The Iron Age 1914-04-02: Vol 93 Iss 14

Established 1855 | New York, April 2, 1914 Vol. 93: No. 14 Safety First at the Midvale Steel Works Novel Ambulances, Power- Pe Koon ful Magnet for Works Hospital, Complete Safety gs Sp Ladders Among Features HE “Safety First” movement _ has become so general in the past few years that a descrip- tion of the work undertaken by any one organization along these lines, whether it be that of a steel plant or some other industrial concern resolves largely into a task of pointing out in what respect one possesses certain special fea- tures that another does not. The general essentials are very similar in each organization, certain principles and forms having become recog- nized as the best. The impression gathered from an inspection of the provisions of the Midvale Steel Company, Phila- delphia, Pa., for accident prevention and insurance is characterized by two distinct features. First, the system that has been developed is flexible and com- plete in every respect. Second there stand out several appliances which are novel and efficacious. It is unusual to find so simple a means for trans- porting the injured as that offered by the unique ambulances located in various parts of the plant. There is of course the regulation hospital or dis- pensary with all of its necessary equipment, but at F Hi ah lt =) oe ) i The Novel Ambulance in Use at Midvale for Transporting Injured Employees. Cover and Are Comfortably Lifted from It to a Bed 827 itself —= Midvale’s Electric Safety y removing chips and splinters from ‘the eye. Besides these features, de- Y scribed more fully further on, the system * tee safety which has been developed, is simple and yet so thorough as to embrace almost every possible contingency. The governing factor in the system there is the Bureau of Safety at the head of which is W. E. Firth as safety engineer. To him is entrusted its management, oversight and responsibility. To him comes reports of all acci- dents, and also all recommendations for the im- provement of the bureau. This department is housed in a small building of its own shown in an accompanying illustration which is the headquarters of Mr. Firth and his corps of four assistants. The extensive plant is divided into 17 sections for carrying out the safety program. In each one of these sections there is a safety com- mittee made up of a foreman and two employees selected by the bureau from a recommended list and serving two months. These committees are changed every two months. The principle is recognized that ‘ug Sign They Are Protected in Bad Weather by the Building for the Headquarters of Midvale’s Bureau of Safety the success of such a movement depends on the co- operation of the foremen. Unless they are effectively interested satisfactory results are impossible. The experience of this company in this respect bears out that of others, for, previous to the present system, a committee composed of the workmen only, was delegated to examine the whole plant once a week, which became in time a very perfunctory operation. Furthermore the sympathy and interest of the fore- men were not secured. The plan of having foremen on these committees so as to bring them into active and loyal co-operation is further strengthened by a scheme of pecuniary reward. The committee of each section is awarded a prize or bonus of $30 if, at the end of its period of two months, its percent- age of accidents is below the average established for all previous periods in that division. An additional prize of $30 is awarded to the section which makes the greatest reduction in its accident record. Thus it is possible for one committee of three men to secure $60 for one period of two months and for the other 16 committees to secure $30 each for the same period. The incentive to loyal and efficient work is greatly strengthened by this plan and com- petition between sections secured. The general duties of these sectional committees are to make recommendations to the Bureau of Safety for improvements of any kind that tend to prevent accidents and especially to be ever watchful to report or correct men doing dangerous, foolish or stupid things. All recommendations are passed upon by the head of the bureau. Frequent meetings of any or all the committees are held at the call of Mr. Firth in the headquarters of the bureau to dis- cuss these recommendations or other matters of vital interest to the general welfare of the organization. The number of suggestions that are made is large and the results exceedingly satisfactory. Sugges- tion boxes are placed conveniently about the plant for the use of any man. In this way hardly any pos- sible cause for injury is overlooked. To give force to the plan certain rules are prescribed the infringe- ment of which is reported to the committees and others and penalties in the shape of fines are ex- acted. There are 31 different stations, located in various parts of the plant, in which are kept stretchers and any material necessary for first aid in the case of injuries. One of these stations is illustrated. In most departments there are three shifts of eight hours each and in each of the 17 sections four men per shift are designated who are frequently in- structed in the principles of first aid. When a man is injured it is their duty to attend to his urgent needs before he is sent to the doctor. In the case of severe injuries the company has THE IRON AGE April 2, 1914 provided, in a few convenient places in the plant, a novel ambulance by means of which the injured man can be easily and comfortably transported to the dispensary or hospital. Three views are shown in the group illustration. The light frame work is car- ried on bicycle wheels and it is provided with a frame cover for protection in bad weather. The stretcher is placed in grooves in the frame work of this ambulance and the patient comfortably trans- ported to any desired place. Nor does he have to be removed from it to be placed on a bed or in a hos- pital. This ambulance was designed and built by an employee of the company. The facilities for treating and caring for the in- ° jured are exceedingly complete. After the first aid treatment the patient is taken to the “dispensary” which is in reality a small hospital built adjoining the time-keeper’s office, at which a doctor is con- One of the 31 Safety and Fire Stations Located in Various Parts of the Plant stantly on duty day and night. It has as its chief, Dr. R. P. Cummins, who usually spends two to three hours at the plant every afternoon. Assisting him are other dactors, one of whom is on duty every hour of the week. Incidentally every man who is acceptable as a possible new employee must undergo a physical examination by the doctors of the com- pany. Special private rooms are provided for this purpose and no man is allowed to go to work who is not pronounced fit. Every facility is here provided for treating and caring for nearly all possible cases. Shower ar- rangements for treating heat prostrations, X-ray apparatus, and all the usual appliances are conve- niently at hand. As stated earlier the electro-mag- net is a feature of this department. It was designed by members of the company and is shown in one of the illustrations. It has already done wonderful work in drawing out pieces of steel imbedded in the eyes or flesh, in many cases preventing the loss of an eye or other serious consequences. This magnet April 2, 1914 THE takes 2.4 amperes at 110 volts, that is, 264 watts, and can easily lift 18 lb. A complete card index system is employed for keeping a record of each patient, the complete his- tory of his case being recorded and tagged with colored labels so as to tell at a glance his present condition. A patient who needs extended hospital treatment is taken to the Germantown hospital, Philadelphia, where the necessary attention is pro- vided at the expense of the company. The system of keeping track of accidents and in- vestigating them is notably complete. Every acci- dent, no matter how trivial, is reported on a pre- pared blank to the Bureau of Safety by the foreman. This report is placed in the hands of an inspector who investigates the circumstances attending the accident. His conclusions are embodied on another printed blank and, if approved by the safety en- gineer, it constitutes an official record. In the case of the more serious accidents, a sketch of portions of the body is attached showing what bone is broken or what artery is cut, etc. The inspection of all cranes, ladles and other apparatus are duly reported to this bureau on prepared forms. Any repair work that is being done is also made known to this department so that possible pitfalls of danger may be watched. The bureau has a corps of special officers whose duty it is to act as watchmen, to report infringement of the safety rules and similar duties. Every new em- ployee is carefully instructed in the use of apparatus he is to work with and a report to this effect is on file in the safety department. A careful tabulation of all accidents and a classi- fication is also made by the force of the Bureau of Safety. This is very complete and embraces nearly every possible general contingency. From these a more condensed classification is formulated as follows: Class 1—Occupational, incidental and non-pre- ventable hazards. Class 2—Accidents due to the negligence of the company. Class 3—Failure to use proper tools, appliances, etc.; violation of rules—preventable hazards. Class 4—All of class 3 and any act resulting in an accident to a man through the negligence, fool- ing, scuffling, etc., of a fellow-workman. Experience has shown that an average of about 74 per cent. of all of the accidents are preventable, embraced by classes 3 and 4 and that about 6 per cent. are of class 1 or non-preventable, and about 2 per cent. blameable on the company. These data are based on the experience of 3 years under the The Powerful Electro Magnet in Midvale’s Dispensary for Removing Steel Imbedded in the Eye or Flesh IRON AGE 829 The Safety Ladder on An Open-Hearth Building at Midval committee system in which the foreman then had no part. This large percentage of preventable acci- dents will probably be reduced under the new sys- tem in which each foreman is an interested party in the success of the scheme. The company has tried to bring out in the new plan the great opportunity in preventing accidents by thought and care, in pointing out possible hazards to careless men and generally getting the individual to think and not de- pend entirely on all dangerous conditions being safeguarded. However, the arrangements for safeguarding workmen and preventing accidents are thorough and up-to-date. New suggestions are speedily acted upon so that the system is expansive. Particular attention should be called to the safety ladders which are attached to certain buildings and shown in one of the illustrations. These are especially useful in the open-hearth buildings, affording a means of easy escape in case of accidents due to the spilling of molten metal or trouble in the furnaces. These ladders lead down from a gallery running the whole length of the building on the outside—placed as a possible refuge in case of accident. The ladder is constructed like an ordinary steel ladder except that at the back of it or at the back of the ascending or descending employee there is a piece of flat bar steel extending the length of the ladder to nearly the ground. It is supported and joined to the main ladder by rings of steel of a diameter sufficient to allow a man’s body to pass through and located at intervals that have been found most efficient in practice. The vertical bar serves to hold a man for an interval long enough for 830 him to recover his hold should he lose it, while the hoops or rings supporting the bar serve also to arrest a man in falling from the ladder proper. cr oa KANSPYR ee : we ee th i. Safety Beam for Handling Heavy Plate One of the illustrations shows this ladder as it ap- pears installed on one of the open-hearth buildings. A beam for handling heavy plate up to 100 tons has prevented many accidents since its use and is very effective. It is also illustrated here. A foot piece is placed on each side so that it will not fall after removing the crane clevis. The insurance features of the Midvale system are entirely adequate to care for all kinds of recom- pense. Each employee contributes 5 cents per week to a general fund. To this are added all fines and docks for the infringement of rules or for any other cause, these being deducted from the regular wages and sent into the beneficial fund, a fund entirely apart from the company’s funds. All loss of time caused by accidents is compensated for from this fund. For death resulting directly from accidents the provisions are that a sum equal to 50c. per man employed in the works be paid to the deceased’s beneficiary. This is paid from the beneficial fund. In the case of death of an employee from natural causes whose services have been consecutively at Midvale for 3 years his beneficiary receives a sum equal to 10c. per man from all men employed at that time. For 5 years’ service an additional $250 is paid. The campaign at Midvale was started in 1907 and its development has been gradual. While the results thus far have been beneficial to both the em- ployees and the company, greater results still are looked for. Every occasion is taken to aid the men not only while working but when they are too old, there being numerous instances where such cases are either pensioned by employing them in some less arduous capacity or by really providing for them in other ways. The safety movement as elsewhere is here serving to bring employer and employee close together. The latter is being made aware of the fact that the former is interested in him and in- creasing loyalty and greater efficiency all around have been noted at the Midvale works. The Moltrup Steel Products Company, Beaver Falls, Pa., has been organized with the following officers: J. T. Moltrup, president; M. P. Simpson, vice-president ; Stephen Moltrup, treasurer; F. H. Guppy, secretary. The company is incorporated with a capital stock of $50,000. The products are cold-drawn steel bars, in flat, square and special shapes, finished machine keys and other ground and milled specialties. The company has purchased the plant of Emerson, Smith & Co., Beaver Falls, and will continue the manufacture of Emerson saws, both circulars and bands and ham- mered, ground and polished plates and dises. All of the incorporators were formerly connected with the Standard Gauge Steel Company, Beaver Falls. THE IRON AGE April 2, 1914 Molders’ Bench with Pneumatic Vibrator The Western Tool & Mfg. Company, Spring- field, Ohio, has placed on the market a molders’ bench that is fitted with the company’s new pneu- matic rapper or vibrator. The special features of the bench are a somewhat novel design, ab- sence of places where waste sand might lodge and freedom from any obstructions for the work- man’s shovel. The special feature of the vibrator is an adjustable valve that can be changed for light or heavy work and easy manipulation of the air valve. As will be noted, the bench has a bow frame made of 1%-in. wrought-iron pipe, with braces of a smaller size of the same material. This construction is to afford strength, minimize weight and eliminate crevices to afford lodgment for waste sand. The frame is rigid and the skids are rated to carry 1000 lb., and the side shelves 200 lb. each. Different lengths of support are fur- nished, but the standard bench is fitted with skids 30 in. from the floor. The brackets are adjustable and provide a convenient place for setting the cope or match plate. The tool shelf can be ad- justed to any designed hight. The side shelves, which are of sheet metal, are interchangeable, one being 3 ft. long and the other 1 ft. shorter. The clear space between the wheels of the bench is 4 ft., so that the machine can pass over the pile of sand in a foundry. The pneumatic rap- per, which is fitted to the bench, is one of the most recent products of the company. It has an ad- justable valve that can be readily changed to ac- commodate either light or heavy work, and one of its principal features is the arrangement for the easy manipulation of the air valves by the operator, the control being accomplished by a knee plate. The vibrator is mand The Pneumatic Rapper or Vibrator Employed in Con- nection with the Bench A Somewhat Novel Type of Molders’ Bench Having a Wrought-Iron Pipe Frame made with double inlets and ports, which is re- lied upon to insure positive action. Four sizes of vibrator are made for use either with or without the bench. April 2, 1914 GERMAN LAP-WELDED PIPE The Modern Machinery Used and Some Details of Manufacture Many interesting details of modern German practice in making lap-welded pipes and tubes are given in an article by Dr. O. R. Eisner in Stahl und Eisen for January 15, 1914. The keen competition of plants making butt-welded and seam- less tubes has caused the use of modern machinery and meth- ods. The sizes made are from 3 in. to 16 in. internal diameter. Anything below this size is given to the seamless tube plants, THE IRON AGE 831 overlapping at the ends is not quite complete, it is remedied by a workman with a hammer. The rounded pieces roll down skids to the weld- ing furnace, where they are repeatedly turned and raised uniformly to a welding heat. In the middle of the hearth a channel is left, and when the piece is at the proper temperature it is brought to the middle with the overlapped edges resting down- wards in the depression. The door is opened, it is ~< 725 ——} 1 350 >< 975 > and pipe above 16 in. is very rarely called for, their production also leading to mill difficulties. The material used is a soft, weldable steel. Experience has determined certain limits of composition. With carbon not over 0.12 per cent. the manganese should not be lower than 0.40 per cent., nor should it go higher than 0.55 F per cent., because high manganese usually means higher carbon. Silicon should only be present in traces, but on the other hand, the phosphorus may be fairly high as it has a favorable influence on working and welding. It should not be so high as to cause dangerous cold shortness. The sulphur should not be above 0.05 per cent. for ordinary work, though it may be in- creased with care in thicker steel. Copper from 0.10 to 0.15 per cent. is not harmful of itself, but as it probably forms very harmful sulphur com- pounds it should be kept below 0.10 per cent. The first operation is to heat the skelp to a suit- able temperature for rounding. The furnace is gas fired, and regeneration used, both gas and air being pre-heated. This is also the case with the welding furnace. The temperature in this first furnace need not be high, the steel being usually heated to just about a yellow heat. This takes only about 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the skelp or plate. Before the steel is rounded, the edges must be thinned out to give the proper overlapping. This was formerly done cold, but is now carried out in a special mill shown in Fig. 1, which gives a greatly increased output. The upper of the two rolls can be moved lengthways over the other, so as to take different width pieces, and prevent frequent chang- ing. The proper width of the steel must be care- fully maintained, otherwise the edges will be too long or too short, both of which will cause bad fin- ished pipe. The prepared pieces go directly from the mill to the rounding funnel, one of which is shown in Fig. 2. It is of cast iron gradually changing from the funnel shape at the front to round at the back. The piece is gripped by tongs attached to an endless chain, and slowly drawn through the funnel. This funnel is in two parts so that it can be narrowed or widened, and take different sized pieces. If the 1 Mill for Rolling Out Edges withdrawn, and taken to the mill, which is two- high, non-reversible. There is only one size pass so that the rolls have to be changed for each size tube or pipe that is made. The mandrel is of cast iron, or better of cast steel. Two or three passes are given, and a decrease in the thickness of the walls of the pipe is brought about by using a larger mandrel. The roll passes remain the same. The piece is either returned to the furnace for further heating or else goes direct to the cooling beds. From here it goes to a reversible two-high mi IIS a $PG 4 TIS Rounding Funnel mill, where the section is made perfectly round, in passes slightly larger than the pipe, then through the straightening rolls, and is finally finished by bending, welding on bands, etc. G. B. W. The American Iron and Steel Institute now has 1185 members, of whom 1102 are active, 69 associate and 14 honorary. A complete list of the membership is in press and will soon be distributed. Brazil as a Buyer from the United States Abundant Iron Ore But a Steel Industry not Likely —Some Tariff Concessions to This Country, But Brazil Sends Us Three Times Our Shipments BY CHARLES M. PEPPER RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL, March 14, 1914.— _ ordinary years. In spite of low prices the produc- Brazil’s bigness geographically is not yet reflected in census figures. With an area larger than the continental part of the United States the population is still confined largely to the coast region. There are no trustworthy statistics of population. Esti- mates vary from 17,000,000 to 24,000,000 inhabit- ants. Probably the actual number is midway be- tween these guesses. Brazil as a market, however, does not require guessing. It is a big factor in the world’s trade, the foreign commerce reaching $650,000,000 to $700,000,000 annually. The total A Glimpse of Picturesque Rio de 1 varies considerably from year to year because of the marked variations in the prices obtained for coffee and rubber. These two products constitute from 80 to 85 per cent. of the total exports of the country. WEALTH GAINED FROM THE SOIL Cacao or chocolate beans furnishes an important product but the total value is small as compared with coffee, say $7,000,000, as against $200,000,000 in average years. It is rather interesting to know that the tea plant known as yerba mate totals above $10,000,000, which is about the figure for hides. The yerba mate goes to the neighboring countries of Argentina and Urugauy, while the hides are taken by the United States and Europe. Rubber, which is in the dumps at present on account of the competition of the cultivated rubber of the Malay Straits Settlement, may be counted on to bring in from $75,000,000 to $100,000,000 in Janeiro, 832 tion has mounted until it is now in the neighbor- hood of 40,000 tons annually. I have outlined some of these leading export products of Brazil because they furnish a measure of its value as a world market and they indicate the sources of the purchasing power. With so rich and varied agricultural products for export the sequence is that Brazil furnishes a most inviting field for manufactured commodities. The only ques- tion is whether the market will always continue so valuable or whether the country by the development Looking Across the Harbor of natural resources will be able to supply its own wants through the growth of domestic industries. My own opinion is that Brazil always will be a large buyer of manufactured commodities and in particular of iron and steel products. This does not mean that the country has not an industrial future, for it has a promising one. LACK OF COAL THE GREAT DRAWBACK When it comes to the natural resources other than agricultural products the one great lack is coal which can be exploited as a commercial propo- sition. There are some coal deposits in Santa Catharina and one or two other states. But these hardly more than serve for local purposes. Besides, Brazil is so large that coal deposits in one section might have little commercial utility for the country as a whole on account of the cost of transportation. The comprehensive study made for the Bra- zilian government a few years ago by Professor April 2, 1914 White, the American geologist, while presenting much useful information and scientific data, did not hold out the promise of coal as an industrial factor in the growth of the country. This opinion evi- dently is held by Brazilian officials, for after the extent of the iron ore deposits in Minas Geraes and Goyaz was fully verified and the national policy was developed of establishing a national iron and steel industry the economic problem which it was sought to solve related to the cost of the overseas trans- portation of coal to meet the iron ore on the coast, and the cost of transporting the iron ore down to the coast. Limestone was accessible, but the gen- eral problem is still unsolved. Both the federal and the state governments are ready to aid in the development of native iron and steel industries. Reduced freight rates on the gov- ernment railroad lines and on the private lines through the co-operation of the government is one essential. Another essential is reduced freight rates on coal from Europe and the United States. That is a matter for the steamship companies and THE IRON AGE 833 problem which lies at the basis of Brazil’s richest iron ore deposits. The nearest port is at Victoria in the State of Espiritu Santo about 100 miles north of Rio Janeiro. The Brazilians who had the concession for the extension of the railroad lines which tap the ore fields at last reports were hope- ful of getting the modifications which would insure the construction of the necessary links in the rail- road system. It may be recalled that the Baring group of London bankers were ready to finance these railroads under certain conditions, but the negotiations were temporarily abandoned because the bankers’ requirements were not complied with. James J. Hill was reported to be ready to interest himself with the Barings. The latest advices are that the transportation difficulties will be solved in so far as relates to the Brazilian government and the railroads. Then comes the economic question whether it will pay to export Brazilian ores to the United States and Europe. The intimation is that the margin of pos- sible profit has been reduced to a very few cents a Aerial Railroad to the Summit of Sugar Loaf Mountain over these the Brazilian government exercises no control. Cash subsidies for steel rails of native produc- tion are also suggested as a means of developing the industry. This would be in line with the gov- ernment policy, but even then the time seems far distant when Brazil will be making steel rails, though Brazilian ore may enter into rails made in Europe and the United States for the Brazilian railroads. IRON ORE FOR EXPORT The tendency now apparently is to exploit the iron ore deposits with a view to the exportation of the ores. No question exists about the value of these ore deposits from the magnetic ore of San Paulo to the hematites of Minas Geraes and Goyaz. One calculation is that there are 12,000,000,000 tons in central Minas. Transportation of ore 400 to 500 miles by rail- road is an expensive proposition, and that is the ton and that some of the capitalists are doubtful whether the attempt should be made for some years at least. It would not be a bad guess that among the various syndicates or groups which have secured options on the Brazilian ore fields Ameri- cans are included. EXPORTS OF MANGANESE ORES Manganese ore for export proposition than iron ore. The exports of man- ganese ore in recent years have ranged from 150,000 to 175,000 tons per annum. The official statistics place the value of 174,000 tons exported in 1911 at $1,254,000 and of the 155,000 tons ex- ported in 1912 at $1,115,000. That may be some- where near the real value or it may not. The United States is the best customer for these man- ganese ores, in some years taking half the total production. Great Britain comes next and then Belgium, with Germany fourth. The manganese ore fields from which shipments is a much simpler 834 are now made are located at Miguel Burnier and at Quelaz something like 300 miles from the sea- port. At Bernier there is limestone and at Quelaz a granite gangue. These deposits are compara- tively free from sulphur and phosphorus. At Quelaz there is claimed to be a reserve of 5,000,000 tons. Other manganese deposits occur at widely sepa- rated points in the States of Bahia and Pernambuco in the north and at Urcum in the south of Matto Grosso. Urcum is located about 20 miles from Corumba on the Paraguay River and the output of these mines might find its way to market by water carriers, that is river boats, down to Buenos Ayres but the project would hardly be an inviting one. American interests are understood to have allowed an option on some of the Urcum deposits to lapse because the ore was found to have too much sulphur. The fact about the Brazilian source of man- ganese ore supply is that the fields which are already worked can supply the demand for an inde- finite period and could also supply a largely aug- mented demand if the prices were satisfactory. There is a suspicion that some of the people inter- ested in the manganese ore fields do not care to have too much of the ore thrown on the market. An American mining engineer who was up in the district not long ago told me of the primitive way in which the mining was done with pick and shovel when vast quantities of the ore were exposed and could easily be handled with steam shovels. The government owns and operates the Central Railway, which is the only means of transportation to the seaboard. Formerly there was complaint that in- sufficient dock facilities were provided at Rio and on that account only limited quantities of man- ganese could be handled. Now the dock facilities are ample and the question would seem to be the freight rate over the government railroad. HYDROELECTRIC PROJECTS Brazil in addition to its iron ore deposits has one natural resource which may encourage the de- velopment of industries by means of hydroelectric power. This is the water courses. The light and power company of Rio de Janeiro which furnishes the power for the tramways and for lighting gets its power from Lages, some 50 miles from Rio. The same company operates its plant at San Paulo from the falls of the river Tiete and from Sorocaba which furnish sufficient power for much of the industrial development that is making San Paulo a manufacturing center. These light and power companies, which are among the most important in Brazil, are American projects. They were among the earliest of enterprises of this character in for- eign countries which Dr. F. S. Pearson inaugurated so successfully. HOW INDUSTRY HAS DEVELOPED The industrial development of Brazil has been continuous with an occasional setback due to over- confidence and frequently to lack of experience. The speculative element also has entered into it and to an observer from abroad there seems to have been too much reliance on aid from the federal and state governments. Nevertheless its progress has been not unlike that of Canada, though along differ- ent lines, for the textile industry is the one that under a very high protective tariff has developed most rapidly. Brazilian production of cotton fully justifies the establishment of native cotton fac- tories. Some native industries may be developed which will decrease the dependence on foreign industries. THE IRON AGE April 2, 1914 Yet the installation of all these industrial plants can only go forward through machinery purchased in Europe and the United States and the installa- tion and replenishment of factory plants in Brazil promises in the general balance of commerce fully to compensate for any loss that may be sustained through the development of domestic industries. That is why the general conclusion is reached that Brazil will present an increasing rather than a decreasing market for iron and steel products. The subject is so large that it has to be condensed into a specific statement of this kind or else described in detail for which there is no room in this letter. BRAZIL A DEBTOR COUNTRY The status of Brazilian trade, industry, and finances has to be known in order to appreciate the commercial possibilities of the country while at the same time allowing for temporary depression. Brazil is a debtor country. It has a depreciated paper currency. Its finances are considerably de- moralized. It spends more than it takes in. This may be said to be the dark side of the picture. Also there is a brighter side. Brazil has gone in debt chiefly for the purpose of public im- provements, national, state, and municipal. Some of these debts were improvidently contracted. Some of the national, state and municipal improvements have been carried forward with prodigality. But while Brazil is at times pinched for money the in- terest on the foreign loans is met and the credit of the country is maintained. That is the chief thing. How beneficial the national improvements have been can only be appreciated when something is known of them in detail. For a country which has vast quantities of natural products to export and which is a heavy importer of merchandise harbor facilities are the prime essential. Brazil has pro- vided them during the last ten or twelve years. The shipping which enters the splendid bay of Rio now comes right up to the quays. Santos, the greatest coffee port of the world, also has its splendid system of quays. Rio Grande do Sul, which is the prospective entrepot of com- merce for the southern part of the country, is com- pleting a jetty system which gives every promise of success. Para at the mouth of the Amazon has improved its port facilities so that they will serve the needs of the Amazon commerce for many years to come. Bahia, the northern entrepot of trade is completing its port works and even Pernambuco with its rough waters is going to have a fairly good harbor. Foreign shipping, by means of dock dues and other charges, helps pay for these improvements, vet the most of the expense falls upon Brazil and these port improvements which include sanitation on the most approved modern methods are one rea- son why the country is so heavy a borrower and why old loans frequently have to be paid with new loans. Colonel Roosevelt when he was in Brazil a few months ago was so impressed with what he saw that he indorsed the idea of the country going deeper into debt and even sermonized a little on the duty of incurring debts for public improvements. I think myself that Brazil will do well to halt for a while and let the country grow up to the improve- ments already made; but this does not mean any lack of confidence in the ability of Brazil to find its way out of the present financial demoralization, which is due partly to the fall in the price of rubber and similar economic causes and partly to national improvidence and extravagance. April 2, 1914 RIO DE JANEIRO REMADE BY IMPROVEMENTS Civic improvements in all the leading cities of Brazil have gone forward at the same pace as port works and similar public improvements. Rio de Janeiro in ten years has been remade. The city itself is wonderfully picturesque with the island- dotted bay and the green mountains in the back- ground. It used to be that the picturesqueness was all that Rio could boast of in the way of attrac- tions. Now it is both picturesque and habitable. The population is somewhere in the neighborhood of 900,000. Since the improvements have been made I should say that Rio de Janeiro is the most attractive of the great tropical cities in the world. The civic improvements were begun ten years ago by the opening of a wide avenue from the water front through the heart of the city. A narrow street was converted into an imposing boule- vard. Other broad avenues were also opened up. These improvements have meant the ex- penditure of large sums of money for build- ing material. The reconstruction is still going on and the market for builders’ hardware, some forms of structural steel, and sanitary appliances feels the impulse of this new civic spirit as manifested in mod- ernized buildings. Santos, which is the, greatest coffee port in | the world, did even more in the way of port works | than Rio de Janeiro. Its | system of quays is one | of the finest that has ever been constructed to accommodate foreign shipping. Santos, how- ever, is simply the port of the city of San Paulo, 50 miles away from the coast. It hardly can be said that San Paulo has been reconstructed, because it has grown too rapidly for that. It is almost a new city with a population in excess of 400,000. San Paulo is the industrial hub of central and southern Brazil. It is here that so many cotton factories are located. There are also woolen mills, bagging mills, a great cotton seed oil mill and many minor industries. A $4,000,000 packing house plant which one of the American companies is put- ting up indicates confidence in the future of the meat packing industry in Brazil. Manufacturers in the United States readily will see what the installation of these manufacturing plants means in the way of a market for iron and steel and similar products. 2 Cog Railroad to the Summit FUTURE RAILROAD BUILDING Railroad construction for the next year or two is not likely to be rapid owing to the condition of the world’s money market, but it will not be suspended entirely. There are now more than 14,000 miles in operation, some of them government lines and some owned by the private companies in which are in- vested American and European capital. The extension of the lines in southern Brazil controlled by the Farquhar syndicate has been the most notable feature of Brazilian railroad develop- ment during the last two or three years, and these extensions promise to be equally important in the future; but other syndicates or companies will also do more railroad building, and it is expected that the government will spend considerable money, when the money can be had, in double-tracking sec- THE IRON AGE 835 tions of the Central Railway between Rio de Janeiro and San Paulo. The budget for the present year, or rather the deficit for the last year, carries some- thing like $17,000,000 for the government railroads. Heavy contracts for furnishing steel rails to the Brazilian lines were obtained by the mills in the United States. Much of the rolling stock and other material is also supplied from the United States. The car and foundry companies which have the heaviest contracts have now established their own shops and assemble the parts at these shops. The tendency towards building the cars at the Bra- zilian shops is growing. TRADE WITH THE UNITED STATES Trade between Brazil and the United States is top-heavy. This is due to the position which the United States occupies as a buyer of coffee and rubber. The nor- mal trade between the two countries in active periods is not far from $200,000,000 with Brazil sending to the United States something like $150,000,000 and the United States sending to Brazil possibly $50,000,- 000. With the drop in the price of rubber and with coffee getting only a fair price, the Brazil- ian exports last year did not reach this _ total, while the United States actually increased its proportion of exports to Brazil. Nevertheless the normal commercial situation is about in the pro- portion of three to one in favor of Brazil. Shipments from the United States include food- stuffs as well as what are ordinarily known as manu- factured commodities. But the proportion of food- stuffs, with the exception of flour, is not large. Iron and steel manufactures and machinery and tools furnish the best market for Americans. For example, in the year 1912 there were imported through the port of Santos alone these articles to the value of nearly $5,000,000. Because American Congressmen are afraid of being charged with taxing the breakfast table, coffee is admitted into the United States free of duty, although Brazil lays an export tax on the product. It is of great importance to Brazil to maintain the continued free admission of coffee into the United States. For that reason years ago the policy was adopted of making minor tariff con- cessions on a few American products. Rio of Corcovado, Overlooking TARIFF PREFERENTIALS TO UNITED STATES Since more than 99 per cent. of Brazilian prod- ucts were admitted into the United States free of duty Brazil established a list of preferential articles for American products on which a reduction of 20 per cent. from the regular duties was allowed. With the exception of flour these articles were not of great importance and the European countries which are our competitors gave little heed to them. Occasionally the State Department at Washington secured the addition of an article to the list but it never has been an extensive one. It includes cement, refrigerators, typewriters and watches and clocks, : { i ; ' $36 paints and inks. Within the last year the cement works in Pennsylvania have taken advantage of the preference to enter the Brazilian market. Three years ago the State Department on the urgent representation of the American flour mills that 20 per cent. was not enough to enable them to retain their market in the Amazon country and northern Brazil, secured an increase of the prefer- ence to 30 per cent. The Argentine millers and wheat raisers, through their government, brought diplomatic pressure to bear on Brazil to prevent the increased preference, but their efforts were without success. The reduced duty on flour is ac- tually about the only thing of value that the United States gets from Brazil in return for its very liberal tariff treatment of Brazilian products. The preferentials are authorized every year in the budget law passed by the Congress and are proclaimed by the executive so that the arrange- ment is of a most temporary and unsatisfactory character. Brazil is not apt to abandon this pref: erential policy toward the United States, since there is so little of actual concessions in it, but it does not seem disposed to broaden the scheme. Occasionally concessions are obtained by admin- istrative rulings of the customs officers. This, however, is a very uncertain prospect. Both British and American oil companies were interested in pro- viding greater facilities for tank storage, but the duty on steel tanks was so high as to be practically prohibitive. It took 18 months to get this condition remedied. While American manufacturers naturally are anxious to secure preferentials, if these cannot be had they are willing to take their chances with European manufacturers in any reduction of duties that may be obtained. The Brazilian tariff is not only high, probably the highest of any civilized country in the world, but there are numerous sur- taxes which add to the burden of the Brazilian con- sumer and to the annoyances of the foreign export- ers. One day in San Paulo a large importer of electrical supplies picked out a sample invoice and noted the extra charges. They amounted to just 50 per cent. in addition to the regular duties. He said that 50 per cent. would be about the average on most of his importations. A MOVE FOR LOWER DUTIES Iron and steel products of all classes suffer not only from the unnecessarily high duties, whether these duties are considered from either a protective or a revenue standpoint, but also from unscientific classification. The Brazilian importing houses and the manufacturers’ agents and direct representa- tives are seeking now to obtain not only lower duties but also more sensible customs classifications. There is a prospect for a revision of the Brazil- ian tariff, but it cannot be considered more than a prospect. A Congressional commission has been studying the subject and has received a large amount of information from all sources. This com- mission may be ready to report to the Congress in May. American manufacturers who feared that the revision would be made before they could have proper representations laid before the Congress need have had no apprehensions. Both the embassy and the consulate general took hold of the matter vigorously and they have co-operated with the Brazilian representatives of the American manufac- turers. Because the tariff commission may report to the Congress in May it must not be supposed that tariff legislation is probable that early. The likelihood is THE IRON AGE April 2, 1914 that when the Congress receives the report it will put the subject over to the November session for discussion and then it may or may not pass a new tariff law by the end of December, when its func- tions will expire. THE STEEL CORPORATION’S STEAMSHIP SERVICE The action of the United States Steel Corpora- tion in establishing a regular steamship service under the American flag is working out very suc- cessfully. Aside from the commercial side of the project, the Steel Corporation is entitled to credit for gratifying national sentiment. As an American, I confess that the flag, so rarely seen in foreign ports, looks good to me. It is of decided benefit to trade in the United States to have the freight facilities augmented. In the nature of things it is not practicable to confine the ship’s cargo entirely to steel rails and similar products, and besides coal the steamers are bringing out a good deal of general merchandise, both for Rio de Janeiro and for Santos. Manganese ore fur- nishes part of the return cargo. New Ball-Bearing Polishing Lathes The Gardner Machine Company, Beloit, Wis., has developed a line of motor-driven, ball-bearing polishing lathes, which are built in three sizes. They are equipped with a fully inclosed direct-cur- rent motor of the commutat- ing pole type and a _ special motor starter. The spindle of the largest ma- chine, which is the one _illus- trated, is 49 in. long. It is of extra heavy con- struction and is mounted in ball bearings. The largest diameter of the spindle is oY, j is One of a New Line of Motor-Driven “74 mM. and be Double-Spindle Volishing Lathes tween the Equipped wiih Ball Bearings : . Throughout and Having a flanges this di- Special Type of Spindle 1 mension is 1 in. Construction less. The com- plete weight of this size is 850 lb. Two smaller sizes are built with spindles 4214 and 32 in. long, respectively, and diameters between the flanges of 1 and *4 in. With the starter it is possible to ob- Coal Briquette Production in 1913 Coal briquettes totaling 181,859 net tons, valued at the plants at $1,007,327, were manufactured in 1913, according to Edward W. Parker, of the United States Geological Survey. The figures for 1913 show a de- crease of 17 per cent. in the tonnage manufactured but an increase of over 5% per cent. in value compared with 1912. Seventeen briquetting plants were in oper- ation during the year—eight in the Eastern States, five in the Central States, and four on the Pacific coast. Seven used anthracite culm or “fines,” five used bituminous or semi-bituminous coal, two used carbon residue from oil-gas works, and the others used mixed coals. Coal-tar pitch is the principal binder employed, eight plants using it. Patented binders were used at five plants. On the Pacific coast the number of oper- ating plants increased from three to four, and the production in 1913 was exactly double that of 1912, with a gain in value of somewhat larger proportion. A Positive-Acting Safety Press Guard The New Device of the Corbin Cabinet Lock Company for Locking the Tripping Mechanism While the Hands Are in Danger The safety guard for presses and drop hammers which the Corbin Cabinet Lock Company, New Britain, Conn., is putting on the market is one of the most important of the devices which have been brought out for the purpose of minimizing the risk of accident to employees. It is a well understood fact that the power press is the most dangerous type of metal working machine, and the danger is accen- tuated by the fact that in very many cases the opera- tors are not recruited from the most intelligent class of labor. In plants where presses are used in large numbers the percentage of accidents and the result- ing losses from idle hours and from compensation hands can reach the danger zone of the dies, the pressure of the arms upon the bamboo bar positively locks the tripping mechanism so that the ram can- not descend. Before the machine can start both hands must be withdrawn. When it starts no dan- ger exists unless the operator actually thrusts his hands over the guard, which would be a clumsy and difficult thing to do and would be so deliberate an action as to be classed as intentional. It has been said that the guard “follows the arm like a shadow.” The mechanical operation of the safety guard is shown clearly in the illustrations. The frame A is held in a bracket bolted to the front of the housing. Two Views of a New Safety Guard for Presses and Drops Showing the Tripping Mechanism Locked and the Hands Saf: and the Hands Being Held Back from the Danger Zone When the Press Is Ready to Act for injuries reach large totals unless the machines are equipped so that the man or woman is actually prevented by mechanical means from taking risks either deliberately or through carelessness. This new safety device possesses wholly original features. The operator works with the contact of a light rod against the arms above the elbow. The pressure is hardly felt and there is no interference whatever with the action of the hands. Production is carried on under a condition which secures the highest possible output for both hands and one foot are used. After a very short experience the work- man has no thought whatever of the presence of the mechanism. He does not see it, and he is uncon- scious of the bar. The weight against his m