The Iron Age 1914-12-17: Vol 94 Iss 25

SUAEULUAUERDUUVUAEUEDDLTEUOEEREUEEDELOAUUEUDOTLT ET UEEEEEUUACLUEEREEE EAP EE EDEL Established 1855 Rapid Destruction of ° New York, December 17, 1914 sy NQDLULEGULEDENUOOUNUDOVDOUONDOGUEOUGGEOUCGUONUOOUSUOOUONOENUENEONDROTEQEOOUGUOEUEOLENOEOUOGEGUEOUONLEOUEUUEDLAUEOUOALAEOEDETUET EMEA ERD ET EAD T SEARS ETAL HT PULLED ‘Fireproof’ Building's Results of the Fire in the Edison Works at West Orange, N. J.—Wood Sash with Plain Glass— Showing of Tinned Doors and Sand Concrete BY STERLING Last week’s big news item in the manufacturing eld was the destruction of the Edison factories at West Orange, N. J. The fire started by a small <plosion in the film testing building shortly after p.m. on Thursday, December 10. In spite of the forts of hundreds of men, it spread rapidly to adjoining buildings until almost everything on the lock was practically destroyed. The plant had been jht by Ameriéan Preas Association enerally described as of reinforced concrete, de- signed and constructed to be durable and fireproof. (he newspaper reports of the fire told of the com- plete failure of these buildings to resist the progress the flames. Of all the structures in the block here the fire raged, but two escaped, and neither is Of the much-advertised concrete. One was the | laboratory,-a brick structure with wooden inter- r, which would have been impossible to save had taken fire. The other was a small frame building vered with sheet metal in imitation of brick, nich resisted the attack of the flames from outside, d sereened the laboratory behind it. H. BUNNELI The rapid spread of the fire and the general destruction of the plant were not due to mysterious causes, No accidental combination of circun stances, or weather conditions, or peculiar hard luck, seems to have had anything to do with the magnitude of the disaster. If the plant could be reproduced today identically as it was before the fire, a similat small blaze starting at the same point would un How All the Concrete Buildings Were Gutted Leaving No Sign of Windows or Window Sas! doubtedly cause the whole affair to be repeated. Everyone knows that the fact that concrete will not burn, does not make every concrete building fire- proof. The rules for constructing to prevent the spread of fire have been on record since long before the Edison fire. The lesson taught by this case is the old one of disobedience to known laws. The Edison plant grew from one large brick build- ing of old-fashioned construction, now known as the old laboratory, to a plant of many structures, cover- ing portions of several city blocks. Several of these were of reinforced concrete; but others were of brick with steel beams and roof trusses or frame 1381 - a Fine: yr pater 1382 with sheet metal covering. To the east of the old laboratory, along Lakeside avenue, is the office and administrative building, 6 stories, of reinforced con- crete. Next east of this comes the large shop for the manufacture of phonographs and motion picture machines, a 6-story concrete building, with 4 wings at right angles to Lakeside avenue. From the end of the east wing, an old brick building used as a sheet metal shop, extended to the north. From the end of this building the block was closed on the north side by a row consisting of a frame building, in which oils were kept; a short concrete building; a long one-story brick and steel building, known as the wax room, and a 6-story concrete building where phonograph records were manufactured. Between this building and the old laboratory stands the frame building whose sheet-metal covering saved it from destruction. There was also a 2-story brick build- ing with steel floor beams and roof, extending from the end of the wax room to the south, nearly across the interior of the block, and some other small frame and brick buildings. The two westward wings of the phonograph shop building were shorter than the two eastward wings, but were extended by two story additions, one of which was of brick and steel, used as a woodworking shop for the manufacture of cabinets; the other of frame, use for film testing. It was in this building that the small explosion or burst of flame occurred about 5:15 p.m. The foreman instantly ordered out the few workers and called the factory fire force. He then stepped through a doorway into the con- crete wing adjoining the film building, and was turn- ing out some electric lamps one by one, when an explosion occurred which blew in a small section of the concrete curtain wall between the two columns and extending up to the ceiling of the first floor, and showered him with fragments. The space thus opened was however limited a little further in by another wall, so that the fire did not get its hold on the large building in this way. jut as the film building blazed up, the flames extended far above the roof of the 6-story shop, and threw out great heat in all directions. The concrete walls of this shop naturally were unaffected, but all the windows were of wood with plain glass lights, and gave way in all directions as the heat reached them. In this manner the interior of the building was attacked in many places at once. The brick and steel woodworking shop, parallel to the film building,caught fire immediately through its THE IRON AGE December 17, windows, and threw its heat into the office buj and the adjacent portion of the 6-story con shop. The entire ground floor of the shop was for storage, packing and shipping of com; cabinets and phonographs, and was full of w boxes, packing material and lumber. Ther: also a woodworking department in the west above the ground floor. The heat from the destroyed the adjacent concrete columns in « direction. Many of them sheared diagonally, posing the reinforcing rods, and disclosing that horizontal rings or bands of reinforcement had provided. Above the ground floor there was | wood except tool boxes, bench tops and blocks al shaft hangers. All of them were totally consun dropping the shafts to the floor. The spread of flames was assisted by several open elevator hatch: and the absence of partition walls to subdivide t shop area. What partition walls there were resist: the one dividing a veneer room from adjacent machine shop protected the wooden shelves on the shop side of the partition so that they wer: hardly scorched. Meanwhile, the fire department of the Ediso works had attacked the flames promptly. The firs department of West Orange, N. J., had also beer called out, though some reports are that there was a delay of as much as 11 minutes after the initia] flames; flames before the alarm was turned in. But the fire was beyond control when the department arrived. The water system of West Orange is a gravity one, with a main 8 in. in diameter leading to the Edison works district. Four engines were connected to this main, with the result that their nozzle streams would not reach above the second story. Engines were called from the neighboring cities, and were eventually connected to the mains of Orange, a thousand feet distant, whence water was sent to the fire through long lines of hose, under good pressure. In this way the buildings on the adjoining blocks were saved, and protection was given the old laboratory, which contained much apparatus and material, the loss of which would have been irreparable. The fire progressed through all parts of the con- crete machine shop, and struck across also into the adjoining and opposite buildings on the north side of the block. Several loaded freight cars in the plant helped to bridge the gaps for the flames. Only one building of the north row was of concrete, and all contained materials for making phonograph rec- ords. These buildings were destroyed except the [everything Combustible Was Commonly Destroyed mber 17, 1914 te record shop, and that was badly damaged. of its columns sheared diagonally, exposing the reinforcing rods — there were no horizon- ds to be seen. There was evidently plenty of istible material in this row of buildings. Every e of wood was destroyed. All exposed struc- steel was bent into worthlessness, and all brick fell. When the fire finally burned itself out, remained on the block except the shells large concrete buildings, and the two build- mentioned as saved. Much of the ery in the concrete buildings can be used it little elsewhere escaped destruction. previously THE LESSONS OF THE FIRE this*way a plant popularly supposed to be f took fire and burned completely in spite ery effort to save it. And the disaster was nothing else than the disregard of well- ht dy Amertcan Press Association the Machinery May Be Used Again, But rules for the prevention of fire loss. These may be conveniently cited from the Under- ters’ report on the Parker building fire in New City in 1908. The faults of construction and nent which made the Parker building fire un- ntrollable existed unheeded in the Edison also Interior space should be subdivided by fireproof tion walls so as to limit the spread of fire. paces in the Edison shops were mostly un- icted by partitions. Where there were divid- valls, the tin covered wooden fire doors did not through, and fire was effectively prevented passing that way. evators and stairs should be enclosed by fire- partitions. There were open elevator ways in Kdison works, and some unprotected stairs, the fire left buried in cinders and rubbish. stairways as were enclosed showed no trace of ssage of fire. Partition walls were of cinder ‘te, which after the fire could be crumbled in ngers, while the sand concrete of the main ns was uninjured. iantity and pressure of water should be pro- for extreme conditions. The 8-in. West re main was obviously inadequate to supply THE IRON Generally t Dropping Shafting and Pulleys x AGE Ll water enough to extinguish a large fire. The Ediso1 works had no tank or reservoir as a supplementary source of supply. With the deficient pressure, n water could be thrown into the interior of the upper so the entire building was lost as soon as the fire got up out of reach. stories, Windows should be of wired glass in all-meta frames. Every window in the Edison plant ha wooden frames and sash, and all were totally de stroyed, letting the fire into the interior buildings. Combustible material should be fireproof building. The tool the Edison works were mostly of wood, and enoug! wood was around the machines t fi everywhere. Much of this substituted by steel. No time should be lost in turning in a city alarn after discovering a fire. Some minutes avoided nside and storage oxes of make a hot fire 3 could nave bee! wood seem Ever he Timber Fasteninges for have been lost while the Edison employees tried to put out the fire with their own apparatus. Finally, even with all these matters as they were, a sprinkler system throughout the would have saved the plant. In no other way can water be got on as quickly and accurately where wanted It is conceded that a fire has never been known to make headway where sprinklers were properly in- stalled. An outfit of sprinklers in the large build- ing first attacked by the flames from outside, would have prevented the spread of the fire, and saved a loss reported as nearly $3,000,000. It is announced that the destroyed portion of the Edison works will be rebuilt immediately, Much progress has already been made in clearing awa’ the loose wreckage. A locomotive crane is at work night and day in the yard, loading on cars the sec tions of structural steel as fast as cut apart by high temperature gas flames. Many of the employees of the works are temporarily engaged in oiling and protecting the machine tools, collecting and saving finished parts, and moving equipment into buildings on adjacent blocks not reached by the fire. It expected that manufacturing can be resumed im- mediately, making use of such portions of the con- crete buildings as are found to be safe. works Modified Bonus Method of Wage Payment Making an Allowance for Uncontrollable Contingencies and Avoiding the Penaliz- ing of a Workman for Rate-Setting Mistakes At the final session of the Society to Promote the Science of Management at the Engineering Societies Building, New York, on December 5, Prof. Charles W. Mixter, as mentioned in the last issue, proposed a modification of the task and bonus method of wage payment which is designed to pro- vide an allowance for unforeseen or uncontrollable contingencies and to avoid the penalizing of the workman for errors on the part of the time study man or the rate setter. The task and bonus, as devised by H. L. Gantt, is probably the most widely used method of pay- ment in shops using scientific management, and it also has been widely adopted in establishments that do not pretend to be operated according to these principles. Briefly, the Gantt bonus plan pro- vides for the payment to the workman of his regular daily wage irrespective of the amount of 250 vl Diagram Illustrating the Application of the Mixter Bonus to a Job Set for 4 Hr. with a Rate of 25 Cents per Hour work done. In addition, however, for performing a given job within a given predetermined time, the man is given a bonus of 35 per cent. of the time allowed for that job. That is, he is paid not only for the time allotted to the job, but is paid for the equivalent of 35 per cent. of the allotted time or task time. For completing the job in less than the task time, he receives pay for both the full task time and the bonus time. If, however, he exceeds the task time, he receives only his daily wage for the time actually expended on the job. This is shown graphically in the accompanying diagram in which the line A B is the day wage line, its co-ordinates being units of time and wages cor- responding to these units. The vertical distance between the lines A B and C D represent the bonus allowed for the completion of a task in less than the task time (in the case shown, 4 hr.) If a task time represented by the distance A F is set, the worker will receive for its accomplishment in this time, an amount represented by the line E F, and a bonus represented by the line E D. If, however, he c sumes an amount of time represented by the |i: A G, his pay for the work will be represented by th. line G H. A numerical example will make this clear. | under the Gantt system, a task time for a certai job was fixed as say 4 hr., the workman would r: ceive for accomplishing the job in 4 hr. or less (ac- cording to the wage scale of this diagram), $1 plus a bonus of 35 cents. If, however, his time for th: work was 6 hr., he would receive $1.50, his regu- lar hourly wage. The effect of this on the workers’ earnings will be seen by considering his work for a full 10-hour day. The bonus worker, would complete 21% four-hour jobs in one day, for which he would receive $1.35 each or a total of $3.375 for the day’s work. The man who requires 6 hr. for the four-hour job would be paid but $1.50 for the completed job and $1 for the incompleted job, making his total earnings $2.50. The labor cost in the two cases would be $1.35 and $1.50 per piece respectively. In theory, and generally in practice, this system seems ideal. The workman accomplishes his ideal of higher wages, and the employer gets what he is continually seeking, a lower unit cost of product. In practice, however, it is claimed by Professor Mixter that the system falls a trifle short of the ideal, in that it provides a penalty for the slightest deviation in excess of the task time, and in that it provides the same bonus for the man who accom- plishes the task in considerably less time than the time set, as it does for the man who just manages to break even. It also assumes unvarying accuracy in the time study by means of which tasks are set and absolute control of all conditions surrounding the performance of the work. For instance in cer- tain classes of work it is easily conceivable that variation in weather conditions, such as the humid- ity of the atmosphere may exercise a controlling influence on the performance of the task. It is to meet these uncontrolled variations and possible errors in time study that the proposed modification was devised. It was desired to counteract a trait of human nature which unfortunately appears in certain workmen. It has been observed that workers under the Gantt system, who find themselves well within the task time will work at their top speed. On the other hand, workers who are closely approaching the task time, will not exert themselves particularly to reduce their time, as the reward for so doing is not sufficiently greater than that for just accom- plishing the task to make the special effort at- tractive. Following this reasoning still further, it has been found that some workers who find that they cannot complete the task in the allotted time will deliberately slow down and consume as much time as possible without getting into trouble with their superiors. The idea seems to be that they are not responsible for the loss of bonus, and that they will “take it out” of their employer by pro- longing the work as far as possible. The modification proposed by Professor Mixter consists in gradually diminishing the bonus for 4 period in excess of the task time, and of gradually 1384 ecember 17, 1914 reasing it for tasks completed in less than task e. This can be understood by a further refer- e to the diagram. In this case the variation due possible time study errors or uncontrolled con- ons, is 10 per cent. on either side of the task e. In practice the actual figure would probably less than this. This variation is represented on . diagram by the distance F J and F K. A man iiring the time A J for his work will be paid amount represented by the line L J, or at his ly wage rate. For work accomplished in a time ; than A J, but greater than A F, as A N, he || be paid an amount represented by the line N P, the distance between the base line A J and the ne joining points D and L. For those employees who perform the job in less han the task time up to a saving of 10 per cent. of the task time in the case under consideration, a cradually increasing bonus whose maximum is 10 er cent. of the Gantt bonus, is paid. For a sav- g of 10 per cent. or more, for instance, an elapsed me represented by A K, the man would receive a laily wage represented by F E, plus a bonus repre sented by the line M R. For a time less than A F, it greater than A K as A §S he would receive a daily wage of F E plus a bonus represented by the line T V, or the distance between the daily wage ne and the line adjoining points M and D. Thus if a workman completes a four-hour task in 3.60 hr. (saving 10 per cent. of the task time), his wages will be the sum $1 for the task time plus a bonus of 35 cents plus an additional bonus of 3.5 cents, or a total of $1.3814, instead of $1.35 which he would have received had he completed the job in exactly the task time. On the basis of a full day’s work, he would at this rate complete 2.78 four- hour jobs, for which he would receive $3.85 as against $3.37 for just completing the job in the time allowed. This is thought to be sufficient in- centive for the workman to continue at his best speed throughout the day. On the other hand, if the workmon found that he would exceed the task time by about 5 per cent., thereby causing him to lose his bonus, his inclina- tion would be to make the job last as long as pos- sible. Let us suppose that he made it last 6 hr., as before, he would receive for his day’s work $2.50. His production for the day would then be 1.66 pieces and the labor cost per piece $1.50. If by the pro- vision of the Mixter bonus, he would be persuaded to continue at a rate of speed as would insure the completion of the job in 4.2 hr., he would receive a bonus of 17% per cent. of the time actually taken. That is, he would be paid for 4.2 hr. plus 0.735 hr., making the labor cost of the piece $1.23. The man’s total earnings for the day at the same rate would be $2.92 instead of $2.50 as would be the case had he prolonged the job unduly, or $3.37 had he been sufficiently diligent to have completed his work in the task time. Prize for “Made in the U. S. A.” Trademark In an effort to give definite form to the “Made in U. S. A.” movement which has started in vari- parts of the United States and in various in- istries, the Detroit Board of Commerce offers a rize of $500 for the best “Made in Detroit, U. S. A.,” trademark submitted by an American designer. Upon selection of the label which seems best adapted the uses briefly outlined above, the Detroit Board Commerce will present it to the manufacturers of United States, to other boards of commerce, to e National Chamber of Commerce and to the Na- nal Association of Manufacturers. THE IRON AGE 1385 New Five-Way Balanced Operating Valve For use in connection with the pressure control of hydraulic presses, the Hydraulic Press Mfg. Company, Mt. Gilead, Ohio, has designed a five- way high and low pressure double-acting balanced poppet operating valve. It is intended for use on presses where the ram is forced in both directions NEUTRAL ’- i x z\9 ei a5 212 >/e aie " iz w “ wii ¥ s w/e ca ac aw oz z ajo x2 tS = ar, Ol I = 4\9 je A Five-Way High and Low Pressure Double-Acting Balanced Poppet Operating Valve Designed for Use in Connection with Hydraulic Presses Where Pressure Is Employed to Force the Ram in Both Directions . by hydraulic pressure and can be used with machines of either inverted, horizontal or vertical type. The valve has five stems and checks and can be used with pressures up to 5000 lb. A view of the valve is presented in the accompanying illustration and the patterns from which the castings were made were prepared in the company’s pattern shop. A special grade of bronze was used for the cast- ings, which were poured in the builder’s brass foundry. In the operation of the valve, the low pressure is admitted to the first cylinder, the second cylinder being left open to the return line. The high pres sure is turned on in the first cylinder when the low pressure has completed its work, a check preventing the liquid from the high-pressure line flowing into the low-pressure one. After this has been done, the valve can be shifted, so as to apply low pres- sure to the second cylinder and release the first. A similar valve, which is made with another position, enables high-pressure liquid to be admitted to the second cylinder with the first still open, although it is pointed out that in most cases this is not neces- sary since the work of the second cylinder is only at low pressure, as in the case of auxiliary return cylinders. On account of the length of the oper- ating lever, the valve must be installed below the level of the operator’s platform. This company manufactures hydraulic valves and fittings to withstand pressures up to 10,000 Ib. A New Process for Coating Metals Calorizing Forms a Layer of Alu- minum Alloy as a Protective Coat- ing Against High Temperatures A new process, called “calorizing,” for placing a protective coating on iron and steel and other metals, especially for use under high temperature conditions, is described by H. B. C. Allison and L. A. Hawkins, of the research laboratory of the General Electric Company, Schenectady, N. Y., in the October issue of the General Electric Review. In the following are reproduced some portions of the article, with a condensation of others. “Calorizing,” which is the discovery of T. Van Aller, consists in heating metals in revolving drums with mixtures containing, among other things, finely divided aluminum, so that a surface alloy contain- ing aluminum is produced. In the case of copper, this alloy is of the nature of an aluminum bronze, but richer in aluminum than the ordinary alloy of that name and more resistant to heat, so that copper thus treated is protected up to the melting period of the alloy from the scaling which occurs when Fig. 1 Upper jected to the Two One Uncalorized, the Lower One Cal Pieces of Iron Pipe from the Same Tube, the rized, Both Sub Temperature for the Same Leneth of Time al Same untreated copper is heated above 300 deg. C. The same general result is obtained in the case of iron and steel. Some use was made of this process for treating copper soldering irons and iron resistance wires for heating devices. Modifications of the process, extending it to fur- ther applications, have been made by E. G. Gilson, of the research department of the General Electric Company. Pieces which, because of their shape or size, are not adapted for tumbling, may be calorized by packing them in, or painting them with, a suit- able mixture and heating them. Thus the size of the heater is the only limitation on the size of the piece that may be calorized. Wire or ribbon may be treated by a continuous process, by passing it through a heated pipe containing the proper calor- izing mixture. EFFECT ON IRON AND STEEL There appear to be many places where it is de- sirable to use iron vessels or apparatus at tempera- tures above red heat, and at such temperatures ordinary iron rapidly oxides and scales away. After iron is calorized the effect of heating is slight. In- stead of burning and the scale falling off, as in the case of untreated iron, practically no effect can be detected after a considerable time—certainly no) which injures the surface. This is well illustrated by the two pieces of ir pipe shown in Fig. 1, both from the same kind pipe, but one of which was calorized. The two we heated side by side, with an ordinary laborato: blast lamp to a temperature of about 900 deg. ‘ for a period of four hours, then cooled and th: heat once more applied for another period of fou hours. At the end of that time the untreated pipe was badly burned, the point where the flame wa directly applied having been reduced to one-half th: original thickness, while the whole surface was blis tered. The contrast between this piece and that which was calorized is very marked, for even upo: close examination the calorized pipe appears to be unchanged. In connection with the piece of calorized pipe used in this experiment it should be stated that it had previously been used in other work, where it had been alternately heated to 1000 deg. C. and cooled, in an electric resistance furnace open to the air. The total time during which the maximum temperature was maintained was about 50 hours. A rather extreme test has been applied to this same piece lately, by heating it to about 900 deg. C. and plunging it into cold water, after it had cooled to a dull red. This has been repeated three times and the surface shows no signs of cracks or any tendency to scale. Fig. 2 shows a similar comparison between two pieces of sheet iron tube, one calorized and the other not, which were both subjected to a temperature of 800 deg. C. in a gas furnace for 100 hours. The uncalorized piece is practically destroyed, while the calorized piece is unharmed. TESTS UNDER PRACTICAL CONDITIONS As evidence of the performance of calorized iron under actual working conditions, the tubes shown ip Fig. 3 were photographed. These are part of a small nitrogen purification plant which is in use during each working day. They are both heated by gas in a brick furnace, the larger tube to a tem- perature of about 800 deg. C. and the smaller to about 650 deg. C. The larger tube was calorized and has been in use over 400 hrs. with no observ- able deterioration, while the smaller tube, which was not calorized and which has also run 400 hrs., is badly burned. The spots are carbon deposits due Ics aamaiaaac tea Fig Effect of 800 Deg. C. in a Gas Furnace for 100 Hr t Calorized (Left Piece) and of Uncalorizt d Sheet Iron Tubes 1386 December 17, 1914 ior combustion in the burners. In Fig. 4 are these same tubes after they had run over rs. The calorized tube still shows no evidence ale, while the other is almost burned through. nother application of this process is to iron r ribbon such as is used in electrical heating An untreated piece of this ribbon will burn n four or five hours at the most, whereas tests calorized pieces have shown that the life is ased at least fifty fold, and in the best in- ‘es over one hundred fold. The results of tests at Pittsfield indicate that a life of over 500 s may be expected from calorized heating units at a temperature of 800 deg. C. Calorized seamless iron tubing is being used for ustion tubes in the research analytical labora- where pure oxygen is brought in contact with netal, at temperatures from 900 to 1000 deg. C. e are thus far operated all right and still ap- unaltered after nearly 100 hours’ use. lhe above facts seem to indicate that this is a nle method for extending the use of iron under <idizing conditions at high temperatures, and for vreatly prolonging the life in those instances where s now used, but must be renewed at frequent in- rvals. In the case of small mufflers or crucibles, ere temperatures are below 1000 deg. C., this treatment of cheap cast or wrought-iron shapes seems very promising. While the life of the coating lepends on the temperature at which it is used, as vell as on the duration of time taken in its prepara- tion, iie., the quantity of aluminum which alloys \ Section of Calorized Iron Pipe (Lower) and of Un- fron Pipe (Upper) after Being Heated to Operat- ing Temperature for 400 Hours th the surface of the iron, it does not permit of ng use at temperatures much in excess of 1100 leg, ©. COATING COPPER PARTS Copper parts also, which are exposed to high perature, can have their life increased by calor- ng. In some cases calorized copper may be used ntageously in place of aluminum bronze. For tance, a large power station had trouble from corrosion of its condenser tubes. These tubes aluminum bronze and were supposed to last at tayear. Asa matter of fact, while occasionally es would last as long as six years, other tubes | fail in four to six weeks after they had been led. About two and a half years ago a set orized copper tubes was installed, and so far 1 tube has failed. some cases the life of copper contacts can be ased by calorizing. For instance, a set of rail- ontroller contacts which were calorized showed e the life of the ordinary untreated contacts. EFFECT ON SIZE AND WEIGHT he dimensions and weight of either a copper nm piece are slightly increased by calorizing. THE IRON AGE Fig. 4 Photograph of the Same Tubes As Showr Fig (Upper Uncalorized), but After 650 Hours at Operating Temperature The increase of dimension is much less than the thickness of the alloy coat, the greater part of which simply takes the place of the original metal. The dimensions may, however, increase several mils and there is a tendency to a greater increase at the edges than on flat surfaces. For iron, calorizing is intended only for protec- tion at high temperatures. It does not compete with galvanizing, sherardizing and other similar processes for protection against oxidation or corro- sion at low temperatures. Its usefulness lies within a range of temperature much higher than a gal- vanized or sherardized coat could stand. For copper -alorizing is effective against corrosion at low tem- perature as well as against oxidation at high tem- perature. The upper limit is determined by the melting point of the alloy, which is somewhat lower the heavier the calorizing treatment, since that means an alloy with a higher aluminum content. The probable explanation of the effect of the aluminum in the surface alloy is that a thin coat of alumina forms which prevents further burning of the metal beneath. It is well known that a pure aluminum wire may be heated in the air to a tem- perature several hundred degrees above its melting point without flowing, when the thin alumina shell which surrounds and supports the molten metal is easily séen. The Majestic Mfg. Company, ranges and stoves, St. Louis, has established a fund for the relief of the de- pendents of employees and given an initial sum of $5000. The fund will be under the direction of a relief society formed recently by employees. The beneficiaries will be dependents of any employee who dies or is injured and who would come under the workingmen’s compensation law and who has been continuously em- ployed for at least two years. The benefits are to be 50 per cent. of his average earnings, but not less than $7 per week nor more than $15 per week for 52 weeks. If the employee’s service has been more than five years the duration of the benefit is to be doubled. If there are no dependents of the employees, burial is to be at the fund’s expense. The president of the company is R. H. Stockton. A bonus for the manufacture of tin plates is pro- posed in Australia, a resolution having passed the Aus- tralian House of Representatives to inquire into the advisability of such a move. hee 1388 TELPHER FURNACE CHARGING Electric System to Secure a Continuous Charging of the Blast Furnace The use of the electric telpher for charging blast furnaces is advocated by N. Kapp, Birming- ham, England, in a paper offered for the autumnal meeting of the Iron and Steel Institute this year. The only way, he holds, to get a continuous stream of charging material from the bunkers or storage bins to the furnace hoppers without recharging is to split up the charge into a number of small units and to run them in an unbroken line past the coke- ovens and bunkers up to the hoppers and back again to the charging stations. He confines himself to the description of the Bleichert system of electric telphering. The telpher consists of a traveler, fitted with an electro-motor, which receives current (usually direct current at 110 volts) by means of a bow collector and a line wire. The skip is suspended from the traveler by a couple of hangers, and is slung in pivots in such a man- ner that it is in unstable equilibrium when full, and therefore upsets as soon as the catch is knocked up. When empty, however, it is unstable in an inverted position, which makes it very easy to right the skip and throw in the catch. The working of the line being entirely automatic, Fig. 1—Diagram of it is necessary for the safety Method otRonenins «sof the cars to introduce a block system, similar to that on a railway, but entirely self-acting. For this purpose the telpher line is divided into a number of sections, each section receiving cur- rent over a switch. The switches are of a drum type, and are turned by the passing of a car in such a manner as to cut off the current from the section it has just left. At the same time the switch gives current to the section which was deprived of cur- rent before, so that there is always a dead section behind every car, and no second can approach closer than the length of one block section. The number of these sections and block switches depends upon the output of the line. Greater output means more telpher cars and more sections, so that the cars can move closer to- gether. Herein lies a great advantage of this sys- tem, namely, the ease with which a telpher plant , fo the Traveler can be extended if a greater output be desired. The shortest possible distance allowable between two cars is about 40 ft. on an open track. At the charging stations or in a siding, 10 ft. is ample: 40 ft. is, however, necessary where there are points and crossings, to give time for these to work before the next car is ready to enter them. Otherwise a great deal of unnecessary stopping and starting would occur all along the line. The working of the block switches, which effect the blocking and releasing of the cars, is extremely simple. They are no different in principle from those to be found in every hotel bedroom, one at the door and one over the bed.- If we switch on at the door, we can switch out at the bed, and vice versa. This is just what the car does. It switches off the section it has just left, and switches it on again when it reaches the next section. The most important part of the plant, Mr. Kapp THE IRON AGE December 17, 1914 says, is the ropeway incline, and a very method of automatically coupling the cars + running rope is the automatic gripping devi vented by Adolf Bleichert. The principle lying this invention is that of letting the of the car act directly on the grip of the Fig. 1 shows the principle, omitting constr: details. The gripping jaws are like the jaws nut-cracker. One arm of the nut-cracker go the traveler, and the other carries the lead. pressure on the rope is therefore directly pro; tional to the weight of the skip. When the ro; to be released, the weight is taken up by a « of rollers in connection with the one lever and the jaws open and release the rope. JV this system it is immaterial whether the rope u is thick or thin, and therefore the gripping pov becomes no smaller when the rope is old and h: decreased in diameter owing to stretching. At the foot of the incline, where the telphe: car is automatically attached to the rope, the sus pension rail is bent slightly downward, so that th: car cannot fail to move forward with the speed of the running rope at the point of coupling, which prevents a sudden load coming on to the rope. At the entrance and exit of the bunkers the various telpher tracks join up by points to one sus pension rail, which takes the charge to the “charg: siding.” Each furnace has its particular siding where the charge is built up by admitting the cor rect number of skips filled with ore and flux, a, ), and c, Fig. 2, for each furnace, until the charge is complete. This is done by one man, stationed in a signal and switch box at the entrance to the siding. As soon as the charge for one furnace is complete, the whole train is sent up to the hopper at once. The cars automatically grip the rope on the incline, at a distance from each other regulated by the block switches. On arriving at the furnace mouth where they are needed, they range up in a siding one be- hind the other, from which position they can be brought forward separately by means of a pul! switch, and emptied into the hopper at any de sired point. From here the empty skips are sent back to the bunkers on the “down” track, thus com- @ 6 ¢ jest shingles Mi hh \ ce ( Sea” oD Storage Bunker ‘ | [ or Ore Charge siding L /nchine Fig. 2—Scheme of Telpher System for Blast Furnace Pla pleting the loop. It will be seen that one charge never interferes with the working of another, as the motion is continuously a forward one. TELPHER CHARGING OF ROECHLING WORKS The works of Gebriider Réchling in Vélklingen, near Saarbriicken have a charging plant typical of a well-arranged telpher line. The Réchling works is one of the largest in Germany. There are five furnaces with a daily output of 240 tons, and one of 300 tons. Two further furnaces are in course of construction. Both the ore and the coke are con- veyed to the hoppers by an extensive telpher plant. The bunker is divided into 135 cells or bins, each one ending in an ore trap below. The different kinds of ore are stored in the bunker in groups. Three telpher tracks pass lengthwise below this bun- ker. The bunker is about to be enlarged and three further tracks added. The empty skips pass along below the ore traps, and can be stopped at any par- ie December 17, 1914 ir one by a pull switch. Here they are filled by ng the shutter in the trap and allowing the ore de out. As soon as a skip is full, it is sent on ay by closing the pull switch. After running along the outside of the bunkers it comes to entral weighbridge and switch house for the siding. This position may be called the heart e whole charging plant, for the foreman in re here is solely responsible for the correct com- tion of all the charges, and any irregularities traced to this one man. fhe necessary composition for each furnace is termined by the furnace manager, and written n on a board by the foreman at the weighbridge, that this man has before him a list of the ores their weights for each-furnace. As the skips, ed with various sorts of ore and flux, pass the eighbridge their weight is made up to the correct int by adding or taking away a lumps of re, and they are then admitted i one of the racks which form the charge siding, where they wait until the furnace fed from that siding needs harge of ore. The foreman sets the weighbridge o the amount corresponding to the figures on the harge board, and prints this weight on to a weigh- ng card when the correct amount has been made ip in the skip. He cannot print a wrong figure, as the printing mechanism will not work unless the beam is poised. The weighing cards are sent up to the office every night as a check on the charge thrown into the furnaces. Each furnace has a dif- ferently colored card, so that it is easy to keep them apart. The number of the cards sent to the office must tally with the number on an automatic count- ing mechanism, so that the correct composition is checked in every possible way. In order to show the switch men at the subse- quent stages the furnace for which any train of ore skips is destined, a large number, corresponding to the number of the furnace, is hung on to the first and last skip of the train, at the central weigh- bridge. Looking down the tracks of the charge sid- ing, rows of ore trains waiting to be sent to the hopper platform can be seen. The switch points for admitting the cars to the several tracks are worked by the man in charge of the weighbridge, which again places the correct distribution of the harge into the hands of the one responsible man. \t the outlet of the charge siding is a signal box fitted with pull switches, one for each track. The man stationed here need know nothing of the com- sition of the charge, or of the number of skips re- iired. He merely waits for a signal from above, iat a particular furnace requires ore, whereupon he pulls the switch of the corresponding siding until the whole train is through. The attendant can erlook all the sidings from his window. The rnal system, by means of which ore and coke is rdered from above, will be mentioned later. from the charge siding the train of skips moves ward the rope incline, where each car couples it- elt automatically to the running rope at distances ! each other regulated by the block switches. ere are three ropes in all on the “up” track, and ree on the “down” track. One of these is used 1 standby, and the other two are used alternately. s is done by means of an automatic point which vitches the cars alternately on to one or other ' the three ropeways. The point is thrown over in electro magnet operated by a couple of block switches which are turned by the cars on passing. 'hese automatic switch points work very smoothly vithout the least attention. They are of course only ed in such cases where the traffic is too heavy to lealt with by one rope alone. At the foot of the THE IRON AGE 1389 incline the rail is curved slightly downwards, so that the car may run forward and grip the rope without any sudden shock or current peak on the driving motor for the hauling gear. The rope-grip- ping device is that explained previously. The weight of the skip is taken up by a couple of extra rails which causes the jaws of the apparatus to open and receive the rope, which gently drops between them. As the skip is gradually lowered again off the sec- ondary rails, the jaws close round the rope and firm- ly hold the skip, which is immediately carried up the incline. At the top of the incline it is released in exactly the same manner. On the downward path, the rope is gripped well before the cars come to the descent, so that there is no fear of them running away. When a car has arrived at the top of the incline it is sent down the hopper platform to the furnace requiring the charge. Before each furnace there is a siding in which the cars stand until they are wanted. One skip after another is brought forward by means of a pull switch and tipped into the hop- per. The points for directing the cars to the proper hoppers are worked from a central switch box at the top of the incline, just as the points on a railway are set from the signalman’s cabin. The switch and signal at the top of the incline is, however, impor- tant in another respect, as it contains the signalling apparatus for ordering and checking the ore trains. All the signals are given by small lamps; the sys- tem for ordering a charge of ore or coke from any of the hoppers is as follows: Each hopper is fitted with a little lamp board with a red light and a green light, and further, three push buttons; one button for “ore,” one for “coke,” and one extinguishing button for “lights out.” A lamp board in the switch box is in connec- tion with all the hopper boards, so that an order for “ore” at furnace No. 3 will show a red lamp marked “ore” on the third panel in the switch box, at the same time showing a red light at the hopper No. 3. The attendant in the switch house will at once check the order by pressing a button marked “furnace 3,” causing a green light to appear on the hopper board, at the same time showing a similar light at his own board. These lights are then extinguished by the man at the hopper by pressing the “lights out” but- ton, as soon as he sees that his order has been un- derstood and checked by a green light. In the mean- time the attendant in the switch house above passes on the order to the man in the switch box below in command of the charge siding, where the charge for furnace No. 3 is presumably waiting. The system for passing on the order is exactly the same. A red “ore” light appears on a panel No. 3 below, which is checked back with a green light and finally extinguished from above. Now the attendant below sends off the train waiting in siding No. 3, and the attendant in the switch box on the hopper platform sets the points to admit the whole train into the siding in front of hopper No. 3. So far the signal system for ordering a charge is very simple. But when all the furnaces are in full swing, the traffic on the hopper platform is very heavy, and so the attendant wants to know the earliest possible moment when he can set the points to send the next charge to another furnace, that is, when the whole train is in the furnace siding. The hopper platform is too long to observe the cars, and by night or in a fog this would be impossible in any case. A very ingenious signaling mechanism has therefore been fitted, by means of which the attendant can see at a glance where any particular car is at any moment without leaving the hut. Bs Hees par ul Iron Manufacture by Electrolysis’ Methods Commercially Carried Out in France—Properties and Indus- trial Applications of the Product BY L. The industrial manufacture of iron by elec- trolysis is a problem which has engaged attention for many years, but it is only within the last year that it has entered the practical stage. In prin- ciple, the method consists in the use of a revolving cathode and a neutral solution of iron salts, main- tained in the neutral state by the circulation of the hea Ls SP re 7 pment ante SSS Iron liquid over the surface of the iron. The bath also receives periodic additions of a depolarizing medium, such as oxide of iron, the object of which is to eliminate, at least in part, the hydrogen de- posits on the cathode, which injuriously affect the material if present in too large a quantity. By these means it is possible to work with a current of high density (1000 amperes to the square meter), and an Commercial Tubes of Electrolytic *From a paper prepared for the abandoned fall meeting of the Iron and Steel Institute at Paris The author is pro- fessor of metallurgy at the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers, Paris. GUILLET iron of excellent quality is obtained. The proces applicable either to the production of very | iron, which can compete with the best iron Swedish iron, or to the direct manufacture of tubes and sheets in the finished state. It has emerged from the laboratory stage, and is now being put i operation on an industrial scale. PROPERTIES OF THE METAL Using any pig iron in solution, an electrolyt iron can be obtained of the following average composition, after removal of the gases by annealing: Per ce nt Carbon . .0.004 Silicon . «0.007 Sulphur - 0.006 IU - i'4b.0:d'ora ek @ 80 ke WR oe ke ee 0.008 At the present time it is possible to guarantee phosphorus lower than 0.010 per cent. With a density of current of 1000 amperes per sq. m., the yield per kilowatt-year is 2 tons of metal, in- cluding the cost of current for the accessor services, particularly for the rotation of the cathodes. The material in the crude state, that is, in its state on removal from the electrolyte bath, is hard and brittle. In fact, two effects are produced in the process of manufacture. The metal is inter- strained and has absorbed gases, particularly hydrogen. On heating in vacuum between 800 and 1100 deg. C. for four hours, and then raising it to the neighborhood of 1400 deg. C. for a further two hours, Sir Robert Hadfield found that 34 grams of the iron had a volume of 4.3 cc. and yielded 28.8 ec. of gas of the following composition: By volume. Ev weight Per cent. Per cent POR. < ReS tamhiw ob eee 18.8 65.3 Carbon monoxide .. bo eat et 7.4 25.7 Carbon dioxide .. ee ee 0.2 0.7 Nitrogen ; oe ia cape ee ee 7.6 Pe ieee s kb ae ehe ee Rt eee sass The presence of carbon monoxide is somewhat noteworthy. On its removal from the electrolyte, the iron is very brittle, and has a Brinell hardness of 193, using a ball of 10 mm. diameter under a load of 3000 kgs. The micrographic examination reveals an entirely characteristic structure, con- sisting of innumerable fine needles, very much re- sembling martensite. After annealing for two hours in magnesia at 900 deg., the iron shows a Brinell hardness of 99. The micrographic structure is perfectly normal. The tensile test gives a breaking strength of 30.9 to 32.8 kg. per sq.