J. V. Rohan

“ Never attempt to go up a hill on a decreasing steam pressure, as there is a great liability to become stalled, in which case great damage may be done to the front end of flues. Always start on a rising steam pressure; then you know the boiler is making steam, which assures a steady ascent, as at every exhaust of the engine on an increasing or steady pressure the power becomes stronger, while at every exhaust on a decreasing pressure the power becomes weaker. ”

“ In the selection of a farm or traction engine you should look carefully to the arrangement of the driving gear, the manner in which the engine and the traction wheels are attached to the boiler, the convenient arrangement of the throttle lever, reverse lever, steering wheel, friction clutch lever, independent pump (if used) and injector for easy operation from the footboard, as the easy control of all these parts by [Pg 10] the engineer saves much time and annoyance and in many instances may prevent accident which might prove disastrous to both life and property. ”

“ Keep a uniform supply of water in the boiler at all times by use of either the pump or injector. Always when going up hill keep the draft door wide open until the steam gauge indicates that the pressure has risen almost to the blow-off point, then close the damper. Never allow steam to blow off when going up hill, as it will cause the water to raise and be carried over into the cylinder, greatly diminishing the power of the engine. Do not under any circumstances allow your engine to be stopped when going either up or down hill, as great damage may be done to the boiler. ”

“ Priming in a steam boiler is the carrying over of large quantities of water by the steam to the engine, and may occur in a perfectly clean boiler. It is usually caused by too great a demand on the capacity of the boiler, too sudden and fierce firing, or after steam pressure is [Pg 158] lowering, an increasing demand is made for it. It is usually a radical defect in the construction or capacity of the boiler, and is most frequently the result of insufficient steam space, small evaporating capacity, and lack of good circulation. ”

“ Always purchase a boiler with sufficient capacity to allow a small margin beyond its ordinary requirements. Be sure and have the boiler or boilers properly set so that the best results may be derived from the fuel burned. Many good boilers are condemned because they do not steam well on account of bad setting.
If a locomotive style of boiler, see that it has a large fire box (well stayed) and a sufficient number of flues to allow of easy firing and good combustion of the fuel without being obliged to use a forced draft. ”

“ By blowing out the gauge cocks regularly you not only ascertain the height of the water in the boiler, but it prevents them from becoming choked with sediment or mud.
Do not allow the gauge cocks, glass water gauge or steam gauge to become filthy, as it shows lack of care, and furnishes evidence that the engineer who is not particular in this part of his duty is not reliable in others of equal or more importance. ”

“ There is no standard rule by which a traction engine can be gotten out of bad places upon the road, as one rule would not apply to all situations, though a few suggestions on this subject may be beneficial.
When the engine is in a bad mud hole, or on a very sandy road, and the driving wheels will not take hold, but simply turn around, the best way to get out of the fix is to hitch a good team of horses to it and pull it out with what assistance the engine can give. ”

“ Do not make the too common mistake of thinking a cheap engineer is the man you want. The engine and boiler are important factors in the success of your business and no matter how simple and strong they may be it will pay you to put them in charge of a competent engineer who is capable of taking the proper care of them. For a small plant, or traction engine, it is not necessary to have the highest grade of ability, as there are several grades among engineers ”

“ Add fuel slowly, and while steam is being raised take your oil can and wrench and examine the engine thoroughly at all its parts. See that every screw and bolt is tight and that none of the oil holes have been overlooked.
If a traction engine, examine all the gearing and see that all gears, axles and bearings are thoroughly greased and oiled—grease for gears and axles, oil for bearings.
If firing with coal, keep the grates well covered with a thin layer. Do not throw in large lumps or too much fresh coal at one time. A thin fire lightly and frequently renewed, is the most economical. ”

“ A Fusible Plug is a short brass bolt which has a hole running through its center, filled with a metal that melts at a low temperature. This plug is screwed into the crown sheet directly over the fire, and as long as it is covered with water the metal will not melt and run out; but should the water become low, exposing the crown sheet to the intense heat of the fire, the metal will run out, and the steam rushing through the hole puts out the fire and many times saves the crown sheet from injury. ”

“ The Crank is that part of an engine by which the effect of the steam acting against the piston is converted into work. There are two kinds, Side and Center crank. The term Side crank refers to a disc plate or a crank attached to one end of a shaft and in which is placed the crank-pin. When the shaft extends to the right the engine is called a right hand engine, and when it extends to the left it is called a left hand engine. ”

“ Remember there is no advantage in carrying low steam pressure in boilers as it is more economical to carry high pressure rather than low. [Pg 11] The average boiler pressure should be about 80 lbs. per square inch, which is not too high for safety, nor too low for economy of fuel.
The purchaser must use his own discretion as to the style of engine he prefers, a horizontal or vertical, side or center crank, as all styles are extensively used with equally good results. It is purely a matter of preference depending, of course, largely upon space or room available for stationary engine. ”

“ Water gauge glasses frequently break because the steam and water connections are not in line, because the stuffing boxes are screwed down too tight, and sometimes in cold weather when struck by a cold draught of air admitted through an open door or window.
An engineer or fireman should never fill a boiler with cold water while the boiler is hot, as the injurious effect produced by contraction is similar to that produced by blowing out at a high pressure, and if persisted in will result in permanent injury to the boiler. ”

“ With a little practice, a careful man can do a neat job of calking, thereby avoiding loss of time and expense in being obliged to call a boiler maker. An expander and calking tools should be among the tools of every engineer, as many little leaks that may occur in a steam boiler, although they may not be dangerous, give it a bad appearance and should be calked and stopped by the engineer. ”

“ Traction Farm Engines are becoming more generally used each year, and to supply the increasing demand for traction engines, the manufacturers have spared no expense or mechanical skill to place upon the market the latest improvements in this line, and a great many kinds of this class of engine now made in the United States are simply perfect. They travel over the roughest roads, up and down steep hills with heavy loads, and the engine is at all times entirely under the control of the engineer. ”

“ A. All governors are more or less delicate in construction and must be kept clean and well oiled, the belt must not be allowed to slip, nor must it be so tight as to cause the governor to work hard. The small stuffing box that packs the valve stem should never be screwed down steam tight, as it causes too much friction on the stem and prevents the balls from operating it, and the engine will run unsteadily and spasmodically. Always allow the stuffing box to leak a little, then you know it is not too tight. ”

“ It should be understood that machine riveted seams in steam boilers are superior to hand made seams, as the machine thoroughly upsets the rivet and brings the two sheets in such close contact as to [Pg 177] produce friction between the sheets at the lap, which of itself is an element of strength.
Boilers do not improve by standing idle; they will rust very rapidly.
Never use sharp chisels to cut the scale from boiler plate, as the cutting of the plate does more harm than good. Use only a light hammer. ”

“ To fill the boiler to three gauges and then shut off the feed until the water level is again down, the exhaust steam, after it has heated the water standing in heater, passes off without leaving any of its heat, and then turning on the feed water again much faster than needed, the water has not time to take up so much heat as if the feed were slow and regular. Much bad effect on the boiler is due to the difference in temperature at the time when the feed is off and on.
Never calk a boiler under steam pressure unless you are tired of life. ”

“ Foaming is the violent agitation of the volume of water in the boiler; it occurs only in dirty boilers and where dirty feed water is used, which causes the water to become saturated with foreign matter, such as lime, sediment, mud, oil or grease, etc. ”

“ An Independent Steam Pump is virtually an engine with two cylinders, one for the steam piston, the other for the water piston or plunger, and is used in connection with a steam boiler for supplying it with water. The discharge pipe of a pump is generally connected with a [Pg 90] feed water heater of some sort, which heats the water to a high temperature before entering the boiler, though there is a late pattern of steam pump which delivers the feed water to the boiler at about the same temperature as the injector. ”

“ Should it become necessary to blow down the water at intervals, the engineer or fireman should stand by the blow-off cock and not allow his attention to be diverted to anything else, as in a very short space of time the water may become so low as to induce stoppage or endanger the safety of the boiler. ”

“ When an engine is working at the rate of 10 horse-power, it is doing 10 horse-power all the time. It is an error to assume that such an engine is doing 10 horse-power per minute, and 10 × 60 equals 600 horse-power per hour. When it is said that an engine uses 20 pounds of steam per horse-power per hour, it is meant that this amount of steam is used per hour for each horse-power developed. ”

“ The duties of an engineer are of much more importance and require a better knowledge of the operating of machinery than is generally understood. The responsibilities that rest upon him are very great; this applies to all engineers, but more especially to inexperienced men who take charge of small plants or farm engines, whose knowledge of machinery and the dangers connected with the improper handling of it, is limited. The proper management of boilers and engines is of as vital importance to prevent accident as their proper construction ”

“ Before crossing a bridge or culvert with a traction engine, examine the stringers and floor carefully to ascertain whether it is in condition to hold the engine or not. If it appears a little weak, by laying heavy plank across for the traction wheels to run on, it may be crossed in safety, though the crossing of small bridges and culverts must be done with judgment, to prevent accident and delay. ”

“ The Throttle on an engine is the valve which allows the steam to enter or be shut off from the cylinder and should always be left wide open on a governor engine when running, as the governor regulates the quantity of steam required to run it at its proper speed and is much more economical. ”

“ Before connecting the steam pipes, blow out with steam pressure the chips and dirt in the steam pipes. Always use the union furnished with the pump. It has a gauze gasket in it to catch the dirt that may get into the valve. Before starting pump, open air cock in delivery pipe and turn exhaust lever back, away from the air chamber. Then open throttle valve wide and allow pump to exhaust into the air until it takes suction, when deflecting lever may be thrown forward toward air chamber and cold water in the pump will condense the exhaust and return it to the boiler. ”

“ The Knocks or Pounds of steam engines are frequently caused by lost motion in the crank and wrist-pin boxes, valve rod and valve, cross-head and link; looseness of the piston rod, pillow block or main bearings, follower plate, or eccentrics; the slide valve having not enough or too much lead, the exhaust being cut off too soon or too late, shoulders being worn in each end of the cylinder by the packing rings not traveling over the counter-bore at the end of each stroke ”

“ It is easy to tell by the sound of the exhaust if the ports are rightly proportioned, and whether running at high or low speed, the engine should give a clear and distinct exhaust at every stroke of the piston. ”

“ An Injector is an automatic machine attached to a boiler, for injecting or forcing water into it and at the same time heating the water to a very high temperature, which saves fuel and prevents the danger of sudden contraction of the plates and flues. It can be used independently and is indispensable on a farm engine. ”