Q. If you were running in a hilly country how would you manage the boiler as regards water? A. Would carry as high as the engine would allow, without priming.
Q. Suppose you had a heavy load or about all you could handle, and should approach a long steep hill, what condition should the water and fire be to give you the most advantage? A. A moderately low gauge of water and a very hot fire.
Q. Why a moderately low gauge of water? A. Because the engine would not be so liable to draw the water or prime in making the hard pull.
Q. Why a very hot fire? A. So I could start the pumps full without impairing or cutting the pressure.
Q. When would you start your pump?
A. As soon as fairly started up the hill.
Q. Why? A. As most hills have two sides, I would start them full in order to have a safe gauge to go down, without stoping to pump up.
Q. What would a careful engineer do before starting to pull a load over a steep hill? A. He would examine his clutch, or gear pin.
Q. How would you proceed to figure the road speed of traction. A. Would first determine the circumference of driver, then ascertain how many revolutions the engine made to one of the drivers. Multiply the number of revolutions the engine makes per minute by 60, this will give the number of revolutions of engine per hour. Divide this by the number of revolutions the engine makes to the drivers once, and this will give you the number of revolutions the drivers will make in one hour, and multiplying this by the circumference of driver in feet, and it will tell you how many feet your engine is traveling per hour, and this divided by 5280, the number of feet in a mile, would tell you just what speed your engine would make on the road.
THINGS HANDY FOR THE ENGINEER ____________
The first edition of this work brought me a great many letters asking where certain articles could be procured, what I would recommend, etc. These questions required attention and as the writers had bought and paid for their book it was due them that they get the benefit of my experience, as nothing is so discouraging to the young engineer as to be continually annoyed by unreliable and inferior fittings used more or less on all engines. I have gone over my letter file and every article asked for will be taken up in the order, showing the relative importance of each article in the minds of engineers. For instance, more letters reached me asking for a good brand of oil than any other one article. Then comes injectors, lubricators have third place, and so on down the list. Now without any intention of advertising anybody's goods I will give you the benefit of my years of experience and will be very careful not to mention or recommend anything which is not strictly first class, at least so in my opinion, and as good as can be had in its class, yet in saying that these articles are good does not say that others are not equally as good. I am simply anticipating the numerous letters I otherwise would receive and am answering them in a lump bunch. If you have no occasion to procure any of these articles, the naming of them will do no harm, but should you want one or more you will make no mistake in any one of them.