davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
New-York tribune., 1910-01-16
FINDS VARIABLE TIME.

Returning to Cleveland on one occasion
with John Newell, president of the Lake
Shore road, and William II. Canniff. the
superintendent. I suggested plan of watch
inspection. The Kipton accident proved
that the watch Of one of the engineers was
uar siiable. and that the conductor of the
accommodation train had neglected his
business. A meeting of the operating Of
fcers of the railway was held soon after.
and ! was authorized 10 get UP a scheme
of inspection and also TO investigate con-
ditions on all the important lines east OF
Chicago.
IT found that the conductors on the
freight trains of trunk lines were depend
ing on cheap alarm clocks hung on nails
in their cabooses. Many merchants at
that period were giving away bad watches
with suits OF clothing and furnishing
goods. and engineers and conductors had
such watches I'm their pockets. and were
actually running trains by them, to the
menace OF human life and property. Some
OF the clocks in roundhouses and In train
dispatchers offices hadn't been cleaned.
repaired or regulated for years. The rule
then-and 7 suppose IL prevented many
frightfui wrecks-was to give conductors
and engineers five minutes extra their
orders; that is TO say, a train due al 10
o'clock would be safe IL il arrived at 1905
or $3.50 O'clock.
IF one Of the fastest limited trains
now running on two roads from New York
TO Chicago is thirty seconds off its time
the conductor must report the fact at the
first stop. I timed O. fast train not long
ago We left Chicago on the dot. and kept
on the dot 10 Elkhart, Ind, thence to To-
iedo, thence to Cleveland, thence TO Erie.
Penn; thence 70 Buffalo. thence to Syra-
cuse, thence TO Albany. thence to SPRING
field, Mass. and finally TO Boston, where
we arrived on the second. after travelling
hundreds Of miles and changing engineers
and engines eight different times. / hope
I am not In bad taste when I say that the
watches OF the ten engineers and ten con-
ductors of that train were regulated and
inspected by my own men. Without
watches Of absolute precision. and depend
able watches st that. eightsen-hour trains
New-York tribune., 1910-01-16
AGAINST CARELESS SHOOTING.

There IS already a law in Maine for
the punishment OF persons who mistake
another for deer or other game and shoot
them. The trouble is that IL has been
permitted TO become dead letter. II is
believed by many that IL this law were TO
marked decrease in the number OF these
thought IT was deer cases That there
Is some reason for such feeling is shown
by the results which have come from the
attitude which two county ATTORNEYS in
the state took toward the FREQUENT rail
ployes. They brought some indictments
The cases we're tried, and while no one
Was convicted there was an irnmefiia te
stopping OF the take chances, careless
methods which had been in vogue.-I.ewis-
ton Journal.
New-York tribune., 1910-01-16

and counterweight box are in perfect BAL
ance, the scene can be readily moved up
or down by means of the haul rope.
ITO the bottom of the counterweight box
il secured valve. which, when opened, will
cause the shot to run out of long tank
above, gradually changing the relation OF
balance between scene and box. causing the
scene to drop slowly A rope attached to
this valve runs upward TO the top OF the
counterweight shaft, over a sheave and
downward TO a point below the stage,
around a sheave and up through the shaft
&c the valve. By means of this continuous
rope the valve OF the counterweight bog
can be controlled from any level at all
times. There are 125 sets of counterweight
units.
Above the top of the 125 vertical coun-
terweight shafts is placed, horizontally. a
sheet metal trough, whloh Is provided with
an opening and controlling valve above
each shaft. This trough is kept supplied
with shot. uniformly distributed.
''The lower end of the counterweight
shaft beneath the stage opens into a large
chamber, into which all shot discharged
from the counterweight boxes flows. The
bottom of this chamber is pitched from
either end toward the centre, so as to con-
centrate the shot there and deliver /.
through spout to an elevator boot.
"A scoop bucket elevator raises one thou
sand pounds of shot minute a distance OF
1S5 feet. where it is discharged into two in
clined chutes directly over the horizontal
shot trough"
This system is delicately adjusted and 50
simple that in case of fire lbs drops can be
lowered in two minutes and the scenery re-
moved from the danger zone.
New-York tribune., 1910-01-16
SOME NEW WONDERS
DIR. ACHESON TO GET
MEDAL FOR THEM.
Hardest AbrasiUe and "ReUolu-
tionary' Lubricant Products
of His Furnace.

DR.. Edward G. Acheson. who will re-
ceive on Friday evening. January u. at the
Chemists Club, in West Fifty-hfth street,
the famous Perkin medal. has many times
astonished the scientific world by his dis
coveries and inventions. He is considered
the pioneer worker in synthetic electro
chemistry. the record he has made being
briefly summed up In these paragraphs:
/. The formation of carbides in the
electric furnace. as typifed by carborun-
dunn.
2 The transformation of non-graphitic
carbon into graphite carbon.
8. The direct reduction of metallic sill
con.
4. The direct reduction of aluminium.
g. The production OF siloxicon, a COM
pound of silicon. carbon and oxygen.
q. The defiocculation OF non-fused, nom
soluble, non-metallic bodies.
Z. The production of aquadag and oiIdag
products OF high lubricating value.
Dr. Aeheson is said 10 be the worlds
greatest electric furnace expert. but while
others have thought of the electric fur
mace as source of production of dia-
monds. he has applied its force and mys-
teries to the development of products
beneficial TO mankind and industry
An interesting little anecdote is told Of
him which portrays his sentiments rela-
tive TO making diamonds artifcialIy. One
who knew of his research wrote him at
his laboratory, at Niagara Falls, N Y,
saying that he had discovered a process
for making diamonds. but before giving
IL to the world he desired to visit him
and compare notes. as 1t were DIR. Ache
son was very busy at the time and his
New-York tribune., 1910-01-16

weeks. The watches that I approve are
adjusted TO temperature, ranging from 80
degrees 10 95 degrees, because the balance
wheels of brass and steel change with heat
and cold. They are also adjusted to five
dlnerent positions. All standard railroad
watches must contain at least seventeen
jewels; some are made with nineteen and
some with twenty-one jewels-any more
than twenty-one would be useless A watch
manufacturer. several years ago, adver-
tised twenty-six jewels-he screwed in the
extra jewels as a tailor might sew extra
and unneeded buttons on a coat His talk
sounded well and his watch looked rather
gay. but the 80 cents worth of additional
jewels that he sold to railroad men for g
were of no utility whatever. I had long
fight with him, but I compelled him to
conform to my requirements.
'The jewels OF a watch" Mr.. Ball ex-
planned, "are its bearings. They are made
or rubies or white sapphires. and the holes
in some of them are so small that they
cannot be seen with the naked eye Most
Of them come from Switzerland. the an
ctent centre of the watchmaker's guild
where the fine touches OF the art are
passed on from father to son, generation
after generation. Americans are too i'm
patient and in too much of hurry to bore
Invisible holes in rubies and white sap
phires that are smaller than the head of a
pin. Besides. the wages OF the Swis watcn-
maker average only Z 1-3 cents an hour.
We annually buy about s2,50O,oO0 of
swiss watches and watch parts, the
enamelled cases from that country being
especially artistic and the main springs
and dials being unusually good Certain
parts of the best Swiss watches are still
made by hand. both in the homes of the
workmen and at the numerous factories
IN the cantons of Berue and Neuchatel
But American watches are the best for
railroad use. because they are less COM
plicated and keep just as accurate time
Our clocks are unquestionabIy the finest
in the world, although the Germans make
clock that sells for 81, soc.
watches were never so cheap as now
and never so accurate Mr. Ball said. II
am sure that the standards I have estab-
iished for railroad purposes have greatly
helped TO bring the American watch to its
present state OF regularity and precision.
which is good for the man who stays at
home, but is infinitely better for the man
who travels"
Copyright. 1slo by James B. Morrow1
New-York tribune., 1910-01-16

between Chicago and New York would be
an impossible achievement.
But l have wandered away from my
story" Mr.. Ball went on to say. After
an investigation that covered four months
I got my plans concretely formed and put
them into operation. Local time inspect
ors. the best mechanics obtainable, were
appointed at the end Of every division on
the Lake Shore road. Conductors and en-
gfneers were required to have their
watches examined every two weeks If a
watch fell behind or gained thirty seconds
in fourteen days it had to be repaired or
regulated Immediately. Small cards were
given TO the engineers and conductors and
complete records Of their watches were
written down in ink at least once in two
weeks by the official inspectors.
"Since then necessary details have been
added to the plan, but the fundamental re-
auirements have not been changed. Every
conductor and engineer on the 125,e00 miles
of railroads where the plan is operative
carries a little card in his pocket containing
a full description of his watch and a
technical history of It's fortnightly perform
ances. When he leaves his watch for re-
pairs or regulation the inspector gives him
loaner watch Il is called, that is
guaranteed TO keep time 10 the fraction of
a second
'As the sch sme developed, passed upon
certain kinds of watches. The nanufactur-
ers who had to be excluded from The ac-
cepted list threatened TO sue me for dam
ages, and for several years had 10 endure
all sorts OF SANDERS and decline good
many benevolent suggestions. l now ap-
prove or thirty-seS en- different kinds or
watches that are manufactured in eight
separate establishments"
do all railroads have similar schemes
of time Inspection / asked.
II suppose so. A man, copying some OF
the features OF my plan, got on TO an i'm
portsnt road not long ago, and sold twelve
t,'ousand watches to the employees, getting
Ns apiece for watches that cost him -.
New-York tribune., 1910-01-16
VENEER OF GRAPHITE.

The effect of oildag as a gas engine lua
bricant is described as follows: The par
ticles OF graphite carried in suspension In
the oil I'LL in all the irregularities in tho
metal surfaces. giving them a veneer Of
graphite that renders them highly polished
and produces a 1T between piston rings and
cylinders that Is far better than can be
obtained In any other way between ma
chined metal surfaces When the hoIlows
and metal points" have thus been equal
lied the soft graphite moves within itself
under pressure and affords the most per-
feet fabrication.
Oildag has been found equally efficient
in many other types OF machinery besides
automobile engines. Aside from its econ-
ony OF oil. increase OF power and saving
of the bearings themselves. II has proved
wonderfully successful In cereal and textile
mills where fires originating IN hot bear
ings have always been a source OF danger
The use of oildag practically precludes thu
possibility OF a hot bearing. and conse-
quently the new lubricant opens up q wide
field OF use in thar direction
Aquadag Is identical with oiidag IN its
composition, save for the fact that distilled
water is used as the suspendins medium In
stead OF OIL Professor Mabery and other
scientists are optimistic concerning the rlt-
ure of aauadag. They point out that the
worlds supply Of crude oil Is limited and
subject TO exhaustion, and that the demand
for oil Is increasing AT a tremendous rate
The use OF water In place OF oil would alb
solutely preclude the possibility OF fres
originating in heated bearings.
The Perkin medal is named after Sir
William Henry Perkin. who was the dis
coverer of the dyestun ''rnauve," by which
the foundation was laid OF the coal tar color
industry and a great stimulus given to the
study OF organic chemistry. IL has been
awarded TO DR.. Acheson for his scientific
work in the field OF electro-chsmistry by
joint committee representing the Society OF
Chemical Industry. the American Chemical
Society and the American Electro-Chenicai
Society. This joint committee met on De-
cember Is, when the award was made. tho
formal presentation to be as stated.
Each year the names OF a number OF men
prominent in the scientific field are pre-
scented for the consideration OF the Perkin
Medal Committee, and the award OF the
medal TO man means the appreciation OF
his work by his fellow chemists and fellow
scientists. il being recognized that the true
philosophical mind works not for gold. bur
seeks science. which is more precious than
gold. Thus the award OF medals such as
this makes a man conscious of having done
something worth while and acts rs a stin-
ulus and incentive 10 greater things.
This Is the third time the Perkln medal
has been awarded. The first time. in 1877
il went 10 j. 3. F. Herreshor for his work
as a chemical engineer. and IN 1908 II was
given to DR.. Arno Behr for mis- oontxibu-
tons to the chemistry Of the Eiueoss u
dustry.
New-York tribune., 1910-01-16
OILDAG AND AQUADAG.

Oildag and aquadag. the peculiarly but
expressiveIy named lubricants invented by
DR.. Acheson. We're explained IN all details
before the Society Of Mechanical Engineers
in the quarters of the Cnitad Engineering
Society, in 3sth street. recently. by Charles
Frederic Mabsry. professor OF chemistry IN
the Case School OF Applied Science, Of
Cleveland.
Oildag, according TO Professor Mabery. is
revolutionary II decreases friction wher-
ever il is applied 10 a bearing. and IN de-
creasing friction increases available energy
and accomplishes those results at less ak
pense of money and material than any OF
the standard lubricants.
Oildag IS a mixture OF mineral OIL and
DehoccuIated Acheson Graphite. the initial
letters of the three words being taken 20
form the queer sounding second sylia5ls.
Defiocculated graphite is graphite reduced
70 a practical molecular condition. IN which
form Ii remains suspended in OIL The sub
stance is mixed with oil in the proportion
of 0S5 of I per cent of the weight OF tho
oil and is applied like any other lubricant
According TO Professor Nabery. the new
lubricant will require only half the guam
tity OF material to produce given result
than is required without the use OF graph
tie. He also believes that It viii reduce
friction at least D per cent. with An equiv
alent saving OF power. He has tested OIL
dag at the Case School. where the most
advanced testing machinery Is availabls-
In applying the oildag during a series OF
experiments conducted by Professor Ma
berry. it was found that the Acheson dis
covery caused a deposit OF graphite TO form
in the bearing under observation. and when
the supply OF lubricant was shut OF ths
machine ran on for nearly two hours with
out heating or damage.
Other lubricants required a steady flow OF
oil to keep the machine running without
damage.
For use in automobiles. oildag has been
found TO be OF great advantage. increasing
engine power and saving much 10 the bear
tngs OF the machines, particularly IN hill
climbing. Tests conducted by the Auto
mobile Club OF America demonstrated that
its use increased the efficiency OF the en-
gines a little less than 10 per cent
In illustrating the relative amount OF
graphite contained in the lubricant, Profess
Mabery said that in three gallons of
oil a bit OF graphite OF one cubic inch Ia
bulk was sufficient
New-York tribune., 1910-01-16
SOMETIMES READS WRONG.

Occasionally an accident occurs because
an engineer with closed watch removes
the case that is over the dial that he may
see the hands and face and know the time
at hurried glance The stem Of an OPEN
faced watch, you understand, Is opposite
the figure IL. while in a closed watch IL
is opposite the figure 3. Thus, II an en-
gineer forgets himself. he may wrongly
read his dial, and serious trouble is almost
sure to follow. Not long ago a freight en-
gineer with watch so changed mixed his
hands and his figures and made mistake
of fifteen minutes. Rounding a curve he
went head-on into another train. with fatal
results TO several employees and the wreck
of two engines"
Would it be practicable for railways TO
buy good watches and to issue them TO It's
men whenever they go on duty?" I in
quired.
The Pennsylvania Railroad made such
an experiment, but gave it up. Men were
careless with the watches, and In some
instances took them to pawnshops. The
railroad employe is never compelled to sup
ply any of the tools with which he works.
In that respect he Is favored over the
carpenter. the mason and the ordinary me-
chanic. 1t is believed. however that he
ought to own watch, and, being his per-
sonal property, he will take care OF II and
have a pride in it, I see that he is not
overcharged; that he can pay his debt In
instalments. and that his repair bills are
always reasonable"
What does a standard railroad watch
cost?"
"A filled case-that u.s. case with q
sheet of gold on the outside thick enough
10 .f.ra
standard movement can be bought for SO.
Fifteen years ago such a watch would
have cost $50. There ara many thousands
of watches Of the kind have descrsbsd
that will not vary ten seconds In i've
New-York tribune., 1910-01-16

on the paper. This has resulted IN that
new word "denccculate'' Knocking for adj
mittance 70 the new dictionaries. where IL
will soon have place. Scientists have al
ways known that nature left all materials
fiocculated. but they seem to have over
looked the possibility OF "defoccuIation'
until their attention was called to the mat
ter by DR.. Acheson's discoveries
II has required bold thinker, a man OF
original mind. 10 do the things this man has
accomplished. for in none or his work, the
work which has made his ufe's record a
wonderful story. can 1t be said that he has
followed the path OF research bazed by an
other. He will be ifty-four years old on
March Q, and he has a wife and nine chill
dren.
New-York tribune., 1910-01-16
VARIED GRADES OF GRAPHITE.

Then came other experiments. and he
soon determined that from particular forms
of carbon graphite possessing certain def
mite chemical and physical properties could
be made. so that in the process as il is op-
Grated to-day under the influence of the
electric current OF Niagara IL is possible
10 impart TO each grade OF graphite made
the qualities essential TO successful use in
the field 70 which II is TO be applied.
His work compels the expression Of as
tonishment from those who realise that in
an electric furnace of practically the same
design he determined how II was possible
TO make the hardest known abrasive, as
we'll as the worlds purest graphite. which
is a lubricant such results are revelations
which nave forced scientific men the world
over TO admire and praise his work. Twice
he has received the John Scott medal. The
famous Rumford medals were conferred
upon him by the American Academy OF
Arts and Sciences. and now he will soon
own the PerlSin medal
A book could be written about DIR. Ache
sons accomplishments. Filter paper Is
made for the purpose OF arresting solid
bodies In liquids that flow through il, but
DR.. Acheson has discovered a process for
.defiocculating'' graphite and rendering IL
so fine that IL remains suspended In water
or oil. defying successfully the laws OF
gravity and when this graphite mixed with
water is poured into . litter paper II Will
run through It without leaving . daeoatt
New-York tribune., 1910-01-16

conclusions were that II his correspond
ent had discovered a method of making
diamonds he had little use for further
information. whereas if he had not dis
covered anything new there was no use
wasting time over 1t in discussion.
why should / seek a method for max
ing diamonds?" was DIR. Acheson's ques-
tion. IF succeeded I would do nothing
but depreciate the value OF all stones Of
this character the world now has. I an
very sure they would not thank me for
this. The world does not need more dia-
monds. / want the work of my life to
stand for something better"
New-York tribune., 1910-01-16
STAGE OF THE NEW THEATRE,
SHOWING REVOLVING STAGE,
WITH TRANSVERSE SECTIONS
IN THE CENTRE.

tire scene NAV he nn-olled and balanced by
the shot counterweight box.
"a seven-eighths inch rope, known as the
haul rope. has one end attached to the top
of the counterweight box, passes over two
sheaves hung TO the roof trusses, then
downward TO a point below the stage floor
around two sheaves and up again, its other
end being attached 10 the lower end Of the
counterweight box. Thus, since the scene
New-York tribune., 1910-01-16

the first sale made by DR.. Acheson was at
the approximate rate OF more than sSooeoo
a ton.
The present popularity of this abrasive
was not established without many ups and
downs on the part of It's discoverer. After
he returned to Monongahela City he organ
lied a company for its manufacture, and
even when the total production of this COM
paratively small plant was not being mar
keted he conceived the idea of moving to
Niagara Falls. where he planned the erec-
horsepower. This bold conception OF the
possibilities of his new product so aston
ished the directors Of his company that
every one of them resigned, their argument
being that il the product OF a small plant
was not consumed, certainly the production
of a large plant would be a drug on the
market DR.. Acheson. however, had his
the plant to Niagara Falls. where the
process has developed one of the largest
industries there.
One day he discovered that when car
borundum was heated TO a very high tenn
perature decomposition occurred the con-
tanned silicon being dissipated in vapor and
q beautiful graphite left as a pseudoulorph
OF the original crystals. This unexpected
discovery opened a new line OF thought and
research TO him. and otter long series OF
experiments he gave the world a process
for making graphite. This has resulted IN
another large industry at Niagara
New-York tribune., 1910-01-16
WAITS ALMOST ELIMINATED.

This stage enables Us to reduce TO a
minimum the time between scenes. In
20 far as We are concerned. we could
produce the scenes one after another with
OF an auprec;abie wait-that is. when ali
ihe scenes are set beforehand. The only
ting that We have 10 do in such cases
Is 10 put in q new backing or a drop to
nsks each scene complete. In Antony
and Cleopatra the palace scene was SO
lz-re thar We could not revolve the stage.
j the case Of Strife the four scenes were
ssl complete beforehand, each scene tax
ns up approximately one-ouarter of the
sage One advantage of this scheme is
,ast the audience can look through a door
ssy from one scene into another, thereby
frng more natural and comprehensive
FsF Of the setting OF the play.
The plan at The New Theatre is to
tride performance into two parts, with
long interriission OF fifteen or twenty
-nEtes Tie time between the acts in
sch division is from one TO three min
New-York tribune., 1910-01-16

long. 1t runs down a vertical shaft III feet
long. Mechanism is provided by which
sEot may be dropped into the counter
weight box at will. BY adding shot TO the
counterweight box the additional weight
will raise the elevating batten. unrolling
part of the scene roll !Ting on the stage
until a balance is restored. Thus the en-