The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1920-04-16
course for Janihors, Engineers
~ Fjremen Has Been Success
full in Keokuk This
Week.
,rMEpY MANY DEFECTS
:. uolbrook Who Has Been Con.
quoting the School Has Been
Able to Help Men With
Their Problems.

For the last three nights, in the
siah school auditorium, interest has
Noon shown by the engineers, fire
mon and janitors, and also William
,ldrich superintendent of schools
,ngether with several of the princi
asIs while Royal II. Holbrook, engi
raer from the Iowa State college at
,mes. has told in such plain Ian.
,uape about coal, smoke, water treat
mont so as to prevent the formation
!, scale. the merits and dement's of
sast iron and steel boilers and many
ether questions that were brought
INTO the discussions. Every school
anitor has been present at all Of the
alks, The last will be given this
evening. Many OF the suggestions
made have been put into effect at
opce on the part Of some of the men
Interested, thus resulting in the saw.
mo of coal Immediately. Mr. Hol-
monk has spent years in the boiler
MONS OF many of the states, and in
fact can speak with authority as to
general operating conditions all over
me United States. All of the day
time is spent in the boiler rooms of
The plants of the city. and in the
pvening he criticises constructively
the mistakes he finds.
In his talk on coal Mr.. Hotbroo
held his left hand before his audi
epee and said: ION this hand are
four fingers, and we will let the little
finger represent the ash element III
c1o ha
moisture or the water eie ,nent in
coal, These two do not boil water
and therefore are detriment to all
coal, but they are present in all coal.
On general conditions these should
be as low in per centaga as is pos
sible, for coal from this time on al
yays will be expensive as compared
with the prices for the same in the
past. Now, the other two fingers
stand for the carbon or coke element
and the volatile or gas elements in
coal These two elements just men
toned, carbon and volatile matter,
furnish the heat when properly mixed
with oxygen from out Of the air. The
thorough combining of these ele.
ments is called the process of com
bustion, and that is what the fireman
is paid TO do, and to perform this
work in an economical manner so
that fuel will be saved"
In many of the boiler plants, and
more particularly this holds true of
he cast iron boilers, there is much
difficulty in getting rid of the SCOT,
which is about the greatest insulator
II non-conductor of heat about
roller plant. To remove this it was
uggested to build rousing fire and
hen throw onto the fuel bed, after
aving made sure that all of the
RATS are wide open, from three to
I've pounds of common salt and close !
be fire door at once. Some of the !
ngineers and janitors have done this |
nd are surprised at the results that
ave followed.
In some places hampers have been |
,and in broken or defective condi-
on and steps have been taken to
smedy these defects. With these
ampers all repaired and some new
hes installed where none have ever
cen, much fuel will be saved during
lie coming season.
In many plants every pipe carrying
cam from the boiler is bare, Mr..
olbrook finds. This should not be,