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By AIME AIME

T. E. PURCELL, general chairman . of the local committee, opened the seventh meeting of the Fuels Division A.S.M.E. and the Coal Division A.I.M.E., at the William Penn Hotel, Pittsburgh, Oct. 28-29, by introducing Harry M. Moses, president, H. C. Frick Coke Co., who welcomed the 500 registrants to "our town." Mr. Moses, in his brief talk, declared that in the postwar period each of the new centers must have a reason for existence. Pittsburgh, he said, has no iron ore, or bauxite, and limestone is scattered and not near by; but Pittsburgh does have low-cost fuel within reasonable distance. Its problem is the economical utilization of the low-cost fuels that remain, as the high-quality fuels are gone. Mr. Moses expressed confidence in this group in the solution of the problem and looked forward to what they would do. Harold V. Coes, the first A.S.M.E. president to attend one of these conferences, responded. He thoroughly believed in these joint meetings - in the cross-fertilization of ideas. Each Division learns from the other. Mr. Purcell then turned the meeting over to J. E. Tobey who presided over the coal research session that followed.

Jan 1, 1943

By James Gayley

The occurrence of obstructions in furnace-hearths is nothing new to blast-furnace managers. The removal of them is becoming more and more simplified every day. The appliances that can be readily obtained at any works, are so simple in construction and effective in operation that they can overcome the most obstinate condition of affairs that can exist in a furnace-hearth. The old method of opening up tuyeres and notches with sledges and chipping-bass,. Was

Jan 1, 1886

By Frank Firmstone

IN Chemical Phenomena of Iron Iron Smelting, Mr. Bell gives the weight of materials required to fill furnaces of various sizes at the Clarence Works ; as this differs very much from the weight required for furnaces at Glendon, where anthracite and in agnetic and brown iron-ores are used, a comparison is interesting. Taking furnaces at Glendon of 4800 and 11,900 cubic feet capacity and comparing them with the Clarence furnaces of 6000 cubic feet and 11,500 cubic feet, we find that the 4800 cubic feet at Glendon and the 6000 cubic feet at Clarence required respectively

By Richard P. Rothwell

The device to which I desire to call the attention of the members of the Institute consists of a water-tight caisson, which is connected By a stuffing-box with the tube to be laid, and the caisson is pushed forward with hydraulic jacks set against the end of the tube. The tube is of hard white iron, cast in chills in segments. These segments are carried from shore through the tube itself, in which a track is laid as the work progresses, and the segments are bolted together in the caisson, where there is ample room to work and proper appliances for handling heavy weights. As each segment is bolted on, the jacks are set against its forward end, and when the whole ring is complete, the caisson is pushed forward by the jacks, a trench having been dredged out in front of it, or, in very loose ground, jets of water under a heavy pressure can be thrown out to loosen the ground in front of the caisson. The direction in which the caisson is pushed is completely under control, and both the caisson and the tube are loaded to the amount necessary to overcome their buoyancy. I understand that Mr. H. H. Hall, of New York, the inventor, is negotiating for the construction of a 16-foot tunnel of this kind across the Straits of' Northumberland, between Prince Edward Island and the main-land, and for tunnels in several other places. 4 One of the most interesting uses of this system is in laying water mains out into lakes. The work can be carried on without inter-

Jan 1, 1886

By A. Eilers

THE telluride of gold and silver, the " Tellurgold-silver" of Hausmann, and " Petzite" of other mineralogists, has been found in so few localities, that a late discovery of the mineral in a new locality may not be uninteresbing. So far this mineral has been found in Europe only in a few mines in Transylvania, and in Hungary; and in the United States in the Stanislaus Mine, in Calaveras County, California, in the Golden Rule Mine, Tuolumne County, California, and in a mine in Montana, the precise locality of which I have forgot, ten. The new locality referred to is at the Red Cloud Mine, Gold Hill District, Boulder County, Colorado.

By R. W. Raymond

The name of Oswald J. Heinrich first appears among the members of the Institute in the first volume of its Transactions, which records that lie was elected at the Boston meeting, in February, 1873. That name has stood ever since upon our catalogue of active members. It has appeared frequently in the reports of our debates. It has been attached to many interesting and important professional papers. Henceforward it must hold a place, silent but significant, ill the pathetic lengthening list of our departed. From a present

Jan 1, 1886

By John A. Church

AT the last meeting of the Institute, a discussion arose upon the question, Is there pressure in coke ovens?" and many of the members seemed to think that the superiority of the Belgian furnace might be due to the fact that it is a completely closed chamber, in which the gases given off by the coal are, or may be, at more than the atmospheric reassure. It seems to me that this position is untenable, 'and that an examination of one of these ovens in operation will show, not only that there is no excess of pressure in the coke chamber, but that the contrary is true, and a partial vacuum exists. The Belgian or Francoise oven consists of a rectangular chamber closed at the ends by sliding doors, and furnished with flues in the side walls and floor. The new charge is introduced at a time when the furnace is so hot as to cause immediate and copious discharge of the volatile constituents of the coal. The gases pass downwards through the side flues giving out their heat to the walls and thus to the coal. Underneath the floor air is introduced and the gases burn, producing intense heat. Heat is also reflected from the arched roof upon the coal which is therefore heated from all sides. The especial advantage which this construction was designed to secure is that no air is admitted to the coke-chamber. All the heat is produced by the combustion of the unsociable gases, and the yield ought to be a maximum. I t is so in fact, allowing for the imperfections inseparable from furnace construction and management. Sometimes the yield is in excess of the percentage indicated by assay, showing that

By Secretary

The two papers by Mr. C. M. Rolker, " Notes on Certain IronOre Deposits in Colorado," and "Notes on the Leadville OreDeposits," printed at pages 266 and 273 of this volume, were put to press (owing to the author's absence from the country) without final revision by him. The following corrections are thus made necessary: On page 272, line 13 should read, "respectively 12 and 4 feet" (instead of 12 and 14). On the same page, line 6 from the bottom should read, " the remaining 360 feet" (instead of 320). On page 284, lines 23 and 21 should read, " 111 some places, the dolomite sand roof has remained thicker; and in isolated parts of the bed no replacement has occurred."

Jan 1, 1886

By Benj. Lyman

The Institute, in June, 1881, visited Low Moor in Alleghany County, Virginia, on the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway, seven miles easterly from Covington. Having occasion myself, a few days later, to make a very hasty geological reconnaissance of the iron-ores there, and finding them to be somewhat different in age from what was said to be the opinion of some of those who were there with the Institute, I have thought it worth while to bring the matter up again at the present meeting. According to the opinion quoted, the principal ore-banks belong to the Oriskany sandstone; and that seems to be the view entertained of the same ore in that region by Prof. Wm. B. Rogers in his reports of 1837 and 1838. it is likewise given by Prof. J. L. Campbell in a paper on the Rich-patch iron region in The Virginias for December, 1880 (vol. i., p. 189). A comparison, however, of the section at Low Moor with sections in Pennsylvania, shows clearly that the main ore-bed is the same as that of the bottom part of the Marcellus shales (part of Pa. and Va., No. VIII), a short distance above the top of the Oriskany sandstone (No. VII). The Upper Helderberg limestone is absent at Low Moor, as indeed it is at many places in Pennsylvania, and that is perhaps the reason why the ore has been thought to belong to the Oriskany sandstone. The ores and their accompanying rock-beds, are exposed in three or four folds near the Low Moor iron-mines on Fork Rim and, as described and pointed out by Mr. Geo. T. Wickes, who had in his management of several years' duration become well acquainted with them, are as follows, from above downwards:

Jan 1, 1886

By W. P. Blake

One of the most remarkable iron-ore districts of the world is found in Southern Utah, in Iron County, about 270 miles south of Salt Lake City, and 10 miles west of Cedar City. This region has long been known in a general way; but, being at present somewhat difficult of access, it has been rarely visited by 'any of our members. Professor Newberry has published somewhere a short description. Last year, by the invitation of J. R. Walker, Esq., of Salt Lake City, one of our associate members, I formed one of a party, including Professor G. W. Maynard and W. S. Keyes, to visit and inspect the region. A special car was placed at our disposal by the courtesy of Hon. John Sharp, Superintendent of the Utah Central Railway. From the present southern terminus of the road at Milford, a drive of 55 miles took us to Cedar City, about 10 miles east of the iron region. The ores outcrop in a low range of hills or mountains, and stand out in such bold relief from the general surface, and are so massive and jet black, that they may be seen for miles before they are reached. These outcrops extend in long lines over the hills, and mark very . clearly the course of the beds, conforming generally to the inclosing stratified formations, probably of Palaeozoic age. These rocks are somewhat obscure, but there are large outcrops of limestone without much alteration. This, in places, appears to be the adjoining rock, at others the wall-rocks are porphyry, and at others apparently a quartzite and a fine-grained felsite. The beds of iron-ore are from 10 to 100 feet and more in thick ness, and some of the outcrops extend unbroken continuously for 1000 feet and more. It consists chiefly of magnetite and hematite,

Jan 1, 1886

By Petter Östberg

Having brought with me to this meeting a couple of "Mitis'' wrought-iron castings, I have found that they attracted a great deal of attention from steel manufacturers, and especially from those experienced in making castings, among whom some have said that they felt inclined to "unhesitatingly dcclare their manufacture an impossibility," if they had not seen the samples. The consequent demand for explanation of the method of manufacture has been SO great that I accept with pleasure the request by the President to address the meeting on the subject. My object in this address shall be only to explain the main features of the manufacture, referring those who take more interest in the matter to Mr. Th. Nordenfelt's paper, read before the British Iron and Steel Institute, reprinted in many American papers, and containing both a historical sketch of the inventions and many interesting details. As the manufacture of castings from steel by others is, at least to some extent, a success, I shall, in my explanations hereafter, refer to wronght-iron, although our mode of manufacture is equally applicable, with corresponding advantage, to steel of any temper. The successful manufacture of castings depends upon several very important matters, besides the necessary skill of the workman. You must have a suitable metal as raw material; you must have an eacient and suitable furnace for smelting, so as not to injure the metal; you must be able to handle the metal in a suitable way, from the time it is ready in the furnace until it is poured into the moulds; you must have a suitable moulding material. I claim that in every one of these different branches we have made great

Jan 1, 1886

By Charles E. Wait

IN order to secure cupels uniform in size, density, etc., I have arranged a machine which has proved quite satisfactory, and is so simple and inexpensive as to be within the reach of nearly everyone. It has been in operation here about four years, and with it all cupels used in the assay department of the School of Mines have been made. As shown in the accompanying figure, it consists of a common letter-press, the movable platen of which has been removed. In place of the plate, there is attached to the screw a plunger, which turns with the screw, moving up and down, and making the depression in the cupel. The ring holding the bone-ash is held in place directly underneath the plunger by a wooden guide fastened to the base of the press. There is also fastened to the top of the guide for the ring, at a distance above the base of the press equal to the height of the cupel-ring, a piece of mood about § inch thick, under which the ring will just slide into place, and through which there is cut a circular hole exactly fitting the plunger, guiding it in its downward movement always in the same vertical line; this last guide not only directs the plunger, but also prevents the lifting of the ring by the plunger, upon the raising of the latter.

Jan 1, 1886

By Alfred F. Brainerd

A pure white sand, in a large deposit, favorably located with regard to water and railroad transportation, is very desirable for metallurgical and manufacturing purposes. Such a deposit occurs

Jan 1, 1886

By Horace L. Wells

The gravimetric determination of titanium in irons and steels is extremely difficult. It may be well, therefore, to call the attention of those members of the Institute who are interested in the chemistry of iron to a colorimetric! method, which I have slightly elaborated to adapt it to the case under consideration. Schön * discovered that hydrogen peroxide produces, in certain solutions of titanic acid, a very intense color similar to that of ferric

Jan 1, 1886

By Alfred L. Beebe

to. A strip of thin platinum foil, about one inch square, is perforated with pin-holes over its entire surface. It is then bent into the shape of a letter U, and its opposite corners are connected by short pieces of platinum wire, so as to form a sort of basket. In this is placed a piece of amalgamated zinc of convenient size, and the whole is suspended by a stout platinum or silver wire in the bottle containing the solution to be reduced. Another strip of platinum foil,

Jan 1, 1886

By Charles E. Wait

HAVING had some experience in the use of gasoline-gas in a laboratory, I have been induced by frequent inquiry to present a few hints concerning it, which I hope may be of some value to those who are out of the reach of coal-gas, and who contemplate using this gas. While I will not delay to describe the method by which this gas is made, it may not be out of place to note that, unless frequent charges are put into the carburetter, the gas is variable in richness. This may be partially avoided, it is said, by repeatedly pumping from one cell in the carburetter to another. If a machine is in constant use for many months without re charging, the gas becomes rather poor for illuminating purposes ; but in this condition it may be burned in a Bunsen burner with advan tage. Could the gas be used always in this condition, no difficulty would be experienced, and it would be quite satisfactory for general laboratory purposes. Considerable annoyance, however, is experi enced whenever the machine is filled with gasoline. The Bunsen and other burners then produce a flame too smoky to be used with com fort, and, in fact, with most of them, a full supply of air; turned on at the base of the burner, will not suffice to completely burn off all the carbon. Finding it necessary to adopt some method by which I could get a flame free from unconsumed carbon, I adopted a plan which has in every way proved satisfactory. In addition to the pipe conveying the gas to the table, and ar ranged with a stopcock, there is brought to the table, within a fern inches of the gas-pipe, another pipe, conveying air direct from the pump. This pipe is also arranged with a stop-cock. The air- and gas-pipes are now connected with one pipe by a T joint; and to this last pipe is attached, by rubber tubing, the Bunsen or other burner. I have successfully used this simple system in connection with both small and large Bunsen burners, a burner with three tubes, arid a Fletcher burner; and recently I have added a new still to our equipment, and have been tising with it a Fletcher special high power burner No. 6, to which this system has been applied. With

Jan 1, 1886

By F. N. Pease, C. B. Dudley

Those who have worked a good deal on the chemistry of pig-irons of which the physical properties were known, cannot fail to have been struck by the remarkable want of relation between the physical properties of different samples, and the ultimate chemical composition. It is very well known among foundrymen that irons which will give say 4 inch of chill, and are, therefore, approximately the same in chemical composition, are very far apart, many times, in their physical properties. The foundryman's tests for strength are, of

Jan 1, 1886

By John Birkinbine

The experience of the past five years has furnished opportunities to study and to partially explain the operation and some of the causes of the short blast of Warwick Furnace at Pottstown, Pennsylvania, as described in the paper read at the Lake Superior Meeting, in August, 1880.* The many inquiries concerning the details of furnace operation which followed the publication of the paper, and the expressed desire of furnace managers to be informed as to future operations of this plant, have encouraged the preparation of the following data. To make the record continuous, and add to the value of both contributions, the present paper commences where the review of a short blast of Warwick Furnace ended, and includes the data of another short blast of two months, and a subsequent continuous campaign of nearly five years, which, by comparison, we shall designate as "the long blast." Frequent visits to the plant in the five years, during which its operation could be studied, and correspondence with the manager, Mr. Edgar S. Cook, have given a knowledge as to general features and details, and the courtesy of the officers of the Company which has given free access to the books of record permits the presentation of data which it is believed will be welcomed by furnace managers. Interest will undoubtedly be increased by the remarkable results which Mr. Cook has achieved chiefly with anthracite coal in a furnace whose details of construction will scarcely be generally admitted as embodying advanced ideas, its height being but 55 feet, with a bosh diameter of 15 feet 6 inches, its bosh-slope comparatively flat, its crucible smaller than the average, and the heat of the blast never reaching 1000' Fahrenheit. At present writing the credit of the best anthracite blast-furnace practice recorded in our Transactions is conceded to be that pursued by Mr. Fackenthal, at the Durham furnace, and Mr. Cook, at War-

Jan 1, 1886

By William Garrett

I have heard it said that the late Mr. Holley made use of this remark: " There is an inherent, cussedness about rolls which, so far, no man has been able to find out." I think this can be safely claimed in reference to steel, as there are certain peculiarities about it that are pretty hard to account for. Previous to the introduction of the Bessemer process there was, as it were, a great chasm between iron and crucible steel; and, outside of what futile attempts had been made in puddling steel, nothing had been done to fill this gap. The Bessemer steel struck a medium between the two, the softest of it not being able to take the place of good iron, while the hardest was not suitable to encroach very far upon the crucible-steel trade. The open-hearth process made quite an inroad into the latter, but only for the lower and cheaper grades; and, beyond a doubt, for the finest grades of tool-steel, the cruciblesteel business has a long life before it. On the other side of the line comes the " basic " process, which brings us a step nearer iron ; but to fill up the gap completely, comes the Clapp-Griffiths process, which makes a grade of material—call it what you will—that is as soft as iron, welds as readily, and is in a fair way to supersede iron altogether. For fifteen years, I was in the employment of the Cleveland

Jan 1, 1886

By J. Blodget Britton

To the question, " Do the Pennsylvania anthracites contain phosphorus?" asked at the last meeting of the Institute during the discussion on the metallurgical value of Western lignites, I can now give a definite answer. Through the kindness of a gentleman connected with the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad, and another connected with one of the principal ironworks on the Lehigh, there was sent to the Ironmasters' Laboratory a number of samples of the coals now largely shipped from the Schuylkill and Lehigh regions. Seventeen of these I examined for their contents of ash and phosphorus, and obtained results as follows : Ash. Phosphorus. No. 1, . 4.10 .0063 2, . . . . 7.97 .0209 113, . 5.53 .0049 114, . . . . . . . 6.55 .0056 . 5, . 5.39 .0761 . . . . . . . 11 6, 14.15 .0593 7, . 10 43 ,0049 rl 8, . . . . . . . 5.29 .0354 9, . . . . . . . 3.01 .0042 6L10, . . . . . . 3.03 .0042 1 1 . 275 .0014 12, . 2.82 ,0111 l'13, . .3.69 trace L1 14, . . .2.35 trace 15, . . . . . . . 7.22 .0014 16, . . . . . . . 3.49 .0167 17, . 4.63 trace