The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1881-01-27
Steam Boilers on Farms.

EDITOR ISTELL1GESCER During the
last week there have been several fatal
boiler explosions in different sections of
the country, some of them being in the
South. These accidents have called forth
numerous articles from scientific men on
the danger of allowing persons who
know little or nothing of machinery to
take charge of engines. One of these
writer's uses the following language
"Now-a-days steam is being substituted
in all departments of life for manual
labor and horse power. And so univer-
sally is it used upon the farm in saving
wood, grinding and threshiug grain, and
ginning cotton that every farm hand
considers himself an expert in running
an engine.'" "Since the introduction
of engines upon cotton plantations as a
substitute for the old-fasbioned horse
powers, the South has been flooded with
engines, made chiefly in New York State,
that have simply cast-iron boilers. Dur
ing the past fall two or three engines
we're introduced into my section of coun-
try. In less than month ore Of them
exploded, and during tho very cold
weather of Christmas week the other
cracked by reason of the water freezing
within"
While I admit that great many of
these explosions occur from the cheap
ness of construction of the engines, and
the defective material out of which they
are made, still the majority of them oc-
cur from the carelessness and utter ig-
norance of those in charge Of the engines
in the capacity of engineers. Nine.
tenths of the men who are driving en-
gines on plantations have never seen the
inside of machine shop, let alone
served an apprenticeship, and if life de-
pended on it, could not name correctly
the different parts of an engine. With
such class of engine drivers, is it
strange that we hear of SO many fatal
boiler explosions? Almost any intelli-
gent boy twelve years of age can run an
engine for short time, for there is very
little if any science required 10 run an
engine, but when it comes to the driving
of an engine for weeks at time, it takes
something more than an intelligent boy
or man, for an engine requires constant
watching, and the slightest inattcntion
or carelessness on the part of the driver
may prove fatal. One of the chief
causes of an explosion comes from al
lowing the water in the boiler to get too
low, and then rushing cold water in upon
the over-heated Aues. One.half, if not
more, of the boiler explosions which we
hear of is traced to this cause. A driver
is not half so apt to burst boiler by
carrying an excess of steam as he is in
allowing the water to get too low, for the
moment the engine begins to steam too
fast he can detect it without even looking
at the steam-gauge. The simple opening
of the furnace.door will check this. If
the farmers in the South intend to use
staon, ;nstnod of horeo nower thev must
get men who are experts to drive their
engines, or they will find steam a dang.
erous as we'll as q costly article. Let
every owner Of steam engine employ
no one but thorough machinest to work
his engine and he will always be safe
from explosion, and will save in the long
TT by having his costly engine in good
repair. s. B. L.
Washington, D. c., Jan. "a, 1881.