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American Boiler Manufacturers The Twenty - fourth Annual Convention of the Associa- tion at New Orleans--List of Valuable Papers Read HE 24th annual convention of the American Boiler Manufacturers' Association was held at New Or- leans on March 12,13 and 14, being called to order by Secretary J. D. Farasey, of Cleveland in the absence of President E. D. Meier, whose train was_ late. He introduced the second vice pres- ident, J. Don Smith, of Charleston, S. C., who. presented Mayor Behrman, of New Orleans. The mayor welcomed the delegates and related what New Orleans' is. doing- to' put itself into a state' of preparedness for the new trade,' which is sure to follow the opening of the Panama canal. W. H. Bateman responded in behalf of the association and James W. Porch, pres- ident of the New Orleans Progressive Union, made a vigorous address on the possibilities of the south. By this time Col. Meier's train had arrived and he responded to Mr. Porch. Cleveland was selected as the city in which to hold the next annual con- vention and officers were re-elected as follows: E.'D. Meier, New -- York, president; J. D. Farasey, Cleveland, secretary; Jos. F. Wangler, St. Louis, treasurer; T. M. Rees, Pittsburgh, Pa., first vice president; J. Don Smith, Charleston, S. C., second vice pres- ident; W. A. Brunner, Phillipsburg, N. JS othird: vice president; =H. -D. Mackinnon, Bay City, Mich., fourth vice president; M. H. Broderick, Muncie, Ind., fifth vice president. A consistent campaign will be waged during the year for new members, as the association has only an enrollment of 25 per cent of the boiler manufac- turers of the United States. Paper on Rivets t David J. Champion, of the Champion Rivet Co., of Cleveland, presented a paper on "Rivets", which will be found elsewhere in 'this issue. His paper brought out an unlisted paper on "Hy- draulic Riveting', by H. J. Hartley, of Cramps, Philadelphia, which is also re- printed elsewhere. In the absence of H. A. Beale George Thomas, of the Parkesburg Iron Co., presented a paper on the "History of Charcoal Iron and_ the Manufacture of Charcoal Iron Boiler Tubes". In this paper he traced the early production of charcoal iron from the ore to present practice of making it from wrought and steel scrap. The principal use of charcoal iron in Amer- ica is for iron roofing and boiler tubes, yt, for which latter service it has the ad- 'vantage of not crystallizing under shock, that-12.. 18 will not pit. J. Jay Dunn, of the Shelby Steel Tube Co; Blwood City, Pa, reaaq a paper on "The Manufacture of Seam- less Steel Boiler Tubes". This paper described the process of manufacturing seamless steel boiler tubes by the meth- od now most generally in use, briefly mentioning processes that have now been superceded. The real beginning of the present process of manufactur- ing seamless steel boiler tubes was the discovery of Mannesmann that a round bar of heated metal revolving by fric- tional contact produced a hollow cyl- inder, which could be: worked into a commercial tube. He described the method of manufacturing seamless steel tubing by the piercing and cold-drawn processes and gave comparative figures relating to the strength and _ ductility of hot and cold-drawn tubing. ductile, non-corrosive and Segregation in Steel Charles L. Huston, vice president of the Lukens Iron & Steel Co., read a paper on "Segregation in Steel". Segre- gation occurs from two main causes: One is from expulsion by "selective freezing" of the steel; the steadily ac- cumulating wall of solidified steel at the outer portion near the mold con- stantly into the liquid portion the hard- ening elements or metalloids, such as carbide of iron; the other is from a tendency in these metalloids to float towards the top by reason of the dif- ference in. specific gravity. : G. F. Jeter, supervising inspector of the Hartford Steam Boiler Insurance Inspection Co., spoke on "Boiler Explo- sions, Their Causes and Prevention". He said that the public and many en- gineers assumed that most explosions are caused by some, mysterious influence which cannot be foreseen or guarded against, but as an actual fact a definite cause can be given for most explosions of considerable violence. That a large percentage of boiler explosions are from causes that might have been foreseen and prevented is a well-established fact. W. H..S. Bateman read a paper' on "The American Boiler Manufacturers' Association as It Is and as It Should Be". He related the early conditions of the industry and suggested that the society be divided into five sections as follows: Marine boiler, water tube boiler, return tubular boiler, including small fire box boilers; house heating, miscellaneous boilers and pressure tank builders' section, and locomotive boiler. Thomas Aldcorn, of the Chicago Pneumatic Tool Co., New York, deliv- ered a paper on "The Use of Com- pressed Air in Boiler Shops". This paper dealt more with installation than use. H. C. Meinholtz, of the Heine Safety Boiler Co., St. Louis, Mo., presented a paper on "Modern Boiler Shops and How They Should Be Equipped'. In connection with his paper, Mr. Mein- holtz exhibited lantern slide views of the new plant of the Heine Safety Boiler' Co., receritly erected at. St Louis. Uniform Inspection Laws L. E. Connelly, of the D. Connelly Boiler Co., Cleveland, made an earnest plea for the passage of uniform laws © for boiler inspection in the United States and Canada. He gave a prac- tical illustration of hardship in loss of time and money in a case -where a boat was built for work in one harbor and upon being towed to another was ruled 'out of commission because of different requirements as to the boilers. The convention was brought to a conclusion by a banquet at the St. Charles, Col. E. D. Meier acting as toastmaster. The principal speech was delivered by J. W. Porch, who drew a convincing picture of the utter de- cadence of the American merchant ma- rine and the great need of American ships. The associate members held meetings coincident with the parent body and re-elected their former officers with one exception, as follows: J. T. Corbett, president; Thomas Aldcorn, vice _pres- ident; HB: Hare, treasurer; Fo 2 Slocum, secretary; executive commit- tee: W. O. Duntley, chairman, Chicago; W. H.. S. Bateman, Philadelphia; D. J. Champion, Cleveland; T. P. Wallace, St. Louis, Mo.; J. W. Porch, New Or- leans, La. The Supplymen's Association officers are the same. as the foregoing. The John E. Moore Co., of New York, tae contracted with A. L. Brown & Sons, of Tottenville, Staten Island, for a wooden tug, 100 ft. long, to be completed Aug. 15. The John W. Sullivan Co. will furnish the en- gine, boiler, pumps, electric lighting outfit and searchlight. Steam steering © gear of the Davidson-Bates type, fur- nished by the Staten Island Ship Building Co., will be used.