December i, 1905.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER \VORLD 



&1 



A CALL FOR MORH AIR BRAKE HOSE. 



THE Interstate Commerce Commission at Washington has 

 issued an order requiring an increased use o( air brakes 

 on freight ttains. The original order required that on all 

 freight trains not less than 50 per cent, of the cars should be 

 operated with the use of air brakes, and said order has been in 

 full force since July i, 1904. The evident purpose of the law, 

 however, was that ultimately all cars should be equipped with 

 air brakes and that all the brakes should be used in running 

 trains, and the commission has labored to the end of seeing 

 that this condition should in time be reached. It has been 

 necessary, however, to consider limitations which existed in 

 the capacity of the railroads to adapt themselves to full com- 

 pliance with the law, and on November 2 there was a hearing 

 before the commission, attended by representatives of the rail- 

 way companies, on the question of increasing the minimum of 

 power braked cars in freight trains to 75 per cent. On Novem- 

 ber 15 it was decided by the commission that such condition 

 would be insisted upon from and alter August i, 1906. 



It was represented by the railway companies that such is the 

 demand for transportation at this time that practically all their 

 cars are in use, including many old cars which are not worth 

 equipping with air brakes, and which it is intended to retire 

 from use and break up as rapidly as car builders are able to 

 supply new cars with which to replace them. Many railway 

 companies reported that large orders for new cars had been 

 placed which could not be supplied for months to come. It 

 was in view of these considerations that the commission has 

 granted to the railway companies a delay until August i next 

 for raising the minimum of power braked cars to 75 per cent. 

 Already, however, this minimum is exceeded on many railway 

 lines, and the disposition of all the companies appears to be to 

 equip their cars with air brakes to the fullest extent, feeling 

 that such equipment tends to the greater safety of employes 

 and the public, and increased economy in operation. 



Practically complete returns from the railway companies on 

 October i, 1905, showinga total of 1,790,113 Ireightcars owned 

 by them, of which 1,564.396 were equipped with air brakes. 

 The difference was 225,717 cars, the equipment of which would 

 call for 451,434 pieces of air brake hose. The commission had 

 also the returns showing the use of 111,122 privately owned 

 freight cars in the United States, practically all equipped with 

 air brakes. For some time past all the rolling stock employed 

 in the railway passenger service in the United States has been 

 fully equipped with air brakes with results that have been uni- 

 versally appreciated. 



SWEATING OF AFRICAN RUBBERS. 



TO THE Editor of The India Rubber World : Earlier 

 in the year you were kind enough to insert several letters 

 from me, re the " Sweating of African Rubbers." These letters 

 were answered by several gentlemen who seemed unanimous in 

 their convictions that the trouble was caused by the larger 

 amount of resin contained in these gums when compared with 

 those of different climes. I have always felt that their argu- 

 ments were not based on facts, but from mere suppositions, es- 

 pecially when they failed to set forth any theories showing the 

 why and wherefore of their reasoning. I have followed up my 

 experiments, however, and am more convinced than ever that 

 they were wrong. 



You will remember that my demonstrations showed that from 

 the same bag of Lopori were taken three samples — one of good 

 clean gum, one much decomposed by being sweated, and 



another which was a mixture of both. The first cured all right, 

 the results were what they should be ; the second was "alto- 

 gether to the bad," and could not be cured ; the third was not 

 so bad, but it was not correct by any means. Analysis showed 

 the same amount of resin in each. Additional resin, to the 

 amount of 2% per cent, was added to sample No. i, and made 

 no difference that could be detected. 



My later experiments have been as follows : Took some Lo- 

 pori under the same conditions as before, extracted the resin 

 from each sample, and hung it in the drying room, subjecting 

 the whole to a temperature of 90" F. The results were as be- 

 fore, only the best sample hanging more than 10 hours ; then 

 after adding 6 per cent, each of sulphur and litharge, I attempt- 

 ed to cure the same in a mold, giving it one hour, with 45 

 pounds pressure of steam (about 290° F.). The poor sample 

 failed to cure at all ; it hardened up, and was short and non 

 elastic. 



Now, Sir, I am convinced that, the resin theory is a fallacy ; 

 that it is wrong; that the trouble consists altogether with the 

 method of gathering, exposure to the sun, or the heat of the 

 steamer hold when in transit. Yours very truly, 



A. D. THORNTON. 



Montreal, Quebec, November 20, 1905. 



THE "EUREKA" STEAM TRAP. 



INLET 



THERE is probably no problem, the solution of which has 

 given steam users more trouble than that which relates 

 to the removal of the water of condensation from the pipes 

 conveying steam to the power generator or the radiating me- 

 dium. The attention which this matter has received is evi- 

 denced by the almost innumerable devices in the shape of steam 



traps which have been offered 

 to steam users, but each suc- 

 ceeding inventor has apparently, 

 ^^^ ^^^ _ sought to introduce new com- 



mit— -^fll^^^^^f^^—jjj plications of levers and bearings, 

 ^ ^ '"''' ^^^ '~^ until some engineers evidently 



consider a steam trap as one of 

 the evils of his existence. A 

 steam trap, in order to perform 

 its functions satisfactorily, should 

 be simple in construction, and so 

 designed as to absolutely pre- 

 vent leakage of steam when the 

 water has been discharged. The 

 inventor of the " Eureka" steam 

 trap, illustrated herewith, has designed an apparatus meant to 

 meet these requirements fully. 



The simplicity of the Eureka trap renders unnecessary anv 

 extended explanation. It is positive in action. The weight of 

 the float and the pressure effective on the area of the valve 

 stem keeps the outlet closed until the submergence of the float 

 overcomes the weight and pressure; the float then lifts the 

 valve wide open and the water is discharged until the float 

 drops and closes the outlet. While the trap is discharging a 

 rotating motion is imparted to the float by the outgoing water 

 on which it rests, thereby causing the valve and the seat to be 

 automatically reground at every operation. 



The entire absence of levers, bearings, springs, etc., which 

 usually cause trouble in steam traps, should recommend the 

 Eureka to engineer or superintendents of rubber mills. The 

 Eureka traps are manufactured in all standard sizes, and are 

 sold at prices that compare favorably with the common trap. 

 [Osgood Sayen, Arcade building, Philadelphia.] 



OUTLET 



