The Iron Age 1918-01-31: Vol 101 Iss 5

TABLE OF CONTENTS - - - Buy ont War New York, January 31, 1918 tt ee rs BNL AY S the tortoise proved to the hare, it pays to eee your machinery going; so think the managers of the large mill shown above whenthey Rhoads Belts. buy the best belt we said the ‘*It was have ever had for this drive,”’ superintendent of a steel castings company when replacing an 8-inch Rhoads double which has been driving a grinder for nearly three years. The average liie of belts previously Nat- used was eight to twelve months. NEW YORK 126 Beekman Street PHILADELPHIA 36 N. Third Street Factory and Tannery, 337 Index Section 241 ted Sectior ‘ontract Work Se« Help and Situation: Business Opportuni 3 Wilmington, tie urally he ordered another Rhoads Belt A2 carries a load of 115 H. P. which soes 160 H. P. This jerk has caused no apparent slip, 4-inch double a radiator plant up to every 15 seconds. and the engineer says ‘‘It is the truest running belt | ever saw.”’ Such satisfactory service is prolonged if the belts are treated at proper times with Rhoads Leather Belt Preserver. This is a special preparation for pre- serving the grip, pliabilitv, toughness and life of leather belts. BALTIMORE AGENCY 36 S. Charles Street CHICAGO 16 W. Randolph Street Delaware ADVERTISING INDEX Th boa Clear gy H 359 ) é 4 TKO KOTAK Le KOK Ke KOK Ke Re KOKORO ROE OE KOO RI TTI » EXE KETO IO KO OIE ) © (.} () (} (.) © © On © 4 y S (a 2 J c a 5 (J 5 CF ©, g © Cm ; 8 5 —e® = 2 G 5 @ i a © 8 5 a 5 © Rosy 4 KS Ae i= sod ¥ Te : - ; & Ss a; ae 9) Ca ae a4 (w) ae * nS 5" aa aera @ 0.0.0.00.0.0.0.0.60. WKN OM MK MK IOC IIIS) ©]010.0_0.0.0.0.0.0.0,0.0.0 01° PX XK, L,I XXX XK. TI IMII)I LI DLDITI IIT ITLL MLL L IL ILL MLK IMI IIIT IIIS FT IOO GK awa See ta io easineced aaa C ‘ ee 4 THE IRON AGE January 31, 1918 ~ veil: $4. 09.0.40.6.989.39.31030:3.9.2.3.3.09 x XX * OX Xe Me Xe eK XY MK OK NN ND Xe Xe Xe Ne Ne Xe X 9:9. Xe Xe Xe Ke Xe Xe) ESTABLISHED 1855 HE IRON, New York, January 31, ACR AN nw J Cn. Tae 1918 VOL. 101: No. 5 The Old-Time Iron Treasure Chest An Interesting One Recently Discovered in’ Philadelphia — Research Throws Light on Contemporary Methods of Iron Manufacture BY ALEXANDER E. , the care of valuables, such as specie, gold and silver plate, jewels, deeds, wills and precious articles of various kinds, caused much anxiety at times to their owners from the fedr of robbers and danger of fires. When persons of wealth started upon long journeys in olden days, either by land or sea, the care of their gold and sil- ver money and other valuables was indeed a serious matter; the anxieties of travel were greatly en- hanced by the diffi- culty of insuring safe transportation of such treasures. This caused a great demand for the making of “strong boxes,” as they were called, the predecessors of our modern burglar and fireproof safes. These boxes, also called “treasure chests” (French “eoffres”) resembled small-sized trunks in shape. They were sometimes made of heavy plates of wrought iron, welded together and reinforced with many broad bands of iron, crossing and recrossing, securely fastened with scores of round-knobbed rivets; they had strong, twisted iron handles and two men were needed to lift one of these boxes even when empty, and when filled with coins, jewels and silverware, four strong men were needed to handle them. Great ingenuity was displayed in the design and construction of the locks, which were massive and complicated. The huge keys were forged by hand from wrought iron and often weighed 30 or 40 times more than a modern Yale lock key. Highly skilled artisans, or workers in metals, produced these hand- N ancient times, before the days of banks and afe-deposit vaults The Old Treas ure Chest Re OUTERBRIDGE, JR. wrought treasure chests, and even though such labor in those days was comparatively cheap the cost of these boxes was considerable. Very recently, while strolling through an out-of- the-way and rather unattractive section of Phila- delphia, along a street lined with dingy shops dis- playing cast-off gar- ments, half - worn shoes and old furni- ture for sale, the writer’s attention was attracted by no- ticing on the side- walk an unmistaka- bly genuine treasure chest such as we have just described. The strong box was very rusty and bore evidence of having been buried for a long time in the ground. The pro- prietor of the little second - hand furni- ture shop proved to be an intelligent young man, a mo- torman doing night work and adding to his income by buy- ing up old furniture, which his wife sells. The story he told re- garding the box was quite interesting and will be given in his own words as nearly Found in P! He said: I heard the other day that a very old lady living in the northwestern part of this city was breaking up housekeeping and was selling all of her possessions. When I went to the house the old lady was seated be- side this iron chest, busily engaged in tearing up let- ters and papers with which the box had apparently been filled. She had destroyed all save one old news- paper in the bottom of the chest, which I fortunately secured. She told me she was the last of her tribe and meant to leave nothing behind her, and that she knew that the box had been in their possession for much more than a century. I bought the bex and brought it here not half an hour ago. The old newspaper, dated as may be possible. 309 310 DE FORGE THE IRON CONVERTIR Lt FER - me tes ‘ Ap hue ” Ahh & LART. AGE ‘ © EN ACIER, &T ‘Pe —_ > AR] LADOUCIR LE FER FONDU, | Oa de taire des Ouvrages de fer fondu auMi finis que de ter forge, Par Monfieur de REAUM CUR, dé l Actdi 721¢ Rovale des Sci "HCELS. i PAR Se Chez Micuen Bruner, Grand’Salle du Palais, au Mercure Galanr M.DCC. XXil AVEC APPROBATION ET PRIVILEGE Dv ROY. | ' | ee ee I The Title Page of An Old Book on Converting Iron into Steel and on the Art of Making Cast Iron July 10, 1805, is still in the box, and |] suppose you might like to see the inside of the chest. The young man then produced a massive iron key and suggested to the writer that he try to discover how to unlock the chest. There is an orna- mental “escutcheon” on the front, with a large keyhole in the center, into which he inserted the key, but it soon became evident that this was merely a sham intended to deceive any thief who might have surreptitiously ob- tained possession of the key. There yas no connection with the lock here. After careful examination it was noticed that a slot had been cut in one of the bands on the top of the chest 3 in. long by 1 in. wide, and a piece of iron was carefully mitered or fitted into the opening. There was a large round rivet in the middle of the in- serted piece, and a little notch was cut on the underside of the rivet; by in- serting the fingernail in this notch and pulling gently, the piece sprang up, having been held down by a spring, and it could then be swung around re- vealing the true keyhole. On insert- ing the key, and giving it a half turn, five bolts, which are operated inde- pendently of each other by strong springs, shot back, permitting the lid to be raised. The lock is an elaborate piece of mechanism, occupying the entire un- derneath side of the top of the chest, It has the autograph of “B One of the Franklin” Illustrations from Herbert C. January 31, 1918 and it is in a perfect state of preser- vation. It is covered with a perfo- rated metal plate, apparently coated originally with silver, and having en- graved upon it two winged dragons with forked tails, possibly armorial bearings. Notwithstanding the fact that the exterior of the chest is badly rusted the interior is quite free from corrosion. Since its discovery and purchase by the writer this old iron chest has been critically examined by scores of mechanics, skilled workers in iron and steel, and one and all unite in praise of the skill shown in its manu- facture, entirely by hand work, as well as of the ingenuity displayed in the design and construction of the great lock and key. Counting two padlocks, there were actually three different locks and nine separate fastenings on the chest. It is truly remarkable that after certainly more than a century, and probably more than two centuries, of use and exposure, the lock should be in as perfect condition to-day as when first made. This speaks volumes for the care and skill of the artisans who fashioned it so long, long ago. Eventually the old strongbox may find a resting place in a museum, but in the meantime it will serve as a woodbox for the open fireplace in the writer’s library. Several inquiries have come to the writer since he prepared a brief ac- BOOK IX. i Qs 2 na comaal RTT, es s wes lapel a 8 Tt eLeeeu TH or es pr GE - ad r » AZZ DL ESOT A Agricola’s Great Work as Translated by Hoover and His Wife January 31, 1918 THE IRON AGE 311 count of the discovery of this “coffer” for a Philadelphia newspaper, asking further particulars, and the editor of THE IRON AGE has requested more de- tails, “indicating how it was made, the character of the material,” etc. ' The answer to these questions re- quired considerable antiquarian re- search, which, for a time, seemed al- most like searching for a needle in a haystack, but it has, nevertheless, proved successful in finding some in- teresting data relating to the state of the art of iron manufacture and metal- working in general, and the produc- tion by handcraft of treasure chests in particular at or near the time it is thought that this coffer was made. Searching in several public and private libraries, the writer fortu- nately found a number of rare and val- uable old books on arts and sciences on the shelves of the Franklin Insti- tute, Philadelphia, which are probably but little known to the engineering profession or to the public at large. One of these books, having the auto- graph “B. Franklin,” in his familiar handwriting, is considered so precious, partly on this account, that it is al- ways kept locked in a fireproof safe. A photographic reproduction of the title page is presented in one of the illustrations, as well as one of the cop- per plates illustrative of the manner of making keys, similar to the one be- longing to the old chest. A Copper Plate from an Ancient Book which Shows the vartow Part an Old Chest, Similar to the One Just Discover eet A It may probably surprise the read- ers of this article, as it certainly did the writer, to learn that a magnificent folio volume, a translation of the first Latin edition, 1556, of DE RE METALLICO by GEORGIUS AGRICOLA containing hundreds of footnotes and cross references, revealing a_ vast amount of scholarly research, was pub- lished in London in 1912, by Herbert C. Hoover and Lou H. Hoover. Since that time Mr. Hoover has attained world-wide celebrity for his philan- thropic work in Belgium and in this country, exhibiting a genius for or- ganization that is not usually looked for in a classical scholar. Two other illustrations are photo- graphic reproductions of two of the original illustrations from Agricola’s great work. Another monumental work consulted, from which the last illustration was taken, is an Encyclo pedia of Arts and Sciences, in 34 large volumes, in the French language, the first volume bearing the date 1751. Twenty-two of these volumes are text and 17 are splendid copper-plate engravings. The lack of an in dex, however, necessitated searching through all of these volumes, but the writer was finally rewarded by finding a chapter on ‘“‘Coffres”’ or iron treasure chests, and several plates showing not only the construction of a coffer, with its elaborate lock, occupying the whole othe st rs n fr Avricola’s ¥ 8 as Translated b NI . . . . St: See — sala el ar a: me of the underneath side of the lid, and 312 of various details, but also plates showing padlocks and a great variety of keys, handles and escutcheons made for these strongboxes. Still other illustrations show the old methods of laminating iron bars, bands and plates, forging rivets, angle irons, ete. The elaborate title page states that this encyclopedia of the arts and sci- ences has been prepared by a coterie of men of letters, and has been arranged in order and pub- lished with- the approbation and privilege of the king by M. Diderot of the Royal Academy of Sci- ences of Paris, and a long list of other learned societies. The mathematical portion is by D. Alem- bert, also a mem- ber of numerous societies. The date is MDCCLI. The monumen- tal work of Geor- gius Agricola was translated into several languages years ago, but nothing approach- ing the complete- ness and doubtless accuracy of the Hoovers’ superb production has heretofore appeared. A copy of the title page will serve to give the reader some idea of the scope" of the original work and of the labor of love of the erudite trans- lators, but of course this does not show the really splendid book work, typog- raphy, paper and binding of this edition de luxe, which should be found in every important library. Details of Locksmithing Lock of Fig. 113, strong coffer with lock; fered head; B, the heel; C, bolt nabs of lock; Fig. 117, the knees; Fig Fig. 122, the key, and Fig. 123, details are from a page in an volumes, the Georgius Agricola De Re Metallica Translated from the first Latin edi- tion of 1556 with Biographical Introduction, Annotations and Appen- dices upon the Development of Mining Methods, Metal- lurgical Processes, Geology, Mineralogy and Mining Law from the earliest times to the 16th century By HERBERT CLARK HOOVER A.B. Stanford University, Member American Insti- tute of Mining Engineers, Societé des Ingenieurs Civil de France, American Institute of Civil Engineers, Fellow of Royal Geographical Society, etc., ete. And (MRS.) LOU HENRY HOOVER A.B. Stanford University, Member American Asso- ciation for the Advancement of Science, National Geo- graphical Society, Royal Scottish Geographical Society, etc., ete. THE IRON AGE Ancient Fig. spring on roller large bolt A-A; the barb, B; Fig. 118, one of 119, the rocking lever; box containing wards for the key. Encyclopedia of Arts and Sciences of 34 first January 31, 1918 Published for the Translators by The Mining Magazine, Salisbury House, London, E.C. LOI. The following excerpt from the Hoover transla- tion will suffice to show clearly the primitive method of reducing iron ore to regulus or the metallic form in the sixteenth century, and, incidentally, it is in- teresting to observe that gas masks were used even at that day: Very good iron ore is smelted in a furnace almost like the cupellation furnace. The hearth is 3% ft. high and 5 ft. long and wide; in the center of it is a crucible 1 ft. deep and 1% ft. wide, but it may be deeper or shallow- er, wider or nar- rower, according to whether more or less ore is to be made into iron, A certain quantity of iron ore is given to the master, out of which he may smelt either much or lit- tle iron. He, being about to expend his skill and labor on ‘this matter, first throws charcoal into the crucible and sprinkles over it an iron shovelful of crushed iron ore mixed with un- slacked lime. Then he repeatedly throws on charcoal and sprinkles it with ore, and con- tinues this until he has slowly built up a heap; it melts when the charcoal has been kindled and the fire vio- lently stimulated by the blast of the bellows, which are skilfully fixed in a pipe. He is able to complete this work sometimes in eight hours, sometimes in ten and again some- times in twelve. In order that'the heat of the fire should not burn his face, he covers it entirely with a cap, in which, however, there kre holes through which he may see and breathe. At the side of the hearth is a bar which he raises as often as is necessary, when the bellows blow too violent a blast, or when he adds more ore and charcoal. He also uses the bar to draw off the slags or to open or close the gates of the sluice through which the waters flow down on the wheel which turns the axle that compresses the bellows. In this sensible way iron is smelted out and a mass weighing two or three centumpondia may be made, providing the iron ore is rich. When this is done the master opens the slag-vent with the tapping bar and when it has all run out he allows the iron mass to cool. Afterward he and his assistant stir the iron with the bar and then, in order to chip off the slags which had until then ad- hered to it and to condense and flatten it, they take it down from the furnace to the floor and beat it with Coffer Having Twelve Bolts 114, one of the bolts. A-A, cham- Figs. 115-116, hold-fasts on Figs. 120-121, staple and clutch: These dated 1751 January 31, 1918 large wooden mallets having slender handles 5 ft. long. Thereupon it is immediately placed upon the anvil and repeatedly beaten by the large iron hammer that is raised by the cams of an axle turned by a water wheel. Not long afterward it is taken up with tongs and placed under the same hammer and cut up with a sharp iron into four, five or six pieces, according to whether it is large or small. These pieces, after they have been re-heated in the blacksmiths’ forge and again placed on the anvil, are shaped by the smith into square bars or into ploughshares or tyres, but mainly into bars. Four, six or eight of these bars weigh one-fifth of a centumpondium, and from these they make various implements. During the blows from the hammer by which it is shaped by the smith a youth pours water with a ladle onto the glowing iron, and this is why the blows make such a loud sound that they may be heard a long distance from the works. The masses, if they remain and settle in the crucible of the furnace in which the iron is smelted, become hard iron which can only be hammered with difficulty. From these they make the iron-shod heads for the stamps and such like very hard articles. In an explanatory footnote the authors say that in the description of iron making we have three processes described, the first. being the direct reduc- tion of malleable iron from the ore, the second the transition stage then in progress from the direct to the indirect method by way of cast iron; the third a method of making steel by cementation. The first method is that of primitive iron workers of all times and all races, and requires little comment. A pasty mass was produced which was subse- quently hammered to make it exude the slag, the hammered mass being the ancient bloom. The sec- ond process is of considerable interest, for it marks one of the earliest descriptions of working iron in a furnace similar to a blast furnace, but much wider and higher. This original German stiickofen or high bloomery furnace was used for making masses of wrought iron under essentially the same condi- tions as its progenitor the forge, only upon a large scale. With high temperatures, however, such a fur- nace would if desired, yield molten metal and thus the step to cast-iron as a preliminary to wrought iron became very easy and natural; in fact, Agricola mentions above that if the iron is-left to settle in the furnace it becomes hard. The making of malle- able iron by subsequent treatment of the cast iron— the indirect method—originated in about Agricola’s time and marks the beginning of one of those subtle economic currents, destined to have the widest bear- ing upon civilization. With regard to the history of treasure chests, the Encyclopedia Britannica states that, “Although it is practically certain that boxes or coffers, pro- vided with locks, must have followed closely on the development of locks and have been in use in an- cient Egypt, no examples remain of earlier date than the Middle Ages. The earliest examples extant were constructed of hard wood banded with ham- mered iron and subsequent development took place rather on artistic than on practical lines up to the time of the introduction of boxes entirely of iron. On the continent of Europe the iron box was de- veloped to a very high standard of artistic beauty and craftsmanship, but with no real increase in security. Several specimens of these coffers, supposed to be of 17th century workmanship, are preserved in the museum at Marlborough House. Cast-iron chests seem to have been made in various parts of Great Britain in the early part of the 19th century, but the use of wrought iron was probably confined to London until 1820 or thereabouts, when the trade THE IRON we — we AGE spread to Wolverhampton. says: Nelson’s Encyclopedia German and Flemish chests were constructed of small iron plates, riveted together by overlapping bands of iron, and their lids were fastened down by staples and padlocks; the inside of the lid was covered with spring bolts shooting out in all directions and worked by means of bell cranks, levers and rods from a central lock having a box of wards. The most elaborate book in the English language upon this special subject is entitled: ANCIENT COFFERS AND CUPBOARDS—Their History and Description from the Earliest Times to the Middle of the Sixteenth Century. By Fred Roe. The author says: Two ancient and exceedingly interesting specimens of the iron-bound strong box remain in the chapel of the Pyx at Westminster. This chapel, the ancient treasury of England’s kings, is little known, and access is even now jealously guarded. At the beginning of the fourteenth century while Edward the Lion was busy hammering the Scots, a strange and mysterious robbery caused the translation of the royal treasury to a more secure place. One hundred thousand pounds in English money alone is said to have disappeared, besides jewelry and plate. The theft to this day remains a mystery. The treasure chest in Pyx chapel said to have . belonged to Edward III is fitted with triangular handles on back and front, and at the ends are rings depending from movable bars. When re- quired for purpose of transport, a pole would be passed through these rings and the coffer would be slung across the backs of two mules. “This attach- ment is really an early feature, and may be seen on an undoubted thirteenth-century coffer in the Museum of Ypres.” The chest shown in the photograph is constructed of an exceedingly strong wrought-iron framework with wrought-iron plates riveted thereto, apparently two or more plates superimposed, reinforced with broad bands of iron, neatly pressed, and there are 220 large and small rivets visible, but there are more rivets that could be seen only by taking the box apart. The steel of the springs is of very excellent ma- terial, combining strength and elasticity to an un- usual degree. No name has been found engraved upon the ornamental plate covering the lock, and it is not possible to fix the precise date of its manufac- ture, but other similar treasure chests, having pre- cisely the same form of lock and ornamentation closely resembling this one, are still preserved which are classified as “Elizabethan treasure chests,” dat- ing back to about 350 years ago, and it would seem probable, therefore, that this old box belongs to the same period. The Canadian Government has decided for the pres ent and until further notice to permit under license the free export of the metals molybdenum and tungsten, their ores, concentrates, alloys and chemical salts to approved consignees in the United States and France. This will relieve the situation that has been considered somewhat oppressive to Canadian producers. Since an embargo was placed on the export of these metals the market for the Canadian production has been confined very largely to purchases made on account of the Brit- ish Government at fixed prices. These fixed prices have been lower, at times considerably lower, than the open market prices offered in the United States and France. The requirements of the British Government are being met and the Canadian producers will now be permitted to take full advantage of the open markets in the United States and France. The Industrial Disintegration of Russia An American Engineer’s Personal Ob- servations After Famine, Will Come Restoration Under Allies’ Financing BY STERLING H. BUNNELL which hide the internal and domestic affairs of Russia there has been going On a most as- tonishing process of disorganization. It was not through any insidious plot of socialists or anarch- ists that present conditions were brought about; on the contrary, the same disastrous result might follow a general strike such as has been used re- peatedly by extremist unions among English and American laborers. When a workman through bad health, laziness or drink begins to lose his interest in his work, he starts for himself and his fortunes a process which, if unchecked, will in a year or two reduce him to the rank of a “down-and-out.” This process is now far advanced in Russia, and we might well fear the future influence of a huge horde of barbarians but for the fact that powerful counter influences are already apparent in the Russian’s natural patience under difficulties, his love of order, and his degree of civilization, by no means inferior to our own. Every Russian, from least to great- est, excepting only a small fraction of extremists of the extreme, is sick to death of the condition to which his country and his friends have sunk be- cause of abandoning fixed habits of work. At any moment a real leader may appear, with strength of character enough to inspire confidence and faith, and the restoration of Russian industry will begin and proceed rapidly. Meanwhile, it will be inter- esting to trace the course of events by which a great nation producing a surplus of goods for ex- port was reduced to a disorganized country of in- dividuals, each subsisting almost by his unaided efforts, like a tribe of nomads in tents. B mien the dust clouds of political revolution A Workers’ Riot at the Start The Russian revolution was precipitated by the general lack of food for the working classes in the city of Petrograd. The governmental structure fell like a heuse of cards before a puff of wind. The police, together with many officers of army and navy, paid with their lives for the severity and cruelty of the old system to which they had be- longed. A_ peaceful demonstration intended to induce the government to provide food for the people turned suddenly into an armed at- tack on those who would have repressed it, and resulted in the complete destruction of the government; but it failed of its original pur- pose of providing food. Some stocks of grain were found, but not in sufficient quantity to satisfy the popular need. The workers of Petro- grad, Moscow and the other large cities, who al- ready received wages much larger than before the war, could not spend all their earnings for food and clothing because there was not enough of either to be had at any price. . Therefore, they felt no pres- sure keeping them at work, and deserted their jobs freely to talk things over, elect committees and formulate. demands for shorter working hours as well as higher wages. *Mr. Bunnell recently returned from a year's tour of the world in the interest of R. Martens & Co., New York, of which he is chief engineer He spent considerablé time in Russia and made a careful study of industrial and trade conditions there The first demands of the workingmen were freely granted by the employers. Every one knew that the Russian workmen had been underpaid in former years, and all felt the common pressure of the high cost of living in the war time. But the ease with which the first concessions were secured emboldened the workmen to strike for more. At the same time, those whose pay was first increased bought goods from the already depleted stocks in the shops and so further decreased the amount of goods on sale, and the shopkeepers naturally marked up the prices on what remained. The effect of raising wages was therefore to increase prices and reduce the quantity of goods on hand. Strikes ac- cordingly multiplied and the eight-hour day being quickly secured, wage increases up to 400 per cent in some instances were demanded, in the endeavor to make the day’s wage-rate cover the market price of the family supplies. The inevitable result was o exhaust the stocks of goods for sale, and ta tempt the werkman to lay off one, two or more days in the week rather than work for more money than he could spend. Production Everywhere Decreased Between shorter hours, lost working days and general indifference of the man to his job, the out- put of every institution in the country decreased rapidly. Miners took out less coal and ore; railroad hands made less mileage, destroyed cars and loco- motives in careless wrecks, and wasted time in mak- ing repairs; factory hands wasted materials and abused machinery, and the peasants ceased to cut firewood for the cities to use in the coming winter. As the summer advanced prices of vegetables and fruit were found to be so high that a man could make more money by bringing in a basketful of produce and selling it on the sidewalk than he could formerly make by bringing in a wagon-load; and so peddling in small quantities became the rule, and there was no incentive to supply adequate amounts to the city workers. In the growing disorganiza- tion of trade, staples like milk, butter and bread often failed for a day or two, and gradually tea, coffee, sugar and cigarettes disappeared from stock and could be had only occasionally. It was only necessary to put a sign in a window stating that a limited quantity would be permitted to each pur- chaser in order to collect a long queue of. buyers who would stand in line for hours to buy the maxi- mum. The difficulties of daily life were increased by the destruction of all discipline in the army. The soldiers quartered in the cities shared with the army in the field the socialistic right to depose or elect their officers and obey or disobey them at pleasure. Consequently drill was abandoned, order and routine were at an end, and the men walked the streets by day or night as they pleased. Some amused themselves riding on the street cars without paying fare, displacing paying passengers: It was estimated in Moscow that 60 per cent of the pas- sengers were such soldiers. Others took places in queues and bought citizens’ shares of whatever was 314 January 31, 1918 for sale and then peddled the goods to civilians at a large profit. Others again hung around the rail- road stations and carried passengers’ baggage as porters, with the advantage of being able to steal handbags easily and disappear without trace among the crowd of uniformed men. There was no white flour in the market; but it could be bought from a soldier, and so could sugar and everything else which could be stolen from the military stores. “Comrade” Committees Replace Experience Groups and committees multiplied everywhere. The first provisional government had been composed of men of experience in national affairs, but it was soon forced out and replaced by “comrades” of the socialistic groups, each subject to instant recall if he expressed any positive personal opinion. None of the “comrades” dared take a firm stand on any matter. The power passed from the provisional government into the hands of the committees of soldiers, workmen and peasants, whose member- ship, it was carefully explained, “were ‘not (as falsely alleged) limited to those who could read and write.” The most aggressive members of the committees were naturally those who stood for the unlimited right of the individual to seize what he considered to be his share of the world’s goods. Naturally, the confirmed criminals who were liberated along with the political prisoners in the first days of the revolution joined with the extreme individualists, took up arms and proceeded to march and make speeches with the anarchist crowds by day, and rob people and houses by night. In the theory that all men were well-meaning brothers (except the capitalists), it was impossible to separate the criminals -from the others. A large group of these people seized and held for several months a country house near Petrograd and defied the orders of the provisional government to vacate the premises. When the government finally plucked up courage to send soldiers and enforce its demands, a count by one of the old experienced police officers disclosed the fact that over half of the men arrested at the country house were convicts who had been sen- tenced to long terms in prison for all sorts of crimes and violence. Prices and Wages Go Soaring From the date of the revolution the financial condition of Russia steadily grew worse. in the excitement over schemes for dividing among the peasants the crown lands, or the lands of all owners of large estates, or all property of foreign citizens, etc., etc., the government had no time to devise systems of taxation or collect revenue for its needs. Instead, the printing presses were kept running day and night, printing paper money of all de- nominations in enormous quantities, with which the government paid its bills. Six months ago it was stated that the volume of paper money had reached twenty times the gold reserve; and much more paper has been issued since.’ Naturally, the value of the currency decreased and prices rose. Wages, however, were easily forced up bv strikes, or by mere threats to strike. In the endeavor to check the fall of the rouble, the government forbade the payment of money -to foreign banks by ex- change transactions, so that drafts for goods on the way to Russia could not be met; and finally pro- hibited imports of all kinds except under permits, which were extremely hard to obtain. The effect, as is always the case when arbitrary restrictions .are placed on trade, was to increase the tendency THE IRON AGE Cw — vr which it was hoped to diminish. The demand for imports was so extreme that the laws were evaded, but the price of exchange transactions rose with the risk of doing illegal business, until the rouble fell to a value of seven cents; and it is still falling. At this rate, nothing but food stuffs and clothing could be sold, for these necessities must be had at any price. Middle Men Abolished, Grain Rots We know Russia as an agricultural country, normally producing a large surplus of grain and animal products, besides minerals. It was astound- ing to find the provisional government filling the newspapers with appeals for food for the army and the cities. Here again a monkey wrench had been thrown into the mechanism of trade. Some of the peasants had failed to plant their land, or to culti- vate their crops, with the idea that they were about to be given vast tracts of better ground in the gen- eral division of wealth, but most of the farmers had proceeded as usual] from force of habit. The social- ist government had proclaimed the grain merchant a “middleman,” grinding the poor by usurious profits, and legislated him out of business by fix- ing a high price for grain, to be paid direct to the peasant by the government. But the impractical men at the head quite overlooked the fact that the middleman was the active link between the grain field and the mill. The peasants cut and stacked their grain as usual; but no one came to look at the grain, thrash it, direct when and where it should be delivered by wagon, and pay for it. The peas- ants had no barns in which to store the crops, and so large quantities of grain lay in the fields to rot, while thousands of soldiers and civilians within a w miles went hungry. Industry Disintegrates In this way the entire industrial structure of Russia gradually disintegrated. Factories worked up their stock and closed; owners of plants paid out their last rouble in meeting exorbitant demands for increased wages, and then the men had to go home. Some works attempted to close earlier, but were ordered to continue operations and so ran till the money was gone. In many instances the workmen seized the factories from owners willing or unwill- ing. The course in such cases was frequently to sell out everything on hand for what it would bring and divide up the proceeds. It was stated last sum- mer that the wastage on railroads was such that half the rolling stock had disappeared from the lines during the previous twelve months. A shrinkage could be observed everywhere. Stores were sold out down to the last shelf. About the only goods left were those displayed as samples in the windows, and these were not for sale. For months the nation had been producing less than it consumed, and the inevitable result had pass, similar come to The reversal of the process cannot he long de laved. As soon as the Russians begin to work in dustriously affairs will begin to mend. They will hardly think this out for themselves and consciously start to make things better; but rather, cold and hunger will force men and women into begging any kind of work for any pittance so that they can buy bit of food. With production beginning in ex- cess of consumption. conditions will improve. La- bor will be available to move the goods awaiting export, and in return for these imports will be sent from other countries. Habits of industry will as- sert themselves, and the industries of the nation will be resumed. 316 Allies Must Re-Finance Russia Undoubtedly, Russia must come to the Allies for further loans to use in re-stocking the country. Such loans cannot be refused, because the invest- ments of the Allies in Russia are already too great to be abandoned. The position is precisely the same as that when an investment has been made in a factory which has since got into difficulties and must be re-financed or wound up for a heavy loss. Whatever the sentiment of the individuals at pres- ent claiming to speak for Russia, the nation can- not exist without clothes and shoes, tea, tools and machinery, and must buy these in Allied markets on Allied terms, because the German shopkeepers are not in position to furnish the quantities needed. For the moment business with Russia is virtually at a halt. When the dreamers and talkers are ex- hausted with the effort to live on promises and de- cide to go to work, business will be resumed on a scale beyond anything ever recorded. New Priority Rules WASHINGTON, Jan. 29.—Some important reforms in the issuance of priority orders for the movement of material are about to be put in force by the War Industries Board. While the changes have been in contemplation for several weeks, the board now regards them as especially timely in view of the railroad conges- tion, the industrial shutdowns and the extraordinary efforts now being made to supply the shipyards of the country and the American forces in France. When the system of issuing priority orders was first adopted, the subject was very conservatively handled, but as time passed and the necessity for speeding up war preparations became more insistent, the require- ments were gradually relaxed until priority orders have become so numerous as largely to defeat the purpose for which the system was adopted. It is obvious that it is a simple matter by giving preference indiscrimi- nately to orders for material, transportation, etc., to produce a condition in which such preference means nothing at all. The War Industries Board has decided, therefore, to prescribe more stringent regulations and especially to require applications for priority orders to furnish more information concerning their needs in order that the board may more intelligently judge of the necessity for the desired order. The board within a few days will issue a new priority circular to be known as Priority Circular No. 3, which will contain additional general information about the priority system and which will be forwaded upon application to the Council of National Defense. British Munitions Output Growing According to the London Times, the British output of munitions is constantly on the increase. Nearly 10,- 000 workshops in Great Britain are now producing munitions of war. Of these 5000 are establishments controlled by the Ministry of Munitions, and 150 are national factories. The output of material of all kinds is on an immense scale, but the limit has not been reached. The erection of four new national factories at a cost of over $10,000,000 has just been sanctioned and extensions are being carried out in many areas. Existing workshops are being enlarged; a new fac- tory is being built for the readaptation of old boxes and packing cases from the battlefields; aircraft and instructional factories are being established, and al- most every week there are demands for other variet « of building subsidiary to the production of munitions. The Berger Mfg. Co., Canton, Ohio, has placed in operation two of its ten new sheet mills, increasing its production about 16,000 tons annually, and expects to have the remaining eight mills ready for operation in about 60 days. THE IRON AGE January 31, 1918 OUR FERROMANGANESE OUTPUT That for 1917 Exceeded All Records—Available Supplies—Spiegeleisen Output Less HE output of standard ferromanganese in the United States in 1917 exceeded all records. It was 257,834 gross tons or nearly 50,000 tons in excess of the previous high record of 208,389 tons made in 1916. It is twice the output of 1912, when it was 125,378 tons. The following table, based on the monthly blast fur- nace reports of THE IRON AGE, gives the output of ferromanganese and spiegeleisen in the United States in the past 6 years: Ke omanganese and Spiegeleisen Output in the United States Gross Tons . Fe Tro- Spiegel- Average manganese eisen Total per Month 1917 257,834 188,852 446,686 37,222 1916 2ZOS 389 197,518 405,807 33.817 1915 146,542 93,282 239,824 19,985 1914 106,083 100,365 206,448 17.204 1913 119.49 126,081 245.576 20.464 912 125,378 119,506 244,884 20,407 While the expansion in 1917 was not as great as that in 1916) it was creditably large. The shrinkage in the spiegeleisen output Was unexpected and while the decline is not large the total is twice that of 1915. Details of the production, imports and exports of ferromanganese for the first half of 1917 were pub- lished in THE IRON AGE Dec. 6, 1917. For the last half the following table shows the details as well as the average for the first half: Domestic Output, Imports and Exports of Ferromanganese in 1917 Gross Tons Available Output Imports Exports Supply July ja ene 2,037 §29 24,991 August 24,482 2,840 $53 25.357 September 23,973 3.402 57 26,869 October were 8 2,035 3,406 27,318 November - 20,829 1,512 112 25,229 December aay . 18,657 2,959 nee). eee Total . a3 . 138,481 14,785 : 4,657 Total to July .. 119,353 30,596 1917 total ‘ acl eee $5,381 4.657 Monthly av., first half. 19,892 5,099 24,991 Monthly av., last half. 23,080 2,464 776 25,230 Monthly average in 1917 21,486 3,703 25,110 Monthly average in 1916 18,641 7,577 pacar Monthly average in 1915 12,021 4,605 Monthly average in 1913 9,958 10,672 Monthly average in 1912 10,448 8,261 o yr. av., 1910-14 S,280 8,399 *Unofficial; other import figures official. +Not yet reported These figures show how the domestic output has been steadily climbing until in the last half of 1917 the monthly output was almost double that for 1915 and over twice that of 1912 which was the pre-war record. October was the banner month of 1917 with 26,591 tons, since which time the output has decidedly declined. The striking and significant fact is the dwindling of the imports from England. In 1917 they were only at the rate of 3703 tons per month and had declined in the last half to 2450 tons per month. In 1913 these imports constituted one-half of the available supply of this important steel-making alloy but now they are only about one-sixth. Soon after the entrance of the United States into the war it was officially estimated that the steel indus- try of the country needed 28,000 tons per month of ferromanganese. The foregoing table shows an aver- age available supply for 1917 of 25,032 tons per month. In THE IRON AGE, Dec. 6, 1917, it was estimated that, based on a steel output in 1917 of 44,000,000 tons, the ferromanganese necessary would be 309,190 tons. Add- ing the 1917 production of 257,834 tons to the imports of 45,381 tons, we have a total available supply for the year of 303,215 tons. Allowing for the usual indiscretions in estimates of this character and the use of spiegeleisen as a partial substitute, the deficiency is not alarming. This is all the more: evident when it is recalled that the present rate of steel output is con- siderably below 44,000,000 tons per year. January 31, 1918 New Static and Dynamic Balancing Machine Discussing recent developments in balancing appara- tus before the American Society of Mechanical Engi- neers at its annual meeting in New York, Dec. 5,N. W. The Yielding Support at the Right Has Means for Adjust- ment of Its Period, as Likewise Has the Frame Itself The motor is of %-hp. capacity and operates the body, through a countershaft, by a rubber belt. The balancing clamp is seen on the extreme right of the crankshaft. The oscillatians are read by means of ordinary Starrett dial gages, graduated in thousandths of an inch Akimoff, Harrison Building, Philadelphia, held that the accuracy with which dynamic unbalance can be corrected depends on the perfection with which static balance pre- viously has been established. Static unbalance, mani- fested as a couple tending to rotate the stationary body about its horizontal axis, he said is not easily or accu- rately determined by parallel ways, and for this reason he has extended some principles of his original balan- cing machine described in THE IRON AGE, April 20, 1916, to a new machine designed to measure both static and dynamic unbalance. A diagrammatic illustration of the principal features of the machine is shown, as is also a reproduced photo- graph of the machine itself. The unbalanced body is shown in the diagram as T and is rotated within the frame. The bearing C may either be locked, so that it acts like the rigid bearing B, or it may be allowed to float in a vertical plane, bringing into play springs opposing its deflection from the neutral position. The correcting centrifugal force is indicated by K. Brackets S may be adjusted to maintain the frame rigid or permit it te SI fff ff J , 4 Illustrating Principles of Static and Dynamic When clamps S are removed oscilla- indicate static unbalance. When the frame is held rigid oscillations of the body T indicate dynamic unbalance. K is adjusted in each case so that the oscillations cease Diagram Balancing Machine. tions of the frame THE IRON AGE 317 swing freely. When the frame is free and C is locked and the body rotated static uabaiance is indicated by os- cillations of the frame, which stop when the determin- ing force K counteracts the effects of unbalance. When the frame is held rigid and the bearing C is unlocked vertical vibrations of the rotating body indicate dynamic unbalance, dynamic unbalance being due to a couple vending to rotate the body about B as a pivot. Roll Type of Pulverizing Machine For grinding hard material the Excelsior Tool & Machine Co., East St. Louis, Ill., has brought out a roll type pulverizing machine. Material of a plastic forma- tion, it is pointed out, cannot be handled as it would have a tendency to clog the grinding plates, but iron and manganese ores, silica rock, coal, coke, or any ma- terial that can be ground by fracture can be pulverized. Three sets of rolls are provided. These rollers, which are either of the cylindrical or the fluted type, are held in place by four shafts 2 in. in diameter which in turn are held in position by cast steel spiders keyed to the main shaft. The design of the machine is such that not only the revolving force of the rotor, but the centrifugal force of each roller is utilized and all parts of the machine as well as the grate bars can be readily removed. The material is forced out through a grate surface in th> lower half of the housing and to use this space efficient- ly, the rollers overlap. The equipment of each machine includes a belt tightener and an extra pulley on the opposite side of the driving pulley. Both pulleys are interchangeable and can be used on either the right or the left side of the machine, the additional pulley, which is 10 in. in diameter with a 10-in. face, being intended for use as a drive for elevators, conveyors, etc., in connection with the finished product. In all, five sizes of the machines are built providing for different quantities of ground Either Fluted or Plain Cylindrical Rollers C Be Employed in a New Machi Hard Material of All material. The dimensions of the different sizes are the same, the machines being 48 in. long and 53 in high. The speed of operation is the same for all sizes, 500 r.p.m. The L. S. Starrett Co., Athol, Mass., has issued a notice to employees setting forth a bonus distribution shortly after Jan. 1. Based upon the amount of wages paid to each employee during the past six months, end- ing Dec. 31, the company will give a bonus of 4 per cent to those who have been in its employ for one year or less; 6 per cent to those who have been con- tinuously in its employ for over one year and less than three years; 8 per cent to those of over three and less than five years’ standing, and 10 per cent to all em ployees who have been with the company continuously five years or over. The company makes the suggestion to those participating to invest the funds in Liberty bonds, war saving certificates or thrift stamps. The Industrial Commission of Wisconsin reported on Dec. 22 that during the last half of 1917, industrial accidents in Wisconsin workshops and factories showed a reduction of 14 per cent from the corresponding period of 1916. This is due to the special effort made by the commission to interest foremen and shop super- intendents in safety and sanitation work. The Grinding Wheel in the Foundry” Several Factors Contributing to Their Eco