada, $/.20 per Annum; to Other Foreign Countries, $10.00 per Annum. Single Copies, 20 Cents. Cuares T. Root, ° - - - - PRESIDENT Ww. H, TAYLOR, - - - TREASURER AND GENERAL MANAGER Haro.o S. BUTTENHEIM, - - * a ° SECRETARY Geo. W. Cope, - . - - . } EDITORS A. |, FindLey, - - ° e e H. R. COBLEIGH, - - - - - MECHANICAL EDITOR Branch Offices Philadelphia, Real Estate Trust Building Chicago, Fisher Building Pittsburgh, Park Building Cleveland, American Trust Building Boson, Compton Building Cincinnati, 807 Andrews Building Milwaukee, 416 Engineering Building. CONTENTS. Liditorial PAGR. New “Orédem® Incie@bing. aA is sos bee. GS EN ei SS 287 The Reciprocity Agreement with Canada............ 288 An Anti-Accident Inspection Service..............4.. 288 rhe Leaders in Pig lron Production...............- 289 Limits of Large Marine Oil Engine Units............ 289 A Government Hydraulic Testing Plant............. 289 ae wre Ck es CRS tad up OO wed wae bop ee eb swe 290 Electric Iron and Steel im Norway.......c.scccvsscceses 291 Steel Corporation Earnings in 1910...........ceeeeeeees 292 Eight-Hour Day for New York Machinists............... 292 ee oe EE PO errr er rere eer ie 292 The Detroit Foundry Supply Company................ ~. 202 The Detroit Steel Products Company............eeeeesees 292 New York Central Ferrotitanium Rails..............64+. 292 The Crucible Steel Company Buys Midland............... 293 steel Corporation. CRAMER... 2+. sss accccecscasecscsecs 293 Pr fhomas President of the United States Steel Products DEAR Y .. 3:00:06 WAS 6 pied tin eee abe. e 6.0 6 6 8 O87 6.508 eee 293 The Iron and Metal Market Reports................ 294 to 3038 Se OR: SGCNE eA Su 8, TA Cink Sein 5 Ao cae ewibied 303 Iron and Industrial Stocks. .............64. oper eer 303 The Frick Coke Company. Will Not Reduce Wages........ 303 Seeevergt BP OMIHME TR MOONE oo 5 5's sae sc vipa ees ties g 6 ohare 304 The Carnegie Steel Company Relief Fund............... 305 Byllesby Convention in Chicago. ..........cieuceseccueee 805 The Depreciation of Unprotected Steel Work............- 306 mee Pig tron Record GF AOI. 6... ea i iw vec Ga ccaeees 306 Sidewalk Lights for Interior Use...........0seseseecess 306 Total Production of Pig Iron in the United States in 1909 ROG 101Gb eee Ce TERT enn caeevorem 307 Results with Dry Air Blast. Tilustrated..............65. 308 The Webster Mfg. Company’s Improvements...........6.+. 309 Canadian Steel Interests and Reciprocity................ 310 The ( anadian Railway Club Meeting. .............e.e08. 810 4 Blooming Mill with Novel Features...............0000+ 810 = Demand for Broad Foundry Training................ 311 ifle Shots Open a Chilled Cinder Notch.............0++ 311 calitornta Metal Trades Association’s Annual Meeting. 311 POE os hwnd Khe ele tS WAS FRR Do 9 6.0/R noes O aene eed 312 burr... \scoresereceereetonialegreespesnreealocnacaill = Reciprocity Agreement with Canada...........se0+5 313 . American Society for Testing Materials............. 313 Th. FUCDCE BAGG oo o.5.e oe ssi pos C8 69 6 wREC+ 0s Ravesirte s 313 The Expansion of Fayette R. Plumb, Inc.’ Tllustrated...... 314 ale Chandler & Farquhar Company’s Expansion, ........+ 317 nme Laird & Co, of New YoOtMasse- ...>--es +s paewas 317 The set Hot Saw and Burring Machine. Ilustrated,..... 318 Coke tuaker City Foundry Supply Exhibit.............++: 318 ee Gas in Open Hearth Furnaces. ............... 318 The Dk Gear Pattern Cutter. Illustrated..........., 319 The R chardson Mechanical Lubricator. TIllustrated....... 320 Powe eins Patternmakers’ Lathe. Illustrated.......... 321 Ite pe quirements of Electric Furnaces..........--+-- 822 ad re Receipts at Lake Michigan Ports............... 823 Nees Sizes of Lap Welded Pipe. Ilustrated............ » o24 Laho wd, & Eberhardt Gear Cutter, 1Mustrated..... ones B25 The * onditions in Tron Miming.«....s..-sssseesreeaes 826 cia rthern Tumbling Barrel. Ilustrated.............. 327 Reet Conviction Under the Sherman Anti-Trust Law.... 327 Flew andard Samples of Steel and Ore.............405- 827 The st) on @ LE ss Ss aon ce pth 6564 bbe hen SA 328 - me me Blueprint Machine. Illustrated..........+++«« 829 Carmen: uct Crane Type Tumbler. Tllustrated............ 330 The Te, Technical School Lectures... .. es. ...e- ees +o ee OBO The Rog uph, Type L Transformer. Illustrated........... 330 The Ro, ilo Steel Plate Pressure Blower. Illustrated. ..... 331 New 7 amin Tungsten Mill Cluster. Illustrated........ 331 Th. yee ONG BODIIOIES 66/55 bc cess cu dewsdeveddnedis’ SUE Tadic, winery Market Reports. .......... vee eens «0 38B.10 342 de p-pecisions: of Interest to Manufacturers........-. 348 C PanliGhRece ces oo Vs. Gale awe Cares oo de Gant o Fe aks VO 4 patient Meter MMe. cote pect tt ic vies, beacons 346 THE TRON AGE | Brcabished New York, February 2, 1911 VoL. 87: No. 5 New Orders Increasing Export Demand Still a Marked Feature—A Possible Tin Plate Advance The improvement in steel trade conditions has been more marked in the past week. In some lines, as wire and tin plate, it is more pronounced than in the heavier products; but throughout the trade there is a definite impulse toward greater activity. One result has been the publication of extravagant statements, particularly grotesque being those referring to efforts to prevent price advances. The Steel Corporation’s statement gives a good gauge of what has taken place, in showing new orders averaging 30,000 tons a day in January up to the 27th, as against 22,000 tons a day in December and Novem- ber, when it was plain that wear and tear were not being replaced by new buying. The New York Cen- tral and Pennsylvania tonnages, it is noted, are not in- cluded in the January figures. Another index is the Steel Corporation’s list of ac- tive blast furnaces, which in the first half of January showed about 47 per cent. of capacity in blast. To-day the percentage is 51, and will be advanced to 56, when five furnaces now being made ready are blown in. The news of the double tracking programme of the Union Pacific, well timed with the Steel Corporation’s report, has strongly reinforced the more cheerful sen- timent of the week. Of the $75,000,000 outlay the:steel mills will get a substantial share. Probably 250,000 tons of rails, or 50,000 tons a year, will be needed, be- sides many thousands of tons of steel for bridges. Exports have figured in a large way on the Steel Corporation’s order books in the past fortnight. Can- ada’s steel works have not been equal to the pressure on their finishing capacity, and 15,000 tons of billets will be shipped from Gary to a Canadian plant, which is in the market for a further round lot, The National Railways of Mexico have just placed in this country 20,000 tons of rails in addition to 5000 tons early in January. At Ottawa, the commissioners of the Transconti- nental Railway opened bids this week on 61,200 tons of 80-lb. rails. Canadian mills, it is likely, will be able to roll only a part of it. American mills may take some portion of the order for delivery at the Pacific end, but British mills have the benefit of the preferen- tial tariff. Considerable rail business is pending. The prin- cipal order of the week was given out by the Burling- ton. It was for 30,000 tons, equal lots going to the Illinois Steel, Colorado and Lackawanna companies. The Boston & Maine and New Haven orders, amount- ing together to 61,000 tons of open hearth rails, are about closed. The Rock Island has bought 10,000 tons and the Western Maryland has taken 12,000 tons, be- sides 9875, tons already reported. Late structural contracts include 18,000 tons for the edit oe wt a apted Se eS * pees a ee ae ap grace or 288 Kenova, W. Va., bridge of the Norfolk & Western, taken by the American Bridge Company ; 2500 tons for the New Haven catenary bridges, and 2200 tons for the Hayworth Building at Chicago. The Cruikshank Building, New York, will take 5000 tons. In the East reports persist of very low prices on fabricating con- tracts, which presumably are backed by concessions from some sellers of plain material. In the Chicago district, however, fabricating prices are stiffening and mill prices on shapes are reported firm. While wire mills now have very satisfactory orders ahead for the spring trade, talk of a further advance in wire products is quite premature. In the tin. plate trade demand continues strong, in view of which and the added cost of 25 cents a box for tin in the past year, a 10 cent or 15 cent advance on tin plate would not be surprising. In steel making pig iron there is a slightly better movement, but the foundry iron market both in price and in volume is quite out’of step with finished lines. Western malleable foundries are in the market for iron for the second half, in view of contracts they are about making with railroads; but in general the foundry in- dustry is in a discouraging state, which is closely re- flected in foundry pig iron. Sales of 100,000 tons of Newfoundland ore have been made at Philadelphia at 73¢c. a unit, or 3¢c. more than the last sale made for 1910 delivery. Foreign demand for these ores and the export duty of 7'2c. a ton account for this advance, but the delivered price is still well below the Lake ore parity. Shipments of Newfoundland ores into Pennsylvania this year are expected to be about 285,000 tons. The Reciprocity Agreement with Canada Negotiations for more favorable trade relations have been proceeding for some months between repre- United States and Canada. An- nouncements have been made from time to time that sentatives of the they were getting closer together in deciding upon the special articles on which duties could be mutually reduced. The task was a most difficult one, as the rep- resentatives of each country were necessarily anxious that the result of their labor would be such as would commend itself to the great mass of their people. It was desirable that they should avoid doing anything that would be seriously injurious to producers or man- ufacturers in their own countries, and yet it was essen- tial that if trade relations were to be promoted, some concessions of a material character should be made. The agreement at which they have arrived is now be- fore the people of the two countries, and undoubtedly much depends upon the expression of public senti- ment thereon in securing ratification by the respective legislative bodies. President Taft has transmitted a message to Con- gress in which he takes strong ground in favor of the adoption of the agreement precisely as it comes from the joint commissioners. In private and public utter- ances he has since emphasized the position thus taken, indicating that he thoroughly believes that the time is at hand for securing more liberal trade relations with our neighbors. Opposition of a strenuous char- acter has developed in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, and the agreement is likely to have rather rough treatment in the discussions which will THE IRON AGE February 2 “, 191] take place on the floor of Congress. It maj be that some of the provisions of the agreement may apy ear to those affected to bear heavily on certain of ducing and manufacturing interests. Mur pro- Nevertheless, jf we are ever to improve our trade relations with Cap. ada, this is the time to take favorable action. The representatives of the two countries have at last heey able to agree upon schedules relating to quit: ber of articles, and the agreement should b« a num- unless the people of this country have made up their minds that they do not desire to establish better relg. tions than those which have been latterly X1Sting, The people of Canada have made great strides jin de development of their country in recent years and take feel that every year makes them more independent of other countries, and from time to time their duties have beep advanced so as to make it more difficult for American products to reach Canadian markets. pardonable pride in that development. They It may be as- sumed that this disposition will continue, and be even intensified if this agreement should be rejected by the United States. | An Anti-Accident Inspection Service Our correspondent ‘“ Manager,” writing of work- men’s compensation for accidents, makes a suggestion that should work out practically to the advantage both of the accident indemnity companies and of many manufacturers who contract for such insurance. It is that insurance against damage payments on account of industrial accidents should have connected with it a system of shop inspections comparable in saie- guarding value with those of boiler and fire insurance companies. It is true that the industrial casualty in- surance companies make preliminary inspections, with a view to deciding in which of their classes of hazards to place an industrial establishment for which they are writing a policy. The fact is, too, that as the result of such inspections it is sometimes pointed out that a certain expenditure of money by the manufacturing company will lessen the risk, and thus give it the bene- fit of a lower premium rate. But, as our correspond: ent points out, there is no such organization for the inspection of industrial plants as will give manufac- turers the benefit of specialized and expert iniorma- tion in their respective lines of production and result in a definite reduction in the risk taken by the work- man. State factory inspection laws exist, as is we! known; and it is equally well known that their exec tion is in too many. instances so much a matter of poll- tics and of graft as to make this branch of the public service a byword. Too often the evident purpose of State inspections is to harass and antagonize employ- ers and appease a labor union demand for the punish- ment of noncompliant manufacturers. <A ganized in the interest of safety—the conservation of human life and of the resources that are now wasted in preventable accidents—would eliminate these mos! objectionable features of State inspections, and ' suggestions would be met with a respect and co-oper® tion that could never be secured under political aus pices. service OT- What is of most importance, such an inspectio? would actually save human life and prevent an untold amount of suffering; and that, more than accident 2, 19II ion or legislation regulating payments for ieath, is the great end of all the agitation cen looming up as the most important indus- pment of recent years. The Leaders in Pig Iron Production the United States, Germany and Great Brit- e first time brought their combined produc- , iron above 50,000,000 gross tons. This was remarkable increases made by this country iny, the latter exceeding all performances of ars by producing 1,876,000 tons more than in us year, while the United States added over its total for 1909. Great Britain, ficial tigures are lacking for the year, produced ,.993,000 tons in the first half, and probably fell some- below that in the second half. With the expan- the world’s trade in iron and steel last year in- by the exports of the principal producing na- it is fair to assume that France, Belgium, Aus- Russia, Canada, Italy, Spain and all the lesser king countries added to their outputs of 1909. ibabilities are, therefore, that the world’s pig itput in 1910 was not far short of 65,000,000 tons to (he comparison of the three leading countries the three years preceding I910 is as follows in gross tons (figures for Germany in metric tons) : [ron Production in United States, Germany and Great Britain, 1907-1910,—T ons, 1910. 1909. 1908. 1907. [ d States...27,298,545 25,795,471 15,936,018 25,781,361 Germany ..-14,793,325 12,917,653 11,813,511 13,045,760 Great Britain... 9,800,000* 9,664,287 9,056,851 10,114,281 Potels. «shes 51,891,870 48,377,411 36,806,380 48,941,402 Estimated. is probable that stocks of pig iron in producers’ the three countries increased last year by re than the excess of production over 50,000,000 1,900,000 tons. In the United tes the increase is estimated at fully 1,000,000 tons. ‘Germany the statement is made that with the in- of 1,876,000 tons in output over 1909, “ heavy ccumulated,” so many furnaces being kept go- ng hecause their gases were needed for power. In britain the Stocks in Connal’s stores increased 390,000 to 530,000 tons, or by 140,000 tons, against 0 tons increase in 1909, while stocks in producers’ made a considerable gain. Both Germany and Britain, like the United States, are adding to last furnaces, so that it may fairly be said that | is carrying a pig iron capacity representing a rgin beyond any need that will be encountered mmediate future. r by more than Limits of Large Marine Oil Engine Units inating deductions as to the future of the ternal combustion engine are made by an edi- iter in The Engineer, London, based upon an of the motive power of the new Dutch \ulcanus, which is propelled by oil engines icsel type. Making flat denial of the reports british Admiralty has adopted this class of or its ships, the article goes on to enumerate the difficulties which are yet to be overcome the internal combustion engine can hope to re- cam, even in comparatively small ocean-going [o quote a few paragraphs from the paper: THE IRON AGE AY 289 There are many boats propelled by internal combustion engines, but they are, with perhaps a couple of exceptions, either pleasure craft, purely experimental vessels, or small boats not venturing far from their base. The Vulcanus is a tramp steamer propelled by oil engines, and when she makes the first voyage from Holland to Borneo and back she will be the pioneer of a new navigation. Whither the system ‘leads we dare not venture an opinion. That the internal combustion engine will be used regularly for ocean voyages it is impossible to doubt, but whether the biggest ships will be propelled by it is as yet too soon to say. Be- tween the 70,000 hp. of the Mauretania and the 500 hp. of the Vulcanus is more than arithmetical difference. At the moment, the difficulties of building internal com- bustion engines of very high power have proved themselves insuperable, and we are forced to admit that we must not look for more than 1000 hp. per cy!inder for some time to come. It is needless to add that no marine superintendent is likely to contemplate with favor the placing of 70 odd cylinders in a single vessel. Six large cylinders per shaft would, we imagine, be as great a number as could be looked upon as a practical proposition; with them we might expect a combined shaft power of, say, 20,000 to 24,000 on four shafts, and with that we could engine some such ship as the Caronia or Carmania, vessels about 650 ft. long, with a speed of 19 knots. Within the next 10 years we may see ships of that size plying across the Atlantic, but before then much water must flow under the bridges and much work be done on smaller powers. Messrs. Schneider are now build- ing a marine oil engine of 1000 hp. per cylinder, but so far no power approaching that has been tried at sea; the Vul- canus develops only half that amount, in six cylinders. A question that is likely to stand in the way of rapid development for some time to come is the much greater cost of fitting a ship with internal combustion than with steam engines. It is safe to say that for the same horse power the cost for the former will be 25 to 35 per cent. more than for the latter. The shipowner has to see many advan- tages before he will be prepared to pay the difference. That material advantages do exist—-take alone a reduction of 50 per cent. or so in the cost of fuel—cannot be denied; but, nevertheless, where shipbuilders have offered, as in one or two cases they have already done, alternate designs and estimates for oil engines and steam turbines, the purchaser has thought only of the great cost of the former. A Government Hydraulic Testing Plant A movement is in progress to interest the National Government in the establishment of a hydraulic test- ing plant. The purpose is to create a standard prac- tice in water power development and perm#t of the testing of water wheels and other hydraulic apparatus under any and all conditions which might arise in con- nection with a power station. The theory is that the work of such an institution would constitute a very important step toward the conservation of one of the greatest of the country’s resources. Experts assert that comparatively few, even of the most recent, in- stallations in North America reach the standard of efficiency which might’ reasonably be expected, and many of them fall far behind this standard. ing tests are revealing such cases constantly. Hydraulic engineering has developed greatly of late years, and practice is gradually improving, but standards have not been evolved, it is claimed, and the errors of engineers have proved cost- ly in too many cases. Should the Government estab- lish a plant on some important water power, such as Niagara Falls, with an ample supply of water at all seasons, exact data would become available, based upon long test and experiment, and the owner of a water power would have at his disposal information upon which his engineers would base the design of his installation. With the known conditions, such as head and volume of water, and the topography, the Governmental practice would furnish the remaining engineering data. To cite one of many problems, where a pair of wheels are employed, the distance be- tween them in the pit would become an exact factor. Engineer- of design 290 THE IRON AGE February 2, 19), To-day the variation in this essential element is a wide one. Hydraulic units designed to develop 2500 hp. and upward have been found to yield little more than 2000 hp., because of faulty calculations and theory. The annual financial loss is easily realized. It is truthfully argued that every horsepower of water saved is an item of conservation of the fuel supply. To the manufacturer who makes use of water power, the cost of his product depends upon the effi- ciency of his installation. If he invests a certain amount of money to secure a given power, and gets 10 or 15 or even 25 per cent. less than the estimates of his engineers called for, his investment charge is alto- gether too high. The waste is expensive. Apart from the matter of investment, these losses of power often result in a large increase in the cost of operating auxil- iary steam plants. In drawing upon water storage dur ing dry seasons, it makes a vast difference if an un- necessary quantity has to be used in creating a given horsepower. The supply does not last so long, of course, and dependence upon steam alone comes sooner. Time after time manufacturing plants have been obliged to start their engine to make up for a deficiency in power, less than would have been secured if the water power was producing to its designed ca- pacity. A conservative estimate puts it that at least 15 per cent., and probably more, of the water power now de- veloped under modern conditions as to equipment is being thrown away. The hydraulic plant once created is there to stay. Great masses of masonry and con- crete have been erected. Alterations mean large ex- penditures of money and long idleness. The time to discover faulty design is on the drafting table. Ex- perimentation on a large scale seems necessary. A Government plant would not be a very costly institu- tion. To an extent it would be self-supporting, through the fees of clients. The Government, it is pointed out, is spending large sums of money each year in experimental work on the various fuels, with the in- tention of conserving the supply to as great an extent as possible. Work on the hydraulic question would be along similar lines, for water power is the equivalent of fuel. Correspondence An Inspection System to Prevent Industrial Accidents To the Editor: The present agitation on the subject of employers’ liability has brought up certain considera- tions which I have not seen published and which seem to me to deserve careful thought. In the first piace the expression “ employers’ liability ’ as a subject is an un- fortunate one. What we should really turn our minds to is the subject of “accidents to workmen” during their regular employment. Every one who has had experience as a manager knows that many accidents are caused by carelessness or very frequently willful disobedience on the part of em- ployees, especially where the strength of the labor unions is such as to prevent the maintenance by the employer of strict discipline. But every one who has considered this subject knows also that the subject is not ended when this is stated. There are two other classes of acci- dents—casualties, pure and simple, and preventable ac- cidents. ACCIDENTS THAT CANNOT BE AVOIDED. The former result from a fortuitons conjunction of circumstances which could by no possibility be forese.,) or prevented. It seems likely that this class of accideyix will always endure in those occupations in) which jay applies the great forces of bature to the accom) of his tasks on an industrial scale. The forces occasioy. ally must escape from control and do harm to pergoy and property. This is the law of probability and cannot he altered. But as our knowledge increases the kinds of accideyis which are classed in this group will occur less and joss frequently, and the accidents themselves will also becone less numerous because, as we find out more, we sh,‘ Le enabled to see that some happenings now considered fortuitous would have been capable of prediction by 4 greater intelligence or a wider knowledge, and such acc. dents will be removed from this classification and yy; into the preventable class, ishmenit ACCIDENTS WHICH COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED, ’reventable accidents are those whose causes could he foreseen by a reasonable use of existing knowledge und so removed in time. Every man of wide industria experience knows that plants under different manage- ment have very different personal equations in regard to the nuinber of accidents which take place within their boundaries. At one plant, great care and forethought wil! he given to the prevention of accidents: the manager will be not only careful but conscientious, and will con sider it a matter of personal responsibility and _ regret when an accident takes place. At a similar plant, only across the river, perhaps, a different class of management will care nothing for the number of men maimed or hurt, provided only that the ambulance-chasing lawyers can be silenced for a less sum per year than it would cost to operate on a more careful basis, I personally know of a coal mine disaster whereby some SO lives were lost, where the general manager (who was one of the principal owners) was described to have wept over the loss of the many friends whom lhe numbered among his employees, but who, it was proved by indisputable records, operated the mine in absolute disregard and neglect of every precaution urged upon him by the State mine inspector in his official report week or two before the disaster. Everything he had been told to do had been left undone; everything he had been warned not to do had been done. One would think he would have felt personal responsibility, as if he had caused the death of the men who perished in the disaster. but there was no indication in his demeanor of anything of the sort. Such accidents as this are not casualties i any proper sense of that word, and the time will surely come when those responsible in such cases will be held for manslaughter on a gigantic scale. INSPECTION OF INDUSTRIAL PLANTS. The point sought to be emphasized is that of tle accidents that now occur many are preventable by good management, and it is, therefore, our duty to discover a way in which the management may be assisted to pre vent them. The large corporations now have their de partments of safety with their inspectors, elaborate!) organized for this very purpose; but many of the smaller manufacturers, unable to afford this means of meetin¢ the need, and not sufficiently organized to know how to apply it if they had the means, are contented to let the manager do the best he can and to cover up his short comings in this direction by employers’ liability insut ance. These insurance concerns divide all industries i0- to broad classes, each one of which takes a certain rat generally speaking, irrespective of local conditions. in- cluding management. Why should this be so? ; Every intelligent manufacturer knows that boiler 1 surance is worth to him what it costs, for the indepevé- ent inspection of his boilers, for the certainty that ther are properly cared for and operated and that needed repairs are made in time to prevent disasters. In a general way, also, the operating practice is improved and money saved thereby. Why? Because the boilet insurance companies employ trained and competent me” who are kept continually going from plant to plant. ry 2, PQII - boilers and all their appliances, operating con- safety devices, gauges, &c., thoroughly and effect- -yeral times a year. They recommend what im- epts shall be made, and if these are not made nrance on that boiler is withdrawn. ) fire insurance the same plan is even more high- -inized by the Board of Underwriters, with whose ements the manufacturer must comply or his in- e is withdrawn with the stroke of a pen. No one uted with the facts can doubt that the insurance ilies have benefited the community enormously by ring the conditions for the prevention and extin- ment of fires. ‘They also have different rates for rent plants. Jf one man chooses to have a fire trap, » his neighbor across the street is carrying on the susiness in a slow burning or a fireproof building, <t pay out 1 or 2 per cent. per year more on his in- iuent than his neighbor to equalize the risk. \Vhy should we not have the same thing in regard to oyers’ liability insurance? Why should not the em- ers’ liability companies develop a body of trained «tors, precisely analogous to boiler inspectors, who from point to point making themselves familiar with operating conditions, recommend an im- nrovement here, a new safety appliance there, warn the manager as to dangerous practices he is permitting, and, all, make a lower rate for insurance of a plant well managed in this respect than for a similar one poorly managed? The State inspectors in such States as have com- petent factory inspectors can do much, but the State is seldom able to carry on any function so well as private enterprise, once private enterprise sees where it can save money by efficiency. The Board of Underwriters have not, so far as known, dropped their inspectors in those States which have State fire wardens, nor is there any likelihood they will do so. Similarly there is po reason why the official work of the State factory inspec- tor should not be assisted and supplemented by the work of the safety inspector of the employers’ liability com- pany. Such a plan would accomplish three objects: First, and by far the most important, it would tend to diminish the most lamentable of all forms of suffering ind death, those from industrial accidents. Second, it would increase the stability and eventually the earning power of the employers’ liability company itself. Third, it. would give to the safely and conscientiously managed plant and to its manager a well deserved ad- vantage over their present position, as compared with the unscrupulous and the careless. MANAGER. wou ad Zo ibove Automatic Reversing Trippers lu the Editor.—Our attention has just been called in article on page 1487 of your December 22 number, which deseribes and illustrates an automatic reversing ‘ripper which, according to the article, is made by the Stephens-Adamson Mfg. Company, Aurora, Il. This machine is described as a “new” automatic re- ersing tripper. Your article contains such a full and detailed description of the mechanism, that we are able {0 say with certainty that the device infringes every one f the 12 claims of our patent No. 673539 of May 7, 1901, covering a tripper invented by the late James B. llumphreys, who was for several years the chief engi- re and description of the tripper referred to in your ver of this company. We ask you to examine the pic- rticle and satisfy yourself that there is not a single iechanical detail which is not fully shown and de- -cribed in our patent of 10 years ago, which we enclose. Our company has built hundreds of trippers under - patent, every one of which is plainly marked with ‘ patent number. We have also had full sized ma- ‘nes of this type operating at all of the large world’s irs since the Paris Exposition of 1900, where we re- cived the only Grand Prix which was awarded for uveying machinery. Furthermore, this same tripper illustrated and described fully in our earlier cata- ‘cues. Therefore, we are compelled to attribute to ‘udacity rather than to ignorance the claims made by THE. IRON AGE 291 the Stephens-Adamson Company in your pages that it is offering a “new automatic reversing tripper and that “there has been a great need in certain classes of work for a tripper of this sort.” Several years ago this company discontinued to some extent the use of the friction drive for moving the tripper and substituted, wherever it was possible, a mechanical equivalent which is absolutely dustproof, thereby saving our customers the expense of renewing the friction wheels ; but the fact that we do not common- ly employ a mechanical detail which was tried and found wanting offers no excuse for any one to use your pages in order to foist upon the public, as original and new, a device which has been patented for 10 years in every civ- ilized country on the globe, and which has been adver- tised and sold in large numbers by the most prominent concern in its line of business. The matter of infringement of our rights is one which we can look after with the help of our attorneys, but the damage, and particularly the annoyance, which we shall suffer from the article in your journal are serious matters. We are sure you will agree that such an ar- ticle breeds other infringements and attracts trade away from those to whom it rightfully belongs. We, there- fore, trust that you will give this letter as much prom- inence as was accorded in your columns to the article to which we have made objection. Rospins CONVEYING Bett Company, THomas Rosin, President. New York, January 23, 1911. To the Editor: We are in receipt of yours of January 2€th, inclosing copy of letter you have received from the Robins Conveying Belt Company, saying that the automatic reversing tripper manufactured by us and illustrated in your issue of December 22, is an infringe- ment on the Humphreys patent of 1901, which that company claims to own. We wish to say that our ma- chine is not an infringement of the Humphreys patent or any other patent; further, that our machine is a decided success, and we are prepared to demonstrate its superiority over any automatic tripper on the market. We certainly would not put a niachine on the market unless we were prepared to demonstrate its efficiency, and our position in the conveying machinery line is sufficient to justify the statement. Regarding the general tone of Mr. Robins’s letter, we have no remarks to make whatever, and we trust you will publish his letter, together with our reply, because we are perfectly willing to let the public judge as to the record and present standing of the Stephens-Adam- son Mfg. Company and the Robins Conveying Belt Com- pany. We fully believe that the publicity of these let- ters will in no way harm vs, ard we trust it will do no harm to our competitors. STEPHENS-ADAMSON Mre, CoMPANY, W. W. SterHens, President. Avrora, ILL., January 28, 1911. +o Electric Iron and Steel in Norway.—The Arendals Power Company, which owns the large Béilefossen water falls in Norway, has increased its capital to $1,000,000 and will engage in electric smelting of iron. These water falls will produce 30,000 hp. at average flow, and hydrolic development will give 12,000 hp. additional. The com- pany also owns practically the whole mining district about the city of Arendal. Recently it acquired the right to use the patents owned by the Swedish Electrometal Company for producing iron and steel by means of elec- tricity. The methods involved in these patents have been thoroughly tested at Trollhiittan in Sweden and at Hardanger,in Norway. The new works will be ready for operation in January, 1913. —_—_——_3--e—————_—___ The six blast furnaces and the Bessemer and open hearth steel plants of the Carnegie Steel Company’s Ohio Works, Youngstown, Ohio, are now in full operation for the first time in some weeks. The upper and lower mills of the same company at Youngstown are running about four days a week. a i eS eee ota 292 THE IRON AGE Steel Corporation Earnings in 1910 Total for 1910 Was $141,144,002, Against $131,491,414 in. 1909 The statement of its earnings for the last quarter of 1910, just issued by the United States Steel Corporation, enables approximate figures for its total earnings of the year to be made up. Adding the results of the last quarter to those given for the previous quarter, the total is $141,144.002, showing an increase of $9,652,588 on the earnings of 1909. The figures for 1910 may be changed slightly upon completion of the audit of ac- counts for the year. The quarterly statement of earn- ings given below compares the last quarter of 1910 with the last quarter of 1909: 1910. 1909. Outuban;* OGRMNIN 2a iii ds oo oo ewdns $10,512,130 $14,048,205 November, earnings..............'. 8,228,857 13,711,765 December, earnings................ 7,249,991 13,211,339 Total after deducting all expenses incident to operations, including , those for ordinary repairs and maintenance of plants, em- ployees’ bonus funds, and inter- est on bonds and fixed charges $25,990,978 $40,971, Less charges and appropriations for the following: Sinking funds on bonds of sub- sidiary companies...........+. $410,430 $438, Depreciation and reserve funds (regular provisions) 5,118,088 6,131, $5,528,518 $6,570,! ik CHRD on ices ts nediae $20,462,460 $34,400,432 Deduct interest for the quarter on U. S. Steel Corporation bonds outstanding $5,816,640 $5,880,324 Sinking funds for the quarter on U. S. Steel Corporation bonds— viz. : Installments 1,012,500 1,012,500 Interest on bonds in sinking funds 482,822 419,139 $7,311,962 $7,311,963 Balance $13,150,498 $27,088,469 Net adjustments in sundry ac- counts 83.766 562,874 732 $27,651,343 Dividend for the quarter on preferred stock, 1% per cent Dividend for the quarter on common stock, 144 per cent., 1910, and 1 per cent. and ™% per cent. extra, 919 $6,304,919 1909 781 8,895,294 $12,658,700 $15,200,213 Surplus for the quarter $408,032 $12,451,130 The balance of the surplus carried forward from previous quarters in 1910 was $16,520,687, which, added to $408,032, makes a total of $16,928,719. From this appropriations were made of $5,000,000 for new plants. construction, &¢., and $1,000,000 for the reserve fund to cover advanced mining royalties, leaving $10,928,719 for the balance of surplus for the year carried forward. The total appropriation for the year for new plants, construction, &¢., was $25,000,000. a Eight-Hour Day for New York Machinists.—Nza- tional and local officers of the International Association of Machinists met in New Jersey January 29 with the general executive board, shop delegates and district chairman of District No. 15, to consider making a general demand for an eight-hour day in the district which takes in New York City and Hudson County, N. J. In November, 1910, the 15 lodges in District 15 and the affiliated Junior Order of Machinists decided by a referendum vote in favor of an eight-hour day demand. It is expected that it will be formally presented in March. At the meeting of January 29 a resolution was passed declaring for the eight-hour work day in automobile garages, general job- February 2. 1911 bing, repair and machine shops and indorsing a gener) demand for a 50-hour working week in manufacturing shops, unless the straight eight-hour day as voted for in November is reaffirmed at a general mass meeting of employees of manufacturing shops. ee New Railroad Equipment.—Kecent railroad car iy quiries include 500 hopper cars and 500 box cars for thy Lehigh & New England, 400 freight cars for the Chicago. Indianapolis & Louisville, 1000 refrigerator cars for the American Refrigerator Transit Company, 500 stee! under frame cars for the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy and r0 to 75 tank cars for the Barrett Mfg. Company, Chicago. The Chicago Railway Company will build 215 passeng cars at its own shops. The Chesapeake & Ohio lias or- dered 25 coaches from the Pullman Company. The Ar gentine Government has placed 21 sleeping cars and S baggage cars in this country. The Chesapeake & Ohio has ordered 10 passenger locomotives from the American Locomotive Company, and the Grand Trunk has placed 12 locomotives and the Long Island 4 with the sare company. The Algoma Central & Hudson Bay has or dered 10 locomotives from the Montreal Locomotiv Works. ‘The Missouri Pacific is reported to be about to close for 75 engines. The Detroit Foundry Supply Company.—lmportant changes were made at the recent annual meeting of the Detroit Foundry Supply Company, Detroit, Mich. W. J. Woodison, whose long connection with the company as president and manager has made him well known to the trade throughout the Central West, retired and was suc- ceeded as president and manager by W. Bruce Howard, a controlling stockholder. M. Z. Fox, formerly with the Hill & Griffith Company, Cincinnati, was elected vice- president, and R. S. Ray, secretary. The company has secured the services of J. H. Lyle as salesman to cover Illinois, Wisconsin and Iowa, and H. E. Moyer to cover Indiana, parts of Ohio and Canada. Mr. Woodison is considering a proposition to become sales manager of the Advance Machinery Company, Toledo, Ohio, maker of glue heaters, &c. —_——_—~9-e—______ The Detroit Steel Products Company.—At the ar- nual meeting of the Detroit Steel Products Company, Detroit, Mich., January 24, reports showed a large in- crease in the year’s business in all departments. Direc- tors were re-elected as follows: Henry N. Campbell, J. H. Avery, C. H. Heckler, John G. Rumney, Waiter 8S. Rus- sel, Henry Russel and Henry W. Dakin. Officers were elected as follows: Walter S. Russel, president; Jolin G. Rumney, vice-president; Henry W. Dakin, treasurer, and H. E. Hade, secretary. The usual quarterly division of 1% per cent. was declared, and also an extra cash dividend of 3 per cent., making a total dividend for the year of 10 per cent. jrinccinsynnncesitmacaalil tacit New York Central Ferrotitanium Rails.—The rai! orders of the New York Central Lines for 1911 as ve- ported in these columns last week, amounting to 176,750 tons, include 41,500 tons of ferrotitanium Bessemer rails. The specifications for these call for the use of 1 per ceni. of a 10 per cent. titanium alloy (or equivalent titanium). thus requiring for the order more than 400 tons of the 10 per cent. alloy. The strength of the titanium contet! in the alloy may be increased to 15 per cent., thus te quiring a proportionately smaller quantity of alloy; bu! in any case the order is the largest ever placed for alloy steel rails. The American Shipbuilding Company has received ¢T ders during the past week for three lake boats. One order is from the Wisconsin Steel Company for a 545-ft. freighter, to be used in the ore trade. It will be buili in time for delivery early in the summer. It has not been decided where this boat will be built. The other two boats have been ordered by the Standard Oil Col pany. One will be an oil tank steamer and the other barge. The length of each will be 260 ft. The steamer will be built at Detroit and the barge at Superior. Feb: The Crucible Steel Company Buys Midland ye of the largest deals in manufacturing plants that ‘ rred for some time was Closed in Pittsburgh last ing the purchase by the Crucible Steel Company of America of the entire property of the Midland Steel Company. located at Midland, Beaver County, Pa. The peotiations were handled by J. H. Hillman & Son, Oliver Building, Pittsburgh, dealers in pig fron, coke, ore ya conl lands. Herbert Du Puy, chairman of the Cruci- Stecl Company of America, has issued an officia! ctotement regarding the purchase, which is as follows: Crucible Steel Company of America has entered into a with the owners of the Midland Steel Company for purchase of the plant of that company at Midland, Beaver Pa. The property consists of 423 acres of level land ning the Ohio River, and above the highest high water and is admirably suited for manufacturing purposes f sufficient size to permit of almost indefinite expansion. rhe owners of the property have erected upon it one blast nace of the most modern type, with a capacity of 480 tons nig iron per day; foundations and underground connections ipment for a second furnace of the same size ; 250 bee- oke ovens; a large modern ore bridge with a capacity it to take care of the supply for two furnaces; a river oist, piers and landing; water works of sufficient capacity <e care not only of the present plant, but of one of double ipacity; machine shops, electric plant, pig casting ma- and all other necessary buildings and workshops re- red about a modern blast furnace plant. All of these im- ‘ovements are practically new and of the most approved de- si and, including the value of the land, could not be repro- duced for a sum less than $3,500,000. In addition to this, the company has purchased from the wners of the Midland Steel Company all the capital stock of the Midland Limestone Company, which owns a tract of 418 icres of surface and 130 acres of limestone, located at Walford Station, in Lawrenee County, Pa., upon which is erected a rusher having a capacity of 1000 tons per day. As a further iddition to this plant, there is included some 2000 acres of coal lands located directly opposite on the south side of the Ohio River, and so close to the point of operations that it is pro- sed to carry the coal by buckets directly from the mouth he mine across the river to the plant. Chis property is served by the Pennsylvania Lines and has water navigation. \We propose to erect upon this property a modern open th plant for the production of high grade open hearth , Such as are now being made at the other plants of the any. This plant will consist of eight 60-ton standard and tilting open hearth furnaces and also an electric furnace ming part of the plant; a modern blooming mill with the t mechanism for its operation, and a billet mill sufficient take care of the capacity of the open hearth department, ff which will be operated with the latest improvements of ‘ saving mechanisms. The development of this plant has en necessary owing to the inability of the company to roduce a sufficient capacity of high grade steel at its present ks to take care of its rapidly growing trade. It is also osed to erect a modern mill for the production of agricul- shapes sufficient to take care of the requirements of the try These improvements, when completed, wil! cost OOO OOD We have incorporated the Pittsburgh Crucible Steel Com- which will take title to all these properties with all the vements mentioned, all of which capital stock is owned by Crucible Steel Company of America. The Pittsburgh Crucible Company has authorized an issue of bonds aggregating ‘7,500,000 par value, dated March 1, 1911, bearing interest at te of 5 per cent. per annum, free of tax, and maturing / annual installments of $250,000 each, the first of which become due March 1, 1916, and annually thereafter. ese bonds are secured by a’ first mortgage on all the rty and franchises of the Pittsburgh Crucible Steel Com- now owned or that may hereafter be acquired, and are nteed absolutely as to principal and interest by the Steel Company of America. In this guarantee the Steel Company of America covenants that, until ‘50,000 par value of the bonds so guaranteed shall have paid, its quick current assets shall at all times be one ne-half times its liabilities, including all guarantees and indirect liabilities of every nature, but not including tees heretofore made by it of the bonds of the St. Clair Company, the St. Clair Furnace Company and the Clairton Company, properties now owned by the United States Corporation, and whose bonds are now guaranteed by it. ze proportion of which bonds have already matured and paid; also not including the guarantee of $45,000 per m interest upon bonds of the Norwalk Steel Company, a pany owned by the Crucible Steel Company of America. 2, 1911 THE IRON AGE 293 After $3,750,000 of the bonds of the Pittsburgh Crucible Steel Company have been retired, and until the remainder have matured and been paid, the quick current assets of the Crucible Steel Company shall equal the liabilities of the company. The Crucible Steel Company of America also covenants, as part of its guarantee, that until the bonds of the Pittsburgh Crucible Steel Company so guaranteed by it shall have been paid and retired, it will neither create, nor suffer to be created, any mortgage, lien or other incumbrance upon any of its properties, nor issue any scrip in lieu of dividends. The mortgage of the Pittsburgh Crucible Steel Company and the guarantee of the Crucible Steel Company of America provide that the entire proceeds of this issue of bonds shall be expended only upon the property covered by the lien of the mortgage and its betterme