The Iron Age 1914-02-05: Vol 93 Iss 6

= = Ee a =——— = = '::) Est: hed 1855 New York, February 5, 1914 Vol. 93: No. 6 Remodeling a Core Making Department The Possibilities of Rearrangement of an Existing Plant Shown in Changes at Works of the American Blower Company small foundry employing ten or less core ; inclined to think that its problem is not nough to warrant calling in outside help to assist in planning or re-arranging the department. saving of broken or burnt cores by more carefully controlled baking conditions and planning the han dling and storage of cores on a more efficient basis. the plant was originally built as a soil pipe later was changed, and the ovens were added to piecemeal until there existed two large ovens, each arranged so a car could be run merican biower Company, however, decided foundry, and see if it could not increase the efficiency of the re making department in its works at Detroit. ~~ 7 oy we ee J ons Fig. 1—Front of Core Ovens Showing Transfer Pit lea was to include the following points as de- in from the front. There were also racks on the e factors in the efficiency work: 1, the reduc- walls of the ovens which had to be filled before the ' lost castings by the making of more perfect cars were run in. There was also a battery of - three small ovens of the drawer type. Each of the 2, the reduction of machine work and finish- rk on castings by more perfect cores; 3, the large ovens was fired from a separate fire pit and 357 ear eene eee 6 tmergiye ss a = Sseus le. 4 , 4 * oro - a i 358 THE IRON AGE February 5, 19)4 x »< +f soaker’ Beaci hee = M ¥ >< “4 a p 5 bie 3 Drawe ns I< 9 7 Seoeaamell Ric - ; 4 4 xT ~~ tA Ke — + Hes 4 6 Lin Y ] jivi» { cal ae ‘ Lk LA rei t » fh eae “< >< Ak ¥ Ad hn Ad io #0 thove and be i a nat : rm Core Oven © alten . _ , > gL LLLLLLLLLLL ALAA ALLL LLL LLL La Core Oven ; - + ee = = 7 < - t er oie S ‘e f peneeane Fire Box Pit 3 9 Deep ’ ox | Skylight above L.—-p¢ had its own stack. The drawer ovens were fired from a third fire pit. In order to provide core storage an addition had been made to the building, which unfortunately was on the opposite side of the core room from the foundry. This necessitated carrying baked cores through the core room to the foundry. The core makers themselves delivered all cores to the ovens and looked after their own sup- plies. In the new arrangement the object was to re- lieve the core makers of as much laboring work as possible, so as to make it possible for the core maker to be on work requiring skill the entire time. The old arrangement of the plant is shown in Fig. 2 and the new arrangement in Fig. 3. It Fig. 4—Monitor Over Core Ovens Showing Door Mechanism wan ap nen hk Wal Arrangement of Core Roon should be noted that the two large ovens have been replaced by three smaller ones, which occupy only about one-half of the area formerly taken up by the large ovens. One of the large ovens was arranged with a fire box under it while the drawer ovens were fired from an external fire box. For the new arrangement the big fire pit with its large area for coke storage next to one of the large mold ovens, was filled up and the space used for a cooling track where cars of hot cores could be run to cool. Arrangements were made to fire all six ovens, i.e., the three drawer ovens and the three car ovens, from one fire pit. This is not possible with natural draft, but a forced draft system, patents for which have been applied for by H. M. Lane, was installed. The system aims to make it possible to control the rate of combustion, and hence the rate of generation of heat, and also to determine just where and how the heat shall be delivered. A front view of the car ovens, with the transfer pit and doors, is shown in Fig, 1. This view was taken be- fore the main part of the core room was concreted, and does not show the rearrange- ment of the drawer ovens which are at the left behind the core car. The core oven doors are of substantial con- struction, having 2 in. of as- bestos air-cell packing in the interior. The doors are free in the guides, but are locked back against the door frames by suitable locking cams. T° provide head room for the door operating mechanism and also to give ventilation y 5, 1914 THE IRON AGE 359 Fig. 3—The New Arran ver the ovens, a monitor was constructed in the roof as shown in Fig. 4. The fire box end of the ovens is shown in Fig. 5. The forced draft rigging consists of a motor shown at the right, which drives the exhaust fan on the left. This exhaust fan has an extra pulley on the fan shaft so that it does duty both as a fan and as a jack shaft. On the extra pulley there is belt to the blower fan which is located next the tor. The blower fan supplies air to the ash pit ind to the tuyere system used in tempering the air the flues leading to the ovens. The ovens are also provided with a pyrometer system which consists of an electric couple in each ven connected to an indicat- ing electric thermometer fur- nished by the Wilson-Maeulen Company, New York. In ad- lition to this there is a re- ording mercury thermom- eter furnished by the Tay- ior Instruments Company, Rochester, N. Y. The record- ng thermometer is used as heck of the record kept by the oven tender. The intro- nm of these thermom- ers has made it possible for ven man to determine a car or drawer of cores | be removed without ng the oven for inspec- This is to avoid unnec- v cooling off the ovens found to increase the + he cores required cover le variety of sizes and es. There are three prin- classes: First, small or ate cores made mostly | sand; second, large gement of Core Room heater base cores made of oil sand; and third, en gine frame cores made of black sand, using a black core compound. For the making of small or medium sized cores seven special benches were arranged as shown in Fig. 6. Two of the benches are located on the right of the conveyor in the center and do not show in this illustration. The workmen place their cores on the gravity carrier as fast as they are completed and it is the duty of the oven tender to see that the carrier is kept clear. Certain of the cores are passed directly to the drawer ovens which are located at the right of the portion of the room shown in Fig. 6. The re- maining small cores are placed on a car on a spur Fig. 5—Fire End of Core Ovens 360 THE IRON AGE track as shown on the plan, Fig. 3, and also in Fig. 7. All of the core benches are arranged with the sand alley back of them so that the core sand is delivered to bins back of the benches. Two benches shown at the left of Fig. 6 have adjustable tops which can be arranged at dif- ferent hights so that the top of the core box always comes slightly below the bottom of the sand bins, the sand being simply raked into the top of the core box. There are shelves provided at the top of the benches for the deliv- ery of core plates and other February 5, 1914 supplies from the rear. This F type of bench was developed jointly by F. A. Parkhurst, organizing engineer at the Aluminum Castings Company, and H. M. Lane, in connection with the systematizing of the core room work for the Aluminum Castings Company. The bench is arranged to provide a place for every- thing the core maker needs and to reduce his labor to a minimum. Fig. 7 shows a car on the spur track which leads back to the gravity carrier, and also illus- trates several points in regard to the planning of the room. At the extreme right of the illus- tration can be seen the end wall of the drawer ovens and against it a Wadsworth stock core ma- chine. The cores made on this machine can be placed directly on the car behind the operator, or they can be passed through the rack seen beyond the core machine to the drawer ovens. At the left of the illustration there is a set of shelves on which are arranged the core boxes that are waiting for the core makers in the de partment. In addition to this set of shelves ther« is a set of shelves at the back end of the room as shown in the back-ground of Fig. 6. These shelves are used for the storing of the core boxes which will be used by the core makers at that end of the room during any half-day period. At the end of the room in Fig. 6 may also be seen wire reels for the standard sizes of core wire kept in stock. Four styles of core cars are in use in this core room, each having been designed for a _ specific class of work. Standing on the transfer car at Fig. 8—Crane Floor for Making Heavy ( ‘ore Making Benches and Gravity Carrier the right of Fig. 1 there is a car intended for chunky work. In the center of Fig. 7 there is a car intended for small work. In addition to this car there is a special car for heater base cor some of which are 11 ft. long and about 6 square. The cars shown at the left of Fig. 1 and in the center of Fig. 7 have adjustable arms for carrying the shelves, so that they can be arranged for any number of shelves that may be required. All cores which one man can handle are made on the benches shown in Fig. 6. Larger cores ar made under the crane shown in Fig. 8. The cores made in this department frequently weigh 1200 to 1500 lb. each, and they are set on the cars with the crane, sent to the oven for baking, and after they are baked the core cars are taken directly to the foundry where the cores are unloaded by the traveling crane in the main bay of the foundry If for any reason these large cores should have to stay in storage for a few days, the traveling crane shown in Fig. 8 is arranged to pass over a portion of the store room and a special department is fitted to receive this heavy class of work. When these cores are finally sent to the foundry the trav- eling crane loads them on a roller bearing car which runs on the track leading to the foundry. All cores which do not go to the foundry im- mediately are stored in a stock room, a portion of which is shown in Fig. 9. The gravity carrier which runs through the core room ends just back of the stockkeeper’s desk shown in Fig. 9. At the time the photograph shown in Fig. 6 was taken a lot ot cores packed in boxes were being sent from the ovens to the stock room. Cars of baked cores coming from the cooling track can be delivered to the position shown in Fig. | 7. Here the cores are un- loaded, packed in boxes, and sent through into the stock room which is on the left, behind the core box racks. When the foundry re- quires cores they are obtained from the stock room on spe- | cial requisition. Each order for castings carries with 1t an order for the correspond- | ing number of cores. Ii, however, the molder breaks | cores, he has to get a special! order from the foreman be- Cores alt yr ne? of ean obtain the additional cores THE IRON AGE 361 nd Unloading Core Cars ment. necessary ob. This gives a direct check on the break- ores in the foundry. The stock room count ed with the check kept on baked cores gives ount of the core breakage in the core room. orders have to be issued for the replacing roken cores, whether the breakage may occur the core room, core storage, or in the foundry. system makes each man directly responsible the cores in his care, and has resulted in almost ntirely eliminating breakage. At the right in Fig. 9 can be seen one end of sand mixing machine which is located in one the stock room. This arrangement was necessary on account of the location of the ind bins and power facilities. The plans for the ‘earrangement of the core rcom were prepared by if 1 eit, troit. A. Leyshon, resident engineer at the American weer Company, for the H. M. Lane Company, Progress in Sand Cleaning Tests \ dinner attended by a number of Detroit foun- nen was given lately at the Board of Commerce th «#4 at Leland and Joseph J. r Company; C. H. Gifford, American Blower Com- city. Chas. E. termann, Those present Ww included Henry ilson, Cadillac Motor Sorensen, Ford Motor Company; Bromley, Detroit Foundry Company; R. F. Michigan Steel Johnston, American Car oundry Company; G. B. an nv: Detroit W. F. Lubricator E. Burns, Malleable Iron J. Haynes, ge Bros. Company; S. W. Detroit Steel Castings any; Arthur T. Water- representing the Board Oommerce, H. and H. M. M. Lane Company. bject of the meeting was uss the sand cleaning ‘iments which are under at the laboratory of the named company. These been made necessary on int of the increased cost tne trom removal of old mate- foundries in the it district, and the ex- ents are the result of a Castings Company ; Fig co-operative movement ol foundrymen and manufactur- ers of equipment. Several foundries outside of the De troit district are also inter ested. Mr. Lane reported that the entire expenditure neces- sary to carry on the tests will be about $7300, of which all but $2200 has been contrib- uted or pledged. The original contributors to the fund had agreed to give $100 each. | Those present voted that this be increased to $150 each, and | a committee was appointed to secure at least ten more firms who would join in the move The plant is now com- plete and the tests are under way. The preliminary tests thus far run indicate that the material can be greatly improved and a large percentage saved for re-use New Steel Works at Massillon, Ohio A new steel plant will be erected in Massillon, Ohio, by the affiliated interests of the Massillon Rolling Mil Company, Canton Stamping & Enameling Company, American Stamping & Enameling Company, Bellaire, and Geiger-Jones Company, Canton. It will furnis! sheet bars for the Massillon Rolling Mill Company, which will consume a large part of the output. Ther will be three 50-ton open-hearth furnaces, a 32 blooming mill and a 24-in. bar mill. High-grade sheet bars will be made to supply the demand of the rolling mill company which makes special high-grade sheet The plant will adjoin that of the Massillon Rolling Mill Company, which has a 200-acre site favorably located. It will be operated by a separate company, the name of which has not yet been decided upor Contracts will be placed as soon as detailed plans can be prepared, or within the next 60 days. It 1 probable that the plant will be electrically driven The Atlantic States Coal & Coke Company, it announced, has decided to erect a large coal storag: and coke manufacturing plant at Port Bolivar on Ga veston Bay, which is across the harbor channel from Galveston, Texas. It is planned to load ships bringing coal from Atlantic ports with Texas iron ore for East ern works on the return trips, thus cutting in half the cost of transporting the coal. 9—A Portion of the Core Storage Room The Works of the Alton Steel Compan Cotton Ties, Hoops, Band, Billets and Strip Steel the Output—lInteresting Equipment for Breaking Down Blooms Taking advantage of what seems to be a natural 18-in. mills in tandem with run-out tabl distributing point for its particular products, the drives; a 10-in. mill building; an 8-in. mill Alton Steel Company, organized by T. S. Clark in’ ing and machine and blacksmith shops. Ru 1912, has recently completed its plant for the manu- on double turn, this mill will have an out; facture of cotton ties, hoops, bands up to °4 x 4in., approximately 7500 tons per month. billets up to 6 x 314 in., and strip steel. This is the The open-hearth building is of steel skeleton only inland mill for cotton ties west of the Alle- structure 126 ft. wide by 157 ft. 6 in. long. Owing gheny Mountains, and appears to be most favorably to the likelihood of floods, it was not possibk situated for marketing its output in the Mississippi take advantage of the natural lay of the ground ip Valley, both south and north as well as to the arranging the elevations of the open-hearth build- westward. ing, and the pouring flocr is at the filled yard leve| From the standpoint of the assembly of raw ma-_ and the charging floor 18 ft. higher. The founda- Charging Side of Open-Hearth Plant, Alton Steel Company terials, the location of this new mill seems equally tions for the furnaces are of concrete carried on a fortunate. It immediately adjoins the southern _ slab 2 ft. thick, the total depth of foundation being Illinois coal fields where usable grades of coal are over 15 ft. The pouring side of the open-hearth obtainable for little more than switching charges. plant is spanned by a 50-ton Toledo Bridge & Crane It is also within the St. Louis market for scrap and Company’s ladle crane, while for serving the charg- ‘ within the range of the Chicago market. For pig ing floor a 15-ton scrap crane with a span of 65 ft. lo iron Southern sources are available at St. Louis and of similar manufacture is installed. This } rates, and for Northern iron Alton under ordinary crane is equipped with a Cutler-Hammer magnet , circumstances is a highly competitive point be- with Electric Controller & Mfg. Company’s con- ; tween Chicago and Ohio irons. The company will trol. The runway of this scrap crane is con- -} manufacture both acid and basic open-hearth steel, tinued out from the charging floor on steel col- a the former for the products requiring more highly umns, which are continuations of the open-hearth ey finished surfaces. building columns, inclosing a scrap yard 65 ft. wide The plant is located on a tract of about 50 acres and 200 ft. long. This scrap yard is traversed di- from which connection is had with the Chicago & agonally by two railroad spurs over which incom- Alton, the Big Four and the Illinois Terminal rail- ing scrap may be received. From the scrap yard roads. The property is close to the Mississippi the material may be handled in the charging boxes River, so that the low level of the ground required by magnet and crane directly to the charging floor, a 12-ft. fill. The plant, a lay-out of which is here’ there to be fed into the furnaces with a Wellman- shown, comprises an open-hearth building in which Seaver-Morgan high-type charging machine. The there are at present two furnaces; a blooming mill end of the open-hearth building overlooking te building, housing a 32-in. blooming mill with ingot scrap yard has been left open. An opea-hearth be heating furnaces and gas producers, and also two storehouse for repair materials adjoins the scrap 4 362 5, 1914 a method for handling these materials is eniently afforded. urnaces themselves are of oil- esign placed 67 ft. 6 in. between center ie length of the furnace pan is 27 ft. and 14 ft. 7 in. They have a rated capacity of per heat, but in most instances have an exceeding that amount. The first n in the acid furnace was a melt of 90,000 r.40 min. The furnaces are built with a raight roof. Each furnace has eight cast- « stays of U-section, and the stay is 12 in. in. wide, and the metal 2 in. thick. These e reinforced with 1-in. steel plate on the out- e remainder of the furnace binding is of ral steel. The furnaces are equipped with ater-cooled doors and Swindell valves. These d operated. le neck ingots are poured in closed molds. tandard ingot is 60 x 1245 x 14% in. and 2800 Ib. The regenerator chambers of the n arth furnaces are 16 ft. long and are divid- ed two sections; one 6 ft. 8 in. wide and the standard pacity Ingot Charging Machine for ther 10 ft. wide. Each open-hearth furnace has a -9-ft. steel self-supporting stack 5 ft. in diameter. hecker work in the regenerator chambers is ged to afford 108 sq. ft. of heating surface n of metal melted. The charging boxes for pen-hearth plant were furnished by the Va- lron Works, ingot molds by the Valley Mold & iry Company, and ingot cars by the Orenstein- Koppel Company. To provide a narrow- track for these ingot cars a third rail is laid en the standard-gauge tracks which extend the tapping side of the open-hearth plant to d scale and the stub where the ingots are ‘d. This ingot stripper stub extends under nuation of the crane runway on which is ted the 15-ton 50-ft. span Toledo crane which the blooming mill. This crane is equipped ingot stripper of 50 tons capacity, as indi- n the general plan. arrangement of equipment for reheating the and delivering them to the blooming mill for THE IRON AGE 360 breaking down and the subsequent roughing and finishing passes in an 18-in. mill, from which the teel is delivered in billet size, are apparent from the plan. A pany ingot charger, operating from a sub-floor trol- ley at right angles to the run of the mill, charges the stripped ingots into two Swindell horizontal heat ing furnaces which parallel charger. These furnaces side of the blooming mill approach table. 9 ft. deep by 25 ft. long inside, and are equipped with five doors, hydraulically operated. These fur naces are fired with producer gas generated in five 10-ft. Swindell hand poked producers. conducted to the furnaces through underground conduits. The heated billets are delivered to the blooming mill table by the ingot charger. The blooming mill and drive have had an inter esting history. They were designed in 1890 by J. P. Witherow, of New Castle, Pa., and were in stalled in the plant built for the unfortunate Watts Iron & Steel Syndicate, Ltd., which located at Mid dlesborough, Ky. That company succumbed to the 1000-lb. Wellman-Seaver-Morgan Com the runway of the are located one on each They are The gas Reheating Furnaces for Blooming Mill pressure of hard times in 1893, practically before the mill was operated. The mill is a 32-in. two- high type, driven by a 36 x 48 in. twin reversing steam engine, which also drives the blooming mill tables. The manipulator screw downs and engine reverse for the blooming mill are operated by hy- draulic power under a 400-lb. pressure system. The mill breaks down the ingot in 11 passes from 12 x 14% in. to 6 x 3'4 in., the largest billet sizes be- ing made direct on the mill. For the shearing of these large billets from the bloom a 6 x 9 in. United Engineering & Foundry Company’s vertical hot bil- let shear is installed between the blooming mill and first 18-in. mill. For additional reductions and down to 1%%4 in. square without reheating, the steel from the bloom- ing mill is given six passes through two 18-in. three- high tandem mills built by the Wheeling Mold & Foundry Company, and placed 70 ft. between cen ters. These 18-in. mills are driven by an 800-hp. 2300-volt, three-phase, 25-cycle Westinghouse heavy- 364 THE ey j it Ty ' kN } The 32-In duty induction motor operating at 295 r.p.m. The drive from motor to mill, consisting of a Dodge rope drive from a 5-ft. sheave on the motor shaft to a sheave 15 ft. in diameter on each 18-in. mill, gives a mill speed of 90 r.p.m. The two-high tables be- tween the 18-in. mills are United Engineering & Foundry Company’s design. From the 18-in. mill the billet stock 1°4 in. square is run out to a No. 3 United Engineering & Foundry vertical shear to be sheared into 40-ft. lengths for subsequent rolling in the 10 and 8 in. mills, or if for sale in small bil- let form, to shorter lengths. From the shear ta- bles the stock is delivered to the billet cooling beds. This shear delivery table and these cooling beds are located under the span of a 15-ton yard billet crane, the runway for which has a 50-ft. span extending 450 ft. at right angles to the several mills and serv- ing as the connecting medium of transfer for steel in process of rolling. It also provides a temporary i Sipe: Sp sinned IRON AGE Blooming Mill and Drive February 5, 1914 storage space for steel in that interim in the work The 10-in. and 8-in. mills are arranged in paralk units. The 10-in. mill building has an over-a length of 448 ft. and the 8-in. mill 407 ft. The re heating of stock for rolling on the 10-in. mill is done in a 30-ft. Morgan continuous furnace of standard type supplied with gas from two Morgan gas pro ducers with George automatic feed. The heated billets are delivered directly from the furnace to a 12-in. four-stand Morgan continuous mill, which i driven from a 1200-hp. motor that also drives th roughing side of the 10-in. mill. The arrangement of this equipment is shown in the general plan The 10-in. mill, which was furnished by the Lewis Foundry & Machine Company, is a roughing mill of four stands driven by the 1200-hp. moto: mentioned and a one-stand bull head set driven b a 600-hp. motor. Stock for the 8-in. mill is heated in a Swindell! iy 5, 1914 pillet heating furnace, gas fuel for which is sup- rom three Swindell producers. The 8-in. \f similar type to the 10-in., and consists of our roughing stands driven by a 700-hp. Westing- house motor and a single stand bull head, driven by 200- hp. Burke motor. motor speeds for the 8 and 10 in. mills are as ] WS: r the 8-in. roughing stands, 365 r.p.m. r the 8-in. bull head stand, 475 r.p.m. r the 10-in. roughing stands, 292 r.p.m. r the 10-in. bull head stand, 485 r.p.m. four continuous 12-in. roughing roll speeds are 45, 63, 93 and 125 ft. per min. Load ig Toms ae ae | 7 ee } { ik | n z i ; pint SF 4 ' Ge oe i) {| ' 1 Q t | | 1 SF 1 <— Ff 0 x \ > Trt SSS ee ’ + . ? ° O ar on t PAD A AAR aoc oror c ¥ <a tar g 7 OM RAAT Trevin ¥ 0 r r hp tp 300hp Mote pli a ih) : + ioe x anes <\-F / ” ~ ; 7 4 if ’ P aan h =e cade 7 Ww + | : , | ? B THE IRON AGE 365 the principal drives of the mill are operated. All the smaller drives are on a 440-volt, three-phase, 25- cycle circuit. For direct current there is installed in the substation a Westinghouse motor-generator set with self-synchronizing motor of 250-hp. gen- erating current at 250 volts. The water supply is secured from six 10-in. deep wells hooked up with a pumping station consisting of a two-stage 800-gal. Alberger centrifugal pump with a 50-hp. Westing- house motor direct connected. The auxiliary departments of the mill include a blacksmith shop, 50 x 50 ft. in size, in which an 800-lb. Erie Foundry Company’s steam hammer is placed for the heavy work, and a machine shop 155 \ General Plan of Works of Alton Steel Company, Alton, Ill United Engineering & Foundry lever shears are nstalled in both mills. The arrangement of the v-In. gauge track in both 8 and 10-in. mills in con- tion with the scales and loading platform is in- ited in the general plan. Hoop coilers are iced in the delivery end of both mills. (he entire plant with the exception of the bloom- mill is electrically driven on power supplied | the Mississippi River Power Company’s plant \eokuk. This power is delivered on a 110,000- line from Keokuk to Meppan and from Meppan \lton at 60,000 volts. At Alton the voltage is ight down to 13,000 volts for transmission to steel plant substation. Here there are in- ed two General Electric 1500-kw. 13,000-2300- stepdown transformers. At the latter voltage x 160 ft. in size. In addition to this shop there are installed adjacent to the blooming mill two 18-in. and one 34-in. roll lathes, and a Landis grinding machine. The steam plant for the blooming-mill engine includes three 410-hp. Rust boilers, making steam at 160 lb. and equipped with Illinois stokers for burning Illinois bituminous coal. The boilers have a Buffalo Forge induced draft, using a 120-in. conoidal fan discharging into a stack 78 in. in diam- eter and 80 ft. high. For the handling of coal from the cars to the coal bunkers a Link-Belt yard crane is used. The boiler auxiliaries include an 800-hp. Cochrane open-type feed-water heater and a 10 x 6 x 10 in. Buffalo steam feed-water pump. The boilers are equipped with Williams’ non-return valves. yen oe oT Chile as a Buyer of Our Steel Products Railroads Must Be Re-Equipped and Out- lays Are Bound to Be Large—the Nitrate Industry Calls for More Efficient Production BY CHARLES M. SANTIAGO, CHILE, January 10, 1914.—Chile has such varied resources that in dealing with the market here for American products, and especially iron and steel products, temporary conditions may be ignored. The country will keep on building rail- roads and improving the ports, making sanitary betterments and giving towns and cities sewerage, whatever may be the immediate outlook. Chile is so fully embarked on this policy that the only question is how to keep these projects within the limits of existing financial resources. The powerful family groups which constitute the ruling classes do not PEPPER The necessity of material for the railroads has given rise to an interesting controversy. It was referred to by the Minister of Railways in defend- ing his department in Congress. Everybody agrees that they are in bad shape, but no one realized how bad until the minister presented a tabulation show- ing the number of locomotives which were of no use. He gave much other information the pith of which was that some sections of the lines practically would have to be rebuilt and that all of the sections must have new rolling stock. In a word, the Railway Department admitted the justice of the complaints “1 4 eh i | | i | In the Chilean Nitrate Fields look with favor on fresh taxation. When they rem- edy the present disordered currency and give Chile a stable financial system much of their trouble will disappear. Meanwhile, the private companies which have bought iron and copper mines will continue to build railroads and call for machinery and ma- terial, though some of them in their preliminary purchases have taken advantage of the material which the Panama Canal Commission has been sell- ing at a bargain. IRON AND STEEL BUYING IMPERATIVE In addition to Chile’s normal demand for iron and steel products there is an economic situation which will keep the country in the market. The railroads have to be supplied with a large quantity of new rails and rolling stock if their efficiency is not to be entirely lost. This is in substance the statement of the railroad department of the govern- ment. Then, the nitrate establishments must mod- ernize their methods and a huge quantity of ma- terial must go to the scrap heap if that industry is to yield a satisfactory return on the capital invested. This is the assertion of the men who represent enormous English and German investments in the nitrates. Bringirg the Dynamited Material to the Crusher against the operation of the railroads and said the cause was the failure of Congress to provide funds for maintenance and repair, though the urgency of the situation repeatedly had been laid before it. WHY THE RAILROADS ARE RUN DOWN Government ownership, the minister contend- ed, was in no way responsible for the present de- plorable condition of the state lines and for the continuous and continuing annual deficits, because in the earlier period they had served the purposes of the country and at the same time had shown a surplus. He presented tables running back more than half a century to prove his case. The opposition retorted that if the railroads were run half a century ago with profit to the state and means found out of their revenues to keep them in proper repair for efficient service, it was because they were properly managed and operated and i! that had been done during the last few years there would be no need of constantly coming to Congress with a demand for appropriations to meet the de- ficiencies. The debate in the Congress and the controversy in the newspapers throw a side light on the govern- ment ownership and operation of railroads. The 366 ry 5, 1914 Chile state system, previous to the last links in he construction of the Longitudinal Line, com- prised approximately 2000 miles. The main trunk erves the fertile central valley with its most valu- »le freight and passenger traffic. The line between aiso and Santiago also has valuable traffic. rans-Andean international line across the rdilleras to Argentina required heavy government tions and in itself might not yield much reve- ie, although the passenger traffic, which is largely nternational, is rapidly growing. This section, how- s not operated as a state railroad. Some sec- \f the Longitudinal which was built principal- strategic line never will pay, but these are the new sections and are in no way respon- for the deficits in past years. THE RAILROAD DEFICIT twithstanding the profitable traffic existing for the greater part of the state lines, the deficit in 1912 was a fraction under $10,000,000, although the gross receipts had gone up $11,000,000 over the THE IRON AGE 367 lation in the United States and other countries are avoided. Briefly, they say that government owner- ship presents fewer problems than government reg- ulation. The soundness of this view does not need anal- ysis for those who are interested in Chile as a market. What is important to them is that in spite of the controversy as to the responsibility for the present bad state of the railroads, means will be found to purchase the material to put them in better condition either through a loan or out of the existing revenues. While the completion of the Longitudinal Line and the opening to traffic of the Arica-La Paz line into Bolivia are taken by many to mean that there will be no further construction by the government for a period of years, this as- sumption is not warranted by Chile’s railroad policy in the past. The expenditures on railroad construc- tion in 1912 exceeded $19,000,000. For the past year the amount is not so large, and for 1914 it will be smaller, but it will not be reduced to a cipher. When the financial depression is ended The Ox Cart Is Not an Uncommon Means of Transport in Santiago Streets previous year. The operating expenses increased more than $8,000,000 and consequently the def- was to be encountered as in former years. 'hat it costs more to operate the railroads than ild be the case with private corporations is ad- tted, for if not managed exactly as a part of a tical machine politics nevertheless enters into it nd the costs of operation are greater. There are 10,000 employees. (he cabinet officer who was defending the gov- ernment administration of the lines and laying the ime on the Congress for the bad condition into h they had fallen did not seem to see in this an iment against state ownership, although private wnership would not be subjected to the uncer- ‘tainties of a political body for keeping a system of ads in a position to take care of profitable it NEW EQUIPMENT INEVITABLE he question of government ownership, how- is Chile’s business; and since it has prevailed the beginning of railroad construction, doubt- t will continue. Chileans admit that it has backs, but they say that the abuses of private rations, which have required remedial legis- there will be strong pressure to build extensions and new lines to ‘the various mining districts which are poorly off for transportation and which would sup- ply plenty of freight. All these circumstances com- bine to make it certain that Chile will be in the mar- ket for railroad material right along. ELECTRIFICATION NOT IMMEDIATE The electrification of the line between Valparaiso and Santiago, a distance of 125 miles, will be done some day, but hardly in the immediate future. The government commission, which visited Europe and the United States, made detailed studies and since there is abundance of water power the project is en- tirely feasible. But the Chilean Congress does not seem to be in a hurry to authorize the change by providing funds with which to begin the work. Whenever it is undertaken European companies are likely to obtain the contracts. The electrical com- panies in the United States, either through indiffer- ence or through “a gentlemen’s understanding,” have not taken much interest in the prospect. PROBLEM OF THE NITRATE INDUSTRY The improvement of the nitrate industry pre- sents an economic problem for both the govern- 368 THE IRON AGE ment and the private companies, entirely different from that of reconstructing and maintaining the railroads; but in this case the bulk of the purchases of material must be made by the companies them- selves. The government is only concerned directly with the properties it has had to take over from one or two big companies which were unable to comply with the conditions under which they acquired the nitrate lands; but indirectly it has a deep interest in the continued prosperity of the nitrate industry because so large a portion of the national revenues come from the export tax on the nitrates. The processes by which the nitrate of soda, or saltpeter, which is the common name of this ferti- lizer, is “mined” and turned into the commercial product which is exported, are so simple that here- tofore it has been assumed that the crude methods which obtained would never have to be changed. The conglomeration which contains the saltpeter has also common salt, clay and gravel and sulphate of soda. The different layers above and below the caliche, which is the real fertilizer, easily lend them- selves to the explosives that detach it from them in masses of débris. Then it is transferred to the oficinas, which include crushers, boiling tanks and settling vats. After the caliche is crushed and run into the boiling tanks the nitrate of soda is precip- itated by itself as the water cools and the dry prod- uct:is put into bags and is ready for shipment. This process apparently is so simple that some of those who first engaged in the industry and drew vast sums from it were disposed to criticise their newer associates who established elaborate chem- ical laboratories. But it is now recognized that im- provement can be made in almost every stage of the industry from the dynamiting of the caliche and its transportation to the boiling vats until as com- mercial fertilizer it is loaded on the vessels. All this means fresh purchases of material. NEW ECONOMIES MUST BE FOUND The present situation is that the more pro- gressive men in the nitrate industry recognize that greater economic efficiency must be shown in pre- paring the nitrates for the world’s markets, whether to meet competition from chemical fertilizers or to anticipate the greater productiveness of other fer- tilizers and the diminishing richness of the salt- peter deposits. For years the caliche of high qual- ity was so abundant and so easily obtained that wastefulness was accepted as a mere incident. This condition no longer prevails. It costs more to supply the commercial nitrates than formerly because the best part of the Tarapaca deposits have been worked. Moreover, while a few years ago fresh discoveries were made in the Anto- fagasta district and the official announcement was promulgated that these deposits were sufficient to meet the world’s demand for centuries, it is a very general impression that these fields are far from equal to those of Tarapaca in quality, and there- fore in commercial utility and as a source of nation- al wealth they cannot fully compensate for the gradual exhaustion of the Tarapaca deposits. But for an indefinite period they will keep Chile from becoming a poor country if they are exploited by modern economic methods. NITRATE EXPORTS WILL BE LARGE The manner of marketing the nitrates responds to modern business methods. The nitrate trust might not meet the approval of President Wilson or ex-President Roosevelt, yet it has the support of the Chilean government. It goes by another name, that of the Nitrate Association and the Nitrate February 5, 1914 Propaganda. The Propaganda spends large each year in advertising the nitrates all ove; world and the government contributes its qu: this fund. The producers study the quantity \ may profitably be absorbed in a given period after agreeing on the total of production apport the quantity to which each oficina is entitled. The government exercises a moderating ence. Since so large a part of the national , nues are dependent on the export tax on this modity it is interested in a large production \ will fetch a moderate price rather than in a lin production at high prices. At the same time it has a vital interest in preventing overproduction, for that would react and in the end would either de- crease the exports or make it necessary to reduce the export tax below the limit which is essentia| for the state revenues. The exportation this is likely to be approximately 2,500,000 tons. These observations about some of the basic con- ditions of Chile as a market have occurred to me while in this beautiful capital because the questions of the state railroads and the nitrate industry have been occupying the attention of the Congress. In concluding them, I repeat my conviction that in spite of political uncertainties and of demoralized finances the country’s natural resources are suffi- cient to tide her over temporary crises and she will continue to be one of the best customers in South America for iron and steel products. Her foreign purchases are likely to go above rather than fall below $120,000,000 annually. ted vear Controlling Automatic Sprinkler Valves A method of controlling the closing and opening of valves in connection with the automatic sprinkler system in factories, which method has been indorsed and recommended by the Factory Mutual Insurance Companies, was described in a paper presented at the recent annual meeting of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, by Fred J. Miller, factory manager, Union Typewriter Company. The fact is emphasized that the thing most needed in connection with automatic sprinklers is to be sure that when a fire starts the valves carrying water to them shall be open. The method described, which has been adopted and tested in a group of typewriter factories employing over 5000 people, makes use of a system of colored tags. All the sprinkler valves are numbered and tags are attached prohibiting the closing of the valve without a signed permit to do so, except in case of emergency. In the office of the factory is a board with a set of hooks numbered to correspond with the valves. When a valve is closed in an emergency, the tag which has the reason for closing the valve, the date when it was done and the name of the person closing it indorsed on it, is taken to the office and hung on the hook numbered to correspond with the number of the closed valve and a red card placed over it. These tags attract the notice of the person having the board in charge. As soon as he sees this, a portion of the red card is detached and is fastened to the closed valve, unless it has been previously reopened. When permission can be obtained to close the valve, the white card is left on it, the red one being divided, a portion remaining on the board in the office, while the other part is attached to the valve, the same as if it were a case of emergency closing. The annual meeting of the Hamilton-Otto Coke Company was held in Cincinnati January 22. The directors of the company were all re-elected, as fol- lows: E. M. Peters, J. C. Thoms, F. L. Perin, F. L.- Garrison, H. L. Brunneman, Robert Ramsey and W. E. Hutton. E. M. Peters is president and J. C. Thoms vice-president. rebruary 5, 1914 pANAMA EXPOSITION EXHIBITS Arrangements and Charges for Transporting and recting Machinery and for Power BY WALDEMAR H. F. N. DE BILLE perhaps not generally known that the a] Pacific International Exposition will not harge exhibitors for space, and that any manufac- ‘yrer may have as much space as he requires to lisp! is products properly, providing he makes aDl n before the capacity of the building in ; s product must be exhibited is fully allotted. IPPING AND ERECTING ARRANGEMENTS lo facilitate the transportation, especially of ry exhibits, all products in less than car- ; may be sent to one of the three central stations at New York, Chicago and St. Louis gned to a representative of the exposition. representative will assemble enough exhibits together to fill a car, and the consequent reduction , sometimes 50 per cent., will be afforded the rious manufacturers. The actual cost of handling he exhibit at the sub-station will be charged, and vill in no case amount to more than 10 or 15 cents ‘100 lb. Exhibits from the eastern territory be consigned to the New York agent and will rwarded to the exposition through the canal the water route, the rate being less than one- ’ that charged by the railroads on exposition exhibits. All of the roads, however, have agreed to return the exhibits from the exposition at its close to the point of origin free of charge. Carload lots and less than carload lots, if desired, may be consigned to the president of the exposition at San Francisco, and these cars will be shunted off on the exposi- tion’s own standard-gauge railroad, which covers every portion of the grounds. Each exhibit must bear a standard label supplied the exposition, on which the building, depart- ent, block and number of space is plainly marked | upon its arrival at the exposition grounds it | be unloaded on the space which it is to occupy. \ charge of 15 cents per 100 lb. is to be made for ‘his service. As much of the machinery will re- lire cranes to place it in position, two 30-ton ranes have been provided for the central bay or nave and 20-ton cranes for each of the other four iys. These are electrically driven overhead travel- cranes. The entire floor of the building is ‘esigned for a load of 200 lb. per square foot and an average of over 750 Ib. per square foot on the ground below. The north one-half is filled ground, while the south one-half is excavated. There is no pace between the floor and the ground. ihe exposition is anxious to have a part of each ‘hibit in motion, not only showing the commercial ‘nd efficiency features but arranged to be instruc- ‘ive from an educational viewpoint. The directors ‘re co-operating with the exhibitors so that they ay obtain the material or raw article needed to iow actual operating conditions, and are also mak- ‘ arrangements for the disposition of the article ‘ter its manufacture. n¢ POWER PROVISIONS Saturated steam at a pressure of approximately ) |b. per square inch will be supplied. Headers ( mains for live steam, exhaust steam, drips and will be installed by the exposition. The will be furnished at actual cost, the rates to be ‘xe as soon as the various elements of cost have determined. THE IRON AGE 369 Compressed air service, which must be arranged for in advance, at 80 Ib. pressure will be provided, and a monthly charge made of $4 per horse-power of maximum demand of installation, and in addition 15 cents per 1000 cu. ft. of air consumed. One horse- power will be considered equivalent to 5.5 cu. ft. of free air used per minute. The rates for gas will be as follows: $1 per 1000 cu. ft. for consumption in each month up to and including 50,000 cu. ft.; 80 cents per 1000 cu. ft. for the excess consumption in each month over 50,000 cu. ft. The minimum bill per month will be as follows: For installations having a *4-in. meter, $2.50; 1-in. meter, $5; 114-in. meter, $7.50; 1'2-in. meter, $10; 2-in. meter, $15. Arrangements have been made whereby exhib- itors may be supplied with all the electricity needed for power and will be required to pay only for the amount of energy used at the rate of 3 cents per kilowatt-hour. The lighting will be served from 60-cycle 3-phase 115-volt mains. To lessen the expense to exhibitors several may combine and employ one attendant for the several exhibits. All exhibits must be in place before Feb- ruary 1, 1915. This rule has been made by the directors in order that the jarring note which has characterized expositions in the past of unfinished structures and incomplete exhibits may be lacking at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition. The Carnegie Pocket Companion The Carnegie Pocket Companion for engineers, ar chitects and builders, published by the Carnegie Steel Company, Pittsburgh, Pa., has become very well known among users of structural steel. The sixteenth edition has just been issued. It represents fully the present status and the most approved methods in the art of steel construction. The first edition of this book, issued in 1876 in con nection with the Centennial Exposition at Philadelphia, was gotten out by Carnegie Brothers & Co., then pro prietors of the Union Iron Mills at Pittsburgh, now one of the units of the present organization and the first of the mills rolling structural shapes. It dealt exclusively with iron. The last previous edition was issued in 1903, or, roughly, 10 years ago, and represented the status of the art at that date. It had a very large dis- tribution, about 100,000 copies, and was generally found in the offices of engineers and architects. This book contained profiles: of practically all the shapes then manufactured by that company. In the 10 years which have elapsed the company has turned its attention to the manufacture of a diversified line of products, and it is no longer practicable to in- clude in one publication all of the various shapes now made. In the present publication, therefore, only those rolled shapes are illustrated which are deemed most suitable for bridge, building, car and ship construction, and the tables given are intended for users of materials entering into such construction only. The book has been re-written from beginning to end, and users of the fifteenth edition, 1903, will note many changes. Among these are the inclusion of the American Society for Testing Materials’ standard specifications for struc- tural and other steels and the American Bridge Com- pany’s specifications for workmanship; the addition of tables and data on concrete reinforcing bars; data on floor construction, which covers terra cotta arches as well as reinforced concrete; especially complete tables covering weights and measures, which include conveni- ent metric conversion tables on a new basis. The present publication is printed on a thin, opaque paper of a carefully selected tint, and reflects a great deal of credit from a typographical standpoint. Copies may be had by draftsmen, engineers and others at $1 per copy on application through any of the offices of the company. OQ, A * Pa Shop Efficiency as Affected by Drawings Examples of Helpful Designations Made by the Drafting Room for the Steel Fabrication and the Machine Shop BY EDW. J.