The Iron Age 1921-04-14: Vol 107 Iss 15

New York, April 14, 1921 STABLISHED 1855 VOL. 107: No. | s % Metallurgical Use of Pulverized Fuel Advances Made in Utilization of Pow- dered Coal as a Fuel in Metallurgical Fur- naces — List of Plants and Equipment BY C. F. HERINGTON ULVERIZED coal is manifesting distinct advan if so many operations in shops, requires more than the tages for all kinds of heating operations. Witl mere burning of fuel. The cost of the fuel is really not the constant demand for increased output in so importa! the question of what heat can be derived manufacturing plants the question of industrial heat- from it and this depends upon how the fuel is utilized. ing, important though it is, is too often lightly con The number of heat units obtained for a cent does not sidered or entirely overlooked, with the result that always determine the quantity or quality of the product worth-while savings in the cost of manufacture are no obtained for a dollar, any more than the price of gaso made. line determines tl cost | ton-mile of running an The need of unreserved efficiency in conservation of automol resources in our industrial plants was never so urgent P furnas ' designed as to utilize pulverized as during the past year. This was particularly tru oal to t best vantage and the fuel is economically in the case of fuels, as it was frequently necessary to conveyed, fe nd regulated at the point of consump curtail the quantity delivered to our industries in order tion, leaving n ‘sidue of fine particles of dust on the that domestic needs might be met. This condition made work, and if the smoke and ash are properly carried conservation obligatory and to meet the situation an away, pulverized coal meets all of the reasonable re- intensified effort has been made by engineers to devise quirements and in addition gives a better and softer more efficient methods promoting economy of fuel. heat than any other fuel at present in use. Heat treatment, or the heating of metals, the basis The economy of pulverized coal over fuel oil is estab- lished, and is probably the one factor that is mainly *District manager Bonnot ae! | rge Furnace Using Powdered Coal for Heating Steel for a 5000-Lb er . } ! Pressed Stee! Car Co 965 966 responsible for the present active interest in its appli- Pulverized coal systems have been installed to fuel oil, where saving of 60 per cation. replace there has been shown an actual in the cost of fuel per heating certainly worth Manufac- gas plants bring forth many argu but with an initial loss of 20 per cent or more process of manufacture of gas, cent operation. This is while. urers of producer ments, in the there is every reason to believe that pulverized coal has the advan tage. Substitution of pulverized coal for other fuels has secured most encouraging savings, which is readily shown by the large number of manufacturers using this fuel and the varied extent in its application. What ever the fuel may be, it is the cost of heating per unit of output that concerns the plants, index showing the loss or saving. into this cost this is the Entering are the following factors: ost OF raw Tuel pe nit of output b> The unit output of furnace (Cost ot turnac repairs per unit of output Cost of handling el and ‘“‘stac iz., labor cost Continuity of operation ff fu rT Satisfactor Vor ne conditions at int ‘ fro thre fandpoint of ¢t merat As affecting cost, any one of these six factors may be decisive, either for failure, as judged by the balance sheet. A little consideration will show what success a great bearing the particular these items. Comparing powdered coal at $4 a ton, with fuel oil it 9c. a gallon and natural gas at 35c. per shows the B.t.u. purchased for one cent as follows: ‘Towdered Pa ? ( 1777 B Natu ga 570 B.t.u If we figure $4.90 per ton for coal, this includes the cost of preparing the coal and delivering it to the burners, using the Holbeck System of pneumatic dis tribution. This comparison shows a material saving in favor of powdered coal The output of any furnace depends on: sintenance ti best ( bet maintain a temperature as OP' Tt Sami =": PT et Rt PRB SE. i eT elena ed Anne e Furnace Using Pulverized Coal for THE IRON heads of our manufacturing fuel has on each one of 100 eu. ft., SS es ee ee UT SP tt hd Plate Plate Co, Annealing Tin Tin AGE April 14, 192) ticular heating process necessitates that the pi amount of heat be generated. The quantity of fy needed to generate this heat will depend on the of approach to perfect combustion. ope deg The design of furnace will determine the efficiency of application this heat to the “stack”’ the amount of fuel. and hence, in a large measuy Unless a furnace is handled telligently, there will be a waste of fuel, and the will be in dir Overheated “sta means a loss of heat and of Course a poorer quality put, other factors being constant, ratio to the intelligence shown. material. Use of powdered coal has invariably given an that from the fuel supplanted, where the furnace design ha creased production as compared with obtained been correct. that This has been largely due to the fa of all the fuels, affords the best opportunity by which to obtain that perfect combina powdered coal, tion of air and fuel which produces the highest degre: of perfect combustion. Where failure has resulted, has been caused in a majority of cases by application other altered, furnaces designed with insufficient knowledge of the furnaces built for fuels, and not characteristics of powdered coal in burning. The third factor furnace design, and this has a greater ir fluence on the life of the refractories than the fuel. If the furnace is properly -cost of repairs—is largely gov erned by constructed there will be no With especially those containing a high per there will be some clogging of smal! overcome by conveniently increase in this cost when using powdered coal. certain coals, centage of ash, this can be ‘clean-out” openings and by correct draft con The low fusing point of the ash of some coals to adhere passages, but locating ‘ ditions. naturally will give them a greater tendency to any surface with which they come in contact, but as a rule this deposit can easily be removed, if provision to make these surfaces Labor costs connected with the handling and pre paring of coal will include its drying, pulverizing and in almost all c+ this is made accessible. conveying to the burners, but cost is lower than the cost of delivering coal by hand or power to hand fired furnaces, and lower than the cost of pumping and feeding fuel oil to the furnace. The following companies have installed or are in the | +5 Eo ae » " > Ss and iT Sheets at the Cannonsburg, Pa., Plant of the t April 14, Heating Bars with Powdered Coal, to Make Nuts, at Plant of process of installing pulverized coal THE IRON for the metallurgi al operations indicated: ( opin d Location 1913 Works Installed ip Kurden Trot N. y Milton Mfg. Co. 1914 Rolling Wayne stalled Wayne Fort Milton Ind.. 1! i isl Capacity Nuimbet and Kind Replaces of Furnace n Tons k’ue per H Troy 10 Hane rehe pudd 10 H 12 pudd S re heat 6 rod Mil it pudad -eheat ton Bolt & Nut Co Scranton, Pa t bushe! ‘ ypudd 7 sore . ne at erican Locomotive Co Schenectady, N. Y... 32 Forg dvale Steel Co., Phila- Iphia 3 H Rehe Installed in 1915 St. Louis Screw Co., §S Ouis ] I at heat Locomotive Works pa, ORO... 6. i 2% Oil Fore S. Horseshoe Co., Erie, ra yee * . 3% rH I t Middletown Car Co., Mid- lletown, Pa . 2% O 6 fore Bethlehem Steel Co. Steelton, Pa 214 I > blox Installed in Standard Steel Burnham, Pa..... 1916- Sizer Forge Co., Buffalo.. Works Co., ay na { Ttorg American Steel & Wire Co., Donora, Pa... .32 Nat ga 10 o Atlantic Steel Co., At- SCR: Tice ice @ Prod 1 ehem Steel Co., Leb- non, Pa 10%, New { nerican Steel & Wire Co., CISVUIRME <ccccees 7 rd ‘ \ M. Byers Co., Pitts- irgh 5 Nat gas reheat nd Steel Co Heights [1] Installed in 1917 Chicago egheny Stee Co B kenbridge, Pa Hand 2 cont trong-Whitworth Co lontreal, Que... 5 oO 2 high-speed steel ; 2 roll mill { whee es mn heat I I I i ea nnonsburg, Pa 5 Hand 44 hot mills 1 nd gas tin pots; 18 inneal I Nut Co Cleve- nd . 3% Prod 2 cont ion Rolling Mill Co., don, Ont 3% Hand § bushel Rolling Mill Co veland .. 2% Nat gas f 1 mill vorth Porter Co., Pitts- gh 10 Nat gas 2 t: 6 billet 8 heat nsbee Bros. Co., Fol- bee, W. Va 20 Nat gas 14 anneal 1 ft nm AGE RG meet guests . National Bolt & Nut Co., Lemoine Paris France Ne United Verd rc Clarkdale Ariz. \mericar Iting & Re f (‘o., Maure ee a Hi stablissel Coppe Sme Ame! i Rolling I Co., Middle town (> 1 ‘ H qd Allen Wood Co Cor oe wen. | H i McKeesport T | McKeesport, Pa 10 Hand Massillon Rolling Mill Co Massillon, O 1% Scranton Bolt & Nut Co., Scranton, Pa 1% Vulean Iron & Steel Co Paden City, W. Va..... 3% Osaka Arsenal, Osaka, Japan 2% New Roanne Arsenal, France 5 Né Installed in 1919 ¥ H. Symington Co Rochester, N. Y¥Y 7 Hand i’. S.-Smelting Co., Salt Lake City, Utah 1% Hand Cerro de Pasco Copper Co Cerro de Pasco Peru 3% #Hand Inland Steel Co Indiana Harbor, Indiana ? e¥ Stok, prod, National Carbon Co., Niagara Falls., N. Y... Verona Tool Co., Verona, r 2%, Hand Hand and gas Pittsburgh + ont rf mill | (Cos tello S il neal S galv pots { heat ind heat rotary Anneal; hot nills I ots Reheat 93 forg it ind he fore ih ines ‘ torg in et t heat } oppet ‘ bD nagnes ' kilns Silwve i efinine op ve b 12 roasters °6 hot tin mii -* pots 10 Ss anneal 12 heat nmi an neal 12 anneal! as hot mil 78 tin pot 1 cont Nut and bolt Pudd 9 2 gun shell Forg 21 anneal Reverb Copper reverb 7 slab heat 3 ont lf hot mill 21 electrode 44 forg . 968 ( al Sheet & Tin or Canton, Ohio e Installed in 1920 Narita, Japan..... a 2 Timken-Detroit Axle Co 3 < Se é Michigan Malleable Iron Co., Detroit, Mich Kelly Axe Co., Charles le A a Marion Malleable Iron Co Marion, Ind.. Muncie Malleable Foundr Co., Muncie, Ind I con Steel Co., Nil Ohio > Knoxville Iron Co., Knox- ville, Tenn ) Otis Steel Co., Cleveland Ougree Marihaye, Bel American Chain Co., York Pa Newton Steel Co., Newton Falls, O rer alal e Manitoba Rolling Mill Co Manitoba, Can.... 3 Walaroo & Montana Mir ing Co., New Zealand Follansbee Bros., Toronto Ohio 7 Installed in 1921 F United Engineering and Foundry Co., Canto! Conio Baldwin Locomotive Works, Eddystone, Pa..10 Ashtabula Steel Co., Ash- tabula, O. Pittsburgh Forge & Iron Co., Pittsburgh Trumbull Steel Co., War en, QO ; 28 Michigan Smelting Co., Houghton ...... ‘ 2 Benton Harbor Malleable Foundry Co Benton Harbor, Mich 1 1 ed Franklin Steel Works Franklin, Pa.. 23 Grand Rapids Malleable Foundry Co., Grand Rapids, Mich Edgar Zinc Co Cherry- vale, Kansas 1) NOTE Hand hand-fil i natural gas Continuous Furnace Using Pulverized Coal at Bethlehem Steel Works, Steelton, Pa. tok as New Hand Hand and prod New Gas, hand and stok New New New Oil THE IRON AGE 26 hot mill 10 anneal; 26 tin pots Heat 16 anneal i4 anneal ; e melt 192 forg anneal ) 22 anneal ; 3 melt 2 core ovens 8 sheet; 3 anneal 9 cont 6 reheat; & bushel i pair; 8 sheet ~/ anneal; 3 galv pots Steel work and roll mill { anneal; 2 melt 10 hot mill Reheat; o-h ‘opper reverb Hot mill and inneal 4 melt 17 an neal 150 forg 8 hot mill 2 inneal pudd: 4 bushel 21 anneal ; hot mills; copper! revert Zine roasters producer gas fired new new Apri l 1, 19 reheat bushel naces, et pliant naces ; reheating furnaces; pudd puddl busheling furnaces; cont continuou Summaries from the Table This tabulation of metallurgical plants shows during the year 1913 there were installed, and put ir operation, pulverized coal plants having a capacity 20 ~=tons per | In 1914 this capacity was increased by 22 In 1915 this capacity was increased by 26 In 1916 this capacity was increased by 73% tons per |} In 1917 this capacity was increaséd by 84 tons per hr In 1918 this capacity was increased by 125% tons per hy In 1919 this capacity was increased by 38% tons per h: tons per hi tons per hr l In 1920 this capacity was increased by 101% tons per hi In 1921 this capacity was increased by 78 tons per hi which last is for only two months of the year. Adding these capacities gives a total pulverized coal operation of 569% tons per hour, or for 12 hours for 300 days a total of 2,049,300 tons of coal per year. Of the total of 569% tons per hour capacity, 82%, tons represent new plants and 18% not stated, leaving 468 tons as replacements, as follows: For hand-fired coal.... 192% ton For stoker-fired coal ‘ . 24% tons For natural gas 110 tons For producer gas 46% tons For fuel oil 94% ton From the foregoing tabulation we also find that th various kinds of metallurgical furnaces using pulver ized coal make a grand total of approximately 2000, divided as follows: 4 air furnaces 306 hot mill furnaces 158 annealing sheets 6 kilns 226 annealing malleable cast- 24 malleable melting fu ings naces 2 bloom furnaces 37 nut and bolt furnaces 20 busheling furnaces 17 open hearths > core oven furnaces 38 puddling furnaces ontinuous furnaces 9 rolling mill furnaces 14 10 casting furnaces 6 rivet making furnaces 16 copper reverberatory 74 reheating furnaces furnaces 6 silver and lead furnaces 21 electrode furnaces 166 tin pots 622 forging furnaces 12 wheel furnaces gun shell furnaces 1 zine roaster Conclusions Regarding Use of Powdered Coal In conelusion, it has been found that the which have so far attended the burning of powdered coal in metallurgical furnaces may be summarized as follows: 1. It has always been possible to secure any tem perature desired and to hold this temperature constant. These condi- tions are attained through the deliv- ery to the furnace of a sufficient sup ply of fuel per unit of time and at a uniform rate. 2. A uniform heat, and hence tem perature, which is a measure of in- tensity of heat, can be easily main tained in the heating chamber. A second factor, the furnace design, must be taken into consideration as well as the fuel. 8. There is a smaller amount of oxide formed on the steel than is usually the case with natural gas and fuel oil, due to the fact that a more reducing flame can be easily carried. The skill of the furnace op- erator, of course, enters in here and will determine the result achieved. 4. The ash of the coal does not interfere in any way with the heat- ing or working of the steel. The welds made with powdered coal as 4 fuel are stronger than can be made with fuel oil. This has been proved by actual test. results Seo el a NA a \ pril 14, 1921 The disposal of the products of combustion is rected by means of stacks on the large furnaces, and th hoods and stacks on the smaller types. By lipping the furnaces in this manner the gases will easily removed. Equivalent Prices of Fuel wdered Coal Natural Gas Fuel Oil Price per ton Price per 1000 cu. ft. Price per gallon 4000 B.t.u. per lb. 1000 B.t.u. per cu ft. 140,000 B.t.u. per gal $1 3.57¢ lee 2 7.14c le 3 10.71¢ Lh, 4 14.29¢ er § 17.86¢ Zhai 6 21.43¢ 3c 7 25.00c. 3lec 8 28.57c. ic 9 32.14c tle 10 35.71c oc 11 39.29¢c 5 diye 12 42.86c. be Steel and Iron Output of Five Leading Countries The comparative output of pig iron and steel by the ve leading producing countries in 1913 and 1920 has wen compiled by the National Federation of Iron and Steel Manufacturers, London, England. The statement lows in tons: 1913 - 1920 Pig Lron Steel Pig Iron Stee! iited States. .30,966,000 31,301,000 36,403,000 40,773,000 iited Kingdom. 10,260,000 7,664,000 8,008,000 9,057,000 rmans .19,007,000 18,648,000 *7,000,000 *9,000,000 “TAnce weeee 0,126,000 1,620,000 3,265,000 2 915.000 Helgium 2,445,000 2,428,000 1,113,000 1,216,000 Total eee 67.80 4.000 64,661,000 5D. 789.000 62,961,000 *Estimated. The data for Germany for 1920 are stated to be a rough estimate since Germany declines to publish fig- ires of iron and steel production. The World’s Output of Aluminum The importance of aluminum, particularly as a sub- stitute for copper during the war, led to a marked nerease in the output by the leading producing coun- tries. According to an article in Elektroteknisk lidsskrift, Aug. 10, 1920, abstracted by Technical Re- vew, London, the following table gives the pre-war sutput and the increase during the war and the produc- tions as estimated for 1920, in tons: Pre-wat Increase l’resent Pro- During Pro Country duction the War duction WS vvevevews pan & O8 : 1,000 39.000 40,000 \ ustria - ‘Hunga ry and Switzerland 11,000 14,000 25,000 : ; 18,000 2 000 20,000 7,500 t.500 12.000 1.008 6,000 7.000 1,500 14,000 16, 000 28,000 45.000 73.000 The total peedneitio thus increased by more than 100 per cent during the war, and includes countries vhere copper was readily procurable. It is maintained n Germany that aluminum in many respects is equal to opper and even superior as regards strength, continues e article. Aluminum wire is coated with copper or when soldered electrical joints are required. Welded joints have the same strength as the wire itself. \iluminum recently entirely superseded copper in a nehronizing transformer of 38,000-kw. capacity. The Hoskins Iron & Steel Co., Ltd., Lithgow, New South Wales, has acquired 380 acres of land on Port Kembla as the site for iron and steel works on a scale ‘imilar to the Broken Hill Proprietary Works at New- astle » Says the London Jronmonger. The company has ‘ready established its own coal mine at Wangawille, ear Dapto. An address on the “Rehabilitation of Men” is to be made by John T. Faig, president Ohio Mechanics In- “tute, at a joint meeting of the Engineers Club of “incinnati and the Cincinnati section of the American Soe = of Mechanical Engineers on April 21 at Cin- cinna THE IRON AGE 969 Lower Steel Ingot Output in March The steel ingot statistics of the American Iron and Steel Institute for March show that 30 companies, which in 1919 produced 85.12 per cent of the total, had an output last month of 1,570,978 gross tons, as com- pared with 1,749,477 tons in February. The falling off from February was 178,499 tons, or about 10.2 per cent. Estimating the production of the other companies on the basis of those reporting, the total production of ingots in February was 1,845,604 tons, or 68,355 tons per operating day, counting 27 working days to the month, against an estimated total of 2,055,306 tons, or 85,638 tons per operating day in February. This is a decline of 209,702 tons, or 17,283 tons per day. In the table below the output of Bessemer and open-hearth works is separated and the data for 1920 by months are included. Monthly Production of Steel Ingots by 30 Companies Which Produced About 85 Per Cent of Total in 1919 Gross Tons Open Hearth Bessemer All Other Total January, 1920 2,242,758 714,657 10,687 2,968,102 February 152,106 700,151 12,867 2,865,124 March 2,487,245 795,164 16,640 3,299,049 April 2,056,336 568,952 13,017 2,638,305 May 2,251,544 615,932 15.688 2,883,164 June 2 273 675,954 17,463 2,980,690 July 2,135,633 653,888 13,297 2,802,811 August 2.299.645 695,003 5,784 3,000,432 September 2 300,417 93.586 5,548 2.999.551 October 2,335,863 676,634 3,485 3,015,982 November 1,561,861 673,215 3.594 2,638,670 Decembe 1,687,162 649,617 3.586 2,340,365 Total 1926 26,197,843 8,112,753 121,656 34,432,252 January 1921 1,591,281 608,276 3,629 2,203,186 February 1,295,863 450,818 2,796 1,749,477 Mareh 1,175,591 392,983 2,404 1,570,978 The March ingot production was at the yearly rate of 21,258,405 tons, counting 311 operating days to a year. This compares with a rate in February of 26,- 633,318 tons. The decline of 209,702 tons in the esti- mated ingot output of all companies in March from that of February compares with a decline of 341,735 tons in the March pig iron output from that of February. The Magnesite Industry in 1920 The production of magnesite in the United States in 1920 increased 94 per cent in quantity over that of 1919. The entire output was made by two states, California and Washington. California mined 68 per cent more magnesite in 1920 than in 1919 and more than eight times as much as it mined seven years ago. Washington increased its production 109 per cent over that of the preceding year, making by far the largest output it has yet made. According to the U. S. Geo- logical Survey, the total production of magnesite in the United States in 1920 was 303,767 net tons, which was valued at approximately $2,748,150. Most of the output of California was calcined and used as plastic material, only a small part being natura! ferromagnesite used as a refractory lining of steel furnaces on the Pacific Coast. On the other hand, practically all the magnesite mined in Washington was dead-burned into synthetic ferromagnesite and used as a refractory lining of furnaces and smelters. At the end of December, 1920, ali the operations in Washington were stopped, principally on account of a lack of orders from the steel companies, many of which were idle or were not working full time. An examination to fill vacancies in the commissioned grade of assistant civil engineer, Corps of Civil Engi- neers, U. S. Navy, is shortly to be held. The pay and allowances at entrance are approximately $3,200 per annum, with increase up to $9,600. A preliminary ex- amination to determine general fitness will be based on papers submitted by the candidates, reaching the board on or before May 16, covering college record, testi- monials, references and professional experience. The candidate is not required to report in person for the preliminary examination. Those who qualify in the preliminary and physical examinations will take the final oral and written examination, which will probably be held in New York, Chicago and San Francisco. Further information may be obtained by addressing the Bureau of Yards and Docks, Washington. 970 Crawling Tread Crane \ crawling tread locomotive crane modeled after its heavier and larger capacity standard gage rail types is being offered by Orton & Steinbrenner Co., 608 South Dearborn Street, Chicago. It is furnished in two sizes, 7 tons, with 30-ft. boom, and 12 tons, with 35-ft. boom, and besides the crawling tread it can be arranged to operate on broad faced road wheels or on standard or special gage railroad tracks. Extra lengths of boom may be supplied. The crawling tread is said to be developed from and to be an improved form of that used on the tanks during the European war. The tread links and sprockets are of cast steel and the chain idler rollers are bronze bushed with a patented pressure system of lubrication. Crawling \round in Tread Crane Turns \ny One Spot or ina Circle of a Radius Equal to Its Own Length is supported on bottom between four pairs of idler Fach pair of idler rollers is carried in an equal- a heavy coil spring and when tread and idler by Each crawling the drive sprocket rollers. izing strut backed by such as railroad tracks, the much as 6 in. from the This device is further said to equalize the enabling it to roughest surfaces while yet maintaining raveling ovel obstacles rollers, it is said, will tilt as horizontal. pressure of the rane on the ground, travel over the constant that the crane cent in soft material. Tread links are reversible, enabling the crane to travel forward or and the signed that ends overlap, thus to prevent foreign material The crawling tread springs. It is claimed grades of 20 to 30 per compression oO! tne will trave ip backward, links are so de from entering the spaces between. is adjustable by screw take-up and by a single pai. of rollers with coiled steel springs on the top. The surface area of the crawling tread allows for a unit 10 Ib. by steel bevel gears and steel hoist, no chain the ground to The sprocket is drive . shafting drive deing’ used. pressure oOo! per sq. In. countershaft of the The car body and turn table of the fabricated of structural] shapes and The turn table revolves on twelve chilled tread rollers on a tee rail section to listribute the weight uniformly and requires but a minimum of power to swing the load. The hoist proper consists of four main horizontal power shafts driven through a train of cast steel cut spur gears and three auxiliary vertical shafts driven by cast steel bevel gears. This mechanism transmits the power for the four principal functions of the crane; hoisting the load, swinging it, raising and lowering the oom and traveling. Any one function may act inde- from a rane are steel plates, braced and riveted. pendently or all may act together. THE IRON AGE April 14, 192 For operating the bucket double automatic i are regularly supplied; thus doing away with on. of levers and simplifying the operation. Frictions of large diameter and made of bronze, no wood frict blocks being used. The large braking surfaces desgined to insure quick action in lifting and relea the loads. Steering of the crane is from the cab by mea: brakes on the differential shaft, an arrangement w! is said to permit easy maneuvering of the crane. 1 makers claim that it can be turned completely around any one spot or in a circle the radius of which is ab equal to its own length. This feature, it is said, enables the crane to be us in confined areas usually inaccessible for machinery this kind. | Equipment for the crane may be varied to suit condition of the work. In addition to operating shell or orange peel bucket a turbine generating can be installed and electro-magnet operated. Pik driver attachments, fall block for handling heavy !oad up to the maximum capacity of the crane and drag lin equipment for handling drag line bucket may also b used. Shifting cars or otherwise using its tractive effort are said to be other uses to which the crane ma be put. Two Ways of Making Bolts Fit Tight WASHINGTON, April 12.—In connection with som: work on American battleships, a report of the Burea of Standards says it was found necessary to use bolts capable of withstanding unusually high The best type of bolt for such purposes Is 0 ne shearing stresses. ne having a tight bearing over its entire length. 1 bureau was requested to devise a method by which su tight-fitting or “body-bound” bolts could be secure Two methods were tried, both of which gave satisfa tory results. In the first case the bolts finished a litti arger than the holes in the plates. They were the mmersed in liquid air until they contracted sufficient » enter the holes quite easily. Upon warming up, bolts expanded, gripping the plates tightly. In second method each bolt was provided with a sma hole along its axis and was finished to be an easy in the plates. eA After insertion a charge of powder was exploded the small hole. This expanded the bolt, causing 1t grip the plates. Subsequent physical tests indicate that the strengths of the joints secured by both meth were sufficiently high for the purpose. were A symposium on central station electric service wil be held at the William Penn Hotel, Pittsburgh, on Fi day, April 15, by the Western Geographic Section of th Pennsylvania Electric Association. Wage and Freight Rates Must Be Reduced Pittsburgh Business Men Their Views—President Campbell Believes Steel Corporation Will Revise Its Schedule Give AGES in all lines of industry must meet an immediate reduction, either sharp or gradual, before business can reach normal, in the opin- mn of a majority of Pittsburgh business men who re sponded to a questionnaire on conditions recently sent sut by the industrial bureau of the Pittsburgh Cham- ey of Commerce. Sixty-six per cent of the answers to the questionnaire, which was mailed to 1000 firms, gav this solution as the most important step to be taken. Some made special reference to wages in the building trades. Others placed emphasis on wages paid railroad employees. The majority, however, made it plain that normaley could not be expected until all wages had taken a cut. Many of the firms went even further, de- ‘aring that business itself must write off as loss a share of its investment and face to the front for future business. Answering the query, “What in your opinion is most necessary to bring about normal conditions?” 22 per cent of the answers included among necessary steps a revision of taxation; 10 per cent advocated resumption of building operations; 18 per cent urged that the Gov ernment pay the railroads what is owing to them and enable them to lower freight rates and buy needed roll- ing stock; 10 per cent wanted foreign trade stimulated and the country’s relations with foreign governments cleared up, while 15 per cent declared that full confi- dence in the immediate future, coupled with a resump- tion of buying, will serve to ameliorate the present situation. While the answers reveal business at low ebb, many show a trend toward improvement. There is pessimism n many of the replies, but the same replies imply by the expressed belief in the immediate future—say, the next six months—that they are at heart optimistic. The questionnaire was sent to a list of manufactur ers, wholesalers, jobbers, retailers and banks. Here are the questions, with the nature of replies expressed n percentages: How does present volume compare with 1914 lr es, 42 per cent decreases, 30 per cent no change cent.) a 80 one = a ee Seer significance is attached to the telegram because B. M. oe oe Z oie Rae : e la ae Jewell, president the railw ay employees’ department of (More. 36 per cent: less, 28 per cent: no change, 3 ‘he American Federation of Labor, returned from eent:) Washington this week where he had an interview with Has your business improved in the last 60 days Ye the President. 7 er cent no, 60 per cent unchanged, 5 per cent.) ~— : £ What is the prospect for business in the next 60 days Conditions in Coke Region ee wd eae aes 7 ( cee ote ae : se 7 : a ‘i UNIONTOWN, PA. April 12.—Sufficient time, ap- poor, 24 per cent.) Are you optimistic pessimistic about the vea timistic, 66 per cent: pessimistic, 34 per cent.) Must Revise Railroad Rates YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO, April 11. ‘ilroad rates is necessary before there can be any ival in trade, is the belief of President James A ampbell of the Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co., Youngs wn, Ohio. Current output of this company is about > 1/3 per cent of normal, with prospect of improve- ent to 40 per cent by the end of the month. Present ditions hold out little encouragement for early re- n to normal in the industry, he believes. He states it restoration to the railroads of a fuller measure ' control over their various properties, which would volve repeal of the wartime Adamson law and pos- ie modification of the Esch-Cummins act, is funda- ental to progress toward normal trade conditions. juidation of wage rates all along the line and reduc- of prices by retail interests are necessary to bring out steady business conditions, he believes. Readjustment of “Another thing which must come about is reduction of prices by the. retailer. For the past five years the average retailer has made money and has experienced an era of prosperity never before known. Now that employment has been reduced to one-third or less, he should mark down his goods to the lowest possible point “I think the United States Steel Corporation will readjust its wages, so that there will be more of a level for the steel industry. There is no reason why this should not have been done before. The delay in this readjustment has caused others to keep up wages and has created an unbalanced state of affairs which should not exist. “Wages must be liquidated as well as prices, and this must come abdut in all trades. One class cannot continue to receive the high wages of wartime and the other classes not.” Mr. Campbell states there is virtually no foreign trade at the present time. General Hearing on Railroad Wages CHICAGO, April 9.—The United States Railroad Labor Board has denied the application of the New York Central Railroad for authority to give temporary effect to a 25 per cent wage cut pending a hearing. In refusing this request the board fixed Monday, April 1%, as the date upon which a joint hearing of the New York Central case and those of 25 other roads contemplating wage reductions will begin. Railroad officers are opposed to a joint hearing of the separate petitions on the ground that it would ignore differences in local conditions, as was done in establishing the present national agreements. The latest step in the controversy over the national agreements was the dispatching of a telegram to Presi dent Harding in which the railroad labor union leaders outlined the terms on which they would consent to abrogation of present working agreements. The eight- hour day is ayn outstanding proposal in the message. The proposal was submitted in the belief that the Presi dent will call a joint conference of railway officers and their employees as recently urged by labor. Especial parently, has not yet elapsed to indicate the erfect the announcement of independent coal and coke operators of wage reductions, made as of April 1 and returning to the scale of Nov. 10, 1917, will have upon general industrial conditions. It is true that there have been more inquiries in the region during the past week than for some time but these have resulted in no worth while contracts. Some independent operators have re- sumed operations on a small scale, but the total will have little effect on the general percentage. Opera- tions of the H. C. Frick Coke Co. remain at 20 per cent coke and 45 per cent coal. The best estimate of independent operations is 15 per cent. The most significant feature of the week is the resumption of coal production on a normal basis at Orient plant of the American Coke Corporation. It is expected to put the Orient ovens in blast shortly. From 125 to 130 different weights of meta! lath were in common use a short time ago. Through a con- ference with the Bureau of Standards, it now appears, manufacturers have agreed to reduce the number of weights of metal lath to three. 971 An rN = | | ee ee 972 National Council, A. S. M. E., Meeting At the March meeting of the National Council American Society of Mechanical Engineers at the Engi- neers’ Club, Boston, on March 22, the A. S. M. E. boiler code was accepted. Edwin S. Carman, Cleveland, president, presided at the meeting. John A. Stevens, Lowell, Mass., chairman boiler code committee, was given a complimentary dinner in the evening. He re- cently returned from an extended visit to England, France, Belgium, Holland, Italy and Switzerland for the purpose of observing progress made in power sta- tion construction. The National Council voted to send Charles T. Main, Boston, former president A. S. M. E., and Ambrose Swasey, Cleveland, to England in June to extend the well wishes of American engineers to British societies. Sir Robert Hadfield’s efforts to interest British learned and professional societies in a national organization were commended at the Boston meeting. Members of the council also pledged themselves individually to give personal attention and encouragement to the younger members of the society. Annual Meeting of Iron and Steel Institute The annual meeting of the Iron and Steel Institute will be held at the Institution of Civil Engineers, Lon- don, May 5 and 6. The papers to be presented and discussed are as follows: S. N. Brayshaw: “The Prevention of Hardening Cracks, and the Effect of Controlling the Recalescence of a Tungsten Tool Steel.” H. Brearley: “The Welding of Steel in Relation to the Occur- rence of Pipe Blow Holes and Segregates in Ingots.” J. E. Fletcher: “Operi-Hearth and Other Slags—Their Com- position and Graphic Methods for Determining Their Con- stitution.” . S. H. Fowles: ‘‘Notes on the Cleaning of Blast Furnace Gas.” J. Newton Friend: “The Protection of Iron with Paint Against Atmospheric Corrosion.” kK. Honda, T. Matsushita and S. Quenching Cracks.” W. E. Hughes: “Slip-Lines and Twinning in Electro-Deposited Iron.”’ H. T. Ringrose: “Scientific Control of Combustion.” T. E. Rooney: “Comparison of Different Methods of Esti- mating Sulphur in Steel.” Idei: “On the Cause of J. E. Stead, F.R.S.: “Solid Solution of Oxygen in Iron.” A. Westgren: “Roentgen Spectographic Investigations of [ron and Steel.” J. H. Whiteley: “‘Cupric Etching Effects Produced by Phos- phorus and Oxygen in Iron.” The award of the Andrew Carnegie research schol- arships for 1921 will be announced on the morning of May 6. An invitation has been received from the Comité des Forges de France for the Institute to hold its autumn meeting in Paris early in September. After the meet- ing arrangements will be made to enable members at- tending to visit works in Lorraine, Creusot and Nor- mandy. Tentative Program for Triple Convention A tentative program has been outlined for the triple machinery and supply convention to be held at Atlantic City May 16, 17 and 18 by the American Supply & Machinery Manufacturers Association, the National Supply and Machinery Dealers Association and the Southern Supply and Machinery Dealers Association. On Monday, May 16, the associations will hold executive sessions, followed by a joint open meeting on Monday afternoon, at which three addresses will be delivered as follows: S. W. Thompson of the White Co., Cleve- land, “Motor Truck Transportation;” Melville W. Mix, Dodge Mfg. Co., Mishawaka, Ind., “Business Condi- tions;” W. P. Simpson, C. T. Patterson Co., Ltd, New Orleans, La., “General Southern Conditions.” After this joint session the convention will split up into three parts, but will meet together again on Wednesday evening for a formal dance in the ball room of the Marlborough-Blenheim Hotel. Two subjects to be discussed before the manufac- turers are “Present Problems in Our Industry from the THE IRON AGE April 14, 1921 Dealers’ Viewpoint” and “Factors Affecting Wage and Price Movements.” Speakers are yet to be selected to talk on these subjects. One of the features of the meeting of the Souther Supply and Machinery Dealers’ Association will be a; executive session, at which the subjects for discussion will be the following: Cancellations of orders and co) tracts; the present credit situation; what changes, j any, have been made in working rules and regulations of house and traveling employees since the close of th: so-called war period; how many members are using perpetual inventory systems and of what value have they been found in comparison with cost of mainte. nance; what is the best method of handling orders from their receipt in mail to final disposition in ledger?: local taxation. An American Engineer Reports on French Coal Mines George S. Rice, chief mining engineer, U. S. Bureau of Mines, who was a member of a commission sent by Secretary Lane at the suggestion of Director Van H. Manning of the Bureau of Mines, to obtain engineering and scientific data on the industrial developments under war conditions and the rehabilitation methods, gave an illustrated talk before a joint meeting of the Wash- ington Society of Engineers and the American Insti- tute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers, at the Cosmos Club, Washington, April 6. In summarizing the destruction, he said that about 124 mines, with 220 shafts, were rendered inoperative and the surface works systematically destroyed, in addition to the battle destruction in the limited zone of fighting. Ninety-six shafts of 49 mines were inun- dated, resulting from blasting the shaft linings in the water bearing strata which covers the carboniferous measures. Four of the shafts were cratered at the surface so deeply that the steel head frames fell into the craters, but elsewhere the German engineers sought from the mine records in their possession the best places to place charges to blast the steel, brick or concrete linings, so that water would enter, in one case driving a gallery under a swamp to admit water; in other places ditching in surface water. It may be here stated that many of the shafts in the Nord and Pas-de-Calais district were very difficult to sink on account of large quantities of water encountered in the fissured chalks and marls, and required special methods such as freez- ing and cementation to enable the shafts to be put down at all. The methods of reconstruction he discussed at some length. They involved a development of the cementa- tion process in which bore holes arranged in concen- trie circles around the shaft were drilled from the sur- face through the water bearing ground, and succes- sively in the process of drilling the cement forced in at high pressures up to 1000 lb. per square inch, or even higher, to seal off the water courses, and thus pro- vide a cylinder of concrete surrounding the shaft. So far as the upper levels have been unwatered,:it has been found that the galleries which had been lined with brick or concrete have come through without seri- ous damage except at crossings and turnouts, which have caved in; but that the timber galleries which have been long under water have caved completely. Mr. Rice believes that the original estimate made by the French, of ten years for complete recovery of production of 20,000,000 tons from the mines wrecked by the Germans, is probably correct. Spring Meeting of American Electrochemical Society The American Electrochemical Society will hold its annual spring meeting at Atlantic City, N. J., April 21 to 23. The headquarters will be at the Chalfonte Hotel. The portion of the program relating to the steel and non-ferrous industry follows: Thursday, April 21 9:30 a.m.—Symposium on Corrosion. William H. Walker: “Introduction to Symposium on Cor- rosion of Iron and Steel.” \pril 14, 1921 \. D. Richardson: “The Gap Between Theory and Prac- tice in the Production of Corrosion-Resisting Iron and Steel.” , S. Cushman and G. W. Coggeshall: “Anomalies En- ountered in a Study of Immersion Tests of Iron and « Steel.” M. Aupperle and D. M. Strickland: the Corrosion of Iron and Steel.’’ « N, Speller: “Practical Means of Preventing Corrosion of Iron and Steel Where Not Exposed Directly to the Atmosphere.” D. M. Buck: “Some the Increased Corrosion Due to Small Copper Contents.” oO. P. Watts and H. C. Knapp: “The Effect of Copper and Silver Salts on the Corrosion of Iron by Acids.” E. A. Richardson and L. T. Richardson: “The Corrosion of Old Iron.” ©. W. Storey: “The Corrosion of Steel Ranges.” B. G. Worth: “Unusual Boiler Tube Corrosion by Carbon Dioxide.” Fuller: Steel.” 00 p.m.—Lecture in the auditorium of the Chalfonte Hotel (across North Carolina Avenue from the hotel). R. B Moore of the Bureau of Mines, Washington, D. C., will lecture on “‘Helium and Other Rare Gases.” “Observations on Mechanism of Steel and Iron Observations on the Resistance of Ss “Experiments on the Corrosion of Iron and Friday, April 22 i.m.—Symposium on Corrosion (continued) H. A. Gardner: “Metal Protective Paints.” Oo. P, Watts: “Principles of Alloying to Resist Corrosion.” H. S. Rawdon: “Some Types of Non-Ferrous Corrosion.” EK. R. Shepard: “Electrolytic Corrosion of Lead by Con- tinuous and Periodic Currents.” Other Papers: ©. H. Eschholz: “Phenomena of Arc Welding.” H. W. Gillett: “Electric Furnaces for Non-Ferrous Metals.’ Carl Hering: “Electrodynamic Forces in Electric Fur- naces.” fk. F. Northrup: ‘Recent Induction Heating.” W. G. Mylius: “The Regulation of Electric Steel Are Fur- naces Using Movable Electrodes.” ) p.m.—Exhibition of moving pictures of industrial plants Progress in High Frequency in the auditorium of the Chalfonte Hotel: The Chuquicamata, Chile, Copper Extraction Plant of the Chile Exploration Co.; The Muscle Shoals Nitrat Plant of the American Cyanamid Co Saturday, April 23 1. General Subjects. Kahlenberg and W. J. Means of Silicon.” W. A. Noyes: “Some ’ Madsen “Ductile Trautmann “Reduction by Aspects of Electrolytic Iron.” Electrolytic Nickel.” Electrical Engineers’ Meeting The new Colfax, Pa. station of the Duquesne Light Co., Pittsburgh, will be the main subject of a joint neeting of the American Institute of Electrical Engi- neers,and the Association of Iron and Steel Electrical Engineers, which will be held in Pittsburgh on Satur- day, April 16. During the morning of the meeting, the Colfax station will be visited. Papers will be presented by D. L. Galusha on the electrical features, and by C. i. W. Clarke on the mechanical features of this station. 8. G. Lamme, chief engineer of the Westinghouse Elec- tric & Mfg. Co., will read a paper entitled, “The Prob- em of Conversion from 60 Cycles to 25 Cycles,” and D. M. Petty, of the Bethlehem Steel Co. will give a talk on “Some Results in the Changing of 60 Cycles to 25 { . Cies, The Vulcan Iron & Steel Co. has been organized at Muncie, Ind., to manufacture bar iron and steel from machine shop turnings, under a process invented by Llewellyn Jones and Charles Westlake, Jr. of Youngs- town, Ohio. The Vulcan company has a capital stock * $300,000, equally divided into common and preferred, the latter being 8 per cent cumulative. Under the vrocess to be employed by the interest, it is claimed ‘hat charcoal iron and screw stock can be produced more cheaply than by any other method. Officers of the company are R, Milt Retherford, president; Richard W. Slack, vice-president; Walter L. Nelson, treasurer, and Joseph A. Mouch, secretary, all of Muncie. THE IRON AGE 97% National Metal Trades Convention At the annual convention of the National Metal Trades Association which will be held at the Hotel Astor, April 20 and 21, the reports of committees and officers will be read Wednesday morning, including a re- port from the Committee on Industrial Education by Harold C. Smith, chairman, and a report on “Economic Conditions in Europe” by William S. Kies, Cleveland, Aldred & Co., New York. The Wednesday afternoon session papers will be read as follows: “Quit Deceiving Yourself'—A. T. Simonds, Simonds Mfg Co., Fitchburg, Mass “Timely Industrial Problems’’—lIllustrated by charts M. W. Alexander, National Industrial Conference Board, New York “Labor Unions in Time of War’’—Hon. Charles L. Under hill, Member of Congress, Somerville, Mass. At the banquet in the evening, Dr. Merton S. Rice, Detroit, will speak on “Problematic America.” At the Thursday morning discussion the papers will be read as follows: “Mistakes of Interchurch Steel Report'’—Rev. E. Victor Bigelow, Andover, Mass “Practical Methods of Industrial Training’—Philip C Molter, superintendent, IS, Be Be a “Our Experience with Training’’- manager, the Lunkenheimer Co., Cincinnati. ““Modernized Apprenticeships”"—J. E. Goss, supervisor of apprentices, Brown & Sharpe Mfg. Co., Providence, R. I. “Recent Developments in Training Instructor Foremen Plant Leaders"—D. J. MacDonald, professor of voca- tional education, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati Department of Industrial Education, George A. Seyler, works and Industrial Exhibition in Brooklyn The fourth annual Brooklyn Industrial Exhibition was held April 2 to 9 at the Twenty-third Regiment Armory, Brooklyn. Among the manufacturers of iron, steel and machinery represented with exhibits were: E. W. Bliss, with presses and special machinery ; Adriance Machine Works, Inc.; American Machine & Foundry Co. ; Ball & Jewell, and the Potdevin Machine Co. The V. & O. Press Co., Glendale, exhibited presses and an automatic threader; the Garvin Machine Co., New York, several ma- chine tools, and the Wahlstrom Tool Co. and Eastern Tube & Tool Co., lines of drill chucks. The Fulton Foundry & Ma- chine Co. demonstrated a sensitive drilling machine and sen- sitive tapping attachments. Pumps were exhibited by the Foster Pump Works, the M. T. Davidson Co. and the Jackson Pump & Mfg. Co. The exhibit of the Merrill Brothers, Maspeth, L. L., consisted of turnbuckles, eye bolts and other forged products, and a bolt making machine and forge in operation. The Doehler Die Casting Co. had a large exhibit and Thomas Paulson & Son, Inc., was exhibitor of Hecla Bronze and other non-ferrous products. Other exhibitors included: Hay-Budden Mfg. Co., anvils; Lee Spring Co., springs; Gwilliam Co., ball bearings ; Christian Cunningham Co., boilers and tanks; E&gie Iron Works, automatic fire escapes; C. H. Leifried, forgings; Burr & Houston, castings; Richey, Browne & Donald, Inc., cast ings; Manning Abrasive Co., Troy, N. Y., Peerless surfacing machines and abrasive products. The Métropolitan Brass Founders Association was represented For the most part all machinery exhibited was being operated as in actual shop conditions. The attendance was large, especially during the latter half of the week, and it is reported that from many points of view the exhibition was more successful than those preceding. The National Association of Cost Accountants has issued as Volume II No. 10 of its official publica- tions, “A Bibliography of Cost Books.” It is limited to books, it being the intention to cover pamphlets and other material in a supplementary bibliography to be issued later. The bibliography is divided into five sec- tions—one containing books devoted to the general field of costs; one to books on accounting and auditing which contain sections dealing with costs; one to books on industrial engineering with sections on costs; one to books on costs for particular industries, this section being divided into the leading industries; and one deal- ing with special phases of cost accounting, such as overhead, depreciation, et cetera. The cost of the book- let to non-members of the association is 75 cents. The national quarters of the association have been moved to the Bush Terminal Building, 130 West Forty-second Street, New York. 974 Unemployment in Massachusetts In the March number of Massachusetts Industrial Review, published by the St te Department of Labor and Industries, comparison is made of unemployment on Dec. 31, 1920; Sept. 30, 1920, and Dec. 31, 1919, the figures showing a progressive increase with the passing months. Data relating to the metal and machinery trade, with some items regarding other trades, are shown below. reported The figures relate to union laber only, as by the various