The Iron Age 1924-12-18: Vol 114 Iss 25

ESTABLISHED 1855 4 THE IRON AGE New York, December 18, 1924 VOL. 114, No. 25 Furnace Installation for Heating Nickel Double-Chamber Oil-Fired Units for Heating Slabs for Rolling and for Annealing— Automatic Control Provided BY GEORGE ELLERTON, JR.* Clearfield, Pa., decided to install oil-burning fur- naces to replace their coal-fired furnaces. As there was some uncertainty about the effect of the products of combustion of oil upon the nickel, a smal! under-fired furnace was used to determine this point. The results, using test pieces, demonstrated the feasi- } clea this year the American Nickel Corporation, CR Cn bility of the fuel and type of furnace. Each test piece was rolled to the desired thickness with one heating, against two heating periods in the coal furnace. As a result of information thus obtained, a double- chamber under-fired furnace was installed for heating, for rolling slabs of nickel 10 in. wide x 30 in. long and 8 in. thick. Each chamber of this furnace (shown in Fig. 1) is 5 ft. wide and 10 ft. long, with a working opening at one end 5 ft. wide x 12% in. high to the skew of the arch. Each chamber is heated inde- pendently of the other by two positive pressure oil burners which fire through the rear wall under the hearth. The vents in each heating chamber are located in the door jambs and rear walls at hearth level. The patented location of these vents forces the hot gases *Tate-Jones & Co., Pittsburgh. 1595 ony and products of combustion to come im contact with ! the material on the hearth, thereby giving rapid and. uniform heating. These vents connect to outside flues (patented) running parallel to the furnace wall. Due to the heavy load, the hearths were made ex- ceptionally heavy. The ordinary under-fired furnace has 4-in. or 6-in. thick hearth tile and, to get produc- Pig. 1.—Doubie- Chamber Under- Fired Furnace fon Heating Slabs of Nickel for Rolling tion, the operators force the furnace, thereby getting extremely high combustion chamber temperature, with destructive effects on the hearth tile. In this furnace, however, a 9-in. arch, spanning the combustion cham- ber, is covered by a course of vitrified brick, which withstands the abrasion of charging and discharging the material better than tile or firebrick. In charging, the slabs are placed on a buggy which is run up to the front of the furnace, and then are pushed into the furnace by hand. After heating, the slabs are pulled out of the furnace by hand upon this buggy and taken to the rolls. For annealing nickel wire and sheets a double- chamber side-fired car type furnace was installed. This furnace has two heating chambers, each 7 ft. 3% in. wide x 20 ft. long with working openings 7 ft. 3% in. wide, x 4 ft. 4% im high at one end. we Aenean ie Pg ee ; . . fies a <a ae chili ante. cette Bel aa Fe ny ee ee re ee a vee 7 oe we nvew a ‘ Ce ee ee ee ee a - a A r . - - . - 4 __ Each chamber is entirely independent of the other and is heated by six positive pressure oil burners. These burners fire through the side walls into combus- tion chambers located at one side of the heating cham- bers and separated from them by a bridge wall. The hot gases and products of combustion pass over the bridge wall into the heating chamber and, after cir- culating around the material, enter vents in the burner side wall and are expelled to the atmosphere at the top of these walls. No stack is necessary. The re- fractory interior of the furnace is bound on the out- side by red brick and insulating brick covers the main arch to reduce loss of heat by radiation. A structural steel frame car forms the hearth of each furnace, as shown in Fig. 2. Each car has six wheels and six axles, provided with Hyatt roller bear- ings. The lining of each car is 11 in. thick, made up of vitrified, fire and insulating brick, and brick piers extend above the top of each car, on which the material rests. This allows free circulation and allows heating Fig. 3.—Rear View of Car- Type Furnace, Showing Blower, Heater, Shut-off Valve, Strainer and Con- trol Units Duplex Automatic + Nerd AON LONNEN ESERETNN *LAEDERRONLTREOTE TUE TERORSDEAEONENEFOLHELOULROERE AHO NRUREEEDEHUNPDE THE IRON AGE etOs CALUUTRUTOROLEVUTROREINUHLE OHI HONSON ;RTRORDNATRONDAERLOAEETEERURNLOAEYTUEBIDIUTONEPRERL UNS vOeL" i smecunED i Coe caer igs toenbe nega tila tte Fig. 2.—Double- Chamber Side- Fired Car-Type Furnace for An- nealing Nickel Products on all sides of the material. The material is placed on the car in trays with covers, and a charge of ap- proximately five tons has been heated from cold to 1650 deg. Fahr. in 4% hr. In connection with the above furnaces a complete oil conditioning equipment was installed. Starting with two 15,000-gal. storage tanks, each having steam heating coils, the oil is pumped by a motor-driven pumping system having a capacity of 340 gal. per hr. This system, driven by a 1-hp. motor, is provided with a duplex strainer on the suction line, a relief valve for regulating the pressure, a pressure gage and a foot valve in each tank to keep the lines from drawing, each time the pump is shut down. From the pumping system the oil is forced through a live steam oil heater which heats the oil to the proper temperature for best atomization. The heater is provided with a thermometer in the discharge line and a steam trap on the steam discharge line. When using light oil this heater is not needed, but it is pro- Vote cree sebescanere rer isenmnenenerunaennensneney (60 For Contents of This Issue See Orange Insert December 18, 1924 vided so that any grade of oil can be used. (See Fig. 3.) After leaving’ the heater the oil again is passed through another duplex strainer, which has a much finer mesh than the one on the suction line of the pump. This additional straining reduces to a minimum the necessity for cleaning burners. By using duplex strainers one side can be cleaned without interrupting the operation of the burners. An automatic shut-off valve is placed in the oil supply line to each furnace. These valves automat- ically shut off the oil if, for any reason, the air pres- sure is interrupted. A connection is provided from the air line to the diaphragm on the valve and, as long as pressure is maintained on the diaphragm, the valve remains open, but when the air pressure is released the valve closes and remains closed until opened by the operator. An oil return line conveys any excess oil back to the storage tank so that the oil is constantly circulat- ing and a fresh supply is always being fed to the burners. Air at 1% lb. per sq. in. pressure is supplied to the burners by Spencer turbo-compressors. One compressor is installed for each furnace, so that any furnace can be operated singly without operating an over-sized blower. (See Fig. 3.) All oil supply lines inside of the building are placed in concrete trenches covered by steel plates and, since there is a blower for each furnace, the blower and air piping are located behind the furnace, where they do not interfere with shop operations. Each chamber of each furnace is provided with a motor-driven automatic control unit. Each control unit is actuated by a Leeds & Northrup recorder- controller which records the temperature of the fur- nace and makes contact, causing current to flow, which in turn through a relay drives the motor on the control unit. Each control unit shuts off the oil and air on the controlled line, if the temperature rises above the set point, allowing only a small amount of fuel and air to pass through the by-pass for the constant firing setting. When the temperature drops below the set point the instrument makes contact, the relay acts, and the motor opens the valves in the oil and air lines by crank motions, the motor stopping at the end of the stroke of the cranks. These control units maintain BETHLEHEM’S PROGRESS Impressive Statistics Indicating Developments of Past Twenty Years Twenty years ago, on Dec. 10, 1904, Bethlehem Steel Corporation was incorporated under the laws of New York. At that time, Bethlehem was a small pro- ducer of a limited number of steel products and em- ployed fewer than 9500 men. The current issue of the Bethlehem Review gives some valuable information in regard to the history of the company. In a few well chosen words, President Grace speaks of Bethlehem’s twentieth birthday, concluding as follows: “We have reached one turning point in our history, yet I am sure we stand on the threshold of a new prog- ress which will rival that made since 1904. That new progress depends on us. If we give to Bethlehem the best effort and thought, individually and collectively, of which we are capable, the same kind of thought and effort we have given in the past 20 years, there is no doubt about the future growth and prosperity of our business.” The Bethlehem Steel Corporation has today an ingot capacity 60 times greater than it had in 1905 with only eight times as many employees. Its cash ex- penditures for additions and improvement in 1905 were $4,325,257, reached the high point in 1917, $62,168,948, and in 1923 were $19,914,660. The net value of proper- ties in 1905 was $31,520,592, while in 1923 it was $452,936,911. The Review says in part: When the corporation was formed, Bethlehem owned neither coal] mines nor iron ore deposits with the exception THE IRON AGE 1597 the temperature of the furnaces within 10 deg., plus or minus, of the set points, as shown on chart, Fig. 4. In addition to the new furnaces as outlined above, burners were applied to two coal furnaces already in- t : a. - -G : = “¢ xe 3 Pe pe $55 , : an hag oben a e. f ‘ = ; ] ; {= ak : y awa vr 3 ' - + ) Fig. 4 Record of Heat in One Chamber of the Car-Type Furnace stalled in this plant. The installation of these burners in place of coal gave a much shorter heating time, as well as making working conditions better by eliminat- ing the troublesome coal pile and resultant ashes. The oil-fired furnaces have given easier operation and a better and more uniform product. ‘f small ore holdings in Cuba; and neither owned nor quarried its own limestone Today the corporation owns and operates mines supplying its coal, ore and limestone, These deposits alone are sufficient to maintain operations of present facilities at capacity for more than half a entury The geographical distribution of these deposits is such 1s to make them available at low transportation costs to each of Bethlehem’s seven steel making plants Bethlehem is further protected against the future and helped in main- taining low operating costs by owning and operating in large part the transportation facilities on rail. lake and ocean, needed to bring these raw materials to the blast furnaces. In 1964 Bethlehem owned 12 locomotives, today there are over 150 locomotives in operation over 450 miles of Com- pany owned tracks, as well as 23 ships in ocean and lake transportation Growth of Plants In 1904 Bethlehem’s entire ingot capacity, all of which was in one plant, amounted to 120,000 tons a year. The other units of the corporation were shipbuilding yarda, foundries and machine shops. Teday, Bethlehem’s ingot capacity amounts to 7,600,000 tons, distributed among seven steel plants with good business locations Construction of a blast furnace at Santa Barbara, State of Minas Geraes, Brazil, with initial daily capac- ity of 30 metric tons of cast iron, has been authorized by the Federal Government. A foundry authorized at Rio de Janeiro in connection with the project will be used for iron casting production for industrial and agricultura! machinery. The American Consulate, Rio de Janeiro, has information regarding the enterprise. i re rr Pee ena ee ea 1598 Traveling Carriage for Straight-Seam Welding A self-contained travel carriage for the automatic arc welding of straight seams on a production basis, has been developed by the General Electric Co., Sche- nectady. The carriage, which is illustrated herewith, is made up of an automatic welding head, necessary control, travel motor and wire reel support, mounted on a suit- able framework and provided with wheels for rolling along a track. The welding head and contro] are mounted on the apron of the carriage and feed the Travel Seams Carriage for The Automatic Are Welding of Straight uses include tanks and building up of locomotive guide rods electrode wire from a reel, the latter being carried by supports attached to the carriage frame. The travel carriage is controlled by means of push buttons. After the work is set up, the operator may throw the system to automatic position, the control of both the welding head and travel motor being confined to one push button. Control of the welding head and travel motor is interlocked, so that when starting but- ton is pushed, the are is established automatically simultaneously with the starting of the travel motor. Should the are fail for any reason, the travel motor will stop without overtravel. The are will re-establish it- self and the travel motor will re-start, without atten- tion from the operator. An adjustable time-limit switch stops the motor at the end of the weld and the carriage may be returned to the starting position either by hand, or electrically by manipulating the push buttons. The carriage can be provided with an oscil- lator for use in welding heavy plate. Advantages claimed for the automatic process of arc welding include economy of e'ectrical energy and increased speed. The approximate dimensions are: Length, 3 ft. 6 in.; width, from front of apron to back of carriage, 2 ft. 7 in.; height above track, 2 ft. 800 lb. 6 in. The weight is THE IRON AGE December 18, 1924 Wholesale Prices Slightly Higher Every one of the nine major groups included in the wholesale price index of the Bureau of Labor Sta- tistics showed an increase in November, compared with October. These increases ranged from 0.3 point for farm products to 3.1 for miscellaneous items, the net result being 0.8 units or 0.53 per cent for all com- modities. The November average is 152.7, compared with 151.9 in October and with 152.1 in November of last year. During the year a substantial decrease has been shown in prices of metals and metal products and a somewhat lesser decrease in cloths and clothing, build- ing materials, fuel and lighting and house furnishing goods. The four items showing decrease, aside from metals, however, are all well above the average for al! commodities, the lowest of them showing an excess of more than 10 points and ranging from this up to nearly 38 points for cloths and clothing. Other items have shown an increase during the year, the largest per- centage increase being in the miscellaneous group, with foods, chemicals and drugs and farm products fol- lowing in that order. Details are shown in the table: Index Numbers of Wholesale Prices, by Groups of Commodities (1913=100.0) Decrease in 71924, 1923 One Year, Group Nov. Oct. Nov. Per Cent Farm products...... 149.5 149.2 145.6 (a)2.7 DE. kin uvee nd she 153.8 151.6 148.6 (a)3.9 Cloths and clothing... 190.4 188.4 201.0 5.3 Fuel and lighting... 162.8 162.1 167.4 2.7 Metals and metal . DEOGBIAS -c cgaceacse 128.7 127.2 141.0 8.7 Building materials... 171.6 170.7 181.0 5.2 Chemicals and drugs 134.0 132.2 130.2 (a)2.9 House furnishing ORIEN de was es owas 172.0 171.0 176.0 2.3 Miscellaneous ...... 122.9 119.8 118.1 (a)4.1 All commodities .... 152.7 151.9 152.9 +...4a)0.4 (a) Increase Would Reopen Rate Controversy WASHINGTON, Dec. 16.—Interested railroads last week petitioned the Interstate Commerce Commission to reopen the case in which they sought to fix higher rates on iron and steel bars and scrap between Newark, N. J., and New England points, which was decided ad- versely to the carriers. The petition restates the claim that the purpose of the schedules was to restore the relationship of rates on these products between Newark and Philadephia to New England. The commission suggested that the relationship could be restored by reducing the rate from Philadelphia. The . petition says that a reduction in the Philadelphia rate was im- practical because it would disturb relationships be- tween the Philadelphia rates and rates to and from points west which base on Philadelphia. The petition insists the proposed rates were reasonable. The rev- enue affected, it is stated, is not of great moment to the carriers, but the report (of the commission) “is sur- prising to the carriers because it seems to them incon- sistent with the commission’s own suggestions.” New High Record in Freight Traffic October furnished the greatest freight traffic for any month in the history of the United States, accord- ing to figures of the Bureau of Railway Economics. The total was 43,109,743,000 net ton-miles, exceeding by 424,835,000 ton-miles, or 1 per cent, the previous high record, which was made in August, 1920. Com- pared with October of last year the increase was 900,- 072,000 ton-miles, or 2.1 per cent. Loading of revenue freight in October averaged more than 1,090,000 cars weekly, with a peak at 1,112,345 cars, the highest week in history. The great traffic represented in the above figures was moved not only without car shortage but with a large surplus of cars and locomotives at various points. For Contents of This Issue See Orange Insert What Will Labor Union Policy Be? Speculation as to Who Will Succeed Samuel Gompers and What Course the American Federation Will Follow WASHINGTON, Dec. 16.—The death of Samuel Gom- pers, for more than 40 years president of the American Federation of Labor, has developed speculation as to who his successor will be. The determination of the man who is to fill the place of the veteran leader of organized labor will have strong influence and perhaps will be the dominating factor in charting the trend of organized labor in the United States. Its course mani- festly will be of vital importance to the industrial in- terests of the country. Mr. Gompers himself, despite his 74 years, was the active leader up to the time of his death, and it is expected that his successor likewise will be an outstanding force in determining the policy of organized labor. While during the later years Mr. Gompers had not participated so actively as he had previously in all of the detailed movements of organized labor, it remains a fact that he took a great part in out- lining its policies. One of the last and important steps taken by Mr. Gompers was to place organized labor on record in favor of the candidacy of Senator LaFollette for President, a curious and unusual course for organized labor, which, prior to that time, had, upon the insist- ence of Mr. Gompers himself, remained outside of partisan politics. The fact that Mr. Gompers had con- tinued at the head of organized labor for 40 consecu- tive years, or virtually the life of organized labor since it has been a body of force, is taken by many other labor officials to have shown his original soundness. Third Party Policy So there is a great deal of interest as to whether the precedent of organized labor favoring a third party may set an example for the future. It is likewise a matter of a great deal of concern as to whether the so- called conservative or more radical wing of organized labor will get control. A successor will be named at a meeting of the executive council in New York the latter part of the present week. Numerous names have been mentioned, including James Duncan, first vice-president ; Matthew Woll, sixth vice-president; William Green, third vice-president; and T. A. Rickert, president of the United Garment Workers. The acting president of the American Federation of Labor is its secretary, Frank Morrison. The close association between Mr. Gompers and Mr. Woll and the complete confidence which Mr. Gompers placed in him, has led some to the belief that Mr. Woll will be named as the new head of the American Federation of Labor. Mr. Woll was for 15 years head of the Photo Engravers’ Union. It is believed that Mr. Woll was largely instrumental in having Mr. Gompers urge organized labor to support Conflicting Views as to Federal Trade Commission Grain Dealers’ Association Would Repeal Law Creating the Body —Others Highly Commend Its Work WASHINGTON, Dec. 16.—The action of the Grain Dealers’ National Association at its recent annual con- vention in going on record as favoring the repeal of the law establishing the Federal Trade Commission has created keen interest. Like other departments of the Government that have been set up, the Federal Trade 1599 the LaFollette candidacy. While Mr. Woll is not known as a radical, at ‘the same time he has been active in movements which did not have the complete approval of the more conservative wing and, therefore, may be classed as being between the two. Others think Mr. Duncan, head of the Granite Workers’ Union, will be made president. Mr. Duncan generally is considered to be a conservative in the ranks of labor. Legislation of Recent Years (allt lan eceertmentinatents eats Beedle tinen ee edhe te ee eee r - - 7 < a = oe a ~ oi For a number of years Mr. Woll has been especially active in the advocacy of legislation by Congress for organized labor and acts on the statute books show that he has met with a great deal of success. While some of these acts were sponsored originally by Mr. Gompers and other leaders, much of the work among members of Congress and of publicity devolved upon Mr. Woll. These laws themselves, however, have been credited to Mr. Gompers and include such acts as the Clayton law, which declares that labor is not a commodity and which grew out of the conviction of Mr. Gompers and others in connection with the boycott instituted against the Bucks Stove & Range Co., of St. Louis. Legislation ex- empting trade unions from the anti-trust laws also was due largely to the influence of Mr. Gompers. There are those who say that Mr. Gompers virtually dictated the code of American organized labor, its policies, legislation, and otherwise, but that while he had his great victories, he also had ambitions that were de- nied and defeats. Among the latter was the well known desire of Mr. Gompers to organize the iron and steel industry. It was only a little more than a year ago that he again attempted to organize the industry, but, like previous attempts, his campaign failed. While Mr. Gompers finally pledged the support of organized labor in connection with the steel strike of 1919, there are those who feel that he did not put a great deal of zeal in the effort at that time to establish the 8-hr. day in the industry. As a matter of fact, it is believed by many that Mr. Gompers pledged the support of or- ganized labor only after he felt that W. Z. Foster and other radicals had temporarily taken the reins from the more conservative element of organized labor and were gaining such strength that in order to retrieve his power Mr. Gompers was compelled to throw the sym- pathy of organized labor to the strikers. Mr. Gompers’ later repudiation of Mr. Foster apparently confirmed this belief, in part at least. The final establishment of the 8-hr. day, while it came about directly through the influence of President Harding, in conference with steel executives of the country, was nevertheless due in no small part to its constant advocacy by Mr. Gompers. Commission has been the@bject of a great deal of at- tack and some of the charges against it have been ¢s- pecially bitter. Among other things, it has been claimed that the commission has been of a decidedly anti-business character and has strayed far from the purpose of its creation as announced by President Wil- 1600 son when he said that “the business men of the country desire something more than that the menace of legal process be made explicit and intelligible. They desire the advice and definite guidance and information which can be supplied by an administration body and inter- state trade commission.” The Grain Dealers’ Association in its resolution de- clared that business men had the right to expect friend- ly cooperation with the commission but that widespread dissatisfaction now exists concerning the attitude of the commission toward business and “grave doubts are entertained by a large portion of business men con- cerning the usefulness of the Federal Trade Commis- sion.” Following up its resolution, the Grain Dealers’ As- sociation circularized different trade associations ask- ing whether or not they believed the commission serves any useful purpose or whether they consider that it is simply an annoyance and harassment to legitimate business. Inquiry was also made whether they would be willing to join the Grain Dealers in an effort to have the commission abolished. At least so far as available replies are concerned, the proposal of the Grain Dealers has met with disapproval. The Paint Manufacturers’ Association of the United States and the National Varnish Manufacturers’ Association have advised the Grain Dealers’ Association that they have found the Federal Trade Commission “of inestimable service in helping these industries to make and keep their trade practices clean and fair.” The secretary of these associations declared that they would regard the abolition of the commission as a “calamity to decent American business and a confession that business in the United States cannot be conducted even remotely in accordance with the ten commandments.” The American Walnut Manufacturers’ Association, which organized an export company under the Webb- Pomerene act, declared that its association had found contact with the Federal Trade Commission in this con- nection very satisfactory. It was also stated that the commission has been active in suppressing frauds in merchandise alleged to be made of American walnut wood. In conclusion, the secretary of the American Wal- nut Manufacturers’ Association says: “In view of these helpful contacts, I hardly think that our members would consider joining a movement to abolish the Fed- eral Trade Commission. It may be true that the Fed- eral Trade Commission has interfered with some in- dustries but we do not believe that it will do anything but help an industry that plays the game square and does not attempt to violate the provisions of the Sher- man and Clayton acts in letter or in spirit.” Little Buying of Pig Iron at Toronto TORONTO, Dec. 16.—Following the active demand for pig iron in the Canadian market during the last two weeks of November business has now declined to an occasional order for spot delivery. The advance in price which went into effect Nov. 21 resulted in many melters hurrying to cover for the remainder of this year and first quarter requirements. While many large consumers succeeded in placing contracts at the then prevailing price of $26.30 for No. 1 iron, there were a number who failed to take advantage of the opportunity and a second advance of $1.50 per ton, effective in both Toronto and Montreal markets, caught these unprepared. While a number of consumers have already covered for first quarter needs, local blast fur- nace representatives say that there is still a large tonnage to be booked on this account in Toronto and Montreal. In Montreal contracts during the past week or 10 days amounted to about 2000 tons. The de- mand in the Toronto district is almost entirely for spot iron and orders seldom exceed 50 to 100 tons. While no further change has been made in prices during the week, those quoted are strong and show an advance of $2.50 per ton over those prevailing a month ago. Prices are as follows: No. 1 (2.25 to 2.75 sili- con), $27.80; malleable, $27.80; No. 2 (1.75 to 2.25 silicon), $27.30, Toronto; No. 1 and malleable, $30.30; No. 2, $29.80, Montreal. THE [RON AGE December 18, 1924 British Pig Iron and Steel in November LONDON, ENGLAND, Dec. 15 (By Cable).—The pig iron production in November was 583,500 gross tons, a slight decrease from the October output of 586,400 tons. The total steel output in November was 672,800 tons, comparing with 678,500 tons in October. Comparative production figures for the British steel industry in gross tons per month are as follows: Steel Ingots Pig Iron and Castings 1913, per month....... 855,000 639,000 1920, per month....... 669,500 755,600 1921, per month....... 217,600 302,100 1922, per month....... 408,300 486,000 1923, per month....... 619,800 707,400 January, 1924 ........ 631,500 690,100 PON oe alee ee ews 612,700 767,600 I ae nel re alate 668,600 825,200 April Page cd oat 618,400 711,500 DO bi és cca¥ecalts caw? 650,900 809,700 BE: Kes eee koetcn eieten 607,800 651,500 DE see babeess ween s 615,600 693,300 BND) sy Bir ehe CEES 588,900 527,500 SE <5. 6 diese w ames 569,200 645,000 ey ee 586,400 678,500 eT Tres 583,500 672,800 The November pig iron output of 583,500 tons com- pares with an average monthly production of 632,500 tons per month for the first half. The steel output in November of 672,800 tons contrasts with 741,900 tons per month to July 1, this year. Increasing Plant Operation The Campbell, Wyant & Cannon Co., Muskegon Heights, Mich., has adopted a five-day week schedule at its local foundry on Henry Street, replacing a three- day week operating basis, in force for some time past. Employment is being given to approximately 500 oper- atives. The King Axe Co., Oakland, Me., is increasing its working force and operating schedule. It is proposed to engage a full quota of men at once. The Dunn Edge Tool Co. is also advancing operations at its local plant and will give employment to a full working force at an early date. The Chevrolet Motor Co., Buffalo, is arranging for the immediate resumption of capacity operations at its local assembling plant, heretofore on reduced operat- ing basis for a number of weeks. The working force will be brought up to about 300 men. The Durant Motor Co., Lansing, Mich., is increas- ing production at its local plant and has adopted a schedule of 2800 completed cars during the present month. The working force will also be increased. The Waltham Watch Co., Waltham, Mass., has added to its working force during the past few weeks and is now giving employment to about 600 operatives as compared with 200 employees previously and dur- ing the recent strike. The Bethlehem Steel Co., Sparrows Point, Balti- more, has adopted a working schedule of about 70 per cent of capacity at its local mills, and will continue on this basis for a number of weeks to come. All six furnaces are in blast. Work on the construction of the new gas ovens at the Perry plant, Erie, Pa., of Pickands, Mather & Co., Cleveland, is now about half completed. The contract for the installation of ovens and equipment has been awarded to Arthur G. McKee & Co., Cleveland. The ovens, when completed will be used by the Pennsylvania Gas Co. in blending artificial and natural gas for pub- lic service in Erie and vicinity. The cost of the project is estimated at $500,000. Prof. A. L. Scipio, dean of engineering of Roberts College, Constantinople, Turkey, addressed the Cincin- nati section of the A. S. M. E. at its meeting Dec. 11, describing his experiences in the Near East during the past 12 years. Professor Scipio is now exchange pro- fessor stationed at the University of Cincinnati, his place in Constantinople having been taken by Prof. A. L. Jenkins of Cincinnati. For Contents of This Issue See Orange Insert December 18, 1924 New Portable Electric Tapper and New Elec- tric Socket Wrench The portable electric tapper illustrated, which is designated as the No. 2, is a recent addition to the line of the Black & Decker Mfg. Co., Towson, Md. The machine is similar to the company’s electric drills except that the mechanism in the gear case is ar- ranged to driye the tap at 350 r.p.m. By a slight backward pull on the machine the tap chuck is re- versed. automatically and the tap backed out of the hole at twice the speed of the tapping. A reversing switch is not employed. The machine is equipped with a universal motor and is rated to tap %-in. holes It is reversed at twice the The Tap Is Driven at 350 R.p.m automatically and backed out speed driven #1 NApAAADL ABBE Lad sOE DEAS ORY in steel, up to % in. in cast iron and up to % in. in brass and aluminum. The weight is 8% lb. A reversible electric socket wrench designated as the No. 3 has also been placed on the market by the Black & Decker company. The general design is similar to the company’s portable electric drills except that the spindle is equipped with a clutch which re- leases automatically when the forward pressure on the tool-is relieved. The design of the clutch is said to permit the driving of nuts, bolts and studs to any desired tightness. A reversing switch permits the machine to be employed in disassembling motors and machinery, and there is said to be ample power to loosen nuts or bolts that have been drawn up tightly. The chuck, which is of the quick-change type, accom- modates various sizes of socket wrenches. The ma- chine is regularly equipped with a spade handle, a side handle and 15 ft. of electric cable. Floor Plate of Light Weight To provide a floor plate for engine rooms and other places where a non-combustible floor must be used, which shall be reasonably free from danger of slippage, the Central Iron & Steel Co., Harris- burg, is rolling a plate of which an illustration is given here. The deformations measure 2 in. in length and % in. in width. The plate is rolled in all gages from % in. upward and in a fair range of sizes and is lighter than usual for a given gage of steel. French iron and steel production is going ahead at an excellent rate, Commercial Attaché Butler, Paris, cables the Department of Commerce. Export orders are good. Furthermore, there is a bill proposing tariff increases on approximately 300 articles, principally iron and manufactures, scheduled for next week. A quick passage is predicted for this bill. THE IRON AGE 1601 New Leather Belting Suction belting, known as Tentacular and marketed previously in Europe, was among the new products shown at the National Exposition of Power and Me- chanical Engineering held in New York, Dec. 1 to 6. It is claimed to eliminate slippage, high tension of belts, high pressure on bearings, and use of belt dress- ings. Considerably more power is said to be trans- mitted for the same width of belt. This belting, which was exhibited by Alexander Brothers, Inc., 14 South Street, Philadelphia, is made up of oak tanned leather to the under surface of which are attached narrow longitudinal strips of soft and spongy chrome tanned leather. The strips of chrome leather are held in position by means of hollow brass rivets, as shown in the accompanying illustration of the inside of the belt. The depressions, or hemispherical pockets in the strip, having the inside of the hollow rivet as bottom, are intended to act as suckers and cause the adhesion of the belt on the pulley. The ad- hesion of the belt is also increased to a large extent be- cause of the spongy chrome leather which is treated with tallow. The spacing between the strips is in- tended to permit any air film between the belt and pul- ley to be squeezed out. Shifting from fast to loose pulleys is effected as with the usual leather belting and because the belting illustrated can be run at lower ten- sion, stretching of the belt is said to be less than usual. The Tentacular patent includes other material than oak-tanned leather and other materials may be used as backing for belting to meet special conditions. The +. cnee see ONRER ARNEL SHEE ORES FREBRBRRS 165 coy: ear rERE cor ore reese emeney ote epnem Inside View of Suc- tion Belting The backing is of oak tanned leather to the underside of which are riveted narrow strips of spongy chrome tanned leather as shown. High ad- hesive power is claimed SOO NOH ORES NOON Re rORORENERY HEHE RAINE CeIRENER Hones FembERE | SBeR OCF or ad thickness of the chrome leather strips is 4/82 in., al- though thicker strips may be employed. The strips are either % or 1 in. wide. The dressing used is tallow, which is melted and spread over the chrome strips with a brush. This dressing is applied two or more times a year, depending on the drive, and as a rule, the tallow dressing is required when the strips become dry or a slight slippage occurs. Other belt dressings are unnec- essary. The oak tanned leather backing is emphasized as providing high tensile strength, although alone it would have a low power of adhesion. The soft chrome leather which comes in contact with the pulley has, on the other hand, high adhesive power, although unfitted to transmit power alone. The combination of these two materials and the manner of attaching them is claimed to provide a belt of high strength and high power of adhesion. The riveting of the strips to the backing is stressed as important, in that it preserves the free- dom of stretch of the soft chrome leather. The suc- tion pockets are regarded as simulating the pulling power of a chain drive. Automatic stokers sold in November are reported by the Department of Commerce at 106 for a total of 37,167 hp., compared with 104 in October of 58,565 hp. The current figure compares with 50 stokers of 16,241 hp. in November, 1923, and with a 1923 monthly aver- age of 122 stokers and 60,870 hp. The Ranson & Orr Co., 819 Dixie Terminal Build- ing, Cincinnati, has been appointed exclusive agent for the sale of pig iron manufactured by the Norton Iron Works, Ashland, Ky. Norton furnace will go into blast this month, producing foundry, malleable and Bessemer grades of iron. 1602 Small Worm-Gear Speed Reduction Unit A standardized worm-gear reduction unit for trans- mitting loads up to 3 hp., and available in several ratios from 6 to 1 to 30 to 1 has been added to the line of the Cleveland Worm & Gear Co., Cleveland. This unit, which is designated as the size O, type RT, is fully inclosed and is adapted for use on small conveyors and elevators, mechanical stokers and other low-powered equipment. Compactness is a feature emphasized as permitting use of the unit as an in- tegral part of manufactured equipment now using exposed spur or bevel gearing. It may be used also asa speed booster in a 1 to 5 ratio. The worm has a straight body with a 30 deg. pres- sure angle involute thread. It is made from a solid ee Worm-Gear Re- duction Unit for Loads Up to 3 Hp Several ratios from 5 to 1 to 30 to 1 are ‘ available. Com | ' pactness is wa feature apesnesesernenviee steel, carbonized, case nickel hardened and ground all over, including flanks of the forging of low-carbon threads. The worm bearings are of the radial thrust type, and the shaft is standardized both as to size and keyway so that standard’ couplings may be used. The worm wheel is a solid casting of special analysis bronze and Timken roller bearings are used on both sides of the wheel to carry both thrust and radial loads. The wheel is pressed on a steel shaft, which may be ex- tended on either side or on both sides if required. The wheel bearings are oiled by splash from the oil reser- voir, which furnishes the lubricant for worm bearings and also for contact between worm and gear. The housing is:a-gray iron casting of heavy wall section. The interior; which has been kept free of offsets: or pockets,-and also other unfinished surfaces are smoothed and cleaned, then coated with oil and heat-resisting compound. The exterior is thoroughly rubbed down, filled and coated with hard machine paint. Impact Stress in Concrete Stadium While planning repairs for a large reinforced con- crete stadium the question arose as to whether the girders possessed sufficient strength to permit adding a considerable dead weight to the structure. Extensive load tests carried out recently showed extremely slight deflections and indicated ample strength when static load was considered. Application was made to the Bureau of Standards for a test to determine whether moving loads causing impact and rhythmic deflections would set up stresses great enough to reverse the con- clusions based upon static loads. For this purpose electric telemeters, of the type described in Technologic Paper 247, were used and observations of stresses in the reinforcement of beams and girders were made during the entire pregress of a recent football game when the stadium was loaded to full capacity. The results have not been fully studied, but it is clear that stresses due to all causes were very low. The indication is that the static live load stress in the steel did not exceed 1000 Ib. per sq. in., and that the stress due to impact. or moving load of any kind did not exceed 300 Ib. per sq. in. The instrument appar- ently behaved well and no reason is known for doubt- ing the indications from the tests. THE IRON AGE December 18, 1924 These results will probably prove an important con- tribution to available information regarding behavior of such a structure under loads causing impact. Cau- tion is needed, it is pointed out, in applying such re- sults in other cases. A structure having less weight or a different period of vibration might show a greate: stress. Study of Quenching Media Quenching experiments were conducted by the Bu- reau of Standards during the past month with solu- tions of widely different physical properties in order to develop, if possible, those factors of greatest im- portance contributing to high “hardening power.” No general conclusions can be drawn until further experi- ments and compilation of data have been made. It is interesting to note that the addition of as little as 0.003 per cent by weight of sodium oleate to water at 20 deg. C. reduced the cooling velocity at 720 deg. C. from 150 to about 35 deg. C. per sec.; like- wise 0.06 per cent by weight of “White Dove” soap caused a decrease from 150 to about 25 deg. C. per sec. The first mentioned solution is extremely unstable and “broke down” when used for the second time. Ethyl alcohol (95 per cent) was found to have the lowest “hardening power” of any liquid so far tested. Experiments with sodium chloride brines at 20 deg. C. indicate a material decrease in hardening power as the concentration of salt in the water is increased above about 20 per cent. Equipment for experimental study of pressure quenching has been designed and parts ordered. Stove Manufacturers at Birmingham BIRMINGHAM, ALA., Dec. 16.—The Southern Asso- ciation of Stove Manufacturers held its quarterly meeting in Birmingham Monday and Tuesday of this week, about 40 manufacturers of stoves ‘attending. Features of the meeting in Birmingham included ‘visits to the blast furnaces, steel mills and stove and range foundries and a banquet tendered by the Birmingham pig iron producers, with Russell Hunt, Southern sales manager and secretary-treasurer of the Sloss-Sheffield Steel & Iron Co., presiding. Much of the iron used by the Southern stove makers comes from the Birmingham district. Ball Parallels for Use in Drilling Ball parallels for use in connection with the drilling or counterboring of heavy fixtures, jigs, dies and other heavy work are shown in the accompanying illustra- tion. They are intended to permit the drill or counter- bore to pull the work in line with the spindle. The manufacturer, the J. F. Smith Tool Co., Dayton, Ohio, Ball Parallels Used in Drilling Heavy Work is offering two sizes, one of which is 1 in. wide and 6 in. long and is fitted with %-in. balls. The largest size is 1 x 7 in. in size and is equipped with balls % in. in diameter. Stoves and hot air furnaces to the value of $155,- 601,516 are reported by the Census Bureau to have been produced in 1923 by 348 establishments, employ- ing 32,994 wage earners. This compares with $101,- 572,793 of products from 357 establishments and 24,530 wage earners in 1921. Wages for the two years were respectively $45,817,125 and $29,827,914. The horse- power used in 1923 was 65,722 and the coal consumed 174,915 net tons. The establishments in 1923 were scattered over 31 States, Ohio leading with 51 estab- lishments and Illinois following with 46. For Contents of This Issue See Orange Insert December 18, 1924 McCLINTIC-MARSHALL EXPANSION Pittsburgh Company Buys Chicago Fabricating Shops—Influenced by Abolition of Pitts- burgh Basing The McClintic-Marshall Co., the largest independent American manufacturer and erector of structural steel work for buildings and bridges, has purchased the plants and business of the Morava Construction Co. and the Kenwood Bridge Co., both of Chicago. The Moraya plant will be operated under the name of the McClintic-Marshall Co.-Morava Works, while the Ken- wood property will be run under the style of McClintic- Marshall Co.-Kenwood Works. Paul Willis, formerly president Kenwood Bridge Co., will be in charge of the operations of the McClin- tic-Marshall Co. in the Chicago district as vice-presi- dent and manager. W. Morava, president Morava Construction Co., who has been identified with the structural steel industry for many years, will retire from active business. A. J. T. Bennett, formerly secre- tary and engineer Kenwood Bridge Co., will continue in the capacity of contracting engineer. J. W. Davis, con- tracting engineer McClintic-Marshall Co. at Chicago, will remain in the contracting department. C. O. Baughman and J. A. Burnett, formerly of the Morava company, and W. W. Seymour, formerly of the Ken- wood company, will continue as engineers at the re- spective plants with which they have been connected. The McClintic-Marshall Co. now has 10 fabricating Republic Iron & Steel Co.’s By-Product Plant at East Thomas, Ala. BIRMINGHAM, ALA., Dec. 16.—The Republic lron & Steel Co. will erect a by-product coke oven plant at East Thomas, near the three blast furnaces of the company and along the railroad which connects with the coal properties of the company a few miles away. The first battery will be of 57 ovens. Work will start in the next few weeks. At present the Republic is having its coke manufactured by the Semet-Solvay by- product plant at Ensley, furnishing coal therefor. Previously the Republic company operated beehive ovens at East Thomas. Two out of three blast furnaces are in operation, the third furnace being kept in readiness to replace one of the others when repairs are needed. The Southern properties of the Republic Iron & Steel Co. consist of three blast furnaces, coal and ore mines, limestone quarries and a railroad from the coal mines to the blast furnaces. Copper Smelting and Refining Thirty establishments engaged in smelting or re- fining of copper, or both, recorded total products in 1923 amounting to $567,984,807, compared with $234,- 895,245 from 28 establishments in 1921, according to figures of the Census Bureau. The 1923 report shows 20,735 wage earners, compared with 8293, and total wages amounting to $31,319,544, compared with $11,- 199,279. Coal consumed in 1923 was 1,116,183 net tons, while the horsepower used aggregated 432,886. Of the 30 establishments, 9 were located in Arizona, 4 in New Jersey, 3 in Montana and the remaining 14 in 11 other States. Bituminous coal to the extent of 433,797,000 net tons has been produced in the United States in 1924 through Dec. 6, according to figures of the Geological Survey. This compares with 514,200,000 tons in the corresponding period of 1923. Current weeks, how- ever, show higher production than last year, with 10,- 612,000 tons in the week ended Dec. 6, compared with 9,829,000 tons last year, and with 9,640,000 tons in the week ended Nov. 29, compared with 8,943,000 tons last year. THE IRON AGE 16038 shops at Pittsburgh, Pottstown, Leetsdale, Carnegie and Chicago, located advantageously to serve the Eastern, Central and Western markets. The shops have a combined capacity of 400,000 tons of structural steel and plate work per annum. In addition, the Riter-Conley Co., an affiliated company engaged in the fabrication of plate work, with a plant at Leetsdale, has a capacity of approximately 150,000 tons annually. The McClintic-Marshall Co. also owns a large tract of land at Indiana Harbor, Ind., but has purchased the Chicago plants referred to rather than build on that site at this time. The company has contracting offices in New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Detroit, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles. In the past 25 years it has shipped many thousand tons of structural steel] into the Chicago dis- trict from its Pittsburgh plants, but the high freight rates now in effect have made it necessary to establish fabricating works in the principal market centers throughout the United States. The national] scope of the company’s business was somewhat impaired by the abolition of Pittsburgh as the sole basing point on finished steel. The McClintic-Marshall Co. bought 50 acres at In- diana Harbor, Ind., several months ago, with the inten- tion of erecting a fabricating shop but with the pur- chase of the two plants, the matter of the use of the land becomes something for the future to develop. Im- provements will be made at these plants; indeed, some new equipment already has been purchased. Heavy Building Construction Along the Atlantic Seaboard November building construction, at $379,659,600, places the first 11 mionths of 1924 above the total for all of 1923, with $4,154,753,100 from the 36 Eastern States, according to F. W. Dodge Corporation. This is 18 per cent above the first 11 months of 1923 and 4 per cent above that entire year. The biggest increases this year have been from New York to Florida, in all the Atlantic seaboard States. More than half the November construction was residences, $191,318,600. Industrial buildings at $34,- 373,200 and commercial buildings at $55,255,400 ac- counted, together, for 24 per cent. Construction started in 11 months in New York and North New Jersey, $1,229,287,300, was 28 per cent above the first 11 months and 15 per cent abo