4 WHY A RAILROAD WANTS A CHEMIST. pure paint, guaranteed to resist such wear and tear, is not expected, but the whole aim is to obtain the best, the more lasting and the most efficient, for this is certainly economy in the end. This, then, illustrates that the chemist's duties are not only linked with those of the purchasing agent and the motive power department in the obtaining and using the best material for safety, but also in the same manner is he indirectly connected with those branches. of the service which has the attractiveness, beauty and general appearance of the equipment under its supervision. Other articles might be taken up, such as sand, which if it contains too much gravel will be pushed off the wet track, and if too full of dust will blow away or fail to cause the wheels of the engine to grip the rails; roofing tin, boiler lagging, soap, etc. Enough examples have been cited to illustrate the practical use of analysis of material and to show the advantages that accrue through co-operation with other departments in obtaining the best results in their work. The most efficient workman is seriously handicapped when handling poor material. Experimental work that comes to a railroad chemist is the most interesting from his standpoint. It is this class of his duties which in the end has the most monetary value to the road. This will be brought out by the following: Few people know that engine boilers are subject to disease, and I suppose the chemist (the boiler physician) could perhaps call it typhoid fever, for its cause lies in the water the engine drinks. The weather bureau furnishes little rain, streams run low, the water becomes saturated with salts of lime and magnesia from the soil and rocks it has passed through, or perhaps acid in reaction, it enters the boiler and under the increased heat and pressure the salts of lime or magnesia, namely, carbonates or sulphates, are deposited and cake on the flues of the boilers in the form of hard, compact scale, sometimes so hard that it cannot be chipped off with chisel and hammer; or if the water is acid it will corrode or eat the boiler. Chlorides, such as magnesia or sodium-chloride, when present are also decomposed by heat, forming acids and thus rendering the water injurious. Presence of scale in boiler is serious, for it is seen that every bit that is deposited renders the medium between the heat and the water that much thicker, and so means extra fuel to furnish the increase of heat necessary to convert the water into steam. Then there is the danger of the boiler steel becoming so heated and soft that the internal pressure forces it out of shape, causing it to leak, bind in the joints, etc. Impure water is not only the result of low streams, but the supply may be contaminated by sewerage, for when rain is scarce purification by dilution is at a minimum; by refuse from tanneries or pulp mills, which render waters acid or organic in character; by mine waters which are charged with iron sulphate and which under the influence of heat is decomposed into sulphuric acid which corrodes the boilers. Water contaminated with oil and salts; water from oil fields causes boilers to foam because of the alkali in it. Muddy waters have the same effect. Thus the chemist joins with the Motive Power Department in the overcoming of these difficulties as far as possible, by constant analysis of the waters used and knowing what they contain. The water supply may be chemically treated; the acid neutralized; the incrusting solids or salts of lime and magnesia precipitated and eliminated by chemical and mechanical means respectively, either before the water enters the boiler or afterwards. Muddy waters may be filtered, and what is of most importance the best water by comparison of ounces of supply may be selected at each point or water station. "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." Here is what the locomotive engineer, the chemist, the division master mechanic-yea, the entire railroad management aims at and in spirit constantly prays in the words of Wordsworth: "Headlong the waterfall must come, O let it, then, be dumb, Be anything, sweet stream, but that which thou art now." This, then, is a question of thousands of dollars, for bad water, as has been shown, means large bills for repairs, ruined boilers, failure in service and increased fuel bill, for it has been shown scientifically that approximately 1 inch of scale requires 12 per cent more fuel; inch of scale requires 25 per cent more fuel; inch of scale requires 60 per cent more fuel. Practice has shown that when scaly waters are used the life of the boiler flues WHY A RAILROAD WANTS A CHEMIST. is only about one-third of that when the same water is treated chemically. Coal is another important item, for on its composition depends its heat giving quality, and briefly speaking, it should be as free as possible from slate, bone or sulphur, because coal is not used only to be raked into the ash pit, and the less dead matter it contains the better. Other experimental articles might be mentioned, but enough examples have been cited to show the problems of the railroad and the value of their solution. Many miscellaneous articles also come under his examination, such as patent boiler compounds for treating waters, disinfectants, belt dressings, uniform buttons, soaps, fireproof solutions, wood preservatives, and in one instance where an engineer claimed he was taking jamaica ginger in whisky it was the railroad chemist who investigated it and showed whether his statements were true or not. Competition in trade is enormous even with this modern age of monopolies or trusts, and when a manufacturer says he will furnish an article cheaper and equally as good as some already being purchased at a higher price, the chemist can in a great many instances scientifically compare the two articles and aid the purchasing agent in his selection. It would now seem, judging from the scope of a railroad chem ist's work, that a large force is necessarily kept constantly busy wrestling with the many problems that have been touched upon in the body of this article; but this is explained when the statement is made that the work varies; i. e., one day there will be a run of coals, oils or waste, the next day the articles to be examined will change to another field of investigation. While the the routine is more regular than experimental work, it should be remembered that certain circumstances tend to offset the necessity of a large force of investigators, such as judicious sampling (that is average samples of large shipments), systematized work and employment of chemists who have had sufficient experience to enable them to carry on a number of analyses at once, thus preventing delay to those who wish to use the material. The aim of this article has been to present a general outline with sufficient explanations and examples as would make clear to the unscientific reader the usefulness and methods of the railroad chemist and the economical value of the laboratory. If any general information has been conveyed to the reader of just what point where the test department with its inspectors and chemists form its part of the whole unity of a railroad system, the mission of this article is fulfilled and answers the question "Why a railroad wants a chemist." THE PIONEER IRON INDUSTRY IN PENNSYLVANIA. BY WILLIAM GILBERT IRWIN. These relics of the past help us to more fully comprehend the giant strides made along the diversified lines of a century of time. East of the mountains and in the vicinity of Cumberland there are many of the old furnaces, but it is in southwestern Pennsylvania where the iron industry today stands pre-eminent that the most important of the early relics are to be found. Iron ore was known to exist in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, as early as 1780. In 1790 John Hayden, of Haydenstown, Fayette County, smelted a small piece of The crumbling bricks are covered with iron in this vein in a blacksmith's forge. rich mantles of vegetation, and out of their dismantled masonry great trees have grown, and nature is ceaselessly at work reclaiming what man has abandoned. He interested John Nicholson, of Philadelphia, then State Comptroller of Pennsyl vania, in a project to erect an iron furnace. Before the furnace was completed William Turnbull, Peter Marmie and John Holker had erected a furnace on Jacobs Creek, and this, the first of the iron furnaces completed west of the Alleghenies, was "blown in" on November 1st, 1790. It stood about a mile above the mouth of Jacobs Creek, and the ruins are still to be seen about that distance back from the Baltimore & Ohio Road. It has borne a number of different names during its existence, being first known as Jacobs Creek dustry of a century ago and that of to-day! Furnace, and successively "Alliance Fur These old ruins peep out from the vegetation at intervals all along the line of the railroad. The woodland which once rang with the noise of axes cutting wood for the charcoal pits; the hills and dales which echoed and re-echoed the ring and rattle of chain, hoof and wheel are now silent. In the immediate vicinity are still to be seen the charcoal pits which once furnished the fuel to operate the furnaces. What a contrast between the iron in 99.66 THE PIONEER IRON INDUSTRY IN PENNSYLVANIA. nace," "Alliance Iron Works," "Turnbull's Iron Works," and "Colonel Holker's Iron Works." It was operated spasmodically until about 1802, when it was abandoned as a losing venture, not an uncommon thing for many of the furnaces at that time. This furnace attained quite a reputation in the manufacture of munitions of war as well as implements of peace. Turnbull was agent for Pennsylvania during the Revolution; and later in 1792 General Knox, then Secretary of War, wrote to him to secure shot for six-pounders and these were manufactured at this furnace. Later the shot and shell used by General Anthony Wayne in his expedition against the Ohio Indians, were manufactured here. Peter Marmie was a most picturesque character. He was a Frenchman who came to America with Lafayette, serving as his private secretary through the Revolution. It is said that in 1793 after the dissolution of partnership of his firm, he was left alone at the furnace and forge and lived there in solitude. Loss of fortune and shattered ambition drove him to despair, and according to tradition he committed suicide one stormy night by jumping into the fiery furnace, first driving his faithful hunting dogs before him. The peaceful farmers who to-day dwell near the old ruins, ofttimes talk of the Mad Frenchman; and many a country lad will make a detour of several miles to avoid the lonely spot when the nights are dark, for fear of meeting his phantom form which is said to stalk about. The Hayden Furnace was put in operation in 1792 and was operated successfully for some time. One of the most historic furnaces of this section is the old Fayette Furnace on Dunbar Creek. It was erected by Isaac Meason, and the progenitor of a noted family. It was put in operation in March, 1791, and a few years later was replaced by a larger plant. Creek in Fayette County and was built by The Fairfield Furnace stood on George's John 7 he sold it to John and Andrew Oliphant and Nathaniel Breading; the Oliphants later becoming the sole owners. The first attempts to use coke as fuel were made at this furnace and the Oliphants were the pioneers of the coke industry and important early iron makers of that section. Cannon balls used by General Jackson at the Battle of New Orleans were cast at this furnace. They were rafted down the Monongahela, Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. Pine Grove Furnace was built in George Township in Fayette County in 1795. It was erected on Pine Grove Run near the present town of Smithfield. The Plumsock Rolling Mill was built in 1794, the Laurel Hill in 1797, Red Stone in 1797, and Spring Hill in 1794. Cool Spring was built in 1816 and the new Laurel Hill was put in operation in 1820. As early as 1811 a fine grade of steel was manufactured at the furnace operated by Truman & Co. at Brownsville, Penn. The ancient ruins of these industries of the past are all located in that section of southwestern Pennsylvania now traversed by the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. The decadence of this primitive iron industry may be said to date from the time when coal began to take the place of char coal for furnace purposes. In view of the present greatness of the iron and steel manufacturing business in the Pittsburg District it is most interesting to trace the early days of iron-making in this section. It may not be generally known that there was a time when Pittsburg gave up the iron industry in despair, but for all this, the story of the industrial life in the neighborhood of Pittsburg is one of the most interesting to be found in the annals of trade, for Pittsburg takes second place to no other manufacturing center on earth. While the latter day story of Pittsburg iron and steel industry has been recited in every land beneath the sun, through the uniform excellence of the products, this sketch of the early vicissitudes of the now great industry is all the more interesting. |