The Iron Age 1922-09-14: Vol 110 Iss 11

ISHED 1855 VOL. 110, No. II «Rig SOD ae POE, oe Ny REE “Fi oo PS 2a eraniometn einai se oe Steel Lumber Developed for Buildings’ - a , bd ge ee tre ae New Light Sections Ideal Future Assured by Its for Dwellings and All > Own Qualities and a Other Easy Loads ra Dearth of Timber producer of basic a) pine of w materials, the he 4, chief the South, now the structural lumber of yn and steel indus- ; the East and Middle West, is try must have a keen inter- going the way of the white est in the expansion of the Be, $ é pine of the North. Ina few building industry now taking place throughout the country. The outlet which the building years only enough of it will be left for use as a specialty wood. As the depletion of South- ern pine increases, greater industry has been for many years, for a fairly sizable tonnage of such items as : demand will be made on the shapes and_ bars, . <a> ~ali ie last henceforth must widen and great timber stand of our country, the fir trees of grow in importance. The e the Pacific Slope. Even there, reasons for this advance of sé 21:3 to quote the Department of n construction are oe tal. It is the of the abun- Agriculture, “are already local evidences of de pletion, warnings that superior qual- - res | ia a the teel against a d conclusion of our ' store of soft woods will shortage and hi EES) . ) be the same as that of quality of 0 on : other regions and in far less time than has gener- ally been estimated.” ally given in we Steel must take the f millions of tics on timber place of wood for all { sawed lumber, structural purposes in rms of billions feet, afford the son little hint rtage, but the building construc- tion, for the simple rea- son that no other mate- rial suitable for the increasing same purpose will be f marketable - available. Specifically, d be notice to oo gt ge ea this means that steel joists and steel studs, it the supply all; ; falling be steel columns and steel In an ex- beams must provide the frames or skeletons of + eatise on tim- lumber ublished by Bureau of American Exchange National Bank, Dallas, Texas, 21 Stories buildi High, in Which the Floor and Other Loads Between Main ee ; Structural Girders Are Carried by Light Steel Lumber Joists In considering this new outlet for steel ton- tment of Agriculture in June, 1920, the clear nage, some new steel materials are coming into promi- is made that 4419 saw mills, represent- nence. Chief of these are the light-weight structural ent of all the saw mills operating on virgin sections known as steel lumber and expanded steel lath. . will have “cut out” in five years. The soth of these products have made tremendous strides ialified statement is made that by 1930 the in the last few years. Steel lumber has developed to oduce less pine than the Southern or home a mill production basis, with distribution through struc- lemand. Long leaf and short leaf yellow tural steel fabricators, in precisely the way heavy rolled _ ; nas structural shapes were developed. Steel lath has like- interbury, 619 Twelfth Street, N.W., Can- oe . bn’ ; : wise secured public recognition and its use has devel- 645 erg al wae he tye ‘ Ts Cees -- en ho tae sg bak. ow a . ae wipe On ae am Se cee > ~ pena FS A eS is NB ll ae i net ae e: Eee ep ee oil 6 Dh cigs A Be fos sate . pee iy! Ob eee Sater Bod 7 - own -— : - y ti-- Soa Rg Rp alee gh aye tes ees sease 2 calininctngut if tail lanai. lel timemnetints A> Shaka . g* -s. elicactien 4: VEG Tp RR Bete Dt 2% -v e- al eC B tee = ——_ Pres, . Cceinlackeba ot! 2 Oe men - a" yt >. : the ps t4 5 af ’ ; by . : 1s ~~ < +e r > e 4 e): j 4 s We wt ; as 2 : we. >{ ; I ¢. = * De 14.3 } 4 - ' AS a ‘ : iva q mAs Be ts + 3 eo} ; ORR. ae, i oe id % oe ‘ ¥ ; ee wet: Oh Aye 2 ay TPs STILE s in 2 + .. el i is et eee EARLE DOG hm. Pewee om. ee jeets re ss 646 THE IRON oped to a point where a goodly tonnage of sheets is now consumed annually in the making of this product. Materials are now available to make two tons of steel grow in the building industry where one grew before. Another factor helping to bring about a general change to steel in the building industry is the increas- ing public consciousness of the importance of more fire-safe construction of buildings. As wood lumber has grown more scarce and more expensive, builders have harkened more and more to the teachings against combustible construction that have been flooding the country in gradually increasing volume during the last twenty years. Ever-mounting fire losses, now flour- ishing at the rate of $365,000,000 annually, are becom- ing recognized as a great economic waste, and the fact that an average of 15,000 human lives are also lost in fires annually has helped to establish that public recog- nition. Still another factor in the progress of construction, appealing to the steel industry, is the unquestioned need for greater permanency in buildings, aside from the hazards of fire. Wood is a porous, moisture-absorbing material which, generally speaking, has but a short life of usefulness under normal conditions. It rots and warps and shrinks and the yearly depreciation and an- nual bill for necessary repairs on a wooden building are notoriously large. The difficulty of maintaining our modern ideas of sanitation in wooden buildings pro- duces another tendency toward the general adoption of some other building material. Slow Development Though sume few elements of the steel industry have been aware of these changing conditions for a long time, steel makers as a whole have not given the attention to the building question that such a poten- tially large outlet for tonnage deserves. Fifty years ago, cast iron and wrought iron constituted the indus- try’s sole contribution to the business of construction. Not so many years ago engineers were still experi- menting with vastly different materials, in vain efforts to expand the usefulness of those materials beyond their physical limitations. Buildings with solid brick bearing walls were attempted to heights beyond the crushing point of bricks. The Monadnock Building, in Chicage, was achieved in one of these experiments by methods which to-day would be utterly prohibitive in cost. The building still stands as an engineering mar- vel. The Pulitzer or World Building, in New York, has foundation walls 13 ft. thick. Hot rolled structural steel sections were at length developed. With these, steel frames or skeletons of buildings were erected so that masonry walls were sup- ported by the steel, and each story was a separate unit so far as the masonry was concerned. The 10-story Tewer Building, in lower Broadway, recently razed to make way for a larger structure, was the first steel frame building of modern type, but the famous Flatiron AGE September 14, 1999 Building, in New York, was the first outstandino achievement with this steel material. Since then, wi it has been developed America’s chief contribution + the world’s architecture, the American skys Fifteen years ago an entirely new structu: section was perfected and placed at the disposal of the building industry. This new product, furnished ; I-sections and channels, weighed only one-third as myet as standard rolled structural steel I-beams and ¢} nels. These new sections were made from originally. The channels were made by slit forming the sheets and the I-sections were mad placing two channels back to back and riveting th This section formed the nucleus of what is now no larly known as the steel lumber industry. Steel lumber, as its popular name applies, was or inally designed to take the place of wood joists and studs in building construction. Through the associate use of expanded metal lath, which serves as a base for concrete or plaster, steel lumber has developed int, structural material for thoroughly fireproof floor and wall construction. In the mill production of this prod- uct, slabs 6 to 8 in. wide, 3% in. thick and weichi; gnhing from 300 to 750 lb., constitute the raw material. Spe- Forming Light Stes Structural Sect from Hot R Strip Stee Cc The forming cold on the ma shown in right fore ground, by means the rolls, gové by the screws cially designed strip mills roll down these slabs grad- ually to strips of light gage, 130 ft. long and ranging in widths up to approximately 17 in. These strips are finished hot and coiled. The cous when cold, are fed into cold-forming mills which pro- duce the steel lumber channel sections. The steel lum- ber I-sections are produced by placing two channels back to back and feeding through automatic electri spot welders. Ends are trimmed with high speed fric- tion saws and the shop coat of paint is applied Imme- diately after forming by dipping the sections into pain vats. The steel for these operations, up to the po! of painting, is handled on a series of roll-tables and 4 remarkably efficient practice on heavy tonnage has bee! established. Distribution of the mill-produced stee] lumber through the same companies which fabricate and ere heavy rolled structural steel shapes. The steel lumve! sections, shipped from the mill in lengths limited ot } by transportation facilities, are cut to exact length ‘0 use by the distributer-fabricator. In large buildings s“ lumber sections pick up the light loads of floors partitions and accumulate them to a point where can be more economically carried by heavy Stee) *\’ tions. In small structures, like dwellings, they tase place of wood joists and studs. What Steel Offers The steel industry now provides, for buildin struction, (a) heavy rolled structural shapes capi” of carrying all heavy loads and stresses in a DUNS) (b) light, pressed steel sections capable of carrymg —" lighter loads and (c) expanded steel lath as @ Das€ plaster or cement stucco. With these products, practi gc September 14, 1922 Train and Run-out Rollers, in the Plant of the Central Steel Co., Massillon, Ohio in the Manufacture of Metal Lumber from Hot Rolled Strip Steel very kind of building can be erected for which _ sition from wood to steel. As an industry, steel has not s present-day use. been a good salesman; and nowhere has poor salesman- ,ddition, the industry provides now, as it has in ship been so apparent as in the handling of steel for east iron columns and other building prod-_ the building industry. vrought iron for fire escapes, grills, pipe, nails, Many fallacies exist in regard to such points as the te reinforcing rods and a host of sheet steel prod- resistance of steel to fire, to corrosion and other de- ts such as corrugated sheets, ventilators, door and _ structive agencies. It was upon this foundation of a ndow frames, base board, stamped roofing, stamped general misunderstanding of steel that concrete stepped ng, etc. At the dawn of the era of building with into a prominent position in the building industry. Used steel, the steel industry finds itself well equipped to first in sidewalks, foundations and similar work, con- lischarge its responsibilities in the direction of building crete came finally to function as structural building mstruction with the same efficiency with which it took material, displacing steel sections designed specifically r the construction of ships, railroad cars, wagons for that purpose. This practice afforded outlet to the ind automobiles and the thousand and one other in- steel industry only for reinforcing bars, and greatly re- istries in which the use of wood has become obsolete. duced total steel tonnage. Concrete columns and beams The light structural steel or steel lumber sections came into use and through the adroit use of a little steel tal lath are leading the van of this fine array’ in the way of bars, and the height of concrete struc- materials in the advancement of sales methods. ‘tures was run up over 200 ft. The early incomplete line h of this work is necessary, if our steel mate- of steel building materials, and the consequent depend- ifacturing facilities are to be built up suffi- ence of the industry upon foreign accessory materials, to take care of the inevitable demand. Sales aided this advance of concrete. For instance, a struc- + st carry the industry over the period of tran- tural steel frame of a large building used masonry Lumber Floor Joists Used in Conjunction with Beam Girders and Built-up Columns The joists dis- ocal loads to the girders and thence to the supporting columns ey —~ .s. Pg ppt elie ag RA lg CED Bonk Bf Ai biety en & OG 2 Ky ee at Palagae. coed esa. Fn se e* a Oe ie we raise rer PL as es wer Pt *~ . ¢ kein ines”, * ET OC gp ey et A ee = —— - sé Ds ~* ~ inl chy oe me % ‘ as ; at 4 i J } i : / Lest : im 8 + > n, hod ‘ i { % t " * ; ine "1 ” ¢ ; ‘ are 7 i * , i >) % ar + - & ' wa 7 7 ‘ t et '* 4 ee A * aw | i ) wiv } = tO pepe ~ ee Teh ern me << Cue ore was ema Sena eh er at oe Ds ~~ * 648 walls and depended upon concrete, hollow tile or some similar material to carry the lighter loads of floors and roof. Light steel lumber sections now remedy this con- dition. Buildings are being erected with heavy rolled steel frames and floors and roof supported on stee] lum- Expanded steel lath spreads across these steel floor joists and acts as centering and rein- forcement for a thin slab of concrete. Thus steel has come back to its original function of serving as struc- tural material, and concrete is used only in sufficient quantities provide additional fire resistance. Re- markable economies are being achieved in this practice. Besides enormously decreasing the dead weight of buildings, great savings are made in labor. No dead work applies to steel construction, while in concrete construction falsework must be built up to form and support the concrete until it hardens. 3ut the larger sized fireproof buildings represent only a portion of the outlet for steel to the building in- dustry since the advent of light steel lumber sections and expanded steel lath. Steel joists and steel lath now find a market in small commercial buildings, where the heavy rolled structural steel a few years ago had no market whatsoever. Steel joists and steel lath are used in floor and roof construction in strictly masonry bearing wall buildings of two and three in height. In buildings of this character the steel joist tonnage alone averages approximately 200 tons per 100,000 sq. ft. of floor surface. In the larger buildings, where floor joist spans are usually greater, the steel joist tonnage will run from 275 to 300 tons per 100,000 sq. ft. of floor surface. The steel lath required for such construction is double the amount of floor surface to be built, since the lath is used as centering and reinforcement for the concrete slab on top of the joists and is also attached to the bottom flanges of the joists as a base for ceiling plaster. A certain amount of heavy rolled steel shapes are required even for these small commercial buildings as lintels, and as supporting beams to break joist spans, and some cast iron posts are likewise frequently used. The general utility of the steel lumber floor joists and steel lath are causing them to find market, also, in construction of public schools, hotels, theaters, apart- ments, garages and practically every type of occupancy where the live floor loads are not excessive and where, a few years ago, steel found no appreciable outlet. In cities, all buildings of these types in certain zones are required to be constructed fire-safe and some build- ings, like schools, theaters, etc., are often required by State laws to be built fire-safe, regardless of location. Thus the use of combustible or wood materials gradu- ally falls off through enforcement of safety measures, leaving reinforced concrete as the only competitor of steel in strictly structural materials. Steel joists and expanded sheet steel lath are open- ber I-sections. to stories Steel Lumber Joists Set into Forms, with the Ends to Be T-Beams, in the Md. Concrete Hagerstown, Embedded in Reinforced Y. M. C. A. Building at THE IRON AGE Steel and Pressed Stes with Rolled Structura Framing Light Joists Light Bearing Partitions, ing a market, also, among the builders even to the inclusion of the small, single-fa low. This field represents the absolute building construction industry. It has we that no producer of building materials ha vaded the building industry until he has p: thing for use in dwellings. Normally, dw struction outstrips all other types of buildi resents about 30 per cent of the entire a building industry. During the first eight 1922 the Dodge reports show that 37% pe awards has been for residential property statement, made so many times during of a United States shortage of 1,500,000 homes, g sound reason for the conjecture that res struction will continue for many years large portion of the materials going into industry. It is the function of steel to reduce and eliminate the hazard of fire in dwellings and for this purpose is the light structural sectio: joists and steel studs. The preliminary effort of in this direction should be in furthering the pract building fire-safe first floors. The logic for tice is found in the fact that the major fir the home are located in the basement. A large ma ity of dwelling fires originate either in the basen or in the first floor. Here are located such fire hazards as furnaces, hot-water heaters, heating pipes, coal, ash bins and frequent!) laundry stoves, gas jets, etc., as well as g other stoves, open grates, etc. A high measure of fire protection may if a steel joist fire-safe first floor is spread foundation walls. In this construction met , be attached to the underside of the stee! Joists plastered, after which the regular double wood surface can be laid on the tops of the joists. Nal's be driven right into the webs of the jois' Ani practice is to leave the joists exposed 01 basement and to lay metal lath on the top joists, and cover with a 2-in. concrete sla , en wood screeds to which the wood floor sur! nailed. The cost of this steel joist first fl tion closely parallels the cost of combust! gerous wood joist floor construction. he The first principle of fire-safe and more per construction is the elimination of cumbust! nber 14, 1922 riorating materials. It follows, then, that vantages are secured through the use of steel nd floors and roofs, steel stud partitions and ned or solid masonry walls. The first installa- teel lumber joists and studs was a duplex uilt fifteen years ago at Tuxedo Park, N. Y.., nally designed for wood lumber structural H. M. Naugle, who had conceived the idea ht steel structural sections, re-designed the replacing every stick of wood shown on the the steel lumber sections. 16-room building was erected by the Taft- Cornwall-on-the-Hudson. About 18 tons :mber were used. The building was started in finished in October. The cost at that time 10. Some miscalculations were made by the s in their estimate of this very first steel ling ever erected, but the same contractors duplicate the house at that time for $6,300. as 1912 the United States Government, recog- economy and advantages of steel lumber m, purchased 44 carloads of steel lumber and to Honolulu, where it was used in the erec- 16-room and eleven 14-room structures at varracks there. In these buildings the steel k the place of all structural wood material. neral size of the great building industry to se various steel products appeal has never rately estimated. No systematic record is total building construction in cities, and i at all is kept of total building the farms. The “Statistical Abstract of States” gives data on building permits Casting Aluminum Bronze for French Coinage* The French Government has decided to replace the ‘y notes at present in circulation with small ke coins of aluminum bronze. 1909 the French Ministry of France set up a Com- propose a likely metal to replace the old coins tence. This commission asked an engineer ized in the question of alloys, P. H. Gaston ) prepare bronzes of aluminum which should near as possible to the metal of Sainte- e, who experimented half a century ago, French metal. M irville is now preparing homogeneous ingots t greenish-gold color, which can be polished the hardest steels. One of the chief diffi- e faced was the inclusion of slags, air bub- er oxidized bodies when pouring the ingots. this, M. Durville invented and patented, apparatus illustrated. It is composed of ld and a pocket or ladle rigidly connected other by a communicating canal. These ts are kept in a straight line, once they , eer, London. Fig. 2. LZ tie THE IRON AGE 649 issued in 69 cities, with an aggregate popula- tion of 26,000,000, for the year 1920; the number of permits is set forth as 249,368 and the total valuation $1,115,151,000. The Dodge reports show building con- tracts awarded in 1919 to a valuation of $2,077,000,000, in 1920 to a valuation of $1,996,894,000, in 1921 to a value of $2,356,000,000 and in eight months of 1922 to $2,362,872,000. These reports cover only 27 States and only towns of over 3000 population in those States. It appears safe to estimate that our annual building construction amounts to something well over two bil- lions of dollars annually. In King’s “Wealth and In- come of the People of the United States,” the total in- come of the people of the country is set at 18 billions of dollars in 1900 and 31% billions of dollars in 1910 Estimates for 1920 have run as high as 55 billions of dollars. But the question of the relative importance of the building industry in the general commercial activit of the nation is of slight importance. Certainly it is vast and assuredly it now presents for the steel industry, with its fine line of steel materials, an enormous outlet for tonnage. So far the record of steel in building construction is practically flawless. It is popularly known to possess an enviable line of virtues, the chief of which lies in the fact that steel is a definitely known and uniform quantity. There is little or no guess work about build- ing with steel. Factors of safety in all the steel prod- ucts are large and definite. The performance, particu- larly, of the heavy rolled shapes and the steel lumber sections has set the building industry’s standard for long life, economy and general reliability. are brought together. The ladle and the canal are lined with a refractory material. At the factory at Mouy-Bury, where the Alloy and Forgeable Bronze Company employs the Durville method, the alloy is melted in a crucible, its free sur- face oxidizes and becomes covered with a film of alumina, which protects the parts of the bath below it from further oxidation. Once the alloy is melted, the pouring must be effected without the slightest agita- tion. From the crucible the alloy is poured into the ladle, which is then rapidly attached to the ingot mold. The whole apparatus is then tilted, as shown successively in Figs. 1 to 6, and the molten mass flows gently from the ladle into the four compartments into which the ingot mold is divided. As will be seen, the surface of the liquid bronze is kept horizontal throughout the operation. The alloy occupies successive positions without the least jerk, until it arrives in the ingot mold, where it solidifies. Its passage from one to the other is accomplished gently and evenly, in spite of the rapidity of the flow. As soon as solidification has taken place the ingots are withdrawn. The aluminum bronze leaves the factory in the form of rectangular plates, each one weighing 60 to 70 kilos (130 to 150 lb.), which are then reduced to strips from which the coin blanks are stamped. Positions in Transferring the Molten Metal from the Ladle into the Ingot Mold. The two are joined by an intermediate section which acts as a runner eee eee sen ae Aenea eres ein ee Oe ae ens eae ~- Sige aane Cia tte citi tl I la eee Zaxw! eg =- = pc RI i ty ne eT ck ail ltt tai a a : - . _ -— a, -—_— - le ely Lee je set 7. +e ms vy " : ee tn se sete a <ateted - eee a eeadnengamceies ptaesinailipiabniis > o ptr Do mseer sm Mis i a , i ? 4 rf : « See oN a. ey ’ *F af ot coe. g 3 rg , . } - Reb, aij ff Sout ee pet ; > : . ¥ i fry t's ee 4 , il 6 ee . ‘. , ig : aad 2 0 ; Reh! ¥ mh ; Pa! : a Pata. s Ab hace ; mee a} £59 “ : eet : my «hy Bei) i 74s eal: § . 7) ; : m ca ae. We Beta, % be tty gata a: tha > Ae ' ee iy ; a ; ita sot 1 ‘ o eet ees 2 ate a hee sh oy . 7 » aa t ’ re we > dreeee 2 RS , ae -_ : > 650 THE IRON AGE Self-Fitting and Cutting Keys Self-fitting keys known under the trade name of Keytite, which by being driven into the keyway cut their own seats, and intended to save hand fitting as in the case of the usual square keys, are being offered by Smith & Serrell, Central Avenue, Newark, N. J. One of the keys is shown in the accompanying illus- tration. A tough chisel stock is used and ground to a size slightly larger than the nominal keyway width. A cutting edge and chip recess are provided near the front end of the key, and ahead of these there is a pilot which is slightly smaller than the nominal keyway width. To install the key, the pilot is entered first with the cutting edge at the side, the key then being driven home with a hammer or a sledge, depending upon the size of the key. The cutting edge cuts the keyway to fit the key body, the job being done, it is said, in a fraction of the The Cutting Edges Cut the Keyway to Fit the Key Body. Chip recess and pilot are shown at left end of key time necessary to hand fit a key. The cut fit is tight, yet not too tight to burst a hub. Oversized keys refit old keyways quickly and thus may serve to keep im- portant machines in operation. In the larger sizes cutting edges may be provided on both sides and when it is desired to fit top and bottom as well as on the sides, a cutting edge is also provided at the top. Gib keys and other modifications, incorporating the self-fitting feature, can be furnished as required. Keys with heads are available for places where headless keys cannot be drifted out, and many of the larger sizes can be provided with a hole tapped in the end permitting the key to be pulled out by a bolt. Taper keys, with or without heads, are avail- able, although top and side self-fitting keys are recom- mended on heavy duty work where it is desired that the key fit top and bottom as well as sideways, August Construction Ahead of Last Year Building contracts awarded in the 27 Northeastern States during August amounted to $322,007,000, ac- cording to the F. W. Dodge Co. This figure was 46 per cent over that of August, 1921, and only 8 per cent under that of July, 1922. A seasonal decline set in after four months of unprecedented activity and the decline is slight. The August figures brought the total for the year to date up to $2,362,872,000, which is not only the largest figure for the first eight months of any year, but is greater by $7,000,000 than the total for the en- tire year 1921. Comparing this year with 1921 on the eight months’ basis, the year is 58 per cent ahead. The outstanding feature of the August statistical statement is the increase in industrial plant construc- tion, which amounted to $67,373,000, or 21 per cent of the month’s total. This is the largest monthly figure for this class since March, 1920. One project accounted for $35,000,000 of this large total, the by-product coke plant of the Carnegie Steel Co. near Pittsburgh. Even omitting this large single project, the remaining amount is greater than any monthly total since November, 1920. Residential building still maintains the lead in Au- gust, with $100,882,000 worth of contracts, or 31 per cent of the total. Residences for the eight months amounted to $887,250,000, or 37% per cent of the total, against 40 per cent for the first six months of the year, a slackening in this item having occurred since July 1. Public works and utilities in August amounted September 14, 1999 to $49,825,000, or 15 per cent; business buildings. ga9. 122,000, or 12 per cent; and educationa] lines $32,055,000, or 10 per cent. : Contemplated new work reported during nth amounted to $371,249,000. Business Conditions Still Sound In reviewing the state of industry, sheets of the Department of Commerce for of July lay stress upon the comparison with July of last year rather than with June, 1922. The belief expressed that the very serious labor difficulti: which we are now passing would under many conditions have completely demoralized business. Instead of this. however, real progress has been made in many lines. Thus, the shipment of iron ore through the “Soo Cana)” in July was 35 per cent greater than in June and was more than double the figure for July, 1921. The outpyt of crude petroleum, more than 46,500,000 barrels. was 2 per cent greater than in June and, with the excep of last March, shows the greatest total in our history Consumption of petroleum, exceeding 51,000,000 ba) rels, is the highest for any month on record. Production of sheets—blue, black and galvanized fell off from 86.4 per cent of capacity in June to 72.7 per cent in July. Both may be compared with 19.7 per cent in July, 1921. Shipment of steel barrels dropped from 267,000 in June to 221,000 in July, against 96,750 in July, 1921. Building costs increased in July to 17 per cent of the pre-war figure, against 170 per cent ir June. These compare with 204 per cent in July, 1921 The total stock of money in the United States, held out- side the Treasury and the Federal Reserve system, decreased from $4,376,000,000 in June to $4,337,000,000 in July, the figure in July, 1921, having been $4,866,- 000,000. The latest figure represents $39.47 per head of population. Clutch and Brake for Tumbling Mills A combination clutch and brake mechanism for tumbling mills arranged as shown in the accompanying illustration, and intended to contribute to the safe operation of the mills, has been placed on the market by the Whiting Corporation, Harvey, Ill. With this mechanism a loaded mill can be brought to rest at the proper point for unloading, and without . : . t >» Tymbling Combination Clutch and Brake for Tumbling Mills. Control is by the hand lever show! loss of time. Holding the mill in place by a wood P or a bolt thrust into the gearing, as commonly done always dangerous. With the combination clute) @ brake it is impossible for the barrel to turn aft r brake is set, even though the barrel is unequally * : It is designed as a simple and fool-proof devic hich is controlled by a hand lever, the shifting BS : toward the mill engages the clutch and starts the 0 To stop the mill, the lever is moved in reverse © tion, passing through neutral to the braking po” aacu iret: ub La September 14, 1922 NEW THREAD SNAP GAGE Caves by Sight and Touch—Interchangeable Rotatable Gaging Elements Used—Lasting Accuracy a Feature type of adjustable thread snap gage, in- ifford a proper “feel” of the dimension, and ructed view for “seeing” the elements of a ad, singly or collectively, and which may be r as a working or an inspection gage, has ed on the market by the Johnson Gage i‘ Hartford. By elements of a screw thread is lead, form, roundness and straightness. .dvantage of the snap gage is that the sense is well as that of feeling may be used in check- piece being inspected. The relation between gy elements and the piece can be determined ght passes through a very small opening and it entirely where contact has ted. The principles used in n and construction of these the instrument illustrated ‘ecent contribution to gages of = {mong the claims for the new gage ts accuracy is permanent and stment simple and positive. It ites a “go” and “not go” limit, es single, double, left and right- reads. The three styles avail- shown in the accompanying n. In style A, which is for general use except where a lead check is necessary or in pitches ser than 10, the gage elements are approximately % in. long. In style B. th ng elements are about 1 in. vle C is for the A. S, M. E. sizes from No. 0 to No. 12, inclusive. It may be noted from the illustra- ns that the gages employ rotatably inted circular gaging elements, or ls. The advantage of this principle construction, as explaired by the ikers, is that the circular element es a line contact, affording a proper of the dimension and an unob- ructed view for “seeing” the elements the screw thread. In rotating, fric- and wear is comparatively eliminated, serving to ngthen the life of the gage. wo sets of gaging rolls are provided, the outer + ng the “Go” set and the inner the “Not Go” ry rag no C+, Adjustable T Number of Employees Decreased WASHINGTON, Sept. 12.— The unsettled industrial ‘tion is held by the United States Employment Ser- largely responsible for a decrease of 1381 in the aggregate number employed during ending Aug. 31, as reported by 1428 concerns mploying more than 500 workers each. The the iron and steel industry under July was while for metals and metal products other ind steel the decrease was 2048. Other de- Vehicles for land transportation, 3676; ndred products, 1895; paper and printing, ineous, 603; lumber and its manufacture, and their products, 292, and liquor and The greatest increase, 3941, was made nical industry. Other increases were: ts finished products, 2244; stone, clay and 1205; railroad repair shops, 900; to- » + ng was better than many had expected rail and fuel situation. The report says , ig operations are satisfactorily increasing $ - It is pointed out that some industries are yy) m a labor shortage, this including iron and THE IRON within it style A. Style C is shown at upper left AGE 651 set. The annular ribs of the rolls are the same in form as the thread to be inspected, and these ribs are spaced to project between every second thread. Func- tioning without relation to the helix angle of the thread, the gage may be used on left and right hand, single or double threads. By using one rib of the gaging element the pitch diameter of the thread can be accurately determined. By using the entire length of the rolls the form of the thread and the lead can be determined at a glance, and also the presence of any taper detected. A staggered thread or one that is out of round can be detected by rotating the piece while it is engaged. Another feature is that the gaging ele- ments are interchangeable and threads of the same diameter but different pitch can be inspected with the same gage. Work cannot be cramped between the gag- ing rolls. Adjustment of the rolls is by rotating the eccentric bushings on which they are mounted, the total adjust- ment being 0.040 in. The gage is set to a soft master hread Snap Gages The larger gage is style B and the one Details at lower left belong to style B. The gage in use is shown in the insert or setting plug and after being set the adjustment is locked by a binding screw. A soft plug may be used in the place of a hardened and ground sizer, because, it is claimed, there is no wear in the setting process, steel, but that the harvesting season is drawing to a close in Minnesota, North Dakota and Montana, which will cause a surplus of labor. The demand for labor in those States, however, indicates this surplus will be readily absorbed. A strong trend toward increased em- ployment in face of many obstacles, it is declared, sig- nifies a progressve march toward stabilization of in- dustry. During the first six months of 1922, according to information received by the Department of Commerce, French exports of iron ore reached 4,328,455 metric tons as against 2,666,428 tons during the first six months of 1921. The exports of iron ore from one period to another increased, especially for Germany (1,160,058 tons against 505,702 tons). They remain stationary for Belgium and show an increase for the Saar and the Netherlands. The Philadelphia Foundrymen’s Association re- sumed its monthly meetings Wednesday evening, Sept. 13, at the Manufacturers’ Club, Philadelphia. A part of the program was a memorial service for the late Thomas Devlin, who was president of the association for 15 years. i ieieeteraetitiale Gooahe Phra res eee nae a ‘ : ao th aes it) j peg Oe. hE ft te] o 11 ae ee ta 23 He ry ua HW 3 ie i: i 4 ‘ 4 ° ‘ i) a s , > ee = Ange ee tee rT .. tht ek Rete ek ae See te te err sine 7 ees eee * as alien, 2 aS di tres ~ ee er, ee . . - < ° - = ee a © te me eng be ant ay | Bis BET > 9 Poe i a twee Rt a7. 9 ¢ 7. af ns ‘ hy . : ’ 652 THE IRON AGE AUGUST STEEL OUTPUT Ingot Production Rate About 30,273.900 Tons Per Year—Daily Output 15,360 Tons Less Than in July According to the steel ingot statistics, as collected by the American Iron and Steel Institute, the 30 com- panies, which in 1921 made 87.50 per cent of the total, had an output in August of 2,214,582 gross tons. This compares with 2,487,104 tons in July and is a decline On the assumption that companies reporting are supplying the same percentage of the total as they did last year, the output for the 26 working days of August was about 2,530,900 tons or 97,340 tons per day. The July production on the same basis was about 2,842,400 tons or approximately 113,700 tons per day. The August output was at the rate of about 30,273,900 tons per year; in July it was about 35,360,000 tons and in June about 36,000,000 tons per year. The statistics of the American Iron and Steel Insti- tute since January, 1921, follow in gross tons: Opel All Months Hearth Bessemer Other Total Jat l 1,591,281 608,276 3,629 2,203,186 Febru 1,295,863 450,818 2,796 1,749,477 Marcl 1,17 91 392,983 2,404 1,570,978 \ l 1,000,053 211,755 2,150 1,213,958 Ma 1,047,810 216,497 1,543 1,265,850 J SO8,286 193,644 1,476 1,003,406 J 689,489 113,312 a75 803,376 August ‘ 915,334 221,116 1,621 1,138,071 Total—8& months 8,523,707 2,408,401 16,194 10,948,302 Se] é 908,381 265,152 1,207 1,174,740 >) 1,269.94 345.837 1.028 1.616.810 ‘ ml 1,294,371 63,912 1,718 1,660,001 1 de mber 1.129.174 296,380 1,539 1,427,093 Total—Whole yr...13,125,578 3,679,682 21,686 16,826,946 ] 1al 1922 1.260.809 331,851 822 1,593,482 February 1,395,835 348,571 616 1,745,022 March 1,918,570 $51,386 795 2,370,751 April . 1,997,465 445,939 1,109 2,444,513 May 2,214,77 494,893 1,474 2,711,141 June 2,143,708 {$87,851 2,918 634.477 July 2,020,572 $64,047 2,485 2,487,104 August 1,807,310 104,379 2,893 2,214,582 Tota 8 months..14,759,043 3,428,917 13,112 18,201,072 The August daily estimated output of 97,340 tons compares with 70,019 tons per day in January and with 114,717 tons per day in May. Large Increase in Imports of Iron Ore WASHINGTON, Sept. 12.—Incoming shipments of iron ore for July of this year totaled 166,711 tons and for the seven months period ending with July, 1922, aggregated 374,407 tons. These figures compare with 70,040 tons for July, 1921, and 266,186 tons for the seven-month period ending with July, 1921. The in- crease in imports is ascribed partly to the lower freight rates that prevailed on import shipments than applied to domestic shipments. Since July, however, the rates have become equalized. Import figures follow: Seven Months Ending July, 19 July, 1922 Imported fron Gross To Total Value Gross Tor Spain 1.89] S36 00F 20,869 Sweden 1,878 179,032 124,648 Canada 67 1.3826 1,321 Cuba 6.275 220,102 133,572 Other countries 0,300 296,250 93,997 Iron and Steel Exports Figures of the Department of Commerce, supple- menting the general statistics covering exports as pub- lished on page 602, Sept. 7, show the composition of the shipments to various countries. Thus, of Canada’s July purchases, aggregating 48,010 tons, no less than 8630 tons consisted of semi-finished material in the shape of ingots, blooms, billets, sheet bar and skelp. Iron and steel bars and rods, other than wire rods, pro- vided the next largest group, amounting to 6427 tons. Structural shapes, not fabricated, accounted for 5780 tons. There were 3808 tons of iron and steel plates, September 14. 1999 oe 3526 tons of black steel_sheets, 3101 tons of sheets, 2369 tons of steel rails and 1899 ¢ bands and strip steel. Japan, with 37,585 tons, was the se customer for American iron and steel. N; this amount (16,886 tons) was steel rails 8153 tons of black steel sheets, 1339 ton and terne plate, 1330 tons of rail fasteni: frogs, etc., 1284 tons of iron and steel 1210 tons of unfabricated structural] tons of scrap. Steel Corporation’s Unfilled Or, The monthly report of the United § Corporation shows 5,950,105 tons of unfi on its books as of Aug. 31, or 173,944 tor reported on the books July 31. This increas: with increases of 140,630 tons in July, 381 June, 157,315 tons in May, 602,765 tons 353,079 tons in March, and with decreas tons in February and 26,736 tons in Jar Corporation on Aug. 31, last, had 1,681,6: of unfilled business on its books than it d and 1,418,179 tons more than a year largest amount for any previous time 1921, when 6,284,765 tons remained unfi ing is the unfilled tonnage as reported by January, 1920: 1922 1921 Jan ee oil 41,241,678 7.573, 16 Fb 28 4,141,069 6,.933.8¢ Mar 31 4,494,148 6,284,76 Apr 30 »,096,913 5,845.22 May 31 ‘ 5,254,228 5,482.48 June 30 . 5,635,531 5,117,868 July 31 776,161 4,830,32 Aug 31 ‘ 5,950,105 4,.531,9 Sept 30 4,560.67 Oct 31 4,286.8 Nov 30 4,250.54 Dec 31 ‘ 4,268.41 The largest total of unfilled orders was on Apr 1917, when it was 12,183,083 tons. The Dec. 31, 1910, at 2,605,747. Lake Iron Ore Shipments in August Shipments of iron ore from the Lake Superior reg in August were much larger than those in August 1921. This year there were 9,016,426 gross \ compares with 4,329,158 tons in August, 1921. T! crease over last year was therefore 4,687,268 tons 108.27 per cent. The totals by ports, with season shij ments and a comparison with 1921, are given bel August, August, To Sept 5 1922 1921 1922 Escanaba Marquette Ashland Superior 900,975 465,380 1,134,577 2 338.080 309,111 2,505 129,691 1,3 468,283 3,713.6 917,693 6,7 Duluth 2,896,979 1,833,247 8,023.7 Two Harbors .. 1,280,435 671,133 4,050,2% Total a .. 9,016,426 4.329.158 26,309.9 The increase in season shipments to Sept. |, }¥-- has been 11,561,867 tons or 78.39 per cent as compat’ with a decrease for the same period a year 4 20,601,802 tons or 58.27 per cent. Of the season’s total to Sept. 1, the Great North dock contributed 22.90 per cent as against 21.9. pe! cent a year ago. Duluth is credited this year W" 30.49 per cent of this season’s total as compa! 43.89 per cent a year ago. Inland Steel Co. Plans The Inland Steel Co. has filed two plans in the office of the county recorder at Valparals covering 1200 acres of land east of Gary, in¢. ° company has been purchasing land on Lake Michigan, just east of Gary, for three yea! a now owns two miles of lake front. No plans 1° development of the property have yet been anno®ll but with the final consummation of the merge? "" the Midvale and Republic companies, it 1s xe’) construction program will be launched. At ™ Harbor plant of the Inland Steel Co. there is ts left for expansion. ‘lectric Steel Production of the World Record of the Leading Countries from 1913 to 1921- Post-War and Present Conditions—Pig Iron from Electric Furnaces BY EDWIN F. CONE ry vurld’s production of steel in electric furnaces, 1921, has varied with the peculiar conditions existing in .’ | epresented by the leading producing coun- each country. Data for the German speaking countries ¢ i: . was partly covered by an article contributed are not yet available, but assuming them to have been 1% thor to THE IRON AGE of Dec. 25, 1919, en- proportionate to those in other countries, the total for rid’s Output of Electric Steel and Pig Iron.” each of the three years present a strong contrast to ot ible to cover the years 1919 and 1920 and __— those of the years preceding 1919. ? 1921 production. Despite the falling off, however, the showing is a “ n two or three countries practically no elec- good one. The 1919 total for six countries is larger | yi vas made prior to 1913. In the United States, than the 1916 total for eight nations. The 1920 total i ind France, particularly the latter two, elec- for six countries, assuming Germany to have made as * ices were making steel as early as 1908 and much as in 1919, exceeds the 1917 output for eight. In : r industry, however, did not slaeba any mag- 1921, the year of world-wide depression and strikes, 7 1913. In that year Germany was its probably over 425,000 tons was produced by the six sy red leader. countries including Germany, or a figure nearly equal - ‘ ie Table 1 Output of Electric Steel Ingots and Castings in the Leading Countries in Tons ry 1913 1915 1916 1917 1918 19 1920 1921 Ae 30,180 69, 412 2 168,918 304,543 511,364 84,45 02,152 169,499 ¢ 88,256 1 31! 9 190,036 219,700 240,037 "55 382 : : oss ii None 22 "000 46,709 98.592 115,448 77,000 89.100 27,100 None *5,625 19,639 50,467 119,130 15,502 28,301 16,844 § Hungary 26,837 23,895 $7,247 47,152 41,163 re 21,124 21,000 44,429 54,031 58,222 $2,559 58,080 24,457 ie ao 22,387 22,376 36,948 +40,000 89,000 $100,000 $140,600 ‘ ie 2,276 2,187 6,648 10,664 +15 5.000 na 168,673 298,085 546,002 822,097 1,140,364 663,895 777,633 377,900 ‘ ' 1914 +Estimated. j oF he stimulus of the war, the electric furnace to the output of 1913 and 1915 combined. This is no . i f all these countries ——— until the peak insignificant achievement. jm . 4 9 » , = : A 1 in 1918, when over 1,140,000 tons was pro- American Record Since the War 1 t as 168,600 tons in 1913. In this period, ; : o| To? . . ‘ In the United States the course of the electric steel : United States gradually displaced Ger- . ; ‘ . ' ant industry in the last three years has been discussed at he lead, with an output in 1918 nearly ; ; sd # : ; various times in the columns of THE IRON AGE. In 4 of the seven other countries combined. i alt ites Taal te elt wan te 1 i ; : . ; : : ac » las ree years the output has been large, 4 ansion up to and including 1918 varied with ‘ ” , i ~ aa a te tit 10 Me é 7m ' ie - arly reac 920 the sec utp in 1918. ‘ Che total output in 1915 was about 80 per ‘ many yn te - aio ae f 169.499 i +] ‘ : . — “ve > disas s year 921, the total o J,4% 1an in 1913, while in 1916 it was about 23 remy es . 191 j ti 7 1 i ie . e , . - S was rer re 2s the 1913 duction and in aid greater than in 1915. From 1916 to 1917 on ca ron eos : rr i . el - ~ sxcess » worlds total a hat time. .ven in new P was about 50 per cent, and from 1917 to Tt ™ tne ‘lati 7 7 1 ; : , ‘ : £ about th . ‘nace stallations, 1YZl snowed a ne ain of abou Ps pansion was about 40 per cent. a aia - g 2 os ; 9 per cent over 20. ie striking feature of the growth of this P oat a eo $ ‘ ; . . ; The most striking features of the 1921 record, how- of 0 1919 is the relative progress of Ger ; , : ; fr +} Tr . Pe ever, were the large increase in electric steel castings « ie 1e United States. In 1913 Germany pro- ae a " = 1) , and the phenomenal rise in the output of electric alloy 20 per cent of all the electric steel then The followi tabl - thde th oles : eo8 : ‘astings. e Ollowing tabie reveais Ms in § ° ’ ugh the United States ranked second in | g e . . ‘ ° . tons: J he industry had only just started. Germany , i-Hungary were credited with close to 70 Total Total 4 the world’s i . r 1918 Total Electric Electric ; ¢ orld s output in 1913. But by 1918 Electric Steel Alloy Steel ie n had radically changed. Although Ger- Stee Castings Castings é reased its eae ata ial 1913 30,18' 9,207 443 ; reased | its electric furnace production aie 168'918 42'870 926 : es, the United States output had expanded 1918 511,364 108.296 3,076 aa . . 1920 502,152 155,196 11,710 y leading all nations. Its output was not 1924 169.499 85095 10.084 two so-called Central Powers, but it was - ' ‘i half of the total of all the producing The broad expansion in the electric steel casting r % industry is evident from these figures, the progressive P feature of the development of this indus increase having been very large since 1913—reaching s ° ne . . ‘ = ; ) was the rapid growth of the British and the maximum in 1921 at over 50 per cent of the total duction. In 1913 there is no record of any electric steel production. Still more significant is the . / ¥ those countries, but in the four years fact that last year, of the total output of electric alloy . ‘18 inclusive, this British industry had ex- steel ingots and castings, 15.9 per cent was alloy cast- ; 3 fold and the Canadian about 21 fold. ings. In 1920 this proportion was 6.50 per cent and pet ie gress of the industry as a whole in the read- in 1917 and 1918 only about 1 per cent. The broader eo e sD j : ‘ . sctric r east s in « 4 : : | iod since the war, or in 1919, 1920 and __ use of electric alloy castings, in some industries as sub 653 ; f Ag Soe a a Se oe 7 ~ Ko oe 7 Tae Peg geet ne “ 4 Bie. ay 22 bcd trz ay . 554 stitutes for forgings, is the explanation. The trend of the American electric steel industry in 1921 demon- strated the firm hold of the electric furnace in the steel foundry. Broad Expansion in Italy The outstanding feature among the other electric steel producing countries has been Italy. As shown by Table 1, the Italian electric steel industry has risen from a relatively low position six or seven years ago to a commanding one at present or second last year to the United States. Reliable data indicate that there are at least 180 electric furnaces in the Italian steel industry, among which are several 20 to 25-ton fur- naces and about 23 furnaces of the 15 ton capacity. A large number of them are the Heroult type, but the rapid introduction of the Fiat and other Italian types is a feature. British Post-War Progress British data recently published call attention to the considerable expansion in number and size of the elec- tric furnaces since 1914. The following table gives the number and size of such furnaces in Great Britain at the beginning of 1922: Number of Furnaces Capacity per Charge, Tons 3 cw : ‘ 1 0.25 f cwt ; 1 0.30 ly, tor 15 7.50 18 ewt ; 2 1.80 1 ton 5 5.00 1% tons l