The Iron Age 1918-04-18: Vol 101 Iss 16

New York, April 18, 1918 STERLING MERIT IN DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION “If you have a metal cutting job, there is a HUN- TER saw to do it quicker, better and more eco- nomically than any other saw. « Ten to ninety inches in diameter. ‘ The design is right, the material is right and they do the work. Thousands of them are standing up under the most difficult service every day making records for themselves and reputations for us. Hot Saws, Friction Discs, Solid Blades made from Vanadium, Tungsten and Chrome Alloy Steels. Saw Sharpening Machines, Inserted Tooth Grinders. Hardened Steel Specialties, etc. Write for prices. HUNTER SAW & MACHINE CoO. PITTSBURGH, PA. STD AUELURUN NAAT LAL - TABLE OF CONTENTS - - - 1019 ADVERTISING INDEX - - - 414 : Buyers’ Index Section 396 aes . eee as 183 ‘learing House Section 322 = Wanted Section ... Business Opportunities . 74 Professional Notices $82 ANNNULLTVITOEOOEENEUETRGMATTODODETETOTNAALOATYOSANDOOUSOBRONITONAGEAUENL MANET NAN NONRSTONDDTTPPNATOONT NNO eT tN oun AsE Teena raeeveceyeeneedny mem | THNTTIOMOLELERIDOPNETEVOMERDEORNT ECE PNARARENEDED LLETTPARETONETENEENT ET IYAUUTEONEOAUOOCERNOAEUTEE TTT OOTONRNEEAETTERET YS ESTO ORPPRPY THE IRON AGE April 18, 1918 AN EXAMPLE IN see O N Qh RVA’T I () A] > wd | a i : ay ( ¥ a -m 4% ¥n good beehive practice, 1000 tons of Connellsville i.coal makes 630 tons of furnace and foundry coke— and nothing else but smoke and dirt. mio-day the KOPPERS OVEN plant of the Seaboard By-Product Coke Company at Jersey City, N. J., pro- duces from every 1000 tons of coal— 660 tons of high grade furnace and foundry coke. AND 50 tons of coke breeze, used as boiler fuel. 10,000 gallons coal tar for industrial uses. 2,000 gallons benzol for chemical uses and motor fuel. 400 gallons toluol for high explosives. 26,000 lbs. ammonium sulphate for fertilizer. 6,000,000 cu. ft. of coal gas for domestic uses. he coking of 1000 tons of coal in by-product ovens produces an amount of surplus gas equal to that pro- duced as water gas by 120 tons of coal and 24,000 gallons of gas oil; an amount of ammonium sulphate sufficient to fertilize 2000 acres of corn, wheat or cot- ton; sufficient toluol to produce 5200 lbs. of T.N.T.., or enough for 8600—3” shells; sufficient benzol to run a motor car 15,000 miles. MAKE BY-PRODUCT COKE—USE BY-PRODUCT COKE AND CONSERVE OUR COAL SUPPLY H : K. O r Y i — rh Vi | A t Y Pittsburgh, Pa. Builders of By-Product Coke Plants New York, April 18, 1918 ESTABLISHED 1855 ~ eget XS = aoe 2 Ree eee SE ae ( ‘FE A Zz, ee &.2 tf _ VOL. 101: No. 16 Pre TEE. em guire sagt EDS te Unique Feat in Blast Furnace Building Within One Year 600-Ton Stack Is Completed —Tied to Existing Plant Without Halting: Production—Details N these days of embargoes, transportation diffi- culties and scarcity of labor and materials, the building and putting into blast within a period of twelve months of a blast furnace unit of the largest size, complete with ore, dock and ore-han- dling machinery, is an achievement which the own- ers, engineers and contractors may justifiably re- gard with pride. The new furnace was tied to an operating plant, though the lat- ter accomplish- ment involved ex- tensive changes in the existing boiler and power houses, blowing equipment, ore bins, elec tric transmission, wa- ter mains and sewers, and all was done _ with- out loss of pro- duction by the other furnaces of the group. For the erection of the furnace, which is No. 5 of the Iroquois Iron of Stoves and Valves Ground was broken March 12, 1917, and 1918, consider spring. the furnace was blown in March 5, ably ahead of scheduled time. The new stack was located immediately adjoin- ing No. 4 furnace, in the same cast house, which is of unusual length, but no longer used for its orig inal purpose. The cast house roof, which was left intact so far as possible, afforded splendid protec- tion for the work of excavating, pile driving and putting in the concrete founda- tion, allowing the work to proceed without interrup- tion during win- ter weather. The excavation in- cluded the re- moval of some 1500 cu. yd. of reinforced con- crete, this being accomplished in record time by the Iroquois Iron Co.’s own labor force. Otherwise excavating, pil- Co., South Chi- ing and concrete cago, Ill., Freyn work was done & Co., Chicago, by the Great were the engi- Lakes Dredge & neers. The ac- Dock Co. complish- The new blast ment would be furnace is 92 ft. noteworthy in high from iron normal times, not notch to top only because of _— ring, with a bosh the magnitude of n* 2 See ran ¥ a diameter of 22 the undertaking, six. i O°, Ee) Geel ft. 6 in. and a but also because hearth diameter of the expedition New Iroquois Furnace No. 5, Erected and Placed in Operation Within One Of 18 ft. 6 in. with which the ane hl Te tm aniaae ide le noone aaa oa Teun | a ine k es _ The furnace has work was carried top of 100-ft. stoves a cubical content on. of 25,500 cu. ft. Early in 1917, the Iroquois company decided to add to its capacity at South Chicago and awarded the contract for building a 600-ton blast furnace to Freyn & Co. The new furnace has been built at the company’s new plant, in line with two 400- ton furnaces built in 1911-1912. It was the expec- tation that the new stack would be in blast in time for the opening of lake navigation the following 989 from the bottom of the closed 13-ft. bell to the iron notch. There are ten cast-iron columns support ing a steel plate mantle and resting on a continu ous cast-iron The hearth jacket the cast-iron segmental pipe-cooled type, banded. The tuyere breast consists of a solid armor 114-in. plates with openings ° for ten tuyeres. The bosh is of the banded type, with 8 sub-base. is of heavily of ‘THE IRON AGE April 18, 1918 bands 14. in. thick. The furnace shell is specially designed to meet modern furnace lines, increasing the thickness of brick- work where it is needed, and sparing it where too heavy brick- work is a detriment. The shell is surmounted by a Kennedy top dome of heavy construction integral with the shell. The stock line of the furnace is protected by wearing plates of white iron. The furnace top is of the Brassert type, dimensioned to decrease the production of flue dust, with receiving hopper and throat designed to give correct distribution, even when the charge is not revolved. The top allows adjustment and proper centering of both bells and hopper, thereby to insure uniform wear of the lining and regular performance of the fur- nace. To control the uniformity of distribution on the big bell, independent of the method of charging, the McKee re- volving mechanism was installed in place of the stationary small bell. The gas is taken off by four uptakes, two of which are equipped with Baer safety explosion valves. There are four downtakes, each two combining into one unlined downcomer. The two downcomers enter the dust catcher radially, and the gas, leaving the dust catcher, passes through a 15-ft. Brassert gas washer, then enters a 12-ft. dryer, clean dry gas being delivered to stoves and boilers. The washer embodies the standard Brassert principle of two-stage scrubbing, combining a first rough cleaning stage to eliminate the heavier portion of the dust and to effect primary cooling, followed by a second stage in the same tower to effect the fine cleaning. The dirty gas entering at the bottom meets a heavy spray from the hurdles above. Rough dust is precipi- tated and the gas is saturated with water vapor, which is con- densed on its upward travel, entrapping fine dust and fume particles. The rough cleaning stage is arranged to give a combined rain and contact effect in cleaning and cooling the gas. Channeling and stratification is prevented by the spacing and arrangement of the superimposed hurdle elements, these also retarding the descent of water through the scrubber and giving an increased time element toward cleaning. In the second stage, one of fine cleaning, the gas impinges at considerable velocity against three successive double rows of inclined baffles. These are set at an angle and with spacing to insure maximum impinging effect, and not cause back- pressure. The effect of a dynamic or rotary washer is approxi- mated at this stage. All of the water is added in the second stage through a special design of the spray nozzles in such a manner that the water and gas are forced into intimate con- tact as they impinge and travel through the baffles. All of the water being added in the second stage, the coun- ter-current effect is utilized to the fullest extent. The gas leaves the scrubber within a few degrees of the entering water temperature. Economy in operating and maintenance charges, together with economy in water consumption, and the require- ment of minimum care have been demonstrated by ample ex- perience. The only attention necessary is to maintain a supply of water that is approximately constant. With the water sup- ply assured, the scrubber remains clean and no opening up or Aug. 10,1917 April 18, 1918 THE IRON AGE Aug. 28, 1917 The Photographs on These Facing Pages Illustrate the Building of the Fur nace It will be noted that excavating was begun under the cast-house roof, and that the work was made more difficult by the necessity of removing a reinforced concrete tie-wall that extended across the floor area The steam shovel was worked in comfort during cold and stormy weather The steel plate mantle was supported by ten cast-iron columns, resting on a continuous cast-iron base. After the furnace proper was under way a section of the building was removed, but later restored. To the end of the cast-house an iddition was built Snow covered the ground when the main constructior work was finished attention is required at any time during a blast campaign. There is no mechanism to require attention. The flexibility is found sufficient to handle heavy dust loads on a slipping fur- nace. Scrubbers of this type which have been in operation for a number of years have offered opportunity for inspection at the end of various furnace campaigns and they have invari- ably been found clean, it is stated, after years of service. Stoves using the gas from them have similarly been inspected, and have been found to have clean undisintegrated checker work and joints. The stoves are three in number, 22 ft. in diameter and 100 ft. high, of 95,000 sq. ft. of heating surface each, or 285,000 sq. ft. in all. They are of the two-pass side combustion cham- ber type with checker openings 3'» in. square and 2-in. checker walls. The checker and arch design follows the Brassert- Jones patent, a construction which forces the equalization of flow of descending gas and ascending air through the checker openings, and is found effective in overcoming the tendency of gas and air to channel and to give hot and cold segments in the checker work. With three stoves to a furnace, this type of stove, it is claimed, will carry heats 1300 to 1400 deg. Fahr. on wind volumes in excess of 40,000 cu. ft. per min., with stack temperatures not in excess of 400 deg. Fahr. over the duration of a continuous furnace blast. Putting the plant on a three- stove basis results in a notable saving in stove equipment, in- cluding shell, lining, valves, castings and accessories, decreases radiation and leakage loss, and saves operating labor. The stoves are insulated with Sil-O-Cel brick and powder between brick lining and stove shell, the dome being insulated with Johns-Manville Vitro fire felt. The engineers lay emphasis on the 30-in. Mathesius hot- blast gate valves with which the stoves are fitted, one being shown in the accompanying illustrations. The Mathesius valves were originally developed at the South Works of the Illinois Steel Co., where several have been in service without replacement for upward of three vears. They differ radically from the mushroom type of valve, and it is asserted they elimi- nate to the maximum degree the numerous troubles to which hot-blast valves have been subject. The first point made by the builders and engineers is that the valve eliminates the usual double right-angle turn of blast travel, with the attend- ant difficult brickwork. It is designed to eliminate wind leak- age, and the results have been successful, by a form of con- struction which maintains perfect alignment of valve seat and gate, through the use of a tapered gate swinging between paral- lel seats. The valve body is an annealed steel casting, while the gate and seats are made of bronze. The gate and seats are water-cooled. Water leakage between stems and valve is ob- 991 Nov. 26, 1917 “— Feb. 21, 1918 992 THE IRON AGE March 25, 1917 April 24, 1917 viated by the elimination of all dropping or bang- ing of the valve on the seat, and also because there is no binding of the valve gate on the stems. Two stems are used, interlocked by an external yoke. With the stove on blast, the gate of the valve is completely drawn from the path of the blast, making impossible the cutting of the face of the gate. Absence of wind leaks also eliminates cutting and cracking of the faces of the gate and seat by wire drawing. The withdrawal of the gate from the path of blast effects a saving in heat of the blast, tests having shown an increase in temperature of cooling water that is negligible as compared to the marked increase of tempera- ture of cooling water through the mushroom-type valve. Before the valve is placed it can be in- spected for closure and alignment. The existing chimney flues had to be intercon- nected and a 20-ft. tunnel cut through the concrete foundations of No. 4 furnace stoves to connect with the flues of the new stoves. This work, in- cluding the interconnection of the boiler flues to equalize drafts in the two existing stacks, Was made with both No. 3 and No. 4 furnaces in blast. The original plant had been designed for only two blast furnaces, and the cold blast mains were located underground and arranged in such a way that it was impossible to connect the cold blast main of the new blast furnace with the existing turbo- blowers. In order to enable any turbo-blower to blow any of the three blast furnaces it was decided to change entirely the cold blast main system, all mains being placed overhead and connected ac- cordingly. This difficult work was performed dur- ing the severest winter known in this locality, and without interfering with the operation of the exist- ing blast furnaces. The iron and steel work for the blast furnace, stoves, gas washer, hot blast and cold blast main system, was furnished by John Mohr & Sons, to whom credit is given for dispatch in fabricating and erecting the material and for excellent work- manship. To provide ore for the new furnace a 350-ft. ex- tension of the existing ore dock and ore storage yard was necessary; and as the old type of con- struction had proved entirely satisfactory, the same type was adopted for the extension. The work was done by the Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Co. A combined ore unloading and ore handling bridge of 300-ft. span equipped with man trolley, operating an automatic grab bucket having a capacity of 11 tons, was furnished by the Mead-Morrison Mfg. Co., thus adding to the present equipment of three ore bridges. April 18, 1918 Progress in the Work of Incidental to the work was the removal of the brick blacksmith shop, 30 x 40 ft., shown in the first picture. It stood in the way of the new stoves and was removed 300 ft. The third, fourth, fifth and sixth pictures are views looking away from the blast furnace site. With May 29, 1917 July 3, 1917 The ore is delivered by boats alongside of the dock face, from which the ore is unloaded by the bridges. The ore is then discharged into deflect- ing hoppers built in the framework of the dock shear leg towers, and from the hoppers into rail- road cars, or the ore is delivered directly to trans- fer cars traversing the ore bins. The new ore, coke and limestone bins are of the Baker suspension type, built of reinforced concrete and steel. The bin system occupies a space of 169 ft. and consists of nine ore, five limestone and one scrap bin, discharging into scale cars, and one double coke bin discharging directly into the skip cars. The bins were furnished by Arthur G. Mc- Kee & Co. Before these bins could be installed the existing high-line had to be removed and relocated during the operation of the other furnaces, an intricate job, as the high-line consisted of three types of trestle necessitating the relocation of the entire high-line of 600 ft. in length, so as to keep the same relative position. To avoid interference with the operation of the transfer car on the high line, only one track of the double-track structure was removed at one time, while the skip tank was being installed. The skip pit required an excavation of 40 ft. below yard level with a head of water of 35 “hoe r e On id Mathesius Hot-Blast Valve in Which Is a Tapered Gate Swinging Between Parallel Seats April 18, 1918 Building the Hot Stoves the blacksmith shop removed, excavating and pile-driv- ing was begun, an extension meanwhile being added to the boiler house. The work of erecting the stove shells moved quickly and meanwhile the foundations for the gas-washing apparatus went forward. Aug. 10,1917 Aug. 28,1917 ft. After completion of the skip tank, the other track was removed and the bins were installed. The filling of furnaces Nos. 3 and 4 was not once interfered with by this work. The skip incline is designed as a self-support- ing structure of the cantilever type, inclined 60 deg. from the horizontal, and is supported entirely independent of the blast furnace, thus to keep its load off the furnace. The skip structure was fur- nished by the Worden-Allen Co. It is 171 ft. long with double track for the two heavy skip cars of the trailer truck type. The weight of a skip load is 8 tons of ore, and each car holds 110 cu. ft. of coke. The skips are operated by a Lidgerwood electric hoist of the double drum single-motor type. The motor is of the Westinghouse type, and of 200 hp. capacity, equipped with Cutler-Hammer control. The hoist is located in a concrete and brick struc- ture directly under the skip truss, and above the iron ladle tracks. This structure also houses the bell cylinders for raising and lowering the bells operated by air from the cold blast mains. The skip cars and bells are operated from the scale car. The steel and tile roof of the existing cast house was remodeled to fit the skip incline and furnace, With- ‘The Mathesius Valve, In Upper Part of View, May Be drawn from Path of the Blast THE IRON 993 AGE 1917 Sept. 19 and an extension to the cast house was made for the purpose of providing a modern lavatory and locker room for the comfort of the blast-furnace men. At the site of the proposed stoves was located the company’s blacksmith shop, a brick structure 30 ft. x 40 ft. It was moved some 300 ft. and placed on new foundations in about ten days. The steel towers carrying the power lines to the ore bridges were dismantled, the lines being placed un- derground which necessitated a tunnel some 700 ft. long. A passenger and freight elevator of 1500-lb. capacity, traveling at a speed of 150 ft. per min., gives access to the top of stoves and blast furnace. It is located adjacent to one of the stoves and is 100 ft. high. The cold blast is supplied by an Ingersoll-Rand turboblower of 45,000 cu. ft. capacity. For addi- tional steam requirements two 550-hp. Rust boilers with superheaters were installed, necessitating a 40-ft. extension to the existing boiler house. The boilers were equipped with Birkholz-Terbeck pre- mixing gas burners. No addition to the power house was required, there being room for the in- stallation of the new turboblower and of a 600-kw. turbogenerator furnished by the De Laval Steam Turbine Co. Condensing equipment for the turbo- generator and turboblower, of a size to take care of an additional blowing engine, was furnished by the Alberger Pump & Condenser Co. Additional pumping capacity is being furnished by a 20-million gal. De Laval centrifugal pump. A second double- strand Heyl & Patterson pig-casting machine was installed, together with a ladle-tilting device serv- ing the four strands of the machine. The neces- sary new pipe work for water, steam, air and oil lines, as well as the remodeling of the existing pip- ing occasioned by the installation of the new blast furnace, was done by the Pittsburgh Piping & Equipment Co. The showing made in the construction of the furnace, which involved the placing of some sixty subcontracts, is credited to the spirit of co-opera- tion on the part of owners, engineers and contrac- tors, by which the best efforts of all concerned were concentrated on the fulfillment of the task they had set out to do. A dinner was given by the owners to Freyn & Co. to celebrate the blowing-in of the furnace. The Henry A. Hitner’s Sons Co., Philadelphia, dealer in iron and steel scrap, has acquired a site of 38 acres at Richmond and Buckius streets, Bridesburg, that city, for a scrap yard. Economic Factors in the Iron Industry” Conditions Which Led to the Locating of Iron Plants in Allegheny Valleys—Im- portance Then of Water Routes to Markets BY DR. MALCOLM KEIR HE valleys chosen by the first American pioneers were those that cut across the foot hills of the Alleghenies,” and blazed an al most continuous highway from Alabama to Can- ada. Although it was comparatively easy to travel north or south along these pathways, journeys westward were blocked by the Alleghenies and eastward by innumerable hills, especially in New England. As a consequence, the new clearings were forced to be self-sustaining, for their want- could not be fulfilled by the established settle ments that bordered the Atlantic. Among the pioneers in these valleys, therefore, a new market for iron goods arose that necessarily was depend ent upon local production. Furthermore, the arti cles demanded by the frontiersman were entirely) different from those needed in commerce and called for new manufacture. shipbuilding or specialized iron Why Forges Located in Allegheny Valleys These settlers had a small but vital use for iron because life, sustenance and home depended upon a few iron tools. Foremost among these was the pioneer’s gun, without which he would not dream of venturing forth. Protection in a wilder- ness full of enemies, sustenance in a land where food must be shot, clothing on a frontier where looms, fullers and tailors were absent, all these wants were satisfied by a gun. Next to his fire- arms the pioneer valued his axes, for with these he made his home.and his barns, hewed his road- ways and gathered his fuel. With no other tools than a gun and an axe a man might live in security and comfort; nevertheless, most pioneers added to their equipment shovels, hoes, scythes, pots and kettles for potash or wood ashes and for reduc- ing maple sap. The valley settlements, therefore, called for firearms, edged tools, simple agricultural imple- ments and household utensils, all made from iron. Fortunately the materials to supply this demand were at hand in the valleys themselves. The entire length of the valleys from north to south was underlaid by limestone, and veins of iron abounded from Canada to Alabama. Rock ore and lime, two of the essentials for an iron industry, were therefore present where they were most needed, and the third requisite, wood for charcoal fuel, was of course ample in amount. As a result, wherever a small community appeared a forge or furnace was almost certain to follow. These supplied local needs by local from local materials. Here, however, a further resemblance to the seaboard iron industry must be noted. It will be remembered that it, too, was a local industry in each colony, but that iron making arose to promi nence in just one, Massachusetts, because the Bay Colony offered the most extensive market. Like production *Continued from page 929, issue of April 11 2The Connecticut, Mohawk doah and Cumberland Housatonik Lehigh, Shenar wise, in the interior valleys, two places from which there was easiest access to markets, became the leaders in frontier iron manufacture. These two selected communities were Salisbury, Conn., and Lancaster, Pa. How Salisbury Became an Iron Center Near Salisbury, on land granted to Yale Col- lege by the colony, ore was discovered in 1732. Two years later when the college disposed of its hundred acres, development of the iron deposits commenced, and they have been mined ever since. Their greatest importance, however, was in the hundred years after the middle of the eighteenth century. Following 1750 they soon rose to promi- nence, and no less than 30 furnaces surrounded Salisbury within a circle of 30 miles. By 1800 there were 50 bloomary forges in Litchfield County, Conn., in which Salisbury is located, not to mention many others nearby in Massachusetts and New York. Two causes contributed to the esteem accorded to Salisbury iron: one, the unusual quality of the iron; the other, the ease by which it could be carried to market. The ore yielded a metal which was equalled in only one other locality—the Juni- ata Valley of Pennsylvania—and was particularly adapted to the manufacture of firearms or edge tools. It stood as high as the best Swedish iron or even English mild steel. Furthermore, the ore deposits were so located that they commanded the routes north or south along the Connecticut, Housatonic, Mohawk and Hudson river valleys. Water carriage was absolutely essential for the existence of any iron works that were situated beyond a few miles of land haul from the consum- ing market. In 1783 the cost of transporting one ton of freight from Albany to Fort George, a distance of 65 miles, was $32, or 49 cents a ton-mile. On the other hand, a ton could be carried from New York City to Canada by way of the Hudson and Lake Champlain for $55, or about 12 cents a ton- mile. Hence a heavy commodity such as iron could be conveyed only a short distance by the expensive overland methods, but might travel four times as far by water. That helps to ex- plain why Salisbury iron could enter New York City, 75 miles away, and why Lancaster, Pa., products within 60 miles of Philadelphia were seldom seen in that city, although they were com- monly sold in Baltimore, fully 40 miles farther away, but reached by the Susquehanna River. 3esides its high-grade ore and access to mar- kets, Salisbury was surrounded by limestone, and the encompassing Berkshire Hills were covered with forests. The natural consequence of this com- bination of advantages was the high standing of Salisbury in the early iron trade. Lancaster the Important Inland City Just as the Connecticut village stood at a point where the chief northern water highways could be reached readily, so also Lancaster, Pa., held a 994 April 18, 1918 corresponding strategic position upon the routes toward the south and southwest. The main artery of travel extended from Philadelphia to Lan- caster, where a branch ran into the Great Valley southward, while a second turned westward by way of Harrisburg and the Juniata River. Lan- caster, too, was the metropolis for a wide agri- cultural valley splendidly endowed with fertile limestone soils. In 1777 Congress sat at Lan- caster for a few days, and from 1779 to 1812 it was the capital of the state. In short, it was the largest and most important inland city in the country throughout the first quarter of the nine- teenth century. Here, then, was an admirable market for iron, because settlers bound for the south or west would equip themselves here, the place nearest to his future home. The farmers of the county would look to the city for tools and utensils, and the needs of the city itself would create a demand for iron goods. The natural means for supplying this market were at hand, for the whole of Lancaster County and its neighbor, Chester County, are dotted with deposits of iron, and the entire area is underlaid with limestone. The presence of ore, flux and for- ests for fuel removed every obstacle to an iron industry once a market was assured. Lancaster, therefore, became the center of an iron-producing region that claimed 17 furnaces in 1786, and 50 years later boasted over 100, at which time it ranked among the principal iron makers in the entire country.” Valley Plants Ignored British Prohibition Although the expansion of the United States and the opening of new distant markets have brought about a relative and absolute decline in the importance of the Great Valley furnaces, yet they have left their impress upon modern indus- trial life in rather curious ways. To protect her own foundries, England in the middle of the eight- eenth century prohibited the colonies from fabri- cating iron. This order was well obeyed on the Atlantic coast where English officers were numer- ous and population relatively dense, but the Great Valley furnaces, remote and isolated, ignored the law and carried on iron manufacture clandes- tinely. Guns were the chief products because they had a ready sale, a high value and were easily carried or hidden. So numerous were the gun makers in the hills along the Great Valley that the Continental Congress called them together at Springfield, Mass., and Harpers Ferry, Va., to manufacture arms for the government. These two places were the seats of the first two United States arsenals.“ From Springfield gunmaking spread southward into Connecticut and the great factories at Hartford (Colt’s), New Haven (Win- chester’s) and Bridgeport (Remington) are the direct descendants in modern times. The armory MAfter Salisbury lished in iron and Lancaster had become firmly estab making, a curious situation arose, appearing then markedly for the first time but repeated often in the subsequent history of iron; the smelting of pig iron from ore was separated from the manufacture of the pig iron into finished products The reduction of ore to metal usually occurs where the raw materials are found. for although it is highly desirable that pig iron be manufactured near its market it is not absolutely essential Pig iron is easily handled in bulk and is valuable enough to stard fairly long shipments Fastern Massachusetts, for over a hundred years was the principal center for the smelting and menufacturing of iron. but after 1750 with the disappearance of both bog ore and forests pig iron was secured from the Salisbury district to the west, where ore and fuel were plentiful In like man ner, Lancaster supplied the foundries of England with pig iron, shipnine it by way of the Susquehanna River and the port of Baltimore “Established at Springfield 1778 and at Harpers Ferry 1794 THE IRON AGE 995 at Harpers Ferry was planted in poor industrial soil and so it has borne no fruit. The admirable quality of Salisbury iron gave rise to numerous edge tool works in the Housa- tonic, Naugatuck and Connecticut river valleys, and the edge tool business of the United States is to-day centered there. Consequently the iron in- dustry of the Great Valley is not without its sig- nificance, even to-day. (To Be Continued) IRON AND STEEL IN AUSTRALIA Broken Hill Proprietary Co.’s Output in 1917 (Special Correspondence ) SypNEY, N. S. W., March 7.—Reports of the pro- duction of iron and steel in Australia in 1917 were issued late in February. They covered the operations of the Broken Hill Proprietary Co.’s plant at Newcastle, N.S. W., by half years, and were as follows: Half Years Ending May 31 Nov. 30, L917 1917 Gross Tons Gross Tons Pig iron 61.403 $1 351 Steel ingots (7,676 2,878 Blooming mill 76 812 7 065 Rail mill . 17.833 34,474 LS-in. mill 7,767 7,46 The smaller totals toward the latter part of 1917 were due to a three-months sympathetic strike. Active production by the 12-in. and 8-in. mills began in July, the output being 988 tons of merchant bars. The equip- ment for turning out plates for shipSuilding and plates for a second blast furnace and stoves was nearing com- pletion when the reports were made. In addition to the existing mills a continuous rod mill is being erected. The machinery was imported from the United States This mill will meet the demand for fencing and other wires. The quantity of ore from Iron Knob, the company’s main source of supply in South Australia, was 164,257 tons, of which 123,522 tons was sent to the Newcastle plant and the rest to outside consumers. Uniform Wage Scale WASHINGTON, April 16.—For the purpose of reduc- ing to a minimum the lakor turnover in the eastern shipyards which has resulted from the maintenance of several different wage scales on the North Atlantic, the South Atlantic and the Gulf coasts, the Shipbuilding Lator Adjustment Board, after elaborate investigation and numerous hearings accorded to both shipyard man- agers and representatives of the several trades involved, has adopted a substantially uniform wage scale for the three districts referred to. As the result of this action, there will be no further inducement to ship workers to quit their jobs in one district in order to o»tain an in- crease in wages in another district. Journeymen’s wages are practically uniform and the differences in the compensation of certain inferior grades of labor are too small to induce migration. As a preliminary step to the adoption of this uni- form scale the board handed down its decision in ref- erence to wages, hours and other conditions in the ship- yards under its jurisdiction on the North Atlantic coast and the Hudson River. The rates fixed were made retroactive for the region about New York Harbor, in cluding Bridgeport, to March 11; for the shipyards north of Bridgeport, to March 20, and for the other yards, to April 1. The Becker Milling Machine Co., Hyde Park, Boston, is now quoting much better deliveries on milling ma chines and milling cutters than have been available in recent months. Deliveries range from one week to four or five months, depending on the models required. 996 EFFICIENT TOOL-ROOM SYSTEM Centralized Grinding and Systematized Collection and Delivery of Cutting Tools The number of machine shops yet to be found, some of them large, in which machine hands stop their machines and go to a grinding wheel to grind their cutting tools, is surprising, especially in view of the fact that such work can be better done by an employee less costly than a high-priced machinist, provided the proper equipment and system is used. That the centralized grinding of tools by a man or men who make it their exclusive work is conducive of greater production is striking way by experience in large shops, even those abroad, the managers of which have lately been frequent buyers of American tool-grinding machines. War pressure has caused them to adapt every expedient that leads to maximum output, and some of the large foreign shops now have batteries of grinding machines, and cutting tool reserves ready for use. Another refinement, aside from having a central! place for tool storage, the necessity of which is ad mitted, is bridging the gap between tool-room and the machines which use the tools. It is by no means suffi cient that the tools, dies, jigs and fixtures should be kept in orderly array, accessible, hand checked as to location when absent from their place in the tool-room. To the requirements of his shop in the direction referred to, John Goetz, vice-president and works man- ager of the Kempsmith Mfg. Co., Milwaukee, Wis., has devised a system for bridging the gap between tool- room and machine tools which eliminates the waste of time which must result when machinists or other work- men leave their machines or work to go to the too! room. Perhaps the most notable feature of Mr. Goetz’s system lies in the program he has laid out for his tool grinder, which is observed rigidly. Just back of the tool grinder’s position at the Gisholt universal tool grinder used in the Kempsmith plant is a bulletin board on which is*the tool grinding chart devised by the Gisholt Machine Co., and other charts made by Mr. Goetz himself for the special needs of his shop. They display not only line drawings of the cutting end of the tools to be ground, but also give the angles at which the grinder tool holder must be set to attain the desired result in back or side slope or rake, end and slide clearance, etc. After fastening the tool in the holder, the operator consults the chart, and then adjusts the four graduated circles by which the holder is placed in any desired position. Adjacent to the charts are two detachable boards on which are mounted blue prints giving other grinding data. Con- venient to the operator is a cabinet containing trays for the various tools. This, and the boards, are shown in the accompanying halftone. It was to utilize to advantage that portion of the grinder’s time when he was not operating his machine that Mr. Goetz laid out the following routine instruc- tions for the grinder to follow in conformance with the evidenced in a This Order Must Be Sent to the Tool-Roon One Hour Previous to Stated Time Deliver the following jigs and tools at for Order N« r To Dept No Pat Cees ~ For Milling For Planing For Turning For Drilling For Grinding MD seis Foreman......... OrpDER TO TooL-Room THE IRON AGE April 18, 1918 plan of eliminating visits to the tool-room by foremen and the men under them, with its consequent loss of time and production: To Gisholt Tool Grinder Operator “1. It is essential that you keep your machine clean and orderly at all times. Before starting your machine, wipe the emery from all bearings and slides, also from around all holes; oil all parts every morning, noon, and oftener, if necessary; see that all oil holes are closed to prevent emery getting into bearings. “2. Grind tools, in conformance with chart instruc- tions, until 8.30. At 8.30 go to the screw department and there remove tools which need repairing, replacing them with new tools immediately. “Do the same at the lathe department. “Do the same at the chuck lathe department. “Do the same at the planer department. “At 2 p. m. make the same trip and perform the same duties again, placing the worn tools collected on the second trip on the shelf reserved for tools to be delivered to the blacksmith. “4. After completing the morning collection of worn tools get them ready for the blacksmith, sorting them and tying them together with tags attached designating by style and number how the tools are to be forged. Short pieces should be used for tools to be used in making the lighter cuts, such as threading and cut-off tools. When pieces are too short for lathe use, have them annealed for cutter and reamer blades. “5. Take tools needing repair to the blacksmith hop, place them on the tool bench, and bring in finished ‘orged and hardened tools, placing them on shelf re- served for tools needing grinding, near your machine. f 6. All forged tools from the blacksmith’s shop must le rough ground ready for hardening, after which they are placed on the shelf reserved for tools for black- smith shop delivery. This delivery is to be in the morning, as indicated in No. 5. “7. The chart will show how many tools are to be kept on hand in shelves ready for use at all times. In addition, you are to keep at each machine the allotted number of tools. When machines are not in use all tools must be restored to the tool shelves. “8. When replacing tools which have become too short, or where it is necessary to supply new tools to make up the required number, get an order from your foreman for a bar of sufficient size to make up a lot. Take the bar to the milling department foreman with an order stating the size of bar, number of pieces to be cut and their length. You are to see they are delivered to you, cut in the required number, within reasonable time. If this is not done notify your fore- man. This work is to be done when you are executing instruction No. 4. On all new tools the blacksmith is to stamp the name of the steel used. “9. You visit the blacksmith shop only once a day, after completing the collection in the morning and the subsequent sorting and tagging. All business with the blacksmith is to be transacted at that time, except by order of your foreman. “10. Keep a record of places where certain tools are most used, so that you always will have enough for immediate use. “11. Clean your machine every evening, or when you have caught up with your work and there are no more tools to grind. “12. If you do not know how to proceed at any time ask your foreman what you should do. You will be given credit for the orderly condition of your machine and the quality of your work. Safety Rules for Operator “1. Never remove the wheel guard from your grind- ing machine except to clean machine. “2. Have tools securely fastened before applying wheel. “3. Always look for defects in the wheel, such as a April 18, 1918 THE IRON 997 Method Used in Shop of Kempsmith Mfg. Co. of ing the Gisholt Universal Tool Grinder. Instructions on the per rake erack or broken edges. Never grind with a cracked wheel, as the centrifugal force may cause it to fly apart and you may be hurt. Ifa wheel is faulty, notify your foreman and secure a new wheel before you start your machine. “4. Examine new wheels for defects before placing them in the machine. Setting Machine and Grinding “Keep your wheel sharp at all times by dressing it frequently. Take care not to burn finished or hardened tools while grinding. (Here follow instructions for operating the Gisholt Universal Tool Grinder.) Use goggles furnished by the company when grinding.” To bridge the gap between tool room and machine operators, it being thoroughly understood that opera tors are not to waste their time in going to and from the tool room, what are termed “call boys” go to each of the several foremen four times a day, and obtain information as to what tools are wanted in the various departments. Whatever a foreman may need he speci- fies on an application blank, which is reproduced on the preceding page. A requirement in the delivery of tools or jigs to be used on any machine is that they are to be on hand in ample time for the set-up for the next job, in fact they must be delivered before the job in progress has been finished. A plan which has been found of great value in the handling of jigs and fixtures, inasmuch as it permits their easy storage and speed in handling, and insures the keeping together of all the parts of each device, consists of separate boxes for each jig or fixture. At either end of the boxes are hand-holes so that they may be conveniently lifted. Inside each box, near the top, is a wooden frame which holds in place a blue print listing all the parts of the jig or fixture, and it is a part of the duty of the men who have charge of the delivery and removal of the tools to refer to the list ' and check every piece whenever the parts are replaced in their respective boxes. The new open-hearth plant of the Erie Forge & Steel Co., Erie, Pa., which is being erected by the Erie Forge Co., as a separate unit to be devoted exclusively to Government work, is nearing completion, and it is expected that the two open-hearth furnaces will be ready for operation about April 20. Keeping Accessible to the Grinder of Cutting Tools board show Data He Uses in Operat him how to adjust his machine to get precise and d clearances Special Board of Appraisers WASHINGTON, April 16.—In view of the extent to whicn the powers of the President and the Secretary of War to commandeer property for the use of the Army have recently been invoked it has been deemed necessary to appoint a special board of appraisers to determine the compensation to be paid in such cases in order that the owners of the property thus taken ove) may not suffer as the result of unnecessary delay or prolonged litigation in seeking recovery through the courts to which they relegated by general special statutes heretofore enacted. A very large num ber of cases are now pending in which both property and material of various kinds have been commandeered, but in which it has proven difficult, if not impossible, to provide fair compensation in a reasonably expe ditious manner for lack of legalized appraisal. The board of appraisers, which has now been constituted to handle these and others that may composed of Lieut.-Col. John S. Dean, National Army, and Lieut.-Col. R. H. Montgomery, National Army, with are and cases arise, 1S additional members to be appointed from time to time as the public service may require. Molders in Chicago District Demand Wage Increases Molders employed in the 16 or 17 union foundries of Chicago, whose agreement May 1, have made a demand for $6 per day of & hr instead of $4.50 for 8 hr. The local manufactories and non-union jobbing shops, on which no demand has been made, operate 9 hr. Union molders in the Fox Valley district, including Aurora, Joliet and other places, demand that their daily rate be raised from $4.25 to $5.50. may not be in Chicago for some days of the union shops are small jyoobing wage expires per day Geneva, Definite action taken Most iobbing Publications of timely interest issued by the Gua) anty Trust Co., 140 Broadway, are available in booklet form, and may be had on request. Some of these cover the following topics: America’s foreign trade; regula- tion of exports under the espionage act; trading with the enemy; United States shipping act; federal income tax law; War Excess Profits Tax Law; Cuba; Russia, ete. To Increase Domestic Ore for Ferroalloys Comprehensive Plan for Government Oper- ation of Mines—President May Increase Tariffs—Revolving Fund of $50,000,000 WASHINGTON, April 16.—The action of the House Committee on Mines and Mining, which has just or- dered a favorable report upon the Foster bill “encour- aging the production, conserving the supply and con- trolling the distribution of those ores, metals and min- erals which have formerly been largely imported or of which there is or may be an inadequate supply,” has brought squarely before Congress a problem of the greatest importance to the iron and steel industry. The bill is designed to put into effect the idea conceived some months ago by Secretary of the Interior Lane that a large saving can be effected in shipping space and a considerable number of vessels obtained for the transportation of troops, material and food to France by substituting domestic metals and minerals, including the principal ferroalloys, for those which heretofore have been imported. Considerable progress in the substitution of domes- tic for imported products by voluntary agreement has been made as the result of conferences held between the War Industries Board and producers and consumers, notably im the case of manganese and chromium, but the field is so broad and the necessity for adopting uni- form methods for treating the problem so apparent that the Government officials handling the matter have been forced to the conclusion that nothing short of a comprehensive law on the subject will meet the require- ments of the situation. Wide Range of Controlled Minerals The general purposes of the Foster bill are set out in the first section of the message as follows: That by reason of the existence of a essential to the national essful prosecution of the nance of the Army state of war, it is and defense, for the suc war, for the security support and and Navy, to assure an adequate mainte- supply, equitable distribution, and to facilitate the production and movement of necessaries, which necessaries are defined in this act to include only the following named mineral sub stances and ores, minerals, intermediate metallurgical prod- acts, metals, alloys, and chemical compounds thereof, to wit: antimony, arsenic, ball clay, bismuth, bromine, cerium thalk, chromium, cobalt, corundum, emery, fluorspar, ferro silicon fullers earth, graphite, grinding pebbles iridium kaolin, magnesite, manganese, mercury, mica, molybdenum, osmium, sea salt, platinum, palladium, paper clay, potassium pyrites, radium, sulphur, thorium, tin, titaniun tungsten, iranium, vanadium, zirconium, and of other rare or unusua elements, the supply of which, in the judgment of the Presi- dent, may be inadequate for war and industrial needs; to prevent, locally or generally, scarcity monopolization, hoarding, injurious speculation, manipulation and _ private ontrols affecting such supply, distribution and movement ind to establish and maintain governmental control of iries during the war and thereafter only such neces until, in the judgment of the President, the agencies and activities herein provided for can be reasonably terminated Kor the instrumentalities, means, such pur poses methods, powers, authori ties, duties, obligations, and prohibitions hereinafter set forth are created, established, conferred and prescribes The President is authorized through the Secretary of the Interior to make such regulations as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of the proposed law and in its execution the Secretary may enter into any voluntary arrangements or agreements, use any agency, accept the services of any persons without com- pensation, co-operate with any agency or person, and co-ordinate the activities of all agencies so as to avoid preventable loss or duplication of effort. Pomerene Provision as to Interest in Contracts In view of the fact that the Government, to operate effectively the system proposed by the Foster bill, must obtain the co-operation of many persons familiar with the industries affected and perhaps actually engaged therein, the framers of the measure have incorporated at the outset a provision designed to obviate a situation which heretofore has developed in the Council of Na- tional Defense as the result of the membership upon its committees of persons interested in concerns having c