St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-07-19
NO INJUSTICE
COLD WATER INsPECTrO N.
A Substitute for Practical KnowI-
edge Likely TO Prove Disastrous.


The reproduction of the following COM
munication, which appeared in the Polk
county Journal. is requested by number
of Minneapolis boiler makers who inderse
the statements made therein relative to the
new boiler inspection law. The writer is a
man of experience, and is yOuched for as
one knowing whereof he speaks:
CRooKsToN, June -, I6S5.-A meeting of
those interested in steam threShing machines
was held in Crookston on Saturday, June b.
The amendment to the boiler inspection law,
which has produced such a bad feeling here,
was thoroughly discussed, and the opinion
freely expressed that It was the worst piece
OF legislation ever lobbied through the legisla-
ture- Had il been only question of taking
few dollars out of our pockets, it might
have passed unnoticed, but the mOngrGlS who
lObbied the law through had a water test put
on, so severe that if the thresher boilers do
not give way under the strain, 1t will leave
them dangerous TO be run afterwards.
The above was sent the Minneapolis Even
ing Journal with the intention of bringing il
before the mechanics of that city, which is
the manufacturing center of the Northwest
and boasts of having as good wOrlIInen rs any
city in the country. 1t was. therefore. the
proper place TO open the discussion of this
cold water inspection fraud. but the Journal
did not see fit TO notice it. Had it been a
horse race or saloon fight it might have Sc
cured considerable space, but the blowing UP
of a lot of farmers and threshing machine
men is OF no importance 10 that paper.
will now give you Il few ideas concerning
these
COLD WATER INSPECTORS,
and viii say right here that they are beau
tiful set, and the substitution of cold water
for a practical knowledge of boilermaking,
was a brilliant idea to get fat job. 1 would
rather be guilty OF highway robbery than be
guilty of that inspection law. l will now
come TO the practical question that has been
so often asked: ''How would you test a
steam boilerY" 1 viii answer, as / have be-
fore: There is no way of testing q
boiler except by putting in the neceS-
sary quantity of water, then fire it up till
| you burst or explode it. This has been done
| repeatedly; but you ask, chow would you
inspect boiler to know that il was all right!''
That, you see, is another question altogether.
To test and 10 inspect are two entirely different
operations. Well, an experienced bOilermaker
can look your boiler over and tell you pre-
| cisely the condition il is in, and he don't want
| any cold water to do il, either. Boilermak-
ing is mechanical trade like any other. and
/ Is obtained only by years of experience.
| Remember that experience teaches kuOwl-
edge and practice makes perfect, and that
| is what makes the boilermaker argue that
/ boilers were not made for cold water, but for
/ hot water, steam and fire, which are as differ
ent in action
AS CHALK Is FROM CHEESE.
Had a threshing machine engine boiler that
\ carries Ito pounds of steam been subject to
about 20 pounds water pressure, perhaps nc
| objection would have been raised. but this ex-
\ IRENE of over les pounds is calculated 10
| strain the boiler and leave il dangerous aft
| erwards with a hundred pounds of steam. II
| is a well-known law in mechanics that any
| thing once strained is unreliable for strength
| afterwards. There are many people who
| seem to think that an engineer is a suitable
person TO examine a steam boiler because he
runs the engine. Well, would a man that
/ runs bakery wagon be the most suitable
| person TO give instruction in a bakers shop:
| Oh, no. Every man to his trade is the old say
| ing. and correct and safe one. i will give
another short chapter on this infamous law
/ at another time. As the Evening Journal re-
| fuses TO notice this. il is not likely the other
journals will. especially as the Pioneer Press
/ advocated the passage Of the inspection
/ fraud. j. WALLACE.