The Iron Age 1926-11-25: Vol 118 Iss 22

New York, November 1926 ESTABLISHED 1855 . VOL. 118, No. 22 Jt > Cutting Costs in Non-Ferrous Plant Straight-Line Routing and Mechanical Handling Save Labor—Scrap Reclaiming Pays Well BY BURNHAM FINNEY OMPACT arrangement : of departments that trans» of material is reduced rtation to a minimum, and provision for the me- chanical handling of metals and molds in its brass foundry, aré features of the new plant of the More- Jones Brass & Metal Co., St. Louis, manu- facturer of brass and bronze castings, solder and Bab- bitt metals. Reclamation of scrap metal recovered from spillage and from sweepings is another profitable measure of economy introduced. In addition, the fin- ishing department is on a production basis, and cast ings are completed in multiples instead of in isolated units, a saving in operating costs thereby being effected Except in the case of material to be machined, all castings in process of manufacture progress consist- ently through the plant, and at no point is back-track- ing necessary. Whenever machining operations are essential, the only retracing of steps is the movement of . General View of Furnace Section and Brass Foundry. fir ‘ ca ngs irom tine cK department t the machine shop or finishing department, and then back again to the shipping department Furthermore, the methods utilized in the machine shop have resulted in the salv- age in classified form of the ittings and trimmings, and their re-employment in the same line of work. Mechanical Handling In the brass foundry, the entire fi or area, 139 x 360 ft., is served by cranes, so that carrying or handling metals by hand has been dispensed with. Two electrie traveling cranes, operating over the furnaces, deliver molten metal to the pouring floors throughout the length of the foundry These cranes are used in charging the furnaces, also. Electric cranes likewise transport material over the he avy molding floor, where castings weighing up to a maximum of 6000 Ib. are made. Especially are the cranes utilized in pouring and in handling the chilled molds, which occupy a considerable: section of the mold- ing floor. Altogether, the foundry is equipped with four electric traveling cranes, made by the Curtis Mfg. Co., St. Louis, besides 10 hand cranes and eight gib cranes, the product of the Arcade Mfg. Co., Free- port, Ill. Such transportation facilities contribute In the initial cut at head of page is shown one of the Schwartz open-flame furnaces 1471 web 6 a aig ‘3 oa ee ae 5. - ' i RRM RASA 6 ieee s< LNA AAAS test eg se Nena ats i Bist: Ee ine BE By —; mT 1474 THE IRON AGE Foundry; General View, Looking South. This is the urgest unit m the entire plant, being 139 x 360 ft. ( ef; he Rye F< ‘ ‘ . y Dp Les unary (oke-fhlred COoTe oven ‘ - ; . ms a 6 J J : etp ‘core manning considerable as, Machine Shop; General View, Looking North. This department measures 99 x 215 ft. and adjoins the shipping room November 25. 1926 Journal bearing castings. item of considerable tonnag: pany’s output, are made or ping-type molding machines centage of them, however. hille through the center and through the cr os and are machined on Niles car boring machines. They ar lined in gas-fired furnaces und control. The molding floor in the | is 100 ft. wide and 300 ft. long Sand-molded castings ar: l bs sand-blasting machines made by the W. W Sly Mfg. Co., Cleveland. The includes tumbling barrels, located at the north end of the foundry, next to the grind. ing department. Castings too larg through the tumbling barrels ar: in a sand-blast room. After cleaning, the castings ar: onto hand trucks and taken to the grit: department and thence to the classi! bins. However, material which machined goes from the grinders semi-finishing department for further wor) At the northwest end of the molding 4 is the core department, 30 ft. wide and & ft. long. Special machines are used to turn out standard cores, and the processes of mixing, shaping and baking are carried on semi-automatically. For small cores there is a battery of Swartwout core ovens of the swinging door type; for the large cores two batteries of Swartwout ovens of the open- truck type are utilized. All of the ovens are metal-insulated and fired by coke. The heat is controlled by Bristol recording pyrometers. In the pattern storage vault is an m- closed mezzanine floor for the pattern shop, where new patterns are manufactured Particular attention has been given the ventilating system in the foundry. In the east bay, in which the furnaces are situated, the roof is exceptionally high an has vents so that the heat and gases fror the oil-burning furnaces not only pass freely and rapidly from the building, but also pro- duce a syphon action which draws the alr currents across the molding floor, freedom from gases and smoke thereby being 10- sured at all times. The roof over the mold- ing floor is of saw-tooth construction. The outer walls of the foundry consist fenestra sash, and swinging sashes, me- chanically operated, assure proper ventia- tion. The foundry is heated by steam by means of unit heaters, made by the Skinner Mfg. Co., St. Louis, which distribute heat during the winter and circulate air in t™ summer. The floor is of creosoted wood block with a concrete foundation. The blocks are tarred, so that moisture will ! affect the floor. én Finishing of Castings Departments in the finishing shop 4T¢ grouped according to the classification of different alloys. The entire shop operates production basis, castings being ¢o™- pleted in multiples instead of in isolated units. The result is reflected in the de- creased cost per unit. Material is trans- ported on trucks through the shop. The on a So ead oc 43 by ae ppp aptinnd she eee ae November 25, 1926 workman takes from a truck the casting to be machined, and, after completing his par- ticular phase of the job, places it on an- ther truck ready for the next operation. Finishing of material from truck to truck has reduced handling expense to a minimum. All finishing work is done with the help of micrometers, taps and dies to insure ac- racy and to eliminate the possibility of shipping defective castings. In the shop are several machines particularly adapted for special work. Among them are three Acme turret lathes with attachments for machining steam metal work for locomo- tives, such as valves and cocks. There also is a new machine, designed and built by the Lehman Machine Co., St. Louis, for milling grease grooves in locomotive crown bear- ings. Journal bearings are finished on special machines which face the ends and broach the lining in one operation. Machines in which bearings are tested for physical re- quirements are in use periodically. The machine shop is 99 ft. wide and 215 ft. long. Through it pass the electric rail- way motor bearings, the engine truck and trail bearings and trolley wheels, as well as ther standard products demanding machin- ing and finishing operations. The shop is adjacent to the shipping department, so that machined castings while awaiting ship- ment are stored only a few feet distant from the shop. Adjoining the shipping department on the south and east is the white metal foun- iry, 50 x 150 ft. in area. Here the equip- ment is of the company’s own design. It consists of eight cooking and refining fur- naces, all of which are gas and oil com- bination burning. The larger ones are of the syphon pour type. The total capacity of the furnaces is 90,000 Ib. per day. In this foundry more than 20 brands of Bab- bitt metals, as well as all grades of solder, special metals and alloys are made. It is so designed that production capacity can be increased 50 per cent without adding to the present floor space. Service Departments Just east of the southern end of the brass foundry is a maintenance repair shop, 25 x 40 ft. Its purpose is to repair small tools and other equipment from all parts of the plant. Comfort and health of employees have been given attention not only in the design of buildings to eliminate gases and to ad- mit proper ventilation, but also in sanitary provisions. In addition to shower baths, wash rooms and large lockers there are special rooms for drying and deodorizing workmen’s clothing. The company operates a cafeteria capable of serving 400, in which food is sold to employees at cost. Further- more, safety appliances have been installed in all parts of the plant. Organized ath- letics are a part of the recreational activ- ities carried on for employees. The entire plant is operated electrically Current secured on the primary side at 13,200 volts is transformed to 220 volts for distribution to the various departments. The company regenerates direct current THE IRON AGE 1475 af = (ace RNR I AY AOI te Bt tO: jaar kena Mand ing om Sand-Blasting and Cleaning Department, in Northeast Corner of the Brass Foundry. Tumbling barrels are in large use Oe | NOOR 6 Ac oem = yam ae eee ae * ee ee R tion Department, Where Even the Smallest Particles — of Metal Are Salvaged, Crushed and Washed © EET tS LA ULL ELLA A AP ARIE AS yy 065 ay ow My 4 peta Ate: Sibson” a Secti Boring and Finishing Operations in Electric Rail- ws Po aden Dearing Department of the Machine Shop 1470 THE IRON AGE The Argentine Government, Buenos Aires, is reported to be considering enlargements in its oil refinery at La Plata. Additional storage and distributing facilities are also planned at Santa Fe, Mar del Plata, and Ingeniero White, with con- veying, loading and other handling equipment. The Ameri- can Consulate, Buenos Aires, Sherwood H. Avery, assistant trade commissioner, has information regarding the projects. Heinrich Werther, Magdeburg & Werther, Halle a. S., Germany, desires to receive American catalogs on ice ma- chines, ice boxes, baking machines, concrete mixers and oil heaters for house heating. Industrial Finance The Otis Steel Co., Cleveland, reports a profit of $735,491 for the quarter ended Sept. 30 after interest and other charges, but before depreciation and Federal taxes. This compares with $524,996 in the second quarter and with $400,112 during the third quarter last year. Profits during the first nine months before depreciation and Federal taxes were $2,149,131, as compared with $1,595,034 the corre- sponding period of 1925. The Frankenberg Refrigerating Machinery Co., 345 Jack- son Street, Milwaukee, manufacturer of self-contained ar- tificial ice machines, has filed a voluntary petition in bank- ruptcy. Schedules disclose liabilities of $158,023 and assets of $40,308. Liabilities include $88,070 in time payment notes owed the company, and debts for machinery equipment and materials, largely to Milwaukee concerns. Of the assets, $30,000 is machinery, tools and manufactured stock. Net earnings of the Superior Steel Corporation, Pitts- burgh, for the quarter ended Sept. 30 were $52,970 and for the nine months $276,365. The net profits of the General Fireproofing Co., Youngs- town, Ohio, for the third quarter, totalled $150,134, which is equivalent to $1.85 a share on outstanding common stock. The net earnings for the second quarter amounted to $3.61 per share on common stock, and for the first quarter, $2.44 per share. Elyria Iron & Steel Co., Cleveland, reports net sales of $1,822,000 for the third quarter of 1926 and earnings, after Federal taxes and other charges, of $183,826. Sales for the first nine months of the year aggregated $4,480,000, as compared with $3,784,000 during the corresponding period of 1925. Net earnings for the 1926 period amounted to $472,622. The statement includes the consolidated earnings of the Superior Metal Products Co., Elyria, Ohio, and the Standard Steel Tube Co., Toledo, which were acquired by the Elyria company during the year. Ludlum Steel Co., Watervliet, N. Y., reports net income of $62,928 for the third quarter of 1926 after deductions for depreciation, interest, Federal taxes, etc. This compares with an income of $100,611 for the corresponding period of 19265. Net profits for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1926, of Rimamurdany-Salg6-Tarjan Iron-Works Co., Ltd., Budapest, Hungary (Rima Steel Corporation), amounted to $308,844.21, after various expense deductions, according to a report ac- cepted by the general meeting of auditors and shareholders held in Budapest, Oct. 30. The company has assets of $11,997,863.20. New Trade Publications Air Filter.—American Blower Co., Detroit. Bulletin 2223, of eight pages, devoted to an analysis of the advantages of the American Blower air filter in purify- ing air and providing adequate ventilation. Rolling Doors.—Cornell Iron Works, Inc., Long Island City. Catalog of 32 pages gives a general description of types of rolling doors with illustrations; also a his- tory of the Cornell Iron Works, Inc. Volume and Temperature Meters.—Bacharach Indus- trial Instrument Co., Pittsburgh. A 12-page leaflet gives reasons for measuring the volume of air in the blast furnace and describes the effectiveness of the blast- meter in such capacity. It also tells ways of taking non-ferrous metal temperatures and describes the use of the Ardometer in the heat treatment of steel. Gear Speed Reducers.—Catalog No. 200, issued by Foote Bros. Gear & Machine Co., 215 North Curtis Street, Chicago, contains 623 pages of gear engineering in- formation such as formule, tables and practical prob- lems covering the design and application of various kinds of industrial gears and speed reduction units. In addition there is such information as mensuration, trigonometric tables, weights and measures, machine shop data and a chapter on electic motors. November 18, 1926 THE LAST WORD (Contributed by the Reader Service Department of the Iron Age Publishing Co.) “As it seems to be the fashion to name blast fur- naces after women, don’t you think the Hudson Valley Coke & Products Corporation of Troy, N. Y., should call its stack Helen?” inquires G. L. Yes, sir, we do. Helen of Troy it is. Gerard Swope, president of GE, was on the program for an address at a meeting I attended the other night. What type of man was he, and how would he impress his audience? I wondered. But he had not spoken five min- utes before all of us knew that here was a man as big as his job. Though physically no giant, he has the simplicity of a man great in mental stature. Keen, kindly, and tolerant, he makes you believe that he himself believes everything he says. ; And at the same time you get the impression that he does not hold his own opinions in holy awe, in- violable as the eighteenth amendment, for example. In short, he is the kind of a man who might cause you to say, “I don’t care whether the company he manages makes motors, mousetraps, matchsticks or mezzo-tints, I would like to own some of its stock.” When handling dynamite avoid acrobatics. Humor is said to be the lubricant that helps prevent friction in human relations. It can also function in the same capacity as a handful of gravel thrown into a gear box, if it ventures on dangerous ground. To attempt to be funny about a man’s religion, his bridge game, or his work is always dangerous. Better joke about his family tree than to detract from the dig- nity of his occupation. I recall the editor of an employees’ maga- zine in a large plant, who thought it would be quite comical to write a series of articles burlesquing the various departments in the plant. He told of the difficulties the drill press operators had in getting the holes straight in maca- roni. He described how the mighty forging hammers pierced the doughnut to fashion the hole de- manded.by the fresh air fiends. The micrometrical exactness of the slices of Swiss cheese, pared by the planers for sandwiches served in the factory lunch room, was commended. The series was a decided suc- cess, except among the workers in the departments burlesqued. They seemed to have lost their sense of humor for the time being. They felt the dignity of their work had been lowered, and they resented it. Some of them left. The ruffled feelings of those who remained were not smoothed down for many months. Production was curtailed in an especially busy period. All in all, it was a costly bit of comedy. The present editor of that magazine is one who fully realizes that you cannot injure a man’s pride in his work without reducing his value to his reo SS eS _ lust unui tsartatretcaagcnineeseenee nanan onneneeenent Publ Vol. wow fost Engin. NUV 2 6 bibrary You can locate the Table of Contents in an instant simply by turning to the page with the orange border. NOV 29 1926 IRON ACE sevnenensuvevsueneueneesoeesnensensunenennunnsuenencnensenoonensusuuenseensensenouensssnvecseneseueeenenseeaunnnsanserucnsunsovenueenuennecnsensvensersensnevaeencsenvensuonounsunnvecseeansenuensenseson, cousvcovavensensuenaesuensnensengeenranseusuennesnonnsengennesnsnnsanseeoeianndtastenssndpoceeavecsecnnedevenee published Weekly NEW YORK, N. Y., NOVEMBER 25, 1926 Single Copy, 25 Cents rel. 118, No. 22 Entered as second-class matter June 18, — 9, at . ‘ Ctlice Six Dollars a Year in U. S. Vo at New York under the Act of Ma 18 Canada $8.50; Foreign $12 E bring our ULTRA SUPERIOR SWEDISH STEEL (tempered or an- nealed) over 4,000 miles to enable us to give warehouse service and furnish you a quality of Steel fine enough to justify its use where you need the best the world can produce. Ultra Superior Swedish Steel MADE IN SWEDEN BY UDDEHOLMS CO. LTD., AT MUNKFORS WORKS WARD WAREHOUSES BOSTON PHILADELPHIA CHICAGO NEWARK CLEVELAND DETROIT November 25, 199% THE IRON AGE THANKSGIVING & <URELIE if ye Pilgrim fore: 9 father and his goode wyfe had cause for Thanksgiving, we of today should give © © thanks beyond measure for our countrie’s prosperitie and the opportunities that are ours 1621-1926 en rene acmmeerns oe JosePu T. RYERSON & SON tne. ESTABLISHED 1642 PLANTS CHICAGO MILWAUKEE ST. LOUIS CINCINNATI DETROIT BUFFALO NEW YORK BOSTON New York, November 25, 1926 ESTABLISHED 1855 “« VOL. 118, No. 22 Cutting Costs in Non-Ferrous Plant Straight-Line Routing and Mechanical Handling Save Labor—Scrap Reclaiming Pays Well BY BURNHAM FINNEY va wQ OMPACT arrangement 4 of departments so that transportation of material is reduced to a minimum, and provision for the me- chanical handling of metals and molds in its brass foundry, are features of the new plant of the More- Jones Brass & Metal Co., St. Louis, manu- facturer of brass and bronze castings, solder and Bab- bitt metals. Reclamation of scrap metal recovered from spillage and from sweepings is another profitable measure of economy introduced. In addition, the fin- ishing department is on a production basis, and cast- ings are completed in multiples instead of in isolated units, a saving in operating costs thereby being effected. Except in the case of material to be machined, all castings in process of manufacture progress consist- ently through the plant, and at no point is back-track- ing necessary. Whenever machining operations are essential, the only retracing of steps is the movement of General View of Furnace Section and Brass Foundry. castings from the stock department to the machine shop or finishing department, and then back again to the shipping department. Furthermore, the methods utilized in the machine shop have resulted in the salv- age in classified form of the cuttings and trimmings, and their re-employment in the same line of work. Mechanical Handling In the brass foundry, the entire floor area, 139 x 360 ft., is served by cranes, so that carrying or handling metals by hand has been dispensed with. Two electric traveling cranes, operating over the furnaces, deliver molten metal to the pouring floors throughout the length of the foundry. These cranes are used in charging the furnaces, also. Electric cranes likewise transport material over the heavy molding floor, where castings weighing up to a maximum of 6000 lb. are made. Especially are the cranes utilized in pouring and in handling the chilled molds, which occupy a considerable section of the mold- ing floor. Altogether, the foundry is equipped with four electric traveling cranes, made by the Curtis Mfg. Co., St. Louis, besides 10 hand cranes and eight gib cranes, the product of the Arcade Mfg. Co., Free- port, Ill. Such transportation facilities contribute el In the initial cut at head of page is shown one of the Schwartz open-flame furnaces 1471 1472 THE IRON AGE November 25, 1926 much to the ease with which material moves from one operation to the next, and to the efficiency in production methods which is characteristic of the whole plant. Small hand-lift trucks are used exten- sively throughout the plant for transfer of material from one department to another. They are large enough to hold a consider- able number of castings, but also sufficiently small to insure ease in handling. Two railroad switching tracks with plat- form capacity for nine cars give the plant unusual facilities for the receipt of raw materials and for the shipment of castings. The tracks within the company’s yards will accommodate 20 cars and are off the main line of the Missouri Pacific Railroad, which flanks the south side of the plant. Connec- tion with all of the railroads entering St. Louis is made by means of the Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis, which operates a belt line around the city. big oh, ete The switching tracks directly serve the Section 2 Grinding Room, Showing How Operators Transfer coke and sand bins, the oil storage tanks Material by Trucks from One Job to the Next and the bins for foundry supplies. The coke is taken by truck from the yard stor- age bins, 28 x 34 ft. in area, to the hoppers on the outside of the brass foundry building. From bins occupying a space of 1900 sq. ft. sand is wheeled by hand to the foundry when needed, while oil from the under- ground storage tanks is distributed through- out the plant by means of a rotary pumping system. Running 211 ft. along the west side of the railroad receiving platform is the metal- storage building, which is 52 ft. wide and two stories high. It adjoins the east side of the brass foundry, the proximity of the two buildings reducing to a minimum the transportation of metal. All scrap and new ingot metals temporarily are stored there. Brass Scrap Sorted and Classified Serap brass received from railroads is unloaded direct from railroad freight cars onto hand trucks. After being weighed it is taken on electric elevators to the second floor of the metal-storage building, where all of the turnings and cuttings pass through electric separating machines, made by Ding Mfg. Co., Milwaukee, which remove iron. The scrap then, after being assorted, is dumped through openings in the floor into classified storage bins on the first floor. These bins have a capacity of 2,500,000 to 3,000,000 Ib. Heavy scrap material goes to hydraulic breaking machines for fracture and exami- nation before it is used. It then is classi- fied, and the new metals are added to fulfill standard specifications. Situated conveniently in the metal-stor- age building and adjacent to the brass foun- dry, the chemical laboratory tests all ma- terial before it is sent to the melting fur- naces, and samples castings from various heats. Reclamation of brass scrap in the plant is an economic policy adopted by the com- pany. All spillage and small particles of metal are recovered from the sweepings. . Material Classification and Separation. Here material is put This material goes to the reclamation de- e through separating machines and scrap is classified partment, where it is crushed and washed Railroad Receiving and Shipping Departments; Track Capacity Within Yards, 20 Cars; Platform Capacity, 9 Cars November 25, 1926 THE IRON AGE 1473 over concentrating tables. Then it is placed in smelting furnaces for refining. Formerly it was common practice of railroads to machine their own brass and bronze castings. The cuttings or turnings would be salvaged in bulk and returned to the manufacturer. This method, by mixing various dissimilar metals, rendered imprac- tical the reemployment of the salvaged material in the same kind of castings from which it was taken, and the amount of its depreciation was increased considerably. In the machine shop of the More-Jones Co. many of the castings are machined previous to their shipment to railroads. This prac- tice not only effects a large saving in the cost of handling and transporting the ex- cess material machined from the castings before they are used, but also makes pos- sible the recovery of the material in clas- sified form. Melting Equipment in the east bay of the brass foundry are 70"™, Bearing, Roving and Kinng Department, eve. eosin six Schwartz oil-burning open-flame fur- naces, two with a capacity of 5000 lb. per heat and four with a capacity of 3000 lb. In addition, there are three oil-burning tw Hae open-flame furnaces made by the United _ : = Sm Bete | | States Furnace Co., Belleville, Ill. One of ' these has a capacity of 2000 lb. and the met et pt a other two of 1000 lb. each. #s * 4 | a Supplementing this equipment are 16 oh a AH Seana ones underground crucible coke-burning furnaces et ee easel TRL PLT BLL! | SRT eT of the company’s own design, each with a capacity of 700 lb. per heat. For small heats of special-alloys and for tests and development work there are six under- ground crucible coke-burning furnaces of 200 lb. per heat capacity. The floor space is ample for adding furnaces when needed, to increase the melting capacity of the foundry to more than 250,000 lb. per day. Coke hoppers are located on the outside of the foundry building, adjacent to the underground furnaces. When fuel is de- sired, the coke is fed by gravity through chick Tae en ae CC Section of Underground Furnaces in Brass Foundry. a fed Pots of mantel. conde. te be neened aun Iiited by gravity from outside hoppers appears at right and carried by electric hoists on monorails to the pouring floor. 3 > - Molding Machines in Large Use With the exception of castings for which the demand is limited, the practice of mul- tiple molding by means of molding machines and metal dies is followed. Several types of molding machines are in use. Among them are the Arcade stripping jolt squeezer Se a Tea and the Nicholson jolt and electric pattern- PS ‘y Ree r drawing machine. Metal molds used in casting crown bear- ings and other important wearing parts for locomotives are featured by the com- pany. While the chilling of castings is by no means new, the refinement developed and patented by More-Jones diminishes oxida- tion from the castings, the tensile strength and elongation thereby being substantially increased. In fact, the patented chilling process is so successful in removing oxida- tion that the castings do not require clean- ing and can be machined in much less time Gravity Feed Coke Hoppers Located Just Outside Brass Foun- than the ordinary casting. dry. They feed underground furnaces, as shown above 1474 THE IRON AGE November 25, 1926 Journal bearing castings, which form an item of considerable tonnage in the com- pany’s output, are made on Arcade strip- ping-type molding machines. A large per- centage of them, however, are chilled, through the center and through the crown, and are machined on Niles double-spindle car boring machines. They are tinned and lined in gas-fired furnaces under pyrometer control. The molding floor in the brass foundry is 100 ft. wide and 300 ft. long. Sand-molded castings are cleaned by sand-blasting machines made by the W. W. Sly Mfg. Co., Cleveland. The equipment includes tumbling barrels, located at the north end of the foundry, next to the grind- ing department. Castings too large to go through the tumbling barrels are cleaned in a sand-blast room. After cleaning, the castings are dumped onto hand trucks and taken to the grinding Brass Foundry; General View, Looking South. This is the Sapantment oe hence to the cinesibeniiny largest unit in the entire plant, being 139 x 360 ft. bins. However, material which is to be machined goes from the grinders to the semi-finishing department for further work. At the northwest end of the molding floor is the core department, 30 ft. wide and 80 ft. long. Special machines are used to turn out standard cores, and the processes of mixing, shaping and baking are carried on semi-automatically. For small cores there is a battery of Swartwout core ovens of the swinging door type; for the large cores two batteries of Swartwout ovens of the open- truck type are utilized. All of the ovens are metal-insulated and fired by coke. The heat is controlled by Bristol recording pyrometers. In the pattern storage vault is an in- closed mezzanine floor for the pattern shop, where new patterns are manufactured. Particular attention has been given to the ventilating system in the foundry. In the east bay, in which the furnaces are situated, the roof is exceptionally high and has vents so that the heat and gases from the oil-burning furnaces not only pass freely Core Room in the Brass Foundry. Coke-fired core ovens appear and rapidly from the building, but also pro- in background. Mechanical help in core making is considerable duce a syphon action which draws the air currents across the molding floor, freedom from gases and smoke thereby being in- sured at all times. The roof over the mold- ing floor is of saw-tooth construction. The outer walls of the foundry consist of i j ; as rp fenestra sash, and swinging sashes, me- A chanically operated, assure proper ventila- tion. The foundry is heated by steam by means of unit heaters, made by the Skinner Mfg. Co., St. Louis, which distribute heat during the winter and circulate air in the summer. The floor is of creosoted wood ‘a ds {| re oe u iu a] 1 ' a ie — 2 ses > .. “he block with a concrete foundation. The ag ; ar blocks are tarred, so that moisture will not affect the floor. Finishing of Castings Departments in the finishing shop are grouped according to the classification of different alloys. The entire shop operates on a production basis, castings being com- pleted in multiples instead of in isolated units. The result is reflected in the de- Machine Shop; General View, Looking North. This department creased cost per unit. Material is trans- measures 99 x 215 ft. and adjoins the shipping room ported on trucks through the shop. The November 25, 1926 workman takes from a truck the casting to be machined, and, after completing his par- ticular phase of the job, places it on an- other truck ready for the next operation. Finishing of material from truck to truck has reduced handling expense to a minimum. All finishing work is done with the help of micrometers, taps and dies to insure ac- curacy and to eliminate the possibility of shipping defective castings. In the shop are several machines particularly adapted for special work. Among them are three Acme turret lathes with attachments for machining steam metal work for locomo- tives, such as valves and cocks. There also is a new machine, designed and built by the Lehman Machine Co., St. Louis, for milling grease grooves in locomotive crown bear- ings. Journal bearings are finished on special machines which face the ends and broach the lining in one operation. Machines in which bearings are tested for physical re- quirements are in use periodically. The machine shop is 99 ft. wide and 215 ft. long. Through it pass the electric rail- way motor bearings, the engine truck and trail bearings and trolley wheels, as well as other standard products demanding machin- ing and finishing operations. The shop is adjacent to the shipping department, so that machined castings while awaiting ship- ment are stored only a few feet distant from the shop. Adjoining the shipping department on the south and east is the white metal foun- dry, 50 x 150 ft..in area. Here the equip- ment is of the company’s own design. It consists of eight cooking and refining fur- naces, all of which are gas and oil com- bination burning. The larger ones are of the syphon pour type. The total capacity of the furnaces is 90,000 lb. per day. In this foundry more than 20 brands of Bab- bitt metals, as well as all grades of solder, special metals and alloys are made. It is so designed that production capacity can be increased 50 per cent without adding to the present floor space. Service Departments Just east of the southern end of the brass foundry is a maintenance repair shop, 25 x 40 ft. Its purpose is to repair small tools and other equipment from all parts of the plant. Comfort and health of employees have been given attention not only in the design of buildings to eliminate gases and to ad- mit proper ventilation, but also in sanitary provisions. In addition to shower baths, wash rooms and large lockers there are special rooms for drying and deodorizing workmen’s clothing. The company operates a cafeteria capable of serving 400, in which food is sold to employees at cost. Further- more, safety appliances have been installed in all parts of the plant. Organized ath- letics are a part of the recreational activ- ities carried on for employees. The entire plant is operated electrically. Current secured on the primary side at 13,200 volts is transformed to 220 volts for distribution to the various departments. The company regenerates direct current THE IRON AGE ' 1475 Sand-Blasting and Cleaning Department, in Northeast Corner of the Brass Foundry. Tumbling barrels are in large use ve . as Reclamation Department, Where Even the Smallest Particles of Metal Are Salvaged, Crushed and Washed oe Section of Boring and Finishing Operations in Electric Rail- way Motor Bearing Department of the Machine Shop 1476 se fe © = GO xsoom | j n wadVACHINE i ec 2° SHOP. &o 00 OO O° WHITE METAL .. SH/PP/NG S88 8 FUTURE Ex TENSION | THE IRON _ ' . OHHH | ! \ METAL STORAGE P- as TE EXTENSION I Hetttt++ _ FGNACES| ¢ “a A PRV NAIA FOUNDRY. AGE November 25, 1926 CO eo. FUTURE J , FUTURE y 10. p EATENS ote it] ‘aj General Layout of the Plant, Showing Its Compact Arrangement. At lower left corner is the cafeteria, with wash rooms for white and colored men next above. Space is provided in one corner of the shipping room to accommodate three automobile trucks at once power for the operation of its separating machines and cranes. Installation of electric melting furnaces is con- templated in the future. At the front of the plant a brick building, 39 x 83 ft., contains the general offices. The basement consists of a garage for use of the officers and the office em- ployees. This makes it possible for the men to drive into the garage in bad weather and to reach their of- fices without being exposed to the elements. Both the brass and white metal foundry buildings are of steel and brick construction, with fenestra steel sashes and concrete slab tile roofs. Steel Corporation Is Presenting Service Medals to Old Employees The United States Steel Corporation is bestowing upon each of its employees who has been connected with its plants for 25 years or more a service medal, of silver for those of less than 50 years of service and of gold for those who have rounded out half a century. The medal, as shown in the accompanying illustration, has on one face a portrait bas relief of Judge Elbert H. Gary, chairman of the corporation’s board of directors. The reverse has engraved upon it a corner of a steel mill with men at work, symbolical of the industry. Above this is the inscription indicating the number of years of service. The medals will be coined to designate service in The total area of the plant is 157,000 sq. ft. Since the land possessed by the company is 264,000 sq. ft., or more than 6 acres in area, sufficient space remains for future expansion. The entire plant was designed by the company and constructed by Fruin & Colnon, St. Louis, general con- tractors. Klipstein & Rathmann, St. Louis, were the architects. Officers of the company are John B. Strauch, president; Thomas H. Wright, Albert Y. Evins and Samuel W. Crawford, vice-presidents; Raymond S. Herman, secretary, and Joseph A. Neuwirth, treas- urer. periods five years apart. Thus the inscription will read “25 Years of Service,” or 30, 35, 40, 45 or 50 years. Some of the Steel Corporation’s plants will distribute relatively few medals, as their existence does not run back so many years; but in the older mills the per- centage of 25-year men is comparatively large. Discuss Employee Representation Plans The type of employee representation plan adopted is not of so great importance as is the attitude taken toward it by the management, supervisors and em- ployees. This point was stressed at the third annual employee representation conference of the American Management Association, held Nov. 18 and 19 at the Palmer House, Chicago. It was also brought out that it is wasted effort if a management approves a plan and then neglects to take an active interest in it. Supervisors find that the adoption of a plan is only @ first step and that belief in it must be maintained. The registration at this year’s conference was 357, a number in excess of the attendance last year. Total apparent consumption of babbitt metal in October, based on reports received from 27 firms by the Department of Commerce, was 4,868,053 lb., com- pared with 5,337,032 lb. in September and with 5,550,- 247 lb. in October, 1925. Tax Reform Urged by Founders National Association Voices a Plea for Reduction of Federal Levy on Corporations and Urges Less Ex- travagance in State and Local Expenditures UTSTANDING features of the thirtieth annual convention of the National Founders Association at the Hotel Astor, New York, on Nov. 17 and 18 were: Reduction urged in Federal taxes and par- ticularly in the tax on corporations, and re- striction of State and local government ex- penditures. Work already done to cooperate with farmers’ groups in the solving of the common problems of industry and agriculture com- mended. Progress reported in industrial educational movements by the committee having charge of that work. Practical economics of today discussed by M. C. Rorty, vice-president International Tele- phone & Telegraph Co., New York, former president of the National Bureau of Economic Research and the author of “Some Problems in Current Economics.” Country’s tax problem, Federal, State and local, reviewed by James A. Emery, Washing- ton, counsel of the association. There were other features, including a discussion of the work of the United States Patent Office, an illus- trated explanation of the work which has been accom- plished by the Division of Simplified Practice, Depart- ment of Commerce, in the elimination of unnecessary sizes, styles and varieties of many commodities, and discussions of practical foundry problems, such as cost accounting, natural light and ventilation and artificial lighting. President Barr Has Served Since 1913 William H. Barr, Buffalo, was again elected president. having served the association continuously in this office since 1913, an unusual record in trade association af- fairs. In an adjoining column are the names of all of the officers and members of the Administrative Council. Reviews History of Association N his opening address Mr. Barr took occasion, it be- ing the association’s thirtieth birthday, to review the history of the organization. Sixteen foundrymen formed the charter membership list and the first presi- dent was W. H. Pfahler of the Abram Cox Stove Co., Philadelphia. “It was the culmination of the tyranny of the In- ternational Molders Union,” said Mr. Barr, “which had necessitated and forced this organization into being, and we owe an immense debt of gratitude to these orig- inal sixteen resolute and gallant gentlemen who by their vision and determination laid the foundation that makes it possible for the foundry industry of today to operate under the American plan of the open shop. “It is true,” he added, “that before the enlightened spirit of modern industry had fully developed workers did need organizations, because employers—a few of them with an unfortunate lack of vision—took advan- tage of their employees’ economic necessity. The cor- rective, however, has been applied in our industry, and as a result unionism in the foundry is steadily declin- ing. The corrective is that equitable spirit of unlim- ited opportunity when dealing with our workers, of 1477 which the National Founders Association was a pioneer and promoter. “Should the National Founders Association ever be- come an instrument of oppression, promoting what might seem to be the selfish interests of its members, it would then begin a period of ineffectiveness. This association should ever be guided by the spirit of our people, who are above all else fair minded, and we should remember that a wrongful strike has rarely been won by the unions against public opinion, and a strike called where the equity was with the unions has seldom heen lost. “It is a long fight to educate union workers to the idea that labor saving inventions and machines do not interfere with their livelihood. Unionism has consis- tently fought the introduction of modern methods in every business, in every part of industry throughout the United States and throughout the world. That is one reason why industrial unionism in this country al- ways retards industrial advance. Union leaders are blind to economic developments, suspicious of all but themselves, seeking only to maintain their own power and without vision as to the future. As a matter of fact, the splendid conditions existing among the molders of the United States today are due to the open shop installation of labor saving engineering, made possible by our association, transferring the work in most cases from the muscles to the brain. Without those aids we should be plodding along today as a third rate industry and our part in the development of the United States as an industrial nation would still be in the future. The lack of vision which unionism displayed in the early history of our association, as it displays now in other matters, is an object lesson to employers. We must consistently avoid selfishness and the mere con- centration of power. “There has been much public discussion of the rea- sons for the unprecedented prosperity of our country, Commissions from other lands have come here to learn the secret. They are substantially agreed that our suc- cess is due to the high efficiency of our industry which makes possible the phenomenon of low production cost upon the one hand and a high wage scale on the other. The efficiency of American industry is due to the con- fidence and cooperation of the American worker, to the freedom of American management from the restricé tions of hostile unionism and socialistic governmental regulation which hamper our foreign competitors, and to unprecedented extension in the use of labor saving machinery. These things are in turn due to the open shop policy of American industry and to those progres- sive policies and activities which I have touched upon and in the adoption of which our association has been a leader. We are glad that those policies have been so widely accepted. To abandon them now would be not merely for our association to abdicate a position of well earned leadership. It would mean our falling out of the ranks and remaining not even abreast in the march of progress.” In conclusion Mr. Barr said that the members of the association must always devote themselves to the welfare of their workers. “That welfare,” he said, “does not consist of establishing uneconomic conditions or temporizing with conditions that may exist, but rather in fairness than in kindness,. in equity rather 1478 than in coddling, and in careful recognition of the mu- tual duty existing between employer and worker. As a group we stand for the liberty of all industry, the independence of employers and the equal independence of all workers. In maintaining this faith we shall in- crease in public service and be an important unit in the great industrial machine working always for the prosperity of our nation.” Few Labor Difficulties in Past Year ABOR troubles were at a minimum in the past year in the shops of members of the association, accord- ing to Commissioner A. E. McClintock. Only three shops required the assistance of the association in the year in the combating of strikes. The molders’ union, Mr. McClintock said, has not been aggressive during the past three or four years. His report in part fol- lows: “In checkmating the efforts of union organizers many of our members report the stabilizing influence of the non-union individual contract. This contract is based on the Hitchman Coal & Coke Co. decision by the United States Supreme Court, which established the right of an individual to make an agreement with his employer to remain out of a union. A union or- ganizer attempting to induce an individual by any means whatever to breach the agreement is interfering with a property right and liable for damages. “Probably at no other time in this country’s history has so much thought and effort been given to the bet- terment of industrial relations. On every hand are evidences of an earnest, sincere desire on the part of management to assume its duty of the industrial lead- ership of the people in its employ to the end that greater individual production may be had and greater THE IRON AGE November 25, 1926 rewards flow to those engaged in a common enterprise. Larger and larger numbers of industrial workers are coming to realize that it is only from the salable prod- uct that those engaged in industry can hope for re- ward, and union rules and restrictions that make for waste and increase the cost of service do not benefit the individual worker. “As an industrial people we are thinking less in terms of hourly wage rates and more in terms of unit cost of product, and out of it all is being gained a weekly pay envelope that is the marvel and envy of those of other nations. “It was not so many years ago that England was looked to as the workshop of the world. It was the boast of trade union leaders that 95 per cent of all its industrial workers were unionists. Probably no other people have ever worked out in greater detail a plan for restricting effort and lessening individual produc- tion in the hope of making jobs for all. The coal strike in Great Britain is an apt illustration of a union’s ef- fort to make the parts greater than the whole. Apprentice Training Growing “There are many evidences of a growing interest in foundry apprentice training. The committee on indus- trial education is dealing with a difficult, but important problem, and I am sure is greatly encouraged by the increasing number of members who are lending their cooperation. Making a foundry a more attractive work place for apprentices, likewise makes it more at- tractive for all employees—it places the trade on a higher level. “Our membership this year is 517 as against 524 last year. We had 35 resignations, nearly all due to financial difficulties or retirement from the business.” Business Cycle Theory Chief Bogey Man of Business ESCRIBING the business cycle theory as “the chief bogey man of business,” M. C. Rorty, well known economist and vice-president International Telephone & Telegraph Co., New York, said that the growing con- census of opinion among practical economists is that “there is no such thing as a business cycle in the sense of there being a more or less necessary or regular oscil- lation of business above and below normal.” Mr. Rorty is a fellow of the American Statistical Association, a former president of the National Bureau of Economic Re- search and the au- Uncut aancttecsit thor of “Some Prob- lems in Current Economics,” pub- lished in 1922. “Tf we bar war and pestilence and deal only with those eauses internal to business itself,” said Mr. Rorty, “it seems rather clear that no serious depression ean come unless it is preceded by a period of over - expansion such as we had in 1907 and 1919-20, with prices skyrock- eting, money tight and labor in exces- sive demand and cor- respondingly _ ineffi- cient. Such a condi- tion inevitably leads to the old-fashioned business cycle, with a quick, hard drop in business activity, lasting perhaps for 12 months, and with a gradual recovery ber, Minneapolis; C. DOLALELEUOTT EATEN ELE thereafter, lasting for perhaps 24 months longer. This type of cycle has a minimum total length of about 36 months, although the average length is nearer three and a half years. “The signs of an approaching crisis of this kind are now so well known and have been so often described that I see little danger today that any reasonably care- ful business man will be caught unprepared by such a depression. In fact, there is a chance that the busi- ness world is now so well trained to watch the business WUVUAAAMUASAAHLMI NA TT Gane UUNALNOGALEAO EAN LASER Administrative Council of the Standing, from left to right: Walter Perry, Farrel Foundry & Machine Co., Ansonia, Conn.; Frank J. Eppele, Trenton Malleable Iron Co., Trenton, N. J.; Robert E. New- comb, Worthington Pump & Machinery Corporation, Holyoke, Mass.; R. J. Redmond, Buckeye Foundry Co., Cincinnati; W. C. Trout, Lufkin Foundry & Machine Co., Luf- kin, Tex.; Frank Myers, Poughkeepsie Foundry & Machine Co., Poughkeepsie, N. Y.; D. F. O’Brien, A. P. Smith Mfg. Co., East Orange, N. J.; O. P. Briggs, honorary mem- S. Koch, Fort Pitt Steel Casting Co., McKeesport, Pa.; H. N. Een re uti 44d04L0U4 4A. U0UUdU4dUEUUUEEEMEERUONEUETOEEELUEUUNEEUOGG.UUOEUAESEUEOEENEUUAeNsOqagpNAeEOUNONEUNSNROOGEEUONENUOOURRLINONLY ONAUUEOUUGERUALEOOUUGGEnUUsEtOGdqUUHoAOQQEObUNNSEG4OLEvUQOOUG4UOOQUOOO0EUC000SRORGEEOOOEN UOTE NNERNNEE TAT November 25, 1926 barometers that we may possibly have seen the last of these old-time depressions arising out of reckless and unregulated business expansion. “This does not mea