The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1875-03-12
BLOUN UP.

BLU " " CI.
Can't say, / m sure, sir. Been rScd to
bilers all my life but working EMS diff
felent to making 'em. There's something
wrong, as you say, or they wouldn't always
be a. bustin'. 'Tain't once, nor twice, nor
low and then, for it's thing as is always
a happening; and though I've never had
more than a scald OF two myself, I've seen
some strange sights-nen all blown to
pieces, so that they were picked up after
ward in baskets men taken to the hospital
with their flesh hanging to them in rags,
and they'd lie writhing and tearing at the
wrappirgs i'll such agony that-there, |
amt above ewning tive cried like
child to see my poor mates suffeIings.
And there they'd be, day after day, till a
sort of calm came over them, and the pain
went, when they'd quite smile if you spoke
to 'em, they seemed so easy; aud iC would
be because a gentle hand was laid upon
'em, and they were going into the long
sleep.
Some gets better, but not when they're
scdlded badly; for it's strange stuff, is
steam. Well, no; I'm not afraid and
never do feel afraid. What's the good
Ones got it to do, and there's the mouths
at home to feed, SO one can't affoI d it; and
then the odds are pi ecious long ones against
i: being ones own Dustin. But now so
many more steam engines are coming into
use day by day, it seems as if something
ought to be done in the way of making
bileTs stronger. Cheapness is cheapEess
but then a things dear at any price that
makes such ruin as I've seen sometimes
SO why don't they try some tougher metal
than iron ?-thUugh, certainly, steam's
strong enough to tear up anything. But
there seems to me to be some fresh plan
wanted for making bilers. didn't work
there, but | went ard had look d'reckly
after that horrible accident at the Big
Works last autumn. Well, there was
about an acre of buildings, sheds and
setrer, swept away as if you'd batter'd EN-
al down great fire bricks weighing a
hundred and a half pitched here and there
like chaff; sheets of lead sent flying a
hundIed yards tall chimneys powdered
down, and the big busted biler itself jump
ed right out of its place while as to the
middle of it, that was torn off and crumpled
up, and blown, ike sheet of paper, to a
distance. Plenty of life lost there, and
plenty of escapes; but what took most
notice of was the plates tom off the biler ;
torn off, as said before, like so much paper,
while these sheets or plates of iron had
given away to the rivets, and looked for
all the world like torn off postage stamps
torn off, of course, along the perforating.
J ''Now, then,' | say s to myself, chats a
thing as wants altering. You perforate
the edges of your plates to admit rivets,
and so take half their strength off-p'r' APPS
more then yon puts, perhaps, hot rivets
in, and they p'r'aps crystallizes the iron
only p'raps; mind, don't so, only the "a "
edges of the biler looked crystally and brit
tie. Well, then, some day comes hextry
pressure y steam, and up goes your bier
busted, and spreading ruin, and death, and
misery around"
"Ihen how are we to fasten our bileT
plates" says you, eff we don't rivet 'em ?''
How should | know? | amt scientific
cHiy nat md
out. But you amt a going to tell me, are
you, that you scientific men and biler-mak-
ers can't find no other way to make bilers
only by riveting them? Say you bends the
plates edges over, and hooks one into the
other, like tin sarspan- makers does their
tin. They'd stand some strain that wav.
and you wouldn't weaken your plates. 7
amt a biler-maker, or 1 should try that
dodge, think but there, that's only one
/ way out of many as could be found by ex.
pertinent.
+ Seems to me, sir, as if we English people
hates anything new, and always wants to
keep to what our fathers and grandfatbers
had before us. They went along and made
their footmarks, and we go along after 'em,
putting our feet in just the same spots,
thinking it must be right, come what will
of it.
Had TO do with engines many years.
stocked locomotives and stationaries, agri.
culturals and manufactures, and PRINTING
offices, and been down in the eneine-rooms