The Iron Age 1911-09-07: Vol 88 Iss 10

THE IRON AGE Established 1855 Published Every Thursday by the DAVID WILLIAMS COMPANY 239 West 39th Street, New York Entered at the New York Post Office as Second-Class Mail Matter. Sabscription Price, United States and Menice, $5: 00 per $7.50 per Annum; to er Foreign Soeannes, $10 is requested, none will be aan Cr date on the wrapper of your paper. Annum ; to Canada, 00 per ge Bhmety Unless receipt it for payment “will be shown by extending the W. H. Taylor, - - - President and Treasurer 1A. Mekeel, - - - - - First Vice-President Harold S. Buttenheim, - - Second Vice-President and Secretary A. |. Findley, Editors Geo. W. Cope, ) W. W. Macon, j M. C. Robbins, - Manager Charles S. Baur, - Assistant Manager Branch Offices Philadelphia, Real Esta‘e Trust Building Chicago, Fisher Building Pit.be.gh, Pack Building Cleveland, Amezican Trust Building Beetor., Compton Building Cineimnati, 807 Andrews Building CONTENTS. Steel Works Labor Activity and Lower Prices for Commodities hicago Business Men’s Pluck Congressman Underwood's Boast of Iron.... July Iron and Steel Exports and Imports........ Pittsburgh and Vicinity Recent Cheap Business .\otes Experience with Titanium Rails............. A Scotch sar Coming Meeting on Accident The World’s Production of August Pig Iron Combination Prevention Aluminum Iron Output. New Publications Superior Special Charcoal Pio Iron. rhe Iron and Metal Markets Trade Publications The Panama Scrap: Sz Personal Obituar Standard Boiler Rules Conservation Congress Nelson Valye Company’s Annual Dinner sree for Factory Operating Systems Proposed Panama Steamship Line taper ts of Ferrasilicon and Other Ferroalloys............+++: The Swedish Iron and Steel Corporation Coal Production in 1910 Standard versus Heavy Duty Shapers...........-0-.-eeeeceees The Stock Process for Steel Castings. Ohio's State Building Code he Baird Spring Making Machines... The Preparation of Brown Iron Ores.... The Acme Automatic Engine Alloys Used: for Die- Casas <o.5< 60:0 siscrsciecsauners The World Trademark Treaties. ... Notable Air Compressor Inst allation. The American Locomotive Company... Titar iferous Iron Sands Oven Gas as an Open Hearth Fuel Cw BPOWIE LVRS. ccc i captvesscuces ling Steel Castings ky Iron History Open-mearth Furnaces....... st of Producing Alabama Pig Iron Na Set eae. souks vi ivb ne Stablc ce chk ebee bens j ulds Triplex Pump undry Equipment Packing Tool Sterling Power Hack Saw Machine. eter as Power Plant Pump ndresen-Evans Type B Grab Buckets.... ( an Genuine Charcoal Iron Tin Plate ¢ river Drill Rack S I Flux Nex Puls The ‘oundry lachinery Markets New Vouk ‘Sepeeanbes hs ts 1911 VoL. 88: No. 10 Steel Works Activity Reflected in Statistics for August New Business Only Moderate Pig Iron Stocks Reduced The expansion of steel works operations in August, particularly in those of the United States Steel Cor- poration, is shown in our blast furnace statistics for that month. The production of coke and anthracite pig iron amounted to 1,926,637 gross tons, or 62,150 tons a day, against 1,793,068 tons, or 57,841 tons a day in July, a gain of 133,567 tons, or 4309 tons a day The production by steel companies last month was 47,120 tons a day, an increase of 4648 tons a day ove whereas the merchant furnaces produced 15,930 July. furnaces active September July, tons a day, or 339 tons a day less than in ‘he capacity of the 203 I was 62,914 tons a day, against £9,690 tons a day for 196 furnaces on July 1. It is significant that the gain of 7 active furnaces in the month was entirely con / 9 tributed by the Steel Corporation, which is also to be credited withg#iére than 75 per cent. of last month's increase in pigviron output over that of July. Steel ‘ingot production of the Steel Corporation in with 1,228,000 which July, In pig iron a record for ro1t was made also August was tons, compares 1,014,000 tons in arid i$ the high record for th year. with an output of 976,000 tons Concerning bookings and»shipments, it is stated that those of the leading interest were greater in Augustythan for any month of the year. The same statement might besmade for other steel companies that they have not The past week has been a qditiet one in finished material and the larger fall buying, of which there have been some as to shipments; indications are made a record for the year in new business. predictions, is not in evidence as yet. While no new points of weakness have developed in mill prices, the drift of the market is in the buyer's favor, and the concessions repeatedly referred to in recent weeks have become more general. In the wire trade buying has fallen off, paign like that of August, in which the business was first closed up and the open announcement of cut prices made Jater. The widéspread rumors of new prices in wrought iron pipe have not encouraged buying and the mar- ket is on the same competitive basis that has existed for some weeks, though with only fractional varia- tions in the#prices of various producers. as is natural after a cam- 504 Operations of steel car works are slackening. One plant in the Pittsburgh district is running at 30 per cent. and another at 50 per cent. of capacity. Steel billets are still sold below the $21, Pittsburgh, basis that for some time has been considered the mar- Extras are less rigidly adhered to. In the foundry pig iron market the controlling con- ditions are the fact that nearly all melters have a suppiy for this year and the knowledge that a large idle blast furnace capacity is waiting for the first sign of better prices to blow in. the attempt to establish a higher price for the first quarter of 1912. It is significant that the production of merchant pig iron in August, 15,030 tons a day, was only 50 tons a day more than the average for the en- tire bad year 1908, when consumption was consider- ably less than the rate to-day, though pig iron stocks in 1908 were less. ket. Buyers are skeptical of Stocks of pig iron in the central West at merchant and stee! works furnaces, apart from those of the Steel Corporation, were reduced 45,000 tons in the second half of August. 150,00¢ tons on hand, or less than a four days’ supply. The Corporation has now ouly \n inquiry for 3500 tons of basic pig iron for this year’s delivery has come from a northern Ohio steel company. Lake Superior ore August 5,548,311 tons and for the season to September 1 they were 19,301,846 tons, or 9,525,183 tons less than to September 1 last year. The off from this time on and little ore will be brought shipments in were movement will slacken down in November. —— - - ~~ - Labor and Lower Prices for Commodities \ve have the following letter from George Q. Thornton, president of the Carondelet Foundry Com- pany, St. Louis: “St. Louis, Mo., August 30, 1911. “To the Editor of The Jron Age. “Dear Sir: Referring to your articles in the issue of August 24 under heading ‘Any Readjustment Will Include Labor,’ I should like to ask the following questions : “rt, Would a reduction in general prices of com- modities, by tariff change or otherwise, tend to in- crease or reduce the consumption and sale of such commodities ? “2. If sales of commodities are increased by such reduction in price, would more or fewer workmen be required in their production? “3. If the result of such increased sales should be a greater demand for workmen, would the tendency be to reduce or increase wages ? “IT am assured that we need at this time especially some clearer thinking on these and kindred subjects. As a reader of your journal of many years’ standing, I should like to see your detailed comments on the above in as conspicuous a place as that occupied by the article in question, which I fear may have a rather misleading tendency. “Yours truly, Geo. Q. THorNTON.” Our correspondent has framed his questions so as to leave no room for doubt as to the answers he would make. The syllogism he would construct is a familiar one; it has frequently been used in theo- retical discussions of the tariff. We have never con- THE IRON AGE September sidered theoretical discussions of this question to be profitable, especially when certain assumed economic 7, 1911 conditions rather than actual experience are sade the basis of argument. As an illustration, we might follow our correspondent’s third question with two running like this: If the demand for commodities is increased, would tendency be to reduce or raise the prices of such commod; sa if prices of such commodities were advanced, wo their consumption and the demand for workmen engaged in their production increase or decrease? Generalization is easy and if we are allowed to select a set of economic facts to the exclusion of all others, the process of reaching a conclusion js much simplified. It is not difficult, moreover, by traveling in a circle to arrive at a given starting point, Our correspondent suggests that reductions in prices of commodities, from whatever cause, result in greater consumption, with larger employment of labor and hence a tendency to higher wages. The lowest prices of iron and steel this country has ever known were reached in the years 1893 to 1808, the years in which labor in the iron industry received the lowest wages in a generation. In 1899 in the same industry prices were the highest in ten years, labor the best paid and consumption at high mark. If low prices are a necessary cause of increased demand it would be hard to explain the record consumption of pig iron in the United States in 1907, for example, when the average price of No. 2 Southern iron was nearly $20 at the furnace, as compared with $10 for 1911. The theory that low prices are the route to enlarged consumption, larger employment of labor and hence to maintained, if not increased, wages, is not supported by the history of the iron trade in the past 20 years of its most notable expansion. Low prices have been generally accompanied by low demand and low wages. Other things remaining the same—and here “other things” refers chiefly -to purchasing power—a reduc- tion in the price of a commodity tends to a larger use of it. But a distinction is to be made between a reduc- tion in price due to a smaller expenditure of human labor, as for example a reduction resulting from in- vention, and on the other hand a reduction due to ag- gressive competition and inroads upon the returns to capital. A proposal for a general reduction in com- modity pricés as a means to higher wages might well rank with a general movement among manufacturers to raise wages as a means of increasing the public's purchasing power and thus eventually securing highet prices for products. The theory may be good enough but it does not agree with practice. It was said in our editorial of August 24 that the moves now being made by legislative proposals and by proceedings against large corporations aimed at reduc- ing prices. This scaling down of values, it was added, is ostensibly to be brought about without any reduc- tion in the price of labor. Further, it was said that if there came a general downward revision of values of manufactured atricles, American labor engaged 1 the affected lines would have just one choice—either to bear a reduction in wages or give an increased output for the existing wages. The point emphasized was simply that under the conditions existing in this country the attempt to cut down the returns on capital invested in manufacturing industries without hurting labor employed in such industries will prove disap- pointing. What has happened in the reduction of railroad ‘ ! pepl raber 7» IQII forces in the effort to pay dividends while operating expcuses steadily increased is a fact which no theory can abate. High labor cost has been the complaint inufacturers for the past five years. Further ising competition and further cutting down ts, which, as is well known, have already been isly curtailed in many lines since 1907, will only ipone the larger investment of capital which must ede any great increase in the demand for labor. ,e are not concerned at the moment with the tion of the efficacy of the measures proposed, as lies for the high cost of living. That they will | that has been claimed for them in this direction is serious doubt. But we find nothing in our ustrial record to warrant the conclusion that a y which will hurt industrial capital can be enforced no accompanying hardship to labor. ———_4-e—__ Chicago Business Men’s Pluck (he courage and persistence of the average busi- ness man in the face of exasperating and disheartening conditions are well exemplified in Chicago at the present time. During the entire year building opera- tions have been held up, at times almost to the point of complete suspension, because of a local plumbers’ and steam fitters’ strike. This labor trouble is particu- larly vexatious because it is occasioned by a purely not by any matter regarding which contractors and men are at variance. The local organization of steam fitters has refused to permit, in the past, any work being done in Chicago by outside steam fitters. The organization of local plumbers, to which the outside steam fitters also belong, is now insisting that its steam fitters be allowed to work in Chicago and that the local steam fitters as individuals affiliate with the plumbers’ union. The local steam fitters are supported by the building trades organization in Chicago, with the result that on those buildings where the plumbers are engaged all the other artisans strike, and vice versa, where the local steam fitters have contracts no plumbing can be put in. In connection with that work which is permitted to progress, there is little icealment of the fact that “peace money” from the builders has been influential with those in control of the labor situation, At the present time the situation continues in a state of deadlock, with no immediate solution in view. in spite of this deplorable and inexcusable tie-up, there are now in process of construction in tke loop district of Chicago 11 buildings in which 67,000 tons of structural steel is being erected, at an approximate cost of $25,000,000, and permits have just been issued for eight additional buildings requiring 40,000 tons of steel, to be built at a cost of nearly $17,000,000. The buildings included in this remarkable aggregate in- vestment of $42,000,000, and an estimate of the quan- tity of steel each will require, are as follows: Hearst, 3000 tons; Rand-McNally, 6800; Insurance Exchange, 4 I 4 4.000; New Otis, 7500; McCormick addition, 3000; Monroe, 2500; Mallers, 4500; Rothschilds, 11,000; Mandel, 10,000; City Hall square, 3000; Hamilton 7 1500; Kesner, 4000; Continental and Commercial ‘ional, 14,000; Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, 5000; Lytton, 3500; Marshall Field estate, one 3500 and another 4000; Boston Store, 2000; Morrison Hotel, 4000. These figures do not include 7000 tons for the new Field Museum to be located in Jackson Park. THE IRON AGE 595 This great building movement in Chicago is sig- nificant in at least two respects: 1. That the banks are in a position to take care of propositions of this aggregate magnitude very pointedly demonstrates the existence of large balances on deposit and the low rates of interest prevailing; it was stated a short time ago, regarding one of the Chicago banks, closely .as- sociated with the estate for which two new buildings are to be erected, that it had on deposit the largest amount in its history. 2, The buying of over 100,000 tons of fabricated steel at this time cannot be considered as significant of anything but extremely low prices for fabricating contracts. Following the three years of strenuous competition since 1907, the taking of this tonnage cannot have greatly strengthened the financial position of the fabricators who have made the suc- cessful bids. ’ It must be conceded that the city ordinance limit- ing to 200 feet the hight of buildings started in the loop district of Chicago after September 1 hastened the decision to erect some of these structures, but many of them had been under consideration before that date was fixed. Moreover, this is not the first time that Chicago has attempted to limit the hight of buildings by an ordinance, but each one was soon after repealed. It would seem that the time had long since ar- rived for some concerted and drastic action by means of which the strife between the. Chicago plumbers and steam fitters would be summarily ended. Such a costly business disturbance, for which there is so little excuse and from which benefit cannot possibly accrue to any but the few instigators, should have been terminated long ago. If it had been due to anything else than a labor fight, it would not have been permitted to continue for any length of time. ——_ +e —__—_—_ Congressman Underwood’s Boast of Cheap Iron When Representative Underwood of the Birming- ham, Ala., district, made his famous reply August 2 on the floor of the House of Representatives to William J. Bryan’s criticism of his position on the wool tariff, no part of his speech was applauded more vigorously than his frank admission of his ownership of stock in the Woodward Iron Company. The purpose of that speech was to make clear to all his hearers and to the country generally that, although interested in the manu- facture of pig iron, Mr. Underwood had _ unselfishly favored a reduction in the iron and steel schedule. But, in the course of his remarks he made this declaration: “I say without expectation of contradiction that the furnace company in which I am interested can make pig iron cheaper than it can be made anywhere else in the world.” If Mr. Underwood had announced that the furnaces in which he is interested are among the most expensive to run in this country, and yet he favored a reduction in iron duties, his attitude would have been clearly altruistic. Boasting, however, that his company can make pig iron cheaper than any other maker of iron in the world, he is placed in the position of being abso- lutely without fear of any injury to his investment from the competition of other iron manufacturers. In point of fact, this declaration would naturally subject him to the charge that he is complacently willing to have his less fortunate domestic competitors crippled or run out of business. It would not take much of a reduction from the present low level of pig iron prices to put quite a number of active furnaces out of the running. prem 506 July Iron and Steel Exports and Imports Both exports and imports of iron and steel showed a sharp reduction in July as compared with June, according ‘to the report of the Bureau of Statistics of the Department of Commerce and, Labor. The total value of the exports of iron and steel and manufactures thereof, not including iron ore, was $18,052,337 in July against $20,310,053 in June, while the value of similar imports in July was $2,015,692 against $2,777,718 in June. The exports of commodities for which quantities are given totaled 162,282 gross tons in July, against 173,818 tons in June, and 173,920 tons in May. The details of the exports of such commodities for July and for the seven months ended with July, compared with the corresponding periods of the previous year, are as follows: Exports of Iron and Steel. Seven months ——July-——, —ended July— 1911. 1910. 1911. 1910. Gross Gross Gross Gross Commodities, tons. tons. tons. tons. a” Gels. so ncd Pee ees deserts 9,446 17,504 76,577 53,213 REPROD. nicvocssanteukeaseus 5,919 1,110 51,438 12,949 OP £00 v2.04 cnekavues aba cvoak . aan 1,826 11,007 11,340 ai WER... 6. oc ckds thoes Wen oe 1,074 1,024 9,564 14,616 Ne a SS er eee 7,960 10,657 71,178 58,388 Billets, ingots and blooms........ 13,578 126 149,419 7,657 ES RT ee Oe 40,973 27,886 269,853 218,518 Iron sheets and plates : as 8,862 7,105 64,415 61,374 Steel sheets and plates...... 17,190 11,020 126,414 11,648 fin and terne plates...... 4,713 372 30,291 7,056 Structural iron aid steel.. . 21,287 14,028 125,665 89,042 RD. WIE: sg aa% 4 5 eS s< eine 6,424 5,590 46,705 42,380 | NS ee re : 7,316 8,723 74,294 54,654 Wee CE cid evie sees ean ek ae 560 583 5,877 3,826 2! ee oe aos. 4,723 29,834 25,568 ‘ll other nails, including tacks 905 891 7,348 5,835 Pine aed Seas scan he cess ..- 12,780 14,406 111,784 88,560 TOMS S540 ndaeeue's a we eeee++162,282 127,574 1,261,663 766,624 The imports of commodities for which quantities are given totaled 15,252 gross tons in July, as compared with 29,304 tons in June and 23,375 tons in May. The details of such imports for July and for the seven months ended with July, as compared with the corresponding periods of the previous year, are as follows: Imports of Iron and Steel Seven months Tuly —ended July 1911. 1910 1911 1910. Gross Gross Gross Gross Commodities tons. tons tons. tons. ie Biba 5» sk a0 mia . 8,538 19,865 97,552 139,918 Seray ; de hese aie 1.419 3,033 12,572 60,389 as WO... Kaen cavouses rice 2,300 2,922 16,496 24,934 Billets, bars and steel forms, n.e.s, 1,394 3,283 17,395 27,594 Sheets and plates........ ; 168 302 1,410 4,073 ! and terne plates......... 235 10,790 12,369 47,010 Wire ds 1,198 1,737 10,001 12,152 BOGGS 6 inks es Han EOk Kchueeees 15,252 41,932 167,795 316,070 The imports of iron ore in July were 200,845 gross tons, against 118,296 tons in June and 248,810 tons in the month of July, 1910. The total importations of iron ore for the seven months ended with July were 1,002,713 tons, against 1,508,076 tons in the corresponding period of I9I0. Of the July imports of iron ore 90,205 tons came from Cuba, 49,201 tons from Spain, 32,870 tons from New- foundland, 23,492 tons from Sweden, 518 tons from Can- ada and 4,559 tons from other cotntries. The total value of the exports of iron and steel and manufactures thereof, not including iron ore, for the seven months ended with July, was $143,917,270, against $112,519,587 in the corresponding period of 1910. The total value of the imports of iron and steel and manufactures thereof, not including iron ore, for the seven months ended with July, was $17,044,044, against $24,28s,- R098 in the corresponding period of I19I0. > Om Pittsburgh and Vicinity Business Notes The Dravo-Doyle Company, Pittsburgh, has established a steam specialty department, with J. C. McAllister, Jr., in charge, and is now prepared to offer steam specialities such as steam traps, back pressure valves, pump gov- ernors. boiler feed water regulators, etc. The Standard Steel Tank & Mfg. Company, Pitts- burgh. has been granted a Delaware charter with a capital of $190,000, and it is understood will build a plant in Pittsburgh to manufacture. steel tanks, boilers and heavy plate work. The incorporators are Joseph L. Kontz, F. M. Strecker and M. L. Daina, all of Pittsburgh. THE IRON AGE September 7, 91; Stockholders of the Hazel-Atlas Glass Compa vill hold a meeting in Wheeling, W. Va., on Septem! act on a proposition to increase the capital s; t $3,000,000. The company proposes to make som improvements to its plant, using the proceeds increase in its capital for this purpose. The City & Elm Grove Railroad Company, \\ W. Va., has employed Chester & Fleming, consuIti; gineers of Pittsburgh, to make a complete examinatj and report of the water-works system for Pleasant ae a suburb of Wheeling, with reference to extens; im- provements in the water supply. The Westinghouse Electric & Mfg. Company, East Pittsburgh, has received a very large order fro; the Boston Elevated Railroad for car apparatus, it being the third large order received from the same buyer the past three months. This order brings the aggregate business of the company for the first four months oj its current fiscal year up to a level that compares favorably with the corresponding period a year ago. ; The Petroleum Iron Works Company, Sharon, P builder of heavy plate work of all kinds, has elected directors as follows: C. H. Todd, J. L. Considine, C. | McDowell, R. T. McCormick, J. P. Sweeney of Sharon J. S. Cullinan, Houston, Tex., and John Slater. Wash. ington. The directors elected the following officers C. H. Todd, president; J. L. Considine, vice-president J. P. Sweeney, secretary and treasurer; H. C. Knowles, assistant secretary and treasurer. The company reports its business of the past year as satisfactory. The Osceola Silica & Fire Brick Company, Oliver Building, Pittsburgh, Pa., whose plant is at Osceola Mills Clearfield Company, Pa., has closed with the Pittsburg! Crucible Steel Company, for furnishing about half of the No. 1 fire brick required in the construction of the latter's new plant at Midland, Pa. A facsimile of the order from the Pittsburgh Crucible, Steel Company has been printed and is being issued as an advertisement. It calls for 1,500,000 to 2,000,000, quantity at buyer’s option, first qual- ity Osceola fire brick. The Osceola Company has recently spent $30,000 in improving its plant in various ways. The new foundry of Spang, Chalfant & Co., Inc., at Etna, Pa., is mainly built of reinferced concrete. It is to be a two-story building, 100 x 467 ft. at one end, with an ell 100 x 250 ft., and a three-story office 60 x 100 ft. The larger building will contain a socket shop, a machine shop and a pattern shop. The roof is entirely concrete, cov- ered with a composition weather proof roofing. The ma- chine shop contains a 20-ton 50-ft. span crane and the socket shop a 10-ton 98-ft. span crane. The building is entirely fireproof, no materials other than concrete and steel being used. The Universal Sanitary Mfg. Company, New Castle, Pa., has started to rebuild its plant, which was recently destroyed by fire. It will be about one-fourth larger than the former plant. The company had inducements offered to locate in some other city, but all were turned down The new plant will include five buildings, each 40 x 187 ft. of brick. ‘ The Alliance Brass & Bronze Company, Alliance, Ohio, has contracted for a new building, to be of brick, 40 x 100 ft. The product will be brass, bronze and all other kinds of non-ferrous castings. a —_—_+-e—_—_ The Positive Clutch & Pulley Works, 30-32 Lansing street, Buffalo, N. Y., states that its Canadian company 1s building a new factory consisting of a foundry, machine shop, woodworking shop, power plant, etc., at Aurora, Canada, which is about 16 miles from Toronto. Ground has been broken, some of the buildings are now under construction and it is hoped to have the plant or certain portions of it ready for use in November. Such machin- ery as is now in use in Toronto will be moved to Aurora. and while some additional machinery will be purchased for the new plant the greater part of it has already been acquired. The general offices and warerooms for carryine stock will be continued in Toronto. The Canadian works are conducted under the name of the Positive Clutch & Pulley Works, Ltd. Morrison & Smith, Rio Hondo, Tex., intend to ne a water and electric light system and are in the marke for the necessary equipment and material. tember 7, IQII Recent Experience with Titanium Rails e Titanium Alloy Mfg. Company, Charles B. Slocum, ral sales agent, Pittsburgh, has added to its publica- relating to the effect of titanium on iron and steel, page pamphlet giving data bearing on the company’s m that titanium has solved the steel rail problem. It ited that while three years ago the titanium rail was tried on a few roads it is now in service on more fifty steam railroads and on the more important trac lines, a total of 400,000 tons of such rails being now ise. The experience of the New York Central Rail |, concerning which publication has already been made, also that of the Lehigh Valley, the Lackawanna, Paul, the B. & O., the Burlington and other lines. Lehigh Valley Railroad has bought 23,000 tons of n-hearth steel rails for 1911, all of high carbon and h titanium content. A section is shown of the Bethle- ited ; ot Steel Company’s 110-lb. open-hearth titanium rail ed for the Lehigh Valley. The analysis of the steel ws carbon 0.92, phospherus 0.024, sulphur 0.021, man- ese 0.887, and silicon 0.94 per cent. The steel is treated th a 10 per cent. titanium alloy, the amount used being | to 1 per cent. of the weight of the steel. Up to June, 1911, the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul | bought 40,000 tons of titanium rails for this year, the of o.10 metallic titanium being called for. The rlington ordered 10,000 tons of rails in 1911 for which tanium alloy was specified, and these rails will be used every curve on the Burlington system. The results of 69 days’ service of titanium rails on Erie Railroad curves howed in one case an average durability of 4o per cent. re for the titanium rails than for others, anc in an er case 46 per cent. greater durability. ~ + A Scotch Bar Iron Combination The London Economist publishes the statement that egotiations which have been in progress for the amal- vgamation of the Lanarkshire manufacturers of bar iron ippear to have a fair prospect of success. The task of nding an equitable basis for amalgamation proved to be beyond the powers of the makers themselves, and a Lon- n syndicate—said to be the same that brought the tube rade negotiations to a successful conclusion—has taken the atter up, and prepared a scheme which has secured of acquiescence sufficient to encourage the hope t it may ultimately be accepted with some modification. \ccording to a draft prospectus, which has been sub- tted to the principal makers, it is proposed to float company with a capital of $3,000,000, equally divided nto ordinary and preference shares, the former to be is- to the present proprietors of the works as part cf the purchase consideration and the latter to be offered for blic subscription, while, in addition, debentures to the mount of $1,500,000 will be subscribed by the promoters. here are still obstacles sufficiently formidable to ‘leave lement of doubt as to the final outcome of the negotia- The most serious is the attitude of those steel- aking works which have within recent years added bar rolling mills to their equipment. The responsibility for he recent excessively keen competition in the home trade been laid at the door of those concerns who, having narket to find for their new department, and not re- ng solely upon the making of bars for their profits like e bar iron producers pure and simple, cut prices. Not ly did they persistently decline to become parties to the hedule of minimum prices drawn up by the association, they are now affecting indifference with regard to overtures being made for the purchase of their bar ls. It is believed, or at least hoped, that this ‘n- ‘ference is more assumed than real, and is not entirely onnected with the fixing of the price to be paid. It is stated that the most important of those mixed rks, while not willing meantime to sell out on the ins proposed, are prepared to facilitate the amalgama- n by undertaking to work in harmony with the new mpany by falling in with the arrangement for the regu- tion of the output so as to maintain prices. Even among 14 old-established bar iron makers there is very far ‘m complete unanimity as to the acceptance of the heme in all its details, one of the most formidable dif- ities being’ the differences as to the valuations at which works are to be taken over. The capacity of. the , rks is equal to approximately 350,000 tons. egree ns. 7 THE IRON AGE 507 Coming Meeting on Accident Prevention Accident prevention and administration by comniis sions are two of the topics to be discussed at length at the Chicage conference of the American Association for Labor Legislation, September 15 and 16, at the Audi- torium Hotel. The programme is as follows: Friday, 2:15 P. M. for Accident Prevention Presiding officer, Henry R. Seager, president, American Associa tion for Labor Legislation. ° Scieutific Accident Prevention: Remington Typewriter Works, [lion, factories in Scotland. Safety Standards through State chiet inspector of factories for the her of the Illinois State Industrial Practical Safety Devices Young, safety inspector Illinois Steel Company. Among those who are specially invited to lead the informal ‘liscussion are: Louis Guyon, chiet factory inspector, Province of (suebec; C. W, Price, Internationsl Harvester Company; Ferd C. Schwedtman, National Association of Manufacturers; John H. Walker, president Mine Workers of illinois; James D. Beck, Wis consin Industrial Commission; and David \Van Schaack, Ae:na Insurance Company, Hartford, Conn. Friday, 8:15 P. M. Administration Presiding officer, Charies P. Neill, Bureau of Labor. The Massachusetts Board of Boiler chief boiler inspector of Massachusetts of Boiler Rules, The Wisconsin Industrial Commission: her Wisconsin Industrial Commission, for mics, University of Wisconsin. The Constitutionality of Commission Orders Louis D. Brandeis. Among those who are eciaily invited to lead the informal dis cussion are: Gilbert E. Sea attorney, New York City; Bernard Flexner, attorney, Louisville, Ky.; Charles McCarthy, Wisconsin Legislative Reference Library; and John Williams, commissione: New York State Department of Labor. Saturday, 9:30 A. M. Uniform Reporting of Industrial Injuries. Presiding officer, John R. Commons, member Wisconsin Industrial Commission. Standurdisation John Calder, general manager N. Y., formerly inspector of Inspection: Edgar T. Davies, State of Illinois, formerly mem Comnussion. (stereopticon lecture):. Robert J. by Commissions, commissioner United States Rules: Joseph H. McNeill and chairman State Board Commons, professor of John R. merly mem Fe ono The Beginning of Occupational Disease Reports: John B, An drews, secretary American Association for Labor Legislation. Accident Records in Minnesota: Don D. Lescohier, expert Min- nesota Bureau ef Labor. The Advantages of Uniform Accident Schedules: Edson S. Lott, president United §tates Casualty Company. \ Plan for Uniform Accident Reports: Leonard W. Hatch, chief statistician New York State Department of Labof. Among those who are specially invited to lead the discussion are L. Rockey, chief Pennsylvania Bureau of Industrial Statistics: Ww. A. Allport, IHinois Commission on Occupational Diseases; David Ross, Illinois Bureau of Labor; Charles F. Gettemy, Ma sachusetts Bureau of Statistics; Thomas P. Kearns, Ohio Department of Factory Inspection; and Stanley L. Otis, Bureau of Liability In surance Statistics, New York Citv. Saturday, 2:15 P. M. Round Table Conferences. Uniform Accident Reports.—A continuation o1 tne sersion Saturday forenoon, for the purpose of drafting the schedule uniform accident reports. Conference of Commissioners on the Administration of Work men’s Compensation Acts.—Presiding officer, C. H. Crownhart, chairman Wisconsin Industrial Commission. Discussion led by Amos T. Saunders, of Massachusetts. Pusiness Meeting, General Administrative Council, American sociation for Labor Legislation. Discussion of Immediate Pro gramme.—(1) Prohibition of poisonous phosphorus in the manu facture of matches; (2) Investigation of occupational diseases; (3) Reporting of industrial accidents and diseases; (4) Workmen’s compensation for industrial injuries; and (5) Enforcement of labor laws. of for As —_——_»--@———___. The World’s Production of Aluminum The Frankfurter Zeitung recently published the follow- ing interesting statement regarding the aluminum industry : “The development of the aluminum production has veen unusually rapid, the world’s production having risen from 11,500 metric’ toms in 1¢05 to 24,200 metric tons in 1909 and 34,000 metric tons in 1910. The distinctive feature about the aluminum trade is that it is in the hands of only twelve companies of which five, namely, the Aluminum Industrie Akt. Ges. of Neuhausen, the Société Electro-Metallurgique Francaise of Froges, the Compagnie des Products Chimiques d’Alais et de la Camargue of Salindres, the British Aluminum Company, Ltd., and the Aluminum Company of America, account for nine-tenths of the total output. The price of alrminum per kilo- gram was 27s. in 1&0, 2s. in 1900, 3s. 3d. to 3s. od. im 1905, Is. to 1s. 6d. in 1909 and Is. 3d. to Is. 7d. im Igto.” The equivalent of the 1910 prices in United States money is 11.9 cents to 15.5 cents per Ib. pecans ai liiienenationcae The Vilter Mfg. Company, whose gencral offices are at 1008 Clinton street, Milwaukee, Wis., has found it neces- sary by reason of increased demands to provide better facilities on the Pacific coast and announces the removal of its bramch in Los Angeles, Cal., to 2612 South Main street, where larger quarters have been secured, compris- ing not only an office but also a storehouse. A complete line of ammonia fittings and sundries, as also small ice and refrigerating : machines, as well as’ ice tanks, will be carried in “CM. Gay, whd has ‘been connected with the company for many years, continues in charge. 508 August Pig Iron Output Large Increase Over That for July Steel Works Furnaces Show More than the Entire Gain—Merchant Output Slightly Less Our blast furnace statistics for August reflect the ex- pansion in steel works operations which has been the chief market development of the past month. The output of coke and anthracite pig iron was 1,920,637 gross tons, or 62,150 tons a day, as against 1,793,068 tons, or 57,841 tons a day in July. The increase in the production of steel works furnaces was more than the increase in all kinds of pig iron, such furnaces producing 47,120 tons a day last month, an increase of 4648 tons a day, while the merchant furnaces produced 15,030 tons a day last month, a falling off of 334 tons a day from July. The number of active furnaces September I was 203, a gain of 7 in August, while the active capacity at the opening of this month was 62,914 tons a day, a gain of 3224 tons over August I. Daily Rate of Production The daily rate of production of coke and anthracite pig iron by months, beginning with August, I9I0, is as follows: Daily Rate of Pig Iron Production by Months—Gross Tons Steel works. Merchant. Total. August, 1910. ..i.cncssccsoes 46,534 21,429 67,963 September 2.0 cc cccsesccocsecs 47,007 21,536 68,542 CNS 16:36 000s te 0m Shh on 00 6 45,794 21,726 67,520 Te ..»sttees wese eee e's 41,427 22,232 63,659 PET 4 cc aphepewetreones® 35,909 21,440 57,349 January, 1911......cceeeseees 36,401 20,351 56,752 CURES a cic tSb in bhbe cane. 42,349 21,741 64,090 SOD 5. Uiswcsbagheeeresacse 48,970 21,066 70,036 BE Wchvensureb pans en 6s «mts 47,805 21,031 68,836 MED gcca sess sn taba satans pee 42,270 18,809 61,079 Pa —tscaonps hee eee eee ee mne© 42,708 16,877 59,585 By oo cuss dace cn aeube ines cos 2,472 15,369 57,841 oet ness keel et soa®s © 47,120 15,030 62,150 Output by Districts The table below gives the production of all coke and =v wo oO NI — © °o wo MOLLARS =} PER TON e& PER DIEM PIG IRON PRODUCTION AV. PRICE SOUTHERN No. 2 FDY., CINCINNATI AV. PRICE LOCAL N 2 FDY., CHICAGO @teve_S8 BERBEGESRREB BBRB © 4 = Ses & & 12 THE IRON AGE ~ oO o September 7, 141; anthracite furnaces in August and the four months ceding : sC- Monthly Pig Iron Production—Gross Tons. April. May. June. July. August (30 days) (31 days) (30 days) (31 days) (3) Gave) 139,674 130,927 130,39 124,347 11 New York ....... “x New Jersey bee ae 5,510 9,788 3,600 1,386 oh Lehigh Valley .... 78,182 79,731 72:787 66,404 77.6} Schuylkill Valley.. 55,305 46,827 44,039 45,859 3397 Lower Susquehanna and Lebanon Val. 44,537 44,179 41,751 40,084 38.74) Pittsburgh district. 488,447 422,000 415,519 419,248 469 p19 Shenango Valley. . 109,239 88,170 78,196 79,571 84.884 West. Penn. ..... 100,593 61,892 60,047 73,177 96/366 Maryland, Virginia : and Kentucky .. 60,978 53,271 48,969 52,583 46,26 Wheeling district.. 119,489 135,213 93,617 93,973 94.476 Mahoning Valley.. 189,822 187,748 188,187 184,402 189.200 Central and North. CWR0G! Hewes bes 161,742 152,909 141,973 116,953 131.859 Hocking Valley, Hanging Rock and S. W. Ohio 27,084 27,185 20,245 11,321 7,262 Mich., Minn., Mo., Wis., Col., Wash. 76,379 71,938 54,391 57,661 63,114 Chicago district .. 236,550 238,424 249:666 272,817 287'875 AIUROUS ssc0000 00 149,737. 134,386 117,015 126,200 140,879 Tenn., Georgia and are 22,178 28,868 27,169 27,082 28,153 ORs ss wwe 2,065,086 1,893,456 1,787,566 1,793,068 1,926,637 Production of Steel Companies Returns from all plants of the United States Stee! Corporation and the various independent steel companies show the following totals of product month by month. Only steel making iron is included in these figures, to- gether with ferromanganese spiegeleisen and ferrosilicon These last, while stated separately, are also included in the columns of “total production” : Production of Steel Companies—Gross Tons. . P Spiegeleisen and —Pig.—Total production.——, ferromanganese 1969 1910 1911 1910 1911 BRRUMOEY. 26 esic nent os 1,117,823 1,773,201 1,128,448 19,538 8,360 BOOCURTY vc dvcccves 1,073,363 1,620,539 1,185,782 21,396 12.821 SE co ckbeanevave 1,140,553 1,739,212 1,518,063 25,591 11,784 ease 1,093,092 1,669,898 1,434,142 22,304 10,657 AT soo nv se teeny 1,356,448 1,619,283 1,310,378 26,529 13,641 SRG Lis Sas Cols ced 1,365,527 1,549,112 1,281,241 27,680 22,611 DUR ens oe del cere ace 1,508,762 1,462,689 1,316,646 22,924 17,067 PEE bbc cacwce ses 1,591,991 1,442,572 1,460,610 25,756 14,579 September .......+. 1,660,839 1,410,221 ........ | | ar OEE 0 suinw susan s 1,769,094 1,419,624 ........ 8,500 November ........+: 1,689,994 1,242,804 ..... si 9,032 EOCENE <0 oc cccucds LI6B799 1 AIS AsO: oesakts 12,178 9 191 1911 2e6 "i ese &€e&ese &€8S BE & a nS & it Se &£exees = Diagram of Daily Average Production by Months of Coke and Anthracite Pig Iron in the United States from January 1, 1907, to Ser tember 1, 1911; Also of Monthly Average Prices of Southern No. 2 Foundry Iron at No. 2 Foundry Iron at Chicago District Furnace. Cincinnati and Local Seotember 7, IQII w Capacity in Blast September 1 and August 1 he following table shows the daily capacity of fur- nas in blast September 1 and August 1: l Coke and Anthracite Furnaces in Biast c—— Sept. 1—— -——August 1—, Total number Number Capacity Number Capacity mn of Furnaces, of stacks. in blast. per day. in blast. per day. York: lo’ cdvwysseabeae’s 17 9 3005 10 3297 ” ow Vor. viz 7 3 621 3 585 Jeraay i... ckcaeaeuey 7 0 0 0 0 ivanta- — or << e ene 24 12 2317 12 2381 Spiewe] «scccccsadede 3 2 167 2 160 ruil Valley..... 16 6 1722 6 1554 Susquehanna... 7 2 583 3 637 anon Valley....... 10 + 635 4 616 ttsburgh District.... 50 38 15,308 33 13,467 Spiew@? sas seeass pao 3 2 330 2 332 enango Valley...... 20 9 2773 9 2752 estern Pennsylvania. 27 11 3108 11 3025 ylane l seesd cen eeees 4 3 750 3 752 ng District ...... 14 9 3051 9 3135 honing Valley..... 24 17 6450 16 6360 tral and Northern. 23 ll 4285 10 3942 king Val., Hanging Rock & S. ‘W. Ohio. 15 2 235 2 230 s and Indiana.... 32 21 9235 21 8742 Spiegel ...-seee- gee 2 1 52 1 60 , Wis., and Minn... 10 5 970 4 744 rado, Mo. and Wash, 7 3 1080 3 1050 outh: rginis”. i+ <n ienasens 23 5 617 6 665 ntucky ....-scccess 5 1 145 1 156 labama «.++.2saheuhens 46 19 4565 17 4175 and Georgia.... 20 8 910 8 873 Total: .6c-sWins¥s0% 416 203 62,914 196 59,690 \mong furnaces blown out in August was one Wick- vire at Buffalo, one Paxton in the lower Susquehanna lley, and Princess in Virginia. Furnaces blown in in the month include three Edgar Thomson, one Clairton and one Isabella in the Pittsburgh district. Struthers in the Mahoning Valley, Upson in northern Ohio, one Mayville in Wisconsin, Alice and one Ensley in Alabama. Chart of Pig Iron Production and Prices The fluctuations in pig iron production from January, ijo7, to the present time are shown in the accompanying chart. The figures represented by the heavy line are those of daily average production, by months, of coke and anth- icite iron. The two other curves on the chart represent nthly average prices of Southern No. 2 foundry pig ron at Cincinnati and of local No. 2 foundry iron at furnace at Chicago. They are based on the weekly market 1otations of The Iron Age. The two sets of figures are follows: iverage Production of Coke and Anthracite Pig Iron in the ted States by Months Since January 1, 1907—Gross Tons. 1907. 1908. 1909, 1910. 1911. USMY cccacesedsvausseany 71,149 33,918 57,975 84,148 56,752 ary ... sep heiee sae 73,038 37,163 60,976 85,616 64: 090 March ..ides seus k@eeenaween 71,821 39,619 59,232 84,459 70,036 April w.eccuie sebum ae eae 73,885 38,289 57,962 82,792 68,836 M eects apeneeenelte 74,048 37,603 60,753 77,102 61,079 0 0496 00.5 ewe ae ae 74,486 36,444 64,656 75,516 59,585 oceeve coetemsederenth 72,763 39,287 67,793 69,305 57,841 Se ber | ccsnewossaees eee 72,783 47,300 79,507 68,476 ..... o «ns ecb agiew sae 75,386 50,554 83,856 67,520 wien & N ber. ..chenseevennbcaee oe Ha 84,917 63,659 .....- mhery .svepesaneeawnene 39, 85, 57,349. .aees e 815 56,158 nthly Average Prices in Dollars of Southern No.'2 Foundry Iron at Cincinnati and Local No, 2 Foundry at Chicago Dis trict Furnace Since gma. 1907. 1907. 19 9. 1910. 1911. Sou. Loc. doar * Loe. acer Loc. Sou. Loc. Sou. Loc. No.2, No.2, No.2, No.2, No.2, No.2, No.2, No.2, No.2, No.2, Cin. Chi. Cin. Chi. Cin. Chi. Cin. Chi. Cin. Chi. 26.00 25.00 16.15 18.10 16.26 17.00 17.25 18.50 14. 25 15.00 f 26.00 25.50 15.75 17.81 16.13 16.40 17.06 18.50 14.25 15.00 M 26.00 25.75 15.50 17.50 15.05 16.15 16.30 17.80 14.25 15.00 A 25.06 26.00 15.20 17.38 14.25 16.15 15.37 17.00 14.25 15.00 May 24.25 26.50 14.75 17.28 14.50 16.15 15.00 16.56 14.00 15.00 ¢ 24.10 26.25 15.25 17.38 14.70 16.15 14.85 16.25 13.50 15.00 23.85 25.20 15.00 17.20 15.75 16.65 14. 4 16.06 13.25 14.87 23.00 24.50 15.25 17.00 16.38 16.78 14.31 16.00 13.45 14.50 21.50 23.75 15.65 16.70 17.35 18.35 14. 3 LEED. “cep 20.95 22.10 15.75 16.50 17.88 18.50 14.25 15. 56 19.50 20.31 16.00 16.75 17.75 18.50 14.25 15.50 17.00 18.55 16.25 17.00 17.45 18.50 14.25 15.50 The Record of Production uction of Coke and Anthracite Pig Iron in the United States by Months Since January 1, 1907—Gross Tons. 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 soos tela 2,205,607 1,045,250 1,797,560 2,608,605 1,759,326 1,077,740 1,207,340 2,397,254 1,794,509 t. 83,487 998 oo eee keee reeetas 1,567,198 Piseaes PY Bt eee te ww ewe we eh OSG he bg D4 FDIS Bg IEIGIUG 1 FU AOU lt wee THE IRON AGE 509 New Publications Hendricks’s Commercial Register of the United States. Size, 74 x 10% in.; pages, 1419. Cloth bound. Price, $10 net. Published by S. E. Hendricks Com- pany, 74 Lafayette street, New York City. Ihe present or twentieth annual edition of this book is by far the most complete ever published. The index which last year required 99 pages, now contains nine more pages, and this extra matter represents manufacturers of over 3000 articles that have not appeared in previous issues. The total number of classifications is over 45,000, each representing manufacturers of or dealers in machines, tools, specialties and materials required in the architec- tural engineering, mechanical, electrical, railroad and kin- dred fields. This edition contains 77 pages more than the previous one and 47 pages of matter appearing in the last edition were omitted, which makes the total number of pages of new matter 124 and represents over 350,000 names and addresses. While the simplicity of its classification has always been a feature of. the Commercial Register, the classifica- tions this year have been arranged in numerical order and the index refers directly to the numbers of the various classifications instead of to the page. The different classi- fications are all arranged so that the book may be used for either purchasing or mailing purposes. The general heading for mailing purposes is first given, under which all manufacturers of a particular trade are first classified and each of the firms or corporations appears again under as many classifications as every variety of its product calls for. An effort has been made to give after the names of the different firms information which would be of assist- ance to the buyer and save the expense of writing to a number of firms for a particular article desired. Trade names of all the articles classified are included as far as possible and appear in parenthesis between the names and addresses of the different firms appearing under the classifications. —_———__a-o———_——_ Superior Special Charcoal Pig Iron——The Superior Charcoal Iron Company, Grand Rapids, Mich., states that all its blast furnaces are now making the Superior Special brand of charcoal pig iron. These furnaces are the Pioneer, Elk Rapids, Antrim, Excelsior, Champion, Marquette, Michigan and Pine Lake. Not long ago the Lake Superior & Ishpeming Railroad ordered a lot of car wheels made en- tirely from this iron. The wheels were made without the use of ferromanganese, ferrosilicon or alloys of any kind in either cupola or ladle, the fuel used being standard Connellsville coke. The wheels were of the 33-in. M.C.B. 725-Ib. type, No. 2 tape. They broke at the 115th blow under the regular M.C.B. drop test of 220 Ib., falling 12 ft., the M.C.B. requirements for this test being 12 blows. These wheels are to be placed under engine tanks, where they will be subjected to the heaviest service. From the high strength shown and the intense hardness of the chill, they will undoubtedly give a high mileage. —_ +e The Sowers Mfg. Company, operating the H. W. Dopp Company, Buffalo, N. Y., has recently finished and has in complete running order a new machine shop and erecting building. The company is steadily broadening its lines of foundry and machine shop work and engineering and finds its business this year ahead of that of ro10 at the same date. The excellent business is ascribed to the fact that the company’s apparatus is becoming better known and used by those who are seeking the utilization of certain by-products. The Wickwire Steel Company, Buffalo, N. Y., blew out its Harriet X furnac