The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-01-05

question and radical reforms are now IL
progress on. western roads
A fireman is now warned that he can
do nothing that viii so effectualIy make
10 keep MS bed Of fire in such condition
that the air has always easy access
through II 10 the fresh coal he puts on
the fire. About 800 cubic feet of air must
pass through the engine fire 10 give the
best results from the burning OF each
pound OF coal put upon IL.
Shovels such as locomotives are gener-
ally provided with hold. when ordinarily
full, fourteen pounds of coal. When an
engine Is IN need of fire sometimes four
SnOTelfulS VIII be scattered over the sur
race OF the fire Four ShOVelfuls Of coal
weigh flfty-SlE pounds, and this quantity
placed on the fire lasts about three min
uteS when the engine is in action. In or
der TO properly consume this amount Of
coal 1000 cubic feet Of air, or eight box
cars full. must pass through the fire in
three minutes 10 burn the coal so that it
VIII produce the greatest amount of heat
The old theory OF engine firing pre-
sumed that the fireman had a great deal
Of time 10 sit upon his cab seat. let a silk
handkerchief fiutter from his throat and
wink at every pretty farmers daughter
ne saw This Is the new rule:
1t is doubtful If climbing upon the
Seat-boX for q short sitting after each
lire is really as restfui as some nremen
imagine. Evidently a man does a great
deal OF extra work when, in climbing I'D
and down off the saetbOX he lifts and
lowers mis- body two or three feet 200 or 800
times a day.
The popping Of an engine a sound
extremely offensive 10 people when the
machine is in q city. is the blowing off Of
surplus steam through the safety valve.
Inc sound generally indicates that poor
engineer and an incompetent fireman are
IN charge OF the engine II has been
-Ound that the waste Of steam usually
when an engine pops" or blows of sur
plus steam is equal to the loss Of about
eight pounds OF cOal-half a shovelful. or
at the rate of a shovelful a minute. Safe
~ valves usually remain open about half
q minute, when they are raised by sur
plus pressure, and the loss of heat in the
escaping steam equals every second that
derived from the burning of quarter Of
a pound of coal
In a little book issued by the Wisconsin
Central TO its firemen and engine men
engineers are particularly instructed az
70 the cause of boiler explosions. Both
wrought iron and steel boiler plates rapid
~ weaken when heated hotter than about
400 degrees. This is the tempera ture or
that there is no weakening of the strength
OF the boiler plates at this temperature;
the wea kening begins after the sheet IS
heated over 40 degrees. When lOl0 de-
grees hot the strength IS reduced 50 per
cent, or fOuT-flfths. Water covering com
pletely the heating surface Of a boiler pre-
vents Over-heating. says the Black Dia-
mond. But with a hot fire and a bare
crown sheet probably ten or twenty sec
Onds would give time 10 heat the metal
10 a temperature at which its strength
would be weakened enough to give way
beneath the heavy pressure upon 1t, for
with $50 pounds working pressure there
is over ten tons of pressure on each
square foot Of the crown sheet. Most ex-
plosions occur this way.