was found to be a fatal error.

Our leather links are saturated with a mixture of tallow, neatsfoot oil, etc. This makes them very pliable and increases their toughness, so that they will stand a strain three times as great as a piece of hard rolled sole leather.

In manufacturing this belt, the joining together is important. The links must be accurately assorted as to thickness, and the outer links countersunk, to admit the bolt. Then the most valuable improvement of all is our "American joint" (see Fig. 1).

By close inspection you will observe that it is absolutely necessary to use half length bolts for the width of wide leather link belts.

Examine Figs. 2 and 3. In the latter you will notice one length of bolt placed on a round faced pulley. That belt must either bend or break, and in any case it will not give satisfaction; but, on the other hand, examine Fig. 2; here two half length bolts are used, and ingeniously joined in the center. It gives just pliability enough to lay the belt flat upon the pulley. We experimented for some time before perfecting this important improvement.

We also took out four patents for different methods of joining, but abandoned them all and adopted the "American joint" system (Fig. 1) as the most efficient, simple, and reliable. It gives the belt an unbroken flat surface and is far superior to anything so far introduced for that purpose.

We have not stopped at flat link belting, but have turned our attention to manufacturing round solid leather link belting, and believe that we have almost attained perfection in that line. As the illustrations clearly show, there is quite a demand for inch and upward solid round belting, and the difficulty always has been to join such a belt together. All steel hooks, etc., do not seem to satisfy. This, our new invention, is so simple that it hardly needs explanation. A belt of this kind can be taken apart in a short time, and shortened or lengthened at pleasure.

Now, Mr. President and gentlemen, I shall be glad to answer any questions in reference to these link belts, or give any further explanation you may desire.

Question.--Can these link belts be used on dynamos for electric lights?

Answer.--Yes. In England they are used almost exclusively on dynamos. However, they run only 700 revolutions per minute there, whereas our slowest dynamo runs 1,100.

Fig. 2.

Quest.--Would you advise link belts for high rate of speed?

Ans.--No; they give better results on slow running machinery.

Quest.--Have these belts any special advantage over flat leather belting?

Ans.--Yes, decidedly. When belts are run half crossed, or what is termed quarter turn, it is very hard to make flat belts lie perfectly even on the pulleys. These link belts, however, cover the entire face of the pulley (see illustration), and therefore are superior for that purpose.

Fig. 3.

Quest.--Why do they give better results when run slow?

Ans.--Partly because of their great weight over ordinary belting, also their grip power is stronger when run slow. No belt is superior to them for slow, hard working machinery.

Quest.--Are they more expensive than ordinary flat belting?

Ans.--Not when compared to the work they can accomplish.

Quest.--Can they be run in wet places, such as mines, etc.?

Ans.--Yes; by waterproofing the leather, no cement being used as in flat belts. The links can be made positively waterproof. We have furnished paper mills, tanneries and bleacheries, and other exposed places with waterproof link belts, and all have been entirely satisfactory so far.

Quest.--Can they be run on ordinary flat pulleys?

Ans.--Yes; our "American joint" link belt can be run on any straight or rounded pulley, whether made of iron, paper, or wood, and being all endless they run much smoother than other belting.

ENGLISH HINGE JOINT:

Quest.--How are they made endless?

Ans.--By a very simple process (see illustration), and takes almost less time than lacing a flat belt. All that is necessary is to take both ends and interlock the links, then pass the bolt through and rivet it, and when you wish to shorten the belt proceed likewise: File off the end of the bolt and take out, or add rows of links at pleasure and rejoin it again.

Fig. 4 is a complete round link belt.

Quest.--What is the relative strength of a link belt compared to flat belting?

Ans.--Nothing definite has yet been ascertained. We are preparing a table showing results, and so far we can report that they can stand about twice the strain of double flat belts. A four inch link belt one inch thick is able to do the work of an eight inch flat double belt.

Fig. 5 is a side view.

Quest.--Explain the advantage of your American joint over the English hinge.

Ans.--The American joint gives a perfect unbroken surface of entire width of belt, whereas the English hinge joint makes two half widths, and whenever a sudden change of power occurs and the belt runs half way off the pulley, it will catch at the edge and tear everything to pieces.

Fig. 6 is an end view.

Quest.--Have you a table or schedule of their weight per square foot?

Ans.--Yes. The following is as near as we can estimate the weight of leather link belting per square foot: