The following incident illustrates the ease with which everything down to the smallest detail may unconsciously be prepared to insure a disaster at some time.
Mr. Peters’ engine-room was a long, narrow room on one side of the boiler-room, from which was the only entrance to it directly opposite the guide-bars of the engine. The door opened inward, and the latch was not very secure. They burned soft coal, which was wheeled in on an elevated plank and dumped into a heap in front of the furnace.
One day, about a year after the engine was put in, there was a great wind blowing. A gust of unusual force blew the engine-room door open at the instant when a barrowful of coal was being dumped, and carried a cloud of its dust over the guide-bars. The engine was soon brought to a standstill. All the faces of cross-head and guide-bars were deeply scored. It was found, however, that when these were cleaned up and scraped over to remove all projections that they ran as well as ever, the grooves proving good oil distributors, but they were not so pretty to look at.
One day, two or three weeks after we commenced work on this engine, Mr. Phillips’ bookkeeper came to me and said: “Mr. Peters’ engine is contracted to be running on the first of May, is it not?” “Yes.” “Do you think it will be ready?” I replied that the work was in a good state of forwardness, and I thought most likely it would be running before that time. I should say that was a size for which I had made the revised drawings already, and the old cylinder pattern had been readily altered to the new style. “Well,” said he, “Mr. Phillips is a little short to-day, and he would be much obliged if you would give him your note for a thousand dollars to come due, say, the fifteenth of May.” So I gave him the note, the engine was ready on time, accepted and paid for, and the note met at maturity.
This was the beginning of a uniform process, which continued for four years. It was disclosed that Mr. Phillips’ financial position was the same as my own, neither of us had a cent of money. The way we managed was this. I always afterwards required payments in instalments, one quarter with the order, one quarter when the engine was ready for shipment, and the balance when running satisfactorily. Thus with my notes we got along famously. My orders were always from first-class parties, engines always ready on time, always gave satisfaction, and promptly paid for. I had many thousands in notes out all the time, and never had to renew a note. Mr. James Moore of Philadelphia, the celebrated builder of rolling mill machinery, once long after remarked to me, “I keep my bank account in the shop.” It occurred to me that I had always done the same thing.
Directly after we got running I received a letter from William R. Jones, superintendent of the Edgar Thompson Steel Company, running a rail mill recently started at Braddocks by Carnegie Brothers, saying that they were in need of an engine to drive a circular saw at a very high rate of speed to cut off steel rails cold. They had been recommended by Mr. Holley to get one of mine, and if I could furnish a suitable engine immediately he would order it. Fortunately I could. While I was building engines in Harlem, the city of Washington, D. C., went into the system of wooden pavements, and the contractor obtained an engine from me for sawing up the blocks. About the very time I received Mr. Jones’ letter I had learned that the wooden pavement system was being abandoned in Washington for asphalt and the sawing-mill was closed. I at once wrote to the contractor making him an offer for the engine. I received by return mail a reply accepting my offer, and adding most complimentary words concerning the engine. These I remember closed by saying that his admiration of it was such that if he were able he would put the engine in a glass case and keep it there as long as he lived.
The engine proved just right for Mr. Jones’ use. I went myself to Braddocks to see it started. All were much interested in the governor action, I as much as any one, for I had never before seen this particular application of it. In sawing through the head and web and bottom flange of the rail, the width of section being cut varied continually, and the gentle rising and falling of the counterpoise, adjusting the power to the resistance, while the engine kept, so far as the eye could detect, a uniform motion, had about it a continual fascination. The success of this engine brought me several orders for governors, the most important of which was one from Mr. Jones himself for governors and throttle valves for his blooming mill and rail-mill engines. I got up for him balanced piston valves which operated perfectly. In iron valves and seats of this character it had been found, where the steam contained primed water, that their edges wore rounded, and their action in regulating the motion became less and less satisfactory. I knew that these boilers primed badly, and avoided this defect by setting brass rings in the edges.
The following [illustrations] show this regulating valve which I designed and made in two sizes.
Mr. Porter’s Regulating Valve.