, 1874-05-14
RAILWAY MASTER MECHANICS.
Discussion Of Reports on tho Incrus-
tatiOn Of Boilers.
Tho Mechanical Laboratory.

I
nual Convention Of tho American HALLWAY Maa-
tor Mechanics Association commenced yos.orlay
morning at 0 o'clock at Kiugsbury 11uHlc-Ha1l,
fre.idant II. N. Drlttqn. in tha chair. Tho At
tendance waB Honsowhnt largnr than ttat OF tho
day before, Que hpndFed aud fourteen mombofB
boing present.
I LocnMoT4YF DoILEnH.
Prof. Rogers road paper on tue incrnstation
| Of locomotive hollora aud tho purilcation Of
| water, as announced yesterday after tho roaling
Of the report Of tho Committee on "4hp
| Onorat1on and Management Of Locomotive
DoilcrB Including tho Publication OF Water"
Tho Professor mado o very ablo and
! sciontiao argument, showing by chem
al experiments how boiler explosions
oocnr, 30 also showed by nupborleBs export
monta tho action Of opo kind Of water upon an-
other. AND how watqr could ba purified to pro-
vent tho incrustaton Of 5oilora.
long discussion on tho report Of tho Com
mittee followed. Mr. Town Of tho Northern
Pacific, commended that tho only proper way TO
purify tho water WIS to puffy Il boforo it was
put In tho boiler. nain-wator WIS MITCH better
than well-watcr, aa II contained much less of
foreign substance, aud, therefore, If possible
rain-water should DO used forlocomotivo boilers.
Mr. Jackman, Of tho Chicago i Alton, slated
that gentleman who camo with him to Chicago
had made noma experiments, ppd ha would iiko
to have the gentleman invited to mako aomo
remarks on tho subject.
On motion of MIR. Robinson, of tho Great
WoHtorn Raropd OF Canaan, Prot. Bowoll waa
requested to Radross tho moetlng.
Prof. Sewoll commenced by saying that
tho incruetation of boilers Waa q great OWL
and must bo stopped. The quantity Of Bulpllato
Of lime, Of carbonate Of limo. &C., could not be
boforo 1t went into tho boiler. By dividing tho
water-tapk into two portions, filling ono with
CHARCOAL. and letting tho wator 90 in through
that portion illod with charcoal, tic wator would
como ont OF tho other portions puriaod. Tho
forming what remedy was to 10 used.
hlr. Coleman Sellers, of philade1nhia, in his
remarks, stated that firm in rhiladel-
ing their tanks, which woro maao OF
old locomotive boi1ors. The hoatod watof
became perfectly pure. but IN q tcw years tho
boilers became 30 incruated That they had to be
thrown away as worthless; nothing could be
found TINT would remove tito inorustatton.
They used tanpato Of sodn, but it had no object
on tho Bcales.
RESULTS OF rnpan1sfRx7a.
Mr. Jacaman, Of tue Chicago t. Alton, Baid
that f9F yeari Ss ho bud boon experiment
Ind used ono kind Of compound iu large
stationary boiler. When it had been Ia use
yoar or two. DO found 1t inorustn:ed an inoh and
o. half which Ind worked OF tho ground
and used tho other compound which ho followed
up for about year, and to-day tho ground sheet
was as cloan as sheet Of paper. and tho tubes
wore equally clean. Tho limo and magneaa sell
which about aixty. gallons wero taken out ovary
weck But he did not think that tho comnpund
could bo uaed equally we'll In locomotive boilers
He put from 12 to Il pounds Of tho compound
from ita use III running tho trains. but, whi1c
they could get on with light trains. he did not
think It would do for heavy oneB, az 1t would make
the boiler full On the engines whero thoy did
not use the compound the scale was hard az flint,
while on tho others where they did use it, it was
soft and could bo rubbed off. Tho question was
whether they could afford to pay the cost OF
using these compounds, whlo tannaro of soda,
as recommended by D.. Rogers, would accom-
pIiah tho same zosults. In some portions Of
Missouri they woro using sarfaee- water thick
with mud, still they experienced no troubls from
its usc tho sediment boiug casily cleaned oat,
It consisting Of soft clay. Tho wnter did not
inorust tho boilers, while with wafer apparently
olear but which contained much alkali they OK
perlenced much trouble from scales. Mr. Jeffrey,
Of tho illinois Central, related Ills experience il
regard to tncruBtation of bolterp.
Mr.: Woodruff, OF the Contral!Railroad Of Iowa.
hBkod Mr. JacEnan what compound 1t WAS ho
had uBod.
Mr.. Jackman replied that it was compound
sold by a certhin firm in st. Louis.
Mr.. Woodruff. said that he had used the same
compound. but had derived no benefit thorefrou1.
Nj. Hudson, Of the Rogers Locomotive Works,
said ho ngroad with others tlat the water should
bo purified before putting it in, tho boiler.
To get rid Of deposits meanB should DO devised
surface and before It settlos as hard sealea. In
Cuba, where tho water wns very bad, mud-col-
loctors wore placed in tho boilers, which p,eYont-
cd foreign mattora from settling.
bIr. Towno, Of the Northern Pacific, presented
drawing showing TINT tho surfaco-water. aitor
getting rid Of tho c!ay, would cause but very
little incruBtation, Filters wcro not nccrssary;
TINT was slow process Of purifying. Settling
would answer much bcttor, and could ba done
much cnaier.
After largo number Of othcr do1ogatos had
made lengthy remarks on the subject tho dis
cugslon WAS abruptly cut short by tho Chairman
announcing that tho timo for taking up the
question on
MECHANICAL LABORATORY,
Us decided yesterday, had arrived.
Before commencing the discussion Of this
new subject recess Of ten minutes was takon.
On reasaembling, tho Chairman stated that
10 q COMMITTEES for discussion at the next Con-
vontion, should make it known ut ouce.
:, Tho question of d mechanical laboratory was
Mr. setchol, of tho Little Miami Railroad.
moved that tho report Of the Commit too be di-
vidcd, and that that portion presented by Prof.
Thuraton, Of tho Stevenson Institute, be not dis
ouHsel until next year.
Mr. Robertson moved, as IN amendment, that
tho votes which the Committee recommended bo
also deferred for one year,
Mr. sotchel thought 1lr. lsobertBon's motion
Should be modified. Action Oh this question
should be tahon ut once.
Mr.. Robertson replied That by poBtroning tho
vote on this question it would not compromise
them in matter which they were not 1oadyto
act upon.
Mr. Roberteon'R motion WAS carried
hIn. JACKAlAN,
Of tho Alton & st. Louis, said that SO far as a
Mechanical Laboratory Waa cofcernod, it WIS q
valuable thing, provided TINT it could bo placed
at point ACCESSIBLE to all tho mombora Of the
Association. Tho question waB ofton asked,
How many cars could an ouginc pull? To do
termine that, thov had first to know what the
tractiye power Of tho engine vas, and then put
on certain number Of cars and go up certain
grade. They had 10 find how much stsam was
required ogull that train up tbat Crude, and
motor. II sucl Instruments could not bo
made convenient to al it would DO useless ex-