Iron from London, Greater London, England • Page 19

DECEMBEB 18,1891. IB N. 539 a power reel, and was soon enabled to bring the produc tion of per years later the Messrs Roebling, of Trenton, New Jersey, following a Belgian practice, built a rod mill composed of two separate trains of rolls; the first, or roughing rolls, being of the largest diameter and driven direct from the engine shaft, while the second or rod rolls, were placed some 30 feet back of the roughing and driven by belt at a much higher speed. This arrangement was much superior to the ordinary mill, but did not dispense with any labour. The Trenton Iron Company, of Trenton, New Jersey, and Messrs.

Washburn Moen also put in Belgian trains. The Roeblings and the Trenton Iron Company have greatly improved their mills. In 1876 the Cambria Iron Company built a rod mill after the do- signs of Mr. Henry B. Comer.

While all the rolls of this train were in continuous line they were divided into groups, each succeeding one of which was driven at an increased speed by aline of shafting placed directly under the train. This mill has since been altered and improved. Mr. C. H.

Morgan constructed another continuous mill for Messrs. Washburn Moen, in which many improvements were made, and since he severed his connection with the company the good, work has gone on. Rods are now finished on the mill at a speed of 50 feet per second, and reeled with ease and certainty. Mr. Morgan built in 1888 a continuous mill for the American Wire Company, of Cleveland, Ohio, on which over 118 tons of No.

5 rods have been rolled in ten hours, through a single groove or pass. They have rolled 500 tons per week of No. 8 rods for three consecutive weeks. On the same mill a production of 35 tons per turn for two weeks of No. 9 rods, inch diameter, rolled from billets weighing 210 pounds, has been reached.

This was a reduction of area of 99-89 per cent. The finished rods were 3,620 feet long. The Garret Rod Mill 1882 Mr. William Garrett, a member of our society, then superintendent of the merchant mill department of the Cleveland Rolling Mill Company, Cleveland, Ohio, patented and built a mill which was destined to play a conspicuous part in the American wire industry. The continuous mills were using lj-inch billets the Belgian mills 2-inch ones.

To produce billets of these sizes, it was then necessary to roll the steel ingot to biooms, reheat the blooms and roll to billets. Mr. Garrett's desire was to construct a mill which would take a billet of a large enough section to permit its being rolled direct from the ingot without any reheating. He settled upon 4 inches square as being that size. To accomplish this, he went beyond the Belgian mill by putting in three separate trains of rolls, placed in echelon, and driven at progressively increasing speeds.

Hence the billet rolls could run at a comfortable speed fcr the workmen to handle the billets without interfering with the speed of the finishing trains. This arrangement not only permitted the use of the larger billet, but made it possible to have several distinct pieces in the rolls at the same time. The present practice is four pieces, and sometimes five rods will be reeled off simultaneously. Since the Cleveland Mill, several other works have put in the Garrett mills, and he has sought to make each last the best. In all forms of mills, excepting the continuous, advantage has been taken of the device known as the repeater.

This was first patented by Mr. John Bevis, of Cleveland, Ohio. A later one was invented by Mr. McCallup, of Columbus, Ohio, and the last, and by many thought the best one was invented by Mr. Frank Tail man, a member of this society.

By turning the piece from one pass to another, the repeater saves a large amount of labour. On one of the Garrett mills 140 gross tons of No. 5 rods have been made in 10 hoars, 1.300 tons in a week, and nearly 5 500 tons in a month. While the advocates of the continuous system admit that a greater product can be obtained on the Garrett, they claim a saving in labour and in loss by oxidation. For the average of three years' work I am given the loss on weight from billets used to finished product on a continuous mill as 2 08 percent.

If there were no differences of opinion and professional and commercial rivalries, we should be without progress. Tire Mills. the radical manufacturing departures in rolling mills, I would mention the Munton I ire Mill, which is in successful operation at the works of the Chicago Tire and Spring Company, at Melrose, near Chicago. The process which this mill makes possible, and the mill itself have been invented by Mr. James Munton, the superintendent of the works.

He entirely dispenses with hammering in making locomotive or other steel tires. This by the following practice The ingot is cast with a hole cored out large enough to admit a small roll. The ingot is heated and taken to the rolling mill, where its top, with its imperfections, is sheared off by the rolls, and the bloom left of a given weight. At the same heat and by the same operation the bloom is also roughed out by the roughing rolls of the mill and edged down by horizontal rolls. The bloom is reheated and placed in the tire rolling mill, where it is rolled and finished to the exact inside and outside diameter required.

Mr. Munton's mill is so constructed that on it a bloom can be rolled back to a smaller diameter. This also applies to a finished tire. Another tire mill embracing several new features, and of great power, is the one designed and built for the Latrobe Steel Company, Latrobe, Pennsylvania, by Mr. Julian Kennedy, their chief engineer.

The other American steel tire makers are the Midvale Steel Company, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and the Standard Company already mentioned. Moiling Fluid Steel. the years of the roll ing mill history which I have sought to sketch, there have been many improvements made the construction of a'l forms of mills, and many sections have been successfully produced on them which were previously thought impossible. I have not attempted to enumerate all of these, but have sought to confine myself to those which have been distinct departures in the roll trains. I have done so because, while many things and men deserve mention, the tiine required would have gMe possibilities -of this occasion." will, therefore, close with a reference to the latest radical departure, which, while not yet quite a commercial success still has been placed in a sufficiently prominent position to deserve record.

I refer to the rolling of liquid steel by Mr. Edwin Norton, at the works of Messrs. Norton Brothers Chicago. It has been known for some time that Mr. Norton was experimenting in this direction, and in fact had taken out patents in this and other countries.

The paper read by Sir Henry Bessemer at the late meeting of the Iron and Steel Institute on Rolling Fluid Metal," and which has already been published in several of our technical papers, has called renewed attention to this system of producing steel sheets for tinning. The commercial changes in the tinplate industry have been somewhat violent of late, and appearances indicate that the location of a large part of the manufacture may come to this country. At all events, changes which will cheapen the production have become necessary, no matter where the plates are made. The Messrs. Norton are the largest individual tinplate consumers in America, and as such have naturally kept fully in touch with all phases of the trade.

Mr. Edwin Norton is the mechanical member of the firm. Some years ago he fully perfected the rolling of soft metals direct from the liquid state into finished sizes. He was fully posted as to what had been attempted in the years past in such rolling. His success with soft metal led him to go farther and strive to do the same thing with liquid steel.

He had encouraging results. He protected himself by patents at home and abroad. He felt full reverence for all that Bessemer had given the world, and knew that some thirty odd years ago he had experimented with this very process, and thought he knew wherein Bessemer had not gone quite far enough to insure complete and uniform success. Still, he felt that he deserved recognition. Moreover, Mr.

Norton, as a successful American, duly appreciated the advantages which would naturally accrue from having Bessemer indorse and become interested in his process. For these reasons, after protecting himself by patents he wrote to Sir Henry Bessemer, also sending him a piece of sheet which he had rolled direct from liquid metal; explained what improvements he had made, and proposed an honourable commercial relationship. Certainly there was nothing disrespectful in this, no matter how great the man to whom it was made. Now, mind you, up to this time Bessemer seems to have attached little importance to his experiments of many years ago. Messrs, McKinley and Norton recalled them to his mind, and gave them' value.

Perhaps this is none of my business, but Sir Henry has aroused my American ire. He says: "I received, about two years ogo, a parcel from America containing a small sample of sheet metal, which was being successfully manufactured there. The person from whom I received it informed me that it was made by a slight alteration or improvement on my patent of 1857, for rolling continuous sheets and thin bars of iron or steel direct from fluid metal. He offered me one-half of his patent if I would undertake its introduction into this country. I did not accept his offer, and there the matter rested.

The circumstance stated has, however, afforded me an opportunity of showing you a small sample of a continuous sheet, produced direct from fluid metal at a single operation, and roves beyond doubt or question the important fact that uid metal may be chilled and formed into a continuous sheet between rolls that are kept cold, while it well illustrates the spirit of enterprise of our American cousins, who are so prompt to recognise, to adopt and to improve upon the inventions brought forward in Europe." I think be might have treated Mr. Norton a little lees cavalierly without any prejudice to his great fame. This thing had lain dead all tnese years. Should not some honour be given the man who was able to put life into the corpse, and conquer for it a place among live industries? The greatest have always been under obligations to others for portions of their triumphs, and always will be. The Bessemer process was a failure for all but the higher purposes until Mushet's invention, and while Sir Henry honoured himself by settling an annuity upon Mushet, who at that time had made nothing from his invention, still I for one would have had my already profound respect increased if Bessemer had even mentioned Mushet's name in his letter, giving the history of his process, which was read at the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, meeting of the Iron and Steel Institute.

We honour you, Sir Henry, and are proud to have your portrait hanging upon the walls of our society house, and hanging in company with that beloved departed member who did so much to create our organisation, and so much to add to your great fame, but I am not willing that you should have all the credit for the last development in American rolling mills. THE CHANNEL the Bill which will shortly come before Parliament, power is sought to execute further experimental works, vesting in the Lords of the Treasury the sole right of determining the expediency of continuing such works, subject to such conditions, restrictions, and requirements as they may prescribe. It is also provided that in the event of such experimental works proving succcessful the Channel Tunnel Company may be required within ten years to sell them to the Lords of the Treasury. The Bill also provides for the South-eastern and London, Chatham, and Dover Railway Companies participating in the execution of the work, whether experimental or permanent. CURIOUS novel method of laying foundations in swampy has recently been employed by anr American building to be supported was a low wooden one which it was proposed to use for the storage of machinery.

Casks were set in holes in the ground along the line of posts and were filled to the depth of about one foot with iron turnings. The posts were placed in the casks, which were then filled with iron turnings compactly rammed in place. A solution of salt and water was slowly poured over the turnings, under the action of which they solidified into a hard mass. The heat of the oxidation of the iron was so great that, the posts were charred. This also served as a preservative, and to that extent the iron turnings are probably superior to concrete under similar conditions.

THE BLACKPOOL EIFFEL Blackpool Tower Company has completed the purchase of the Aquarium site, and possession of the land and buildings has been formally handed over to it, the London Standard Contract and Debenture Corporation having failed to fulfil its agreement. The Tower Company has saved the large sum of £21,000, and the actual price paid for the site is £72,800, instead of £94,000, as stated in the prospectus. The contract for the foundation works has been let to Messrs. Robert Neill Sons, of Manchester, and operations will be commenced on December 21. The London Standard Contract and Debenture Corporation, which originally promoted the tower, has now no representation on the board of directors and no control in the future operations of the company.

Every effort is to be made to have a portion of the tower erected for the visiting season next year. Andreas Meyer, the builder of the Hamburg Docks, has prepared a project for the tion of the Elbe from Hamburg to Cuxhaven, at a cost of 120,000,000 marks Sluices would have to be Taunton Town Council has adopted plans and estimate for a new bridge in Bessemer or Siemens-Martin steel over the River Tone, at a cost of £5,000, provided that the County Council will assist in carrying out the work, the latter body to be asked to contribute £3,000 towards the bridge and the necessary alterations in the approaches, the cost of which is estimated at £1,000. The plans were got out by the borough surveyor, Mr. J. H.

Smith, C.E.—The water- supply committee of the Loughborough Town Council has recommended the laying of a 12-inch water main between certain points in the town, at an estimated cost of £2,820. SOCIETY OF thirty-seventh annual eneral meeting of the Society of Engineers was held on )ecember 14, at the rooms of the society, 17, Victoria Street, Westminster, S. W. The chair was occupied by Mr. William Newby Colam, president.

The following gentlemen were duly elected by ballot as the council and officers for 1892, viz. president, Mr. Joseph William Wilson, jnnr. as vice-presidents, Messrs. William Andrew Valon, George A.

Goodwin, and Chris. Anderson as other members of council, Messrs. R. W. Peregrine Birch, Charles Claude Carpenter, Henry Faija, Charles Gandon, Charles Nicholson Lailey, Thomas Bell Lightfoot, William George Peirce, and Arthur Rigg; as hon.

secretary aud treasurer, Mr. Alfred Williams; as hon. auditor, Mr. Alfred LaBs (Messrs. A.

Lass Co.) The proceedings were termi- minated by a vote of thanks to the president, council, and officers for 1891, which was duly acknowledged by president. THE "CYCLE" GAS December 8 the members of the Junior Engineering Society visited the Albion Works of the British Gas Engine and Engineering Company, at Gospel Oak, London. Mr. James Atkinson demonstrated, by aid of models and diagrams, the principle of the construction of the Cycle gaB engine, and snowed how it had been developed from the differential engine. Comparing it with the Otto," two important points of difference were shown to exist, viz.

that by the introduction between the pi and crank of an ingenious link motion, the crank shaft receives an impulse for every revolution, instead of one for eveiy two, and that the whole of the products of combustion are expelled from the cylinder after each ignition. As a consequence of the arrangements in the Cycle engine for expanding the gas into a greater volume than existed before its compression great economy of working is attained. In an 8 nominal horse-power engine, per cent, more power was shown to be rendered available for work, the pressure at the end of expansion being 10 lb. per square inch, instead of 40 as in other types of engines. The quickness of the exhaust was noticed to be an accompanying advantage.

As the power is developed four times more rapidly than is usual, the great loss of heat to the water jacket is thereby very considerably reduced. Several of the engines were seen at work, including a 2 nominal horse-power driving a dynamo for lighting purposes, and a 6-horse-power engine under dynamometric-brake test. The facility with which the Btarting could be accomplished was shown, and on the engines in course of construction and erection the features of interest in their manufacture were pointed out. There were also exhibited and examined some specimens of the feed-water heater which is likewise produced at the Albion Works, and the action of its various parts was explained to the members. MANCHESTER ASSOCIATION OF annual general meeting of the above association was held on Saturday at the Grand Hotel, Mr.

Samuel Dixon, in the absence of the president, occupying the chair. The following gentlemen were elected members of the W. J. Yarwood, Weaver Navigation, Northwich, foreman mechanical engineer, W. C.

Such, Salt Union Limited, superintendent engineer, H. G. Jordan, junior, Technical School, superintendent engineering department, J. C. Side- boiham, Mather Piatt, Salford, manager's assistant, ordinary members; and Jas.

Higginson, junior, Ancoats, employer, Sam. Edward Lee, City Foundry, Limerick, employer, Robert Deck, Messrs, Sharpies, Engineering Works, Rarasbqttom, manager, C..