The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

1901.4 MARINE REVIEW. At ON THE SUBJECT OF LUBRICATION. BY MR. W. H. EDGAR." Among several conditions and requirements to be taken into consid- eration in selecting or making a good cylinder oil may be included first the steam pressure; then the amount of moisture in the steam; some- times the make or type of engine, and the lubricator that governs the cold test, which is quite essential in obtaining and maintaining a high flash and fire test sufficient to meet the demands in the cylinder. The tem- perature of the steam produces a very heavy gravity and thick oil which must also be capable of feeding at as low as about 40° F. to give a sufh- cient cold test. We will treat of dry steam free from moisture. Steam pressure under 100 lbs. should require a cylinder oil of not less than 590 fire test, nor more than 630. If under 590 it gradually volatilizes and passes away much quicker without rendering the wear and sufficient amount of lubri- cation. If over 630 it would not atomize freely, covering the surfaces, and instead of lubricating it would be more like a tar. Steam pressure ot over 100, ranging from 110 up, say 140, 160 and 210, would require a cylinder oil of a fire test of about 645 to 660, which would maintain itself at this degree of temperature and give the proper amount of wear before volatilizing and gradually passing off. These oils, properly made, should have a corresponding flash test of 40 to 50° lower than the fire or burning test, to show that the physical properties in the make-up of the body oi the oil are proper. These oils should carry a gravity of about 26.5° for 600 fire test down to 24.5°for 660 fire test. There should be a correspond- ing viscosity, ranging from 175° for 600 fire test to 205° for 660 fire test. It is quite essential that each test have its corresponding figure and rela- tive bearing on each of the other tests. The straight mineral Pennsylvania stocks will give these results with dry steam. Vegetable oils are of no use in cylinder lubrication; they are worthless and reduce the quality of the cylinder oil when found present. Animal oils are not necessary, except in the presence of moisture and to take care of moisture. Of the different animal oils, tallow is the best and the only animal oil that should be used in a cylinder. Tallow oil should be used in most cylinder oils, as invariably most of the steam is moist, especially in compound and triple expansion engines, where we get more or less moisture in the second and third cylinders. Tallow oil, which is . acidless and refined, should always be used in compounding; not over 2 to 6 per cent, in the high pressure oils and not over 6 to 12 per cent. in the low pressure oils--that is, temperatures of the steam as given. When an oil smells rancid or you detect the strong odor of common lump tallow, it should be rejected. In such case it is evident that tallow has not only been used to take care of the moisture, but to build up arti- ficially the viscosity of the oil and to cut the gummy residuum nature of the cylinder stock in 'an attempt to better what is a poor condition of the mineral oil to start with, so that virtually your lubrication would come from the tallow. Lump tallow contains acid. This acid eats the steel and iron, grooves the metal, bolts, etc., causes a charred, gummy sub- stance to collect in the cylinder, is carried over and forms a heavy oil deposit in the boilers of condensing plants, and should not be used. Another deleterious substance quite commonly found in cheaper cylinder oils is degras (wool fat), which is used to cut this same gummy, sticky condition, so as to give flow to the oil in a cold test, and so that it may be fed through the lubricators. This causes a separation and a thickening deposit in the bottom of the barrels and also a simiiar sticky, charred sub- -- stance in the cylinder. Sometimes an 'engine requires a filtered cylindec: oil or an oil thinned down with some fine engine oil. This is due to extremely tight fitting of engine parts, but itis a condition seldom found. All the better and high-priced oils come from Pennsylvania. There are of the very poor and consequently very cheap oils 1,000 tons, of cylin- der stock from Ohio to each one ton of Pennsylvania cylinder stock ob- tained in the general distillation and manufacture of petroleum products. Of course, the market is filled with cheap goods and every barrel is guar- anteed by the man selling it to be Pennsylvania product. There is, therefore, but one course to take, and that is to thoroughly analyze and test all samples. In referring to this subject, I am sorry to make the statement that oils constitute one of the most corrupt markets in manu- facturing lines. Relative to engine, dynamo and other atmospheric surface lubri- cation, it may be stated that all journals, slides and machinery surfaces (considered high class or high duty lubrication) should be lubricated with straight mineral oils only, except in marine service or in plants where we come in contact with considerable water, the same as the engine pit, when it is quite advisable to use 30 to 40 per cent. of lard oil properly mixed with the mineral oil. This lard oil has the physical quality of mixing with the water and furnishing the kind of lubrication required; it retards high efficiency in lubricating results as compared with the viscosity or co-effi- ciency of friction test of the straight mineral oil. Vegetable oils have no lubricating properties whatever and are readily oxidized and destroyed with a very small amount of heat, and when exposed to atmospheric action. Animal oils thicken in the same manner when subjected to the dry warmth of the bearings and become quite sticky and gummy when ex- posed to atmospheric action--gather dirt and retard lubrication. Never use an engine oil that shows the presence of animal or vegetable oils. Animal and vegetable oils are sometimes introduced for the purpose of raising the theoretical tests, such as the viscosity and fire tests, and are known as loaded oils. Paraffine oil should never be accepted. Paraffine is used on ball room floors for dancing. It is a resistant. It is a product taken from engine oils. An engine oil having a cold test of 25° F. has had all the paraffine obtainable taken from it. It is chilled and coagulated and the oil drawn off, leaving the paraffine. First test for engine oil--Shake it with a little caustic soda or soda ash solution. If it clouds up like soap, the presence of animal oil is shown. Reject this at once. Second test--Take a bottle and place it in the ice cooler. The ice and water gives you 32° F. If this oil becomes cloudy we have proof that it is a common paraffine oil. There is no need of further test. Reject it at once. It will prove very expensive in the long-run in the loss through filtering, and also in your bearings, as it will not stand the heat, and furthermore, it will not give you the lubrication. In engine oils that have an opalescent green shading in the sunlight *Mr Edgar is president of the Dearborn Drug & Chemical Works, Chicago. and that are not a clear yellow or red, we have plain indication af the presence of kerosene and the lighter volatile hydro-carbons, which are not lubricants and which readily volatilize and pass off when brought in contact with the first heat units or warmer temperature of the bearing. There is quite a percentage of the lighter hydto-carbons so thoroughly intermixed--and a part of the heavier hydro-carbons--that it is impossible to drive off or get rid of them beforehand with heat in the stills. It is, therefore, necessary to have the absorption action of the atmosphere. This you would get with the bearings in your every-day lubrication and would consequently lose per volume. An engine oil should be perfectly clear and practically free from this opalescent green color, which shows that it has been debloomed. The oil should be run out into flat pans, open to the atmosphere (rain, sunshine and weather) and left there for some ten to fifteen days. The atmosphere will absorb and take the kerosene and lighter hydro-carbons from the main body of engine oil. The oil should then be drawn off and put through the filters and when clear can be re- turned to another still and distilled down to gravity. Besides this essential test we have the gravity test, the viscosity test and flash and fire tests. No one of these tests is of value except by relative comparison of any one with each of the other four. Engine oils for high speed, high duty and heavy units, to properly and rapidly travel and to give the best results, should have a gravity of not over 381 nor under 2814°; about 30 and a fraction will give the best oil, provided the following tests are also present: Viscosity should not be under 160 and should range up to 190 at 70° F. This test is very essential when compared with the gravity and the others, but is dodged by most oil men because they cannot hold up. It is the indicative test of quality with comparisons. The flash test should not be under 390 nor over 430°, and the fire test should range 50° higher, that is, the fire test should be from 440 to 480° and a cold test of 30°. An oil comparing favorably with the above tests and also complying with the above statements in appearance will give perfect satisfaction and will prove more economical by the month than the cheaper oils on the' market. To do this, you must have a good filter and collecting pans, ete... An oil of this quality can be used over and over again, as there is nu disintegration, nothing to coagulate and no part to volatilize, and there is therefore no loss except what is spilled. : PENNSYLVANIA STEEL CO. BUYS IRON MINES. The Pennsylvania Steel Co. has bought the entire stock of the Span- ish-American Iron Co. and thus became the owner on April 1 of the iron mines of that company near Santiago de Cuba. These mines were de- veloped by men who were originally engaged in mining in the Lake Superior region and considerable Cleveland capital was used in the origi- nal investments. The Pennsylvania Steel Co is now in the course of re- organization. The company uses about 1,000,000 tons of ore annually and has bought in the past almost all of the product of the Spanish- ~ American Co., about 325,000 tons annually. The price paid for the stock is reported to have been between $1,500,000 and $2,000,000. It is reported that there are unworked deposits in the mines which will bring the total yield annually to about 1,000,000 tons. At the annual meeting of the Spanish-American Co, this week the following directors were elected: Edgar C. Felton, who is president of the Pennsylvania Steel Co.; Charles F. Rand, who is the president of the Spanish-American Iron Co, and who will continue in that office; Evans R. Dick, Francis I. Gowen and F. W. Wood. Mr. Felton was elected vice-president of. the Spanish-American Iron Co. The Pennsylvania Steel Co. is also interested in the Auburn Steel Ore Co., with iron mines forty-five miles west. of Santiago, from which property the first ore shipments are expected within two months. These purchases mean that the Pennsylvania Steel Co, has come into control of practically all the iron mines in the province of Santiago. The property purchased from the Spanish-American company includes the - Lolla and Magdalena groups of mines, not far from Santiago de Cuba, and the Providencia, Berraco and Fausto groups, which are being de- veloped; a line of railroad from the'mines to the sea, about 414 miles; the entire seaport town of Daiquiri, with its harbor and steel loading pier extending into Daiquiri bay; in all about twenty mining claims and 5,000 acres of land. SUBMARINE WIRELESS TELEGRAPH. A method of submarine telegraphy, known as the Mundy system, and which it is claimed will eventually be turned to advantage in the naviga- tion of ships in fog was tried on Saturday last off the coast of Massa- chusetts in the presence of representatives of the United States and Can- adian governments. The device is a submerged bell operated by elec- tricity, the sound being carried by submarine telegraphy without wires to a distance of several miles and caught by submerged receivers connected with telephones on board the vessel seeking port, or to be warned oi danger of any kind. In the experiment of last Saturday two bells were submerged about 20 ft. below the surface of the sea and connected by electric cable with the experimental vessel. In practice they are to be operated by cable from the shore. The steamer with the invited guests on board left the bell ship and steamed out to sea. At different distances a receiver with twelve '"'ears'" was dropped overboard to a depth of about 12 ft. and connected with telephones in the pilot house. At three miles the bells were heard even more clearly than at a quarter of a mile. At ten statute miles the sound resembled a short, sharp rap, like striking one's knuckles upon wood. The experiment was considered satisfactory, but the inventor intends changing the tone of the bells so as to convey the metallic sound, which was lost somewhere between the four miles and ten miles test. The plan for harbors is to submerge two. bells of different tones at some. distance apart, the safe channel lying between them. By the receiving apparatus and a chart of sounds connected with it the pilot will be able to steer with safety, it is claimed, in fog. The prin- ciple of the Mundy submarine wireless telegraph is similar in a general way to that of the Marconi aerial wireless telegraph, but the details of the two systems are unlike. Modifications of the system will be sought for the purpose of preventing collisions in fogs; to enable signals to be exchanged between ships through the water, and keep lightships in com- - munication with the shore.