Westinghouse Company Celebrates 50th Anniversary

To celebrate its 50th anniversary, the Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company gathered together its employees in special meetings held simultaneously on the evening of January 8, 1936, in cities where the company is represented by fac­tories, offices, warehouses, subsidiaries, or dealers. This date was exactly 50 years from the date in 1886 when the company was granted its original charter "for the manufacture of electrical products." The headquarters anniversary meeting was held in Pittsburgh, Pa., and provided the key program for all other meetings. The cele­bration was featured by addresses by A. W. Robertson (A'27) chairman of the board, and F. A. Merrick (ΑΌ7) president. Short­wave radio communication was used to link together this country-wide celebration.

In his remarks, Mr. Merrick said, speak­ing of the company's original charter: "The real charter under which Westinghouse Electric was founded is the spirit of pro-gressiveness, courage, integrity, and hu­manity, under which it has forged ahead to

its eminent position of service in our mod­ern life."

Mr. Robertson outlined some of the high lights in the history of the company, which parallels very closely the history of the electrical industry in general. He illus­trated the tremendous advances made in the application of electricity to everyday life by drawing vivid contrasts between the situation in 1886 and that in 1936. He em­phasized the many contributions that the Westinghouse company has made to the development of the electrical industry, many of which were pioneering efforts over unchartered ways.

Speaking of the fundamental contribu­tion tha t Westinghouse has made in the establishment and subsequent development of the a-c system, Mr. Robertson said : "The present universal use of alternating electric current is due in no small measure to the prophetic vision of George Westinghouse. It took courage to oppose the great Edison but Mr. Westinghouse was not lacking in courage. The Westinghouse organization has never lost the spirit of courage, enthu­siasm, and foresight instilled into it from the day of its birth by its founder. These traits are basic elements in the character of

the institution. No one could visualize a Westinghouse organization without them."

Mr. Robertson described also the part that the Westinghouse company played in the development of hydroelectric power at Niagara Falls, its early promotion of the steam turbine, its pioneering efforts in radio broadcasting, and many other advances in the field of electrical machinery, electrical transportation, and the generation, trans­mission, and distribution of electric power.

Speaking of the past with respect to the future of the company, Mr. Robertson said : "Westinghouse has survived for more than 2 generations because it deserved to survive, and for no other reason. The company has served the world well and the world has re­warded it well. The past is an open book. We of the present read it with pride and with due respect for the accomplishments of the past. The future lies before us un­known. The destiny of the Westinghouse Electric Manufacturing Company is now in our hands. If the past history was great, it was great because the men of Westinghouse were great men. If we have a great future, it will be for the same reason, namely, tha t the men of Westinghouse are great men. They must have courage, industry, and foresight. . . .

" I t is useless to point to the past with pride. The key of the past will not open the door of the future; but continued applica­tion of courage, enthusiasm, and foresight will carry Westinghouse to heights beyond our imagination. Westinghouse men have raised the banner of the Westinghouse com­pany high. I t is our duty and privilege to keep it high."

Editor and Engineer F. R. Low Dead at 75

Fred R. Low, an international figure in journalism and engineering, died a t 6 a.m., January 22, a t his home in Passaic, New Jersey, where he had been critically ill for several years. He was 75 years old.

A self-made man, whose formal schooling stopped as a result of severe illness when he was 14, Mr. Low achieved wide recogni­tion as an engineer and technical editor. At the time of his death, he was editor emeritus of the engineering journal Power, following 42 years (1888-1930) as its chief editor. He was a past-president (1924) of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, former mayor of Passaic, honor­ary member of the British Institution of Mechanical Engineers and honorary doctor of engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic In­stitute.

At the time of his death, Mr. Low was still chairman of 2 important A.S.M.E. committees, dealing respectively with the codification of safety rules for the construc­tion of steam boilers and unfired pressure vessies, and the rules for testing boilers, turbines, engines, and other power equip­ment.

Mr. Low was an honorary member of the National Association of Practical Re­frigerating Engineers and of the National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel In­spectors; a member of the National

Electric Shovel Handles 5 0 Tons at O n e Scoop

the ability to pick up a 50 ton load a t one scoop and place it on top of an ordi­nary 6 or 7 story office building, this power shovel recently was placed in service in coal stripping operations by the Northern Illinois Coal Corporation. The machine was built by the Marion Steam Shovel Company, Marion, Ohio, and its electrical equipment was furnished by the General Electric Company, Schenectady, Ν . Y. One outstanding feature of the machine is its immense dipper, which measures 92/a by 8Vs by 161A feet, and which has a rated capacity of 32 cubic yards, or approximately 40 cubic yards heaping full. The dipper is fabricated from aluminum plates and castings, with an armor of special wear-resisting steel a t the points. The boom is more than 100 feet long and the dipper handle more than 65 feet in length. Despite its size and capacity, one complete cycle of operation can be accomplished in from 45 to 50 seconds, which will enable the shovel to move more than 1,000,000 cubic yards of material per month. The shovel is driven by electric motors, and the equivalent ratings of all motors and generators on the machine total more than 3,500 horsepower. The shovel is controlled by newly developed magnetic equipment.

214 E L E C T R I C A L E N G I N E E R I N G

Association of Power Engineers, the Vereines Deutscher Ingenieure, the Newcomen So­ciety, the Engineer's Club of New York, and long active in several civic and fraternal organizations. He was past-president of the Passaic City Club.

Mr. Low was noted for his unobstrusive friendliness, his simple directness and prac­ticality in speech and writing, and his rich fund of humor. He was a man of few words, but these notable.

N.E.M.A. Standards for Power Switching Equipment

The National Electrical Manufacturers Association has just released a new publica­tion entitled, "NEMA Power Switching Equipment Standards," publication 35-28, which supersedes the power switching equip­ment section of the "NEMA Switchgear Standards," Number 31-10, published in 1 9 3 1 . This is the first of a series of publica­tions which will supersede the various sec­tions of the switchgear standards.

The new power switching equipment standards contain many new standards among which are several covering insulator units, such as rating, basis of rating, and flashover values for insulator units ranging in voltage from 7.5 to 220 kv. Several new standards for testing insulators have been added, comprising standards for cantilever, tensile, compression, and torsional strength. A separate section on definitions of terms is included. A section also is devoted to in­stallation and care, and operation of power switching equipment.

The publication consists of 48 pages with an index and is 8 by 10V* inches in size. Copies may be obtained at 75 cents each from the N.E.M.A., 155 East 44th Street, New York, Ν. Y.

Iron and Steel Electrical Engineers Elect Director

The board of directors of the Association of Iron and Steel Electrical Engineers re­cently elected Brent Wiley to serve as managing director of that society. He succeeds the late J. F. Kelly.

Mr. Wiley graduated from Rose Poly­technic Institute, Terre Haute, Ind., in 1898, with the degree of bachelor of science in electrical engineering, later being awarded the degree of master of science. He has been closely associated with the steel industry for the past 37 years.

After leaving college, he spent one year in the electrical department of the Ohio works of the Carnegie-Illinois Steel Cor­poration, later going to the Homestead works of the same company as the assistant to the electrical superintendent. In 1904, he went with the Wellman-Seaver-Morgan Company in Cleveland, Ohio, as electrical engineer, and in 1906 became associated with the Westinghouse Electric and Manu­facturing Company, where he remained for the next 25 years. Here he was con­cerned principally with the development of the electrification of the steel industry.

A m e n c a n e n g i n e e r i n g * - C — -^ o u n c i I

Sixteenth Annual Meeting Held in Washington, D. C .

I H E sixteenth annual meeting of Ameri­can Engineering Council was held in Wash­ington, D. C , on January 10 and 11, 1936. Delegates from the 42 member organiza­tions discussed the growing evidence of unity in the profession as to the formulation and dissemination of opinion on matters of public affairs. The assembly acted upon reports from 16 major and minor committees and subcommittees of the Council, listened to stimulating addresses at the "all engi­neers dinner," attended by some 450 en­gineers, and left Washington with renewed expressions of the opportunities for ad­vancing the public interest and for main­taining high professional standards through the agency of A.E.C. A report of the meet­ing, as furnished by Frederick M. Feiker, executive secretary, follows.

At the morning session at the Mayflower Hotel, January 10, President J. F . Coleman opened the meeting with an address on the essential elements in reviving the construc­tion industry. Then followed in order a series of reports and discussions covering a wide range of subjects of timely interest to engineers.

SUFVEY OF THE PROFESSION

George T . Seabury, chairman of the engi­neering and allied technical committee, re­ported on the preparations made for the "Survey of the Engineering Profession" conducted by the bureau of labor statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor. Dr. Isador Lubin, chief of the bureau, reported extensively, basing his remarks on returns from more than 60,000 questionnaires, the largest survey of this kind ever conducted. He indicated tha t the findings would tend to give direction to engineeringe ducation, to choice and distribution of occupation, and to compensation of engineers. I t is expected that full returns will be available in the early spring. I t was voted to recommend to the executive committee of Council tha t steps be taken toward private publication of a mass of detailed information to supple­ment the government report.

Dr. Leonard D. White, U.S. civil service Commissioner, discussed the needs for a widely extended civil service to include state and local governmental bodies as well as federal, in order to uphold the professional standards of engineers in the public service. Discussion developed that classification by position is essential in the development of a suitably paid civil service. I t was voted to instruct the executive committee to take the steps necessary to put these basic concepts into action, especially in co-operation with local and state engineering societies.

ECONOMIC BALANCE TOWARD H I G H E R STANDARDS

Ralph E. Flanders presented the third progress report of the committee on the in­

terrelation of production, distribution, and consumption. In 108 classified questions and answers, there was presented a cate­chism on the engineers' concept of the possi­bilities of an economic balance in the inter­ests of a high standard of living for all. The report was accepted with the recom­mendation of the committee tha t all dele­gates study it, secure local discussion on its major objectives and detailed recommenda­tions, and report back February 1, with the plan of presenting the report publicly as soon as possible thereafter as the engineers' contribution to the national welfare.

Charles W. Eliot, I I , executive officer of the national resources committee, discussed the purposes and plans of that body in for­warding a state and local as well as a federal concept of planning. The need of approach­ing planning from a local and regional view­point was especially emphasized. I t was voted to refer the bill (S. 2825) now before the Senate, providing for the continuation of the federal organization on a permanent basis, to the public affairs committee of Council for recommendations.

PUBLIC AFFAIRS REPORTS

The public affairs committee, under the chairmanship of F . J. Chesterman of Pitts­burgh, has been organized under a new plan during the past year with several subcom­mittees active in studying public problems which fall within the purview of the profes­sion. For co-ordination, the subcommittee chairmen are members of the national com­mittee and steps are being taken to make the membership of subcommittees overlap with that of similar committees of national, state, and local engineering societies. As a result of this work, the reports rendered a t the annual meeting cover basic findings in a broad variety of fields.

The subcommittee on the administration of public works, F . M. Gunby, chairman, re­affirmed Council's past position tha t engi­neering public works of the federal govern­ment, in so far as practicable, should be con­centrated under one qualified head.

The water resources committee, headed by W. S. Conant, reiterated its belief in 2 fundamental needs for the formulation of a water resources policy: (1) complete and co-ordinated basic data bearing on the sub­ject, and (2) comprehensive study of water control legislation. The establishment of a body similar to the board of surveys and maps of the federal government for the correlation of government data on water resources was recommended.

As a result of the work of the aeronautics subcommittee, headed by Grover Loening, the public affairs committee adopted a re­port supporting aeronautical research by the colleges, disfavoring further investigations of the industry, recommending further studies toward the simplification of air­craft construction regulations, and favoring

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