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P R O D U C T IO N • P R O C E S S I N G • D I S T R I B U T I O N • U S E For forty-eight years— IRON T R A D E R E VIE W
@onteni5 . . . September 6, 1937
V o lu m e 101 - N o . 10
Reader Comments ... 19
As the Editor Views the News ... 23
Good Outlook for Steel Over Remainder of Year ... 25
Tungsten Tool Steel Prices Advanced ... 27
Building the Clipper Ships ... 28
Four Out of Five Companies Training Employes ... 30
Labor News of the Steel In d u stry... 31
Financial News ... 31
Steelworks Operations for the Week ... 32
Iron Output Best in Eight Years; 191 Stacks Active ... 33
Men of Industry ... 34
Obituaries ... 35
Meetings ... 36
Activities of Steel Users and Makers ... 37
Mirrors of Motordom ... '... 39
Windows of Washington ... 43
Anticipating Buying Habits Is Spur To Merchandising— Editorial ... 45
The Business Trend—Charts and Statistics ... 46
Construction of Small Motors .. 48
Manufacturing Sintered Carbides ... 53
Welding Large Fan Units ... 56
Materials Handling ... 59
Surface Treatment and Finishing of Metals ... 62
Progress in Steelmaking ... 66
Welding, etc.— Robert E. Kinkead ... 70
Power Drives ... 72
New Equipment Descriptions ... 76
Recent Publications of Manufacturers ... 80
Market Reports and Prices ...83-104 New Construction and Incorporations ... 104
Index to Advertisers ... 128
Published b y THE P E N T O N P U B L I S H I N G C O . , Penton Building, Cleveland, O John A . Penton, Chairman o f Board; E. L. Shaner, President
and Treasurer; J . R. Dawley and G . O . H ays, Vice Presidents; F. G . Steinebach, Secretary.
B R A N C H O F F I C E S EDITO RIAL STAFF
E. L. Shaner, Editor
E. C. Kreutiberg, Development Manager A . J . Ham, Managing Editor
Associate Editors
E. F. Ross J . D. Knox
G . H. M an love J . A . Cronin W. L. Hammerquist F. E. G o o d in g
N E W Y O R K
B. K. Price L. E. Browne
PITTSB URGH D. R. James
C H I C A G O W. G . G u d e DETROIT A . H. A l le n W A S H I N G T O N
L. M . Lamm L O N D O N V incent Delport
BUSINESS STAFF
G . O . H ays, Business Manager R. T. M as on, Circulation Manager
C. H. Bailey, Service Manager N E W Y O R K
E. W. Kreutiberg B. C. Snell PITTSB URGH
S. H. Jasper D. C. Kiefer C H I C A G O
L. C. Pelott W. F. O 'D e ll C L E V E L A N D
R. C. Jaenk e
M em b er, A u d it B u re a u o f C ir cu la tio n s;
A s s o c ia t e d B u sin ess P a p ers In c., an d N a tio n a l P u b lis h e r s ’ A s s o c ia tio n . P u b lis h e d e v e r y M on d a y . S u b scrip tion in the. U nited S ta tes, C uba, M e x ico a n d C a n a d a , o n e y e a r S4, tw o y e a r s
$6; E u rop ea n a n d fo r e ig n co u n trie s, o n e y e a r S10. S in g le c op ies (c u r r e n t issu es) 25c.
E n tered as s e c o n d c la s s m a tte r a t tlie p o s to ffic e a t C lev ela n d , u n d er th e A c t o f M a rch 8, 1879. C o p y r ig h t 1937 by th e P en ton P u b lis h in g Co.
September 6, 1937
N ew Y o r k ... 220 B r o a d w a y C h i c a g o ... P e o p le s G as B u ild in g P itts b u rgh . 1050 K o p p crs B u ild in g
S tep h en son B u ild in g W itkh in kion. on a l P ress B u ild in g
I * L6APK 12 J
C in cin n a ti 418-420 S in ton H o te l San F r a n c i s c o ...2413 M il v ia St.
B e r k e le y , C a lif., T e l. B erk. 7354-W L o n d o n C a x to n H o u se W estm in ster, S. W . I B erlin ...
B erlin , X . W . 40, K o o n str a ss e 10
21
ICKE
. . . because they pay
E X T R A D I V I D E N D S
in service
\
L A S T I N G p u r c h a s e i s / i llth r ifty ! W ith solid w h ite
M w f/ $ w i'I 111
b ro n ze—N ic k el S ilv e r —fit- f f f f .j f ' fa tings, tim e is turned aside m;$/M j r i l l i f f and th rifty b u y e rsre a p th eir i I I I J ff
rew ard. C ontinuous finger fijp
traffic, the w eath er and gen- w
oral w ear and tear soon
change the appearan ce o f h ard w are w hose b eau ty is only skin deep. B u t N ick el S ilv e r resists the rub o f fingers and cleaning, the corrosive action of the w eath er, and the stresses o f day to day service. S o lid , w ith no coating to chip or peel, the N ick el S ilvers are tough, d u rab le, w ear resisting and alw ays b eau tifu l. T h e ir use contin
u ally pays dividends in satisfactory lifetim e service.
m
s t e a m condenser is a unit o f th rift to conserve h o iler w ater and m ake it w ork again and again.C orrosion, erosion, high pressures and tem peratures are the constant enem ies o f condenser life and m ain
tenance. T h erefo re, m an y o f the w o rld ’s leadin g n avies and com m ercial fleets, shore stations and oil refin eries are in creasin gly usin g th rifty C upro-N ickel tubes in th eir condensers to increase re lia b ility and cut down overh au l and m aintenance expenses.
T
h e hest m aterials are th rifty ! T h is w orm gear d rive w ith N ick el-B ro n ze gear and N ickel Steel worm is an excellent exam p le. E ig h t o f these drives w ere installed15
years ago 011 chew ing gum m ixin g m achines dem anding steady nine-hour per d ay service under h eavy interm ittent load w ith accom panying stresses. C aution prom pted a su p p ly o f spares fo r em ergency replacem en t —b u t they are still in storage, fo r after
15
years the o rig inal drives continue to JÊS prove th eir real worth v; | and low , final cost. W e in- * vite consultation on the use o f the alloys o f N ick el in yo u r equipm ent.
N O N -F E R R O U S A L L O Y S
THE INTERNATIONAL NICKEL COMPANY, INC., NEW YORK, N.Y.
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P R O D U C T IO N • P R O C E S S I N G • D IS T R I B U T I O N • U S E
•CHNIk;
the JZdito'c l/ie w l the A/<2Uf5
T
H R O U G H cu stom w h ich has becom e in creasin g ly w ell establish ed in recen t years, L a b or day m arks the end o f the sum m er vacation sea
son and the begin n in g o f the p eriod o f fa ll busi
ness activ ity . It is the dividin g poin t betw een the interrupted, interm ittent op era tion s o f d og days and the m ore con sistent effort fo r the steady drive fro m Sept. 7 to D ec. 24. N aturally industrialists today are w on d erin g w h at is in p rosp ect fo r this 108-day period. In terest in the o u tlook has been heightened b y a bearish ten den cy w h ich has developed in the last week o r tw o— p rob a b ly prom pted b y the beh avior o f the stock m arket.
In general, industrial execu tives are sanguine over the business o u tlook fo r the rem ainder o f the year.
The attitude o f dozens o f them w ho have been in
terview ed by St e e l/s ed itors (p.
25) m a y be ch aracterized as one o f restrained optim ism . T h ey bal
ance the ob viou s need fo r m aterials and equipm ent again st the u n certain fa c to r s o f poten tial la b or trouble and re stric
tive govern m en t m eddling. The con cen sus o f opinion is that a ctiv ity w ill rise to a p oin t abou t m idw ay betw een the sum m er level and the h igh poin t o f the secon d quarter. In short, th ey look fo r a sa tis
fa c t o r y volum e o f business d u rin g the rem ainder o f 1937.
L o o k for Rise in Fall
The fa ll period w ill find in du stry deeply involved in problem s relatin g to relation s w ith em ployes.
F ig u res o f the A m erica n Iron and Steel institute, sh ow in g that em p loym ent in July
T • • _ d - w as 7 per cent above that o f June Iraining ra y s f .
(p . 3 1 ), indicates how bu oyantly G o o d D ivid e n d s em p loym ent snapped back a fter
strike difficu lties w ere cleared aw ay. T h a t em p loyers recogn ize the im portan ce o f training and oth erw ise prep arin g the arm y o f em ployes fo r their jo b s is evidenced by the su rvey co n ducted b y the N ation al Industrial C onference board
(p . 3 0 ), w h ich sh ow s that fo u r ou t o f five o f a m is
cellaneous grou p o f 473 m an u factu rers are con d u ct
in g definite em p loye trainin g p rogra m s. The tim e
liness o f th orou gh trainin g during the present period can not be em phasized too stron g ly . The m ore ca p able an em p loye is the less lik ely he is to cause trouble. Men o f lim ited a b ility are m ore susceptible to the pleas o f irrespon sible ag ita tors. T ra in in g pays.
A N e w F ield For R ivalry
A irplanes w eigh in g m ore than 40 tons each and capable o f ca rry in g 50 to 75 passengers are a fa r cry fr o m the com m ercia l ships o f a decade ago. The six clippers w hich B oein g is build
in g fo r Pan A m erica n A irw a y s fo r tran satlantic service in 1938 (p . 28 ) illu strate how engineers are m eetin g ex a ctin g requirem ents through the use o f lig h t alum inum and m agnesium alloys and alloy steels. D esign and con stru ction o f a ircra ft o f this m agnitude is still in the pion eer stage. D u ring the next few yea rs the exten sion o f transoceanic air travel p rob a b ly w ill brin g ou t ra d i
cal changes in design. The ensuing riv a lry betw een com p etin g m etals w hich possess the dual essentials o f ligh t w eigh t and grea t stren gth will be well w orth w atching.
R apid grow th in the acceptan ce o f cu ttin g tools o f sintered carbides has elevated the m an u factu re o f this unusual m aterial to a level o f im portan ce and stability. A m odern plant capable o f turning out tools w h ich ran ge in co st fro m 8200 to $400 per pound (p . 52) involves a cu riou s v a riety o f equipm ent and an e x trem ely distin ctive m a n u fa ctu rin g routine. . . . A n ore handling bridge recen tly installed near C h icago (p . 59) has a num ber o f unusual features. It e m bodies a travelin g cran e 523 fe et 6 inches lo n g h an
dling a 20-g ross-ton bucket. H igh-tensile steel was em ployed in the truss m em bers o f the bridge. The stru ctu re sw ings 15 degrees on eith er side o f its n o r
m al centerline, m akin g it possible to m ove one end o f the brid ge 134 feet ahead o f the other.
Em ploys N o v e l R outine
Septem ber 6, 1937 23
I n l a n d S t e e l C o
General Offices: 38 South Dearborn Street, Chicago/Illinois • Offices in: Detroit— Kansas City—Milwaukee—St. Louis— St. P
Inland Galvanized Sheets Are Setting New Standards
H E E T S • S T R I P • T I N P L A T E • B A R S • R A I L S • R E I N F O R C I N G B A R S • P L A T E S • F L O O R P L A T E S • S T R U C T U R A L S • P I L I N G • New standards for service life and uniform workability are resulting from In lan d’s improved methods o f producing galvanized sheets. F irst, the most modern meth
ods and equipment are used in producing the base metal sheets; second, In lan d ’s new equipment and improved method o f galvanizing assures a secure bond between steel sheet and coating.
Exam ine an Inland galvanized sheet. Y o u will find no streaking. Tem perature is held uniform during the galvanizing process. W hile this uniform ity o f appearance is only a surface feature, it is indicative o f the closer bond and longer life o f the coating.
Y o u ’ ll find it a safer rule to specify "In la n d ” wherever galvanized sheet metal is to be used.
7/A fte r Labor Day77; Steelmakers Sum
U p Prospects for Balance of Year
L
A B O R day, the b egin n in g o f the fa ll season, finds steel produ cers alm ost unanim ous in the opinion that a stro n g dem and o v er the rem ainder o f the yea r is assured.T he general belief is that steelw ork s operations w ill a verage som ew here betw een the recen t 83 per cent, and the 90.2 per cent o f last A pril. A c co r d in g to this, the peak fo r the year was passed in that m on th — althou gh all in dication s point to a con tin u ation o f a rela tively high level up to 1938.
N oth in g sp ectacu lar and n oth in g d iscou ra gin g is e x p e cte d ; if no fu rth e r d isturbing fa cto rs creep in, such as an oth er w ave o f strikes, sellers say they will be satisfied. Steel output so fa r this year has been within 2 per cen t o f the p rod u ction in the com p arative period in the banner year, 1929.
In o n ly three o f the past ten years has the industry been called on to put fo r th its greatest p rod u ctive e f fo r t a fte r the sp rin g m onths. These years w ere 1928, 1935 and 1936. Peaks w ere reached in O ctober and N ovem ber.
N orm al balance in steel dem and is still lack ing. A s indicated in the follow in g sum m aries, the m arket is m o v in g into a quiet period so fa r as con cern s building con stru ction , this bein g a seasonal developm ent. R a il
road purchases are tapering, and th ey m a y not show an oth er stron g revival until a fte r questions o f w ages and fre ig h t rates are decided.
In p ra ctica lly all oth er avenues the ou tlook is co n sidered fa vora b le. A u tom o tiv e business and h ousehold u tilities are expected to be tw o o f the m ain supports this fall. T he m achinery, h eavy electrica l and equ ip
m ent industries are lik ely to take steel at the rate o f recent m onths. A gricu ltu ra l im plem ent b u yin g is m ost prom isin g, as fa rm in com e enables w idespread p u r
chasing.
See Improvement This Month
PITTSBU RG H
G
OOD, con sistent dem and fo r steel is expected durin g the balance o f this year by producers in the P ittsb u rgh d istrict.
W hile con su m ers p rob a b ly w ill be less inclined to
ca rry large inventories, a fa irly stea d y v olu m e o f orders is anticipated.
M ills in this d istrict entered S eptem ber w ith b a ck log s in m ost lines w ell depleted, but d u rin g the p a st w eek in com in g business becam e heavier, in d ica tin g that Septem ber will be better than the past 60 days.
F o r one thing ,the a u tom otive in du stry w hen it finally gets g o in g on 1938 m odels w ill be v e ry activ e fo r at least six to eigh t weeks. A n oth er p rom isin g fa c t o r is
Pouring Ladles N o w "S tre a m lin e d "
O
VAL-SHAPED and all-welded ex cep t fo r riv ets at th e trunnion blocks, 15 n ew open-hearth steel pouring ladles have been con stru cted fo r Carnegie-Illinois S teel Corp.’ s Ohio w orks. Through use o f rolled ste e l and welding, fo rm er ladle capacity o f 100 gross ton s is increased to 120 tons. E xclu sive o f brick lining, w eigh t is only 47,000 pounds', com pared with 58,000 pounds fo r th e
100-ton units. P hoto cou rtesy US S teel N ew s
September 6, 1937 25
the recent pickup in export inquiry, principally fo r semifinished steel, wire, sheets and tin plate.
Tubular goods producers, w ho so fa r have enjoyed one o f the m ost active periods since the pre-depres
sion ei'a, anticipate an active fall.
A continued high rate o f tin plate
production is assured w ell into the fou rth quarter.
The recent Presidential approval o f 648 allotm ents fo r P W A projects, such as schools and other public buildings, w aterw orks, sew age sy s
tem s and other projects, will great
ly assist the construction industry, but the benefit m ay not com e until late in the year.
E X P E C T IM PETUS FR O M E A R L Y M O D E L C H A N G E S
DETRO IT
W
HILE there has been som e disposition to postpone steel pur
chases until after the L abor day holiday, m ost steel sellers experi
enced an unusually g ood volum e o f business during August, in som e cases fa r surpassing estimates made earlier in the year.
The bulk o f this tonnage is fo r use in new autom obile models, and releases are ju st now starting in fa ir volum e. The end o f the first w eek in Septem ber finds m ost auto
m obile builders about ready to press the starting sw itch fo r final as
sem bly lines, although subassem blies have been in process in som e instances since early in August.
Sentiment plays a large part in the outlook fo r the next few weeks, the feeling being that now with va
cations over and hot weather diminishing, industry will m ove forw ard to new high ground this fall, presaging a favorable effect on steel purchases.
Scheduling the N ew Y ork auto
m obile sh ow tw o weeks earlier this
mêans steel releases fo r Septem ber should feel a stron ger upward push this year than last.
The stove and refrigerator indus
tries, both large users o f enameling stock, are currently operating at a good rate, and local district offices anticipate a slackening in steel buy
ing fo r stove manufacture, with pos
sibly a further increase in releases from refrigera tor builders.
H E A V Y PRODUCTS LESS F A V O R A B L E
CHICAGO
S
T EE L demand will recover from the sum m er dullness, but the relatively unfavorable outlook in the heavy products m ay result in a m oderate decrease in average p roduction during the rem ainder o f the year com pared with the rate o f the past 60 days, according to Chicago district producers.
N o m arked slackening in opera
tions is in sight b efore October be
cause backlogs are sufficient to maintain schedules this month. In the meantime business in the lighter products is counted on to im prove to the extent that steelmaking early in the fourth quarter will require less support from backlogs than is true at present. Necessity fo r re
year has m oved production sched
ules ahead by just this m uch; hence 1938 models will be rolling to deal
ers shortly in good volume, which
plenishing semifinished steel stocks also will be a prop to in got output.
Uncertainty attached to the out
look fo r railroad earnings gives a sim ilar status to prospects fo r heavy steel products at Chicago. Old or
ders fo r freight cars will be com pleted by October in m ost instances, and at the m om ent chances fo r the placing o f new business in sufficient time to prevent a lag in shipments o f car building m aterial are con sidered poor.
Probably the m ost favorable busi
ness factor at Chicago is the im proved income o f agriculture. W ith farm cash income this year placed at the best level since 1929, a stim u
lating effect on buying o f im ple
ments, tractors, w ire products and various consum ers’ goods appears certain to result. Farm equipment builders are rushed to meet demand.
M O D E R A T E L Y A C T IV E F A L L E XP E CTE D IN E A ST
N E W YORK
L
E A D IN G steel sellers are anticipating a moderately active fall. No such spurt is expected as
characterized the fii'st quarter, when advancing prices stimulated an
ticipatory buying.
T here has been a m odification o f views with respect to ship w ork and railroad construction, both o f which have an im portant bearing on tonnage here. The maritim e com m ission's postponem ent o f its pro
gram , which involves plans fo r 95 ships, pending a two months survey o f labor conditions, dulls the ex
pectation o f m uch w ork com ing out through the com m ission this year.
On the other hand, local ship yards have ironed out the labor difficulties which have beset them throughout the sum m er, with much accum u
lated w ork now goin g forw ard.
The present im passe in railroad buying is expected to be tem porary.
Unless there is undue delay, a c
cording to opinion here, the last tw o months o f the year should see con siderable car w ork placed.
Building construction, a m a jor outlet fo r steel in this district, is m oderately prom ising. H igher labor costs and m ounting taxes have re
stricted operations so fa r this year, even though activity has been at a higher rate than in 1936.
BELIE V E BUSINESS W IL L BE SA T ISFA C TO R Y
C LE V E L A N D
S
IGNS o f substantial activity fo r the fa ll months are noted here.Som e im provem ent is already under way. A ugust bookings w ere m ore than double those o f June, which was the low month.
Just how long a fter L a b or day a general revival in buying m ay be expected is a question, and som e executives believe its full force will not be fe lt until late in September.
One fa cto r is the existence o f com forta b le inventories in the hands o f m any steel users, and lack o f price incentive to cause buying o f a specu
lative character. In the opinion of one steelm aker if buying during the final three months is 65 per cent as large as it was in the first quarter, the year w ill be an unusually satis
fa ctory period. The general expecta
tion is that it w ill be much higher.
Steelm akers believe the rem ain
der o f the year w ill bring highly satisfactory business. The usual experience at the m om ent is that nearly all those consum ers w hose needs are slack are tied up in some w ay with the autom otive situation.
26 / T E E L
Tungsten T o o l Steel Prices A d v a n c e d ; European C artel N eg o tia te s fo r Scrap
W
H ILE the administration at W ashington last week was giving serious consideration to the F ar Eastern situation and the possibility o f applying the neutrality act, the trade in semifinished and finished steel, as reflected at N ew York, remained virtually at a standstill.
Tentative inquiries are being fig
ured fo r Japan, yet relatively little new business has resulted. Japan, still taking large shipments o f scrap, does not appear to be concerned re
gardin g finished steel requirements.
It was pointed out that the country is virtually self-sufficient in muni
tions, and would not be m aterially injured by an Am erican em bargo, while China, still dependent on out
side supplies, would be severely handicapped.
Offers $2 a Ton More Incidentally, Sir I. S. L. Elliott, representing the European steel scrap federation, the scrap buying cartel fo r the leading European countries, arrived in this country and began negotiating fo r a large ton
nage o f scrap fo r export. He is re
ported to have offered $2 per ton m ore than paid fo r the last big pur
chase by this organization in this country. A t C hicago and Pitts
burgh last week the scrap m arket was easier.
R eports that China would impose an em bargo on exportation o f tung
sten ore and other m inerals, could not be confirm ed by importers.
Chinese tungsten ore prices were quoted in London as high as the equivalent o f about $35, duty paid, per short ton unit in this country.
In one quarter, it is estimated that only 75 tons o f tungsten ore is afloat and that this is one o f the scattered lots on which London prices are now being tentatively established.
A t Cleveland im portant makers advised custom ers that all grades o f standard high-speed steels (contain
ing tungsten) will be advanced Oct.
1 to 80 cents a pound, base. The 184-1 grade o f high-speed tool steel, 18 per cent tungsten, now selling at 67 cents, will be 80 cents. Other grades o f tungsten steels will be in
creased in price proportionately.
Steels containing 4 per cent tungsten w ill be up 3 cents; those containing 9 per cent tungsten, up 6 cents, and so on.
Standard alloy tool steels which do not contain tungsten, will remain unchanged, at least fo r the fourth quarter.
Steel Best in fla tio n H edge, Canadian Farmer Declares
A fa rm er living near W ingham, Ont., Canada, has decided steel is the best hedge against wartim e in
flation.
Joseph Schmidt recently acquired
a 3-ton block o f steel to add to the thousands o f dollars w orth which he has stored on his fa rm in Bruce county. Schm idt pays no attention to scrap, but insists on buying only quality steel. He believes a E uro
pean w a r is im m inent and that the price o f steel w ill soar as a result.
In his own w ords:
“ Stocks and bonds and all kinds o f paper investm ents can go down to alm ost nothing, but that doesn’t bother me. M y m oney would make sm all interest in a bank. I have an im m ovable investment. W hen I buy steel, I know no one will take it.”
N ew B uildings, E quipm ent For D eS oto Expansion
As a part o f the extensive expan
sion p rogram now under w a y at Chrysler Corp. plants, it was an
nounced last week w ork has been started on additions to the plant o f the DeSoto division on W yom in g avenue, Detroit. Included are a new third story fo r the assem bly build
ing, lengthening o f chassis and final assem bly lines, and installation o f a battery o f new presses in the pressed-metal plant.
Additional space in the assem bly building, am ounting to 100,000 square feet, will be utilized fo r paint spray equipment and fo r stor
age. A new fram e-receiving building, coverin g 6000 square feet, w ill be erected adjacent to the start o f the chassis line.
Shipping facilities w ill be im proved with a new head house in which cars are prepared fo r ship
ment, and new loading dock equip
ment. A new personnel building, coverin g over 9000 square feet, is now nearing com pletion.
The present D eSoto plant was opened only last fall, and with the new construction will provide 750,- 000 square feet fo r m anufacturing.
jD R IN G IN G Uncle Sam’s navy up to peacetime strength is peeping some shipyards busy. This view in one oj the largest shipbuilding plants shows steel plate being cleaned prior to use in a battleship. The large size of the plates necessitates a pickling tan'p of unusual design. The two tanks were supplied by B. F. Goodrich Co., Akron, O. They are made of heavily reinforced steel and lined with a /^-inch thickness of Triflex rubber, covered with two courses acid-proof brick jointed with a sulphur base com pound. T o avoid chipping by con
tact with the plate, the brick is covered with a cushion of timbers. The tanks are 42 feet long, 5 feet wide and 11
feet deep, inside P ic k lin g Steel Plate fo r Battleships
Septem ber 6, 1937 27
C
E N T R A L portion o f the C lipper: This will contain th e dining salon, and a b ov e it, th e cen ter section o f th e wing stru ctu re which will be used fo r cargo space. On th e ou ter ends o f the section a re th e tw o inner engine nacelles, 25 fe e t above th e assem bly flo o r. All fo u r engine n acelles will be accessible during flig h t by w ay o f wing com paniom vaysJ i / f A S S I V E wing sp a r:
^ '•* Sturdy as a bridge stru c
ture, this truss-type w hig spar will form part o f th e fra m e
w ork o f th e broad w ing in Pan A m erican A irw a ys’ n ew 41- ion B oeing transoceanic flyin g boat. T he wing will m easure
152 fe e t from tip .to tip
Building World’s Largest Clippers;
Steel Reinforces Light Alloys
SEATTLE
I
N TH E B oeing A ircraft Co.’s new assem bly plant here— itself one of the m arvels o f fa ctory structures on the Pacific coast six o f the largest Clippers ever built are under con struction fo r Pan Am erican A irways.
All-metal, each to weigh 85,000 pounds, each to cost $500,000, they will inaugurate 24-hour transat
lantic flights in 1938.
The light aluminum and m agne
sium alloys, o f course, form the greater part o f the bodies and w ings o f these flying ships, but it is to be noted that steel is used fo r som e re
in forcin g purposes.
Each will be propelled by fou r 1500-horsepower W right Cyclone en
gines, to supply as much pow er as tw o ordinary steam railroad loco
motives. Top speed will be 200 miles an hour, cruising speed 150.
The w ing spread is 152 feet, and designed to house the crew o f ten.
The hull is 109 feet long. Each ship w ill have tw o decks, with lounge room s, galley, wash room s, seats that can be converted into berths, with capacity fo r 75 passengers. In actual service, however, they will carry only 50 passengers, and 214 tons o f cargo. The first unit is well under w ay and the hull structure o f the second is being assembled.
The B oeing plant is 204 x 304 feet, with a clear height o f 35 feet, having an unbroken area o f 2,100,- 000 cubic feet. This permitted
sim ultaneous assem bly this year o f nine Boeing arm y bombers, weighing 16 tons each, the largest land planes ever built in this coun
try.
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used fo r 3000 production operations in connection with shaping alu
m inum alloy parts fo r D ouglas transport planes. E conom y and flex
ibility in the fabrication o f parts is expected to result.
T otal weight o f the press, which is as tall as a four-story building, is 840,000 pounds, com prising the follow in g parts: Head, 175,400 pounds; platen, 110,000 pounds; bed, 141,510 pounds; ram , 42,380 pounds;
each strain rod, 28,080 pounds. The ram is six feet in diam eter and is actuated by oil under pressure o f 2500 pounds per square inch.
Direct driven by two 150-horse
pow er electric m otors, fo u r radial pumps o f the variable reversible de
livery type generate the- pressure, which is applied directly from the pumps to the press ram s w ithout intervening valves.
Decade In A ir Travel A decade o f coast-to-coast mail and passenger air transportation was reached Sept. 1, during which time the metal industries have played an integral role in man’s conquest o f the air. In 1927 planes built alm ost entirely o f w ood spanned the continent in 33 hours.
Crossing times were reduced grad
ually to 30 hours in 1930, 20 hours in 1933, and to the 15 hours which United A ir Lines ships now require.
Present day transports are con
structed alm ost entirely o f metal, w ood being confined to paneling fo r cabin interiors.
During the ten years United trans
ports have flown 120,209,435 miles and carried 1,075,359 passengers, fo r a total o f 450,862,210 passenger miles. A ir mail has aggregated 42,- 357,951 pounds and air express, 8,- 039,927 pounds.
A S S E M B L IN G on e o f the cen ter section bulkheads, built -partly o f stee l and partly o f aluminum alloy, fo r the Pan-Am erican fle e t o f “ A tlan
tic C lippers." T he le ft part o f th e assem bly is fra m ew ork fo r th e hull; to th e righ t is th e cen ter section o f th e wing spar. A m assive “ drill jig ” rolls on rails o v er th e en tire layout to fa cilita te accurate
construction
O R K M EN inside on e o f th e fo u r engine nacelles.
T h ese nacelles will be m ount
ed on th e 152-foot w ings o f th e h uge ocean-going cra ft. The plane’s fo u r 1500-horsepower W rig h t C yclone en gines -will furnish as much pow er as tw o ordinary railroad locom otives
G ia n t Press Installed In A irp la n e Factory
Reported as the largest in the world, a self-contained hydraulic press with a pressure capacity o f 5000 tons has been installed in the plant o f the Douglas A ircraft Co.
Inc., Santa Monica, Calif.
Built by the Hydraulic Press M fg.
Co., Mount Gilead, O., the press is
Four O u t of Five industrial Companies Training Employes
F
OUR out o f five o f a m iscellaneous group o f 473 companies, em ploying 626,668 persons, in vari
ous industries throughout the coun
try have definite em ploye training program s, a National Industrial C onference board survey disclosed last week. Only 13 per cent o f the com panies report no training.
The industries include: agricul
tural implement, autom otive, chem icals, electrical manufacturing, iron and steel, leather, lumber, machines and machine tools, other metal prod
ucts, paper, printing, rubber, textile, public utilities and miscellaneous.
High-lights o f the survey:
Training on the jo b is given by 98.5 per cent o f the com panies; only 8.5 per cent have vestibule schools.
Training is given to mature as well as you ng learners.
Compensation o f persons in train
ing is at least 50 per cent o f the reg
ular rate in 91 per cent o f the com panies, and 80 per cent o f the reg ular rate or m ore in about 32 per cent.
Training Period Varies Widely Tim e required fo r training ranges from one week to m ore than five years. M ore than 60 per cent o f the companies w ere able to give nec
essary instruction in six months or less.
Definite policies fo r training em ployes fo r versatility are in effect in 47 per cent o f the companies.
R egular system atic apprentice training is reported by 272, or 57.5 per cent o f the firms covered.
A large proportion o f these plans is in the m etalw orking industries.
The num ber o f apprentices in these com panies is 7322, or 1.1 per cent o f their aggregate employm ent.
A bout 55 per cent o f the com panies reporting apprentice training provide all the instruction given;
about 45 per cent utilize outside fa cilities, usually fo r providing the school room instruction.
M ore than a third o f the com panies make no definite provision fo r school-room instruction.
F our years is the m ost com m on length o f apprentice-t r a i n i n g courses.
A verage com pensation o f appren
tices ranges from 33.2 cents per hour in the first six months o f training to 57.4 cents in the last half o f the fourth year.
The usual minimum hiring age is 18 years.
The follow in g table gives the num ber o f companies included in the
survey, the num ber o f their em ployes, and the apprentices they are' training. In addition to these ap
prentices m any com panies have training courses fo r higher classes o f worker's.
Appren- Employ- tices in
Industry Firms ment Training
Agricultural implements 11 56,041 99 Automobiles and parts 28 50,548 510 Chemicals ... 1 1,700 Electrical manufacturing 55 119,9-19 99Í Iron and steel ... 19 50,061 292 Leather and products. . 4 1,442 Lumber and products . 3 2,345 i.4 Machines and ma
chine tools ... 146 110,522 2,302 Metal products, other.. 159 142,084 1,685 Paper and products. .. . 7 4,910 32 Printing... 4 1,379 18 Rubber ... 3 3,650 Textiles ... 13 30.029 562 Miscellaneous ... 14 119.9S3 346 Public utilities... 6 32,025 351 TOTAL ... 473 626,668 7.322
“ To maintain and raise the stand
ard o f living, continued increase in the productive capacity and output o f Am erican industry will be nec
essary,” says the board. "This in
crease m ust be very large to com pensate fo r the rapidly grow in g bur
dens and wastes o f governm ent.
“ It will require not only greater . . . investm ent . . . but great im provem ent in the productive capaci
ties o f the w orking population.
“ The opinion advanced at one time that intensive and progressive m ech
anization was reducing the need fo r highly skilled labor has not been borne out by events. W hile a less com prehensive m echanical training than form erly m ay give adequate preparation fo r m any occupations, a high degree o f specialized skill is necessary to secure best results from elaborate and intricate m a
chines. Such skill can be built sat
isfactorily only on a sound founda
tion o f the fundamentals o f machine operation.
“ The cost o f a training program can not properly be regarded as an extraneous or gratuitous expense that properly can be escaped . . . every com pany should participate in proportion to its size and ability.”
Tennessee’s Battery o f C oke O ve n s Com pleted
A battery o f 73 coke ovens was com pleted recently by the Koppers Co., Pittsburgh, fo r Tennessee Coal, Iron & Railroad- Co., Birm ingham , Ala., United States Steel Corp. sub
sidiary.
It is designated as No. 2 unit. No.
1, also com prising 73 ovens, to be built by Koppers, w ill be ready fo r operation in the fall. T hey are parts o f a broad expansion program in the South, which includes a new tin plate
mill, now under construction.
Into the new battery can be charged 1590 tons o f coal daily, p ro
ducing 1110 tons o f furnace coke;
20,263,000 cubic feet o f ga s; 14,771 gallons o f tar; 17.7 tons amm onium sulphate; 5207 gallons light oil; and 3123 gallons m otor benzoil.
W e ig h t Reduced in Steel A lp in e C able Cars
'T'HESE lG-passenger stainless steel cable cars, part of a 30-car crder, weigh only 660 pounds each, or 56 per cent less than the type formerly used in the Italian Alps. They will haul skiers and mountain climbing tourists. The cars are being built by the “ shotweld” method in the shops of Piaggio &r Co., Genoa,
Italy, licensee of the Edward G. Budd Mfg. Co., Philadelphia
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L a b o r
ST E E L ’S JULY E M P L O Y M E N T A T 594,000, N E A R RECORD
R
e c o v e r i n g from the effects o f strikes in June, em ploym ent in the steel industry in July increased to594.000 according to the A m erican Iron & Steel institute. This figure was only one-fourth o f 1 per cent below the record total o f 595,000 em ployes in May, despite the fact that during July operations were nearly 12 per cent below May. Total July payrolls were $90,550,000, about 2.5 per cent under May.
The July em ploym ent figures rep
resent a 7 per cent gain over the average o f 556,000 i n J u n e . July payrolls also increased sub
stantially over the total o f $87,520,- 000 paid in June.
W age earning em ployes in July numbered 533,000, com pared with 495.000 in June and 533,500 in the record month o f May. A verage hourly earnings in July were 86.3 cents. The w ork-week averaged 37.3 hours, com pared with 39.2 in June and 38.6 in May.
W IT N E S S E S D E N Y REPUBLIC IN FLU E N C E D CIVIC GROUP
Prom inent citizens testified last week at Canton, O., that Republic Steel Corp. did not bring pressure on them to form a citizens’ com m ittee to com bat the Steel W orkers O rgan
izing com m ittee in the recent steel strike.
Follow in g conclusion o f testim ony by union mem bers in Cleveland, Youngstow n, and Canton on charges that the com pany violated the W a g ner act, Republic began its defense before the labor relations board’s trial examiner, John T. Lindsay. D e
fense witnesses included indus
trialists, clergym en, and bankers.
All declared form ation o f the citi
zens group was spontaneous, and said they had heard Police Chief Stanley Switter say that guns, tear gas, and amm unition had been
“stolen” from R epublic’s main offi
ces. A m otion by R epublic to dis
miss charges against it was denied by Lindsay.
BETH LEH E M FO U RTH TO BE ACCUSED B Y LABOR BOARD
Complaint charging unfair labor practices has been filed against Beth
lehem Steel Co. by the national la
bor relations board, based on allega
tions made by the CIO. A hearing is scheduled to begin Sept. 8 at Franklin B oro, Pa., on a petition requesting determination o f collec
tive bargaining representatives.
The board alleges the com pany has dominated and contributed financial
ly to em ploye representation plans at 14 plants, and at three has “ engaged
in other unfair labor practices with the intention o f denying em ployes the right to organize and bargain col
lectively.”
The board brought sim ilar actions against W eirton Steel Co., Republic Steel Corp., and Inland Steel Co.
SW O C TO SEEK E X P IR A T IO N OF A L L STE E L PACTS M A R C H 1
Attem pts will be made to terminate sim ultaneously all contracts with steel producers next March 1, the Steel W orkers Organizing com m ittee said last week. N ew contracts will then be sought at the same time with all signatory steel companies.
Negotiations with Carnegie-Illi- nois Steel Corp. are to start Feb. 8.
SW OC claims 399 contracts with iron and steel and m etalw orking companies em ploying m ore than 510,-
000 men.
W ir e Com pany T o Build M o u n ta in Tramway
A m erican Steel & W ire Co. has signed a contract with the state o f N ew H am pshire fo r constructing a 5200-foot aerial tram w ay at F ran
conia extending from Franconia N otch near Echo lake up the side o f Cannon mountain to a point just be
low the peak. The tram w ay w ill be the first o f its type in North A m er
ica, although sim ilar ones have been used in Europe fo r some years.
Cost o f the project is about $250,- 000. The W ire com pany’s fee fo r con
struction o f the tram w ay is to be
$191,975 while an additional amount o f approxim ately $55,000 has been authorized by the state to provide ground fo r a landing platform and other incidental expenses. John W.
Childs is engineer in charge.
Ludlum O ffe rs Trophy For A ir Speed Record
Ludlum Steel Co., W atervliet, N.
Y., has offered the Ludlum trophy and a $2000 cash award to the pilot winning the Thom pson trophy race at the N ational air races in Cleve
land, Sept. 6, providing a new speed record is established. I f no new record is established, the aw ard w ill be held over and made next year or when a new speed mark is set.
Ludlum has been active in devel
oping im proved steels fo r use in aeronautical and autom otive indus
tries, Hiland G. Batcheller, presi
dent, pointed out in announcing the award. Silcrom e valve steel, devel
oped by the com pany in the early 1920’s, today has becom e standard in many airplane engines.
The T hom pson trophy race from the W est coast to Cleveland a f
fords a severe test fo r m aterials and design o f com peting planes.
Financial
N E W F IN A N C IN G PROPOSED B Y SH EE T & TUBE
Y
OUNGSTOW N SHEET & TUBE CO.’s board o f directoi's has called a special m eeting o f shareholders fo r Oct. 19 to consider new financing to provide w orking capital, from which large expenditures have been made fo r plant im provem ents and betterments, increase inventories and r e ceivables, and facilitate further im provem ents contem plated in the Youngstow n and Chicago districts.
N o definite plans fo r the financing have been made. A ny new securities issued will be offered first to present com m on shareholders pro rata. W hile the amount has not been determined, it is expected to be approxim ately
$30,000,000.
The action to be taken by share
holders includes approval o f an in
crease in the authorized com m on shares from 2,000,000 to 2,500,000 shares, the release o f pre-emptive rights o f com m on shareholders on not exceeding 400,000 shares, and au
thorization to the board to issue se
curities convertible into com m on shares. Only holders o f com m on shares will be entitled to vote at the meeting.
F O L L A N SB E E SU BSCRIPTIO N D A T E E X T E N D E D TO SEPT. 27
Date fo r the expiration o f sub
scription warrants fo r the purchase o f bonds and com m on stock o f Fol- lansbee Steel Corp. has been ex
tended from Aug. 30 to Sept. 27.
This step was taken by the United States court fo r the western district o f Pennsylvania on petition o f the com pany. Delays w ere met in pre
paration and subm ission o f neces
sary petitions, auditors’ statements, and exhibits prelim inary to obtain
ing action by the “ blue sk y ” co m missions o f various states in con nection with the qualifications o f the bonds and com m on stock o f the corporation. The Guaranty Trust Co., New York, will continue to issue and transfer the w arrants up to Sept. 27.
D IV ID E N D S D E CL A R E D
D irectors o f A m erican R olling Mill Co., Middletown, O., declared the first quarterly dividend o f
$1.12% a share on its 4% per cent accum ulative convertible preferred stock, and a regular quarterly di
vidend o f 50 cents a share on its com m on stock. Both dividends are payable Oct. 15 to stock o f record Sept. 15.
Bliss & Laughlin Inc., Buffalo, de
clared an extra dividend o f 50 cents a share and a regular quarterly dividend o f like am ount on com m on, both payable Sept. 30 o f record Sept. 18.
September 6, 1937 31
P ro d u c tio n
W
ITH only fractional changes at Chicago and Pittsburgh and shifts at other centers largely balancing, the national steelworks op erating rate last week held at 83 per cent. Observance o f L abor Day this week will cause som e reduction in production though many steel
m akers will m inimize the idle pe
riod.
Youngstow n, O.— Unchanged at 73 per cent, with 63 open hearths, three bessem ers and 21 blast furnaces ac
tive. L abor Day will cut heavily into this w eek’s schedule with all but Republic's 17 open hearths and one bessem er to close M onday and virtually all finishing mills to be idle. Republic will operate its steel- making departments but close its finishing mills M onday.
B irm ingham — Dow n 5 points to 91 per cent, one Republic open hearth being down fo r repairs, leaving 18 open hearths active.
Chicago— Down half a point to 86 per cent, slightly below the best rate fo r the year to date. Schedules are expected to hold at about this level fo r September.
Detroit— Dow n 5 points to 95 per cent, one open hearth being off fo r repairs.
New England -Up 10 points to 70 per cent. T w o producers will slight
ly reduce operations this week, bring
ing the rate to 60-65 per cent.
Pittsburgh— Down 0.4 point to 83 per cent. The leading producer is at about 84 per cent and National Tube Co. is again operating three furnaces at M cKeesport, Pa.
W heeling— Up 1.5 points to 91 per cent o f capacity.
Central eastern seaboard — Un
changed at 65 per cent. A slight recession is noted by one producer, but not sufficient to affect the aver
age. M ost plants will operate through Labor Day, a few goin g down Sun
day to M onday night.
Cleveland—Dow n 1.5 points to 78 per cent. National Tube Co. set an all-time record at its Lorain, O., plant in August, producing 87,800 tons fro m its open hearths, to top the previous record o f 83,331 tons in May, 1929. The blast furnace divi
sion produced 92,965 tons, exceeding the previous record o f 60,964 tons in May, 1937.
St. L ouis— Dow n 7 points to 77 per cent o f capacity, several furnaces be
ing down fo r repairs.
Cincinnati— Off 4 points to 89 per cent, one open hearth being taken off fo r repairs.
Buffalo— Unchanged at 86 per cent o f capacity. A new record fo r Beth
lehem Steel Co.’s continuous strip mill was set during August, with a
D istrict Steel Rates
Percentage o f Open-Hearth Ingot Ca
pacity Engaged in Leading Districts
Week Same
ended week
Sept. 4 Change 1936 1935 Pittsburgh . . 83
Chicago ... 86 Eastern Pa.. . 65 Y oungstow n. . 73 W heeling . . . . 91 Cleveland . . . 78 B u f f a l o 86 Birm ingham. . 91 H ew England 70 D e t r o it 95 Cincinnati. . . . 89 St. L o u is 77 Average . . . 83 tN ot reported.
production ô f 90,100 gross tons, com pared with the previous mark o f 75,- 000 tons.
W o r ld Tin P roduction U p;
U. S. Leads in C onsum ption
W orld tin consumption in the first half o f 1937 increased 14,944 gross tons over the first six months o f 1936 to 94,863 tons. Production in
creased 9415 tons to 92,303 tons, a c
cording to the International Tin Research and Development council.
In the year ended in June world production totaled 187,779 tons while apparent consum ption increased 12.7 per cent over the preceding year to 177,384 tons. United States used nearly half, 83,376 tons, an increase over the preceding year o f 19.6 per cent. Russia’s consum ption showed the greatest gain, 52.1 per cent to 11,768 tons; Japan used 8288 tons, 30.5 per cent m ore than in the year before.
W orld tin plate production in the year ended in June increased 22 per cent over the preceding year to 4,- 03S,000 tons. United States output in July was 195,000 tons, compared to 190,000 tons in June.
Canada D oubles M in e A n d Pump Purchases
Canada during first h a lf o f 1937 bought fro m the United States 96 per cent m ore mining, w ell and pum ping equipment than in the sam e period o f 1936. Figures com piled by the m achinery division o f the departm ent o f com m erce show that in first h alf Canada bought fro m the United States nine times as much petroleum and gas well drilling equipm ent and m ore than tw ice as much other petroleum w ell and refining equipment as in first h a lf o f 1936.
Canadian purchases o f pneum atic
portable tools and air com pressors fro m this country in first h a lf w ere approxim ately double those o f first half, 1936, and pump im ports were 72 per cent over 1936. Increases o f sales to Canada showed increases o f sm aller amounts in ore crushing and sorting equipment, rock drills, concentrating and sm elting m a
chinery and other types o f mining and quarrying m achinery.
Electromet Plans Carbide Plant In W ils o n Dam A re a
Plans fo r a new plant fo r Electro M etallurgical Co., N ew York, in the W ilson dam area on the Tennessee
■river were disclosed in Birm ingham last week. The Tennessee Valley A u thority announced it had signed a contract with the com pany, a unit o f Union Carbide & Carbon Corp., to furnish as much as 40,000 kilo
watt hours o f pow er by 1941, should that am ount be required.
Such a maxim um , T V A pointed out, would net it approxim ately $750,- 000 annually. The proposed plant will produce calcium carbide. Precise location and initial expenditure were not announced.
N ew Steel Reinforcing C ode Pamphlet Issued
Including the latest standards, a pamphlet entitled the ‘ ‘Code of Standard P ractice and Specifications fo r Placing R ein forcin g M aterials”
has been issued by the Concrete R e
inforcing Steel institute, Chicago.
The contents were first developed about ten years ago and form ed portions o f the handbook, “ R e
inforced Concrete,” now out o f print. The code is a reference in matters relating to the use and a p plication o f rein forcin g materials, o f value to specifiers, buyers and sellers.
Lukens Fingerprinting A id s In E m ploye Identification
Lukens Steel Co., Coatesville, Pa., has started a fre e fingerprinting service fo r em ployes, in co-opera
tion with the Civilian bureau at W ashington. Fingerprints will be kept at the bureau as a permanent record o f identification, and will be entirely separate from the criminal file. Com pany officials and w ork men have endorsed the plan.
M ore than 40 per cent, or 32,019, o f the em ployes o f General Electric Co. have worked with the com pany fo r ten or m ore years, according to a recent survey, -and 42,785 have been em ployed m ore than five years.
—0.4 70 45
—0.5 72 Vi 57
None 48 % 32%
None 29 GO
+ 1.5 98 84
— 1.5 82 56
None 75 32
—5 64 45%
+ 10 80 70
—5 100 94
— 1 SO t
—7 t t
None 71 Vz 52
32 / T E E L
