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10 A SIGNAL SUCCESS. Under a title similar to the above, the New York World of Sunday, June 28, devotes the greater part ofa page to an illustrated descr:ption of the extensive plant of Randolph & Clowes, Waterbury, Conn., one of the REcoRpD’s old friends and prominent advertisers. The place is described as ‘‘a vast property covering seven acres of ground, employing on an average 600 people, equipped in allits different parts with the finest and most modern mechanical appliances for the production of any conceivable device in brass, copper or bronze, from a stair rung to a locomotive or steamship; an in- dustry that never slceps by day or night.” The World pictures the plant as it was in 1870 and in 1880. Atthat time it was owned by Brown & Bros., who were compelled, in January, 1886, to make an as- signment. Mr. George H. Clowes, who had formerly occupied a clerical position of responsibility in a New York banking house, had in 1874, accepted an offer from Brown & Bros., to become their head bookkeeper, and filled ‘this position for the next eleven years. He had, however, nothing to do with the management of the concern, in a financial way or otherwise. He was re- tained by the trustees of the company to assist them in winding up its affairs, and realizing the vast possibili- ties of the business he went to New York and saw Mr. Edward F. Randolph, of that city, a friend of many years’ standing and a man of wealth, and induced him to put in sufficient capital to buy the establishment. Mr. Randolph did so upon the condition that Mr. Clowes should assume entire responsibility for the direction and management. The plant was bought for about $42,500 in April, 1886. ‘At this time there were fifty men and a clerk employed. There are now eight superintendents and over 500 men employed, and the firm has important branches in New York, Boston, Cincinnati and Chicago. Tn three years only $105,000 capital had been paid.in, yet at the end of that time this thriving partnership, in its seamless tube, brazed tube, and kettle departments, was transacting a business exceeding $600,000 per an- num, a surprising showing upon the original invest- ment. They consumed large quantities of sheet brass and sheet copper, and the propriety of the firm engag- ing in its manufacture was suggested. The business ‘had outgrown its quarters anyhow, and in March, 1889, the old rolling mills of Brown & Bros. was purchased at a cost of $75,000. More money was expended in better- ments until the actually invested capital is soméwhat in excess of $700,000; but the plant could not be duplicated for less than $1,250,000, Another illustration in the World shows the extent of the present plant. Perhaps the main cause for the rapid growth and enormous proportions of this business may be accounted or, by the system of close and systematic economy upon which Mr. Clowes has insisted. ‘The expenses of selling and marketing goods as well as the general expenses of management—all outside of the actual cost of produc- tion, has been reduced toa minimum, never exceeding 3 per cent of their sales, as compared with 7 to 12 per cent usual in establishments of this general nature. The seamless tube business is one of great technical difficulties, requiring the most costly and ponderous, as well as delicate machinery. Only skilled workmen of many years’ experience are employed in this branch, The manufacture of tubing up to four or five inches re- quires more than ordinary skill and outlay of capital, and the difficulties are very greatly increased with every inch of diameter in excess of four inches. Owing to this fact only a few seamless tube manufacturers make tubes up to eight inches, the others confining themselves to tubes five inches and less in diameter. ‘The largest tubes made in Murope are only 12 to 14 inches, and only one or two companies anywhere make anything nearly as large as these sizes. Realizing that what everybody could do would in time become unremunerative, Mr. Clowes has for the past five or six years been exerting all his energies toward developing machinery to turn- ing out tubes of the greatest dimensions, until now the firm turns out tubes 38 inches in diameter, 6 feet long; 24 inches in diameter, 12 feet long; 12 inchesin diameter 20 feet long. Owing to the chemical characteristics of copper, it has been considered almost an impossibility to get castings perfectly sound. The difficulties, however, are not, or have not been insurmountable until the larger diame- THE MARINE RECORD. ters are attempted. Mr. Clowes made up his mind a long time ago that the only way to get an absolutely perfect tube, or a seamless tube at all of large diameter was to first roll a sheet of copper or brass, circle it, and from this circle draw the tube. Inthis way, not only large tubes but copper house boilers upto 24 inches di- ameter and 200 gallons capacity are seamless drawn. Nearly two years ago we illustrated the grotto of tubes which formed the exhibit of this firm at the World’s Fair. On this they were honored with two medals and awards. TP —e THE LIBRARY TABLE. The Fiction Number of Scribner’s Magazine is in cir- culation for August. Its cover is printed in twelve colors, from designs by Will H. Low. Another artistic novelty is a series of marginal illustrations and decora- tive border by Orson Lovell, illustrating a comedietta by Annie Elliot, entitled ‘As Strangers.’’ Six other short stories, continuances of serials, and several special articles of wide-spread popular interest con- tribute to make upa very attractive number. The August Arena contains its usual quota of able ar- ticles upon the recognized and some of the as yet un- recognized questions of the hour. The Arena is unique among magazines in its wide range of subjects, its catholicism and breadth of thought and its fearlessness Rs APPARATUS FOR CLOSING WATER-TIGHT DOORS. in dealing with all questions affecting the moral and social well-being of the people. It is essentially a free lance, recognizing allegiance only to the broad princi- ples of truth, justice and liberty. Harper’s Magazine for August contains the first part of a new serial story by Mark Twain, entitled ‘Tom Sawyer, Detective,’ which will probably, like its prede- cessors, of that series, deal more or less with Missis- sippi life, when the commerce of that great waterway was in its palmist days. Other features are a paper on “The White Mr. Longfellow,” by W. D. Howells; “Peeps Into Barbary,’ by J. EK. Budgett Meakin; a spirited description of ‘‘Sport in Northern Canada,”’’ by Frederick Remington; and a delightful sketch of animate nature, entitled ‘‘Doorstep Neighbors.”’ The August issne of The Century is the Midsummer Holiday number, and appears in a distinctive cover. The opening paper, ‘‘An Island Without Death,” by Miss E. R. Seidmore, the author of ‘‘Jinrikisha Days,”’ gives an account of a visit to \.iyajima, a sacred island in the Inland Sea, one of the threegreat sights of Japan. A paper on “The Viceroy Li Hung Chang,” is contrib- uted by the Hon. John W. Foster, who, it will be re- membered, was lately confidential advisor to the Km- peror of China, and in that capacity accompanied the viceroy to Japan, where the treaty of Shimonoseki was negotiated. ‘There is also printed the first of a group of articles from the journals of the late K. J. Glave, who crossed Africa in the service of The Century in explor- afion of the slave trade. ‘Harper’s Round Table of July 28 contains a descrip- tion of the actual duties of the boys on the schoolship St. Mary’s. HYDRAULIG SYSTEM FOR GLOSING WATER- TIGHT DOORS. Mr. William B. Cowles, the well-known consulting engineer, who-has filled positions with such representa- tive shipbuilding companies as Cramps, on the ocean, and the Globe, on the lakes, has just obtained a patent upon a valuable invention on which he has been at. work for some time. It is a hydraulic system for clos- ing the doors of water-tight bulkheads on board ship. The question of closing these compartments promptly .in cases of emergency is considered a most important topic in naval circles, where it has been pretty gen- erally agreed that hinged doors are, as a rule, out of the question, and that doors, to be successful, must move vertically or horizontally. Col. Soliani, of the Italian navy, recently read a paper on this subject in England, in which he claimed that owing to the obstructions which commonly get into the doorways between engine room and firehold, it is almost impossible to get a door that is absolutely reliable. He says ‘that firemen have nearly always a great horror of the idea of being locked into a compartment and drowned like rats ina trap, and rather than endure the prospect of such a fate, they will leave obstructions in the doors to pre- vent their closing hermetically. As a result, Col. Soliani recommends a door that shall move vertically, and where practicable, upward instead of downward when closing, so that the upward movement will tend to throw out of the aperture such lumps of coal and other obstacles as have been left purposely or uninten- tionally in the gangway. Mr. Cowles’ idea contemplates a hinged door in the description given below, but it would seem that the same ora similar device could be applied to a door moving horizontally, and perhaps, aided by counter- weights, to one moving vertically. ; Mr. Cowles’ invention consists of the application of hydraulic power to a series of levers which shall move the hinged door a distance of approximately 180°, or from a closed position around to an open position against the bulkhead in which the aperture is made. — The power applied is to be heavy enough to guarantee a closing against any pressure that might be exerted by water flowing in an opposite direction. One of these appliances is necessary for each water-tight door, and each is operated separately from the pilot house, the upper part of the accompanying drawing repre- senting the part of a device which is located in or near the pilot house. An indicator in the pilot house tells exactly what each door is doing, and the master or other person operating the device can tell exactly whether everything is working properly or not. The device has received a practical test, resulting very much to the satisfaction of the inventor, who is usually the hardest person to please on an occasion of that sort. — Mr. Cowles’ claims are practically as follows: In a hydraulic system, the combination, with a plurality of fluid circuits, of an operating cylinder and an indicating device in each of said circuits, a piston in each of said cylinders, a valve in each circuit for con- trolling the admission of fluid pressure to the cylinder in that circuit, with mechanism operated by one of said pistons for controlling the valve of a plurality of the other cylinders. Also a door and mechanism for moving the same in eachof said circuits, the mechanism to be adapted for moving the said door through ap- ~ proximately 180° about its hinges, and for automatically locking and unlocking said door. This mechanism con- sists of aT lever pivoted on the opposite side of the | door-frame from the hinges, a reciprocating rod pivot- ally connected to one arm of said T lever, a crank and crank-shaft journaled on said door, anda connecting- rod between the other arm of said T lever and the crank; also of means for automatically locking the crank-shaft against revolution and for releasing the same when the door is in approximately the closed posi- tion, bolts carried by said door, and a device operated by the crank-shaft, when released, for reciprocating © said bolts. : ree PROPOSALS. U.S. ENGINEER OFFICE, 185 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, O., June 30, 1896. Seal- ed proposals for dredging at Sandusky Harbor, Ohio, will be received here until 2 o’clock p. m., Standard time, August 7, 1896, and then publicly opened. In- formation furnished on application. JarED A. SmitH, Lt. Col. Eng’rs. 30-31