The Iron Age 1912-01-25: Vol 89 Iss 4

Mh) Z y y _ THE JRO Established 1855 New York, Welfare Work in January 25, 1912 Vol. 89: No. 4 German Industries Efficiency Its Underlying Idea—Thorough- going Measures for the Improvement of Shop and Living Conditions of Employees BY C. A. In the minds of most Americans welfare work as con- ducted by employers of labor in Germany for the benefit of their men is associated with paternalism. One thinks instinctively of the model dwellings erected by Friedrich Krupp and his successor at Essen, of old age pensions, in- firmaries, etc., maintained more or less in the form of benevolences. The idea of patronage, which was a rem- nant of the old feudal system, is, however, rapidly coming to be a thing of the past. Individual or corporate efforts to improve the condition of the working classes, aside from the part taken directly by the Government in providing industrial insurance, sanitary surroundings, amusement parks, etc., are now expressed along two distinct although related lines. The spirit of the first of these was well put in a con- versation which the writer had with an official of the Maschinenfabrik Augsburg-Niirnberg, at Nuremberg, in Bavaria, when he said: “Our animating motive (leitender gesichtspunkt) in carrying out these policies has been to give them such shape that our employees enjoy their ad- vantage not as gifts or charities, but as benefits upon which they have a just claim.” For the second, the underlying object is the maintenance of good health, contentment and working efficiency, considering man as an animal to be kept in good condition, precisely the same as a draft- horse, but with the various factors of mentality added. It is with this phase of the subject that the present article has chiefly to deal. Care of Women and Children In nothing does the Teutonic spirit of thoroughness better express itself; for a start is made at the very be- ginning, the prenatal influences. Many women are em- ployed in the same establishments as their husbands, or in light manufacturing plants of the same vicinity. In the period of gestation such women are objects of practical solicitude on the part of their own or their husbands’ em- ployers; and care is taken that they do not work too many hours or for too long a period. The same care is exercised, n different ways, with respect to the women who remain at home. At any rate, as the time of delivery draws near the needs of the case are sdequail ly provided for. The skilled workmen are, as a rule, sufficiently independent to make their choice of means to this end; but if the benefits of a regular maternity hospital are desirable, they can readily be had. Such institutions are maintained by mu- ncipalles by mutual labor associations and very fre- (uently by employers themselves. Among the plants vis- ited by the writer which supported excellent maternity hospitals oy visiting nurses were Haniel & Lueg, Diissel- ‘lorf, the Gutehoffnungshiitte Oberhausen, and the Gewerk- schaft Deutscher Kaiser, or Thyssen & Co., at a suburb of Duisburg-Ruhrort. The proper upbringing of the children is a matter in which the authorities directly interest themselves. They TUPPER are not allowed under any circumstances to run wild on the street, as we too often find to be the case in this coun- try; and.excellent educational facilities are provided. These begin with the kindergartens and carry the boy who is destined to be a workingman through a common or pri- mary school course which ends when he is about 14; then, if he were to advance further, he would go on into a sec- ondary school. Meanwhile he has had the opportunity for excellent physical training afforded by the numerous “turner” societies, which, with their gymnasiums and out- of-door exercise fields, are encouraged in every possible way by employers. Many of these societies are composed entirely of the employees of large establishments, with their families, the women and girls having their classes as well as the men and boys; and this is an influence which exerts itself very appreciably upon the health of employees all through the active periods of their lives. The only thing which seemed to the writer to be lacking is the spirit of play or sport. It is all done with such seriousness that one wonders if the Americans and English haven’t injected one element, at least, into physical training which the Ger- mans have missed. However, this impression may be due to superficial observation. There is among the turner so- cieties a certain amount of competition for prizes and hon- ors which may supply a part of the spirit, through the rivalry generated, and at one practice meet which the writer saw in Leipzig there appeared to be plenty of fun. Apprenticeship Systems In the metal working industries it is quite the common thing for a boy to be taken into the works in which his father is employed, and the apprenticeship systems open to him are very good. All of the firms to which more or less extended reference has been made by the writer in pre- vious articles prepared for The /ron Age have such sys- tems. As an illustration, however, the one to be found at the works of the Ludwig Loewe & Co. Aktien Gesellschaft, Berlin, which is among the largest machine tool manufac- turing companies of Europe, will serve to bring out the principal features pertinent to this article. It.is in the de- velopment of trained, loyal workmen that the Loewe com- pany has evolved methods which are well worth emulation by Americans. The apprentices, of whom a large number are taken into the shops annually, work under ideal conditions, as concerns physical welfare, and in addition to learning their trade they receive instruction for a certain number of hours each week in a gootl school. This is recognized by the authorities as a regular continuation school. Education of apprentices either in a public or private continuation school conforming to specified standards is compulsory in most parts of the empire. The Loewe company, as well as many other large employers, goes much farther than legal requirements. There is very thorough teaching of mathematics, including not only arithmetic but also alge- 239 240 bra, trigonometry and geometry, and any apprentice who displays an aptitude for drawing or special work of any kind is given particular encouragement in that line. Military Service and Later After the apprenticeship course, the efforts of the Ger- man employer are supplemented in a manner not possible in this country, viz.: the training given to the young man as a soldier. When it comes time for serving in the army the graduates from the shops take their turn with other German youths. As recruits they are given a “setting-up” physically, instruction in hygiene and habits of discipline which are invaluable both to themselves and their employ- ers in after life. To the writer’s mind, the Prussian mili- tary system has been, in no small degree, responsible for the industrial development of the empire. If introduced in England, even in modified form, it would be a godsend to that country, if a traveler’s impressions are any criterion. Returning to industrial life, the apprentices go forth as journeymen machinists, with the recommendation and co- operation of their former employers, or else they settle down in the same shops where they were trained. Of the wanderers the larger number remains away; but a consid- erable percentage returns and places are found for them as soon as possible. In the case of the Loewe company and some others, it is interesting to note that considerable benefit is derived from the experience which the journey- men have had elsewhere. Soon after each has come back there is very apt to be a communication from him in one of the suggestion boxes. For ideas that can be used payments or other suitable rewards are paid. In fact, from the be- ginning of:their training apprentices are encouraged to think for themselves. This tendency is not general through the empire, but at the present rate of progress observed by the writer, compared with what has been reported in pre- vious years, the development of initiative soon will be very noticeable. In all modern German shops the visitor is impressed with the mature, well-set-up appearance of the men, by the air of health and vigor manifested and by the confident, quiet manner in which they go about their tasks. They may be “slow,” according to American standards, but “de- liberate” would probably be the better term. At any rate, the work is well done, spoilages are rare and costly blun- ders still rarer. The German workman does not suffer from “nerves,” and there can be no question that the ex- cellent health in which he usually finds himself goes a long way toward insuring an even, steady output, which en- ables the manufacturer to make and keep definite terms of delivery. Shop Refreshment Not least among the requirements of the German work- man is the opportunity of eating and drinking his fill. Therefore many of the provisions of welfare work (wohl- fahrts einrichtungen) center about this need. In entering . the works of A. G. Reinecker, at Chemnitz, one is struck by the sign “Kaffee” (coffee) in the middle of each shop, where a stand is placed for dispensing that refreshment, and something similar may be seen in almost every estab- lishment. Usually, also, there is a canteen where beer can be obtained. There are, of course, everywhere in Ger- many, the usual pauses of about fifteen minutes at mid- forenoon and mid-afternoon for lunches, and an hour to an hour and a half at noon. In the summer time it is not uncommon for the men to take their meals in the parks or gardens which surround many manufacturing plants, and often in the company of their wives and children. At the entrance to the works of Haniel & Lueg, for example, it is difficult to realize that one is within a few hundred feet of one of the largest plants in Germany. Here, also, the men have the advan- tage in winter or bad weather of a large messroom and food may be purchased at low prices in the canteen where beer is served. At some plants coffee is served free. The temperance movement is gaining ground in Germany, and while most employers countenance or even commend the drinking of malt liquors, others believe that the expense of serving coffee is a good investment. They would one and all, however, look with horror at the long lines of saloons which face most American metal-working plants, and the practice which obtains among workmen in this country of “knocking down” their checks at such places; the THE IRON AGE January 25. rounds of “treating,” waste of wages, etc., so common ith us, would be almost unbelievable abroad. Furthermore he too prevalent custom in democratic America of provi ing good eating places and even serving luncheons free for officials and office men, while utterly ignoring the needs of the shop worker, would breed rabid discontent in a:to- cratic Prussia or Saxony. Shop Hygiene and Sanitation Among modern German manufacturing plants, hyg:cne and sanitation now hold a very prominent place in all pro- visions made for the well being and efficiency of em- ployees. While the writer was in Dresden preparations were being pushed for a great exposition intended to bring out every possible phase of this subject and to demonstrate the most successful appliances. The best means of safe- guarding the health of industrial workers were to be given particular emphasis. The affair was international in scope and invitations to exhibit had been sent broadcast. The response from other countries was not especially encour- aging, but the Germans themselves, in various parts of the empire, had promised a participation sufficiently exten- sive to insure the success of the undertaking. This goes to show something of the progress that has been made during recent years. In respect to ordinary arrangements, such as washing and bathing appliances, lockers, water closets, etc., modern metalworking establishments in Germany and the United States are about on a par; while there is the same provision in most of the up-to-date plants of both countries for good ventilation, lighting, etc., with perhaps less complete ar- rangements for heating German shops, but a more even maintenance of temperature where good systems do exist. With the larger questions of sanitation, however, such as the complete dissolution of the noxious elements of sewage, including closet waste, in septic tanks or other- wise, the Germans seem disposed to make a more thor- ough practical application than Americans are doing, of the results of scientific investigation. There are, of course, notorious exceptions, such as the foul condition of the stream that flows through Elberfeld-Barmen and _ takes the discharge of waste from the chemical factories; but “for the most part conditions in the free industrial dis- tricts have been enormously improved of late years. In many they approach the ideal. Not a few of the ideas of sewage disposal now being promulgated in the United States and England, including the celebrated Emscher or Imhoff tank systems, originated in the needs of German manufacturing centers. Houses for Employees In nothing, however, are manufacturers showing more solid, common sense than in their attitude, throughout the German empire, toward housing facilities for their employees, with consequent promotion of health and working efficiency. The early Krupp experiments at Essen, which most Americans have heard of and still believe represent German manufacturers’ ideals of raising the living conditions of workers, belong to a bygone era. The model apartment houses and cottages erected at Essen were rented to men with families or occupied by pensioners of the Fr. Krupp Aktien Gesellschaft. Other large steel or textile mill operators, machinery builders, etc., followed suit, until the manufacturing cities and towns of the empire seemed in a fair way to be extended almost wholly along similar lines. As about 200,000 per- sons are dependent upon the wages paid at the various Krupp plants alone, it will be readily seen what a great impulse was given to the movement by the policy of that company. These “model” dwellings, however, were never quite satisfactory to the working population, and their influence on industry was not of the best. To some extent it has been quite the reverse. In the first place, their uniformity and monotony of appearance and the rules by which they were hedged about appear to have palled on even the phlegmatic Teuton workmen. The first construction of dwellings on a lavish scale was under Alfred Krupp, the son of the founder of the works. He was pre-eminently an engineer, and the communities were laid out with mathematical accuracy in every line. There was the same number of windows in each dwelling of the same class; the stone, brick and woodwork was exactly alike, and uary 25, 1912 the few shade trees looked like a line of grenadiers rade. Since then this arrangement has been greatly ‘ed and improved; but the machine-like precision in thing pertaining to the daily life of the employees and families never has been effaced. There is, therefore, | cause for wonder that those for whom these philan- vic schemes were intended. soon began to manifest ingratitude, even to the extent of preferring to live -els or crowded tenements rather than be governed he conditions of their employers’ bounty. Human re has never changed. Building and Loan Associations hen it was, not Many years ago, that manufacturers in to encourage the formation among the workmen ‘selves of mutual building and loan associations, with st immediate success. All through the busy valleys the Rhine and its tributaries, around Berlin, in Saxony nd among the rapidly growing cities of South Germany savings of the working classes have gone largely into tual organizations for the erection of neat, comfortable ttages or sanitary apartment houses, which may be cither purchased on: easy terms or rented at very low monthly rates. So important have these societies of in- iustrial workers become that they are now receiving, in nany districts, direct support from the local governmental and manufacturers or wealthy philanthropists who take an active interest in welfare work recognize in them the best means of effectively helping the laboring classes by aiding the latter to help themselves. The socie- ties, therefore, find little difficulty in securing enough funds for all of the operations within their scope. This “mutual benefit” movement has also been expended in numerous other directions, concerning which there will not be space to tell here, and now embraces more than half the popula- tion of the German empire. Various employers, particularly those who have built new works outside of cities, are still interested in the direct founding of workingmen’s “colonies,” but they use discretion and taste in the erection of dwellings. One such settlement, for example, which has been laid out by the \ugsburg-Niirnberg management, quoted at the beginning of this article, bears the appearance of having developed naturally according to the tastes and financial condition of the different inhabitants, except that everything har- There is nothing of the contract-built look of Pullman about it. This illustrates a modern development of the original Essen idea which appears to have been suc- cessful in a number of places; but the other plan above mentioned gives the best general results. authorities ; monizes lhe ramifications of welfare work in Germany are almost innumerable. Employers support or contribute to funds for disability, illness, accident and old-age insurarice, as prescribed by the laws of the empire, and also volun- tarily to savings banks, maintenance of widows and orphans, libraries, amusements, night schools, industrial education, gymnasiums, ete. Furthermore, they give their time, money and energies freely to the improvement and good government of the communities in which their plants are situated, making them pleasant, comfortable, healthful places in which to live. the best classes of labor, not only from Germany, but also irom surrounding countries. The population of Dussel- lorf, for example, has been collected from all north murope. \side from the regulations imposed by the government, th cre is probably nothing in the welfare work of Germany ‘hat one cannot find duplicated many times over in this country; but in Germany practices such as those described, and others relating to prevention of accidents, etc., are ecoming almost universal; whereas in the United States ‘ney are scattered and spasmodic. Furthermore, a policy nce determined upon is steadily and consistently devel- ed. In it all one thought seems to be uppermost, viz.: increase the efficiency of the workers, both individually and en masse, to the end that the hold of the empire upon trade of the world may be still further strengthened nd its commerce enlarged. For this, bodily health and ‘kor are considered the primary requisite, so far as the ooring classes are concerned. Therefore, all welfare rk centers in that idea. THE IRON AGE This helps to attract and retain . 241 New Acme Taper Turning Tool A taper turning tool which is radically different in its operation from those now on the market has been brought out by the Acme Machine Tool Company, 2235 Buck street, Cincinnati, Ohio. The taper bar in this new tool forces the cutter out from the center of the bar, an arrangement which, it is pointed out, insures the turning of a regular taper. This action is exactly the opposite to that of the ordinary taper turning tool, in which a spring is employed to force the tool against the taper bar and no A New Type of Tool for Turning Tapers Made by the Acme Ma- chine Tool Company, Cincinnati, Ohio provision is made to prevent it from gouging into the work. The construction of this new tool, it is emphasized, eliminates the trouble previously encountered from the tool gouging into the work, as this action is prevenetd. In the new tool the pressure of the cut and a small spring hold the tool down firmly against the taper guide. The cutter is mounted on a vertical slide which is con- nected by a long adjusting screw to the L shaped piece engaging with the taper bar. This bar is kept in position by a bolt screwed into the head cap of the machine. The back rests precede the tool and work against the straight diameter of the work. Concrete Pile Contracts —Among the recent con- tracts for pile foundations awarded to the MacArthur Concrete Pile & Foundation Company, 11 Pine street, New York City, are those for a manufacturing building for Hammond-Standish, Saginaw, Mich.; a warehouse build- ing for the Oliver Chilled Plow Works, Ltd., of Canada, at Hamilton, Ontario, and ‘for the $750,000 Fulton County court house at Atlanta, Ga. In the foundation for this last structure more than 1200 pedestal concrete piles will be driven. The contract for the warehouse at Hamilton is the second which has been awarded to this company by the Oliver Chilled Plow Works. The annual meeting and dinner of the New York and New Jersey Branch of the National Metal Trades Asso- ciation will be held the evening of Saturday, February 3, at the Engineers’ Club, 32 West Fortieth street, New York City. The dinner will be served at 6.30 and followed by reports of officers and addresses on subjects of interest to the members of the branch. Members are at liberty to invite guests, and the advisory committee suggests that they invite manufacturers who may be interested in the branch and its work. The Imperial Clock Company, whose plant was recently removed to St. Louis, Mo., has elected Peter H. Huck president, R. W. Lanning vice-president, R. E. Hayes sec- retary and treasurer, Joseph R. Steis and H. Groom direct- ors, in addition to the officers. The Hall & Brown Wood Working Machinery Com- pany, St. Louis, Mo., has elected Charles S. Brown, John S. Judd, William Woltering, John Yerkes and Alfred W. Brown directors. The officers to be elected later will be headed by Charles S. Brown as president. 242 A New Bolt for Metal Construction A remarkable bolt in respect to its commercial promise and its simplicity of application for fastening together metal members and for general use in assembling metal parts has been developed by the Kling Bolt Company, 42 Broadway, New York City. While the company is named after the inventor of the bolt, incidentally it is a coin- cidence that the name is quite descriptive of the object of the device. parts placed together in the same manner that an ordinary bolt would be were it split in two parts along the axis. The special point is that a portion of the head of each of the two parts is cut away so that the head of each half part may be in- serted in the hole left to receive the bolt, which hole is, of course, of the diameter of the bolt stem. The accompanying illustrations will serve to indicate the points of con- struction, and it may merely be stated that in inserting the two head portions of the bolt in the hole in the metal work the two parts of the THE IRON Briefly described the bolt is threaded and takes a nut like the ordinary bolt, but consists of two January 25, i012 ~ AGE to use it in places where it would be difficult or ip- possible to insert the bolt, as from the far side of the metal construction to be assembled. For example, in ihe construction of steel railroad cars, there are points w)iecre bolting must be done where it is difficult to insert a }o}t owing to too limited space for reaching the hole from an inside position. With the present device the bolt may be inserted from the convenient point outside and the nut 4t- tached within a minimum of time. It is not the intention to outline the various usages to which the bolt may be put. The illustrations are intended to assist in this direction. It wil! be noted how it can be applied to the as- sembling of pipe members in making railings, gates, and the like. A hole of sufficient size to receive the diameter of the bolt is all that is necessary, the bolt being inserted from the outside. Inci- dentally portions of pipe fittings may be employed to make connecting mem- bers in such work, or a piece of the pipe itself may be spread on the ends and bent to fit adjacent pipe supports Other interesting, applications shown Kling Bolt and Some of Its Ap- plications. The letters on the sketch of the bolt itself indicate what must be known in selecting the style and size: L, is length of bolt required; T, is thickness of metal through which head passes; C, is length of thread of bolt; N, diameter nut wanted. stem have a relation to each other similar to the parts of a pair of scissors in the spread position. Once in the hole the threaded parts are brought together for admitting the nut and the head ends then spread so that their pro- jections form the support against which the tension in the bolt is set up through screwing on the nut. The special object of the bolt is, of course, the chance required; D, is is style of are the bolting of angle bars, brackets and the like in sup- porting beams to columns, for supporting floors, hangers for shafting, etc. The bolt is made in an extended range of standard sizes. In the very smallest sizes, where desirable, the two parts of the bolt are fastened together on a dowel pin, thus avoiding the annoyance of losing one half of the bolt, par- inuary 25, 1912 ularly where the length of the bolt is very short. It is vious that changes and repairs with the use of this bolt not involve cutting rivets with the danger of disfiguring destroying the work. A point on which considerable VA Vertical Section of Sash Catch Application of Bolt to Metal Car €onstruction emphasis is also placed is that the bolt allows for the use of tubular construction instead of rectangular members, and this from a structural standpoint means, other things eing equal, that lighter or stronger sections are available. In the case of the pipe work, as the members need not be joined by threaded connections, lighter piping can be used than would otherwise be the case. The Shuster Wire Straightener Another development of the automatic wire straight- eners and cutters built by the F. B. Shuster Company, New 'laven, Conn., has been placed on the market. The special feature of this machine is the continuous feed. The em- THE IRON AGE 243 features of the machine are a new type of clutch trip and the employment of heavier construction. The general construction of the machine is the same as the company’s other models with the exception that it is heavier. The general plan and operation of the machine are also standard.’ It is claimed for this straightener and cutter that it can be used on gold, silver, brass, cold drawn or rough wire stock with equally satisfactory results as re- gard straightness of the finished product and accuracy of length. The length of the arbor and its bearings has been increased. End thrust bearings are fitted to the arbor, which provide oscillation for the arbor while the cutting operation is being performed. Another special feature is the clutch trip. This is controlled by the handle shown on the front of the machine and brings the cutting mechanism directly under the hand of the operator. The three-roll back rough straightener is the same as that employed on former models except that it has double grooved feed rolls, the same as the front ones. A chain running over a pair of sprockets connects the front and the back feed rolls. As the name implies the function of this part is to straighten the material before it enters the rotary arbor and the straightener is supplied only with the '4-in. and larger sizes, the smaller machines not requiring such a device. The machine illustrated is what is known as the 5-in. size and is designed for handling %-in. and smaller wire and cutting off pieces to a maximum length of 12 ft. These machines are, however, built along the same lines for handling all sizes and for cutting to any length that may be required. German Pig Iron Production in 1911 Our Berlin correspondent says: “The growing activity of the German iron trade is manifested in the December pig-iron statistics, which show the largest production ever recorded for any one month. It amounted to 1,377,637 metric tons, which compares with 1,313,896 tons in Novem- ber and 1,307,084 tons in December, 1910. Production for the year amourited to 15,524,223 tons, comparing with 14,- 793,325 tons for 1910 and 12,917,653 tons for 1909. January is expected to-create another high record, as some three or four large furnaces have been blown in this month.” Correction.—In the description of the large electric- ally operated valves recently furnished by the Chapman Valve Mfg. Company, Indian Orchard, Mass., to the On- tario Power Company, which appeared in The /ron Age January 18 on page 198, the weight of these valves was erroneously given as 13,000 lb. “It should have been 130,- ooo Ib., as is evident when the extreme size of the valves is taken into consideration. The Equitable building in New York, which was de- stroyed by fire January 9, was not protected by a regularly equipped Underwriter fire pump arranged to be under steam night and day to meet an emergency of fire.’ The building did have paraphernalia to fight fire—hose, fire nozzles and water tank with poorly equipped fire pump in tie cellar, but as soon as the supply of water in the tank was ex- hausted the building was at the mercy of the flames. Had The New Continuous Feed Automatic Wire Straightener and Cutter Built by the F. B. Shuster Company, New Haven, Corin. ployment of an arbor and specially designed dies enables oil after coil of wire to be fed through the machine with- ut stopping it or readjusting the dies when the latter have een once adjusted for a certain size of wire. Other special it not been for the assistance rendered by the neighboring buildings, all of which had Worthington fire pumps, it is more than probable that the fire would have wiped out a considerable section of the congested downtown district. 7 , * ee eo Sr ae TS Se ee ae PTE eee oo ain pote / “4 iowa ay eas ti = 7 oN ow -_* Sle. oa —. 244 THE IRON AGE A New Mumford Valve A Recent Development for Jolt Ramming Machin es The Mumford Molding Machine Company, Plainfield, N. J., has recently developed a new type of valve for use on its jolt ramming machines. This valve is intended to do away with the necessity for changing the stroke of the machine when different kinds of work are being handled. In the new valve the stroke does not vary, having been made long enough to ram the most difficult mold and then by varying the back pressure on the plunger the blow is modified to give the lightest blows needed. Fig. 1 shows the valve applied to one of the maker’s standard 24-in. January 25, 1« b open and readmits air for the next blow. While |i working of this valve is both simple and positive, i: js mounted on a readily removable plug, i, so that even foreseen accidents can be guarded against. From the foregoing description it will be seen that ‘he valve of this jolt ramming machine is unique and it actuated by the air independently of the velocity of the rising table without imposing any burden upon the enter air column. This feature differentiates it from the other valves which require the machine to possess enough serve capacity to send the table past the valve-throw: point with sufficient velocity to complete the operation and not stall with the valve partly thrown. It is also pointed Fig. 1—Details of a New Valve for Jolt Ramming Molding Machines Made by the Mumford Molding Machine Company, Pieinfield, N. J. jolt ramming machines having a table 72 in. square and sufficient capacity to ram molds weighing 12 tons. Fig. 2 illustrates the valve applied to a machine located in a core bench and operated by a knee pad. Referring to Fig. 1, which gives the details of the valve, the operation will be understood from the follow- ing description: The air entering at a from the 2-in. sup- ply pipe passes around the stem of the valve 0b to the bent tube c. From this point it enters the space at the side of the main plunger d and, passing through the port e, it reaches the cylinder and raises the plunger and the mold table. As the lower edge of the packing ring on the main plunger uncovers the exhaust port f, which connects with a 3-in. exhaust pipe, the rising shoulder g of the main plunger cuts off the entering air. With the exhaust port open and the inlet port blocked, the pressure rapidly de- creases under the main plunger and, as the table is fall- ing to give the impact to the mold, the valve b blows up into the reduced pressure space in the cylinder and cuts off the entering air positively. The pressure which forces this valve up is that of the supply line introduced through the by-pass A, and this pressure keeps the valve b up with the air cut off until just before the instant of impact, when the projecting part j of the main plunger forces the valve Fig? 2—The Valve Applied to a Machine Set in a Core Bench and Controlled by ‘the Operator’s Knee out that the total absence of springs in the valve or any- where else in the machine eliminates the source of trouble that is present wherever springs occur. In Fig. 2 one of these valves is shown applied to a machine which is set in a core bench and has the valve operated by a knee pad. Wrought Pipe Experience in Refrigerating Work The National Tube Company, Frick Building, Pitts- burgh, Pa., has reprinted in pamphlet form the paper by P. DeC. Ball, St. Louis, Mo., on “Steel Pipe versus Wrought Iron Pipe in Refrigerating Work,” which was read at the American Society of Refrigerating Engineers held in St. Louis, October 2 and 3, ro11. This paper deals with Mr. Ball’s personal experience with steel pipe and wrought iron pipe in refrigerating plants. It is a strong presentation in favor of steel pipe for this special use. An interesting statement made by the author was that he had some time previously taken down, moved and re- built an open-air ammonia condenser which had been in operation 14 years and which was made of steel pipe, full card weight, not galvanized. He says: “The pipe was in absolutely perfect condition, neither pitted nor corroded at all; in fact, looked as good as after. the first three months’ run.” The Follansbee Brothers Company, Pittsburgh, Pa. made several changes in its traveling force at the begin- ning of the year. The company is now represented in western Illinois, lowa and Nebraska by W. R. Messick; in the New England States by F. A. Barrows, and in Virginia and North and South Carolina by William L. Hunter Messrs. Messick and Barrows have traveled in the sections menticned for a sufficient time to become well known to the trade. Mr. Hunter was for several years connected with the company’s general office, having formerly been its city salesman. Frank C. ‘Roberts & Co., Philadelphia, are consulting engineers for the blast furnace plant to be built by the Oriskany Ore & Iron Corporation near Lynchburg, Va. inuary 25, 1912 (juide Arrangements for Small Merchant Mills \n illustrated article in Stahl und Eisen, by Herr inker, deals with guides for mills rolling small angles to 1.77 in. flats, strips, small tees, rounds and squares to 1.18 in. and special small sections. For roll- sections, either three-high or double two-high ills are used in Germany, from 9.8-in. to 13.4-in. pitch meter. For roughing continuous mills or ordinary ee-high mills are used with rolls from 15.7-in to 19.7-in. ich diameter. For small sizes of tool steel no special iwhing mill is generally employed, the billets being rolled the first stand or stands of rolls. The choice between three-high or double two-hign lls, with or without special roughing trains, depends 1m 0.27 these Uy og su NF —— Y me sO ss WO "9 ie is 11.8-In, Fig. 1—Double Two-High Mill. Fitch Diameter upon the desired amount of output as well as the kind of material. If only simple shapes are to be rolled, such as rounds or squares, then a three-high mill is usually chosen with a fixed central roll, the material being passed irom one stand to the other either automatically or by iand. The upper and lower rolls are then alternately blind rolls, and therefore each stand works only like a \wo-high mill. Double two-high mills would not be suit- able in such a case, as one pair in each stand would be left idle. lor angles, simple tees, small channels, hexagons ana strips, as well as special shapes, the double two-high mill . to be preferred, as it gives a much more exact final product. Also double the number of passes per stand an be made, compared with a three-high mill of the same big. 2—Arrangement for Small Angles ior both pairs of rolls are completely independent cach other. Further, the sections are not rolled con- iously but backwards and forwards. For these rea- s this arrangement is also the most suitable for tool is. THE IRON AGE 245 In the original paper the guide arrangement for an ordinary three-high mills is first shown, which presents no feature of special interest. Next comes a double two- high mill, which is shown in Fig. 1, with rolls-11.8-in. pitch diameter. It is used as the roughing stand of the double nae -_ vwmm, Fig. 3—Arrangement for Ovals, with Simple Square Rest Bar two-high train, and has exactly the same measurements as the remaining stands. In this way the parts are change- able, which considerably reduces the necessary spares. It will be noticed that the plate A is curved upwards, so that the bar is easily raised from the lower to the upper passes. In such a mill 3.15-in. billets can be easily rolled. It is much used for special steels and has given very favorable results. Fig. 2 shows the guide arrangement for small angles. it is of interest because of the fastening used for the side guards, mills. which is practical and very much liked in the It can be easily loosened, the side guards changed gel fr Ve Fig. 4—Changeable Guide for Flats, Ovals apd Edging Passes and again tightened. The conical rest bar can be replaced by cheaper square ones, made out of smooth, carefully rolled stock, as is shown in Fig. 3. One disadvantage, however, is that the stripping plate is not so firmly fixed. In Fig. 4 is shown an afrangement that is very prac- tical and can be quickly altered for various sizes. The illustration is so plain that it does not need description. For mills rolling special steels such an arrangement is largely used, oar is to be recommended. When rolling tool steels, steel side guards are employed, smoothly ma- chined”andthen hardened. With regard to the side guards for shapes, it may be said that both sides are usually prepared, with the small sizes, so that they can be turned around when one side is worn, Thig helps to save material, ich in general is rather pensive. Pr . The arrange of guides and side guards for edg- ing passes, for step rolls and for small tees are also shown, and the article closes with reference to the neces- sity of smooth and well fitting pass guides. G. BW. THE IRON The Vixen Rail Planer For straightening out raised and cupped joints and cor- rugations of every description occurring in rails, the Vixen Tool Company, 5001 Lancaster avenue, Philadelphia; Pa., A New Type of Rail Planer Puilt by has brought out a rail planer. This planer is a portable cast-iron and steel holder to which is attached a standard Vixen file. plicity of construction, low cost of operation, durability, ease of handling, adaptability for all types of rails and ability to remove a large amount of metal in a short time. The holder is shown in position on a rail in the lower part of the accompanying engraving, while a view of the holder and the bottom of the file is given in the upper portion. The file employed is miade from a high grade crucible steel and is cut on both sides with a series of deep teeth in semi-circular form as is clearly shown at the upper portion of the accompanying engraving. The formation of these teeth is the same as the maker’s standard file. It is pointed out that instead of forming the teeth by a blow, which has a tendency to injure the steel and make the teeth defective, the teeth of the Vixen file are cut one at a time with an end mill. This mill is made in the shape of a hollow cylinder having a diameter of from 2% to 3 in. and the edge beveled off at an angle of 60 deg. In cutting the file teeth the mill is set at an angle of 1% deg. with a line at right angles to the plane of the file and the cutters are rotated by automatic machines which feed them into the file blanks to the proper depth, withdraw them, index the file and repeat In use the planer is put on top of the rail and is alter- nately pushed and pulled by two laborers. On account of its light weight, 135 lb., the machine can be easily handled In operation the file is automatically raised from the rail on the backward stroke and lowered sufficiently on the for- ward one to engage the rail. This feature is made possible by the construction of the holder and this prevents un- necessary wear on the file teeth on the backward stroke while the weight of the device is employed on the forward stroke to utilize to the fullest extent the cutting edges of the file. After the file has become dulled from use it can be resharpened about four times, the number depending entirely on how much the teeth have been worn after they became dull. This planer it is claimed is equally well adapted for all types of joints whether welded or mechan- ically fastened and is especially adapted to subway work where the space is very much limited. When used for this class of work it is pointed out that it does not tie up traffic or place a section of the line out of commission while it is in operation and, as it does not require electric power, no expensive portable switches are necessary. The special features of this machine are sim- The Central Wire & Iron Company, Cleveland, Ohio, has changed its name to the McLaren Iron Works Com- pany. Guy N. McLaren is president and Archibald Mc- Laren is secretary. the January 25, 19 AGE A New Positive Pressure Blower A positive pressure blower of a notable design, in t it consists wholly of one casing, two heads, one drum, t\ three or four vanes depending upon the size of the blow Vixen Tool Company, Philadelphia, Pa. and sliding shoes or rollers in each head for supporting the blades of the impellers, has been brought out by the National Cable & Mfg. Company, Niles, Mich. An idea of the general character and construction of the blower is illustrated in the accompanying reproduction of a pho- tograph. It is emphasized that the blower is the result of 20 years’ ex- perience in the manufacture of positive sure and_ that are no thus ing The blower intended for operation at low pres blowers, there gears, minimiz- friction is speed, minimiz ing the required to run the blower, the small num- ber of parts are pt wer ail Duplex Positive Pressure Blower calculated to mean minimum noise in operation, minimum attention and minimum wear. The blower is intended for use with welding forges, assaying’ furnaces, blast blow-pipes, gas forges, brazing hearths, hardening furnaces, tempering furnaces, and the tinning bath for wire. The picture is a view of the No. % blower, which provides for intake and outlet openings of 6 in. and is operated ordinarily at a speed of 175 r.p.m. and is rated to deliver 416 cu. ft. of air per minute, de- manding 2! hp: for delivering at a pressure of 1 Ib. per inch and for delivering at a pressure 0! The blowers of this general type made by the company range in size of inlet and outlet from 1 to 16 in. in diameter with capacities of 20 to 4000 square 10 hp. lb. per square inch. 5 cu. ft. of air delivered per minute. ‘1 The Taft-Peirce Mfg. Company, Woonsocket, R. |., has established a Chicago office at 1038 National Life Building, with A. H. Mitchel in charge, te fiandle in- quiries in connection with the manufacture of light high- grade machinery, the redesigning of machines for econo- mical manufacture, and the design and construction of special tools and machinery. nuary 25, 1912 [he Natco Multiple-Spindle Drill \ recent additien to the Natco line of multiple-spindle ils built by the National Automatic Tool Company, hmond, Ind., is a smaller size of tool known as the type |. This new tool has been built to meet the demand for small size of drill which embodies the builder’s patented ture of independently changeable spindle speeds. This ikes it possible te use different sizes of drills at the same e and yet have each operate at approximately the cor- t cutting speed. Another special feature of the drill is rigidity and simplicity of its construction. Fig. I is a ew of the drill, while details of the universal joint and drilling head are given in Fig. 2. it will be noticed by referring to Fig. 1 that the shafts the top of the head are in different positions which irrespond to those of the spindle gears inside the head t the right of Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the head used this drill. The shaft in the center shows the spindle ear in slow speed, while on those immediately adjacent is gear is in a neutral position. On the other shaft the ‘ear is in the high-speed position and shows clearly how it possible to vary the speed of any spindle independently ‘f that of any other, an arrangement which makes it pos- ible to drill in one operation pieces which formerly required two or more operations to complete on a single- speed tool. These machines are built with either square rectangular heads, the former covering an area 9% in. square, while that of the other measures 12 x 8 in. Both types have adjustable steel rails, the square-head machine having a capacity of ten 5/16-in. drills, or their equivalent, while the capacity of the rectangular head is six more. [he center distances which can be obtained are 11/16 and 13/16 in., depending upon the size of the holes to be The Type M-1 Multiple-Spindle Drilling Machine with Inde- pendently Adjustable Spindle Speeds Built by the National Automatic Tool Company, Richmond, Ind. ed. The universal joints used at the head are shown detail at the left of Fig. 2. These joints are said to be different construction from the others now on the mar- t. and the pins on the driving block instead of being of ‘he usual inserted type are milled, from the solid. The use THE IRON AGE 247 of this kind of pin, together with the employment of hard- ened wearing surface, it is pointed out, gives a strong and dependable joint. The adjustable steel rails supplied with the head are bronze bushed and are provided with ball-thrust bearings, Fig. 2 Details of the Universal Joint and the Head an adjustment to compensate for wear and ample lubri- cating facilities. In changing the machine from drilling one piece to another, adjustments over the entire range of the tool are made quickly. For holding the drills spring collets made from a special grade of spring steel are used. A hexagonal spindle cap screwed on the end of the spindle grips the drill. -When only a portion of the drills are heing used those not in service can be easily thrown out of position while the machine is running by raising or low- ering the spindle gears to the neturai position. ; Both single or double speeds can be supplied for the spindles, but the latter are used almost exclusively on ac- count of the numerous advantages possessed by this type of machine. All the gears in the machine are cut from the solid forgings, no cast-iron gears being used, and all those at the head run in a continuous oil bath, the head casting acting as an oil reservoir. Ball bearings are employed between the gears and all the bearings are bushed with a special grade of phosphor bronze. The table, which has a planed surface 10% x 14 in. and an over-all surface of 14 X 18 in. in the smaller machines and surfaces of 13 x 21 and 163/16 x 25 in. ni the larger one, is counterbalanced and has a large bearing surface on the column with an adjusting gib to compensate for wear. The oil groove around the table is finished level with the top so that a larger working surface for handling the work and the jigs, etc., is obtained. If desired, T slots for clamping jigs or work to the table can be supplied. : Either hand or power feed can be furnished for the table and the stops are lecated on the sides of the column for drilling holes to a certain depth. For the power feed an automatic throw-out is furnished, which trips the feed when the proper depth of hole has been drilled. The dis- tance between the top of the table and the bottom of the largest spindle is 21% in. The over-all hight of the drill is 80 in, and the net weight is approximately 1000 Ib. The Thorp Iron Company, a new incorporation with a capital stock of $30,000, has established its general of- fices and plant at 626-628 West Twenty-fourth street, New York City, and will conduct a business in structural steel and ornamental iron. The combination of offices and shops will enable the company to contract for furnishing and erecting structural steel and ornamental work required in general building construction with satisfactory deliveries and execution of contracts.- Charles H. Parsons is pres- ident and Winfield S. Thorp is treasurer and general man- ager. Spee try ae 3 Pe ee TD Pe _ » a 5 ni ew ' = - ot S waeS ie ; . peers SS 7 f a ues CA abhi pL eae The Watertown Arsenal Labor Trouble The Testimony Regarding the Methods Employed in the Rather eee 6 MAX H, This article is practically a continuation of the which was printed in The Iron Age of January I1, The witnesses from the arsenal machine shop who gave testimony before the Congressional Committee in regard to the workings of the system of shop management in vogue there comprised machin