The Iron Age 1912-10-17: Vol 90 Iss 16

UM; THE Established 1855 New York, October 17, 1912 Vol. 90: No. 16 The Baird Machine Company’s New Shops Present and Future Buildings for Making Automatic Machinery — Unique Saw-Tooth Roof — Original Pattern Storage Rack—Blueprint Drying Apparatus The new works of the Baird Machine Company, Bridgeport, Conn., formerly of Oakville, Conn., afford an excellent example of modern machine shop design and practice and possess features which may be studied to advantage by those who may erect new plants in the fu- ture, or who may remodel or otherwise improve existing establishments. The company has laid out its shops with time, and has been operating 23 hr. a day for the past four ‘months. A great deal of specialized thought was given the design and arrangement of the shops before building was begun. The officers studied the requirements of the busi- ness with much thoroughness, and the mill engineers who prepared the plans had only to work out the detail of ideas which were given them by the owners, The result General View in the Main Machine Shop of the Baird Machine Company the von ‘cw of making large extensions later on, and the robabuity is that an important part of this new work =. undertaken next year, in spite of the fact that a Present factory doubled the capacity of the works at akville and has been occupied a few months only. business has grown with great rapidity; in fact, the pany has been running at full capacity for a long - is a plant original in many features and exceptionally ef- ficient. Waste of labor has been reduced to a small factor. The routing of work has been developed most advan- tageously. The location lends itself to economical manufacturing. A double ended spur track from the main line of the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad permits the pas- 389 | | ee eos THE IRON AGE October 17, ig), General View of the Baird Machine Company’s Works, Showing Craneway Extending Beyond Building sage of cars beneath the extension of the crane-way from the main shop, and between the main building and the structures occupied by the bar storage department, forge shop, lumber storage, and pattern room, as shown in the view at the top of this page. In addition to this service, the company’s tracks will be connected with the street railway system, so that express cars will be taken into the yard and loaded and unloaded without extra handling of materials and product. While the buildings are completed and the immediate yard room is surrounded by a non- scalable wire fence, the finishing touches are yet to be given to the exterior. Plans have been made for flower beds at the front, a handsome driveway from the stree to the office door and for grading and seeding. The Bair plant will become a striking example of the rapidly groy. ing custom of making industrial surroundings attractive to the eye both of the passerby and of the employee The Buildings The buildings are of brick and steel with deep con. crete floors. The main structure is laid out in the form of a T, the vertical leg, 48 x 120 ft., with its two stories --C:/ Floor Sleeve Jop set flush 3 Yel Pine--emeccaa tg == with Floor Detail of ; Balcony. .Gonstruction -5°YP ) Flooring ---6"Cinder Detail of Concrete Floor Construction ER TTT RTT j om W WZ a) 4 Ah J REDE TE PCLT TELE RE ont : 5 TEN EAI PLEA TEA We Eg OS z 4, <1 * Sectional Elevation Through the Main Shop Machine Shop Continued a — levated Track SPSS SSUES VSBtTsisesssssctstssssssesrs Machine Shop Continued ee ee aesinemeIR eaten TALS SEES Plan Showing Present and Future Buildings of the Baird Machine Company \ctober 17, 1912 THE IRON AGE <tending from Stratford avenue to machine shop building, which is* ne story, 100 x 154 ft. with gal- ries at the sides of the broad bay, which is served by a 10-ton Shaw ‘tric traveling crane. As has been ited the crane-ways pass throtgh west end of the building and er the railroad siding and a drive- way, great doors opening to permit e passage of the crane and its load. \ large part of the floor space of the wo-story section of the building, ex- nding from the avenue, is devoted . handsome, spacious offices and the large drafting room, but that portion immediately adjoining the machine shop contains the stockroom and toolroom on the ground floor, and department for adjusting and testing out automatic machinery on the second floor. \s will be seen in the general plan of the works, the company’s in- tention is to extend the machine shop building in both directions, 590 ft. to the west and 360 ft. to the east. [he former addition will contain a large forge shop at the farther end, while the easterly extension will terminate at a foundry building, 100 x 270 ft. The machine shop has every facility for the economical manufacture of the company’s product. The traveling crane handles all heavy work for the main floor, and also arries it to and from the galleries, each of which has = projecting loading platform at a central position, and a system of removable railing, so that their floors can be reached at any point desired. An industrial railroad passes lengthwise of the shop and also transversely at the center, directly beneath the gallery loading platforms, and over scales, extending into the ell to the stockroom and toolroom, and at the other side of the building to the open Details of the Sawtooth Roof from Machine Shop Gallery air, between the forge shop arid the bar stock room and into the yard beyond, making the removal of chips and rubbish an easy task. A turntable at the juncture of the two lines permits the transfer of cars. An unusual fea- ture of the shop is a movable steel staircase connecting the main floor with one gallery. If desired, the crane will lift the stairs and carry them to another position. The efficiency of the responsible heads of the management is greatly increased by the presence of an Autocall system, each man having his number which is rung all over the works when he is wanted, numerous telephone stations A Notable Battery of Gould & Eberhardt Shaping Machines ees eres ren Sy tee: var é rs ia A IOI RIM NEP cee REY EPR EE THE IRON AGE The Boring and Radial serving to supplement this system in every department. The grouping of the machinery is an important ele- ment of the routing and concentration of work in process. The “flat” department occupies the southern side of the main shop, with the group of twelve shaping machines at one €nd; the milling machines and gear cutting machines at the other, together with the planing machines in the crane bay. The eastern end of the opposite side of the room has the “round department,” including lathes, drill- ing machines, boring machines and grinding machines. The galleries are given up to assembling and machine storage. Architecturally the machine shop is exceptional in the combination of a sawtooth and monitor roof. The ex- Drilling Machines periment has proved the wisdom of the design, for the illumination is ample and uniform, no difference being apparent in the lighting of the various parts of the main floor, while the construction has the advantage over the standard monitor in that the galleries are covered by the sawtooth and are constantly flooded with sunlight. Sanitation and Employees’ Welfare In designing the plant the Baird Company paid much attention to the question of sanitation and the general comfort of employees. The broad, high wall windows are set closely together. Each building has its monitor roof for lighting and ventilating. In the main shop the G. Drouve Company’s skylights are used, the straight-push The Adjusting and Testing Department, Baird Machine Company Bar Stock Department and Cutting-Off Machines sash operator making it a simple matter to regulate the pening of long lines of roof windows. The roll curtains are of white linen of good quality. A test was made in the Lie eT i eginning with a few windows, to ascertain if the ma- al would become soiled, and experience showed that hile the curtain cords were discolored by handling, the th itself remained clean. No hands touch it, and in so | ventilated a shop atmospheric gases are too insignifi- int to have any effect. Consequently the linen was pted for the entire building. Curtains of darker de are apt to exclude light, because, when the need for hade passes, the workmen neglect to raise them. Each lepartment has its toilet room. In the consideration of the details of the Baird shops, the machinery which they build is an important element. The company specializes on automatic machines for the manufacture of products consisting of wire, metal, wood and other materials, combining them into articles which enter into ordinary everyday existence. The requirements of customers vary greatly, and many machines are built on wholly special lines, because in departing from standard design a greater efficiency is achieved. Yet the company has standardized its four-slide wire-forming machines and its presses, together with their attachments, and the usual needs of purchasers are served by variations in these types. The demand for automatic machines placed upon the company is so great that the machines are frequently put. through the works.in considerable lots. In fact, the. The Forge Shop of the Baird Machine Company THE IRON AGE October 17, i912 those most often used are nearest the window. Such atti cles.as ‘dogs and arbors are racked directly bencath the counter, and the workman gets to know their exact loca. tion and makes his requisition .at the most convenien section.of the window. Wasted time caused by men await- ing their turns has been largely eliminated, and the of. ficiency of the toolroom custodians has been increased On the railroad side of the machine shop, separated from it by the space traversed by a spur track, are two one-story buildings with brick walls set upon high cop. crete underpinning, and with monitor roofs and heavy concrete floors. The westerly structure is 49 x 60 ft. and is given up to the bar stock department. Here the stee| is stored and cut up in accordance with requisitions from the shop. The stock is received direct from the car and goes immediately to the scales located close to the door. Wooden racks take care of the lighter bars, each size and variety having its indexed place. The heavy pieces are stored on the floor, resting on bars which leave space for the passage of a chain when it is desired to move them. In this room are all machines used in cutting up bar stock, including the turret machines, each located to receive the The Pattern Storage Racks with Meshed Wire Shelving steel direct from the racks, that there may be no wasted effort. A Yale & Towne traveling hoist conveys heavy company is the largest producer of its class of machinery bars to the cold sawing machine. ; in the world. The tumbling barrel is a necessary adjunct The west end of the other of these buildings, which is of the automatic machine, because practically all of the 43 x 144 ft., is partitioned off by a fire wall for the forge product, together with that of presses, has to be tumblei shop, which has a complete equipment of forges and steel before it is ready for use. , These machines are built in treating furnaces, together with an 800-Ib. Niles-Bement- their various sizes and designs in large lots. Pond steam hammer. An exhaust system provides jor The starting or testing department is as interesting the removal of gases. as it is important. Each of the great number of auto- The remainder of this building consists of a large, matic machines is taken to this room for adjustment of finely illuminated room, in which are located the pattern tools and attachments, and for experimental operation. shop, lumber storage and pattern storage. The pattern No machine leaves the works until it has been tried out shop is essentially modern in its equipment. Each ma- thoroughly on a commercial basis, the company’s contract invariably reading “after satisfactory demonstration at our plant.” In this department the heavy work of handling is done by the big crane in conjunction with a portable crane which takes the machine at the gallery loading platform. bet tho TT eh or Some Tool Room Features heen pinnate a GSRER AE RERE The toolroom affords a number of Het Tay a : , ee useful suggestions. Instead of a small . window for the giving out and return of tools, an opening extends the entire width of the room at the shop end, and not one but several men can be served at one time. Tools are arranged so that View in the Pattern Shop chine has its individual motor drive, mo- tors and rheostats being carefully ¢0- cased to guard against the possibility 0! fire. As all overhead belting is done away with, long pieces of lumber can be handled without interference. Power 's consumed only when a machine. is actually in use, which constitutes an important economy in the intermittent machine work of a pattern*shop, The concrete floor has a covering of wood to avoid in- jury to sharp-edged tools which might fall upon it. Beyond the spacious area giv over to this department’ is ‘the lumber storage, overhead rack$ adding to the facilities offered by the floor. Care ' taken. to keep the room free from the debris of woodworking, the sweeping Terry Steam Turbine Unit in the Power House being done each night. the patterns. The cost of this construction tern. The system operates in connection with an office card record to keep completely in touch with every pattern, whether in storage, \ctober 17, I9I2 Che pattern storage racks afé unique, The anagement, after studying the question, de- ied that solid shelves, even though of steel, ffer the objection that water from the over- ead sprinkler system might not reach the in- ammable patterns. , Therefore a skeleton ramework of wood was erected, and shelves ‘rmed of coarse-mesh wire netting, which ermits the free passage of water and at the ame time answers the purpose of supporting was small. Each section of rack has its num- er corresponding with the drawing number { the pattern which it contains, which makes asy the task of procuring any desired pat- n use in the foundry, in the pattern shop for An Ingenious Blueprint Drying Apparatus repairs, or in transit from one department to another. _ The company has made thorough provision for han- dling any incipient fire which might break out in its plant. [wo hydrants have been installed, each in a little house, one at the front of the property, the other at the rear, between the bar stock building and the forge shop. Each house contains a long line of hose, attached to the hydrant and ready for immediate service. Each also has an extra line of hose and an extra nozzle, a lantern ready for light- ing, a crowbar, fire axe and other implements. The lines will reach every part of the shops. Under test, with no warning and an untrained crew, streams of water from both lines were in readiness in a minute and a half. Spe- cial men have been assigned to fire department work and are now trained for quick service. The factory is equipped throughout with automatic sprinklers which were installed by the General Fire Extinguisher Company. An instance of careful planning exists in the setting out of all work benches 4 in. from the wall to permit water from the sprinklers to reach the spaces beneath, which otherwise might become sources of danger from fire. Each Bench Has Its Wash Pail The problem of furnishing washing facilities to the men was solved in an original manner. The iron leg of each section of the wall benches was cast with lugs, drilled to take a spindle supporting a swinging iron bracket, the surface of which consists of a disk upon which stands a galvanized iron water pail, and a recess to hold soap. When not in use the pail swings back out of the way under the bench. The pails are emptied and hlled with fresh water twice each working day, for the day and night shifts. Their presence in the works is regarded with approval by the fire underwriters, as their contents are always available in case of a blaze. THE IRON AGE 895 The Bench Leg Bracket for the Individual Wash Pail The company has applied a patent clip fastener in an original way for the dry- ing of blueprints in the drafting room. Two endless belts running on sprocket wheels and carrying the clips are operated in unison by a ratchet and lever. When the blueprint is taken from the bath the operator inserts the corners in opposite clips; and a movement of the lever car- ries it one step forward. By the time the print reaches the farther end of the belts, it is dry enough for removal. The power house is in reality a tem- porary structure. The company’s ex- perience in its Oakville works was that its power plant had to be increased at unexpectedly frequent intervals, and con- sequently it was determined not to plan for power for the future until a more definite knowledge of the requirements was available. Therefore the building was designed with the intention of replacing it by a larger permanent structure when enlarge- ment of manufacturing facilities was made. However, the present building is most substantial, with its steel frame and walls of corrugated iron. Electric power is produced from two 8o-hp. Terry steam turbines, which are oper- ated separately or in parallel. When the new power house is erected an elevated spur track at the northerly side of the building will permit the dumping .of coal direct ffom the cars into,concrete bins, and the same track will con- A Hydrant House and the Fire Fighting Equipment Ah GL OED + eco nen ane A AA LLL LLL LE PL IIIT I ae 896 THE IRON AGE vey coke and iron to the foundry when that department has been made ready for operating. In the main shop the machinery is driven in groups by electric motors, so that a department may operate alone, on a night ‘shift, for example with no loss in power in the rest of the works. The consumption of power. is worked with systematic vigilance. All coal fed to the boilers is weighed daily and a daily meter reading of feed water is made and these results, coupled with the number of operating hours and of horsepower hours developed are tabulated daily. Four times a year each motor is given a week’s test for power under a portable ampere meter, and the average of the results is taken as the power consump- tion of the department. An automatic damper regulator assists in maintaining a constant steam pressure, and the record of an automatic steam pressure recorder goes to the superintendent each day, together with the statement of power consumption, so that he is in constant touch with conditions in his power house. A vacuum system takes care of the heating of the works, and operates in connection with the steam turbine, the exhaust of which supplies the steam. The radiation in the shop is from coils along the base of the walls, under the eaves of the south gallery and high up near the roof. All valves are indexed to simplify the regulation of tem- perature at 70 deg. Periodically an expert makes ther- mometer tests of the various parts of the rooms, setting each valve to meet conditions in the space heated by the radiation which it controls. By this means a satisfactory uniformity has been obtained. Cooper-Hewitt lamps pro- vide artificial illumination. German Economic Conditions An officer of one of the largest industrial corporations in the United State’, doing an annual business of close to $70,000,000, who recently spent several months in Germany, makes the following explanation in the Wall Street Jour- nal of the cheapness of manufacture in that country: “Why is it that articles can be more cheaply manufac- tured in Germany than in many other countries? In the first place, it is primarily on account of German attention to the work in hand, concentration on, and the scientific analysis of, the problem. Second, it is due to the much lower price of labor. On examination of a business run- ning into the millions of marks, it was found that of 80 per cent. of the raw material purchased German prices were not lower than, and in some cases not as tow as, the prices of these same raw materials in America. The prin- cipal raw materials included in this list were brass, coal, copper, lumber, platinum, silk, and tin. But labor is de- cidedly cheaper. The business that is here compared em- ploys 17,000 people in the United States. If the average wage be considered as $1000 per year, the 2000 people in a similar industry in Germany receive an average of $494 per year, or a trifle less than 50 per cent. of the wages paid in America. This difference, often more, and very seldom less, is the general difference in the remuneration of labor in the United States and Germany. Furthermore, the cost of living in Germany is comparatively high. Meat costs just as much as in America, vegetables may be a trifle less, but not much, and fruit is as expensive or more so than in America.” The Impervious Sheet Steel Company of Pittsburgh, which is building a plant at Rochester, Pa., expects to be operating about January 1. The company has seven acres of land on which it is erecting a main building, 85 x 275 ft.; pickling plant, 48 x 48 ft., and a boiler house, 30 x 40 ft. Charles E. Pope will be president of the company and A. E. Daum, secretary and treasurer. H. M. Easton, assistant manager of sales of the Phillips Sheet & Tin Plate Company, has been appointed sales manager and will assume his duties November 1. M. J. Ruse will be superintendent of the new works, which will manufacture coated steel sheets by a process owned by the company and fully protected by patents. At the October meeting of the Cleveland metal trades Superintendents and Foremen’s Club October 19, H. A. Baumhart, manager Hartford Steam Boiler Insurance Company, will read a paper on boilers and rules governing their operation. October 17, \912 An Interesting Punching and Shearing Machine An application of the electric motor drive for machine tools, which brings out very remarkably the space-sa ing feature, is found in the Saginaw shops of the Pere Mar. quette Railroad. As will be noticed from the accompany- ing engraving, the motor is tucked away in a corner of the frame of a combination punching and shearing tna- chine which was built by Wickes Bros., Saginaw, Mich. and does not take any space which could be utilized for any other purpose. The frames of the machine are of the uncored I-beam type and the camshafts are open-hearth steel forgings. Both hand and foot control are provided for the clutches which have an adjustable automatic stop attachment that can be set to regulate the starting and stopping of the rams of any desired point. The shocks of operation are minimized by adjustable counterbalance weights which are connected through springs. ‘ The motor, which is a Westinghouse 10-hp. machine tool unit operating on a 220-volt alternating-current cir- cuit, is geared directly to the main shaft of the machine through simple reduction gearing and operates both the punch and the shear. In this way the power saving ad- vantage of motor drive is also secured, there being no belts or pulleys, and thus the minimum transmission A Combination Motor-Driven Punching and Shearing Machine Built by Wickes Bros., Saginaw, Mich. losses as well as the simplest construction and fewest num- ber of parts are secured. The machine has a 42-in. throat opening at each end and will punch 1%-in. holes through 1% in. of mild steel. The capacity of the shear is 2%4-in. rounds and 2-in. squares, or a 1% x 6% in. flat mild steel bar or a 4 x 4 x & in. angle, The total weight of the machine is 45,000 lb. In- cluded in the equipment of the machine is a bevel shearing attachment for use in beveling boiler plates. Pittsburgh’s Great Fuel Consumption More fuel is consumed in the city of Pittsburgh and its immediate vicinity, and more coal is shipped to and through the Pittsburgh district, than in any other district in the world, according to Edward W. Parker, of the United States Geological Survey. With a ‘population of about one-ninth of that of Greater New York the con- sumption of coal alone in Pittsburgh is nearly equal to that of the much larger city. Greater New York con- sumed in 1911 approximately 19,000,000 net tons and Pitts- burgh used about 16,500,000 tons. But Pittsburgh con- sumes several million tons of coke and considerable quan- tities of natural gas, which, added to the coal consumption, gives that city a good lead over New York as a fuel con- sumer. In the quantity of coal handled the comparisons are still more striking, Pittsburgh’s business exceeding that of New York by nearly 50 per cent. In 1011 the total coal traffic in New York Harbor, including the city consump- tion, the trans-shipments to New England and up-river points, and the bunker and export trade, amounted to ap- proximately 36,000,000 net tons, whereas the coal traffic of Pittsburgh, including rail shipments east and rail and water shipments west, amounted to nearly 53,000,000 tons. Frank C. Gardner, receiver for the Atlas Engine Works, Indianapolis, Ind., has a bid for the plant, backed by a certified check for $50,000 and the court has set a day for considering it. a \ctober 17, I9I2 Improved Rotary Gas Producer Mechanical Control of Fundamental Steps in the Recent Chapman Design \n improved type of rotary gas producer is being built the Chapman Engineering Company, Mt. Vernon, Ohio. inventor, W. B. Chapman, provides for the mechan- Sectional Elevation of an Improved Type of Gas Producer Built by the Chapman Engineering Company, Mt. Vernon, Ohio ical feeding and spreading of the fuel, the mechanical agitation of the entire fire bed and the mechanical re- moval of the ash. The fuel chamber A of the accompanying illustration is stationary and has no bottom. Its capacity is 1000 Ib. THE IRON AGE 897 In this way the maximum amount of agitation is produted through the hot zone at E, where it is felt it is most needed. The ashes are ground between the sides of the corru- gated air box or ash crusher F and the revolving cor- rugated wall of the lower section G. After the ashes have been crushed they are forced up to the top of the ash pan by three adjustable ash plows H, which are kept contin- ually in operation and are easily adjusted when neces- sary. As fast as the ashes are lifted to the surface of the water in the ash pan they are automatically scooped up by the ash scoop I and are carried to the point at which they are automatically discharged. This arrangement, by which the ashes are removed in an upward direction, gives a saving of several feet in the hight required for the gas house and its foundation. At the South Works of the Illinois Steel Company a test showed an increase of 19.1 per cent. in the strength of the gas, a decrease of 42 per cent. in the quantity of steam required per ton of coal gasified and the elimination of 83 per cent. of the soot deposited in the flues as com- pared with the operation of the hand-poked producers in this plant. In a test extending over a period of two weeks at the Consolidated Works of the American Steel & Wire Company, Cleveland, Ohio, the variation in the strength of the gas was approximately 2% per cent. as compared with the usual variation of 20 per cent: during each day and a general weekly variation of more than 40 per cent. At the plant of the Youngstown Sheet & Tube Company, Youngstown, Ohio, the average percentage of CO, was be- tween 4 and 7 and the carbon monoxide was between 20 and 25 per cent. The number of B.t.u. per cubic foot was found practically constant at 160. Jolting Roll-Over Moldirg Machines Among the exhibits at the Foundrymen’s Convention recently held at Buffalo was a Grimes power jolt roll-over molding machine built by the Midland Machine Company, Detroit, Mich. This machine is intended to ram, clamp and turn over the mold and draw the pattern with a single cylinder. Fig. 1 shows the machine with the arms swung out of the way and the pattern in place ready to have the flask placed on the machine. In Fig. 2 the flask has been rammed and the arms are swung forward ready to clamp. The mold in the clamped position is illustrated in Fig. 3 Fig. 1—Arms Swung Out of Way Fig. 2—Flask Jolt Rammed Fig. 3—The Mold Clamped Fig. 4—The Pattern Drawn Four Views of a New Power Jolt Ramming Roll-Over Molding Machine Made by the Midland Machine Company, Detroit, Mich. of coal, or enough for % hr., and the lower edge is water cooled. As the revolving fire bed comes under the cham- ber a fresh supply of fuel is spread over the surface by the fuel spreader B, and this seems to keep the level of the fire bed up to the bottom of the fuel chamber at all times. The tarry gas which is first given out in the fuel chamber is compelled to pass downward through the hot- ter fire in the bottom of the chamber before it can escape to the flue. The producer is divided horizontally through the hot zone into an upper section, C, and a lower one, D. These two sections are made to revolve in the same direction but at different speeds, and each section of the wall carries with it that portion of the fuel bed which it surrounds. and in Fig. 4 it is shown rolled over and the pattern drawn by the air cylinder. Like the core machine which was illustrated in The Iron Age April 27, 1911, this new machine occupies a very small amount of floor space and it is claimed that it requires fewer steps for its operation than other machines. Where the depth of pattern varies and it is desirable to have different lengths of stroke this is easily secured by simply opening or closing a valve. The Church Engineering Company, formerly in the Heed Building, has removed to 603 Real Estate Trust Building, Philadelphia, Pa. Fe oe a ge =. or ee Se haan gets Pade Soe Pond ni See ae a + = peyR Be "I fl “By m . i ee ae et eS ae i Sag haaal <2. en Se Bag pas’ oe ed Pax | %e Pe Sey ee ee ee a A Sissies Fluid Compression in the Blooming Mill A Process Developed by Benjamin Talbot for Freeing Ingots of Cavities After the Use of Aluminum or Silicon to Secure Soundness A very interesting announcement was made by Dr. J. E. Stead at the Leeds, England, meeting of the Iron and Steel Institute on Tuesday, October 1. Dr. Stead had taken part in the discussion of Sir Robert A. Hadfield’s paper on “A Method of Producing Sound Ingots,” a full synopsis of which, with illustrations, was given in The Iron Age of October 3. In the course of his remarks he gave the results of his very recent investigation at the Cargo Fleet steel works at Middlesbrough, of the method developed by Benjamin Talbot (inventor of the Talbot con- tinuous open-hearth steel process) for the production of sound ingots. He expressed the opinion that Mr. Talbot's achievement is of epoch-making importance, since it gives a simple and inexpensive method of ifisuring sound ingots. A feature on which emphasis is put by the inventor is that an absolutely sound rail is made possible, always free from pipe and with a harder working face than the center of the rail. In explaining the process and what it accomplishes Dr. Stead presented photographs which are reproduced here- with. These illustrate the effect of the essential feature of the process—the elimination of the cavity in the ingot by a few passes in the blooming mill while the central por- tions are still liquai. Previously the steel receives an ad- dition of aluminum or silicon to insure soundness. Dr. Stead’s statement is as follows: “Having accidentally met Mr. Talbot on Middlesbrough Exchange on September 17 I at once commenced to dis- cuss with him Sir Robert Hadfield’s paper. He said: ‘I have been working for two years to obtain a simple method of producing sound ingots. Come with me to Cargo Fleet works and I will show you what I have been doing, for I am sure you will see what will add to your knowledge.’ Mr. Talbot had frequently asked me to go at intervals in the last 18 months, and told me he was trying to make sound ingots. It is needless to say that the chance of adding to my scientific knowledge was a great temptation ; so on September 17 I ‘accepted the invitation to go and see. What I saw did add to my knowledge and shed quite a new light on what occurs when the ingots are pressed at a time when the central portions are still fluid. But what is of far greater importance, Mr. Talbot satis- fied me that he had developed a simple and relatively in- expensive method of producing sound ingots, which in my opinion is bound to lead to the most beneficial results in many branches of the heavy steel trades, particularly in the manufacture of steel rails and tubes. “It is an epoch-making development. 4 “As Mr. Talbot has given me permission, I will des¢ribe briefly the process, and show photographs of sections of the treated and untreated ingots, and afterward refer to the most interesting scientific features. “The ingot is first made absolutely sound by the use of aluminum or silicon, except as to the central pipe. The ingot is quickly stripped and is allowed to stand in the soaking pit for a short time. It is then, while its center is still liquid, sufficiently compressed by a few passes in the blooming mill to reduce its sectional area. The result- ing semi-bloomed ingot is free from cavity and is abso- lutely sound. The practice at present developed is to re- turn the semi-bloomed ingot to the soaking pit in order to equalize the heat. But if this method should come into commercial use and other developments in course of time be employed, it may not be necessary to do this. The rails rolled from the upper part of the ingots treated in this way stand the drop tests extremely well, and unsoundness is conspicuous by its absence. + ee, “It is difficult to estimate the benefit this invention will confer on steelmakers and steel users. In the case of the rail with a nearly pure center, previously referred to (in the discussion of Sir Robert A. Hadfield’s paper), the ingot must have been nearly solid when passed through the rolls, hence the great purity of the central axis. Mr. Tal- bot partly rolls the ingot long before that stage, with the result that the carbon in the central column is only about 25 per cent. less than the outer thick envelope, which of course solidifies in the normal way. “When the ingot is taken from the soaking pit, the pipe will be well developed and the central portion of the steel free to flow. When placed on its side at the rolls, the steel will at once flow into the cavity before pressure is applied, while the gases travel along the frozen internal side of the ingot. As soon as sufficient pressure is applied, these gases must be forced into the steel itself and remain there in solution or escape into the air. “Coincidentally, during extension,. the layer of steel just below the thick solid envelope at the stage of solidifica- tion at which all steel is quite fragile, not being capable of extension, breaks up into a multitude of small fissures, and these are at once filled with»the @arbon, sulphur, phospho- rus—rich residual liquid from the layer below consisting of loosely packed pure crystallites of iron and liquid. Auto- prints of completely solid ingots clearly show the parts which were at one time actual fissures. Diagrams that have been made illustrate this very thoroughly, and show that the parts richest in sulphur, phosphorus and carbon are located in the position where it is most desirable any- A Fig. 1—Steel with Aluminum Additions. View of 3%-Ton Rail Ingot Treated to Show the Effect of the Talbot Process for Produc- ing Sound Rails Free from Pipes and Splits and Having a Harder Working Face with Softer Center. A—Ingot Cut Down Longitudi- nally Through the Center Showing Cavity. B—Semi-Bloomed ngot, Cut Down Longitudinally Through the Center, Bloomed as in Ordi- nary Practice, Showing the Cavity Not Filled up at this Stage (20 x 25-In. Ingot Bloomed Down to 18 x 18 In.). C——Semi-Bloomed Ingot, Cut Down Longitudinally Through the Center, Bloomed While Center Still Fluid. Showing Cavity to have Disappeared at this Stage. (20 x 25-In. Ingot Bloomed Down to 18 x 18 In.) 898 ber 17, 1912 THE A B Cc Fig. 2—Steel with Silicon Additions. View of 4-Ton Rail Ingot Treated to Show the Effect of the Talbot Process for Producing Sound Rails. A—Ingot Cut Down Longitudinally Through the Cen- ter Showing Cavity. B—Semi-Bloomed Ingot, Cut Down Longitudi- nally Through the Center, Bloomed as in Ordinary Practice, Show- ing the Cavity Not Filled Up at this Stage (25 x 25-In. Ingot Bloomed Down to 18 x 18-In.). C—Semi-Bloomed Ingot Cut Down Longi- tudinally Through the Center, Bloomed While Center Still Fluid, wing Cavity to Have Disappeared at This Stage. (25 x 25-In. sot Bloomed Down to 18 x 18 In.) thing objectionable should be fixed. Brinell long ago proved that the best place for blowholes was exactly where the segregate is forced. As it is spread evenly over a very large area there is no place where the segregate is concen- trated in objectionable quantity. “The exact details of the process have been worked out by Mr. Talbot at very great pains and expense, and I per- sonally congratulate him on his success.” Tracing Delayed Shipments William H. Walton, traffic manager of the Merchant & Evans Company, Philadelphia, Pa., calls attention to a matter which it might be well for consignees to bear in mind when expected shipments have failed to arrive. He Suggests that consignees, before asking the shipper to trace the missing goods, should send to the depot of the delivery line, which is generally designated on the bill of ading, and ask the freight agent whether he has a mani- fest for the articles, and if he has it the agent should trace back from the manifest and the consignees can then ask the shipper to trace forward to hurry delivery. _ The fact is mentioned that in a good many cases it is ‘ound that the agent at destination has no manifest for the merchandise in question, and if it is a large city like Philadelphia: or Chicago the particular freight station might not be mentioned on the bill of lading. In case the agent has no manifest it might be well to inquire at the different city depots afid insist upon each agent looking round to find whether the merchandise may be at that particular depot. It is also wise to send an agent a copy rf the bill of lading. Even when an agent is approached regarding some undelivered goods, he looks for the man- ‘lest and, if he does not happen to have it, he simply ‘tates that there is nothing at the depot for that partic- ular consignee, whereas the merchandise may be there without a manifest. Mr. Walton states that he has often ‘ound goods at one station and the manifest at another n large cities. Attention to this matter before asking the sI to trace a consignment may save time and corre- ndence, The Reading Hardware Company, Reading, Pa, has reinstated the higher wage rate paid its brass and iron molders which was in force prior to the recent suspension ' operations at its plant. IRON AGE 899 The New York Electrical Exposition Many things of industrial interest are on exhibition at the New York Electrical Exposition, which was opened in the new Grand Central Palace, New York City, on October 9, where it will continue until October 19. Be- sides the usual display of household novelties, vacuum cleaners, agricultural electrical appliances and electric signs, the Navy Department has prepared a naval elec- trical exhibit which is operated by enlisted men of the navy. Its important feature is a fully equipped wireless station which exchanges messages with government and commercial stations along the coast. Relics of electrical installations recovered from the U. S. S. Maine are shown. Methods of planning submarine mines and protecting har- bors are illustrated by means of a model harbor. Of special interest to engineers is the exhibit of the Nelson Valve Company, Philadelphia, Pa., showing bronze, iron and steel valves of different designs. There is also a working demonstration of a device for operating elec- trically either one or a number of large valves. The same scheme used last year in displaying electric automobiles has been followed this year, but with more elaboration on details. A ten-lap-to-the-mile track has been arranged to give the appearance of out-of-doors. The Cleveland- Galion Motor Truck Company has a display of freight and baggage hauling trucks which are controlled and driven through all four wheels. A 2-ton truck used by the American Express Company is displayed by the Baker Vehicle Company. The Studebaker Corporation shows a 5-ton brewery truck which has a radius of 45 miles at about 8 miles an hour. Other automobile builders having exhibits of trucks, delivery wagons and broughams are the Ward Motor Vehicle Company, Lansden Company, Gen- eral Vehicle Company, General Motors Truck Company, Buffalo Electric Vehicle Company, Champion Electric Ve- hicle Company, S. R. Bailey Company, Atlantic Vehicle Company and Anderson Electric Car Company. The Edison Electric Illuminating Company of Brook- lyn has an interesting exhibit including a panoramic view in colors showing the water front. It is 100 ft. in length, and produces in miniature all the great enterprises on or near the water front, with streets, homes and public buildings shown in the background. A_ one-sixth-ton orange-peel grab bucket connected to a dotble-drum elec- tric hoist has been set up by the Mead-Morrison Mfg. Company. The Lux Mfg. Company exhibits an incan- descent lamp with a flexible tungsten filament, and the Straight Filament Lamp Company has a straight carbon filament lamp constructed to light without casting shadows. The magnitude of the work carried. on by the New York Edison Company is shown by means of models, charts and diagrams. Of historic interest is the old Jumbo, which generated the current that supplied New York with the first electric light, more than 30 years ago. The General Electric Company has set up one of its large Curtis steam turbines. -It occupies a floor space of 207 sq. ft. and has a capacity of 20,000 kw. The Otis Elevator Company shows, in running, one of its types of in- clined elevators for use in the factory, warehouse, ex- press office, department store or public building. Reed, Fears & Miller is the name of a new copartner- ship, formed October 15 by Charles A. Reed, Albert S. Fears and Louis H. Miller, succeeding Reed & Fears, merchants and agents for the sale of pig iron and coke, at 141 Milk street, Boston, Mass. For the past five years Mr. Miller has represented N. S. Bartlett & Co. and Hick- man, Williams & Co. in the New York, New Jersey and Connecticut territory and will continue to give his per- sonal attention to this trade, having his office at 30 Church street, New York, room 347. The Interstate Traffic School, South Bend, Ind., has been incorporated with $10,000 capital stock, to establish a school of instruction in traffic, transportation rates, rout- ings, regulation and other matters pertaining to intra- state and interstate carriers. The directors are J. P. Stahr, Mishawaka; Bert Korr and Chas. W. Hopkins, South Bend. It is stated that reports from 225 railroad companies show 5347 all-steel passenger cars now in use. Refined Apparatus for Boiler Testing Equipment Allowing a Single Observer to Gather Remarkably Reliable Data and Obtain Instantaneous Results of a Test BY ALBERT A. CARY ————————— - ~ AN TN PEE NT Obtaining the Water Record In testing boilers my experiences have led me through a number of methods for determining the weight of water supplied to them during the test. The old method of using barrels mounted upon a platform and discharging their contents into sump tanks below required much watching to see that an occasional barrelful was not overlooked or an extra barrelful put in the record which did not belong there. Such a method often lends itself conveniently to the manipulations of interested parties, and in cases of tests to determine the fulfilment of gaurantees it often re- quires the services of two men, each representing the op- posite sides to check each other and, further, to relieve each other in the frequent opening and closing of valves. Where these tanks are operated by being filled up to an overflow level and dumped when the water stops over- flowing (the weight of this amount of water being deter- mined by calibration) there is a tendency to carelessness in securing this exact amount of water when rapid manipu- lation becomes necessary and also toward the later part of the test when the operators become tired. Where the upper tanks are placed upon scales and each charge of water is actually weighed this monotonous opera- Fig. 1—Sectional View of the Automatic Water Weigher tion becomes very tiresome toward the latter part of the test and errors are very apt to result. I can recall two instances where the water line when plotted (with the coal line also) on cross-section paper showed inconsis- tencies which caused me to repeat the tests. Afterward I used an extra assistant to plot the tests as rapidly as the various observations were made, and I further devised other means for avoiding such errors, but the water ap- paratus nevertheless made such a considerable demand *Second article on testing boilers and furnaces, the first-appearing in the issue of October 10, p. 831. TFor complete description, see paper presented at the May, 1906, meeting of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. upon my time and attention during the time of | (which certainly was needed elsewhere) that I was led to search for some simpler and at the same time means for keeping record of the water used. The Automatic Water Weigher After investigating several automatic water weighers | decided to test out the Wilcox apparatus, which | tested at the start with great care at the plant of the New York Steam Company, where they have a large testing tank mounted upon scales, which had a capacity of 10 dumps of the weigher. After a series of careful tests I found the apparatus delivered water with an error in weight of not over % per cent., which was more accurate than any of the hand-weighing methods, besides entirely doing away with extra assistants needed, as in my former tests. | have since obtained a second and larger machine, while the first machine, which I used in Europe during a recent professional trip, was purchased there by a firm of boiler manufacturers, who recognized its value as much superior to their old tank-weighing methods. It is not within the scope of this article to describe this machine in detail.t Briefly, Fig. 1 shows a sectional Fig. 2—Weigher Equipped with Three Means of Recording Weights view of the weigher in which each discharge of water 's actually weighed. After discharging, the water enters and refills the tank to a fixed level, when the inlet is closed and when the exact weight of water is contained in the tank the discharge takes place automatically. The amount of water discharged each time is the same in weight. At the lower left side of the cut will be seen a ball float at- tached by a lever to a short shaft, passing through the side of the tank and attached to a mechanical counter. The ball float lever arm is arranged at right angles to the inner end of the countershaft so that when the ball float rises and falls it sweeps through an arc of a circle back of the shaft. Thus when the tank is empty the ball drops goo ber 17, 1912 m % ge Bracket Counter Balance Rod KZ Side View all Float Connection to Bristol Mechanical Recorder XN Binding Post — Eu’ View Fig. 3—Added Mechanism Which Was Attached to Weigher the bottom of the tank, but when filled the ball rises the position shown. The view shown is somewhat con- fusing, apparently showing the ball as standing above the countershaft, whereas it is really behind it, the curved arm being necessary to conform to the circle of the tank’s cir- cumference. Fig. 2 gives an exterior view of my small machine mounted upon a platform. Just above the vertical center the body of the weigher will be seen a broad brass band which supports the apparatus which I devised and applied to the weigher. The short shaft (with its interior attached to the ball float lever) is shown in this view at the left of the attached mechanism projecting through the outside of the shell below the brass band and a vertical lever arm is seen attached to the outer end of the shaft with its upper end engaging a mechanical counter located above the bress band.* These parts are shown more distinctly in Fig. 3, which illustrates the position taken when the ball float is at its lowest position and with the water of the last charge dis- charged. As the rising water of the following charge lifts the ball float by turning its attached shaft it causes the outside lever to move its top to the left, which lever in turn moves the operating lever of the counter. When the following discharge takes place the rapidly dropping inside float causes the top of the outside lever to move quickly 10 the right, carrying the counter lever and thus adding one to the last reading of the mechanical counter. This recording mechanism was all that was received with the automatic weigher. Three Simultaneous Records of Feed Water With the counter placed some to ft. above the floor Fig. 4—Permanent Record of Emptying Intervals of Weigher THE IRON AGE gor I found it very inconvenient to take easy readings, so I devised the remainder of the mechanism shown in these two cuts. By attaching a horizontal link to the outside * lever arm described, I connected this lever to a triangular bell crank. To the right angled arm of this triangle I connected by means of a second vertical link the operat- ing lever of a Bristol mechanical recorder and thus I transferred the motion of the interior float (as it dropped, then floated upward again with the new char