St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-07-27
SCHOOL ENGINEERS.
One OF the Craft to Their Assist
anCp ADnincf 2ooont arfanLo

One OF the Craft to Their Assist
ance Against Recent Attacks.
To the Editor of the Globe.
1t will never do to let the engineers
profession be attacked in the manner
that an assemblyman has chosen to do
without defending our cause. |, for
one, happen to know something about
the plant our economist is referring to.
and something of the qualifications of
the men employed by him. For in
stance, one man who was in his employ,
bearing the title of engineer, had some
trouble with his heating plant, which.
by the way, is high-preSsure job. there
being considerable hammering and
swapping in the pipes. This s5O-per-
month wonld-be engineer, after ex-
ilauStlng all the resources at his COM
mand, gained by the many long and
weary years of experience. finally said
to brother Of the craft that the whole
trouble was due to the great amount of
vacuum i'll his return tank, which kept
the water from returning.
am taxpayer and nave children to
be educated, and wish them educated
in the public schools: but if it has got
to such a state of affairs that competent
men cannot be. employed to manipulate
the steam heat and ventilating systems
of our schools. think we had better 20
back to using wood stoves for heating,
and let the big boys of the schools take
care of the fires. Then there will be no
danger OF the pupils being overcome by
the escaping gas. or being blown to
atoms as The result of incCmpetenc
understand that there are five school
buildings in the limits of St. Paul that
have high pressure steam plants for
heating and ventIlatlng, which neceSSi-
tateS boilers, engines and pumps.
The engines range from five to
twenty horsepower each. These are
used to run fans with which to
create fresh air. There is ali automatic
heat regulating device, known as the
Johnson system, which not only re-
quires man with the qualifications of
all engineer, but an electrician to keep
it in perfect order. During vacation,
and Saturdays of each week referred to
by our economist. there are steam pipes
TO repair, boilers to wash out. pumps to
repair and reDack, engines to be looked
over and other necessary work to be
done; hangers, boxes, shafting and
pullleS must have general overhaul
ing, belts must be taken up and thou
sand and one other things which demand
the attention of thorough practical
man.
The economist must remember that it
took capital to put in all this machinery
and it will take great deal more to
keep it in repair if neglected. For in
stance. let a boiler 60 one year
without being cleaned. and what
is the consequence? Scale will accu-
mulate on the bottom. keeping the
water from the iron, necessitating
double the amount of fuel to generate
the required amount of steam, and if
you crowd the fires you run great risk
of bagging the sheet, which, it danger
GUS, means a patch.
Boiermakers don't work for street
laborerS' wages, although the economist
seems to think man who is employed
In repairing sewer is competent to re-
pair boilers. III regard to the salary of
engineers employed in the different in
stitutions in the city there is not one, to
my knowledge. who has the RESPONSE
bility of as many lives thrust upon him
as in the schools who draws less than
81, GOO per year. A TAXPAYER.