The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-05-27
is WONDERFUL PRINTING PLANT
Government Office at Washington At
tracts Many Capital City Visitors.

Government Office at Washington At
tracts Many Capital City Visitors.
The great engine and boiler room Of
the new government printing office, with
their whirring machinery and polished
surroundings, are the most interesting
places to visitors. The entire equipment
is strictly up-to-date, and Mr.. III. X
Collins, the chief engineer, takes pride
in this important branch of Uncle Sans
big printery. Public Printer Palmer
placed Mr.. Collins in charge of the work
! of installing the engine and boiler plants
and he also had charge OF designing and
installing the plumbing, heating and ven
tilating of the building. After the COM
pletion of the structure Mr.. Collins was
given the additional charge of the watch
force and the cleaners, and he can really
be designated as superintendent of the
building, in addition to his title of chief
engineer
Recently he gave an interesting de-
scription of some of the massive ma
chinery under his charge. In the boiler
room there are eight 30O-horse power
Scotch type marine boilers, with econo-
mixers and circulating pumps. They are
fitted with Morrison suspension furnaces
and McClave shaking CRATES. The aver
age steam pressure is l20 pounds, the
limit being $50. An account is kept of
all coal used, and there is meter for as
The boilers are used for furnishing
steam to the engines, heating and manu-
featuring purposes. The average con-
sumption of coal when heat is not on
in the building is nine tons per day, and
twenty-five tons when steam is being
used for heating purposes. The boilers
are twelve feet in diameter and thirteen
feet long; the economizers seven feet in
diameter and ten feet long.
The fue gases by means of BATTLE
plates in the economizers, are utilized to
the utmost extent, their temperature
when passing into the stack being an
average of $50 degrees Fahrenheit. The
stack is $50 feet high, and is lined in
side with fire brick to within thirty feet
of the top. 1t is self supporting and
constructed to withstand wind pres
sure of 100 miles velocity an hour.
All condensation of heating and manu-
featuring purposes is returned to the
boilers. Any additional water that may
be required from the street mains for
use in them is first passed through fit
er, which removes all chemical proper
ties.
The Engine Plant.
The engine plant consists of four cross
compound condensing engines, one 200
horse power, one 400-horse power and
two S00-horse power, and are directly
connected to the generators. The steam
main connecting them to the boilers
10 VI ouhiSIOho SoPeaSAcy W supply
sudden demand on the engines. This
obviates the necessity of using any
steam drums. This main is made of ex-
ira heavy wrought iron pipe, screwed
through steel fianges and riveted into
the recess; fanges turned true on pipe
and made male and female. The joints
consist of one piece of sixteen-inch wide.
All fittings are of mild steel. The stop
valves used ON the main are of special
design, which insures clear opening
prevents what is known as "wire draw
ing"
The connections between the boilers
and mains and from the main to the en-
gines are of copper. This prevents the
use of expansion joints. The engines are
so constructed that either side can be
run independent of the other. Thus, in