The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-12-31

ore.
 BETHLEHEM AND STEEL RAILS
 The leaders in the steel industry arc convinced that there will speedily come. in case prices are right, largs demand for steel rails. A considerable part of this demand will be felt by the Bethlehem Steel company. Today the Bethlehem company as we'll as the United states Steel corporation is pre-. pared to make steel rails weighing . hundred and ten pounds to the yard and as perfect in quality as modern science and manufacturing genius have made it possible to secure.
 Yet there was time not long ago when much embarrassment was felt by the manufacturers of steel rails because of complaints that the hun dred and ten pound rails did not wear as well as the steel rail which weighed only sixty pounds to the yard. The Pennsylvania Railroad com pany, for instance. which was in the market for a large amount of the heavier steel rails refused to accepfs shipment, stating that the rails di { not reach the needed qualities in or der to secure long wear. Then begaT one of the many romances associate
 with our steel industry. Both th.S iteund States Steel corporation, un- der Judge Gary, and the Bethlehem corporation, under Holland.
 MT. Sehwab put before their chem ists and men of science the problem which can be stated in these words: Why is it that the heavy steel rails are found to have less enduring quality than the old sixty-pound steel rail? The chemists and men of science made critical examination of sections of both the hundred and ten-pound rail and the sixty-pound rail. Chemistry and microscope revealed nothing more than that the rails appeared to be ex- actly so far IS quality was concerned Nevertheless there remained the dis- turbing fact that the heavy rails did not stand the strain on the flange as we'll as did the lighter rails
 Conjectures of all kinds were made with intent to explain this mysterious difference. Some of the experts said the difficulty would be found in the. process of the manufacture. Others explanations followed, some of which were queer. But Judge Gary and MT Schwab. each in his own way, caused the investigation to be continued. At last 1t was discovered that the diff ficulty lay in the fact that the welding process which was the same in the case of both rails was the cause of the diff hculty. Welding means in nontechni- cal language the rolling of the rails back and forth under rollers so as to secure strength and toughness by tho perfect union of the molecules. There fore it was determined to give to the heavier rails increased welding which was needed in order to perfect the harmonizing of the molecules This explanation is probably as clear one as can be made to laymen. The ex- periments disclosed the fact that with perfect welding the heavy rails would possess the quality of endurance which the lighter rails always had Then by the utilization of manganese in the manufacture of rails which were to be employed nroad beds where there were curves, these two master builders of steel rails at last secured fleet rails which all the great railroads in the United States needed. To do tFis involved patience, investigation, tho penetrating of what had been mys- tery and considerable expense. As one high expert authority said this norYl- ing: '1t is exactly like the kneading of dough for bread. Every housewife knows that the more patiently and per sistently she kneads the dough the more perfect is the union of the mole cules in the dough for baking in tfk1 oyen.' Undoubtedly MT. Schwab ex- poets to manufacture steel rails 1T. large amount and so ta fix prices that the inevitable demand which will soonI be made for steel rail will be- in part. met by the company whose growth re- presents one of the great achievements of Mr Schwah