LUBRICATING OILS 



THE Stephens & Conraw Co., of No. 136 Liberty 

 Street, New York, who furnished the lubri- 

 cating oils for the mechanical plant of the 

 Singer Building, write as follows : 



"It is with mingled pleasure and pride we sign 

 ourselves participants in the successful operation of 

 the motive system of the giant Singer Building, if this 

 service is only to eliminate the friction from the work- 

 ing, wearing parts of the mighty valves of its complex 

 heart. For here was set our task. 



" Go down with us into the peerless Power Plant 

 the life center of the building, and note the perpetual 

 activity of the numerous but interdependent mechan- 

 isms, forming with almost physiological arrangement 

 the organism which alone makes practical the tower- 

 ing shaft of business homes above. 



"In this domain of the engineer, our lubricating 

 specialties, impelled by a perfect oiling system, make 

 their ceaseless round, directly or indirectly facilitating 

 the working of five Babcock & Wilcox boilers with 

 superheaters; five main four-valve Ball & Wood 



engines, two cross compound d.c. to Diehl 300 K.W. 

 Generators, and three d.c., one to a 200 K.W., and 

 the two others to 300 K.W. Generators, supplying 

 heat and power; eight auxiliary engines variously 

 used; thirty-five pumps for boiler feeding, vacuum 

 cleaning, water supply, etc.; sixteen Otis Traction 

 Passenger Elevators and three plunger hydraulic 

 freight elevators; a distilled water condenser, and a 

 20-ton York Ice Machine, driven by a Corliss Engine. 

 "A recital explaining the practical, experimental 

 and chemical details employed in compounding oils, 

 greases, etc., to meet the varied symptoms of this 

 complex yet multiplex system, where no two engines, 

 though technically identical, present the same con- 

 ditions, and where the recurring disturbances of 

 superheat, condensations, etc., have to be overcome, 

 did space permit, would be exceedingly dry and un- 

 profitable reading to any except ourselves. After 

 the manner of our product, therefore, we shall have 

 to work for the most part unseen, being content with 

 the knowledge that we have accomplished our task." 



STEAM PACKING 



THE question of packing for stuffing boxes, 

 steam joints, etc., in the mechanical plant of 

 the Singer Building, while a small matter in 

 itself, received the closest attention and study, always 

 with an eye open to the fact that the packing is 

 intended to prevent leakage of steam, and that leaks 

 in any steam vessel bear directly on the consump- 

 tion of coal and frustrate the very idea of sparing 

 no expense in equipment to obtain economy in run- 

 ning. In referring to this subject, the point which 

 naturally is uppermost in the mind of one whom 

 the packing question interests is the piston rod and 

 valve steam packing. These parts are packed with 

 Crandall's High-Pressure Ring Packing, made up in 

 ring form, a perfect fit to rod and stuffing box. This 

 material is made with a large rubber core in the 



center to give the packing elasticity, the core being 

 protected from the extreme heat of the stuffing box 

 by the outside cover of the finest quality asbestos 

 fiber, lubricated with a special compound to reduce 

 friction. The selection of this material was appar- 

 ently no mistake, as it has been found that the heavy 

 layers of asbestos protect the rubber core, prevent- 

 ing deterioration and thereby prolonging the life of 

 the packing. Other packing propositions than the 

 above were considered and given the same close 

 attention which has marked the successful construc- 

 tion of the Singer Building. To dwell on each of 

 these propositions would be superfluous ; on the high- 

 pressure piston-rod and valve-stem work the results 

 obtained by the use of the Crandall Packing are 

 eminently satisfactory. 



10!) | 



