Rough and Tumble Engineering

by James H. Maggard

We have now explained how you get your water supply. You understand that you must have water first and then fire. Be sure that you have the water supply first.

THE BLOWER

The blower is an appliance for creating artificial draught and consists of a small pipe leading from some point above the water line into the smoke stack, directly over the tubes, and should extend to the center of stack and terminate with a nozzle pointing directly to top and center of stack; this pipe is fitted with a globe valve. When it is required to rush your fire, you can do so by opening this globe and allowing the steam to escape into the stack. The force of the steam tends to drive the air out of the stack and the smoke box, this creates a strong draught. But you say, "What if I have no steam?" Well, then don't blow, and be patient till you have enough to create a draught; and it has been my experience that there is nothing gained by putting on the blower before having fifteen pounds of steam, as less pressure than this will create but little draught and the steam will escape about as fast as it is being generated. Be patient and don't be everlastingly punching at the fire. Get your fuel in good shape in fire box and shut the door and go about your business and let the fire burn.

Must the blower be used while working the engine. No. The exhaust steam which escapes into the stack, does exactly what we stated the blower does, and if it is necessary to use the blower in order to keep up steam, you can conclude that your engine is in bad shape, and yet there are times when the blower is necessary, even when your engine is in the best of condition. For instance, when you have poor fuel and are working your engine very light, the exhaust steam may not be sufficient to create enough draught for poor coal, or wet or green wood. But if you are working your engine hard the blower should never be used; if you have bad fuel and it is necessary to stop your engine you will find it very convenient to put on the blower slightly, in order to hold your steam and keep the fire lively until you start again.

It will be a good plan for you to take a look at the nozzle on blower now and then, to see that it does not become limed up and to see that it is not turned to the side so that it directs the steam to the side of stack. Should it do this, you will be using the steam and getting but little, if any, benefit. It will also be well for you to remember that you can create too much draught as well as too little; too much draught will consume your fuel and produce but little steam.

A GOOD FIREMAN.

What constitutes a good fireman? You no doubt have heard this expression: "Where there is so much smoke, there must be some fire." Well, that is true, but a good fireman don't make much smoke. We are speaking of firing with coal, now. If I can see the smoke ten miles from a threshing engine, I can tell what kind of a fireman is running the engine; and if there is a continuous cloud of black smoke being thrown out of the smokestack, I make up my mind that the engineer is having all he can do to keep the steam up, and also conclude that there will not be much coal left by the time he gets through with the job; while on the other hand, should I see at regular intervals a cloud of smoke going up, and lasting for a few moments, and for the next few moments see nothing, then I conclude that the engineer of that engine knows his business, and that he is not working hard; he has plenty of steam all the time, and has coal left when he is through. So let us go and see what makes this difference and learn a valuable lesson. We will first go to the engine that is making such a smoke, and we will find that the engineer has a big coal shovel just small enough to allow it to enter the fire door. You will see the engineer throw in about two, or perhaps three shovels of coal and as a matter of course, we will see a volume of black smoke issuing from the stack; the engineer stands leaning on his shovel watching the steam gauge, and he finds that the steam don't run up very fast, and about the time the coal gets hot enough to consume the smoke, we will see him drop his shovel, pick up a poker, throw open the fire door and commence a vigorous punching and digging at the fire. This starts the black smoke again, and about this time we will see him down on his knees with his poker, punching at the underside of the grate bars, about the time he is through with this operation the smoke is coming out less dense, and he thinks it time to throw in more coal, and he does it. Now this is kept up all day, and you must not read this and say it is overdrawn, for it is not, and you can see it every day, and the engineer that fires in this way, works hard, burns a great amount of coal, and is afraid all the time that the steam will run down on him.

Before leaving him let us take a look at his firebox, and we will see that it is full of coal, at least up to the level of the door. We will also see quite a pile of ashes under the ash pan. You can better understand the disadvantage of this way of firing after we visit the next man. I think a good way to know how to do a thing, is to know also, how not to do it.

Well, we will now go across to the man who is making but little smoke, and making that at regular intervals. We will be likely to find that he has only a little hand shovel. He picks this up, takes up a small amount of coal, opens the fire door and spreads the coal nicely over the grates; does this quickly and shuts the door; for a minute black smoke is thrown out, but only for a minute. Why? Because he only threw in enough to replenish the fire, and not to choke it in the least, and in a minute the heat is great enough to consume all the smoke before it reaches the stack, and as smoke is unconsumed fuel, he gains that much if he can consume it. We will see this engineer standing around for the next few minutes perfectly, at ease. He is not in the least afraid of his steam going down. At the end of three to five minutes, owing to the amount of work he is doing, you will see him pick up his little shovel and throw in a little coal; he does exactly as he did before, and if we stay there for an hour we will not see him pick up a poker. We will look in at his firebox, and we will see what is called a "thin fire," but every part of the firebox is hot. We will see but a small pile of ashes under the engine and he is not working hard.

If you happen to be thinking of buying an engine, you will say that this last fellow "has a dandy engine." "That is the kind of an engine I want," when the facts in the case may be that the first man may have a better engine, but don't know how to fire it. Now, don't you see how important it is that you know how to fire an engine? I am aware that some big coal wasters will say, "It is easy to talk about firing with a little hand shovel, but just get out in the field as we do and get some of the kind of fuel we have to burn, and see how you get along." Well, I am aware that you will have some bad coal. It is much better to handle bad coal in a good way than to handle good coal in a bad way. Learn to handle your fuel in the proper way and you will be a good fireman. Don't get careless and then blame the coal for what is your own fault. Be careful about this, you might give yourself away. I have seen engineers make a big kick about the fuel and claim that it was no good, when some other fellow would take hold of the engine and have no trouble whatever. Now, this is what I call a clean give away on the kicker.