The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-08-12
THE STEAM BOILER
Dangers From Explosion, COrrO-
sion, Leakage, Etc.
WORDS UF WISDOM AND WARNING
Architect La Belle Offers Some Suggestions
As to the Way In Which Boilers
Should Be Used.

business men who are shrewd observers o.
signs in the heavens, in the political hori-
ION, in the money market and in the bust
ness world; who are also competent snc
prompt to take advantage of signs of i'm
pending illness, should be so blind tc
equally important danger signs; namely,
those about their steam plant
Some of the signs which they do study
and regard. and by which they shape their
actions and investments, are apparently
trivial; many of those which refer to the
weather and to forthcoming calamity, sbso
lutely so, being utterly unfounded either
in theory or in fact Still, the belief in
''signs'' is widespread, almost universal,
having extended down the stream of time
for centuries, now growing, now abating.
Far be it for me to discredit even weather
signs, however little credence / place in
omens pure and simple; still further, then,
be it from me to remain unmindful of GER
| tain danger signs about the power plant.
For neglect Of such signs has so many Q
time proved costly, even fatal, that no one
has right to scout at them or to pass
them by thinking that the danger is too
FAR ahead for any immediate worriment or
prevention.
Some of these signs are SD plain and so
obtrusive that che who reads may run"
Others are less prominent; but il should
pay power users to know what they are
and what they mean, and to be on the look
out for all Of them, whether conspicuous
or not.
AMONG THE DANGERS
which menace q boiler are explosion, cor
rosion. leakage, burning and leaky or
dllapldated front or setting. OF course
some OF these lead up to others-as corro-
sion or burning indirectly causes explo-
sion. Some simply mean waste of fuel, or
diminished steaming capacity-evils, too,
TO life and limb as well as wreckage of
property.
Tie boiler owner often unconsciously imi-
tates Dibdin's sweet little cherub who sits
up aloft, but there should be-there must be
another cherub, smaller and sweeter, who
sits up further aloft and watches DER the
life OF the poor power user himself, for il
seems mere dumb luck that more boiler
owners and innocent victims are not
blown up higher than war prices. 1t is not
their own watchfulness nor their own
cautiousness that keeps them safe and
sound. 1t may be their insurance policies
have gone in manufacturing establish
ments time and time again about noon
time and heard the safety valve blowing
waters. Such a sound, while desirable in
that it is token that the valve is opera
tive, 1t Is also sign that the engineer or
the fireman is wasting fuel and risking a
catastrophe by not banking his fires at the
proper time or in due manner. The mo-
ment may come wneu the valve will not
lift and the pressure will accumulate alter
stopping time until there will be a good
chance for the fire department and the coro-
ner.
SUCH CONTINUOUS ROAR
at times when the establishment is shut
down IS danger sign and should not be
allowed to msnlfest itself more than ''Once
hand running"
We will suppose that the establishment
is equipped las 1t should be- with c record
ing gauge. and that the boiler owner comes
down in the morning and finds that the
pressure had risen, say by IL O'Clock the
preceding night, TO working limits. That
may mean that the heat OF the masonry of
the setting has been given out after the
hres has been banked or drawn: and with
only little water in the shell there has
been good chance for .'6low ap" A
brick set boiler that runs night and day for
six days and shuts down Tor Sundays, is
very apt to do just that very thing. Some
Sunday 1t may do il once too often
III wDen the boiler is under steam the
safety valve lever is lifted with cord or
pole. and the familiar roar OF escaping
steam is not heard, it is a sign that the
valve is completely imperative: danger
sign that you, if steam boiler owner.
should act on as quickly as possible. See
Tor yourself that your fireman does so lift
the lever; ascertain for yourself that the
valve Is not stuck on its seat
GO DOWN SOME TIME
and see that when the steam supply valve
IS shut OF and the boiler is under steam
the safety valve can discharge all the steam
that can be made by the BEST fire the CRATE
will hold. Ii it does not without the pres
sure gauge rising beyond the point at
which the safety valve .is loaded, 10 blow
of. it il danger sign when you should bs
prompt to recognize by ordering the fires
Immediately drawn for that occasion, aud
not lighted again until there is either an
additional safety valve or considerable
overhauiing OF the old one or ootn.
Leaks about seams between rivei- holes
particularly the latter-are danger signs.
The former are not infaliihly--thsy NAV
simply indicate bad cauikinr; but their
discovery should be promptly remedied BIZ
inspection and remedy. As fence in
Georgia Is not legal fecce unless il is
horse high, bull strong and pig tight" SO
a boiler is neither legal nor safe boiler
unless II is tight as well as merely appar-
entity strong. These leaks, no matter no
trifiing, may be the starting points of seri-
Gus cracks-particularly in steel boilers.
Ii they never 90 any other harm thsn ruin
the non-condUcting covering (Which
assume every common sense boiler owner
to have provided they WORK
DANGER TO PROPERTY.
If they do not bring down the whole cover
ing las Is possible with some OF the plastic
kinds), they lessen its non-coudnctive
qualities. Every leak is a danger sign
1t; see what it points to, ana
act promptly.
II leaks are of red water instead OF clea-:
or II they are indicated by white or gray
deposits, that is sign that the water is
impregnated with iron in the first case. and
with lime, salt or ma2uesia in the second.
and no such water should be fed into "A
boiler. That is sign that unless Won
purify the feed before it goes into the
generator, there will be loss of fuel and
lowering OF staaming capacity, by reason
OF scale formation; this may lead 10 burned
plates, which will have 20 be replaced. un-
less they cause an explosion, in which case
not only the entire boiler but the pronrie
tor may have to be replaced
If. when boiler is opened out, toe metal
does not show clean and neat, it is sign
that the feed is bad and that you need
merely dose of medicine.
but mechanical appliance in which what
ever impurities are separated shall be de- /
posted. Doses may loosen scale, may
largely prevent its formation, but the
stuff which forms scale should never he
allowed to enter the butler.
MAN WHO SWALLOWED HAIR
and cotton waste because he could take
purges or emetics to get rid of them would
be considered 40 horse power jackass.
But the man who lets impurities get into
his boiler and then tries 10 purge them out
IS doing the same sort of thing, only worse