JUNE, 1921

"all the old time pep of the Crane Organization” was to the fore from the first sound of the All Star Jazz Band of Council Bluffs to the last morsel of the buffet supper. The Club Correspondent makes this comment: "We feel that these gatherings serve to stimulate brotherly affection and friendly interest in one another, resulting in more satisfactory business relations, and thus marching toward the goal at which our club aims."

The first annual dinner of the Crane Club of London (Crane-Bennett Ltd.) was held in the Middlesex Suite, Abercorn Rooms, in Liverpool street, London. Shortly before that the Club had its regular monthly social gathering. Commenting on these two features of club activity, the editor of The Crab, the club magazine, says: "Although admitting the dinner to have been a great success and undoubtedly the event of the year, much more importance should be attached to the recent social, because, in spite of the fact that it was only our usual monthly gathering, there was something unusual about it, in that a more hearty, happy and real spirit prevailed than on any former informal occasion. It is to these informal socials that the club looks for life and growth, and if we can enjoy each other's society as happily as we did then all the year through-well, it speaks for itself, doesn't it? The point is that we have the club dinner once a year, but our informal socials twelve times a year, so, obviously, it is the twelve socials that are going to make the club."

A recent inquiry from the Counsellor for certain Club information fell into the hands of the staff of the Brooklyn Branch, and it has brought the following: "In the list of Crane Clubs, as given in your circular letter, you listed Brooklyn as having a club. However, we did not have one, but upon seeing our name listed, we decided that we would get busy and organize one. We therefore met and organized The Crane Club of Brooklyn. Following are the officers for the first year: President, Harry W. Tricker; vice-president, Miss Isabelle Meehan; treasurer, Howard F. Smith; secretary, Miss Edna Miller." The Counsellor cordially welcomes the Brooklyn Club into the International Association, and takes this opportunity of expressing his appreciation of the action of the Brooklyn co-workers in so promptly and so satisfactorily making it unnecessary for him to correct his records.

The Crane Club of Toronto found its first social event of the year so pleasant that it held another within two months. Both were well attended, and both evenings were spent in dancing, card playing and the enjoyment of excellent little suppers. From a social point of view this club fully expects to enjoy a very satisfactory year.

The members of the Crane Club of Washington entertained their friends recently at the regular monthly meeting at a Five Hundred card party, followed by refreshments. The first notable event of the club was a dance at the Washington Canoe Club, mentioned in another paragraph.

The first annual banquet of the Crane Club of San Francisco was held at the well known Cliff House, and was attended by nearly 200 members of the San Francisco and Oakland Clubs with their friends. The evening was one of informality

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and good fellowship. Between banquet courses professional entertainment was furnished. There was also dancing and contributions from the Girls' Glee Club and several of the club members.

At a recent meeting of the Crane Club of Portland it was voted by a substantial majority that the Secretary be instructed to invite the attention of the women members of the office staff to the fact that there was nothing in either the Constitution or By-laws of the club to prevent them from becoming active members of the organization. We believe that this is true of all Crane Clubs so far organized. It is a wise course to follow, and it has been the experience of the clubs generally that those which are open freely to all Crane co-workers of the Branches where clubs are in existence are the most active and the most successful. Individual objection to such membership, it must be obvious, cannot be prompted by a broad spirit of tolerance and an earnest desire to bring more fully into play those co-operative activities so essential to a harmonious and efficient social and business organization. The Crane Club of Portland is to be congratulated on its progressive step, and it is to be hoped that the young women of the staff may take advantage of the opportunity and give to the club their active and energetic support.

The Crane Club of Davenport held its annual dinner recently and also made the occasion the annual business meeting and election of officers. Both the social and the business features were marked by the spirit that has made this one of the most successful and enterprising units of the Inte:national Association.

Club Magazines and Study Courses

Several new Club magazines have entered the field this year. The Bridgeport Club (Division Office) comes forward with Sparks, a sprightly little booklet. As this club is the first to be organized within the manufacturing boundaries of the Company, the little magazine leads us into a new field and this makes it uncommonly interesting.

Splashes comes from the staff of the Crane & Ordway Co., of Aberdeen. It shows considerable skill in editing and the contributions to the third issue make good reading.

Other reported publications that have not yet come to this desk are: The Magpie, of Los Angeles, and Drops, of St. Paul. Others which may be called "old timers" continue to appear with more or less regularity and with increasing evidences of improvement. Of these the Pop-Off, Seattle, keeps its place as the original leader in the field. Offsets, Winnipeg, with Fisher's excellent pen and ink work, more than holds its own. The Oozer, San Francisco, introduces an interesting innovation in the editor passing his duties along to other members of the staff and thus giving a variety that is uncommonly interesting. For example, a recent issue of the Oozer is called a "sporting number" and was edited by a member of the staff who is fairly steeped in all the rare and peculiar "lingo" of the average sporting page. The Crab, London, forges continually along, a recent issue giving pictures and an account of the beginning of the Ipswich Works of CraneBennett, Ltd., which is considered elsewhere in

this issue, and a lively account of the annual banquet of the Crane Club of London. The Retort, Portland, continues to grow both in size and interest, the latest issue carrying a number of half-tone illustrations of notable natural scenes around Portland and an informative sketch of the Columbia Highway.

The following Crane Clubs are conducting study courses: Boston, Buffalo, Birmingham, Brooklyn, Kansas City, Oklahoma City, Spokane, Seattle. San Francisco, and Winnipeg. In all probability an International Study Course will be provided before long to be used as a basis for study classes by all Crane Clubs.

H

[AVING been at the head of a manufacturing establishment for the past eighteen years, in, during that time, the change has been me fro. the English to the metric system, I believe that an account of how this was done in an American factory, and what the results have been, might be of interest to many of my fellow shop men who may be seeking light upon the subject and endeavoring, meanwhile, to keep an pen mind regarding it. It is a question which, ke others combining mechanical and business or commercial aspects, should be considered with coolness and impartiality; and, above all, both sides of the matter should be examined.

In our case there were special reasons for looking into this question-reasons that would not apply in all cases. Our intimate connection with a manufacturing establishment in Sweden, making a similar machine there for the European market, made it important for us to be able to visualize measurements and quantities stated in metric terms and to be able to readily read and thoroughly comprehend drawings made to the metric system. In other words, it became almost imperative that the two establishments, the one in Sweden and the other here, should use-in their correspondence and on their drawings-the same system of weights, measurements, and capacities. For reasons not necessary to go into here, it would have been unthinkable for us to have asked our Swedish friends to change to our system, and so we considered whether we ought not to change to theirs, and finally did so, without any of the tremendous difficulties and enormous expenses that we hear so much about.

How the Change was Accomplished

Our machines are manufactured in very large numbers in a thoroughly organized factory equipped to a rather unusual extent, I think, with expensive and highly refined special tools and machines. If our change to the metric system had meant throwing these away and making new ones having integral metric measurements, the task would have been practically impossible; but we

did not need to do this. We simply adopted metric measurements for the machines we were already manufacturing; we put metric dimensions on the drawings for these machines and for the tools used in manufacturing them, as fast as circumstances called for it to be done, and commenced to talk millimeters and hundredths of a millimeter, instead of inches, eighths, sixteenths, thirty-seconds, sixtyfourths and thousandths of an inch. We did the same with units of weight and capacity. It was all very simple, and after a short time almost every one about the place was using the new terms with the greatest ease and familiarity.

Whether the change from one system to the other can be made quickly or not, depends upon what we mean by the change. I claim that when we quit talking about our machines and tools in English terms and commenced to talk of them in metric terms, our factory had made the change. It removed all the difficulties mentioned at the beginning of this article and it introduced no new ones not easily overcome. The expense was slight and never showed itself to any appreciable extent in the factory cost of our machines; and we think we know costs about as accurately as anyone does. This change took place twelve years ago and we have seen no reason whatever to regret having made it. On the contrary, it has been advantageous to us in every way.

The First Step

When we design a new model of our line of machines or a new size we shall probably make some, and perhaps all, of the dimensions, to what may be called integral metric sizes, that is, even millimeters so far as possible; but, regardless of how far our judgment may lead us to go in that direction, we shall certainly define all dimensions in metric terms. It is my belief that others who follow that plan will find the change very easy and the results favorable.

This experience has been all the more interesting to me, as I was brought up and educated in the English system and spent fifteen years, previous to becoming engaged in executive work, as an ap

JUNE, 1921

prentice, toolmaker, gage-maker, and shop foreman, working exclusively to the English system of measurement, except for a period of six months spent in Mexico.

The Changing of Drawings

When the change was made at the plant of the De Laval Separator Co., a carefully planned course was pursued, and no confusion resulted. Dimensions in millimeters were placed on the old drawings directly under the inch dimensions. On new drawings the inch dimensions were omitted, all dimensions being in millimeters, so that gradually the inch measurements disappeared from all drawings. No difficulty has been experienced by inability of the men to work to the metric units, except in case of a man who may have so thoroughly absorbed the English units and become so mentally inelastic, that he is unable to read a drawing or take a measurement except in terms of English units of length; but this is a rare case, especially among young or middle-aged men. As soon as the men are able to forget the existence of the inch and its fractions, the metric system becomes extremely simple. It is only when a needless attempt is made to translate one system into another that confusion arises, and the workman's inclination to do this should be discouraged.

In a large industrial plant working under the metric system in America, some difficulty is, of course, experienced in the purchasing department, owing to the fact that it is impossible to buy certain materials, such as square, round, or flat bar stock, for example, in other than inch measurements and sizes. This difficulty is also encountered in other cases during the process of manufacturing, owing to the use of English units of measure outside of the plant.

Likelihood of Errors Lessened

It has been said that the use of the decimal point increases the possibility of error. I firmly believe that errors caused by the omission or transposition of decimal points are not so frequent as those caused by changing fractions of an inch into decimals. It the use of decimals were objectionable or likely to cause errors, they would be particularly objectionable in high-grade gage and tool work. But, even in the English system, limits are always expressed in decimals of an inch in work of that kind, often to four, or even five, places; yet errors due to that source rarely occur. These errors are still further reduced when the metric system is used, because the same degree of accuracy is expressed with fewer figures. From an experience of twelve years, I can say without hesitation that the change from the English to the metric system of measurement has, in the case of the De Laval Separator Co., proved an economical measure, for after once being established, fewer errors have been made in interpreting drawings and making calcu lations.

No "Scrapping" Necessary

The adoption of the metric system will not necessitate the wholesale scrapping of patterns, gages, or machine tools. Any practical mechanic, after a little reflection, should, I think, under

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stand this. The experience of the De Laval Separator Co., in changing from the English to the metric system, bears this out, for in the shop today many of the same machines and much of the equipment are still the same as when the English system was in use, and no machines have been discarded on account of the change. It is not the dimensions of the work that are changed at first, but simply the nomenclature pertaining to the sizes. It is of little importance to the workman, especially when engaged in production work, whether a gage is dimensioned in thousandths of an inch or in hundredths of a millimeter, for he need not often refer to the drawing, but is interested mainly in whether or not the work comes within the limits of the gage. When gages, tools, and fixtures are to be replaced because of wear or from other causes, the new equipment is made to the new system of measurement. By following this gradual transformation practice, no extra expense has resulted from the introduction of the metric system in our factory.

Patterns are foundrymen's tools, and the system of measurement to which they are made is of minor importance. There has never been a case where it has been necessary to discard one of our patterns because it was made to the English system, even though the machined surfaces later were machined to metric measurements; nor has there been any difficulty in the use of the machine tools made to the English system, as they are employed equally well for finishing machine parts dimensioned in the new system; and no gages have been thrown away at any time because of the change from one system to another. The men have been found to read metric scales and micrometers more easily than those made to the inch system. In the case of scales and micrometers, of course, there is an initial added expense, as in this case the old tools must be replaced with new. This has been done gradually, so that at the present time in the De Laval plant all micrometers, scales and other graduated instruments read in the metric system.

The Author's Conclusions

Through the actual use of the metric system in a large manufacturing plant, although during fifteen years of work in the industries I had little practical experience with any but the English system, I have come to believe in the advantages to be gained through the adoption of the metric system. I do not believe that because the English system has always met the practical needs of the industry in the past, it should, therefore, not be disturbed. It would be equally logical to say that an old type machine should not be replaced by a modern one because the older machine had always met the needs of the work of the plant in the past, and that, therefore, a modern machine of greater efficiency should not be installed.

On the basis of the experience of the De Laval Separator Co., it is, therefore, safe to draw the following conclusions: (1) The change to the metric system can be made without causing confusion, or serious disturbance. (2) It is unnecessary to throw away patterns, gages, or tools made to the old system. (3) The simplicity of the metric system is the greatest factor in its favor, and due to its use, there has been a reduction of errors.

I believe that we have adopted and are using the metric system as fully as any conceivable legis

lation that could be enacted and enforced in this country could require; but, irrespective of the wisdom or unwisdom of compulsory legislation on this question, possibly the experience of the Swedish company to which I have referred might be of interest. Erik Forsberg is the chief engineer of the Swedish company. He has been much in this country and is quite familiar with our system of measurements. He has recently left here for home after an extended visit, and speaking of the experience with the metric system in his country, he said: "When legislation was enacted there compelling the use of the metric system, ten years' time was given in which to accomplish the change. The manufacturers and others seemed to care nothing at all about the legislation or the ten years' time, or anything in connection with it, but simply went on with their old system until something more than nine years had elapsed, when there was a grand scramble, which resulted in the metric system coming into use rather suddenly but fully, and with astonishingly little confusion."

Crane Valves in the S-48

The S-48, latest type of United States submarine, is equipped with Crane valves. The Lake Torpedo Boat Co., of Bridgeport, builder of the submarine, sent a letter of thanks to the Bridgeport Branch of Crane Co. for the quality of service given in the furnishing of Crane material. From a Bridgeport paper we take an account of an interesting and unusual feature of the launching:

"A real Indian princess, a real bottle of champagne, a fife and drum corps and a crowd estimated at 1,000 people were the features of the launching of the S-48, the latest thing in submarine construction, at the Lake Torpedo Boat Co., Bridgeport.

"Princess Tocoomwas, in private life Mrs. James Germaine of Norwich, daughter of Chief Fielding, last chief of the Mohican tribe in this country, was the sponsor for the new boat. As it slid from the ways she crashed the champagne across its bows and christened it the S-48.

"The princess and her picturesque party attracted a great deal of attention both at the launching and about the city. Dressed in the picturesque raiment of their tribe, the party was the center of attention as it left the Hotel Stratfield to attend the launching.

"Princess Tocoomwas was accompanied by her father, Chief Fielding, her husband and her sister-in-law. She was the guest of General Manager P. B. Brill at a reception at his home on Washington avenue after the launching.

"The S-48 is the most modern of all submarines. It is 240 feet long and has a displacement of 1,000 tons.

"Its battery will consist of five twentyone inch torpedo tubes. Four of them will be forward and one aft. It also will carry a four-inch gun."