Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-12-26

producing the a0oO0.odd horsepower re-
qulred To operate this gigantic plaintiffs
meaning all OF the dynamus. motors, cranes
aud other mechanical equipment. these
eases being passed through washers 20
cleanse them OF impurities.
And this statement leads wa to dlgress
Tor moment 20 apostrpphlSe on what Ii
without question tho most wonderful pri-
vate power plant in Amsrlcs--the plant
that In the motive force behind all tho
activities Of thls extraordinary and much
diversified Workshop
Developing Approximately hundred
thousand horsepower a year. tho nine pow
ertut Bethlehem constructed EaH engines
drive tho huge General Electric Company
generators that turn all the wheels OF
every department OF tho plant.
Tho bethlehem gas engine Is a triumph
OF engineering
One Of those gas engines has thousands
OF parta, and virtually all OF them are
manufactured from steel, even the cylinders.
the Bsthlehsm Steel Company. by the way.
being tho only plant IN tho world 20 cast
= steel cylinder In n single piece. Also It
has built tho largest cyiinderH OF any kind
ever made,
Pumping engines are another product of
the power department. among tho recent
notable Installations bsing the great a.,
soc OOo.Esllon pumpB OF tho city OF naRi-
morua new water Hyhtem
Beaides its outside orders. tho Bsthla-
hem Steel Company II at present construct
Ing forty-for lRrge-type gas engines for
ita subsidiaries at steelton and Sparrow
more than two years TO come,
The bethlehem Steel Company's power
plant is being Increased at present by an
addition Of 1ve moro gas engines. which
win bring The aEgrsgate Development up TO
about 1ab,oo0 horsepower Also there Ia
being Installed = Hprinkllng plant 20 cool on
the water used IN the gas engines. Here
tororo about lb0,000.ooo gallons month
have been used In this operation. and IL
has been found necessary to pump IL from n
point in the river two miles below the sta
tlon. The wRtAr, OF course, has gone to
immediate waste. Under the new system,
however. it will be possible 10 utilize the
same water over and over again. The
loss through evaporation will be, IL Is esti-
mated about hvs per cent. This means
that only 100000 gallons \ month as
against more than 5000 600 gallons day
will be required, and that VIII be aIphonsd
from tho river At the site OF the plant
The entire Bethlehem plant uses more
than 5000, 600 gallons year
one could not Justly Leave the subject
OF power without at least q reference to the
Epiendidly appointed power plant with It's
Ensen-enRmeled engines. with their brhss-
protecting railings and nirkel-drivlng rods
It's red tile Moor, Its centrally located SWITCH
constituting, all in all. the most eloquent
ancomium that could be adduced aa TO the
surprising efiiciehcy OF The mighty indua-
trial plant whoAa myriad wheels II tuFnA
But 10 return to the blast furnaces In
the hmeltlng Of iron there arc three chief
agencies beaides the ore itself. thsas being
coke, lime and compreaaed air.
More than a million aud half tons of
coke are consumed annually, tho coke being
obtained from the ovens OF the LehlEh Coal
Company two miles below tho plant.
About seventy per cent OF the resultant
iron IL used In g molten state. the remain-
der being made into pig 10 hll the general
plant requirements
Fer tho most part the molten metal Is
carried Ia hugo iadlss 70 the opan-hearth
about sixty per cent OF ls being
hrat passed through the Bessemer convert
sra, which reduce the carbon content ana
large proportion Of the manga
nesa and silicon. the open hearth materially
reducing the phoaphoFus
Part OF the charge In. the opsn hsArth II
pig Iron. part steel scrap, the proportion
depending mostly on tho reiativs value Of
scrap ana pig iron on the open market.
with the exception OF some $4,000 tons
~ metal sent IN = hot state 20 the steel
'oundry, the entire annual output OF the
bethlehem Steel Company. amounting al
lrehent 70 more than 1000 900 tons Is cast
nto ingota-theaa ingota. Weighing aay~
fhefe from $500 70 100000 pounds each
FAteA SO AAtieA into nAAas fAtlA ana EtEue@
ural shapes, or forged into gun parts
'resaes, shaftings and the countless other
'roducta necessary 20 the succassful con
luet of the plant
No steel plant IN the world. perhaps. has
. more extensive Or better equipped foun-
Try than that Of the nethlehsn Steel Com-
ANY.
said 60 Be the largest Individual foundry
n the country, 4 can produce any ehafae-
er Of casting demanded ~ present-day
Industry. whether Of steel iron. copper.
rafa or bronze.
Nor does Il place any restrictions a. "a
lzs, having facilities 70 make beth the
naiiasl and largest castings used Ia ne
manufacture OF rs many
m 7. =. !. J !. ]. J. .. !. ]. ! J. !: !. !
diversified products II
holds fhs record or the
q world for the largest
- castings n both steel and
iron. Both Of thees were
III - ~ made for the caFnegls
- ~ Ill staai Company ths iron
IaI aI4a