The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1912-10-02
Big CONTRACT OF
LOCAL CONCERN
PANAMA CANAL WORK OF rHE
WHEELING MOLD q FoUk.
DRY COMPANY
Described in Lengthy Article and Pro.
fuse Illustrations IN Iron
Trade Review.

The Iron Trade Review. published
a. Cleveland. O.. publishes an inter.
esting article this week on the build.
ing OF the equipment for the Panama
Canal. and tells how the Wheeling
Mold a Foundry Company. which re-
ceived the contracts for most OF the
canal lock machines r castings. H.
doing the special work. In part. Il
says:
The Wheeling Mold 4 Foundry co.
Wheeling. W Va. for many months
has been engaged In the building OF
equipment and In the manufacture OF
casting for the Panama Canal The
contracts awarded 10 this company BY
the lsthmian canal commission in
clude 20 moving machines for opening
and closing the mitering gates. It4
machines for operating the rising
stem gate valves which regulate the
main supply OF water to aud from the
locks. and the 1872 machines. including
spares, Tor operating the cylindrical
valves which regulate the flow Of wa
ter In and out OF tbs locks. In add
ton. the company is furnishing an of
the iron and steel castings for the mi
tertng lock gates and the conductor
rail- for carrying current 10 the cleo.
~ locomotives which move vessels
through the locks.
The castings for the mitering lock
gates are being furnished under sub
contract from the McClintic. Marshall
construction Co. Pittsburgh. which
was awarded the general contract
covering all OF the mitering lock
gates. These castings Include the
pintle bearing on which the gate
swings. the yoke bearing supporting
the gate at the top. the reaction cast
ings which line the two edges OF the
gate and support the nickel steel
bearing plates and the manhoIe
frames and used In the man
hole system. In addition to the cast
ings there are being furnished under
this ~subCOntract the rolled nickel
steel bearing plates. yoke pins and
wedges, approximating over 1000. 900
pouDdsi 10000 pounds OF
bronze bushings and pins. forged
nickel steel pintles for all gates and
the pumping system. which will re-
duire 100000 pounds OF piping. valves.
etc. The total weight OF the material
OF mia sub-contract mounts approx
mateX 10 12O00yOOO pounds.
NanadIum Steel Yoke.
Probably the most important OF the
castings "a tha yoke on which the
gate swings a me top. This casting
Is made OF vanRdium steel and weighs
$4,000 pounds. including the bronze
bushing. In April. 1911. one Of the
yoke castings was tested to destruc-
ton at the Ambride. Pa, plant OF the
American Bridge Co. The steel
throughout displayed wonderful uni.
formity. The heel castings are made
Of steel containing O.3O per rent. car
hon., and weigh 5000 pounds Zach
They are machined or five faces and
each contains BIG drilled holes. This
casting is built into the structural
steel gate and transfers the eutir.
weight Of the gate TO the pintle bear
ing These bearings are made OF va
uddium steel. and the upper casting
has "a bronze bushing
which fits the nicke steel forged
lfntle On the II gates reached by
tide water the bushing was made OF
vanadium steel instead OF manganese
bronze on account Of the danger OF
electrOlyttc action. The Quoin end ra
action castings per leaf average $1,000
pounds in weight.
To handle the methods Of machfn-
ing some Of the large castings 10 adj
vantage a large number of jiEs were
made TO facilitate machining. and rig-
Tor erecting and testing the different
Castings had 70 be built Most Of tti.
work wa machincd BY q double head
planer especially built. the bottom sur
face being cut while moving boz one
direction and the two sides being ma.
ehined on the reverse cut.
Operating the mitsring Gates.
Probably the most interesting equip.
ment used in connection with the lock
gates includes the ~ moving machines
for opening and closing the mlterInE
gates. On accOun 81 the large size
OF these gates an entirely new type Of
machine was designed hv Edward
~Schildhauer. electrical and mechanical
engineer for the tsthmian canal com.
mission. The Wheeling Mold A. Pour.
dry co. was awarded the contract Tor
All Of these machines. and the first
Two have been delivered and tested
and work on the remaining H0 ma.
chimes 81 well under way. The ma.
chine complete. with strut arm.
weighs about 90 tons. the entire order
involving approximately $500 tons Of
material. The machine is operated
by an electric motor rated AZ 500 rav0.
buttons per minute. which ie reared
down a. a rano OF approximate 2 70
1880. reducing the speed t1 la-s than
onethird N "a revolution per minute
for the larre gear wheel. which B. o..
rectiy connected 90 me Fafe d.. fra
strut arm This large gear be- "a, foot
3 inches in diameter. and in moving
the gate lt operates 1ppro1fmrfs..
through q ha.f OF "a resolution. Thus
requiring Ices than two minute. f1
open and close the gate
Approximately 10000 I.rea. foot of
"copper" conductor rail Ha-. furnished
H~szrrrtf'rs fHY tons TH.a mIf.r.4.
$500 tr u..I f.r conveying rl-ron. tY
.fr t.arfr. locomotive used .lr tow
Irr 'Hr.Is. .Ia .u.ts Tho
-.. r.r'.... f.r tH.. material e4a
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