The Iron Age 1919-12-11: Vol 104 Iss 24

77 ” MiG, LY GYM LD OPBLOIKIAME I . AAI: wf Md iin soviet, pt i law born om New York, December !1, 1919 VOL. 104: No. 24 Oa mee Sipe c3GP 93: CA OR Eats Za Burning Pulverized Coal in a Sheet Mill Installation at the Newport Rolling Mills Replacing Natural Gas Fuel— Coal Milling coal in bulk through 4 in. diameter standard wrought pipes for varying dis- tances totaling over 2500 ft. for delivery to dust-tight fuel bins located at furnaces and automatically re- cording at the point of sending, the amount of fuel transported to each furnace bin for’ the sake of fuel records on individual furnace operation, are the out- standing mechanical features of the com- pressed air transport system installed at the Pr ccal ia be NG pulverized Plant—F uel Reeords plant of the Ky. The plant is located on the Licking River near its Junction with the Ohio River opposite Cincin- nati, and produces black and galvanized sheets, blue annealed sheets, tank plate, corrugated sheets, metal shingles, roofing and siding. The mill is one of many which was obliged to return to coal as fuel on account of failure of the natural gas supply dur- ing the past three years. To meet the emergency, hand-firing methods were employed and some fur- naces equipped with mechanical stokers.. Pulver- ized coal equipment, installed by the Quigley Furnace Specialties Co., 26 Cortlandt Street, New York, is now superseding all former firing meth- ods as rapidly as the necessary changes can be made, new equipment installed and the furnaces rebuilt. There are 15 sheet mills now in operation rolling Newport Rolling Mill Co., Newport, Powdered Coal System Supplying a Slab Furnace. Cyclone separator and bin with feed controll ers are shown in center 1167 1168 THE IRON AGE December 11, 11! p, i p/ - c e / Gi POWDERED COAL TRANSPORT LINES TO remarry dip Bl (21, A 00 ci ?* ner "iP ) 7 DIPSSU pee . oe * 77 per init, AN: POOSSUE COAL MILLING FURNACES AT PLANT OF NEWPORT Secondary A 7 Blower, 30.000 PLANT. { ROLLING MILL CO., NEWPORT, KY. cu. ft perimn 302 pressure ‘ae a Se ™ ——— = — —_——- ——— 8-ton Powcered ea a 6-1on Poudered Coal Bin Coal bins, SPA! V2 SEEN ep vo sHeer mic 44 Cpl Cyclone Separators ANNEALING | OWIETC Gin bins FURNACES || \Coq/ Transport 6-Ton Powdered Coal, 42h Lines — p £On4-2" (nba! \Senaratyr Seo FD Moe fa sy CONTINOOUS .-Piyt oe, PAIR FURNACE r J SLA A cpunensinaniatinan aeeencmennasssnnenaesanssenssns hance arene pepe — SHEET FURKACE ,’ by meet N27 Pla te Blowe ‘ \ ee J een pup CONTINUOUS SHEET Secondary Ayr GALVAN/ZING POT FURNACES ee PMACES AND PAIR FURNACE} VI 1, $4 AA 2LhaAy 4 7. 5 . s carvanrrine Vgetreaeseae 886 8 | (427 Plate Blower, Secondary Laer ae aut owen Ds sie oe Be oo, ~~ ] Ar L4bcu.tt per min at PATENTED FURNACE N23 Centri fuga: Blower } 2-ton Powdered al tins >. \\F202. pressure eae —_ ‘ 579 Cyclone Separators far 7 ie Centrifugal Blower, Primary Air fi Mi hd Fk: k J |600cu.# at W002. pressure sheets from 16 gage to 34 gage. The furnace’ annealing furnaces to take the place of an equal equipment for three mills consists of 10 combina- tion sheet and pair furnaces, three continuous pair furnaces with adjacent sheet furnaces, and two slab furnaces for heavier sheets, all of these operat- ing on powdered coal. There are five additional sheet mills under con- struction together with necessary powdered coal fired furnaces which it is expected will be in opera tion this fall. The first furnace using powdered coal was fired in November, 1918, and since that time the others have been added as fast as the furnaces could be remodeled for the powdered coal equipment. Present plans call for a total of 20 mills served by 23 furnaces. The original plans called for eight double-box, double-chamber pulverized-coal fired Primary and Secondary Air Lines Are Shown Leading to At rear is caged ladder giving number of hand and stoker-fired furnaces. This number has been reduced to six as a result of the performance of the two which have been operating with powdered coal, the output of the sheets treated having greatly exceeded expectations. Two have been in operation for nearly one year. Two more are about completed, and two are under construc- tion. Based on investigation and compilation of data on output of hand-fired, stoker-fired and powdered- coal fired annealing furnaces in this plant, it is stated that the six furnaces of the type adopted using powdered coal will handle a tonnage which would have required eight stoker-fired furnaces of the same size. The galvanized department has eight pots, all Burner at Left of This Combination Sheet and Pair Furnace safe access to parts overhead December 11, 1919 /0-fon Powdered Coal Bin “IFt Cyclone COSTELLO Posy /URNACE i leith tae | A { ey Ed Fi be fit 66 tiles J 2AlLIS__| | (/070n Powde PATENTED ' PUR PURMACES on Powdered PURMACES Coal Bin 4-2" : lg clone 6-ton /owdlered Coal Bins 4°2 Cyclone N°7 Blower, $2condar) N23 bentr tugal Pressu Air M00 cu. tf, min -A- Bowes Primaty An wee at 3hoz. pressure cu ft per mn at oz press. of which are supplied from four fuel bins loeated midway between each couple. Two have been operating with pulverized coal and the remainder are about completed and ready for substituting pul- verized coal for the hand-fired method. One Costello continuous sheet annealing furnace equipped for pulverized coal burning is about ready for operation. The coal milling plant is housed in a structural steel building covered with corrugated iron adjoin- ing the power plant on the west side of the main building. It may be seen in the foreground of the general view of the plant, the three high stacks being those of the power plant. The rail- road siding for delivery of coal runs through the main building to the milling plant. From the steel track hopper a steel apron conveyor with THE IRON AGE 1169 Powdered Coal Storage Bin with Wheel and Chain Control for Regulating Firing of Galvanizing Furnaces beaded flights removes the coal from the track hop- per, carrying it up on an angle and discharging it into a 24-in. x 24-in. single-roll coal crusher, the discharge from which empties into the boot of a crushed coal elevator of the totally enclosed type with steel leg and single strand chain with malle- able iron buckets which has a capacity of 50 tons per hr. Powdered Coal Main to An nealing Furnaces Along Wall Inside, Seen Beneath Eaves, with Switch Line to Separa- tor Supply lines and con- trollers at the annealing fur shown in oval naces are 1170 ber emesecamneen= ae Acie EE Air and Fuel Lines to Burners at the Charging End of Continuous Pair Furnaces. Line, Provide Facility and Fuel Line at Junction The crushed coal then passes over a totally enclosed belt conveyor to a magnetic pulley, for separating tramp iron, the coal being carried from it by a 14-in. screw conveyor equipped with rack and pinion operated gates for distributing the coal to a 100-ton enclosed storage bin of steel plate construction supported by steel columns. A rack and pinion operated grate at the bottom of this bin allows passage of coal to a reciprocating feeder driven by the same motor which operates the rotary dryer. The dryer is of the semi-indirect type with a capacity of 15 tons per hr. It is equipped with an exhaust fan which induces prod- ucts of combustion from the firebox to pass through the coal which is being dried. The products of combustion are discharged into a large dust cham- ber equipped with baffles to remove any floating dust entrained from the drying coal. Dried coal ie r et a | > a oe ps Compressor Room Equipment and Air Storage Tank Supplying Pressure for Transport Lines THE IRON AGE with Secondary December 11, 1919 Peep Holes, Just Beneath Primary Air for Gaging Combustion is discharged into a screw conveyor which in turn feeds it to a bucket elevator of the totally enclosed steel leg type having a capacity of 30 tons per hr. From the head of the elevator the coal is trans- ported by a 12-in. screw conveyor from which it is diverted by rack and pinion operated gates to any or all of the steel plate dried coal bins, which are supported by steel frame work. From here the coal passes to any or all of the three lowside five-roller Raymond pulverizing mills of the air separation type. The coal is removed from the mills by exhaust fans and is separated from the air which conveys it by passing through cyclone separators located in the monitor of the building. A 12-in. screw conveyor collects the coal from these separators and discharges it through chutes into the 10-ton pulverized coal bin located directly above the two 5-ton blowing tanks. Each blowing tank is capable of receiving 5 tons of powdered coal at one charge. Suit- able control gates operated from the floor are provided to control the amount of coal supplied for the dis- tributing cycle. An accurate weighing device is provided for determining the amount of fuel in the blowing tank at all times, and gives the operator a check on the amount distributed to various furnace bins throughout the mill. The air for transporting the coal is derived from a motor driven 12 x 7 in. x 10 in. two-stage air com- pressor equipped with feather type valve. Suitable means are provided for drying the air before use and the necessary receiver for storing the compressed air is located adja cent to the compressor. The motors for the equipment in the milling plant are operated by remote push button control with au- December 11, 1919 tomatic compensators, the push but- tons being located at points conveni- ent to the operator. The motors range from 85 hp. for operating the pulverizers down to 5 hp. for operat- ing some of the smaller equipment. Platforms, stairways and ladders with guards and rails are provided to give easy and safe access to all parts of the equipment. There are four fuel transport lines, two leading from each of the blowing tanks. These lines are of 4- in. standard weight wrought pipe. One supplies fuel to bins for anneal- ing furnaces, one leads to the bins supplying the eight galvanizing pots, one supplies the entire group of fur- nace bins for sheet and pair furnaces and one leads to the Costello fur- nace. The longest line is that sup- plying the sheet and pair furnaces, the farthest furnace being located approximately 1000 ft. from the mill- = gouna Floor ing plant. and Switching valves of special design for diverting the fuel from the transport lines through collectors to the furnace bins, are located along the transport lines adjacent to the bins. These are of the double ported.type and are operated from the floor by hand chains. There is one bin for each group of sheet and pair furnaces, one for each annealing furnace, and one for each pair of galvanizing pots. A fuel bin gage with indicator conveniently located enables the furnace operator to determine at any time the amount of fuel available in the bin. When more fuel is required the operator at the milling plant is notified, the switching valve set for delivery to the bin and the desired amount of fuel blown through the transport line, the milling plant op- erator recording the amount sent. This provides opportunity for making a record of fuel consump- THE IRON AGE 1171 of Milling Plant Equipped with Three Raymond Pulverizers Powdered Coal Storage Tank at Extreme Right tion for the furnace or group of furnaces sup- plied from the bin. After the required amount has been delivered the valve is again reset to the line so that fuel can be sent to the other bins. To the bottom of each bin is attached one or more dust-tight shut-off gates. These gates are of heavy construction enclosed in a cast-iron body and are operated by hand chains from the floor. The controller body consists of a substantial cast-iron box and discharge head, housing a feed screw which is geared to a small shaft driven at constant speed. Two shutters within the controller close over the feed screw making an adjustable opening for regulating fuel fed to the burner. These shutters can be adjusted for any range of control between its minimum and maximum ¢a- pacity. In operation, the regulation is similar to Row of 16 Sheet and’ Pair Furnaces, the Small Pips. ah Coal and Air at 10 Oz.; the Larger Pipe, rat 3% Oz. : 1172 THE IRON AGE December 11, 191! The discharge head of the controller showe) the fuel into the ejector where it is earried alon; by the primary air system to the nozzle of th burner, entering the burner at the back of the elbow, or through the side of the burner where space limitations have necessitated this. The installation operates on a primary and se ondary air system. The former small in volume, at less than 6 oz. per sq. in. pressure, draws th fuel from the discharge head of the controller and carries it to the burner where the secondary or combustion air in the larger volume at less than ly OZ. per sq. in. pressure is added. The secondary air, which amounts to over 85 per cent of the total volume required for combus- tion, is controlled by the operator to produce the character of flame desired. Either an oxidizing or reducing flame condition can be secured at will. The nature of the flame can be readily observed through a peep hole in the elbow of the burner. Motor-driven centrifugal blowers suitably lo- ished Coal Introduced into Rotary Dryer by Recipro- ating Feeder, Located Beside Large Exhauster Pipe, Is Dehydrated by Crushed Coal Fuel from the Same Source Supplied Through Bifurcated Chute and Fired by Blower opening or closing of a valve, by merely turning a hand wheel, so that the operator quickly becomes proficient in its adjustment. Any number of con- trollers can be driven in multiple from a constant speed motor by connecting shafts or countershaft. Storage Bin and Pipe Lines to Two Combination Sheet and Pair Furnaces Long chain at left center controls switch valve to charge storage bin. Short chains ben ith bin regulate shutter valves controlling feed to furnaces cated throughout the mill provide the necessary primary and secondary air for all departments. The burners are of special design constructed so as to deliver the full volume of uniformly dis tributed air at the tip of the burner. The following figures have been submitted as average production data attained at the plant: On the slab heating furnaces, maximum fuel consumption of 180 lb. of coal per ton of product, though it is stated that considerably less than this amount per ton may be taken as the average run. On the sheet and pair furnaces, fuel consump tion covering long periods has not exceeded 275 lb. of powdered coal per ton of sheets produced. On the annealing furnaces, fuel consumption using powdered coal is reported well under 170 |b of coal per ton of sheets annealed. On the galvanizing pots, fuel consumption be- low 110 lb. per ton on the average and considerably Blowing Powdered Coal from a Main Storage Tank to less than this average for favorable weight sheets. ] Bins at the Furnaces. The fuel is automatically weighed A Pioneer in the Manufacture of Wire The Passing of William E. Rice Recalls Important Steps in the Development of American Rod Mill Practice—An Early English Contribution ILLIAM E. RICE, Worcester, Mass., president of the Washburn & Moen Mfg. Co. and president and practically sole owner of the Worcester Wire Co. until their absorption in the American Steel & Wire Co., died Dec. 2, aged 86 years. A native of Ware, Mass., Mr. Rice at the age of 18 entered the counting room of Ichabod Washburn & Co., Worcester, then the largest American manufacturer of iron wires. \fter seven years of training the young man formed a partnership with Dorrance S. Goddard (father of Harry W. Goddard, now chairman of the board of directors of the Clinton-Wright Wire Co.), the firm name being William E. Rice & Co., and established a factory in Holyoke, Mass. This business was absorbed by Ichabod Washburn & Moen Wire Works and Mr. Rice was made a director and an executive officer. He was also affil- iated with the Quinsigamond plant (now the South works of the American Steel & Wire Co.) then build- ing, under the name of Charles Washburn & Son, and this firm and Waghburn & Moen were merged in the Washburn & Moen Mfg. Co., Mr. Rice being made treas- urer. A new manufacturing site was purchased and a substantial mill and power plant were erected. In this plant was introduced continuous rod-rolling, smaller gage and longer rods being produced than elsewhere in the country. Mr. Rice visited England in 1867, and the rod-rolling system was the result of this trip. A few years later he revisited England and extended his trip to Sweden. By arrangements then made he became the first in this country to import directly Swedish rolled iron and steel. Rod Mill Practice in the ’Sixties Interesting facts concerning the rod mill practice of that time are contained in a historical sketch pre- pared in 1911 by A. G. Warren, Worcester, Mass., as the result of interviews with Mr. Rice, with the purpose of preserving in the archives of the American Steel & Wire Co.’s famous industrial museum at Worcester the story of wire manufacture at that important center. The high grade billets used at Worcester in the eighteen- sixties were about 1% in. square, hammered 8 to 12 ft. n length. They were purchased from iron merchants who imported them from Sweden, and rolled to wire rods at rolling mills in South Boston or elsewhere in New England, or else they were a low grade made at Quinsigamond out of wrought iron scrap. Billets were produced at the Quinsigamond works in the following way: Scrap iron bought from railroad ‘ompanies, machinists, blacksmiths and dealers in New England and New York State and Canada was cut by power shears into small pieces and piled about 8 in. high on thin boards about 8 in. wide and 18 in. in length. By means of a long handled flat shovel the piles were deposited in hot furnaces and brought to a welding heat. Upon withdrawal the pieces of loosely welded iron were passed immediately through rolls with- ut being hammered, for the mill did not then possess suitable hammer. This pile of partly welded iron was reduced by repeated passes between the rolls to a billet about 1% in. square, which after being trimmed at both ends was reheated in a different furnace and rolled into a No. 4 wire rod. This weighed, after clip- ping its ends, 20 to 30 lb. and was coiled on a hand reel. if the scrap was exceptionally clean a good billet was produced; but frequently the rods from these billets ex- \ibited an undesirable looseness of structure, and many of the billets failed in the rolling and went to swell the scrap heap from which other billets would later be pro- luced. The average production of billets was about 10 tons, and of wire rods about 15 tons for 24 hours of day and night turns, some rods being rolled from Swedish iron. The increasing demand for wire in long lengths for the rapidly expanding telegraph service of the country and also for other uses could not be met with wire rods of 30 to 40 lb. weight, and American producers of wire were confronted with a serious problem. Ichabod Wash- burn, ever alert, discovered that England had solved the difficulty. At the works of Richard Johnson & Nephew in Manchester the manager, George Bedson, had in- vented, patented and built a continuous rolling mill which, together with a Siemens gas furnace, formed an equipment for rolling billets weighing from 75 lb. to 150 lb. into No. 5 rods. This was a great step in ad- vance and the installation of such a mill in Worcester was to Mr. Washburn’s mind the one thing to be de- sired. Accordingly, when in the summer of 1867 Mr. Rice with his family took a European trip, he was com- missioned by Mr. Washburn to investigate the perform- ance of the continuous mill and report upon the advisa- bility of purchasing a Bedson mill and Siemens furnace. This Mr. Rice did. His report was dated at Manchester, July 15, 1867. The following are extracts from it: The Bedson Mill in England I have had the pleasure of making Mr. Bedson’s ac- quaintance and seeing in operation his patent mill which rolls No. 3 wire rods from 1%-in. sq billets in pieces of about 75 Ib. weight , The mill, he says, works regularly night and day, turning off on an average 12 tons to a turn (24 tons per day) of beautiful rods. The rods when they leave the finishing rolls are a lighter red than those we roll at Quinsigamond. The mill is certainly a perfect success as far as No. 3 rods go. Mr. Bedson says it will roll to No. 5, but it is at work on No. 3 because they have a large order for bridge wire and the contract stipulates that it shall be drawn three holes and No. 3 is the size rod required This is the only mill that has been put to work, although a second mill is completed, with engine and Siemen’'s heat- ing furnace, for rolling from 1%-in. billets to No. 3 rods in 150-lb. pieces This mill has not been put to work, as the first mill rolls all the rods their business requires, but it is for use in case the first gives out or if business improves so as to require the product of both It is on precisely the same principle as the first mill, but is made stronger and more symmetrical, and has two more rolls for taking larger billets Neither of these mills is for sale, being put down by Messrs. Johnson for their own use Arrangement of Mill and Furnace These are the only mills constructed for rolling from billet to rod The rolls are all of the same size, viz.: 8 in. dia., and about 6 in. face, with one groove only, which is in the center of face of each roll They are of chilled iron shrunk on to wrought iron spindles Mr. Bedson says a set will roll about 490 tons of rods, when a new set is put on and the old rolls are all dressed to a uniform size and used again It is not necessary they should be just 8 in dia., but it necessary the set should all be of the same diameter The machine is placed so that the first pair of rolls, which makes about 15 turns per minute, are 12 in. from the furnace door. The billets are about 18 ft. long, the furnaces being 22 ft. long outside The billets are charged at the end opposite to the end where they are rolled; about eight are in the furnace at a time, one being put in as fast as one is rolled. The gas enters through apertures at one side of the furnace and the draught is through similar apertures on the opposite side. The furnace, mill and engine, taken as a whole, form the nicest arrangement for rolling wire rods that it seems possible to devise Rolling Smaller Rods As to rolling to No. 8, no progress has been made with that for a number of months. Experiments have all been with a machine or mill consisting of six pairs of 8-in. rolls driven by two diagonal engines of diminutive proportions, which are attached to and form a part of the machine. This machine is placed about 20 ft. in front of a rod mill like our 1173 ; . / | . | a mee ad eens ape enti aww - 1174 THE IRON AGE Quinsigamond rod mill. The billet is rolled in the rod mill to the small square, which is about %4 in. The end of the square rod next the small machine is quickly picked up by a sticker-in stationed there and started through a series of six pairs of rolls, the first of which has a diamond groove. It is the only machine by which Mr. Bedson has attempted to roll smaller than No. 5. He did roll No. 5, he says, on his first mill, viz., the one which was changed to No. 3 rods and is now in operation, and subsequent attempts have been made to roll to No. 8, but at the trials difficulties were de- veloped which have not yet been overcome. He, however, says the principle of the machine is right, and he is sanguine that when he has time to give it he will surmount every obstacle and make it work perfectly in roll- ing to No. 8. It is quite evident that by the Siemens mode of heating and the Bedson mode of rolling, billets can be converted into No. 3, and I doubt not into No. 5 wire rods for less money and in longer lengths than by our present mode. The rods must be quite as hot, too, when finished as we can get them out. Bedson saves in waste by his mode of heating, in oxi- dation while the billet is being rolled, and in getting off a greater production than we at the same expense for labor. Mr. Bedson admits that billets can be heated in a gas furnace and thrown to the rolls and a saving of iron made in the heating, but we should then, of course, lose the same in oxidation while being rolled as we now do. He judges the saving he makes in waste may be one-half in the fur- nace and one-half in the rolls. Long Billets Needed The great advantage claimed for the mill is its ability to roll long lengths, which are especially valuable for bridge, rope and telegraph purposes, which constitute a large portion of Messrs, R. Johnson & Nephew’s business. They manufac- ture large billets for the purpose of making long rods, the first mill being for billets 18 ft. long, 1% in. sq., and the new mill for the 1% in. sq. Now, we make no billets suit- able for rope, telegraph or bridge wire, nor do we know where we can procure them of a good quality and of the right size. If we were making good puddle billets or cheap charcoal billets, the mill would be as valuable to us as to them, but in our present situation it is not. No such thing is known in England as rolling scrap iron into wire rods without hammering. Mr. Bedson works piled iron, but it is all hammered, and he says there would be no difficulty in rolling sound billets in his mill If our billets are not sound, we would not obtain as good a result as he does. I have not practical knowledge to decide whether scrap billets as we make them could be rolled advantageously in his mill or not. I think, however, they can be, at least if we hammer them, which we ought to do at any rate, but to make 75-lb. pieces, we should need 1%-in. sq. billets. Mr. Bedson’s price is £2000 sterling for a mill and engine complete for bolting down to foundation and suitable for roll- ing 1%-in. sq. or 1%-in. sq., as we might elect, to No. 5 wire rods. It would be delivered free in Liverpool, but packing ‘would be extra. * * * It would cost in England to construct a gas furnace about £1000, he says. Difficulties in Worcester Practice An order was placed in England in 1868 for the con- struction of a Bedson continuous mill, and it was in- stalled at Worcester and put in operation in 1869. But the billets made at Quinsigamond from scrap iron were for the most part unfitted to be rolled in a continuous mill. Mr. Rice had feared this and had so expressed himself in his report. The difficulties encountered as time went on were so great that the further operation of the Bedson mill was endangered. This led to Mr. Rice’s trip to Sweden, referred to above, and the be- ginning of the shipment to the United States of the softer grades of Swedish steel, as well as of iron, in the form of long billets, making it possible to operate the Siemens furnace and the Bedson continuous rolling mill. A Good Sized Royalty An investigation looking to the patenting in America of Mr. Bedson’s rolling mill had revealed the fact that substantially the same invention had been previously patented in the United States by Joseph S. Levy (1854) and Henry B. Comer (1859). It was, therefore, neces- sary to purchase the Comer and Levy interests before installing a Bedson mill. The patent was purchased by Ichabod Washburn and later Comer was engaged to go to Worcester and operate the Bedson mill. The ar- rangement under which the Bedson mill was installed at Worcester provided that Ichabod Washburn and Mr. Bedson were to receive as royalty $1 per ton in gold December 11, 1919 for No. 5% rods and coarser and $3 per ton in gold for finer sizes. In 1877 Mr. Rice established the Worcester Wir Co. and upon the death of Philip L. Moen returned +, Washburn & Moen and remained as president until th: business was sold to the American Steel & Wire Co. ; 1899, when he retired. Mr. Rice leaves a widow, ; daughter, Mrs. Christine Gillett, wife of Speaker Fred erick H. Gillett of the National House of Representa tives, and a son, Albert W. Rice, a Boston attorney His two granddaughters, Miss Frances H. and Miss Louisa R. Hoar, Mrs. Gillett’s children, are grand- daughters of the late United States Senator George F. Hoar of Massachusetts. Seattle’s “American Plan of Employment” “The American plan of employment,” another name for the “open shop,” as promoted by the Associated Industries of Seattle, Wash., has attracted universal attention along the Pacific Coast. It has resulted from the general strike in February which paralyzed the principal industries of that city and threatened the city’s economic destruction and the subsequent formation of the Associated Industries of Seattle to fight the radicals in industry who were striving to wrest control from their employers. At first the Associated Industries gave the unions a chance to “clean house” and expel their radicals, but when the unions failed to do this, the organization de- manded and obtained purely open shops. Co-operation was received from the Chamber of Commerce, the Rotary Club, the ‘Kiwanis Club and all other civic and com- mercial organizations of the city. Advertisements were published in the leading dailies which influenced public opinion. The movement is not against unionism, but against the domination of unionism and industry by un- American radicals. The unions have now lost control in rapid succession of the building industry, the job print- ing industry, the merchant tailors, the dyers and cleaners, the jewelers, the shoe repair shops and the master pile drivers. Public sentiment is now strongly in favor of the open shop. San Francisco, Portland, Spokane and Tacoma have organized “Associated In- dustries” on the Seattle plan. British-American Reciprocal Advertising Service The advertising advisory committee of the American Chamber of Commerce, 8 Waterloo Place, London, S. W. 1, England, is developing a British-American reciprocity advertising information service, to supply exporters in either country with general information as to the marketing of their goods, the existing or potential demand, competition, etc., in the other country. At the moment, the committee is laying the greater stress on the development of British trade in America, because of the menace that the present row rate of sterling exchange holds for the immediate future of the American export trade. Co-operation is already pledged by the American Manufacturers’ Export As- sociation; the Associated Business Papers, Inc., New York; the American Newspaper Publishers’ Associa- tion, New York; the American Association of Adver- tising Agencies, Cleveland; the Associated Advertis- ing Clubs of the World, Indianapolis; the Periodical Publishers’ Association; and the following leading British organizations have already signified their in- terest: the Federation of British Industries (Industrial Publicity Service); the National Union of Manufac- turers; the Association of British Advertising Agents, and the London Chamber of Commerce. Two sections of 2-in. extra heavy steel pipe were recently thermit welded by the Metal & Thermit Cor- poration, 120 Broadway, New York, for the Carnegie Steel Co., Clairton, Pa. Under pulling tests the first pipe broke 4 in. from the weld at 113,800 lb. and the second pipe broke 45% in. from the weld at 124,100 1b. Frank B. Gilbreth, consulting management engineer, Providence, has moved the offices of Frank B. Gilbretb, Inc., to 68 Eagle Rockway, Montclair, N. J. Annual Convention of Mechanical Engineers Elect Officers and Confer Honorary Member- ship on French Engineers—Sessions on Ma- chine Design, Machine Shop and Gas Power annual meeting of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, held Dec. 2 to 5, in New York, was evidenced by the large attendance which was 300 more than last year. This was to be forecast by the subjects and excellence of the papers presented, the well-balanced program and the numerous social] features prepared. The opening session was held Tuesday evening, and was fol- lowed by a reception by the mem- bers to the president, president- elect, ladies and guests. The three following days were devoted to a business meeting, simultaneous technical sessions, and a session on Thursday morning devoted to “The Industrial Situation in Relation to Present Conditions,” which is re- ported in a separate article in this issue. The members joined with other societies in a meeting on Wednesday evening to commemo- rate the eightieth anniversary of the beginning of Captain John Ericsson’s work in this country, and the thirtieth anniversary of the death of Captain Ericsson and of Cornelius H. DeLamater, founder of the DeLamater Iron Works, where Captain Ericsson’s most important work was executed. These exercises included addresses by Hon. Lewis Nixon, commis- sioner of public ‘works, Borough of Manhattan; Rear Admiral en lively interest was taken in the fortieth neering societies so that the various activities might be more efficiently co-ordinated. He also spoke in favor of the plan of affiliating with local engineering so- cieties, taking as an example the joint activity of the Cleveland Engineering Society and the American So- ciety of Mechanical Engineers. Following the address President Cooley introduced Fred J. Miller, member of the technical advisory committee of the war claims board, and announced his election as presi- dent of the society for the coming year. The other officers elected were announced as follows: John Robbins Allen, director of research bureau of the American Society of Heat- ing and Ventilating Engineers, Bureau of Mines, Pittsburgh, vice- president; Robert H. Fernald, University of Pennsylvania, Phil- adelphia, vice-president; Edward C. Jones, chief engineer Pacific Gas & Electric Co., San Francisco, vice- president; Alfred C. Fisher, man- ager and vice-president Wickes Boiler Co., Saginaw, Mich., man- ager; Dexter S. Kimball, Cornell University, Ithaca, N. Y., manager; Earl F. Scott, president and man- ager Earl F. Scott Co., Atlanta, Ga., manager, and William H. Wiley, president John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, treasurer. French Engineers Receive Honors A pleasing feature of the meet- Bradley A. Fiske and Hon. W. A. Fred J. Miller, the new president, was ing was the conferring of honorary F. Ekengren, Sweden’s minister at orm in Ohio, in 1857 tributor to mechanical journals and final- Washington. An illustrated his- He became a con- membership upon Charles de Fre- minville, consulting engineer Creu- : ‘ ly a member of the editoria] staff of the . torical review of the work per- peetege in cultorial staff of the sot Works, France, and the an- American Machinist, formed at the Phoenix Foundry ,,,, where he remained 20 years, the last nouncement of the election to 10 years as editor- and the DeLamater Iron Works, jn-chief and vice-president of the company. honorary membership of Auguste was given by H. F. J. Porter. After retiring from journalism, Mr. Mil- C. E. Rateau, chairman board of The lectures and annual reunion ler was for nine years general manager directors, Rateau, Battu & Smoot on Thursday evening registered a of a group of typewriter factories, and (Co., France. M. de Freminville arge attendance. A on the “Future of Aviation,” by Col. E. A. Deeds, Dayton, Ohio, chief of Equipment Division of Air nance in the U. §S lecture was then commissioned major of ord- Army, being stationed during most of his service at the Rock Island Arsenal, where was at the head of the Civilian Service first visited the United States in 1885, and on his return he was commissioned to design a new type he organized and : . . ee rs of railway car following the lines Service during the early develop- pjivision of the arsenal. Afterward he Of those used in the United States. ment of the air program of the was attached to the office of the director He perfected an original type of war, and a lecture on “Present De- of arsenals in Washington, being assigned car made almost entirely of steel velopment of the Military Air- to duty at the Bethlehem Steel Works, which was successfully adopted in plane,” by Col. Thurman H. Bane, #4 Was then attached to the office of the Eyrope. When he visited the ae ee ee Secretary of War. thief of Engineering Division of ©” tary of War \ir Service and commanding offi- er of McCook Field, proved of considerable interest. Col. Bane’s lecture was illustrated by slides ind moving pictures released by the War Department for this lecture for the first time. Excursions were taken to the Seventy-fourth Street plant of the Interborough Rapid Transit Co., where a modern telephone exchange switchboard was seen in peration; to the Equitable Building, where the power lant was inspected; to the Navy Yard in Brooklyn, ind to the Curtiss Aeroplane plant and flying field at Garden City. Presidential Address In the annual address, the president, M. E. Cooley, dean of the schools of engineering, University of Mich- gan, discussed the various problems of the society, and proposed a plan for federating the principal engi- He is now a member {jnited States again in 1898 he of the Technical Advisory Committee of the War Claims Board at Washington made an extensive study of the application of electric traction which he applied to the trains of the Orleans Railway. Again in 1913 he made a special study of the scientific organiz- ation of work-shops, and the principles which he stu- died here were applied to a large extent in France. Auguste C. E. Rateau is a pioneer investigator in the field of the steam turbine and the turbo-compressor, and has been especially active in the development of turbine propulsion of battleships. In connection with the world war, he became noted for his contributions to the study of ballistics and for inventions to increase the efficiency of aeroplanes. Business Meeting The technical session was preceded by the business meeting on Wednesday morning. The meeting was opened by President Mortimer E. Cooley, who presented 1175 ace OY Mate f } : ; ; - | v_ avr. a! ee) eee 1176 THE IRON AGE for discussion the proposed amendments to the Con- stitution which are to be finally balloted on on at the spring meeting. The meaning of the word “adopt” in the amendment “The society may approve or adapt any report, standard formula or recommended practice and may print the same in the transactions” evolved considerable discussion. The speakers were quite gen- erally in accord that the accepted meaning should in- clude the use of the standards by the members of the society. Further amplification of the wording was deferred, however, until such time as the by-laws are under consideration. The report of the committee on international stand- ards for pipe threads was received and further dis- cussion was had by the committee on the proposed boiler code for locomotives. The seven members to constitute a nominating com- mittee were elected as follows: H. P. Fairfield, Wor- cester; G. K. Parsons, New York; G. A. Weschler, Washington; E. H. Whitlock, Cleveland; G. W. Gal- braith, Cincinnati; C. B. Lord, St. Louis; R. Sibley, San Francisco. Alternates, W. W. Varney, Baltimore; H. K. Tyler, New York; S. W. Stratton, Washington; C. M. Spalding, Erie; H. M. Norris, Cincinnati; J. A. Hunter, Boulder, Colo.; E. O. Eastwood, Seattle. Memorials to Professors Hutton and Kent A memorial to Prof. Frederick R. Hutton that had been prepared by a special committee was read by Calvin R. Rice, secretary of the society. A large bronze tablet executed by Victor D. Brenner was un- veiled to commemorate Professor Hutton, who was secretary of the society from 1883 to 1906 and presi- dent in 1907. A memorial to William Kent, manager of the society from 1885 to 1888 and vice-president, 1888 to 1890, was read by Fred R. Low, chairman of the committee on the memorial. Fred J. Miller, presi- dent-elect, presented a report prepared by a committee in honor of more than 1400 members of the society who served in the war, many of whose names were read as having made the supreme sacrifice. Awards of junior and student prizes were an- nounced by President Walter Cooley, as follows: E. D. Walen, junior prize for paper, “Properties of Airplane Fabrics”; S. G. Hampton, student prize and C. F. Leah, junior prize for joint paper on “Experimental Investi- gation of Steel Belting; W. D. Helmick, student prize for a paper on “Experimental Investigation of Steel Belting.” Gas Power Session At the gas power session on Wednesday afternoon an interesting paper on “The Hvid Engine and Its Relation to the Fuel Problem” was presented by E. B. Blakely of Sears, Roebuck & Co., Chicago. This engine, it is claimed, has all the advantages and none of the disadvantages of the so-called Diesel type, and is being produced in units as small as 1% hp. The engine can be started cold and has no complicated air-compressor system. It is of conventional four-cycle type, embody- ing the usual inlet and exhaust valves, timed to open and close as in any four-cycle engine. The compres- sion pressure is carried to between 425 and 475 lb. per sq. in., which heats the compressed air to between 900 and 1000 deg. Fahr. In the cylinder head there is a fuel-admission valve terminating in a small steel cup, by means of which a preliminary explosion is made to force the fuel into the combustion space. The amount of fuel admitted is controlled by the metering pin, which in turn is controlled by the governor. As the fuel in an atomized and vaporous state comes into contact with the heated air in the combustion space, rapid combustion takes place; thus no hot ball or ad- mission device is necessary. In comparing the Hvid with the Diesel engines, Mr. Blakely explained that even should a Diesel engine be eventually designed for successful operation in units as small as 1% hp. he did not believe it could be made to compete in manu- facturing cost with the Hvid engine because of the latter’s simplified injector and ignition device. A paper, “Combustion of Heavier Fuels in Constant- Volume Engines and in Engines of the Super-Inductive Type,” was presented by Leon Cammen, associate editor Mechanical Engineering. He emphasized the fact that December 11, 19! well-recognized liquid-fuel conditions made it impe tive to prepare for the demand for engines capable running on fuel heavier than gasoline, such as parafi or gas oil and similar products. Since oil air mixtur have a much lower basic rate of combustion than gas line, it was pointed out that conditions have to created in the cylinder which will accelerate the con bustion. One method of doing this, he suggested, by the use of superinduction, and an installation show ing its application was described. The design of ker sene engines and the carburation of kerosene and sin i.ar oils were discussed in some detail. Two papers accepted in the absence of the autho were “Kerosene as a Fuel for High-Speed Engines,” by Lawrence F. Seaton, Lincoln, Neb., and “Oil Pipe Lines,” by S. A. Sulentic, Eldorado, Kan. Mr. Sulent compares the cost of pipe line transportation with that of rail and canal transportation and shows th: advantages of the oil engine as a means of economi cally transporting oil for long distances through pipes He also derives simple formulae which make it com parative:y easy to make rapid calculations of the pres sure, net horsepower and brake horsepower necessary for the transmission of any quantity of oil per day through a pipe of known diameter. In order that data on this subject might become a permanent record of the society it was decided to send copies of the pape: to firms with oil lines with a request that they com- ment on the paper and add any data they might have available. Problems in Machine Design Discussed At the session on machine design a number of inter- esting papers were presented. The “Reliability of Materials and Mechanism of Fractures” was discussed by Charles de Freminville, consulting engineer, Creusot works, France. By the aid of lantern slides, the speaker exemplified the characteristics that can be observed by a study of fractures and then utilized to explain the process of fractures. Views were shown of fractures in sand-stones, in a glass vessel, a sheet of glass and slab of glass. In these, the speaker pointed out the uniform characteristics peculiar to fractures and showed how these are duplicated in fractures in steel and steel rails. A paper on “Tests on Dredging Pumps Used in the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal, New Orleans,” in the absence of the author, W. J. White, was presented by Wm. B. Gregory. Lantern slides visualized the dif- ficulties encountered when dredging through the swamps due to the clogging of the hydraulic pumps, and showed how the blades were modified to eliminate clogging and also a special unit with two blades used on one of the dredges with satisfactory results. A view of a cutter used for removing the cypress stumps was also shown. “A Perfected High-Pressure Rotary Compressor” was the subject of a paper by Chester B. Lord, St. Louis. This compressor was perfected by W. G. E. Rolaff of the Research Engineering Co., St. Louis. Mr. Lord explained that it is of the eccentric-rotor and telescopic-blade type with the faults previously encoun- tered with compressors of this type eliminated with resulting simplification of the design. The compressor, it was stated, will handle without adjustment or alter- ation gas or air, or a liquid, or a gas and a liquid at the same time, and that it is possible to obtain a pres- sure of 500 lb. in a single-stage machine and 1000 |b. in three stages with the three units on the same shaft. The machine may be built either vertical or horizontal. In the small sizes up to 5 cu. ft. size it is air cooled. Between this and the 15 cu. ft. size it is partly water cooled. In the 20 cu. ft. size and above it is completely jacketed. In answer to questions Mr. Lord explained that h was not prepared to say whether the compressor would successfully handle heavy oils. Also that because of the large capital that would be required to manufacture these machines for the various purposes to which they are applicable, the Research Engineering Co. is not manufacturing but is granting rights to manufacture compressors and is acting in an advisory capacity. A paper, “Turbo-Compressor Calculations,” by A. H December 11, 1919 Blaisdell, Pittsburgh, owing to the absence of the author, was not presented for discussion. “A New Type of Hydraulic-Turbine Runner” was described by Forrest Nagler, Milwaukee. This paper was in the nature of a preliminary announcement de- scribing the development of a new type of water-wheel runner which on account of its greater speed and lower cost is expected to largely supplant the well-known mixed-flow reaction (Francis) types of runners under low-head conditions. “Common Errors in Designing and Machining Bear- ings” was the subject presented by Christopher H. Bierbaum, at the machine shop session. This paper proved of quite general interest and evoked considerable discussion. This paper and the discussion will be printed largely in full in an early issue. “The Lubrication of Ball Bearings” was discussed by H. R. Trotter, Hartford, Conn. As a step toward the development of a satisfactory method for deter- mining the lubricating value of an oil or grease, the speaker described an instrument which he has devised for such a purpose. The operating characteristics of a ball bearing as related to the problem of lubrication were pointed out and the specifications for a satisfac- THE IRON AGE 1177 tory oil were given. The use of grease and graphite as a lubricant was presented and a suggested procedure for the analysis of lime-soap greases was given. An abstract of this paper will be given in a later issue. A paper on “Thread Forms for Worms and Hobs,” by B. F. Waterman, Brown & Sharpe Mfg. Co., Provi- dence, R. I., pointed out some of the problems involved and some of the mechanical difficulties in the use of worm gearing; failure to take these problems and diffi- culties into consideration in the past having often led, Mr. Waterman said, to the discrediting of this form of drive. Methods for bringing about a uniform and sat- isfactory practice in form gearing were suggested. Lantern slide views showing numerous applications of electric arc welding were presented and explained by H. L. Uhland. These applications included the weld- ing of tubes to the flue sheet of locomotives, deposit- ing of metal on a worn spot on the tire of a car wheel, repairing locomotive side frames, building up of broken- out key way on a shaft and welding of cast-iron spokes in a wheel. The operation of an automatic welding machine particularly adaptable to duplicate welding work was explained, and samples of its accomplish- ments were shown. Mechanical Engineers View Labor Situation American Society Considers Causes and Remedy of Unrest, Wage Payment, Systems for Mutual Control of Industry, Conditions” was the topic which occupied one of the sessions on Dec. 3 of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers at its fortieth annual meeting in the Engineering Societies Building, 29 West Thirty-ninth Street, New York, from Dec. 2-5. The universal interest in this live subject was evidenced by the large attendance which packed the main floor of the assembly room with its capacity for about 700. The subject was presented from several angles, one of the speakers having been connected with the De- partment of Labor, another is head of the National Industrial Conference Board, a third is a Middle West- ern university professor, and the fourth a consulting engineer. There were three platform speakers who took part in the discussion which followed, one of whom is a prominent Englishman in labor councils. The society by resolution took a formal stand as to the