The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1893-06-07
BOILERS AT THE FAIR.
Flfty-Two of Them Develop 10000
Rated Horse Power.
ARE CAPABLE OF DOINGMUCH MORE
Than This Within tho Limits of
Ecouomy-Nearly 100000 Pounds
of Water Evaporated Each Hour
and 10000 Pounds of Oil Burned
in tho Same Time-They Run the
Machinery ut the Fair
Chicago htcr.ocsan,

Chapter OF the great industrial les
son taught by the Worlds Fair ia to be
found in the boiler-house. Elsewhere
Jackson park the esthetic 10 chiefly ap.
pealed to; here and in machinery hall,
OF which the boiler-house is a part,
methods OF acquiring means with which
to crafty esthetic tastes are illustrated.
The beautiful is paramount wherever
the eye may reach within and without
the stately palaces save in this temple
OF toll here utility reigus supreme.
In the main power plant fifty-two
boilers generate steam To drive eighty
three engines. These boilers have u
rated horsepower OF 2O50O, but they
are capable OF developing q horsepower
greatly in excess OF the rating within
the limits Of economy They evaporate
about 10000 pounds OF water per hour
and burn about $4,000 pounds OF oil in
the same length Of time. One pound Of
oil will evaporate about fifteen pounds
OF water. Assuming the evaporation to
be 700, 900 pounds OF water an hour the
horsepower generated would be $4,000.
Tho standard Of horse power as fixed
by Watt was one cubic foot of water
evaporated from 2l2 This was at that
time the requirement OF the best en-.
gine in use, At the present time Prof.
Ihurston estimates that the water re-
CURED per horse power per hour in
good engines is equal to the constant
200 divided by the square root OF the
pressure, and that in the best engines
this constant is us low as $50. This
would give for good engines, working
with siXty-four pounds pressure, twen-
ty-tve pounds OF water, and for the best
engines working with 100 pounds pres.
sure only fifteen pounds per hourly horse
power. Tho extensive series OF expert
lnents made under the direction OF @.
L. Emery, NJ. E., in lSBG.GS, show that
at ordinary pressures and with good
proportions non.condensing engines OF
from 20 to 800 horsepower required
only from rs to 80Ipounds Of water per
hourly horsepower in regular practice.
The standard adopted by the judges at
the Centennial was so pounds OF water
per hour evaporated at 70 pounds pres
sure from 100 degrees for each horse.
power, This standard has been favora.
bly, received by the American Society OF
Mechanical Engineers und by steam
userS.
Tho boilers in use at tho Worlds Fair
are all OF tho water tube type, and, with
ono exception, arc only variations on
one general plan. The advantages
claimed for the water tube boiler are
safety and economy OF space and fuel.
Prof. Thurston says oil the water tube
boiler: "Tho stored available energy is
usually less than that OF any of the
other stationary boilers, and not very
far from tho amount stored pound for
pound in the plain tubular boiler. 1t
Is evident that their admitted safety
from destructive explosion does not
come from this relation but from
the division of the contents
into small portions, aud espe.
cially from those details Of construc.
ton which make ii tolerably certain
that any rupture shall 10 local. A
violent explosion can only come from
the general disruption of boiler and
the liberation at once OF largo masses
OF steam and water" Prof. Ihurston
estimates that there is sufficient stored
energy in plain cylinder boiler with
100 pounds pressure OF steam to project
it to u height OF over thrce and half
miles. two 1lue" boiler about two and
half miles, locomotive at l25 pounds
from .one-half to two.thirds OF q mile.
He says: "a cubic foot OF heuted
water under pressure Of sixty TO sew
enty pounds 10 the square inch has
about the Same energy as ono pound OF
The entire room is in charge OF
George Ross Green, who Is known as
the superintendent OF tho boiler.house.
His rank lie that OF second assistant
engineer. Each exhibitor furnishes
fremen and water tenders to care for
its boilers. They work in watches of
eight hours ouch, one or two men being
required, according to the number Of
boilers in the exhibit In addition the
exposition furnishes gang OF thirty
men under three foremen who look
after cleaning, oil aud oilIng, repairs,
and so on. One mans
duties consist i'll watching for smoke
and promptly reporting any otlense in
this particular. Ho sits In little
house back Of tho boiler.room, whore
he has clear view OF all the chimneys.
Electric communications with every
furnace is provided, so that as soon as
n chimney begins to smoke the fireman
is warned by bell to look after the
matter. Another man looks after the
valves, Of which there are 10S on tho
headers alone, and u grand total OF l, 200
in round numbers in tho bolIer.house.
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