The Iron Age 1912-11-21: Vol 90 Iss 21

THE IRON AGE Established 1855 New York, November 21, 1912 Vol. 90: No. 21 Gate Mechanisms of the Panama Canal Locks The Mechanical Principles Employed and the Titanic Size and Difficult Foundry and Machine Shop Products Required The gates required to control the locks’of the Panama [Each pair forms the gate proper across the lock channel Canal have developed problems including operations in the foundry and machine shop, of large proportions not to be overlooked because of the overshadowing influence of a and the all-absorbing publicity - given to the civil engineering work. Few apprehend the total number of the gates re- quired for the three locks of the Canal system, though it was to be expected that the individual parts of the gates and their mechanism would be of gigantic size, nor is it generally known what inter- esting mechanical systems have been evolved for hand- ling the large masses and meeting the heavy pressures encountered. What is to fol- low covers largely the work done and now in process of construction by the Wheeling Mold & Foundry Company, Wheeling W. Va., the total of the contracts of which will amount to, 19,000 tons, com- prised in iron and steel cast- ings and in 334 machines for operating the gates and valves, in conductor rails for supplying current to the elec- tric locomotives which will tow vessels through the Canal on a cogged way, some 40,000 lb. of manganese bronze and in rolled nickel-steel yoke pins, wedges and the like and a pumping system covering 350,000 Ib. of piping, valves, etc, There are locks at three locations on the Panama Canal. The most important are those at Gatun, where there are three lifts. The others are at Pedro Miguel, with one lift, and at Mira- flores, where there are two lifts. There are two water- Ways to each lock and the vutrance and exit to each lock and the different cham- bers In each lock are pro- tected by double swing or cring gates which swing doors from hinged joints, so to speak, in pairs, miter- * together in the centre of the channel and forming an ‘€ pointing against the pressure of the water. Each ‘1s known as a leaf and each leaf is about 65 ft. wide. in mechanical engineering, THE HINGES FOR EACH LEAF OF THE LOCK GATES The Upper Picture Shows a Group of the Yokes. One for Each Leaf is Anchored at the Upper Part of the Masonry and Re- ceives a Pin Fixed to the Top of the Gate, Thus Forming the pees Hinge j he Lower Picture Shows the Assembly of the Pivot or Lower Hinge to the Gate Leaf. The Group Includes the Upper and Lower Pintle Castings, One So-called Reaction Casting and the Heel Casting Forming Lower Corner of the Gate; It Also Shows in the Foreground the Pintle and Bushing 1197 or waterway, which is rro ft. wide. The lock structures, which are of concrete, are pro- vided with subterranean culverts or conduits into which the water from the higher level is admitted, and from which the water passes through lateral channels into the bottom of each chamber of the lock. Similarly there are separate openings from the bottom of the lock cham- bers through which water, on discharging a lock, passes into a separate set of lat- eral conduits which deliver into the main drainage water- ways discharging to the lower level. So-called rising- stem valves are provided to command the main conduits for controlling the water flow from high level and to low level, and cylindrical valves are employed to admit the water into the lateral supply conduits to each chamber of the lock. The valves for all of the locks are driven by electric motors installed at each valve and a system of motor control has been de- veloped for commanding these valves at relatively dis- tant points. Features of the Lock Gates An idea of the magnitude of the work may be gained from the fact that each of the two channels through the Gatun locks required 10 gates or 20 leaves, 40 leaves all told. Thirty-two of these are 77 ft. in height and half of the remainder 64 ft. 8 in and the other half 47 ft. 4 in. For the locks at the three locations, a total of 92 leaves was required, this meaning that besides the leaves them- selves, a heel casting had to be provided for each leaf; a group of castings was re- quired mounted one above the other to form the two vertical edges of each leaf, known as the quoin end and miter end reaction castings; a pintle bearing with its vari- ous parts had to be provided for each leaf; a yoke at the top anchored into the lock masonry with a hole for a eNotes a es adencene doce Eiles one - anal fee Sah Rig I ci gt a Met on ie * le Me at lin Ns at ¢ Group of Heel Castings, Each Machined on Five Faces and Having 316 Drilled Holes and Weighing 6000 Ib. large pin fitted into the top of the leaf was necessary for the upper hinge joint; and arrangement for swinging each leaf in and out of the closed position had to be designed. Each leaf is substantially an air-tight chamber con- structed of structural shapes covered with steel plates which form the air-tight chamber. The vertical edges, as already stated, are made up of the quoin end and miter end reaction castings. The typical leaf is 7 ft. in thick- ness, except toward the edges where the thickness is brought down to meet the reaction castings. The general contract for all of the gates was placed with the McClintic-Marshall Construction Company, for which the Wheeling Mold & Foundry Company supplied the cast portions and the pintle and yoke bearings, as well as manhole frames and covers giving admittance to the chamber of the leaf from the top. The structural steel was rolled mainly at the mills of the Jones & Laughlin Steel Company, though some of the wider plates were made by the Carnegie Steel Company, at the Homestead Works. It has been estimated that if all the gate leaves THE IRON AGE November 21, i912 in the Canal were to be piled on top of one another +! would make a tower more than 1% miles high weight of the heaviest gate leaf is 1,483,700 Ib., and total amount of material covered by the McClintic-\- shall contract is 118,488,100 Ib. One of the most important of the castings in co: tion with the gates is the yoke, on which, as stated, each leaf swings at the top. This is made of vanadium stee] and weighs 6500 lb. including the bronze bushing which takes the pin in the top of the leaf. The upper of the two views on page 1197 shows a group of the yoke castings, On account of the importance of the yoke, it was con- sidered desirable to test one of them to destruction, which was done in April, 1911, at the Ambridge, Pa., plant of the American Bridge Company. Fracture took place when the stress required to break the yoke was about 3,300,000 lb. or about seven times the greatest load that can come upon the yoke even when the gate is swung free in the dry. The specifications required 0.16 per cent. vanadium. and test specimens indicated an elastic limit of over 40,000 lb. per sq. in.; ultimate strength of 70,000 Ib., and an elongation of 24 per cent. in 2 in. The lower of the two views on page 1197 shows the upper and lower pintle castings in place, and also the heel casting of the leaf and one reaction casting. Incidentally, in the foreground may be seen the pintle and its bushing. A group of the heel castings is shown on this page These are of 0.30 per cent. carbon steel, and each weighs 6000 lb. Each casting requires machining on five faces, and has 316 drilled holes. It is designed to transfer the entire weight of the structural steel leaf to the pintle bearing. The two parts of this bearing are of vanadium steel, and the upper casting has a manganese bronze bushing which fits the nickel-steel forged pintle. Of the twelve gates reached by tidewater, the bushing was made of vanadium steel instead of manganese bronze on account of the dan- ger of electrolytic action. The lower cut 6n this page shows a line of.quoin end reaction castings on the erecting rig for fitting prepara- tory to shipment. These are castings for the edge of one of the shorter leaves. The weight of these castings per leaf averages 87,000 Ib. The illustration on page 1203 is given to show the double headed planing machine built especially for finishing these castings, the bottom surface being cut while the planing machine table is moving in one direction and two side cuts being taken in the reverse direction. To handle the work to advantage, it was neces- sary to prepare quite a number of jigs, and also rigs for erecting and testing the castings. Generally a line of the castings were assembled on a rig before being placed on the planing machine. inec- A Line of Quoin End _ Reaction Coatings on Erecting Rig for Fitting Preparatory, to Shipment, Such a Line Forming a Vertical Edge of 8 Gate, One Edge at the Lock all and the Other Mitering with the ge of a Corresponding Leaf in Center of Channel ember 21, I9I2 How the Lock Gates Are Operated » mechanism for operating the gates is one of the t interesting features of the mechanical engineering work of the Panama Canal. It was realized that the gate are of so great size that more than usual care have to be exercised to regulate the force applied to } f in a manner approximately proportional to the re- sistance to its motion. The resistance is greatest when the near the two extremes of its path, that is, when near tered position or in the position of rest in a recess orovided in the masonry side of the lock chamber. Views of the machinery are given on pages 1199 and 1200. The motion is imparted to the leaf by a horizontal strut connected by a vertical pin to the upper girder of the ite leaf. The other end of the strut is fitted to a pin rming part and near the circumference of a large hori- zontal gear wheel. The gear wheel is caused to turn by a pinion revolving on a vertical axis, this in turn actuated | motor located in an adjoining chamber in the lock nry. A study of the plan drawing will show how the ine is capable of exerting its greatest force at the vhen the resistance is greatest, and it is emphasized t rate of increase of the force from minimum to maximum is greater than the rate of increase of the re- e. The type of machine was designed and has been | by Edward Schildhauer, electrical and mechanical ngineer of the Isthmian Canal Commission, and the con- for the 92 complete machines required was taken tly by the Wheeling Mold & Foundry Company. Unlike the valve operating and other machinery in- led for operation at the Panama Canal, the bull wheel, the large gear is called, and the strut arm will be in view from passing vessels, and their operation can losely observed while the vessels are stationary in the waiting to be raised or lowered according to the tion in which tney are bound. As the machines must sarily be above high-water level, and as there could no obstruction to the passage of the electric towing motives, which will tow vessels through the locks, machines were placed in a recess in the top of the < wall, as shown in the sectional elevation on page 1200, the track for the locomotives carried over this re- y means of a bridge of steel beams and concrete. [he gate in the open position fits into a recess made for that the front face may lie flush with the lock wall. Among the problems encountered in applying the prin- ‘iple of the moving machine was the necessity of pro- ling against sudden shocks, which might damage the machinery and perhaps put the gates temporarily out of mmission, At two points springs are provided in each achine for absorbing shock. One of these is in one of | oly of Gate Qrerating the Bulkhead an THE IRON AGE ad the Large Horizontal Gear to. Which 1199 Semi-Steel Bulkhead Protecting Motor Chamber and Part of the Gearing for Operating a Gate Leaf the gear wheels between the motor and the bull wheel, this being necessary to adjust the stresses of starting and stopping the motor and any fluctuation of speed. The other spring is located at the outer end of the strut arm and this is_very powerful. It is to provide against sudden stress due to the inertia of the gate when stopping and starting and also should there be an obstruction to the movement of the gate on account of floating material getting between it and the wall of the lock. The strut arm is of structural steel for the most part, the ends for connecting to the gate and to the bull wheel being castings. The arm is hinged so that it can be disconnected from either the gate leaf or the bull wheel and moved ovt of the way if necessary to make repairs. The buffer spring consists of six small and six large helical springs and the strut arm complete weighs 7700 lb. and is 26% ft. long over all and 16 in. x 3 ft. in-its greatest lateral dimensions. One of the views on page 1204 shows a bull wheel in process of machining. It is cast in halves on account of its size and to facilitate transportation and assembling, the method of molding and the rough casting being also the Motor Drives bo Aunshed the Beret feleat te ot Gee Det Cammy ba qi THE IRON AGE November 21. 1912 View of the Strut with Its Compression Springs to Take Shocks in Case of Obstructions shown on page 1204. The halves are fastened together for machining, and it will be noted that only about one-half of the wheel is provided with teeth, this being on account of the wheel’s operating only through a half circle. The half having the teeth also carries the crank pin for the strut arm and is known as the crank pin segment to distinguish it from the other or plain segment. The weight of the gear is 37,700 lb., and the out- side diameter 19% ft., face 12 in., bore 20 in., and circular pitch 3.14 in. To -machine one complete wheel, including the facing of the hubs, cutting teeth and boring requires 8 to 9 days of continuous work. An important detail of the mecha- nism is the support for the bull wheel with the strut arm attached which support must also take up the thrust of the strut arm transferred throvgh the gear as the gates are alternately than 630 |b. finished, and. considerable difficulty was ex- perienced in casting it on account of its large size. The center plate is imbedded in the concrete of the lock walls, [The Complete Spring Gear of the Reduc- and the weight of the center plate group including the bushings and small fittings is 20,300 lb. The 18-in, center pin is fastened in place by means of a large nickel steel wedge A semi-steel bulkhead separates the chamber containing the bull whee! from the chamber containing the elec- tric motor, to make the latter water tight. The recess in the face of the lock wall in which the strut moves has its lowest point about 6 in. above the highest water level in the lock. The chamber containing the large gear wheel will therefore not be actually flooded, but is likety to be kept con- tinually wet by the action of waves set up by vessels in the lock and by the gates in opening and closing. The tion Gearing, 64 In. in Diameter use of the bulkhead is therefore t prevent flooding of the motor and electrical devices. One of the accompanying illustrations shows the irregular shape of the bulkhead, which in over- all dimensions is 9% x 7 x 6 ft., and weighs with its parts 17,000 lb. The upper of the two views on page 1199 shows the bevel gear driven by the motor and re- volving the driving pinion for the bul! wheel. It may be added that the weight of each leaf-moving machine, in- cluding the strut arm and connec- tion, is about 50 tons. The 18-in pin at the center of the bull wheel as well as the 10-in. pin at the wheel end of the strut and the 8-in. pin at the gate end are of forged nickel steel. The pin at the wheel and of the strut has a projecting head and is tapered on the lower end and provided with a nut and washer so that the strut arm cat be disconnected quickly. The spect ally designed rig for testing the to in. nickel-steel yoke pins is shown among the il‘ustrations, a pressur of 250 tons being developed by the hydraulic fluid, giving a_ fibre shearing stress of 45,000 lb. per square inch, The motor for driving ¢¢ leaf-moving machine takes curren! at 220 volts from a hydro-electric power plant at the Gatun dam and operates at a speed of 500 rp.™ The speed is reduced by four sets of gears with ratios of 4 to !. 6.1 to 1, 434 to I and 14% to I, s0 that opened and closed. The gear revolves about an 18-in. center pin, which is carried in a large manganese bronze bushing placed in the top of a center plate 6% ft. square on its top surface and 4 ft. high. The manganese bronze bushing weighs no less ee Aamtailes sce pees + a ee en ee re Mind Re ee eas Plan ei Soe Rack for Electric Locomotives rx K ee Bg dd a) es ly en ae - Gote Leaf Sectional Elevation Plan and Elevation Showing the Connection Between the Leaf of the Gate and the Large Gear § Driven by Motor Not Shown November 21, 1912 he total ratio is about 1650 to 1, giving a speed to the ull wheel of less than 1 complete revolution in 3 min. \s this wheel moves through approximately a half circle 1 opening or closing the gate, it will uire approximately 1% min. either to en or close. Reversal in direction is tained by reversing the motor. The iew of the assembly of the machine page 1199 shows the spring gear heel used as stated for absorbing k, and a separate view of the vheel, which is 64 in, in diameter and eighs about 3000 Ib., is given on page Operating the Gates in Main Culverts to Locks Some idea of the rising-stem valves he machines to operate them may gained from the illustrations 6n his page. The valves themselves had arranged for under a separate ract, but the contract for the ma- ines and lifting connections of the hanism was also awarded to the Wheeling Mold & ndry Company, for the entire 112 machines, which, as idy stated, are for the valves which control the main rts of the locks. The diagram shows the top of the e, the elevating screws, the crosshead, which is driven and down as the screws revolve, the valve stem by ich the valve is suspended from the crosshead, and the iperimposed electric motor and gearing for revolving the ews. The size of waterway closed by each of these ing stem valves is 8 x 18 ft. The maximum water pres- on each valve is 314 tons, at rest. The total vertical nge of motion of the valve is 18 ft. The total weight of ing parts is 22,500 lb. in air, and the valve is made nickel structural steel and of steel castings. It was red that the valve be lifted by a stiff stem which ot rise above the coping of the lock. An interesting this connection is that Mannesmann tubing has used for the stems. The rising stem valve machines te weigh about 7,200,000 Ib. he valve stem passes vertically through a stuffing box rizontal water-tight bulkhead which closes the bot- the machinery chamber from the space in which the rks. The bulkhead is at a point 32 ft. below the el of water in the lock. The valve rides against to introduce rolling friction in place of sliding in moving the valve, and these are indicated in the The crosshead which lifts the valve stem also the rollers, which obviously must rise with half f the valve. To bring this about with certainty, er end of each roller train is connected to a vertical hich also passes through the water-tight bulkhead, stem is raised and lowered by a chain passing over heaves and fastened to the crosshead, the arrange- eing to give the velocity of the end of the chain ed to the stem one half the ve'ocity of the other end. lide frames for the machines had to be built into the ry of the lock walls and was therefore ordered con- Castings Resolving, Shown in Pl THE IRON AGE 120! One of the Screws Being Cut on an Engine Lathe in a Trollhattan Shop, Sweden siderably in advance of the machines proper. One view gives some idea of this feature of the work as actually in place during construction of the locks. The material for the frames, also furnished by the Wheeling Mold & Foundry Company, amounted to about 9,000,000 Ib. The non-rising screws were made for the Wheeling Company, by Nyd- quist & Holm, Trollhattan, Sweden, and shipped direct to the Isthmus. One of the views shows the screw being turn- ed on an engine lathe in the Trollhat- tan shop. The cross head is guided in its vertical travel by rollers running on rails imbedded in the concrete and each revolving screw is provided with d ouble r oller b e arings at its up- per end, from which it is suspended, the béaring at the lower end serving simply to guide and hold the screw, the weight being carried in suspension from the top. The 220-volt motors employed are arranged for either local or remote control and auxiliary hand apparatus is provided for closing the gate should the machinery fail when ,it is in the raised condition. A test of the machine was made by continuous running for one hour without load and for one hour with the load of 60,000 Ib. Two of the engravings show the character of the work done by the Mannes- mannrohrenwerke, Dussel- dorf, Germany, which fur- nished valve stems made of 8 in. outside diameter seam- less hot-drawn steel tubing with an allowable variation in the walls of 21/32 to 9/16 in. in thickness. The length of these stems varies from 57 ft. 7 in. to 26 ft. 10 in. and the weight of the longest stem is about 3000 Ib., where a tube is 30 ft. in length. Such a tube is composed of two sections held together by having each end counterbored and threaded, a _ threaded Crosshead the Rising Stem Gates ace at the Canal fermn--< Hollow Valve Diagram Showing Top of Risin Stem Valve S ded by Hol- low Stem from Crosshead Which is Raised and Lowered by the Screws Revolved by Motors ya ba | i : 4 « - Se" se 4 rg 5 nn gpl inane dew ee. Eee RS Sasety _acattatitectl am <= ; et f A Length of Hollow Tubing for the Rising Valve Stem, the End in the Foreground Having Inside Threads for the Joint sleeve, 12 in. long being screwed into each tube to draw the two pieces tightly together. The joint is made tight by having a copper ring of wedge shape cross-section placed at the union of the two lengths. The forged stem connec- tion, which is shown in the illustrations, and which fits into the valve proper, is secured to the valve stem by the THE IRON AGE November 21, 1912 handling unusual work and work of magnitude, thou} course, it has been prominent as a maker of castin Se perhaps especially as a builder of rolling mill machinery Its work with the Isthmian Canal Commission represent four important contracts, all secured in open com; etition The company feels that its success in securing the work was due largely to the initiative and expense taken by the engineering department to familiarize itself thoro ughly with the details of construction, the peculiar local condj- tions at the Isthmus and the details of transportation. All material had to be furnished according to a definite schedule laid out by the Commission, with penalties charged for delay in delivering material in the specified time. All machines are assigned to their definite place on the Isthmus before leaving the shop and all pieces compris ing a machine are numbered to indicate the location, ty; pe of machine, etc. For recording the progress of work on all the different products from the casting or purchase of each item to its final assembling and shipment, a system of forms was devised so that the status of any machine can be ascertained at any time. Other forms were made up The Motor Drive for the Rising Stem Gates; at the Bottom of the Picture May Be Seen the Lifting Crosshead same means. The specifications required that the joints after being forced and riveted must be water tight against a head of 120 ft. of water and all the material must pass the following tests: Ultimate strength, 78,000 to 92,000 Ib. per square inch; elastic limit, 43,600 to 50,400 Ib.; elonga- tion in 2 in., 20 per cent.; contraction in area 35 to 40 per cent.; bending test, 180 deg. around a diameter three times the thickness of the test piece. The stems were shipped direct from Dusseldorf by way of Antwerp on the Ham- burg-American Line to Colon. The total shipment of valve stems is about 225,000 Ib., and it is expected will be com- pletely finished this year. Operating the Gates for Each Lock Chamber The cylindrical valves, as already stated, are located at the points where the lateral waterways for filling the locks connect with the main culvert. They are 6% ft. in diam- eter, and have a lift of 3 ft. 1 in. Each is connected to its driving mechanism by a rising stem, which is driven by a machine shown on page 1203. The Wheeling Mold & Foundry Company built the machines, 130 in all, and weighing altogether about 550,000 lb. The motor shown in the view is merely one used for testing purposes. The test required one hour’s continuous operation without load, and then 100 complete cycles with a load of 9,000 Ib., and 100 cycles with a load of 14,000 Ib. The upper end of the valve stem terminates in a tubular extension to which is fixed a stationary nut. The nut en- gages a nonrising revolving screw driven by the mechan- ism. As the screw revolves, the nut rises or falls as the case may be and carries with it the valve stem at the bot- tom of which is the cylindrical valve. The space in the tubular extension of the valve stem underneath the nut is filled with oil, and when the nut rises the screw enters the oil. There are vertical holes in the nut and the entrance of the screw into the oil forces oil upward through the holes in the nut, providing the desired lubrication. The General Problems of the Machine Builder The foregoing account is calculated to prove the capa- bilities of the Wheeling Mold & Foundry Company for to cover progress of shipment of all material so that dates are available for all stages of the journey to the final deliv- ery at the Isthmus. For handling the large amount of work in the limited time, a new erecting shop with two traveling cranes was constructed, and a craneway 500 ft. long was built over The Threaded Sleeve for Connecting Sections of the Valve Stem and ¢ Forged End to Join to the Valve Proper mber 21, 1912 sting yard and a general track rearrangement was to load five cars at one time by means of the traveling Additional gas engines for giving electric power iditional planing machines, gear cutting machines her equipment were added. As it was, some of the ning was let by subcontract to the William Tod Com- Youngstown, Ohio. A large drafting force was re- | for planning rigs and jigs to handle the machine ind erecting economically. Finally, besides the con- awarded directly to the company (for making the ng gate moving machinery, the cylindrical-valve ting machines, the rising stem valve operating ma- s and the frames for the rising stem machines), and castings for the McClintic-Marshall Construction any for the mitering gates, the company took a num- f other contracts for the canal work including 130,000 ft. of copper conductor rail for the electric towing ‘tives. The section of the rail, which was adopted , the Commission, was designed by the engineers of the Wheeling Mold & Foundry Company, to facilitate the tening of the conductor bar in place. These rails were le by the extrusion process, by the Coe Brass branch it Ansonia, Conn., of the American Brass Company as ibcontractor, The design and installation of the gate-opening machin- is in charge of Edward Schildhauer, electrical and mechanical engineer reporting to Col. H. F. Hodges, Corps of Engineers, U. S. A. assistant chief engineer to Col. George W. Goet- hals, Corps of Engi- neers,. U. . Sis ia hairman and chief engineer of the Isth- mian Canal Com- mission, The per- sonnel of the Wheel- ing Mold & Foun- Iry Company is C. Blue, president f the company since its organiza- on in 1897, L. V. Blue, vice-president, F. du Pont Thom- son, chief engineer, H. S. Bradley, sec- retary, H. Quarrier, treasurer, W. V. Hoge, Jr., business manager, and EE, Cc Rauschenberg, superintendent of the company’s works. The Hess-Snyder Company, Massillon, Ohio, is in- stalling in its foundry a number of molding machines of the Vulcan, Buchs and Adams types. One of the Cylindrical Valve Machines Under Test THE IRON AGE Special Rig for Testing Nickel-Steel Yoke Pins Crane Company Will Build Large Plant The Crane Company, Chicago, concerning the sale of whose present plant site on Canal street mention was re- cently made in The Iron Age, has acquired a tract of 200 acres in the out- lying mariufacturing district at the south- west side of the city, abutting on the Drainage Canal and near the corner of Kedzie and Archer avenues. It is the intention to con- centrate gradually all the Chicago plants of the com- pany on this site. Building plans are being prepared in- volving initial ex- penditures approx- imating $5,000,000. The site is near the Santa Fe and the Indiana Harbor Belt railroads. Machining the Reaction Castings in a Double-Head Planing Machine Built for the Work Fuel Oil in Northern Ohio Reference has been made to the action of the Standard Oil Company of Indiana in notifying its customers that when present fuel oil contracts expire in 1913 they will not be renewed. The Standard Oil Company is now re- fusing to renew its usual yearly contracts with Ohio con- sumers for a longer period than for six months, and is taking on no new contracts whatever, limiting its supply to its old customers. The company gives the scarcity of fuel oil and the high prices of crude oil as reasons for declining to make longer contracts. Users of fuel oil are worried over the possibility that at the expiration of their six months’ contracts their supply will be entirely cut off. The scarcity has also resulted in a sharp advance in price, which is sufficient to cause manufacturers to turn their attention to other kinds of fuel even if they had assurances that their supply of fuel oil would be continued. As representing this advance in Ohio, fuel oil is now quoted for Cleveland delivery at about 4c. a gal. in tank car lots, as compared with 2.25¢. a year ago. The cutting off of the supply of fuel oil in several of the states in the Northwest and Central West has already resulted in a heavy demand for gas producer plants, and makers of such apparatus are getting orders faster than they can fill them. According to the reports of the manu- facturers, the field for gas producers is rapidly broadening to industries outside of open-hearth plants and steel foundries, and numerous orders are being placed for small producer units for widely varied manufacturing industries. Many forge shops are expected to replace fuel = 2 a ee aes ae, we hciaborttne hia ae FEB Niel cs Mim a ee ong na lage ne i ¢ Pe eee ee ee a a eee DO a hd . hb i + —_ site 1204 oil with producer gas in the near future. In Cleveland and most of the other in- dustrial centers of northern Ohio, many manufacturers use natural gas for fuel, pre- ferring it to other fuels. At present prices ngtural gas is regarded as a very satisfac- tory and economical fuel. While there are no immediate indications of a falling off of the natural gas supply, this fuel has one serious disadvantage. In case of a break- down of mains or an extra heavy domestic demand because of intensely cold weather, the natural gas contracts with manufac- turers provide that their supply can be cut off when necessary so that it can be divert- ed to the needs of domestic users. Thus the danger always exists of a shortage Syracuse Iron Mine Abandoned Pickands, Mather & Co., Cleveland, have finally aban The efforts to open the prop- doned the Syracuse mine erty and take out its ore have proved unsuccessful. The buildings are being dis- mantled and removed to the Bangor location, one mile distant. The Syracuse is in the Lake Embarrass field, near Biwobik, Mesaba range. Drills have shown it a valuable property. While the deposit of ore is not extraordinarily large, the grade is excellent. Un- fortunately, however, the over-burden consists. of quicksand. Attempts to reach the ledge by ordinary methods of sinking ended in failure and a reinforced concrete shaft was put difficult, but it was thought that with bedrock attained down. This work was most the troubles were practi- cally over. The water prob- lem, which had been seri- ous from the start, became still more baffling, however, and to take care of the un- derground torrent it was necessary greatly to aug- ment the pumping capacity The ore deposit was fin- ally tapped and enough ore to fill two cars was taken out. Then it was discovered that the removal of the quicksand pumped out with the water had taken away much of the “ground” surrounding the THE IRON AGE November > [912 The Rough Casting of the Bull Wheel Indicating the Large Risers Used ll Wheels in Process of Machining Showing the Ex- tent of the Tooth Surface was surrendered. Now, no other concern caring to workings and had left the concrete shaft unstabk practically impossible of use. The lease to the pr pert Laake over the tract, the buildings are being dismantled. It is believed that th cost of the undertaking was more than $1,000,000. It is the general theory that the water comes from the near- by Embarrass river, possi ly an underground branch of that stream, and it is the belief of some mining mer that not until the bed of the river has been given a floor of concrete will it be possible to mine the Syra- cuse ore or other undevel- oped deposits in the locality This work would, of course, cost a very large sum. The development of the Bangor mine by Pickands, Mather & Co., while it has been a success, was attended with great difficulty in its earlier stages. Water and quick- sand offered many perplex- ing problems, which wers successfully solved. The Bangor deposit is larger than that at the Syracuse mine, but the grade of th ore is not as good. Philadelphia Associated Foundry Foremen The Associated Foundry Foremen of Philadelphia and Vicinity held its monthly meeting in that city on the Molding One-Half of the Bull Wheel for the Gate Operating Mechanism evening of November 13. The following officers were elected for the coming year President, John Alexander, Harrison Safety Boiler Works; vice-president, John Mc- Coy, Philadelphia Chaplet Company; sec- retary-treasurer, C. R. Brown, E. E Brown & Co.; trustee to serve for three years, A. A. Miller, of The Iron Age Lewis R. Palmer, of Philadelphia, repre senting the Osborn Mfg. Company, Cleve- land, Ohio, was elected to membership. Ar interesting address followed by Paxsor Deeter, of Philadelphia, on “Efficiency.” He outlined many of the methods inaugurated by F. W. Taylor in arriving at his con- clusions in connection with efficiency work. and strongly suggested that, while it might not be possible in all cases to apply Mr Taylor’s system, there were undoubtedly 2 number of efficiency methods which could be adopted in general practice for the bet terment of the foundry trade. A dis- cussion ensued in which practically all present participated. November 21, 1912 A New Clay Gun for Blast Furnaces A Machine for Plugging the Tapping Hole When the Blast Is on Nearly Full One of the’ most familiar tools at the modern blast furnace is the Vaughn clay gun, used for plugging the tapping hole after a cast. The usual method of using it is to shut off the blast while workmen adjust the gun to the tapping hole and force in the clay. F. H. N. Gerwig he Pittsburgh Steel Company, who was formerly as- sistant superintendent at the Carrie furnaces in the Pitts- burgh district, has invented a clay gun and an apparatus for using it which .make. it possible to stop the tapping hole with clay without taking off the blast. The furnace is checked so as to drop the blast pressure down to about ) Ib. and it is considered possible, under particularly favorable conditions, to stop the hole without reducing the last pressure. Mr. Gerwig’s mechanism is moved into and out of operative position without the employment of workmen for the actual handling of the gun. The actuat- ng mechanism is controlled by valves some distance from e immediate front of the furnace. Fig. 1 shows the iron notch of the blast furnace in longitudinal section, with the clay gun and operating echanism as devised by Mr. Gerwig. . Fig. 2 is a front levation of the furnace and apparatus. The cylinder of the clay gun is provided with hori- ntally extending trunnions, which secure it to a trunnion ke so as to permit of angular adjustment. The gun is swung around into alignment vertically with the center line f the tapping hole and trough by an arm and a sliding sleeve which encircles an enlarged portion of one of the furnace-supporting columns as shown. The sleeve is secured to one end of a chain passing around sheave wheels nounted on the upper end of the column. The cable also passes around a sheave wheel secured on a bracket fixed ne of the building columns supporting the furnace cast house. The lower end is secured to the piston rod of a fluid pressure cylinder attached to the same column. The ther end of the piston rod carries a counter weight, which Fig. 1. THE IRON AGE 1205 blow the engines are slowed down; then the relief valve on the cold blast line is opened to take off the pressure from the furnace and to prevent the gas from blowing out at the tapping hole. The stoves are closed from the cold blast main to allow the workmen to insert the gun into the tapping hole and force in the clay balls, which are throwh one at a time into the gun. The Gerwig gun has a large enough clay barrel to carry sufficient clay to stop the tapping hole with the blast on. Of the four-way valves at the side of the cast house one lowers and raises the gun, another inserts and withdraws the nose of the gun, and a third forces the clay into the hole. The inventor figures that with six casts a day, estimating 3% minutes lost in stopping the hole after each cast, the loss of product in the total of 21 minutes is 5.16 tons. For a year this would amount to 1858 tons, or 1.15 per cent. of the production of a furnace making 450 tons in 24 hours. The other advantages claimed are a more regular working furnace, since blast pressure often increases after a cast, due to tightening up of the stock in the bosh and the lower part, caused by settling down in the removal of the blast; the saving in wages, since no men are required in front of the tapping hole, representing a possible decrease of one man per furnace; ability to keep cinder from running back into the blowpipes and filling them up when the furnace is working badly. Sometimes after a cast it is impossible to take off all the blast to stop the hole, on account of this tendency of the cinder to go back into the blowpipes, and sometimes full blast has to be kept off an hour or more after cast before it is practicable to stop the hole, whereas with the arrangement shown it can be stopped at once. There is also a saving in fire clay and in increased pro- duction. The Ferracute Machine Company, Bridgeton, N. J., has arranged with William T. Barker, formerly proprie- tor of the Bridgeton Iron Works, who has had contracts for the company’s castings for several years, to build a new foundry adjoining the Ferracute plant. He intends to build it of modern design, of brick and steel, about 90x ro8 ft., Md al) Fig. 2 Section and Front Elevation of Blast Furnace, Showing the Construction and Method of Applying the Clay Gun of F. H. N. Gerwig part counterbalances the weight of the lifted parts of the gun and supporting mechanism. The motions _‘e gun and its frame are controlled by four-way valves ‘mitting water to the various pipes shown in the illustra- The cylindrical yoke supporting the gun moves spirally around the column and partly vertically in path, and in this way the gun is placed in exact position ‘top the hole without the assistance of any men to it _ ‘\ith the clay gun now commonly used the barrel is partly filled with clay before the furnace is tapped. When ron has all been tapped out and the furnace begins to with arrangements for future lengthening when desired to increase the present capacity. It will be equipped with electric cranes, pnewmatic hoists, pneumatic chipping and cleaning devices, etc., and will probably be ready for op- eration within six months. Mr. Barker's engineer is David Townsend, 1716 Spring Garden street, Philadelphia. Pa. The Ferracute Company has an arrangement with Mr. Barker whereby it can purchase the foundry at some future date if desired, as it will be practically equipped for the work of that company, whose requirements for iron castings for the past year have been between 1000 and 1500 tons. Bie e . @< Power Plant of an Ore Washery High-Duty Pumping Engine and Steam Turbine Electric Unit In connection with its new iron-ore washing plant at Nashwauk, Minn., the Wisconsin Steel Company, South Chicago, IIl., has built a modern power and pumping plant. It was designed by A. U. Leonhauser, chief engineer, and the details are shown in the accompanying drawings. A distinctive feature is the condensing system, although a number of other noteworthy improvements over ordinary practice will be observed from the following description: The power house, located near the shore of a small lake, contains a steam turbine unit of 500 kw. and a steam-driven pumping engine with capacity of 2500 gal. per minute. Steam is supplied from two Stirling boilers set in battery and rated at 254-hp. each, manufactured by the Babcock & Wilcox Company. The working pressure is up to 180 lb., but normally 160 lb. They are equipped with Jones underfeed stokers, and from each furnace the products of combustion pass to an individual stack 4 ft. in diameter, rising 110 ft. from the floor line. The boilers are also furnished with McDonough automatic feed water regulators. Feed water from the lake is supplied to the boilers through a Stillwell heater by two 7% x 4 x 10-in. Worth- ington pumps, which have outside center-packed water 1206 THE IRON AGE November 21, 1912 Steam from the boilers is collected in an 8-in. header and passes through a 5-in. feeder to the pumping engine. This is a Prescott machine of the cross-compound hori. zontal high- duty type. It has steam cylinders, 16 and 32- in, in diameter, in tandem with water plungers of 101/-in, diameter. The common stroke is 36 in. Delivery of 2500 gal., as mentioned, is made against a head of 250 ft., with steam pressure of 140 lb. The engine is equipped with Corliss valve gear of the latest Prescott pattern, and the governor is arranged so that the speed can be varied, when running, between one-third and full capacity. Steam from the high-pressure cylinder passes to the low-pressure side through a reheating receiver. The water pumped is taken through a 24-in. main, 126 ft. long, from an intake, well out in the lake, and passes a screen before reaching the pump section. This water js discharged to a 16-in. main leading to an elevated stee| tank and thence distributed, at 70-lb. pressure, td the mill for washing the ore. For the boiler feed sufficient water is drawn off from the 16-in. main through a 4-in. pipe. Water can also be by-passed and returned to the lake through a 10-in. discharge pipe when required. The steam turbine unit, of Allis-Chalmers make, takes its supply from the boilers through a 6-in. feeder. The turbine was designed to operate at 3600 r.p.m. and the speed is regulated by a governor driven from the shaft by gears working in an oil bath. The governor, by means of a relay, actuates a balanced throttle valve. An abun- LL 4 INST is Cee aad ot oe met , ees a ore {3 \y i i ie a} ae | ‘ i SSE Peek ean ono en t-teooee i eet i Li Plan and Sectional Elevation of the Wisconsin Steel Company’s Ore Washery Power Plant at Nashwauk, Minn. plungers. This feature is unusual except in power plants of the larger size. It enables leakage to be readily de- tected and remedied by re-packing. Brass covered plung- ers and bronze piston rods are used. The steam end is of the standard Worthington type for duplex pumps, fitted with flat valves. dance of oil is supplied to the bearings of the turbine and generator by means of a small cycloidal pump driven from the turbine shaft. Coupled to the turbine on the same bed-plate, is 2 > phase 60-cycle alternating-current —. designed for a terminal pressure of 2300 volts. is rated at 625 Se ember 21, 1912 k.y.a., yielding 500 kw. under normal load at 80 per cent. power factor, It is of the standard revolving field type. Excitation is effected by a 10-kw. direct-current generator e same shaft. There is forced ventilation of the os venerator coils by a fan forming part of the rotor, air to which is admitted from outside the power house through a 36 x 38-in. duct provided with a special screened the arrangement of the condensing plant a combina- ti 1s been effected that is unusual for a plant of this kind and has been found highly economical. The exhaust from both the steam turbine and the pumping engine passes to a surface condenser, having 1500 sq. ft. effective area, which was furnished by the International Steam Pump Company. It is located in the suction of the pumping engine, By this means the practice inaugurated at municipal high-duty water works stations, of utilizing for cooling purposes all of the water drawn in by the pumping engine for delivery to service pipes, has been taken advantage of for the entire plant. The condenser is f sufficient capacity to bring about 28 in. of vacuum, referred to a 30-in. barometer, at the exhausts of both the pumping engine and turbine. All condensate is re- moved by a 17 x 10-in, Prescott suction valve-less double- icting air pump driven from the main crank shaft by means of an eccentric, Lubrication of the power and pumping machinery is effected by a combined gravity and force feed system, as partly indicated in the foregoing, the oil being stored in an 8o-gal. tank located just under the roof trusses. Affer eing used, it flows to a White Star duplex oil filter, fur- nished by the Pittsburgh Gage & Supply Company, is leansed and then returned to the tank by a Moore oil pump. Coal for the plant is unloaded from a trestle in front of the boiler room doors and shoveled to the hoppers of the stokers. The ore washing plant, for which the power and pumping station was built, is equipped throughout with electric drive. The motors are 3-phase 60-cycle 440-volt machines supplied with current from the turbine unit through two 150-k.v.a. 2200 to 440-volt oil insulated self- cooled transformers. A Great Southwestern Hydroelectric Project E. C. Alexander, Marble Falls, Texas, who is build- ing a large reinforced concrete dam across the Colorado River near that place for the purpose of operating a hydroelectric plant he will install, is promoting the con- struction of another dam across the same river at a point 25 miles above Austin. The new dam will be 150 ft. high and 1820 ft. long; will be located at Lohman Nar- rows and will form a reservoir that will extend up the river for 47 miles. It will provide the initial power for what is expected to be the largest hydroelectric plant in the Southwest, making available approximately 100,000 hp. It is the purpose of Mr. Alexander and his associates to construct power transmission lines from the hydroelectric plant to cities and towns within a radius of 150 miles. The project is said to have been financed and surveys for the works are being made. The site of this proposed dam is only about 22 miles above the dam which the city Austin is constructing across the same river. for the first 10 months of the current year a total of 11,075,780 tons of coal was mined in Indiana, compared with 13,837,397 tons for the whole of 1911, notwithstand- two months’ idleness last spring, pending an agree- ment between operators and miners. Coal is mined in 21 the 92 counties of the State. Approximately 400 small "ines, employing 10 men or less, do not make reports. livan County has passed Clay County as the leading lucer. At one time the latter mined more coal than the other counties combined. Its output was block, but ely 5 per cent. of the Indiana coal production is now he Vermillion Malleable Company, Chicago, has filed ¢ of a change in its name to the Vermillion Malleable n Company, with an increase in capital stock from 00 to $125,000 THE IRON AGE 1207 A Small Portable Belt Lacing Machine In 1907 the Clipper Belt Lacer Company, 1006 Front avenue, N. W., Grand Rapids, Mich., secured the Amer- ican manufacturing rights on an English belt lacing de- vice. In its original form the machine was used with a mallet and the hooks were placed in the tool singly. Improvements were made until in the fall of 1910 the first card of hooks for the machine was ready for the market. Since that time a number of improvements have been made, until the machine in its present form is of the type shown in the accompanying engraving. The hooks used for lacing the belt are carded on a strip of paper that is wide enough to fill the entire ma- chine. This card is inserted in the machine, the pin put A Small Hand-O rated Portable Belt Lacing Machine —~ by the Clipper It Lacer Company, Grand Rapids, Mic in which holds the hooks in place and the paper re- moved. If the belt to be laced is narrower than the machine the card can be cut to the desired width with a pair of scissors before it is inserted. For ease in opera- tion the ratchet is hinged on the base of the machine so that it can be laid back out of the way. This permits the center and side heads which hold the clinch bar to be also laid out of the way and gives free access to the lacer to insert the hooks. The lining bar which meshes into the lacer and engages the hooks is handled by plungers in the side heads backed up by springs. In this way when the side and center heads are brought forward, the plungers engage the lining bar, thus keeping the hooks in alignment during the operation. The center head is brought forward until the clinching bar comes in