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AUGUST 9, I900. THE MARINE RECORD. MJ MOST EFFICIENT MACHINE TOOLS. We have received the following account of experiments and tests made at the works of the Bethlehem Steel Co., South Bethlehem, Pa.: Mr. F. W. Taylor in the reorganization of our shop methods found several changes necessary, the most important of which was the discontinuance of the miscellaneous as- sortment of tool steels used by the different men in the shop and the establishment of a standard and uniform grade of tool steel, the use of which would be enforced upon all of the men regardless of their preferences. A special lathe was set aside for the purpose of experiment- ing with tool steels of different makes with a view to the selection of a standard for use, and several picked men were set to work testing the relative merits not only of the different tool steels then in the shop, but all brands of established reputation. In the elaboration of these tests the services of our engineer of tests, Mr. Maunsel White, were enlisted. This full and exhaustive investigation led up to the dis- covery which afterwards carefully studied and persistently followed up step by step has resulted in the remarkable development which can be seen in our machine shop at the present time. In the tests of these various makes of tool steels over 200 tons of steel forgings have been cut up into turnings on the experimental lathe, and it is estimated that over $100,000 have been expended in labor and material alone in develop- ing the process called by the names of the discoverers the “Taylor-White’’ process. A still further large sum has been invested in the patents covering the process which have been purchased by the Bethlehem Steel Co. from the inventors. This large investment, however, has more than been repaid in the last year by the saving in labor cost and larger out- put. The increase in cutting speed of the various machine . tools throughout the machine shop has entirely reversed the inequality of balance existing two years ago, so that the capacity of the forge has had to be largely increased to keep pace with the rapidly growing efficiency of the machine shop. The introduction of this process for the treatment of our tools has enabled us to speed up our main lines of shaft from go to 250 revolutions, and further changes in counter- shafts have been made to speed up individual machines, which has brought about the largely increased efficiency in our machine shop. ; In order that the rate of progress might be observed, records from time to time were made of the average amount of metal cut per hour per tool throughout the shop. The table shows the increase in efficiency made up to January of this year. Gaiuin per|Gain in per Oeta25,| Mey 11) Jats eent. cut of/cent. cut of ae : 1898 1899 Foe. 3d over 2d |3d over ist Cutting Speed..... 811/21’ 9/25’ 3”| 16% 183% Depth of Cut...... SIA 276 30 8 30 PECO ies oun: .07 | .0657 | .087 32 24 Pounds of Metal removed per hour) 31.18 | 81.52 | 137.3 68 340 This gain has since been increased by the further speeding up of other machines and the more g@gneral interest taken by the men with a fuller eideriandi of the changed con- ditions of higher speeds. The virtue of the ‘‘Taylor-White’’ process, which we are using for the treatment of our tools, is that it gives to the steel the very valuable and exceptional property of retaining a high degree of hardness when heated to a visible red heat. It is possible with one of these tools to cut steel with a speed so great as to heat up the point of the tool to redness and have it continue to cut for several minutes at this speed, leaving an unusually smooth finish on the work, as well as cutting accurately to size. The advantage in leaving a smooth roughing cut and of having the work accurately to size will be readily appreciated as it materially lessens the work of finishing. The practical speeds at which these tools willrun has been found to be from two to four times that of any steels which we have experimented with, and we have endeavored to ob- tain the best in the market. The effect of the ‘‘Taylor-White’’ process; which is ap- plied after the tool has been dressed or machined to shape, penetrates to the center of the steel, even in the largest tools we have ever treated, i. e. 4 inches square. All of the standard brands of self hardening steel which have been experimented with are improved to a more or less extent by the treatment, it is preferred, however, to use a steel of special composition in order to get the greatest uni- formity and maximum results. This special steel forges so much more readily than the general run of self hardening steels that tools of difficult shapes may be easily made up. We have also discovered a simple and comparatively rapid method of annealing our special steel by which tools may be easily machined to shape, making it applicable to twist drills, chasers, inserted cutters, etc., which have heretofore not been made from self-hardening steel. A very important feature resulting from the use of this process is that the tools are extremely uniform in quality, so that work on which they are used can be regularly per- formed at the maximum rate of speed. The variation in the quality of these tools does not run over 5 per cent., which insures a much greater degree of uniformity than is attained in any other tools that we know of, whether made either of tempered or any air-hardening steel. With uni- form tools the piece work system can be most efficiently used, as the piece rate must always be based not on the aver- age cutting speed of the tools, but on the speed of the worst tool in use. A great advantage in the use of these tools is that when cutting dry at the rate of maximum efficiency the chips should come off blue, these blue chips enable a foreman at a glance to tell whether the work is being done at the proper speed. When running under water at the proper cutting speed the chips should: show blue immediately upon shut- ting off the water and allowing the tool to cut dry for a few moments, The apparatus used in the ‘‘Taylor-White’’ process offers also a simple and effective means of heating any other tools at uniform temperatures which can be easily controlled, so that ordinary carbon steels can be hardened through the use of the same apparatus at temperatures which will insure greater uniformity and higher qualities in this class of steel, as well as in self-hardening steels. As is well known, tempering steels of different makes and different qualities require different temperatures for harden- ing to obtain the best results, therefore by means of our ap- paratus, which is capable of closely controlling temperature, these points may be accurately determined for each class of steel, and made use of in daily practice. The operation of the process is extremely simple, as it is controlled by apparatus which regulates the different steps and does not require skilled or expert labor. We have been glad to undertake in our shop any experi- ment desired, in order to satisfy interested parties of the value of our treated tools. We have an experimental lathe, before mentioned, fitted up especially for making tests, which can be run at speeds from 2 to 300 revolutions per minute, and will take work up to 60 inches in diameter. It is driven by an independent motor of 40 horse-power, which gives us ample power for any desired test. We have on hand forg- ings of steel of different hardness, running from the hardest tool steel to soft merchant steel, and of wrought iron, also castings of steel and cast iron, with which we can carry out any test necessary to compare our treated tools with any others. We have in our shop a great many interesting problems connected with the speeding up of machine tools, which have been more or less solved. There is a very general interest taken in the question of speeding up machine tools, especially by those whose busi- ness is competitive, since the gain made by this simple means is immediate, and so great in proportion to its cost, that it appeals at once to the engineering fraternity as an improvement not safely to be overlooked or postponed. Already more than 100 machine shopsin this country have sent their representatives to our shop, to study the use of this steel, andin many cases to make a competitive test with their tools against ours. The price of a shop-right to use the ‘‘Taylor-White,’’ pro- cess, is based upon the number of machines as well as their size and character on which the treated tools may be used to advantage. A most important result, which must follow the more or less universal introduction of the ‘‘Taylor-White’’ process, will be the practical exclusion of the foreign brands of self- hardening steel, which are now supplying over one half of the demand, and will place the market entirely in the hands of the American steel maker. oO OOo NOTICE TO MARINERS. LIGHT-HOUSE ESTABLISHMENT, OFFICE OF THE LIGHT-HOUSE INSPECTOR, I1TH DISTRICT, } . DETROIT, MicH., August 4, 1900. Information has been received that Hay Lake Channel en- trance.gas buoy No. 35, St. Mary’s river, Michigan, has been displaced and is now about 150 feet to the southward and eastward of its proper position. It will be placed in position as soon as possible. Notice is hereby given that Hay Lake Channel Entrance gas buoy No. 35, St. Marys river, Mich., which was reported as cut of position in Notice to Mariners of Aug. 4, 1900, has been replaced in its proper position. On or about Aug. 8, Ig00, the remains of the four cribs in the 20 ft. dredged channel, Lake St. Clair, which are now marked by gas buoys No. 1, 8, 13 and 19 will be marked by placing over each crib as near as possible a barrel buoy painted half red and half white and marked with the name and number of the crib. A similar barrel buoy will be placed near as possible over the remains of the crib at the head of Russell Island, St. Clair river. By order of the Light-House Board: J. C. Wizson, Commander, U. S. Navy, Inspector 111th Light-House Dist. — or PRroF. Moors, Chief of the U. S. Weather Bureau acting un- der the special direction of Secretary of Agriculture Wilson, will effect several improvements in the storm-warning ser- vice of the Weather Bureau as applied to lake commerce, the most notable of which will be the locating of many of the new 100 foot iron towers for the display of warning flags and the more powerful lights. The question must occur toa great many people, what has agriculture to do with marine? The canal boatman once solved the problem when he hailed a nlowman near the bank of the canal and stated to him that their occupations were both alike, for, said he, you plow the land and I plow the ocean? FLOTSAM, JETSAM AND LAGAN. Milwaukee has invited the Congressional Rivers and Har- bors Committee to visit that city. z eee Capt. M. A. Healy, of the revenue cutter service, is recoy- ering rapidly, and may soon be able to report for duty. Gasoline and compressed air will operate the fog whistle at Racine, The machinery is the first of its kind to be used on _ Lake Michigan. Capt. J. P. Nagel, at Toledo last. Thursday, refused 25,000 _ tons of coal to Portage at 4o cents. A month ago he received 50 cents to the point named. The tug J. W. Westcott, recently purchased by Davidson & Son, of Grand Marais, has gone into service at Grand Marais, and not at Black river, as was stated. The last cargo of square timber of a contract of 6,800,000 feet was shipped from Grand Marais to Buffalo, Tuesday. It consisted of 636,000 feet. The steamer Sachem and barges carried the most of it. An anchor and several fathoms of chain were found Satur- day by Smith brothers, fishermen, near port Washington, and brought ashore. It is supposed the anchor belonged to the passenger steamer Toledo, which was lost in that vicin- ity in 1857. There was but one survivor out of a large num- ber of passengers. The owners of the sunken schooner Fontana are taking all precautions to avoid another accident. Lights are placed on both her spars at. night and men with torches and a meg- aphone are stationed on the wreck. -It is not yet definitely decided what disposition will be made of her. She may be destroyed with dynamite. At Ashland, Wis., on Saturday, about 50,000,000 feet of lumber, valued at $1,000,000, was destroyed by fire. The luniber was in the yards of Barker & Stewart and the Key- stone Lumber Co. The 40,000,000 feet of lumber destroyed belonged to the Hines Lumber Co., of Chicago, whose loss was $800,000, covered by insurance. Three collisions occurred this week in the rivers between Lakes Erie and Huron. Theschooner Santiagoin tow sunk the Fontana near Fort Gratiot. The schooner H. W. Sage was sunk in the St. Clair river, by the Western Transit Co. steamer Chicago, and the schooner J. S. Richards by the steamer John W. Moore, opposite Walkerville. ; The entrance of the steamer James B. Eads into Portage Lake last Friday with a cargo of 5,000 tons of coal was rather a surprise. The Amazonas recently entered Dollar Bay with a cargo of 3,440.tons on a draft of 17 feet 6 inches, which was considered a big draft. When the Eads en- tered the lake ona draft 17 feet 9 inches, Capt. Byrnes made continual soundings and between the Portage entry and the docks at Lake Linden founda depth of 22 feet. The Eads is a Bessemer boat and the coal was-consigned to the Calumet & Hecla mines. : ——— ee or LETTERS AT DETROIT MARINE POST OFFICE. August 7, 1900. To get any of these letters, addressees or their authorized agents will apply at the general delivery window or write to the postmaster at Detroit, calling for ‘‘advertised’’ matter, giving the date of this list and paying one cent. Advertised matter is previously held one week awaiting delivery. It is held two weeks before it goes to the Dead Letter Office at Washington, D. C. ( Alcombrack, Williard, bge,131 Marsden, Fred, Neshoto Andreas, Rose, Mott Manning, Ed. A., Maryland Bardin, Harris W. Marion, H. N. Yukon Burdue, William Mercier, Geo. W., Moonlight Blauvelt, Geo. E. Murray, John, 2, Swallow Blauvelt, C. J., Grecian McDougall, J. F., W. P. Bidwell, Chas. C. Palmer Below, Geo. W., Yukon City McDougall, Frank, W. P. Baughman, Robt., Australia Bushman, Gus., Presque Isle Bidgood, A. M., Queen City Bowman, Wilfred, Sheldon Bush, George, India Butz, Jacob, Merida Cook, Geo. W. Clapp, Stan Conklin, William, Maryland Cudney, Norris, Roby Dowdeli, George Doyle, Frank P. Duchane, Henry Doak, Capt.; Adelia Shores Ellis, Chas. S. Kisenack, Charley, F. & P. M. No. 5. Fox, Arthur, W. P. Palmer Foster, Geo. H., Iron Age Fish, F. A., Waverly Graham, Alex., Majestic Graham, Alex., sch. Yukon Hyslop, David Hinman, Mrs. Ellia Humble, Fred., India Hargrove, Wm. E., Lewiston Kinsey, John - Kelley, Jas. A., Fay Leroy, Albert Lawler, Willie, Black Lecuyer, Albert Lang, J. F. Palmer McLeod, Duncan, Sachem McPherson, Mrs. Jno. Pardrup, Edward, Iron Chief Parkhurst, Albert, Huron City Palmer, Harold Plant, Win., H. 1.. Holden Rattery, Chas., T. W. Palmer Rousseau, George Rhall, Chas. Read, Capt. Thos. Rice, Mrs. H. R. Ryan, Joseph EB. Rock, Wilson Ramsey, Robert, Sachem Smiley, E.-D., Geo. Stone Swan, W. J. Sturdevant, Ed. Shorland, Cy. W. Stevison, Joe Strong, Thomas, Wilhelm Sharron, John Thibodeau, Alex. J., 2, M. M. Drake Trodahl, H. H. Taylor, Geo., Wand Windsor, Miss Fannie, Williams Webb, Mrs. E. Zastrow, Allie F. B. DICKERSON, Postmaster.