The Iron Age 1919-09-11: Vol 104 Iss 11

ESTABLISHED 1855 OO TT , Yj Y Yb V4 ypu WITT YM jj) 4H Vi We LLL, Lou Selling Homes to Workmen at Cost Amortization Basis of Selling Plan—Precaution Against Specu- lation—Other Welfare Activities of Clark Equipment Co. apa, oe \" : . og . wa as > ough : X OR the welfare of its workers, the Clark Equipment Co., Buchanan, Mich., manufac- turer of drills and precision tools of steel ade in the electric furnace, has developed an dustrial housing plan intended to avoid any ardships or speculation on the part of its em- Ployees. A description of the plant itself ap- peared in THE IRON AGE of Jan. 11,1917. Primary Considerations taken into account in this work Were: To prevent crowding because of too narrow lots which often make for poor light and ventila- tion and do not sufficiently provide for clothes line, vegetable garden or garage space; to avoid the absence of a personal touch in the design of VOL. 104: No. II SULTGE PEs, Homes for Em- ployees of Clark Equipment Co. at Buchanan, Mich. the houses due to too much similarity or stand- ardization, when the occupants had no voice in the planning; to prevent the erection of houses according to too expensive a plan, such as five- coat enamel, highest grade plumbing fixtures, etc. It was found in this connection that purchasers are often tempted to select a more expensive house than they are able to pay for, so that after en- thusiasm lags, the buyer is liable to back out of his contract. With a view to reducing its labor turnover, the company made one of its important qualifications for participation in its housing, the selection of intelligent and law-abiding workmen. It was 695 Se 696 THE IRON AGE September 1) } . . . story houses, containing living-roon j found on summarization of a questionnaire sub I kitchen, two bedrooms and bathroom mitted to its employees, that the most workable 0 two-story houses, containing living-roon plan consisted in the incorporation of the prin- kitchen, three bedrooms and bathroom ciple of amortization in paying off the investment me-and-one-half-story houses, containing . dining-room kitchen, two bedrooms and on the houses. , , a 7 : two ory house containing living-room lo the actual cost of the plot was added 100 kitchen, four bedrooms and bathroon per cent. and to the cost of the house 5 per cent. ' one-story houses, containing combinatic« with the intention of heading off speculators. At dining-room, kitehen, two bedrooms and the expiration of about five years, this excess All the houses have cellars and are hs valuation is applied to the credit of the purchaser, hot-air furnaces, except five one-story provided that he has continued his payments. which are stove heated. Electric lights, « lhe initial payment was fixed variously, according hot water and all modern conveniences to the means and earning power of the purchaser, _ plied; the streets and sidewalks are also pav averaging about 10 per cent. of the value of the To date all contracts for the purchase ot! property; and installment payments were set at have been carried along without lapse. A ibout 1 per cent. per month. ments go to reduce the debt and do not co: The cost of house and lot varies from about $1900 rent. The payment does, however, include for the smallest, to about 4500 for the largest. est on the capital invested in the house he initial payments run from $180 to $400 averag rate of 6 per cent. per year. ng about 10 per cent. of the cost as stated. Two years ago the company made a To date the company has erected a total of 44 survey of the hospital and medical facilit ises, classified as follows: Buchanan and decided that more adequate ; i ment should be provided. A year ago a ( two bathroo dwelling located on a high bluff overlookin; ining g-room, dining-reom, company’s park-like plant was purchased aaa ee saad ‘ining living-room, “OSpital. After extensive alterations and tions the building has just recently been tu: tcher three bedrooms and bathroon - A 4 Private Room and Ward in the Works Hospital tember 11, 1919 Kmployees’ Theater, Which May Be | the company by the architects and con- [he Clark Hospital, as it is known, contains rivate rooms and several wards having a num- beds each, 12 beds in all. There is an ray room, also sterilizers, and laboratory equip- ent, an operating room, and quarters for the aff of resident nurses. )While it is intended primarily for use of em- oyees, the hospital is open to citizens of the com- nity at cost. The use of the hospital is not re- icted, the physicians of the community being at to use its facilities for the care of urgent ses. ated between the employees’ sub-division mpany’s plant—ideally situated to care ncy accident cases, epidemics such as } t x n well as to care for maternity cases rr emerge: = ies of employees and local residents. f nu, _ ‘ fresh eggs and vegetables are avail- e tam Wlten Spiegel in Open-Hearth Tar and NM Practice issue of the /ndustrial Bulletin of the ; % Iron Co., Denver, Colo., Frank Fergu- he Ju “representative of the open-hearth fur I Pert, contributes a description of the P!0¥ In speaking of improvements he makes the “% statement regarding the use of molten Yisen and of tar instead of gas in the furnaces: é spiegel plant was put into operation on Aug. 5, eing the third installation of its kind in this The basic idea of the process is to melt down f f a constant chemical analysis that is carried } open-hearth pit in a molten state and added | as it runs into the steel ladle from the ; proper, thereby practically eliminating the r f “off grade” high carbon or rail heats, and } ’Y a more uniform manganese in the finished { ess variation in both the carbon and man ; m heat to heat. iso more economical and has increased thi rail-melting practice fully 10 per cent, the \pril of this year being the best month the ‘ver had on rail steel, when it made 93 ood rail heats. e of tar in the open-hearth furnaces went July 18, 1918. As a comparison between ar, producer gas comes into the furnace as odied flame, by the pull of the stack on 40 steam pressure at the gas house while tar hin, light flame delivered into the furnaces he pressure. The tar comes through the THE IRON AGE 697 for Dancing and Other Socia A fT able from the hospital’s own garden and poultry) vard. The operation of the hospital is directed by the Clark Hospital Association, a volunteer or- ganization of employees and residents. In connection with its housing developments, the company has built an employees theater in which the seats are removable and folding, so that the floor may be cleared and used for danc- ing. It is interesting in this connection, that the workers refused to patronize free performancés for which the company hired the talent; but readily paid for admission in the usual fashion, and also attended enthusiastically performances in which the employees themselves were the actors. Enhancement has been given to the surround- ings at the plant by the creation of a park on which are located a number of the buildings, in- cluding the theater and greenhouse, so that the workers are under the maximum influence of fine surroundings in their work. lines at 80 lb. pressure, while at the furnace where the tar goes into the burner or “gun” it is broken up inder 50 lb. steam pressure. Tar makes a much hotter flame than producer gas, therefore the tonnage is increased, but being so much hotter than gas, the furnace burns out quicker. From an economical standpoint, the comparison of one tar furnace and one gas furnace the advantage is slightly in favor of the tar furnace. The main advantage of tar is in using it on the furnaces every week when the gas sewers are burned out, thereby keeping it in éperation instead of shutting lown for 12 hr. once a week; also in using it on a furnace that it is impossible to run with gas. As an llustration, a short time ago the south end of No. 11 furnace fell in, completely blocking the slag pockets ind checker-chambers making it impossible to run the furnace under those conditions with gas. Tar was put n the furnace and it ran three weeks and four days ind made comparatively good time. Examinations for plant engineer at 33000 to $3600 year and for junior physicist at $1500 a year are innounced by the United States Civil Service Com- mission, Washington. For plant engineer applicants must be graduates of a common school with 12 years’ engineering experience, high school with 10 years’ experience, or college with 8 years’ experience. For junior physicist, graduation from a college with one year’s experience in fuel-gas analysis and high tem- perature measurements is required. Applicants should apply for form 1312, stating the title of the examina- tion desired. na lebih A cles eww SNe Ai aa <a: Te Llc AIS ales (EO ONT 9 ia a igi APOC BNE: te Glee daly settee telesales MltnatCinBcienet im ro 698 DUMPING OF FERROMANGANESE American Producers Make Further Statements Regarding British Competition In a supplementary bill of complaint filed with the Federal Trade Commission on Sept. 2, American pro- ducers of ferromanganese state that their British com- petitors will drive them out of business unless prompt and effective action is taken to prevent the alleged dumping of the British product in this country at prices said to be below the cost of production. The original bill of complaint, which was filed on Aug. 27, was published in full in THE IRON AGE of Sept. 4, page 680, and named as defendants the British manufacturers and their American agents, are Crocker Brothers; Rogers, Brown & Co.; Frank Samue! and C. W. Leavitt & Co. The supplementary bill states “that on Aug. 29 the American representatives of the British manufacturers of ferromanganese were advised by cable from said who manufacturers that the price of 80 per cent ferroman- ganese had been cut to $95 per ton, c.i.f. United States Atlantic ports.” The complainants further aver that the American selling agents have been carrying out their instructions and are selling and offering for sale 80 p_-r cent ferromanganese at the above reduced price This has been done, it is stated, without change in the price in the English market, which is and has been £25 per ton. The supplementary bill of complaint that “unless prompt and effective action is taken to restrain the foregoing unfair trade practice of Messrs. Crocker Brothers, Rogers, Brown & Co., Frank Samuel and C. W. Leavitt & Co., the conspiracy to put your com plainants and other American manufacturers out of business will prove successful, the price at which such 80 per cent ferromanganese is being sold and offered for sale by such representatives of the British manufacturers is below the American cost of manufacture, and this business, which has been built up at great expense during the time of war, will be de States because Unusual Explosions of Steel Cylinders Holding Compressed Gases Two recent cases of explosions of steel cylinders while being charged, the one with hydrogen, the other with oxygen, are discussed at some length by W. Hem- pel, Hanover, Germany, in the Zeitschrift des Vereines Deutscher Ingenieure of March 8, 1919. The con- clusion arrived at in both cases is that explosive gas mixtures were not responsible for the accident but that the steel gave way for reasons more or less cleared up. The hydrogen cylinder burst while being charged with electrolytic hydrogen from a compressor when the gage registered 140 atmospheres; the full pressure was to be 150 atmospheres. The head and shell of the seam- less cylinder remained perfectly intact but a hole was blown through the spherical bottom and 75 cm. deep into the floor on which the cylinder was standing. The cylinder was hurled through the roof of the building and buried itself in the earth, 85 m. away; the com- pressor was not damaged. Two men were badly burnt. The mechanical, metallurgical and chemical tests of the head and shell of the seamless tube (9 mm. wall thickness) fully satisfied the regulations; the steel com- position was: 0.49 per cent carbon, 1.00 per cent man- ganese, 0.38 per cent silicon, 0.032 per cent sulphur and 0.026 per cent phosphorus. The composition of the bot- tom varied very slightly from these figures, but there were segregations and local accumulations of sulphur. The bottom was cleft like a gaping mouth; half of the steel remained in position and whole, the other half was blown away and cracked. A fold seemed to have been formed near the center of the bottom on the in- THE IRON AGE September 11, 19}: stroyed, and the American market will belong ent to the British manufacturers.” Other supplementary bills of complaint, simila the above, have also been filed by the Miami M Co., Chicago, and the Southern Manganese Cor; tion, Birmingham, Ala. The Seaboard Steel & \\ ganese Corporation, New York, has also filed a bi complaint, which means that all of the American ducers are now appealing to the Federal Trade | mission for aid. C. W. Leavitt & Co. Deny Conspiracy None of the American agents of British ferro: ganese producers has made formal answer at Wa ington to the complaint of the American manufact ers, but C. W. Leavitt & Co., New York, represent the Carlton Iron Co. of England, has addressed a lett: to THE IRON AGE denying that its firm is a member of any pool or conspiracy to raise or lower the price of ferromanganese. Their letter follows: Referring to the charge of “dumping of British manganese’ noted in your issue of Sept. 4 We admit that we are the United States agents for Carlton Iron Co., British maker of ferromanganese, but w deny that our firm is or has been engaged in unfair met of competition. Furthermore, our firm is not a member of ar foreign or domestic pool either to raise or lower the of ferromanganese We believe in and practice the square deal and do seek a monopoly of the business, but the unwarranted plaint of certain domestic producers seems to invite a n opoly of this trade for their own account However, we do not believe that any government agency or the United States consumers will aid in that movement W gain e tariff for a monopoly The action of the American companies has brought to the forefront the talk of a protectiv on ferromanganese. Several bills have been pre Congress, but no definite action has been ts tariff also has been proposed on manganesy’Posed ™ : : . ken. A this will be opposed by the American man**©" . -3 2, Dut of ferromanganese, who would thus be i ore, OF ufacturers position than they are to-day. n a worse side from which a crack started; interna of the bottom, practiced in the case of | , probably have disclosed the fold or crack illumination The second bottle was being chargedhells, would from liquid air when the cylinder wast . while the gage indicated between 80 a, with oxygen pheres. Nobody was hurt, because the cyito pieces standing behind a strong brick wall, and 18%tmos many fragments were recovered. In this case the ¥@* ous tests concordantly showed the material not to the been up to the standard. The composition was: © per cent carbon, 0.97 manganese, 0.38 silicon, 0.(* sulphur and 0.033 phosphorus. The steel was impé fectly annealed and not sufficiently tough; the strengt ras high, but the elongation low throughout; the dis position of the cracks and lines of fracture was If accordance with the assumption of a brittle material The wall thickness fluctuated moreover between 6.5 and 10.8 mm. Hempel suggests that some crack had been formed previously, possibly by a fall of the cylin- der, and that, as in the first case, it was not necessary to assume a real gas explosion as immediate cause of the accident. One crack had evidently started from one of the letters by which the finished cylinder had been marked. The plant of the bankrupt Hamilton-Otto Coke Co., Hamilton, Ohio, will be sold at auction, 2 p.m. Sept. Li. The plant is two miles north of Hamilton and covers 11.78 acres appraised at about $385,340. The chattels consisting of furniture, tools, cars, cranes, crushers, electrical equipment, coal, coke, clay, sand, brick, et» are valued at about $72,767. Method of Handling Foundation Necessary New Coke Plant of La Belle Iron Works the Coal to Bring Plant Above Extensive Flood Stage — Automatic Heating Control! 1 by-product coke plant of the La Belle Iron | rks is the first Koppers plant in the Pitts- ‘gh district excluding Youngstown and modern plant of its kind in the Ohio Val- s located on the south bank of the Ohio pposite the company’s main plant at Steu- Ohio. The plant, which has two bat- ach of 47 standard Koppers 1212-ton ovens, ed to permit duplication and replaces the yvens formerly operated by the company Belle, Pa. Foundation Work a Feature s the original plan of the owners to build int on the Ohio side of the river, adjacent Steubenville mill and furnaces, but the West nia site was decided upon when it was found ossible to secure enough land contiguous to present plant to allow room for future ex- Dock The barges are moved along the dock The choice of the West Virginia site nsiderably to the cost of the plant. reat amount of extra foundation work was tated and a fill of 15 to 20 ft. over the en- was required to bring the plant to an | above the flood stage of the river. The themselves were carried eight feet above level in order to bring the stack flues he flood stage. In excess of 900 yd. of fill- rial was placed on the site and more than l. of concrete was used in the construc- foundations. Void wall construction was the oven foundation which extends to a 28 ft. below the oven matt, the voids be- ct Coke Plant of the La Belle Iron Works, with the ing filled with granulated slag. Piers and curtain walls were used in the foundations of all the build- ings and the floors laid on a granulated slag fill. All underground conduits and piping were laid before the fill was made, being erected on concrete piers. To provide traffic communication between the two plants and insure an uninterrupted supply of fuel for the furnaces, it was necessary for the company to erect and maintain its own bridge across the river. This structure, which is of the cantilever type, is 1520 ft. in overall length and consists of four 100-ft. girder spans, two 30-ft. anchor spans and a main channel span of 660 ft. [It was planned and built by the American Bridge Co., and is the first cantilever bridge ever erected without a traveler or creeper, a crane with 110-ft. boom being used in its erection throughout. The supporting piers are of reinforced concrete, 120 ft. Loaded Co Barges in the River and the Coal Unloading electrically the crane rer iining stationary high and were sunk to bed rock, a distance of 43 ft. below pool level, the caisson method being em- ployed. The Coal-Handling System A unique feature of the new plant is the coal- handling system. The coal, except a small per- centage which is mined in the nearby West Vir- ginia fields and brought to the plant by railroad, is transported over the Monongahela and Ohio rivers from the Pennsylvania coal district. For this purpose barges having a capacity of 350 to 600 tons are used, the barges being towed down the river in fleets of six to ten. Harbor facilities 699 et The <1 -itnanorn staaipinllstindae swag. A I ee. mat tt = wale We i wo! de eer petag Bis. : 700 are provided where approximately 30 loaded barges may be tied up awaiting their turn at the unloading dock, while the same number of empties can also be accommodated. A truck hopper handles the coal shipped in by rail and a storage yard of 100,000 tons capacity is provided to insure an adequate supply for use during the winter months when the river may be closed to naviga- tion. The coal is unloaded from the barges by two Heyl & Patterson traveling gantry cranes, with 100-ft. bridge. These cranes are each mounted on four two-wheeled trucks and travel over a 20-ft. gage track, so that they may also be used to handle coal in the stock yard. They are equipped with 3!o-ton buckets and have a hoisting speed of 500 ft. per min. The buckets are specially designed with a view to clean unloading in minimum time with minimum labor. When unloading, the crane remains stationary on the dock, the barge being moved along the dock by an electrically operated barge shifter. Under eo THE IRON AGE ee ee September 11, {19 mixing bins. From the mixing bins it is gravity into the regulated and adjustable g: that any desired percentage of each grade . can be secured. The three mixer belts dis into the same chute which leads to the h: mills where the coal is pulverized to a fj 3 of 85 per cent. through a '%-in. screen. It n elevated by conveyor belts to the 1800-ton r¢ bin, located above the charging floor and h the two batteries of ovens. Robins convey systems are employed throughout. The Interlocking Control System The chutes on either side of the hamm: are equipped with rotary feeders which in: even and constant feed and eliminate ab gi per cent of the dust which is so common coal-handling plants. All the coal-ha equipment is individually motored and the ro is interlocked in such a way that no convey e] or crusher can be started or operated unt he machine rext in progression is in operati: This Bridge, Which Connects the normal conditions the coal is dropped into a small happer located on the dock. It is then fed through the bottom of this hopper into a 30-in. conveyor belt which in turn discharges it into the track hopper. If it is desired to stock the coal from the river, empty cars are placed over the track hopper and the coal is discharged from the con- veyor into them. Loaded cars are moved by means of a cable haul to one of the several unloading pits which are located every 125 ft. along the entire length of the storage yard. From these pits it is trans- ferred to the storage pile by one of the gantry cranes. When it is desired to use coal from stock this operation is reversed, the crane loading the cars which are then transferred to the track hop- per and unloaded. The unloading dock, which is 100 ft. long and has a 100-ft. fender at each end, was built by the National Contracting Co., Cleveland, while the coal-handling and storage vard system was designed and built by the Heyl & Patterson Co. From the track hopper, coal is carried by a short-length pan conveyor to a 36-in. conveyor belt which, driven by two 50-h.p. General Electric mo- tors, travels on a 20-deg. incline to the top of the breaker building where it delivers the coal to a Bradford breaker. From the breaker which re- moves the slate and sulphur, the coal, having been reduced to 11%4-in. lumps, is carried by a conveyor belt and discharged into the proper one of three Steel Plant Across the River, Crane with 110-Ft. 3y-Product Plant with the Without a Traveler and Creeper, a Is a. Cantilever Bridge Erecte Used. Boom Being this way spillage or piling up of the coal, if one machine should stop while the operator or attend- ant is not present, is eliminated. Three-phase, 220-volt, alternating. current is used throughout the coal-handling plant, which is equipped with General Electric motors. All control boards for the various motors are housed in the control build- ing, which is located at a sufficient distance from the main plant so that the delicate electrical con- trol instruments may not be injured or incapac!- tated by coal dust; a push button located near each motor enables the operator to stop and start the machine at will. The pulverized coal from the storage bin is fed by gravity into one of the two Morgan charging machines. The ovens are of the standard Koppers 30-flue type and the heating system is so arrangeé that gas is burned in the 15 flues at one end of the furnace and the heated air and products of com- bustion pass out through the remaining 15 flues to the flue stack giving off heat as they go. THs arrangement is reversed every 30 min., insuring a continuous even heat. Automatic Control of the Heating This change is made automatically, the £4 valves, stack dampers and draft dampers Deins operated from a central control house, which 1s situated between the two batteries of ovens. 1 he entire operating mechanism is governed a electric clock, no attendant being required. September 11, 1919 hines which operate these valves and dampers electrically driven, but a steam engine is pro- i for use in emergency. In the central build- are also located a Ventura gas meter for rding the gas consumed and other devices for cating the temperature, gas production, etc. fhe discharging, quenching and handling ma- nery is all standard Kopper equipment. The » after quenching and cooling is dumped into ide chute from which it is fed through gates a conveyor belt on which it is carried to the der where it is graded into various sizes. Part it is transported across the river to the fur- es, part is sold for commercial consumption i the breeze is used in the power plant. The by-product gas, given off at about 1000 deg. s collected in a 16-in. main through which it drawn by two Connersville Stove Blower Co.’s team-driven gas blowers of 128 cu. ft. displace- nent, driven by a 250-hp. Harrisburg Foundry & Machine Co. compound engine, and forced through water-tube coolers where it is cooled to bout 28 deg. C. The sudden cooling condenses the tar vapors and the tar is run off into a settling eservoir. Here the gas liquors which are con- tained in the condenser, being lighter than the tar itself, rise to the top and are drained off. The tar in this state is pumped to the nearby plant of the American Tar Product Co. The gas, relieved of its tar contents passes into the reheater, where it is brought to a temperature of 60 deg. C, at which temperature it is forced into the saturator where the ammonium sulphate is removed in a centrifugal dryer, the ammonia iquor being distilled and the pure ammonia gas used again. The By-Products Plant The by-products plant is equipped with four water-tube coolers; a tar extractor; reheater saturator; ammonia still; three benzol scrubbers; two continuous condensing stills for benzol vapor; 1 condensing still where the light oil is fractioned nto crude benzol, crude toluol, crude light sol- vent naphtha, crude and heavy solvent naphtha; agitators and four 8000-gal. purification stills where the pure products are produced and two nal coolers. Three Gould 20,000-gal. circulating pumps are ployed to keep the water in circulation through water-tube coolers. A tar loading pump of 10,000-gal. capacity and two 6000-gal. hot drawing mps are provided, together with two 6000-gal. monia pumps driven by a 150-hp. Westing- se motor for circulating the ammonia liquor igh the stills. (he power plant, which forms a separate unit, sts of four 400-hp. Sterling water-tube ers which are fed by two Epping-Carpenter er feed pumps. The boilers are equipped to either gas or coke breeze, but the coke breeze enerally used, being burned on a Cox chain Forced draft is used. Electric current is supplied by the West Penn- nia Power Co., from its Beech Bottom, W. Va., t, being received at the plant at 22,000 volts, cle, 3-phase, but is stepped down to 2200 and to 220, by a series of Westinghouse trans- ers. Two G. E. motor generators are used rnish the direct current required in the plant. ther features of the plant include a model ratory and office building, coal test building service building which is equipped with in- ial chain hanger for the clothes of the em- es, showers, toilet accommodation, etc. THE IRON AGE 701 INDUSTRY’S RUIN Striking Illustrations of Decreased Production of German Plants WASHINGTON, Sept. 9.—Industrial conditions in the iron and steel industry of the lower Rhine districts are revealed in an interesting light in an “open letter to the public” issued by the Employers’ Association of the Diisseldorf district in Germany. A copy of this letter has been made public by the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce. It follows: “The strikes which have been increasing in number since November, 1918, and the substantial increases of wages and salaries have almost exhausted the reserves of the industrial establishment, as many customers hesitate to place orders on account of the uncertainties in the political and industrial situation, and the ef- ficiency of the workmen is very low. To quote a few examples: In October, 1918, the production of five blast furnaces in this district amounted to 116,281 metric tons of pig iron; in March, 1919, it sank to 68,000 tons and in April, 1919, it still further declined to 54,635 tons. A number of steel works producing 105,611 metric tons of steel per month in 1918 had an output of only 68,000 tons in March, 1919, and in April, 1919, production decreased to 33,797 tons; that is less than one-third of the output for 1918. In a majority of the works, production has been reduced to less than 50 per cent of the output recorded in the months preceding the revolution. “How the finances of the works have been affected by the abnormal demands for increased wages may be judged from these examples: In five months after the revolution, one firm paid out in salaries and wages about 1,900,000 marks and sold goods for 1,050,000 marks. Another firm produced goods valued at 4,600,- 000 marks in 1918, employing 900 workers, of whom about 100 were prisoners of war, 200 to 300 reclaimed soldiers and the remainder women and youths. During the same period in 1919 the same firm employed 1200 able bodied workmen and produced goods of a value of 2,500,000 marks. That is really a pathetic proof of the increasing unwillingness to work. Under such conditions, it is difficult to understand why the work- men are constantly demanding increases in pay and thus driving industry to ruin, for their own existence is involved in the ruin of industry. Under the pres- sure of steady losses, a number of owners are seriously thinking of closing their factories. That the existence of the worker is threatened in all the districts of the industrial region is evident by the numerous reports of employees and workers being discharged. A sharp light is thrown on this frightful situation by the recent declaration of the board of directors of the Krupp company before the workers of the cast-steel mill at Essen. The mill cannot fully employ its workers in the finishing departments, as there is a shortage of raw materials and semi-manufactured articles due to the reduced production of the furnace and foundries. The firm has informed the workers that it will endeavor to protect them, as far as possible, against the conge- quences of reduced operation. In case the conditions do not improve within a reasonable time, the company will continue to pay its unemployed workers 70 per cent of their wages for a definite time and later refer them to the unemployed insurance fund of the state, while those doing the work of helpers will, after a like period, receive only helpers’ wages.” The Pipe Fittings and Valve Export Association has filed a statement of its incorporation with the Fed- eral Trade Commission, Washington, in compliance with the Webb law. The stockholders of the organiza- tion are: Nelson Warner Co., Chestnut Hill, Pa.; Mal- leable Iron Fittings Co., Branford, Conn.; McNab & Harlin Mfg. Co., New York; Stanley S. Flagg & Co., Philadelphia; Pratt & Cady, Hartford, Conn.; Jarecki Mfg. Co., Erie, Pa., and Walworth Mfg. Co., Boston. The association has no capital. Its officers are: Stan- ley S. Flagg, Jr., chairman; A. E. Rowe, secretary, and J. S. Mattimore, treasurer. was Settle E> Ah a At an al TS 900 tata RGF oe me ens erie ee LE Fre QE ra: - 702 Air Operated Pickling Machine The Mesta Machine Co., Pittsburgh, has announced the result of a test of a Mesta pickling machine operated by compressed air. This machine is of steam- driven type and consists of a vertical reciprocating plunger with a spider of three or four arms, carrying crates which move up and down in the pickling and rinsing baths. The Consolidated Expanded Metal Co., Braddock, Pa., recently installed one of these machines, but found it impracticable to use steam as a driving medium, as all power purchased is electric, such steam as is generated be- ing of low pressure for heating pur- poses only. The in- stallation of high- pressure boilers within the limited space available would have meant considerable trou- ble in the quick and successful opera- tion of the plant. For these the company, with the co-operation of the Mesta Machine Co., decided to try the use of pressed air. apprehension was felt on account of the probable high rate of air con- sumption in a ma- reasons com- Some chine designed to § . Pickling Machine Designed to Run be steam driven; with Compressed Air. The vertical also exhaust steam, on compressed ait originally designed for heating vats, would not be available. In order to produce greater economy, it was decided to use that type of Mesta pickler which balances prac- tically all dead load by compressed air instead of by counterweights. In where balancing has been done by counterweights the results were not satisfac- tory because on the down stroke the unbalanced weight s the only moving force, thus resulting in sluggishness \f operation. When using compressed air for balancing purposes the bottom end of the piston rod, with its load, floats on the compressed air; thus the operating piston is relieved of lifting the dead load at every stroke and greater economy of steam and air is ob- tained. Changes were made in the parts and valves to preserve the speed of piston of operation of the steam-driven machine. The steel casing which sur- rounds the piston rod is buried in concrete; holding the machine rigid, even if no foundation bolts are used. When operated with two loaded crates, the machine used 20.7 cu. ft. of compressed air per min. while run- ning at 32 strokes per min. When loaded with one erate, the machine used 19.6 cu. ft. of compressed air per min., while running at 30 strokes per min. In the former case, the air pressure at the machine was 87.1 lb. per sq. in., whereas in the latter case it was 82 lb. per sq. in. In the test with two loaded crates, the indicated horsepower of the machine was 6.06, while the ideal horsepower, which might have been obtained from the compressed air by expanding it without any loss for the atmosphere, would have been 13.8. The steam- pickling machine uses approximately 35 boiler horse- power. From the comparison it is evident that the introduction of the balancing feature has made the use of compressed air economical. cases “Manila and Wire Rope” is the subject of No. 26 of Safe Practices issued by the National Safety Coun- cil, 168 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago. Considera- tion is given to the method of manufacture, applica- tion and treatment. THE IRON with Steam, but plunger with its dead load is balanced instead of by the use of counterweights AGE September 11, Mineral Production Last Year WASHINGTON, Sept. 9.—The Department of tt} terior has just issued a preliminary report on the eral production of the United States in 1918 fo purpose of making public as soon as possible th: tistics collected by the United States Geological] vey for that year. The statistics given for most modities are final; those for a few are only esti based on incomplete returns; but on the whole t} port gives a record of the mineral output of the try during the year which will prove fairly comp) The total of the min produced was a $5,526,000,000, n than half a b dollars in exc; the value reco for 1917, but total quantity duced was less output of fuels greater thar 1917, though s what less ant cite was mark The increase i: quantity of marketed y about 5 per « but the increas value due to higher prices was than 17 per cent It is significant that though the in crease in the quan tity of petroleum marketed was only a little more than 4 per cent, the increase in value was over 32 per cent The value of the metals produced was about 3 per cent greater in 1918 than in 1917. The figures show that less iron ore and steel were produced, but her again values were higher. A little more pig iron was made, though the quantity shipped was less. and zinc, not only in themselves but as the components of brass, are perhaps the next in importance to iron in the world’s industry to-day, and in 1918 they stood high on the list of war metals. A little more copper but less zinc was produced, and the values of both were lower, that of zinc falling about 25 per cent. The output of the war metals manganese and chromite, used in hard ening steel, was greater than in any preceding year. Chromite increased 88 per cent in quantity and 275 per cent in value over 1917, and the increases in man ganese ore were 136 and 100 per cent respectively. Less gold and silver were mined than for many years. The output of building material—clay products, building stone, cement, lime, gypsum—showed a great decline. The domestic production of potash in 1915 was 54,000 tons, an increase of 68 per cent over thi output in 1917. STEAM OR AIR INLET OC 10 BALANCING CYLINOE?, more Successfully Operated ( opper Bust of Jonathan Warner A bronze bust of Jonathan Warner, pioneer in the Lake Superior ore region and the Mahoning Valley in the development of iron ore and the early manufac- ture of pig iron, has been installed in the McKinley Memorial building at Niles, Ohio. Mr. Warner was grandfather of Jonathan Warner, president of te Trumbull Stee] Co., Warren, Ohio. In company with others, Mr. Warner built the first bituminous coal fur- nace in Brier Hill, now a part of Youngstown, Ohio, using Lake Superior and native kidney ore. This was in the early fifties. In 1858 Mr. Warner, with Captain Wood of Pittsburgh, built the first furnace at Minera! Ridge, Trumbull County, Ohio, using some Lake Supe rior ore, but chiefly black band ore, from which was made a brand of pig iron called “Warner American Scotch,” the first pig iron ever made in the Un ted States that competed with the Scotch pig iron. British Practice in High-Speed Steel Its Manufacture and Subsequent Manipula- tion—Results of the Practical Application of Scientific Methods—Causes of Tool Failures 4 N account of recent practice in the manufacture ay of high-speed steel, as carried out at the Open- 4 shaw works of Armstrong, Whitworth & Co.., resented at the spring meeting in May of the nd Steel Institute in London by Dr. J. W. Andrew +. W. Green, their object being to show the prac- ipplicability of scientific methods. An abstract ir particular ingots of Armstrong-Whitworth were followed through every process, observations made of times and temperatures of carrying out particular operation, along with a micro examina- f the steel after each successive treatment. The chosen for this purpose were 6-in. square chills ft. in length. In order to present all the phases ng in the practical working of the steel it was to treat all four ingots in different fashions. representing the operations undergone by the that were followed are as follows: Ingots (6 in. sq.) Al 12, and A3 Annealed and examined Cogged down to 3% in. sq | | Billet cut into two and {AIT A2T A3T examined /A1B A2B A3B ] A1T, A2B, A3B Billets n cut into two ALB, A2T, A3T AIT A2B A3B ALY A2Y A3yY T, A2B, A3B A1B, A2T A3T Rolled to 2% down to 15@ in. sq. and examined Cut into two ind examined A2B, A3B 1 down to Small billets 4 Im. sq A1B, A2T, A3T All rolled to ALY, A2Y, A3Y 11%, in. round ( ogged down to 7% mm. 58q A1Bzr, A2T | A3T a AlY, A2Y, A3Y Rolled down to All tilted to 1% in. round 1% in. sq Examined Examined Annealed for machining and ground iled for machining and ground made from the above hardened and put into servics Ingot A4 Cast Annealed Examined Fractured Forged to 8% in. sq Examined Cut into two pieces A4T - A4B down to 1% in. sq Examined Rolled to 2% in Sq Examined ted to 1% in. sq Rolled to 1% in. round Examined Annealed Machined Made into tools Hardened Casting Data er dead melting the metal from several pots was re rred into a ladle, from which it was teemed 703 directly into the mold (top east). The temperatures are, however, comparative. The annealing was carried out in a gas-fired furnace. Table 1 gives an average of the casting data. seonneesnceen orn s seneeipervense :ronenens eter meses 1 988: Table | iverage of Casting Data Size of ingot, 6 ir 3q Weigh i) cw Time of casting. 18 se 0.6 ton per mir Type of ingot good Temperatures Stripped Annealed Max In Pots, . Ladle, Time Temp Time Tem Deg. C Deg. C Min Deg. C Hrs Deg. C 1420 1330 30 650 48 S00 The conclusions to be drawn from photomicrographs taken from the cast ingots after being annealed are as follows: On the extreme edge excessive carbide segre- gations occur. Nearer in than this, a fine structure persists, while in the center of the ingot the usual coarse-grained structure with the thick walls of carbide s prevalent Cogging Down the Ingot to 3'-in. Sq. Billet The ingot after casting and annealing was cogged down to 3% in. sq. under a 30-cwt. hammer and about 10 per cent of the head cropped off. Previous to the actual working of the metal the ingots were, before finally heating up for the forging operation, preheated in a gas furnace, being allowed about twenty-four hours to attain a temperature of about 820 deg. C.; they were then immediately transferred, without cool- ing, to a coal-fired reheating furnace, where, after a period of four to five hours, they attained a temperature of about 1170 deg. C. The time taken in forging varied between very small limits, and on an average was about 4% min. The final temperature after all work was done was approximately 1000 deg. C. After this, as after every other operation, the billet was examined and any cracks apparent were gouged out by means of steel gouges. Cogging Down from 3% In. to 1% In. After cutting into two the 3%-in. square billets, they were aired under the fire-bars and finally charged into a coal-fired furnace. After forging one end the other end was charged into the furnace, followed, of course, yy a similar forging. All the forgings followed through were exceedingly good. Forging was carried out under a 1-ton hammer. It must be remarked in passing that the term “over- heating” is merely used to describe large grain size. Table 2 Cogging from 3% Ir Sq. to 1% In Sq Average Forging Ist End Forging 2d End Time, First Temp., Last Temp., Time, First Temp., Last Temp., Min Deg. C Deg. C Min., Deg. C Deg. C 2 1160 1100 1% 1140 1100 Rolling from 3! In. to 24% In. Square In all the rolling operations the bars were heated in a coal-fired furnace, being taken out of the furnace at a temperature of approximately 1100 deg. C. The total time taken for rolling was generally less than a minute, about ten passes being carried through in this time. The final temperature after the last pass was in the vicinity of 1050 deg. C. Microstructures showed the effect upon the carbide envelopes of this reduction. It was seen that whereas they lack the absolute straightness in direction of the 15g-in. and 1%-in. square and round billets, the extreme curvature existing in the 3%-in. square billets is absent from these, while near to the surface the carbide en- velopes are almost entirely broken up. A reduction from 6 in. square to 2% in. square may oe eee inet ee rename cent ee ee ee ~ ee ta a: 5 i ate ieee ‘ ome ener - 704 be looked upon as a critical reduction, a reduction less than this being insufficient to entirely elongate and break up the carbide envelopes, while a greater reduc- tion will bring this about. After the last operation the bars are either rolled or tilted to 1% in. round or square. As to whether the work has been carried out through the rolls or upon the hammer appears to make little or no difference to the microstructure. The net effect of any reduction, however performed, being to elongate and eventually break up the carbide envelopes. - After reducing the diameter to 1% in. the bars are subjected to an annealing treatment, which consists of simply heating the bars up to a temperature of 900 Fig. 1 Fig. 1 Improperly Hardened Steel, Temperature Not perature 1300 deg. C. Fig. 3.—Overheated in hardening, 1310 deg. C Fig Steel hardened at 1340 deg. C. tions Fig. 4 deg. C., keeping that heat for sufficient time to soak, slowly cooling to 700 deg. C., and then allowing the bars to cool on the floor. After this treatment they are perfectly soft and machinable; they are then cut to length, and either machined or forged according to the type of tool to be made. The old practice was to heat up to 800 deg. C. in 24 hr., then damp the furnace off from 3 to 6 hr., and finally the bars were allowed to cool down during the next 36 or more hours. It is thus seen that an annealing which required about three whole days to complete has now been replaced by one which re- tthe ooenneenee Table Rolling from 15 ,-In. Sq. to 1%-In. Sq. First end Time Second end Forging to heat Forging First Last from First Last Time tem) temp cold Time temp. temp Min Deg. C Deg. C. Min Min. Deg. C. Deg. C. 1% 1100 900 11 2 1110 790 2! 1110 790 15% 3% 1140 810 2 1100 S70 13 2u, 1110 850 1% 1060 875 15 11, 1050 850 quires at the most only 6 to 12 hr. The advantage, moreover, of this process of annealing is that it differs from the old one in so much as it refines the structure of the steel, a temperature of 900 deg. C. being above the critical point on heating; it is not therefore, as in other cases, merely a temper annealing. During the annealing of the ingot by the old method the cast structure was in no way refined. All that the annealing does is to bring about decomposition of the individual grains, leaving the high crystalline weakness still present in the ingot, whereas, if the ingot were taken above the critical point, breaking down of this THE IRON Fig Fig AGE September 11, 19 cast structure would result, and apart from the sistence of the carbide envelopes, perfect refinen would be brought about. The forged bars are anne similarly. After an annealing of this character the bars shaped first under the hammer, one heat being ployed for the purpose, the bars being heated ; slowly on the top of a smith’s fire, and afterward in the hottest part and raised to a temperatur: about 1050 or 1100 deg. C. within three minutes. heavy work is finished when the bar has cooled to deg. C., after which it is inserted in the smith’s and receives the second and third light shapings o; anvil. This shaping applies only to lathe tools, 2 Fig. 3 High Enough. Fig. 2.—Ideal hardened condition, tem temperature 1305 deg. C. Fig. 4.—Steel hardened at Fig. 6.—Steel hardened at 1350 deg. C. All magnifica 200 diameters reduced by one-third. tools as milling cutters, twist drills, etc., being machined directly after annealing. Hardening High-Speed Steel Lathe tools are hardened by the usual method of gradually bringing the tool up to a medium red heat and then putting it into the hottest part of a muffle fur- nace and allowing the nose to attain a temperature between 1290 and 1300 deg. C.; after this the tool is quickly withdrawn from the furnace and cooled off in the air-blast or in oil, as the case may be. In the actual hardening temperatures determined, the variations from the ideal were but slight in tne tools followed through; the minimum temperature was 1290 deg. C. and the maximum temperature 1330 deg. C., whereas in the case of hardening large drills a mini- mum of 1240 deg. C. and a maximum of 1290 deg. C. were observed. The time taken in heating up for hardening was also found to vary but little in each case, the shortest pos- sible time consistent with adequate soaking being employed. The factors of time and temperature both work in the same direction. High temperature, by promoting greater molecular mobility, will promote excessive gral! growth, while prolonging the time of heating acts 1” the same direction. Although high temperature may promote greater solution of the free carbide this means should not be used for that purpose, as the result would be large grain growth, whereas even at the high tem- perature of hardening it was found that massive car bide, if it existed in the tool previous to this operation, was only with difficulty even partially got into solution. As an illustration of the enormous effect of slight ber 11, 1919 THE IRON AGE 705 Table 4 Rolling from 2\%-In.8 7. down to 1 %4-In. Round — Rolling ig Out . ; Average Time Average Temp lace Total Time No. of Passes Per Pass First Pass Temp zast Pass Ten Drop per Pass ( Secs Sex Deg. C Deg. Deg. ¢ 36 18 7 Missed oth pass $30 13 101 7y 18 { Missed 2d pass Missed 16th pas 6.¢ 1040 945 nT 110 18 t Missed 2d pass Missed 17th pas i¢ 1090 SS ' 5 o Missed 2d pass $9 € 110% hardening high-speed steels Figs. 1 to 6 erly hardened were take The results of these are luced, showing various structures. Fig. 1 given below: mproperly hardened steel, the temperature atetieiitiaiatil - een high enough. Fig. 2 is a steel in the To I Depth of pel Time to dened condition; this was hardened at 1300 deg. No 8! Loa ut — are ewe is a steel overheated in hardening. Note the 1 Si the size of grain. This was hardened at 7 : 5 C. Fig. 4 is of a steel hardened at 1310 7 5 . ne r) of sey oY tne cuttings teste was not an- ind shows the almost complete absence of free ¥ let used for the ct & vies — nd how its liquefaction has caused it to re- it the grain boundaries with a characteristic icture. Fig. 5 shows a steel hardened at i) deg. C. which has become slightly “crozzled.” )WS a specimen completely “crozzled” at 1350 g from 2\&-In. Square to 1%4-In. Square ilverage Results g First End Forging Second E Forging First Last Time Forging First Last Time Temp. Temp. to Heat Time Temp. Temp Min Deg.C, Deg.C Min Min Deg.C. Deg.C 31 LOSO 750 22 2% LOS0 R30 \ll temperatures are actual observations without ‘rections. It is seen from this that at observed tem- ratures above 1305 deg.