The Iron Age 1915-05-27: Vol 95 Iss 21

aan HANEDLOUAEVEVAEUDUADUEDADOOUOONROUEOELOUNDOEL UEDA AAO ASUEUADAAT NEO EEE AUG SEA EEO DUEATUSA EDGE APA EAET AE EA AAT TEELELCELE LULL TTL Cet Established 1855 New York, May 27, 1915 Vol. 95: No. 21 The Morgan Producer Gas Machine | Mechanically Operated to Gasify 3000 Lb. of Coal per Hour—Spreading of Coal, a Measuring Feeder and Distribution of Blast the Features The Morgan Construction Company, Worces- swept by a spiral-shaped bar or plow, the result be ter, Mass., has developed a producer gas machine’ ing a uniform settling of ash over the whole area that because of radical improvements in mechan- The action is automatic. When the operator desire cal design will convert 3000 lb. of coal per to remove ash he sets a lever The plow is he hr. into gas without hand labor, thus consti- stationary during one complete revolution of the tuting an important pan and is then re advance over existing a leased automaticall The ash is discharged at one final point int practice. The manu- facture of producer gas has been dom- inated to a large ex- tent by the idea that a gas-making fire must be frequently disturbed—poked or twisted or broken up in order to make gas in large quantity. Much ingenuity has been expended on the assumption that me- chanical means should be employed in accom- plishing results in these ways. The Mor- gan Construction Company for some vears worked in this direction and various mechanical devices re- sulted, but it was found that the output vas not commensu- rate with their cost and that they repre- sented no fundamen- tal improvement upon earlier methods. All mechanical means em- a conveyor or car Since there is no ag tation and the walls are free from obstru tions, the coke is ul disturbed and its ten perature is main tained until it is con sumed, the result be ing an ash practicall free from carbo! An even distribu tion of the blast over the gas-making area is essential in orde1 that each square foot of fuel bed shall ga ify at the same rate In designing this ma chine the central blast hood was discarded as inadequate to the high capacity de manded. Instead, shown in Fig. 2, the blast is delivered from the three hollow ra dial arrns, around the circumference of the hollow ring, or man ployed to prevent eS a tel, the result being a clinker or to break it Fig. 1—The Morgan Producer Gas Machin gentle, sustained blast ip inevitably created pressure which is new variations in the density of the fuel mass. evenly distributed over the whole surface. The basis on which work was begun on the The company’s engineers have found that the machine that is now brought out is that if the coal matter of firebrick lining has been given relatively S spread properly and the surface leveled continu- little consideration, whereas it is, in reality, an im ously, the fire needs only to be let alone; that later portant factor. The inner surface of the bricks disturbances causing variations in density create should not become sufficiently hot to permit of hot places, with resultant clinkers and inferior gas. fusing with the ash and thus create clinging clink The mechanical leveler, Figs. 1-3, floats on the fuel ers. The remedy was to reduce the thickness of the and permits of any variation in hight. firebrick and surround it with a water jacket, which The proper removal of ash is almost as important keeps it cool enough on the inner surface to pre a factor. In the Morgan machine the ash pan is vent any slagging action. 1161 6g oom orev ater etree cere seth ene ger ce sperm een tN en a” teeta 1162 An impor- 7 tant feature of the gas-produc- ing machine is the means of feeding mechan- ically and with required regu- larity small quantities of coal. The new feeder, Fig. 4, receives the coal from the bin and charges it in small and uni- form quantities at frequent in- tervals. As a consequence one man can take care of a _ bat- tery of six ma- chines gasifying 9 tons per hr. Severe tests of the new fea- Fig. 2 Cross-set tion ot Producer Gas Machine Show- ing Leveler in Ac tion on One Side of Center of Revolving Fuel Bed. The leveler accommo- dates itself to vari- ations in the hight f of the fuel surface and causes no dis THE IRON Fig. 3 Removing the tions the water-cooled case the water is shut off is liable to wear rapidly Fuel ele! lasts ab¢ requently be nai cona Fig ear, but in The ng periods it ind s% nged in 20 n AGE eee ee Ld . or View receives eed can be =. = c| § Showing the coal continuously ) tures have | made under | dustrial co. | tions. With : | of the ear machines of type, install: | by a large st company, the portunity afforded la year to take co: tinuous 12-} samples of t gas day night for se eral weeks. Th detailed analyse were made | the works chen ist and are not: worthy on count of the low CO, and the hig! heat value and regular qualit of the gas. The turbance withir bed It compact the coal uniforn and continuously Also is shown the blast distributi from the _ hollow arms and arou the entire cireur ference beneath th: mantel ring su} porting the lini: Measuring Feeder in Place from an overhead Db rs it in small charges over the slowly revolving fuel bed f l varied from 1000 Ib. per hr May 27, 1915 “ % “ ; | P p } 1% t 4 '? 1 | i : : lit it i A ‘ UJ "| , | } jo ' ; ¢ ( il | kers Crane Ser S) with tl Feeder, the Mou \ S the A gement of Gas Out enter i Collects results for one week are presented in detail in lable 1, together with the averages for the pre- ling week: 14 ( CoH 0 H H andar ) 0 0 25.6 4 f \ 2.7 0.6 25.8 1.4 { { s LD ,.0 8 28 0) 11.7 0 . N 4 26.4 11.7 rt i Dav 95 0.8 7 9 11 4 4 0 s 0 % N 2.8 0.4 27.2 11.4 2.8 5 Da 24 0.5 98 2 11.4 , 9 66.0 is Nigh 0 0.8 27.5 11.7 1.f s_0 lf Day zZ 0 ¢ 28 3D 3 42 5 1® Nigt , 0 0.8 27.4 11.7 2.9 d SU Day 2.8 0.7 28.0 0.2 4.1 if 188 2.8 0.6 27.3 11.1 3 4 159.0 79.0 2-7 2.3 0.¢ 27.4 11.4 2 82.5 During some of the periods an accurate account the quantity of coal gasified was kept. The aver- ige was 2766 Ib. coal per hr. for 120 hr. from Feb- ruary 9 to 14 with gas of 178 B.t.u. The data by lays are presented in Table 2: > Table 2.—Quantity of Coal Gasified in Contin — — . 1} a! AVERAGE 8.T.1 b.. 1914 | Average it oal | yer hr : | U.S. Steelstandard Total 32 deg. | 2 200 5 7 2,740 4% 2,740 2 8 t > #0 4.0 7 2,740 s 5 2, G80 l 2 800 1H6 f 2 Sh 148 0 2 iw) A5 * } 2 S00 ‘ THE IRON AGE Increasing In order to (;,overnment certain roe ovens and gas works ids and in lowing the example proportio! s Of Coke Consumption stimulate the 1+ is reported to have ¢ COKe its buildings, This step has be » of col with othe and since the war tant by-products are explosive materi: nitrogenous fertilizer. in e r tue ' lh ther ise, where open-hea! were operated analyses an 8-hr. continuous ple the gas were le practically ever These records over a eriod of five average 3.5 per cent. CO,, 28.8 per cent. CO and B.t ie TI ina ses yr the wee k se pre eT 26, 1914, are given in Table 3 with averagé the two previous week Recently the same owners desired to detern on what gasifying capacity they could safe ( as a guide to their future requirements. After creasing the rate to 3260 lb. coal per hr. the cided they could safely rely on a working capa of 3000 lb. per hr. The results are given in Table Measurements taken during several showed a consumption of 1/6 lb. of stear er |b coal. The power required to operate the machine ; hp. at the driving gear for each machine uniform load, with the exception that for 15 each 12 hr., while plowing ash there is an incre to ] hp. Operating parts are designs at ance with the Morgan rolling mill practice, w bearings provided with bushings to facilitat newals, and protection from dirt and dust and p tive lubrication are included in the desigr Germany manufacture! pir greatly increased importance of the by-products er iY started pected to stimulate the output of these. the weekly report on conditions in Ge war, published in Berlin by the American A Commerce and Trade, methods have been d rman \ the desired horsepower from the mixed fuel tor Th J he in | CORE p 1914, contrasted e production metri 1913. on Society, Cleveland, Ohio, At the annual meeting of the May s in ilting tons, That of 1914 ar e Ballard, president Watson ¥ roduction of with of pit coal in as compared lignite or d 87,116,343 Germany 32.167, 1914 with 19 prown or ) gineer, was elected te Roke ommissione! of J iy u ii, W. coi 16 ¢ Loli.) al ws 19] B. president light and The il, motor Increased demand fo1 . ‘ Har lor . ana ‘ c OKE impo! I Cleveland Engines ie] and | ae ding t thi AaL1O 1% ‘ 1 ’ &,ii ’ ; : ri OA : ‘ 146.90 v ‘ ‘) ———————— ee ne 1164 A Metallographic Grinding and Polishing Machine A machine for the quick grinding and polishing of metallographic specimens is produced by Eimer & Amend, New York, for the designer, Henry Wysor, professor of metallurgy, Lafayette College, Easton, Pa. It is really two machines in one. A one-piece casting forms the base frame on and which all mounted. The grinding is accomplished by means of carborundum wheels, of which there are three carried on a horizontal shaft The roughing wheel is on one end and the medium and finishing’ wheels on the other end. The polish ing discs are of brass and are carried on a vertical spindle which is revolved by) the parts are contact with a friction wheel on the main shaft. The discs are held in position by a central hub and slot device which permits easy replacement. The spindle is disen contact a cam. gaged from means ol with the friction wheel by The speed at which the polishing ee Ey ’ i. Po 5 - THE IRON A Battery of Three Spring Forming and Quenching Machines with the Heating Furnaces at the Right AGE May 27, 1915 discs are revolved may be varied by shifting th: friction wheel on the shaft. The disc on which th specimen is first polished, after the grinding, covered with canvas and the powder used is eme: flour. Broadcloth covers the second dise on whi tripoli powder is used. The third one, for finishing the specimen, is covered with broadcloth and jew eler’s rouge is used. Separate cases are provide for holding the tripoli and rouge discs when not in use, insuring freedom from grit. The cast-iro: shield affords protection from flying particles. The grinding surfaces of the machine are practicall) permanent and the manipulation of the polishing discs insures them against dirt contamination. Spring Forming and Hardening Machine New developments in the manufacture of steel springs for vehicles have come very slowly, despite the tremendous demand which has arisen with the growth of the motor and truck. Until very recently springs were generally formed and quenched entirely by hand, and even now the introduction of machine forming leaves a large proportion of the springs manufactured the product of manual pro esses. The Harvey Spring Company, Racine, Wis., has developed and installed in its plant an interest- ing device for automatically forming the spring leaves and quenching the spring in oil, effecting a great reduction in time and labor as well as se- curing uniformity in the product. The older methods of forming the spring leaves from the plate are well known, but, by way of con- trast, attention is called to the illustration which shows the hand method of bending the hot spring plate to a form by the use of tongs, requiring an expert spring maker and a helper. A nearer view of the new type of machine set up in the tank which also provides the oil bath is presented in another of the engravings. One expert spring maker can attend to an entire battery of these ma- chines and all that is required is an ordinary laborer to transfer the heated plates from the furnace to the automatic former of the machine and the hardened spring when it is cooled. The machine consists of two similar, forming keyboards one at each side of a central bearing on which the rigid frame carrying the two keyboards is pivoted so that when one keyboard is up above the surface of the oil and exposed, the other key- board is submerged in the oil, the keyboards oscil- car remove May 27, 1915 THE IRON AGE ] 165 ting alternately. The keys in the keyboard are rst adjusted by screws to a templet, in which sition they are secured by set-screws. As indi- + ited, the operation of the machine is through an electric motor arranged with rive to the main shaft, on which is a clutch con- secured geared Hand Met! trolled by a tripping lever within easy reach of the man fitting the springs to the machine. When thrown into gear the rotation of the shaft lowers one keyboard into the oil and simultaneously, by eccentrics on the shaft, the forming keys brought together, shaping the spring. The oppo- ite keyboard emerges and releases the hardened ‘pring. The time interval involved from the time ' taking the heated plate from the furnace until is plunged into the oil is 8 sec. The output from such a machine is at least four times what can be obtained through forming the springs by hand. The Harvey Spring Company, recently called upon to furnish a large order of truck springs on a war order, turned out 25 sets daily of 12-leaf are S ( | 2 in. Springs, 90 1 ny By these na ( alone was this order brought within the capa the plant. With the solution of the probl maintaining a low temperature in the | bat is expected that the oscillations of the iencnll device will be timed and fixed, and thus a pact for the man transferring the heated plates fron the furnace and a fixed apacit esta ner formity with the highest possible efficie Frederick W. Taylor Co-operators The Fred W. 7 (o-operato! he inde nicr i iT ‘ ‘ : have ed the he »xtel Oo | | ‘ ‘ inswe 4 ‘ I 1¢ , I ‘ I omes ron a part or the VO qd, and tor ratne material for the e of M la ograpne \ nouncement of this purpos« gned by Carl G. Ba Morris L. Cooke, Jame | Dodge H. | lath away, of Philadelphia. Con atic for a memorial t Mr la relat to the work referred to above should be addré Miss Frances Mitchell, secretary, Boxly, Highlar tion, Chestnut H PI} lelpt The Steve I tute Technology, Hoboken, N anno ed Ap it $1,385,000 had ‘ ed the } hase lit al ground and buildu for eased endowment nece iry to pre the growth he ollege The mo ey was raised t} efforts « President Humphreys and general con mittee from the imni of the Institu Walter Kidde trustee, nad harge of the impaign and ‘ : operatior ot bout 00 other in The ribers to the \ t lated i i ectior 0 world, many being reached ti igh the anch zatior of the Stever a“ ! the yer centers he | ed State Eu ope und England ; The Ross (,ear & To { ompany, Lafayette, Ind., ha F established a profit-sharing plar for i employee e The company manufactures steering gears for automo i biles and motor trucks and i now working night and a day shifts It has adopted as a unit f the dividend i a steering gear of average size The new system r« F 4 sulted in a 4 per cent. distribution on the f employees for April, while the May div much larger wages Oo dend promise to be nrg ee > 1166 THE A NOVEL MOLDING MACHINE Power Squeezer of Simple Design Involving the Use of a Brass Cylinder The adaptation of a number of devices, familiarly known in other connections, to the design of a molding machine, has led to the development of the novel power-squeezer type machine shown in \ Squeezer Type Mold Brass ng Machine Having 1 Cylinde with Cast-Iror Ends the accompanying illustration. The essential nov- elty of the machine lies in the use of a brass cylin- der, in the manner of controlling the piston stroke by throttling the air in the cylinder and in the ease with which the machine can be assembled or knocked down. The cylinder consists simply of a shell and cast-iron heads, the whole held together with tiebolts. The stuffing box is fitted with a simple leather packing disk. The cylinder is centered over an air inlet provided through the lower cross- brace of the frame and is locked in position when the upright guide rods of the table, passing through slots in the cylinder head, are lowered into the frame. It is thus apparent that lifting the table out of the frame also releases the cylinder so that when disconnected from the air line it can be taken out freely. The guides in the frame for the table rods are bushed with babbitt sleeves which can be readily renewed to take up wear. The use of a brass cylinder is chiefly of advantage in prevent- ing the rusting of machines operated only inter- mittently. The common delays incident to putting an idle machine into service are thus avoided as well as the deterioration due to corrosion. Smooth action during the pressure stroke is obtained by a small opening in the upper end of the cylinder through which the air, exhausting above the piston or re-entering with the gravity return of the table, is throttled. The travel of the piston upward is controlled by the rate of egress of air through this opening and the return, cor- respondingly, by the ingress of air. There is always present as a result, a cushioning and dashpot effect. For the control of the air on the pressure line a simple quick-operating valve is This brass employed. IRON AGE May 27, 191 valve is arranged so that a slight pressure of hand opens the intake while the release of t} pressure immediately opens up the exhaust. 1 valve is fitted with 12-in. renewable Jenkins dis In the event of air being turned on when there no mold mounted between the squeezer plates, t} possibility of damaging the machine is eliminat: by virtue of the air cushion above the piston, t! compression in turn effecting an automatic relea of the operating pressure. This machine is built in 24 and 30 in. si these dimensions being the clearance between side rods. The design of the machine gives a pacity equivalent to other machines of like si The stroke of the piston is 3%4 in. Increased flex bility is made available through the use of cylinde in three sizes, 7, 8 and 10 in., the accompanyin; table indicating the total pressures obtainable f: varying air-line pressures. Diameter of Air pressure ‘ylinder, in $0 lb. 60 Ib 80 lb 100 It a3; 1,431 2,146 2,862 578 ae 1,886 2 830 3,773 1.717 10 2,986 1,479 5,972 7,466 The machine is being manufactured by the B. & B. Mfg. Company, Indianapolis, Ind., of whic! W. I. Ballantine is president. A Power Bending Brake for '%4-in. Plate A new line of power presses or brakes has been designed and built by Bertsch & Co., Cam- bridge City, Ind. These machines are built in ail standard sizes from 6 to 12 ft. for various ca- pacities up to a maximum of 100 tons, the machine illustrated being intended for bending plates 1 in. in thickness. Among the work which these brakes are designed to handle are the construction of fireproof doors, windows, partitions and trim; metal furniture, lockers and shelving; cornice and sky light work, trackage for overhead industrial trolle) systems, gang punching and general bending. The main drive is through a friction clutch, operated in conjunction with an automatic friction brake. This arrangement, it is pointed out, en- ables the head to be stopped at any point in the stroke instantly. Hand or power adjustment is provided for the head, the arrangement being brought out in the accompanying engraving. In the design of the machine an effort was made to \ New Power Press or Brake for Use in Plants Making Steel Doors and Building Trim, Metal Lockers and Shelving and Similar Work May 27, 1915 rovide a liberal factor of safety, and with that bject in view the bearings, shafts and large proportions. gears are Toggle Press with Dwelling Blankholder The Cleveland Machine & Mfg. Company, Cleve and, Ohio, has recently put on the market a toggle drawing press, the distinctive feature of which is , new mechanical movement for operating the blank- holder slide. This movement gives a perfect dwell to the blankholder during more than 90 deg. of the travel of the crankshaft and is timed to release the blank shortly after the crank passes the bottom enter and rise at practically the same speed as the plunger, thus giving a maximum of time to remove the stamping and place a new blank in the die and permitting a high operating speed. The accompany- ing drawing shows the relative travel of the plunger and blankholder slides on both the down and up strokes and the dwell of the blankholder during the drawing stroke. The blankholder and its supports are propor tioned to resist a strain equal to that exerted by the plunger during the drawing operation, and this rigidity of the holding parts and the perfect dwell on the blank, it is emphasized, permit extreme draws with a very small percentage of breakage. The ma- chine illustrated is typical of the entire line. The frame is of tierod construction, with separate bed, arch and housings tied together with steel rods that are shrunk into position under greater strain than otion Crank Pin THE IRON AGE 1167 A New Toggl ess Equipped wit! Mechani M or Operating the Blankholder Slide to Give Ample 7 heated in operation. The balance of this clutch relied upon to render the use of an outboard bearing at the end of the shaft unnecessary Curve showing trove ; . h | 1 ” towing tx J < wa Holde ~ ae mh} poet ie Peidadeahtd i ada A <° Diagram Showing the Comparative Travel of the maximum overload capacity of the machine. The housings are tongued and grooved in bed and arch to preserve perfect alignment, under all stresses. The yokes, rockshafts, cranks, links and connec- tions operating the blankholder slide are steel cast- ings. The pin bearings are all bronze bushed. All the gears and pinions are of steel and have the teeth cut from the solid metal by machine. The crankshaft is made of heat treated high carbon open-hearth steel and is 9 in. in dameter in the bearings and 1014 in. on the crank pin. The bottom knockout is operated from the outer slide and is provided with an adjustable kick-off or trip to release the plunger when the stamping is lifted to the top of the die so that the knockout plate will drop to bottom of die and not interfere with the placing of a new blank. The plunger acts in an air chamber which cushions the return stroke. The friction clutch is of the multiple disk type with universal adjustment of the friction disks. The brake arms and clutch disks are locked by toggle links operated by a hand lever. The friction brake ring is separated from the clutch drum and it is practically impossible for the clutch to become the Plunger d ti I The following table gives the principal dimen sions and specifications of the press: Maximum dr stroke of plunger, Stroke of blankholder, Distance between bed ad blankholder Distance between bed i Adjustment of blar der Diameter of | Ratio of gearir Strokes per ! Width of bed and Depth of bed, it Depth of blankholde ‘ Width of plunger, it iO Depth of plunger Net weight of macl In addition to the machine illustrated 15 other sizes are built, with shafts ranging from 3 to 12 in. in diameter. The Dodge Sales & Engineering Company, Misha waka, Ind., has opened a new warehouse in Providence, R. I. The building is located at 171 Pine treet, in the heart of the manufacturing district, and is large enough to carry a good-sized stock of Dodge transmission prod ucts. W. B. Morse, of the Boston sales staff, has been placed in charge of the Providence warehouse, which will be managed under the direction of J. T. Dickenson. district sale manager. Bosto Bea re a ete eae eS met re Flue Dust Sintering Plant at Gary Character and Arrangement of Kilns Proved by Experimental Work—Pro- vision Made for Future Furnaces Following an extended period of trial sintering furnaces, the need of which has already been with an experimental kiln, the Indiana Steel Com- at Gary, as well as the eight present stacks. pany has completed at its Gary works an operating accompanying illustrations indicate the nature ; plant for the sintering of flue dust with capacity to construction of the plant. It consists of two rot: treat the dust from 12 blast furnaces. Capacity is kilns, slightly inclined from the horizontal, 90 thus available for the proposed four additional blast long and 9 ft. in diameter. As shown, each of Fig. 1—Exterior of the Sintering Plant Building Showing the Agglomerates Discharging Directly into Cars at + —— View of the 90-Ft. Sintering Kilns from the Burner End Looking Toward the Dust Hoppers in the Bac kground 1168 ins is fitted with two annular bear- ng rings and nounted on _ idler lers, the bear- g rings being paced approxi- ately 54 ft. be- tween centers. The Ins are rotated means of an an- nular gear drive, as in the line draw- ngs from a 60-hp. motor, the motor speed of 715 r.p.m. eing geared down means of a belt lrive from the mo- tor on an elevated platform through bevel gears and the driving pinion which engages with the annular gear on the kiln. The speed is thus stepped down to give the kiln about one rotation per minute. The kilns are of heavy steel plate construction, the shell being of 11/16-in. plate with butt seams, quad- ruple-riveted. The kiln is lined down to give it an inside diameter of 7 ft., making the brick lining 12 in. thick. The kilns burn gas from the coke ovens, their loca- tion immediately east of the blast furnaces and at the south end of the slip giving them a position of easy accessibility from the coke ovens. The _ar- rangement of the burner end of the kiln is very clearly shown in Fig. 4. As will be noted, this end of the kiln is protected by a movable shield mounted on trucks so that it may be drawn back from the mouth of the kiln when not in service. The flue dust working down in the kiln toward the combustion and lower end reaches the zone of hottest gases just before discharging, Ez — =--~- a _ ei pe ¥ i ] if i iT % =. i] — a) Li. m — a a= 1 | m4 : } — ad aor \ / <a ry Jf - yi. b ay i x ] \ i 7 =| Y ty \ "ee ‘7 ¥ \ ei, FY th 4 i — : a ———t hh — = = SE Zi > ae : ' » tribe rc anttitees Ot lh my rn . Avy SISTE—_____ ee ee sat == ee EE ee : : ‘ er gre <<a DM hth wm Pee + ail ee LT cg RT earn ee 6 ate 1170 THE IRON AGE May 27, 191 Fig. 4 Detail View of the Burner End of into the Loading Conveyors The Drag while the spent gases pass out through the smoke chamber at the upper or far end, as shown in the illustrations. The rotation of the kiln and the tem perature are subject to a very flexible control being important functions of the agglomerating process. In Figs. 2 and 4, which show the combustion end of the kilns, a view of a portion of a chain-clean ing seen. A drag-scraper chain passes entirely through the kiln from end to end and motor-driven sprocket, as shown, returning below the kilns through a water-cooling bath. By this means the clinker, as it tends to stick and hang in the kiln, is loosened and kept moving arrangement may be over a forward as it forms, the chain having an approxi- mate speed of 70 ft. per min. These illustrations indicate the manner in which the clinker is discharged, when the combustion hood is drawn back, being diverted by means of spouts through grizzlies in the floor to a conveyor below. The arrangement of also the sintering plant provides for a very convenient and ertirely mechanical handling of materials. The flue dust, discharged from the dust catchers through foot valves directly into hopper bottom gondolas, is brought to the sin tering plant, as indicated in Fig. 1, by gravity and is dumped into steel and concrete track hoppers. From these hoppers the dust moves through screw conveyors to a bucket elevator which carries it up into the overhead hopper at one end of the house. Thence, by gravity, the dust passes through a revolving screen of 1-in. into either one of two cylindrical bins, in each of which about 230 tons may be stored, as the operation of the plant may temporarily require. From these steel storage bins another motor-driven screw conveyor feeds the dust directly into the kiln, veyors being possible of very close discharged fr kiln mesh the speed of these con control. The sinter m the kiln through the a Kiln Showing the Chain Gravity Discharge of the Cinder Through the Floor Grating and Sprocket Are Shown at the Right floor grating, drops on an inclined conveyor which elevates it into hoppers immediately above the load- ing tracks. From these hoppers, which are made with two delivery spouts, the sinter may be dis- charged into cars on two tracks, so that four cars may be located at one time for the loading of the sinter. A water spray is arranged in connection with these discharge spouts to provide for cooling the sinter as it drops into the cars, as appears in the accompanying views. British Pig Iron and Ferromanganese in 1914 The British pig-iron output in 1914, according to the British Iron Trade Association, was 9,005,898 gross tons, compared with 10,481,917 tons in 1913, a decrease of 1,476,019 tons, or 14.2 per cent. The 1912 output was 8,889,124 The figures for 1914 include 3, 130,448 tons of forge and foundry iron, 3,235,403 tons of Bessemer hematite, 2,003,693 tons of basic iron and 336,354 tons of spiegeleisen, ferromanganese, etc. The Northeast coast is the largest producing district, being credited with 3,313,227 tons in 1914. Cumberland and Lancashire come next. tons. The production of ferromanganese and spiegeleisen in 1914 was only 19,035 tons less than in 1913, when it was 355,389 tons. In 1912 it was only 277,240 tons. The 1914 output was the largest since 1905, except that of 1913. The Hyman-Michaels Company, Peoples Gas Build ing, Chicago, has established an office and extensive scrap-iron yard and warehouse in St. Louis at the cor ner of Bulwer and Adelaide avenues. The facilities are adequate to handle a large volume of business and the yards have been very completely equipped for the han dling of scrap iron and relaying rails. H. J. Kiener, who has been engaged in this line of business in St. Louis for many years, has charge of the office, and L. F. Kramer, previously associated with the company at Chicago, has charge of the operating department. lay 27, 1915 \n Ingot Mold with a Vacuum Chamber A new type of ingot mold is covered by patents U. S. 1,189,219 and 1,139,284—May 11, 1915) ranted to Joseph |. Peyton and Samuel E. Hitt. Mr. ‘eyton was formerly Bessemer superintendent of the ominion Iron & Steel Company, Sydney, N. S. ts outstanding feature is the incorporation of a acuum chamber near the top to act as a heat insu- itor so as to retard the cooling of the upper part the steel ingot, thus minimizing the defects due o pipes, blow holes, cavities and segregation. One of several designs of the mold is shown in the illustration. Fig. 1 is an open-top ingot, a, having heat insulating chambers, b, so spaced as form a relatively thick upper wall for the cham- ers. The upper portions of the side walls of the nold are .thickened to provide heavy outer and wer walls for the chambers. The webs or parti- ons, ¢, between the chambers are provided with ipertures, d, for free communication between the hambers. A valved outlet or connection, e, located nder the stripping ears of the mold, provides a 68 a eS Fig. 4 Fig 5 t Hitt 1 t Mold w ace to connect an air pump for exhausting the r from the chambers. Fig. 2 is a section of the nold on the line A—A, and Fig. 3 a section on the ne B—B. Four-Spindle Milling Attachment The Garvin Machine Company, Spring and Varick streets, New York City, has recently added four-spindle vertical, square-hexagon milling ma- hine attachment to its line of multiple-spindle in- ex centers. This attachment is designed to handle vork such as the squaring of screw or bolt heads, the forming of hexagons on spark plug nuts and ill work of a similar nature that can be handled in ollets, having a capacity of 1!» in. The attachment can be arranged for holding the rk either by double-taper contraction collets, which are operated by a wrench or on threaded ar- ors of plugs, the pieces being run up tightly against the hardened steel washers or collets by a special Shaw wrench. This wrench is also used for taking {f the finished work, and its use is relied upon to eliminate any marring of the work. The four spindles which are spaced 3 in. on cen- ters are geared together. This arrangement en- ables them to be turned simultaneously to index or square or hexagon work. After the work has THE IRON AGE 1171 \ Four-Spindle Vertical ar ehn Milling Machines Where the Worl Is Held | Ly traction Collets Operate I Wi t ] Sy e-Hexagon Att been finished the collets are unclamped and the work is ejected by the vertical lever shown below the attachment in the accompanying illustration Electric Steel from the Stobie Furnace Before a recent meeting of the Cleveland (Er land) Institution of Engineers, Victor Stobie read : paper on “The Manufacture of Eleccric Steel the Stobie Electric Steel Furnace.” In part he said The Stobie furnace, used ! connectiol wit! the basic open-hearth furnace, promotes the producti of steels higher in quality than acid open-hearth stee! at a lower cost price than the latte For example, n ter steel of a ve ry ordir ary quality [rom a 1¢ « hearth furnace, treated in an electric furnace, can be made equal in composition to acid steel made from the finest Swedish material, sounder than the latte affording a greater yield from the ingot Che price would not be increased | more tnat SZ l me ton, arrived at as follows, ased on a 10-tor narge taken from a basic open-hearth furnace 1 poured into a Stobie furnace Yields regularly of 93 to 94 per cent billets from ingots of carbon steel had been obtained Mr. Stobie said, the remainder representing per cent. furnace loss and 4 per cent ay f the extra vield of sound material represented a 10 pe improvement on some existing practice, the ing might be taken as approximately $1.95 per tor Thi saving must be deducted from the extra cost of electri cally heating the opel hearth teel in the Strobi nace, giving a net extra cost ol mH pe finished electric steel billets To suggest increasing the price of rails, plate d angles by $1.95 per ton 1 useless, sid Mi Stobi but it wa for the higher grades of steel, t the fortunate subjects of market fluctuatio that the electric steel furnace wa brought int existence grades for which there is a considerable demand In answer to questior Mi Strobie aid that the cost for actual manufacture va $15.27 vhich he would be glad to demonstrate as actua As to the wear on roof and walls, it is certainly hig igainst that the size of a 10-ton electric furnace ‘ nall compared with a 10-ton open-hearth tl ances the cost of repairs 1! the latter tegarding the conversion of pig iron into teel, he would t e the molten iron, send it through a Bessemer: from the re directly to the electri — 1172 The Extent of German Control of the French Steel Industry A German statement of the extent to which Ger- many controls the Belgian and French steel industries was published in The Iron Age of March 18, 1915, based on the investigations of Dr. Emil Schroedter, secretary of the Association of German Iron Masters. The London Ironmonger prints in a recent issue infor- mation, from what it regards as an authoritative source connected with the Continental steel industry, which changes the figures of Dr. Schroedter. The latter had said that Germany controls 68.8 per cent. of the total coal output of France, 78.3 per cent. of the coke, 90 per cent. of the iron ore, 85.7 per cent. of the pig iron and 76 per cent. of the raw materials. The informant states that he has been able to con- vince himself that Dr. Schroedter is in error, though he adds that it is only fair to say that the stoppage of the supplies of ores from the important basins of Briey and Longwy, now in German hands, to a certain extent deprives the French metallurgical works of regularly feeding such of their blast furnaces as are not in occupied territory. On the other hand, it is known that several of them have succeeded in obtaining supplies from other quarters. As to coal: Of a total of 40,922,000 tons produced in 1913, 19,463,309 tons came from territory now under German control, and 21,548,691 tons from mines still in French control. The enemy, therefore, says the article referred to, controls only 48 per cent., and not 68.8 per cent. of the French output. The output of pig iron in France in 1913 was esti- mated at 5,300,000 metric tons. The blast furnaces in the Nord and Ardennes, producing about 675,000 tons, are at present entirely under German control. In the department of Meurthe-et-Moselle 56 furnaces are within the German lines and 23 in French territory. Of the total blast furnaces in France on January 31, 1915, 74 were estimated as being in the invaded terri- tory and 87 in French territory. To sum up, the posi- tion of the French pig-iron industry is as follows: Tons Nord 650,000 l der ¢ roi Ardennes 000 Meurthe t-Mos x 00 I tal $58,400 . . . Meurthe-et-Moselle 1,141,700 Under French control Other departments 1,200,000 Total 2,341,700 The authority cited concludes, therefore, that 55 per cent. of the total pig-iron output and not 85.7 per cent. is at present subject to German control. German Steel Trade Conditions in April The statement of the German Steel Works Union, issued after its regular meeting on April 28, 1915, gives the following general review of the condition of the German steel trade: In semi-finished materials the domestic demand con- tinues satisfactory and it is reasonable to expect that it will continue at the present high level for the imme- diate future. In structural steel the supplementary needs of the Prussian state railroads for permanent way material, rails and sleepers for the fiscal year 1915 have been ordered and allotted to the works, and also the additional needs for track fastenings. The entire re- quirements of these lines now exceed those of a year ago. Further orders from neutral countries continue to appear. Orders for grooved rails are small and business continues quiet. Domestic orders for mine rails have increased. Export business is quiet. In shapes business in March was in excess of February and specifications also increased. At the beginning of the second quarter business however was dull. In general the aspect of the domestic as well as the export demand has changed but little. The Industrial Works, Bay City, Mich., has estab- lished as its Pacific coast agents N. B. Livermore & Co., San Francisco and Los Angeles, and the North- western Equipment Company, Seattle and Portland. THE IRON AGE May 27, 1915 Chattanooga Superintendents Meet The Chattanooga Manufacturers’ Association, Chat tanooga, Tenn., maintains a superintendents’ divisio: Secretary O. L. Bunn, of the association, says that thi department is the best thing the association ever started The division is about two years old and was begun i: an experimental way, but has now so thoroughly demonstrated its usefulness that it is practically com pulsory for superintendents of factories connected with the association to join it. The department has its ow: officers and separate meetings, but each company pays the small initiation fee for its superintendent and also meets its proportion of the incidental expenses. The superintendents discuss questions pertaining to shops, selected in advance or brought up at the meet ings. At first local speakers were engaged to make tiilks on practical subjects, but, as the division grew and its success became assured, this plan was enlarged sé that for some time nearly every meeting has been aildressed by some expert from the outside. A concreté example of the benefits arising from discussion of con- ditions existing in the factories is taken from the pro ceedings of a recent meeting. A certain superintendent teld of a new machine he had just installed, and gave details of the economy and efficiency derived. When he finished another superintendent stated he had had a similar machine for some time, but that he got twice the efficiency reported by the other superintendent. That naturally led the first speaker to inquire how, and in the cross fire of questions and answers probably everybody profited—certainly the first man did. As a result he found just where his mistakes were and was enabled to go back to his factory a better superin- tendent, with knowledge necessary to increase the effi- ciency of the machine of which he was so proud. The safety first committee is proving a valuable ad- junct of the superintendents’ division. This committee visits one or more factories a few days before the regular meetings, and its findings are then discussed. The committee makes recommendations as to changes which should be adopted in order to render the opera- tion of the plant more safe. As a rule, it is stated, these recommendations are put into effect. The shop visiting committee investigates and reports on sanitation and, with the co-operation of the factory owners, has effected valuable improvements. A question box is kept in the Manufacturers’ Association building for the superin- tendents’ division. Queries placed in this box are dis- cussed at the first subsequent meeting of the division. The secretary of the division is C. E. Jones, who is a member of the regular staff of the Manufacturers’ Association, and to whose interest and faithful co- operation much of the division’s success is ascribed. Baltimore Reaching Out for Industries For the purpose of attracting industries to Balti- more, Md., the Industrial Corporation of Baltimore City has been incorporated by prominent business men with a capital stock of $500,000. John R. Bland has been elected temporary president and Eugene Levering treasurer. The members of the Executive Committee are Waldo Newcomer, Howard Bruce, Frank N. Hoen, Rufus N. Gibbs, Walter B. Brooks, Mr. Levering, Frank A. Furst, John T. Stone. Charles M. Cohn, Frederick W. Wood, Jacob Epstein and Mr. Bland. Douglas H. Gordon, Mr. Levering, Mayor James H. Preston, Mr Epstein, Mr. Stone and George M. Shriver have been elected vice-presidents. It is said several applications for loans already have been received. A plan for the establishment of an exclusively tech- nical high school as part of the city of Milwaukee’s educational system has been completed by Milton C. Potter, superintendent of schools, and Charles F. Perry, supervisor of industrial education. The board of schoo! directors has taken steps looking to the immediate es- tablishment of the institution. The academic work is to consist of a course in English, sciences and mathe- matics. Practical work is to be done in Milwaukee shops and factories. Machine-Tool Builders’ Spring Meeting Successful Gathering at Atlantic City—Chief Problems Now Are Increasing Production and Making Deliveries —Foreign Trade a Subject of Executive Consideration The thirteenth semi-annual convention of the Na- al Machine Tool Builders’ Association, held at intic City, N. J., May 20 and 21, was in every way iccessful and profitable gathering. There had been e fear that the pressure of business now bearing perhaps a majority of the members of the associ- would operate to keep them at home, but a satis- tory representation was on hand and what was lack- in numbers was made up in earnestness and diligence ittending the sessions. The officers of the expressed themselves as gratified with the results Over 75 persons were registered and prob- y 100 or more were present. The headquarters were the Marlborough-Blenheim. associ tained. Never before has there been a convention where a ilar atmosphere obtained. There was no anxious of shops running on part time, or of how to get for most of the have more orders they can *!] in months. How to meet, to the eatest possible extent, the deliveries now demanded members iness, the dominant question with nearly every member. \t the annual meeting in October, 1914, General Man- C. E. Hildreth in his address: “We have ed through the most strenuous period in our his- but the reward is ‘ You surely are all convinced that the demand for the last six or eight years seemed to gotten lost, but, unless all signs fail, it is going take a tremendous supply to satisfy its rapacious when it reappears.” It is phetic the words have proved to be. said PY bound to be just as strenuously orious, ' avt needless to say how TOPICS DISCUSSED OFFICIALLY OR OTHERWISE Of course there were problems and questions of a juieting character, but they were not the ordinary debated year after year. Some were executive sessions which took on unusual importance discussed this convention, while others were talked over in corridors of the hotel. One of these was a fea! at small or possibly ill-advised manufacturing con- rns might undertake the production of lathes or other dard machine tools because of the present demand. was pointed out that, while the makers of lathes the present time are taxed to their capacity and cannot meet the demand, their facilities are more ample for normal times and that only disaster in come to those who are tempted into the business present conditions. In the eventual struggle for existence which the interlopers probably would make, the trade would be upset and all would suffer. The resent peak of demand may never come again. Rather than being inadequate in normal busy times, the pro- tive capacity of machine-tool makers is great enough foster the keenest competition. In slow times, such prevailed up to a few months ago, the carrying of erhead expenses and the strain of holding organiza- ons together, as well as keeping abreast of progress designs and methods, are most serious (he question arises as to the fate of a concern which ould organize and equip itself to enter a business inder temporary abnormal pressure. Another problem at least informally discussed was hat of the growing scarcity of skilled mechanics and achinists. The entrance into the war munition field y some of the largest manufacturers, who have bought ery machine their purchasing agents can lay their inds on, méalis a tremendous increase in the need of problems. lled labor. Foreign business and its ramifications, including e question of representation abroad, was another pic discussed. At the convention were representa- 117 tives of foreign houses who have heretofore had a large part in selling American machine tools in Europe CONFERENCE ON APPRENTICE TRAINING APPROVED The first sessior was alled to order, Thursday morning, by President W. A. Viall, Brown & Sharp Mfg. Company, Providence, R. 1., who, after his inti othe ductory remarks and preliminaries, surrendered the chair to First Vice-President J. B. Doan, Americar Tool Works Company. Mr. Viall then said that most of the members were familiar with the work done by the board of safety and sanitation, made up of thre members from each of four industrial associatior and that an effort would be made to apply the same systen to the apprenticeship questio1 which the Nationa Machine Tool Builder Association already had de good work in devising indenture and other pape! He believed that the tooi builder hould co-operate witl other associatio particularly view | the fa that M. W. Alexander, General Electric Company Lynn, Mass., felt that good results can be obtaine from a conference board on the training of appre tices. In March Mr. Alexander suggested a conference: between representatives of the United Typotheta, th« National Association of Manufacturers, the Nationa Founders’ Association, the National Metal Trades A sociation and the National Machine Tool Builders’ A sociation. Mr. Viall said that the United Typotheta had expended thousands of dollars in elaborating a system for training apprentice and he believed that whatever tangible suggestions could be drawn fron the work should be appropriated by the machine-t builders, inasmuch as i doing they did not themselves. The Executive Committee of the asso ciation had approved of the conference idea to th ' extent of appropriating a im covering nece iry ¢ penses of participating. At the final session the actio1 of this committee was ratified and the work commended and authorized as-far as the association is concerned The question was raised as to the operation of sucl a conference board in the State of Wisconsin, which has an apprenticeship law. Mr. Viall replied that th board would have in mind all such laws and study them, that being one of the advantages to be obtained Mr. Viall resumed the chair. ASSOCIATION CREST PROPOSED C. O. Smith, Norton Grinding Company, Worcester, Mass., reported that at the request of General Mar ager Charles E. Hildreth, Whitcomb-Blaisdell Machin Tool Company, Worcester, he had considered the que tion of a crest which members of the association might use on their letter-heads, or otherwise, and submitted | the design of two gears with a pinion between, one of the gears bearing the outline of the Western Hemi kid sphere and the other gear the seal of the associatior fe The subject was referred to a committee of which the | following were later appointed members: C. E. Hil by 3 dreth, Winslow Blanchard, Blanchard Machine Con rr’ pany; C. O. Smith and E. C. Woolgar, National Acm« Mfg. Company, Cleveland, Ohio For the Committee on Traffic, appointed at the te: previous meeting, it was reported that appearance had HH been made at several hearings of the Interstate Com i satisfactor He ‘ee 4 merce Commission and it was believed that progress had been made. C. O. Smith, Norton Grinding Company, reported a for the Association Catalogue Committee, of which + S. H. Bullard, Bullard Machine Tool Company, is chair tT man. Mr. Smith explained that because of the war tf the contemplated publication by the association of a 1a 3 i . 1174 four-volume catalogue in English, French, German and Spanish, listing the machines made by the members, had not been proceeded with. Action was deferred to January 1, 1915, and then to March 1. The committee, therefore, at the suggestion of General Manager Hil- dreth, turned its attention to the development of a purchasi