The Iron Age 1915-11-25: Vol 96 Iss 22

umyy Oo”. , OE é) Bi 4 ‘ ESTABLISHED 1855 of an Improved In the manufacture of plates, especially the boiler and firebox grades, small surface defects in the ingots are responsible for similar defects in the plates with attending rejection by inspectors. The inspection of the surface of plates is becoming more and more rigid, especially following various legis- ee s2 molds, the back quadrant of which is filled “5 ompactness obtainable. Fig. 4 represents two lation and Specificat ns Bottom Plate Arranged for 16 Molds, the Old Style, Having Radial Grooves, Being Also Shown Fig New York, November 25, 1915 VOL. 96: No. 22 Bottom Plates for Pouring Ingots Better Results Obtained from the Use Type Designed to Insure Uniform Filling of All Molds BY ROBERT H. IRONS the requirements of the plate busine It foresaw the necessity of taking constructive action along these lines and undertook a study of the causes in fluencing the skin of the ingots. The conclusion was soon reached that to some extent scabs and pits and other surface imperfections came from a purely 2 is a bot with bricks. Fig. 3 shows 32 molds assembled on a plate, illus ingots, the left-hand one poured on a radial grooved plat« the other poured on the improved plate and code adoption with regard to boiler steel mechanical cause—the behavior of the steel in the molds. The Central Iron & Steel Company, Harrisburg, At this plant the entire ingot output is bottom Pa., has ilways endeavored to meet and anticipate poured. The investigation revealed the fact that _- when the steel rose quietly and uniformly in the Berrian superintendent, Central Iron & Steel Company, molds, the ingot had a good surface, but when the 1221 ae ep ree = amie — ween agit 1222 THE IRON AGE Novembe; 25, 19); steel was wild, invariable ill effects were noticed. It was further observed that the wildness was fre- quently due to one mold filling faster than the rest and then surging into another mold. The cus- tomary practice in bottom pouring consists of ar- ranging the molds on the bottom plate on radial grooves. One of these is shown above the new plate in Fig. 1. This of necessity involves unequal dis- tances for the metal to travel in reaching each mold from the central fountain. To avoid all tendency of one mold taking steel more freely than another and to insure even dis- tribution of the flow of steel to all molds, a design of bottom plate was adopted in which each mold was fed from the fountain by a runner of the same length and of the same number of turns. This in- sures absolutely equal resistance to each mold, and experience shows that the most uniform filling of all molds takes place under these conditions. The re- sults of experiments at the Central Iron & Steel Company were so satisfactory that the new design of bottom plates has been adopted for all high- grade work. Fig. 1 shows a bottom plate arranged for six- teen molds. One of the quadrants shows the empty grooves in the plate, the left-hand side shows the special bricks in place, while the remaining portion of the plate is shown slushed and ready for molds. Fig. 2 shows a plate for thirty-two molds, the back quadrant of which is filled with bricks. Fig. 3 shows thirty-two molds assembled on a plate and illustrates the compactness which this method per- mits and the tonnage that can be poured in this way. It should be particularly noted that, owing to the increased tonnage poured per plate, the sprue loss is a smaller percentage than with plates having radial grooves. Fig. 4 shows a photograph taken of two ingots; the left-hand one was poured on a radial groove plate, while the right-hand one was poured on the improved plate. The surfaces of the two ingots plainly show the advantage the special plate has. Letters patent No. 1,152,319 have been granted covering the principle of uniform distribution of metal through channels of equal resistance, and this permits the Central Iron & Steel Company to manu- facture ingots of high quality, whose clear surfaces will insure plates free from surface defects. Dial Feed Attachment for Large Shells An automatic dial feed attachment for use in cupping and redrawing cartridge cases and other sheet metal shells has been developed by the Farra- cute Machine Company, Bridgeton, N. J. The at- tachment is used in connection with straight-sided presses exerting pressures of from 100 to 200 tons, the press in the accompanying illustration ex- erting the minimum pressure. A number of adjust- ments are provided and the operation of the press can be varied between continuous and intermittent at will. The dial in the press illustrated has six recesses and one of these must be in alignment with the center of the ram as it descends to insure the punch entering the partially drawn shell. The movement of the punch is controlled by a foot treadle, pressure upon which causes the press to stop instantly at any portion of its stroke. The dial has an inter- mittent motion, being at rest while the press makes a stroke. The dial yoke is partly revolved by a rack which receives its motion from a cam on the main shaft, and another cam operates the lock mechanism, which is a lever having a wedge-shaped end fitting into each of the six notches in the cir- A 100-Ton Press Fitted with a Recently Per Attachment for Cupping and Redrawing Cart Other Sheet Metal Shells ld ge cumference of the dial. When the ram and the dia recess are properly aligned, the lock is in a notch j the circumference of the dial and the interrupter connected to the lock mechanism prevents a weighted rod from descending. If, however, the lock fails to enter the notch, the interrupter will change its position, thus permitting the weighted rod to de. scend and depress the treadle. After the proper ad- justment of the dial has been made the press will complete its stroke by pulling down the handle stray As the ram descends the weighted rod is elevated, the treadle and the treadle rod assuming their first position. The press is equipped with a combined frict clutch and brake, and by pulling down the hand lever power is connected to the shaft. The clutch is released and the brake applied by depressing the treadle, an arrangement which is relied upon t give perfect control of the machine at any posit of its stroke. The amount of rotation of the dial may be regu- lated by a roller at the top of the yoke, set screws being provided to give the exact position, and t motion is also controlled by a brake which is aute matically released during the locking process. AX eccentric adjustment is relied upon to provide 10r accurate relation between the lock and the notch, the tension of the lock being regulated by an ac justing spring. Although designed primarily ‘0 continuous action, the press can be used intermit- tently, that is, stopping automatically at the end each stroke. When operated continuously the outpu! is twelve shells per minute. In the past two weeks the Snyder Electric Furnace Company, Chicago, IIl., has started up its electric —_ furnaces at the plants of the Gerlinger Steel Castine Company, Milwaukee, Wis.; Halcomb Steel Company, Syracuse, N. Y., and Dayton Steel Foundry Compamy' Dayton, Ohio. The Gerlinger furnace has 4 caer capacity of 6 tons, the Haleomb furnace of 30 tons the Dayton furnace of 10 tons. Metal from the seco” yeh reng heat of the Gerlinger furnace showed a tensile st! ed of 72,000 lb., unannealed, and 120,000 Ib., annealed, ¥ , an elongation of 20 per cent in 2 in. The carbon pee tent was 0.45 per cent. The Halcomb furnace pov’ good tool steel ingots on the first heat. 5, 1915 Noven Dy THE IRON AGE 1223 Tilt fable Bench Filing Machine ‘h filing machine has been placed on the Illinois Tool Works, 154 East Erie go, Ill. The special features of the the use of an automatic lubricating the ability to tilt the table and the machine at different angles, enabling the work to be handled easily. The iilt for motor drive or is fitted with a having tight and loose pulleys. All of parts are inclosed to give protection ind also grit from the file. Hardened toe] by grinding and lapping is employed for the parts subject to wear. ial lubricating system used is entirely sutoma being pointed out that no attention is rouired beyond filling the reservoir with oil to the in the accompanying line drawing. To automatic lubricating system the reser led as full as possible with the machine perating position. The pitman b in its troke creates a partial vacuum in the pas d d and the well e, which becomes par led with oil that flows in from the supply in reservoir. As the pitman descends it opening f and prevents the escape of oil the reservoir, leaving no path except the passages c and g and the oiling tube h, ects the oil over the surfaces of the pit- ross-head i and the crank disk 7. From the crank disk the oil finds its way into around the slide k, and the crank pin is ted by oil which passes through the slide ’ the cross-head. The edge of the crank runs in the main body of the oil as shown, t revolves some of the oil is carried around and flows into the notch / in the frame, and igh the oil channel m, lubricating the ift nm. The oil on the face of the pitman is nto the upper bushing on the upward vhile the lower bushing, it is pointed out, is lubricant carried into the bearing space wnward stroke from the reservoir and the troke from lower well. Another feature of ricating system is that the body of oil in r well serves as a cushion for the pitman, relied upon to prevert all rattle and esired, the table, which is 9 in. in diameter, tilted to any engle not exceeding a maximum ind the body tilted on the base to a cor Machine in Which Both the Table and the Be Tilted Independently of Each Other responding angle, thus leaving the table in a hori- zontal position, or the body may be tilted to a greater angle, thus enabling the operator to work on the other side of the file. The table is 1154 in. above the bench and the Vert il Section Show ge ti Automat ibr ting Svstem length of stroke of the file is 1 iz The weight of the machine, including the motor, is only 51 Ib. and the amount of bench space required measures 8 x 16 in. Time-Saving Mechanism for Preparing Payrolls The Denominator Adding Machine Company, 224 Shepherd Avenue, Brooklyn, N. Y., has brought out a little machine for determining the exact number of each of the various bills and coins required for one’s pay envelopes. The device, which i nown as the Denomi nator, is fitted with eleven keys, each designating a coin or bill from lc. to $20. Each key controls and operates one of the eleven independent counting devices con tained in the machine and each time a key is depressed one unit is recorded, the indicating figures showing the exact number of times each key has been pressed. This arrangement furnishes ‘a checking system. If the va rious amounts due the employees have been properly transferred to the mechanism the total of the amounts on the currency slip should of course agree with the total of the payroll! A circular by John H. Fahey, Chamber of Commerce of the United States, Riggs Building, Washington, D. C., announces that the fourth annual meeting will be held in Washington, Feb. 8, 9 and 10. He says that only three years ago the Cham ber of Commerce of the United States was organized and to-day it stands as the spokesman of 680 commer president of the cial organizations representing nearly 300,000 busi- ness men, firms and corporations throughout the United States. It has become a great constructive force in the business life of the nation, having helped vital national commercial legislation. It now stands com mitted, through referenda, to the proposition of the upbuilding of a merchant marine, a national budget and a permanent non-partisar tariff commission. Mr Fahey adds: “Agriculture and labor have long been organized. Now the Chamber of Commerce of the United States is organizing business nationally.” &... ate Seger ay es | te + ae no meet ee ee, Sete tee eee : OL LEIA AED AEA LINES PIP ys (emigre ee) eat me Tian The Rapid Production of Heavy Forg ngs Forging Press as Competitor of Hammer for Heavy Forgings—Rapid Production, Easy Manipulation For the production of heavy forgings, presses have been used in preference to hammers, but it is only within the last ten years that improvements have been made in design and construction and also in their speed of working which has rendered them suitable for almost all classes of work except the lightest forgings. The advantages of the press over the hammer were out- lined in a paper prepared for the International Engi- neering Congress at San Francisco in September by A. J. Capron, Sheffield, England. These advantages lie, he holds, in the effect on the material, in the manip- ulation of the forging, in output and economy in work- ing and in absence of noise and vibration. The squeeze of the press penetrates to the center of the forging at each stroke, whereas the hammer blow has more or less of a surface effect. The hammered forging shows a slightly finer texture on the surface, but a more open grain of metal toward the center. The pressed forging shows a fairly fine and practically uniform texture throughout the section. The advan- tage of the press is recognized by government require- ments for forgings which stipulate that for rolled or hammered steel the ingot must have an initial section eight times the finished section, whereas pressed forg- ings need have only four times the initial section. Fol- lowing is a review of the paper: In the manipulation of forgings the advantage is all on the side of the press. In hammered work the forging must lie true on the anvil whereas a press will bring the forging to its correct position without causing any jar and without interfering with the effect of the forging stroke. In using tools under a hammer much care must be used to place them correctly and to hold them in position because the repeated hammer blows tend to displace them. A press on the other hand, once a tool is correctly placed, holds it in place until the cutting or forging stroke is completed. This enables many classes of work to be done much more rapidly under a press than under a hammer. Forging accu- rately to size also can be accomplished rapidly under the press by means of a scale or indicator dial worked from the crosshead which enables the operator to read the reduction made at each stroke. SPEED OF FORGING The output of the press considerably exceeds that of the hammer. The blow of the hammer produces a limited effect, reducing the forging by only the fraction of an inch, whereas the press will make a reduction of several inches per stroke, which in rough forging work naturally increases the output enormously. A _ good modern forging press of 2000 tons capacity will make twenty 3-in. strokes per minute, or a total penetration or reduction of the forging of 60 in. In rounding up or finishing a forging such a press will work up to sixty strokes per minute. It therefore is as fast as a hammer in finishing and much superior to a hammer in rough forging. The following instances are given as show- ing the output obtainable with a modern quick acting press. A 45-in. ingot has been forged down ahd finished to a 30-ft. length of 15-in. shaft in one heat, using only flat tools, in a 2000-ton press of the steam in- tensifier type. With a hammer of equivalent power this work would have required not less than three heats. A 1000-ton press working on 24-in. ingots has forged 31 tons of 15-in. round shafts in 8 hr. An 800-ton press, nominally equivalent to a 7-ton hammer, has produced in three days the forgings for an anchor weighing 11 tons. This work could more properly have been done in a 1200-ton press which would have cut the time about half. As a comparison, an 8-ton anchor was forged under a 20-ton hammer, equivalent to a 1500-ton press, in 27 days. and Working of the Metal ECONOMY IN WORKING The principal factor in economy in w a press is the much larger amount of wi be done in a single heat. There is not onl: saving in time but considerably fewer h quired to produce the same weight of for consequent reduced expenditure for fuel. consumption of the press is about half that of for the same output. Actual results ove) periods have shown that in the productio: heavy forgings such as shafts the consumpt for steam production averages about 3 ewt. per to; forging, while for general work the consumpt ang from 3 to 5 ewt. A great deal of useful work with 4 hammer is lost in vibration, and it has been estimat: that this loss amounts to one-third of the useful wo, The calculation of the relative steam consumptior a hammer and press of the equivalent capacity follows: Hammer, steam per stroke 8 lb. Steam hydraulic press, steam per stroke 3.7 |b. In addition to the absence of noise and vibration the press a further advantage is obtained in that the foundation required for the press is small and inex- pensive compared with that required for a hammer With unfavorable soil this difference is accentuated. The working of the press is also much less detrimental to the tools, which therefore can be of cheaper construc- tion and require less frequent renewals. CAPACITY OF PRESS AND EQUIVALENT POWER OF HAMMER The accompanying table gives the maximum dian eter of ingot that each power of press is capable of handling effectively and the equivalent power of steam hammer. Diameter Power Power of Diameter Power Power of Ingot, of Press, Hammer, of Ingot, of Press, Har Inches Tons Tons Inches Tons T 5. . 100 0.50 ea wale 1,00( 1 &. . 150 0.75 30. ..~ 1,200 1 8 . 200 1 ORs 1,500 10.. 300 2 en. f- 2.000 12 400 3 60.. . 8,000 14.. 500 { a oe 12 16 600 5 aoe 2 5,000 20.. 800 7 96 ; 6.000 The power of the press bears a fairly direct propor tion to the diameter of the ingot, whereas the power the hammer required is nearly proportional to 4 square of the diameter or to the sectional area of th ingot. The developments in press construction have 'e¢ to the steam-hydraulic intensifier as the best method o! operating presses, and it is now generally used not only for the heaviest presses but for those of smal! and medium power. One of the advantages of the steam intensifier press is that it is capable of fulfilling all th requirements of forging, including sufficient rapidity of action in all its movements; that is, the idle stroX when lifting the press head and bringing it down its work and the forging stroke or penetration. The idle stroke should be at the rate of from 6 to 12 In. PX second, according to the power of the press and the nature of the work, and the forging stroke up to » per second according to the resistance of the forging There should be no pause or dwell either when the first touches the work or at the end of the forging stroke. The length of the forging stroke 1s — from 1 in. up to 6 in. or 8 in. in the case of very saree presses, and the speed of such forging from 10 ©” strokes per minute, a total penetration of 60 I. P* minute being obtainable when the power of the — is well up to its work and the forging is handled & peditiously. 1224 Novemb:” 25, 1915 ng or finishing a forging a very rapid rable, a good intensifier press of as large capacity being capable of working up to 40 inute and smaller presses proportionately 100 strokes per minute. With these speeds efficient control gear is desirable both to ging stroke and also to prevent any over- he intensifier in case the load on the press emoved. PMENT FOR FORGING OPERATIONS equipment for a press of medium capacity to deal advantageously with the various rk includes the following: gear giving the mandrel blocks a travel of on each side of the press. \ tended base of sufficient length so that the ’ the press can be exerted on the mandre! they are spaced at the maximum distances. iting gear for handling forgings without crane. e tool changing gear for forging crank similar work when it is desirable to change ls to V-shaped or swaging tools. ng gear for rotating the forging. The most form is a self-contained electrically-driven ispended from the crane hook. Preferably this e provided with a friction clutch which slips ng the instant that a press grips the forging. ss with the foregoing equipment is suitable lly all classes of heavy work. For general rging work all large presses down to 2000 tons ca- y should be fitted with mandrel gear which greatly tates the work under the press and the handling ‘orgings. For medium size presses of from 1000 ) tons capacity a simple form of mandrel gear is ften desirable and is generally well worth the com- tively small additional cost. ; 00 TYPES OF WORK sses have recently been adapted for many special work, among which are the following: abbing and punching tire blanks. Tires forged the press give distinctly better results under test loes the same steel forged under the hammer. ver of press that has generally been used for se varies from 1200 tons to 2000 tons, but in e a press of 5000 tons has been used. A this power can slab the largest tire blank at a ge stroke and is capable of an exceedingly high put. A 1200-ton press without any mechanical for handling blanks has produced 40 tons of 100 lb. each in an 11-hr. shift and 48 tons of tires of 1200 lb. each in the same time. The instance of tire forging is a 2000-ton press : manipulating gear and rotating table. The e, which is mounted on a slide, enables the e carried under the press and slabbed rapidly ssive strokes. The manipulating gear centers o that the top punch can be entered cor- d then lifts it on to the bottom punch, thus g a hole truly central and without formation of d Schoen wheels are now forged by two presses. The first employs a press of suffi- to forge the wheel in one or two operations, covering the whole surface of the wheel in 1eeze. This method necessitates a press of tons power. By the use of a quick acting er, wheels can be forged under a press of ver as 1500 tons fitted with a rotating table g the work. In this case the top tool which n. wide is made to the section of the wheel the blank revolves the successive strokes of : on its surface shape the forging and spread ~.-! the whole surface of the bottom circular tool. d effects a considerable saving in the first plant. u ting presses have recently been used to re- wt ers for axle forging. The output of an ‘Ss in breaking down from the ingot and mea ng is from 20 to 30 tons of axles in a shift. g axles the difficulty in getting rid of the ar THE IRON AGE 1225 scale presents itself but this has Leen somewhat elin nated by the use of bracken or other suitable substanc« for detaching the scale, and by making the tools suf ficiently wide to prevent the scale which is detached from being pressed in. The finishing tools have gen erally three grooves about 12 in. apart to obviate side stresses that would come on the press when finishing in the outer grooves. For the first process of broken down and rough forging the use of presses has proved so advantageous that it seems likely that their use for finishing axles may be extended. Presses ranging from 600 to 1200 tons have been largely utilized for forging down ingots for special processes. Trials on special steels have exhibited much better results in forging under the press than have been obtained by hammering or rolling. In the case of steel of ordinary composition but which required to be of specially close and uniform texture, as for instance for the manufacture of material which has to be subse quently drawn, it is found that breaking down under the press prior to the process of rolling or drawing produces a great improvement in the texture of the steel For the production of general forgings the quick acting press really has no competitor. For the manu facture of forgings of simple form in large quantities, dies can be used and in many cases the forging can be produced by a single stroke of the press. Die forging in general can be much more advantageously done under a press than under a hammer providing there is a fair body of metal. It is only small forgings and especially those of light section which are best made under a hammer. The following is a list of applications of the forging press and the size of press best adapted to the work: For locomotive and railway work, general small forgings, presses of 150, 500 and 600 tons; stamping cross heads and other forgings for boiler feed pumps, a press of 600 tons; field gun carriage forgings, a press of 500 tons; bridge and structural work, presses of 150 to 300 tons; shipbuilding work, presses of 300 to 500 tons; anchor forging, a press of 800 tons; well-boring tools, a press of 800 tons; tires of flat rectangular sec- tion for railway cars, for the first process of slabbing and punching and for the second process of expanding, presses of 400 tons of special construction. Another application which is of interest is the use of quick acting presses for the manufacture of iron from the puddling furnaces. With presses of sufficient rapidity of action satisfactory results have been ob tained both in quality and output, the power of presses generally used for this purpose being 400 to 500 ton Factors Affecting the Properties of Bronze Foundry operations that influence the properties of physical test specimens of bronze have been the sub- ject of an investigation. by the U. S. Bureau of Stand- ards, for one of the most generally used commercial allovs is Government bronze, composed of copper, 88 per cent; tin, 10 per cent, and zinc, 2 per cent. The effects of temperatures on casting, of methods of gating and molding, of kind of sand and of heat treatment on the mechanical properties have been studied. Micro scopic investigation of fractured test pieces showed the most common weakness to be due to oxides within the metal, appearing frequently as thin films in other- wise sound metal, causing brittleness and low ductility. The results show that bronze is very different from cast steel in that it shows no recrystallization or grain refining unless previously cold worked as by rolling or hammering. The National Railway Appliances Association, Peo- ples Gas Building, 122 Michigan Avenue, Chicago, re- ports that a very large percentage of space has already been allotted for the eighth annual exhibition, Chi- cago, March 20 to 23, inclusive. The association will have some new attractions for exhibitors, such as lighting and decorating effects, and some new methods of handling the wants of exhibitors during the in- stallation and breaking up of the show. = hag se ie~ ore aye ne) > ia ad TTS 7 ee i Re: ts a ed mnont Ct | Selling Supplies to the Government What Will Promote the Best Interests of 30th the Government and the Contractor as Shown by Panama Canal Experience BY F. C. The experience gained from several years’ con- nection with purchasing supplies for the Panama Canal has convinced the writer that there are cer- tain general principles which must be observed in government purchases. Some of these are almost axiomatic and others will doubtless not be in ac- cordance with the view of either the seller or of many government officials. These principles as I see them may be briefly stated as follows: Specifications covering the physical and chemical requirements desired should be drawn with a view not only of obtaining sat- isfactory material but also of obtaining the cheapest material which under the circum- stances will meet the needs. It is noted that the statement is made that the cheapest material acceptable under the conditions of its intended use should be obtained, and not that the cheapest article must be taken. There is a wide- spread but mistaken idea that the low bidder on gov- ernment work is in every case entitled to the award. If the statement were “the low bidder under and in accordance with the specifications,” there would, in the opinion of the writer, be some virtue in the claim. Even here, however, other conditions must be considered as, for example, the former perform- ance of contracts by the same bidder, his known ability to perform the work, his available facilities for carrying it out and a consideration as to whether the price bid is sufficient to permit fur- nishing the material desired without loss. The last consideration is desirable but is not without difficulties in execution. A government of- ficial is not authorized to reject a bid, nor even to permit a bidder to withdraw a bid, unless it can be clearly shown that it was based on a clerical error. A plea that the conditions were not properly judged, or that certain items were forgotton, is not suf- ficient to permit a bidder to withdraw. On the other hand, even if the price does appear unwar- rantably low, there may be reasons which enable or induce the bidder to offer his material at an apparent losing figure. For example, he may have surplus stock which he desires to clear, or he may have purchased raw material at a former very low figure. Frequently, in connection with the Panama Canal, it is known that contracts were taken at an apparent loss, merely for the sake of the advertise- ment which was obtained for the contractor by his having furnished material for the Panama Canal. If it could be legally done, the writer is of the opinion, however, that if a bid is shown to be un- warrantably low, the award should not be made to such bidder, as it is almost invariably the case that difficulties result from such a contract. Specifications should cover the material desired. They should not include any unnecessary require- ments, nor should they omit any essentials. The cheapest material for any purpose depends almost entirely on the conditions under which it is used. For permanent shop equipment the cheapest tool is *From a paper presented at the International Engineering Congress, San Francisco, Sept. 20-25, 1915 *Major, Corps of Engineers, U. S. A., general purchasing officer of the Panama Canal, Washington 1226 BOGGS+ determined by first cost, life and a consid: the expenses which may be involved in rep for temporary or construction work, hand, where the life is limited not by we from reasonable use, a lower price tool is cheaper For example, it was found much more econ al j the long run, for construction work on the Canal. to use a fairly cheap shovel than a high priced one which would probably under proper use outlast th; former two to one. This was due to the fact that a large proportion were unavoidably either lost or broken from misuse before they would have bee; discarded on account of having been worn out. Specifications in ordinary cases should b: drawn as to permit the use of standard commercial products. In many cases the ordinary commercial product will meet the needs, and, in such cases, the demand for articles to meet special specifications adds mate- rially to the price and delivery. The increased price is in many cases not an equivalent of the increased value of the article, for as every manufacturer knows, even a slight change in manufacture, disar- ranges schedules and upsets the routine work of factory and shop, and this disarrangement is re- flected in the price of the material. Moreover, standard products are the result of long experience, and their methods of manufacture are reduced to a routine which enables their production at a mini mum price. It is not intended that material should be pur chased without specifications, but with almost ever article there are certain standard methods of manu- facture which can be readily specified and which wil permit competition from several responsible firms The contract clauses should be drawn to protect the contractor as well as the govern- ment. Too many government officials adopt the princt- ple that a contract is for the benefit and protection of the government only. If a bidder in preparing his prices realizes that his rights, if a a entered into, are not fully guaranteed, he will in- crease his tender accordingly. On the other hand if he sees that his interests are thoroughly pro- tected under the terms of the contract, he will re duce his price to the minimum. It would there- fore appear that in the end it is to the interests ©! the government to give full protection under the terms of the contract to the contractor. Care should be taken so far as practicable to include no unnecessary or uncertain cor ditions, either in the specification or in the terms covering the performance of the con- tract. ead One of the most frequent complaints work 0 from contractors whether for government work © work for private individuals is that specification are frequently loosely drawn and contain uncer tain conditions. In bidding on such specification the contractor must cover himself for any °* tingency which may arise, and it therefore foll oe add that each uncertain or unnecessary condition ad . - 25, 1915 uch to the price of the contract. It is the contractor to require him to take all and therefore the number of such risks reduced to an absolute minimum. arding contracts it is to the best in- the government in the long run to ertain definite rules, which in time nown to bidders, and the known ob- of which will permit reputable turers to reduce their prices to the acticable figures. ibject of permitting modification in bids pening is one which is open to a great ussion. Many officials feel that, if they e bidders to decrease their bid, they have right to do so and that it is to the best the government to exercise this right. er side it is contended that such modifi- mediately results in bidders submitting a ier than they actually contemplate asking, expectation, on being requested to reduce of quoting the figure which they other- | have quoted at the outset. the work for the Panama Canal, the rules awards have been very stringently ob- even to the point sometimes of paying a rably higher price where a lower price might en obtained, if a bidder had been permitted his original proposal. It is these excep- ases which are generally seized by the of- | who believes in permitting modifications, and definite losses are rather hard to combat, in if the fact that the economies obtained by the ther method do not appear in actual figures. As in the case with rules of all kinds, no trouble they are strictly followed, difficulties oc- ‘ing only in connection with variations from the In enforcing the terms of the contract, it id be realized that the contractor and the cessful bidders have certain rights h should be considered, and that the ob- ance of such rights will in the end be neficial to the government. While the above rule has reference more to the tion of material under a contract than to the purchasing of material, yet it has a re-active effect future purchases, in that contractors, knowing modifications are frequently made, may sub- ds with the assumption that, in carrying out ntracts based thereon, they will be permitted ike such modifications. r this reason it is necessary in carrying out ntract to see that all the terms thereof are ved so far as it is possible to do so, and this ild be applied against the government as against the contractor. In other words the government official has no more right to demand met ‘ from a contractor which is not called for rms and conditions of his contract, than permit the contractor to omit certain ents of that agreement. The average con- ng business with the government cannot | why he is not permitted to substitute vhich, in his opinion, is just as good as the order calls for. He fails to con- although the material may in fact be od, yet it is not the material called for, ere fact that he wishes to substitute it that he can do so at less expense to him- ther bidders had been permitted to sub- e on the substitute article, they might THE IRON AGE have been able to decrease the amount of their bid, and.the award might not have gone to the con tractor who actually received the order. As ind cated before in this paper, it must be assumed that the government official, in preparing his specifica- tions, knows what is needed Ti} & find aecision in case of any dispute ; } ‘ . . } Oetween the parties to a mitract should a ' . ; ; ’ ; wnere not otherwise pro idéd by iaw, dé voive on some wvernment official of as high a rank as is consistent with the amount in volved, and as the interests of the gover? ment will permit. This is a great stumbling block to all contract ors, their claim being that, where the final decision placed in the hands of an employee of the op posite party to the contract, he, the contractor, cannot receive Unfortunately such a claim is only too well justified by experience, but, on the other hand, so far IS concerned, no other course impartial treatment. as the government is practicable. The final arbiter should preferably be some one superior to the official who has drawn the contract and who Is in direct charge of the work. In the majority of cases, however, this course cannot be followed out and the final decision in matters of fact must be left to the official in charge of the work. It is one of those uncertainties which cannot be avoided The questions for decision referred to in this comment are questions of fact, as questions of law which may come under dispute may be settled by courts or otherwise as provided by law. However, in questions of fact where the contract makes any particular person the arbiter, the courts invariably rule that they cannot go behind his decision, unless the decision is shown to be a gross error in judg- ment, or in case of fraud. The government official designated as the arbi ter in cases of this kind is more than an official of the government. He is a judge and should be, as far as it is humanly possible, impartial in his conclusion, whether such conclusion is against the interests of the government or not, and no conclu- sion should be given without complete investiga- tion. The greater the responsibility is in a case of this kind, the more necessary it is for the official to rest his judgment on the most complete data Labor Legislation Association Meeting The American Association for Labor Legislation will hold its ninth annual! meeting at the Hotel Shore ham, Washington, D. C., Dec. 28 and 29. A luncheon session will be held Dec. 28 at 12.15 p. m., to discuss the administration of labor laws, cov ering the difficulties encountered in the enforcement of minimum wage laws. On Tuesday afternoon the meeting will be given over to a discussion of “Legislation for the Protection of American Seamen.” On Tuesday evening there will be a joint meeting with the American Political Science Association with addresses on American labor legislation and the princi ples of legislation. On Wednesday afternoon there will be a joint ses- sion with section VIII of the Pan-American Scientific Congress, to be devoted to industrial hygiene, as fol- lows: Dangerous trades, child labor, health protection for female wage earners and factory sanitation. Russian copper output in 1914 was 31,730 metric tons. according to the report of the Russian Copper Syndicate. In 1913 and 1912 it was 33,020 and 33,250 tons, respectively *%. aan ao ae tees ee ee ee ee rene = Vo TR enemies abe! i ” a a ieee ae “F é vod 1228 THE IRON AGE November 25, 19); HIGHER BATTLESHIP BIDS Navy Yards May Get the Work—New Threat of Government Steel Plant WASHINGTON, D. C., Nov. 23, 1915.—As the result of unsettled conditions in the iron and steel industry and the rapid and somewhat erratic recent rise in prices, the bids submitted to the Navy Department Nov. 17 for the construction of the unnamed dread- naughts Nos. 43 and 44 were so high that Secretary Daniels has practically decided that one of these ships shall be built in a Government yard, and has intimated that unless the private shipyards will reduce the fig- ures already submitted he will cause both vessels to be built by the Government. Not content with these threats, Mr. Daniels declares his intention of equipping at least three navy yards for the construction of dread- naughts, and foreshadows a recommendation to Con- gress not only for the construction of an armor plant and a material increase in the facilities of the depart- ment for the manufacture of guns and ammunition, but for the acquisition of ore fields and every element necessary to render the Government independent of private enterprise in the building and equipment of warships. Just how far he will go in the execution of these threats after he has had time to give the matter sober second thought cannot be predicted, but there can be no doubt that the already serious problem of the national defense will be greatly complicated as the re- sult of the attitude of the Navy Department. Three private shipyards competed for the construc- tion of battleships Nos. 43 and 44. The private ship- builders brought their formal bids barely within the $7,800,000 limit of cost fixed by Congress, by a number of stipulations concerning proposed exemptions aggre- gating from $200,000 to $400,000. All three of the navy yards submitted estimates within the Congres- sional limit. The bidders and their proposals were as follows: New York Shipbuilding Company, ¢ mden, N. J., for one vessel on department’s plans, with speed of 20 nots, to be completed in 34 months, $7,700,000, subject to certain stipu- lations Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Comp , New port News, Va., one vessel on department's } ns, speed 20% knots, to be completed in 40 months, $7,77 00; or one vessel with hull and equipment in accordance witl epartment’s plans but with the Curtis turbine type of chiner speed 20% knots, to be completed ! 1) months, $7,765,000 both bids subject to certain stipulations Fore River Shipbuilding Corporation, Qu , Mass., one vessel on department's plans, speed 201. not to be o! pleted in 34 months, $7,638,000; bids of $7,684,000, $7,750,500 and $7,229,500 were also submitted on the department's } ns all with certain specified exemptions Navy yard at Mare Island, Ca on ‘ ‘ o1 cr ernment’s plans to be completed 31 mont ter receipt structural mate $7,413,156 Navy yard, New York, one vessel with Parsons geare: turbine cruising type of machinery, $7,769,9 or with ele tric propelling machinery, $6,987,667 Navy yard, Philadelphia, Pa., one vessel on Government's plans, $6,916,427 or witl modified type of machine $6,774,144 EXEMPTIONS CALLED FOR BY BIDDERS The stipulations incorporated in their bids by the private shipyards propose that the Government shall waive certain requirements in contracts heretofore ex- ecuted or shall stand certain items of expense hereto- fore borne by the contractors. It is proposed that the requirement that the contractor shall givé a_ bond, which is said to cost about $35,000, shall be eliminated: that the Government shall waive insurance of the ves- sels during the course of construction, as is done in the navy yards while vessels are being built; that pre- liminary trials with their attendant heavy expense shall be omitted, and that the speed of the vessels shall be determined on the basis of their performance after six months’ test; that the Government shall furnish certain special steel required in the construction of the vessels and that if any changes in bulkheads or other structural features are made after the letting of the contracts, the Government will pay the a: thereof. In view of the complication of these stipulations it is difficult to make a comparable statement, but preliminary pared by the department’s experts put clusive of all the department’s specificat = 4 lows: New York Shipbuilding Company, 15.5 Fore River Shipbuilding Corporation, $8,097 409. port News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co 240,500. Secretary Dantels’s criticism of the vate yards appears to be predicated chief fact that the hulls and machinery of th tt Mississippi and Idaho, identical in all ir spects with battleships Nos. 43 and 44, wer for about a year ago at $7,115,000 and $7 spectively. In this connection a represent of the competing yards draws attention 1 difference in conditions now prevailing a with those of a year ago. At that time ir prices were declining and manufacturers were o get business of any kind. To-day, the situati abnormal in many respects that any ship) taking a $7,000,000 contract requiring three years { its execution is forced to consider an elem calculated to deter conservative concerns the business at any price. The future is s it is pointed out, that a manufacturer cannot reliable basis for figuring costs unless he immed protects himself by contracts for material at which are as apt to be above as below the market the material is actually delivered. Under th tions and with the existing heavy demand for m chant construction there is claimed to be an elem of patriotism in any of the bids submitted for thes vessels. Representatives of the private shipbuilders have ey amined with interest the estimates submitted by navy yards for these dreadnaughts. One expert, wi has had much practical experience in ship construction, unhesitatingly declared that he was convinced fron knowledge of current prices of material that the navy yard figures left out of account at least $1,000,00 worth of material and equipment actually required f construction and fitting. Department officials that the navy yard figures include charges for 01 head, depreciation, interest, etc., amounting to nea 50 per cent of the bids. It is further asserted that t! estimates are based upon schedules of materia equipment which have been thoroughly tested construction of battleships built in the Government yards, and that the prices of materials represent f allowance for the rising tendency of the iron and st market. It is the opinion here that for a few days the Na Department will take no action on the bids submitt but will await propositions from the bidders to r their proposals to the figure fixed by Congress. If bidders fail to shade their figures the department take up the proposition of equipping the Mare Isla Cal., yard for the construction of one of the ships, with the understanding that the other is assigned to the New York yard. The Mare Island ya! cannot build a dreadnaught without the expenditur of a large sum not yet accurately determined and « Nu not lay the keel of one of these big vessels before 5¢! tember, 1916. The League Island yard cannot equipped for less than $200,000, but it is said that keel of a dreadnaught could be laid there in next Ma) or June. Secretary Daniels may recommend to (0 gress that the New York, Mare Island and Leagu Island yards be completely equipped and constant) maintained in condition for building warships o ™ largest size. The Secretary’s threat to seek legislation ena ng the Government to acquire ore fields and bulla si works for the manufacture of shipbuilding mater!® | not taken very seriously. It would require no very * pert calculation to demonstrate to Congress at © cost of the output of plants making only sufficient ™ terial to meet the Government’s requirements W°*" far exceed the most exorbitant prices that the deps"® ment might be called upon to pay under the most *” echir +hy he tions. It is obvious, however, that Sec- ls’s intention is to make the most of the argument for his pet project, a Gov- factory. PLATE PRICES BUT LITTLE RAISED submitted on Nov. 17 for 16,021 tons of and special steel certainly furnished no e charge that the manufacturers are seek- idvantage of the Government’s necessities. e increased cost of every element of steel ese bids are close to the prevailing level tracts. They were as follows: Class C Special Class Al Class A2 Class B Steel (14,479 (820 (602 (120 Tons), Tons), Tons), Tons), Per Ton Per Ton Per Ton Per To npany $425 $486 $460 Company $35 499 166 2g npany 136 196 166 376 ew & solt tH4 egie Steel Company offered to take all or armor but did not bid on special steel. em Company’s bid was for the total amount | classes. The Midvale Company bid on entire contract, while the Pittsburgh Screw pany’s proposal covered all the special steel W. L. C. Engineers’ Joint Meeting at Providence ton members of the American Society of Engineers, with guests, journeyed by spe » Providence, R. I., Nov. 18, where the Provi iation of Mechanical Engineers had ar- program abounding in interest and instruc- [Three groups were formed, and inspection trips the plants of the Gorham Mfg. Company, Gen- Extinguisher Company, and Brown & Sharpe Company. Special demonstrations were made at \t 5 o’clock all assembled at the mechani y of Brown University, where special tests strations held the attention of all. ty then repaired to the Narragansett Ho good dinner was followed by good speeches. Gainer and President Faunce of Brown Uni- omed the visitors. Addresses were made Charles E. Munroe, dean of George Washing “Explosives and the Engineer;” Mor e, director of public works of Philadelphia, of an Engineer in Public Office;” and M gineer of the American Telephone & Tele pany, who told of the development of the ntal telephone service. Receivers were at nd conversation carried on with San Fran ng pictures of the construction of the line Meeting of New Haven Mechanical Engineers v Haven section of the American Society Engineers had two interesting sessions Laboratory of Mechanical Engineering field Scientific School, Yale University, Nov. afternoon session an address on “Wire hinery” was delivered by Charles L. War- Machine Company, Bridgeport, Conn. Ex- he company’s products were shown on the heir uses described. Albert A. Dowd, con- neer, New York, gave an outline of the volved in “Work Holding Devices for Tur- ind Boring Mills,” with illustrations drawn ictice of the larger automobile plants. Af- n the lively environment of the Yale din- party reassembled to hear a masterly ad- ear Cutting Machinery,” by Ralph E. Flan- il manager, Jones & Lamson Machine pringfield, Vt. He was follow