﻿[47] 
  WORK 
  OP 
  STEAMER 
  ALBATROSS. 
  49 
  

  

  BOILERS. 
  

  

  The 
  boilers 
  continue 
  to 
  give 
  trouble, 
  and 
  have 
  reached 
  that 
  point 
  where 
  

   the 
  loss 
  of 
  speed 
  and 
  length 
  of 
  voyage 
  of 
  the 
  ship, 
  and 
  the 
  cost 
  of 
  re- 
  

   pairs 
  make 
  it 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  economy 
  to 
  build 
  new 
  boilers 
  of 
  a 
  proper 
  

   design. 
  A 
  boiler 
  built 
  from 
  the 
  design 
  already 
  submitted 
  by 
  the 
  writer 
  

   will 
  enable 
  the 
  ship 
  to 
  carry 
  80 
  tons 
  more 
  coal, 
  which 
  will 
  enable 
  the 
  

   ship 
  to 
  cross'the 
  Atlantic 
  Ocean 
  at 
  the 
  rate 
  of 
  10 
  knots 
  per 
  hour, 
  unin- 
  

   lluenced 
  by 
  wind 
  or 
  wave. 
  As 
  the 
  proposed 
  boilers 
  will 
  carry 
  a 
  higher 
  

   pressure, 
  a 
  greater 
  economy 
  will 
  be 
  insured. 
  In 
  the 
  present 
  boilers 
  the 
  

   Hues 
  cannot 
  be 
  swept 
  unless 
  the 
  fires 
  be 
  hauled, 
  and 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  impossi- 
  

   ble 
  to 
  replace 
  a 
  Hue 
  without 
  cutting 
  a 
  hole 
  through 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  

   boiler. 
  To 
  accomplish 
  this 
  renewal 
  of 
  a 
  flue, 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  necessary 
  

   either 
  to 
  cut 
  a 
  hole 
  through 
  a 
  bulkhead 
  to 
  pass 
  the 
  flue 
  through, 
  or 
  else 
  

   to 
  tear 
  up 
  the 
  deck 
  and 
  take 
  the 
  boilers 
  out 
  for 
  the 
  purpose. 
  Though 
  we 
  

   never 
  exceed 
  a 
  pressure 
  of 
  50 
  pounds, 
  we 
  have 
  repeated 
  leaks 
  around 
  

   seams 
  and 
  socket-bolts, 
  and 
  are 
  kept 
  making 
  soft 
  patches, 
  calking 
  

   seems, 
  and 
  replacing 
  leaky 
  socket-bolts 
  and 
  rivets 
  whenever 
  we 
  have 
  

   a 
  chance. 
  Fires 
  have 
  been 
  kept 
  in 
  the 
  boilers 
  295£ 
  days 
  during 
  the 
  

   year, 
  so 
  our 
  chances 
  to 
  repair 
  the 
  boilers 
  have 
  been 
  limited. 
  The 
  crown 
  

   sheets 
  are 
  so 
  inaccessible 
  — 
  from 
  close 
  bracing 
  — 
  that 
  the 
  men 
  cannot 
  

   reach 
  all 
  parts 
  of 
  them 
  with 
  their 
  scaling 
  tools; 
  the 
  steel 
  of 
  which 
  these 
  

   crowns 
  are 
  made 
  tempers 
  and 
  cracks 
  and 
  is 
  sometimes 
  so 
  hard 
  that 
  

   chisels 
  require 
  the 
  hardest 
  temper 
  to 
  cut 
  them. 
  We 
  have 
  renewed 
  the 
  

   hard 
  patches 
  on 
  crown 
  sheets 
  of 
  Nos. 
  1, 
  2, 
  and 
  3 
  furnaces; 
  have 
  put 
  a 
  

   new 
  hard 
  patch 
  on 
  side 
  of 
  No. 
  3 
  furnace, 
  and 
  one 
  on 
  the 
  side 
  of 
  No. 
  4 
  

   furnace; 
  we 
  have 
  renewed 
  eighteen 
  socket-bolts 
  and 
  six 
  soft 
  patches 
  

   during 
  the 
  year. 
  

  

  To 
  get 
  at 
  the 
  hard 
  patches 
  we 
  were 
  obliged 
  to 
  cut 
  from 
  the 
  boilers 
  

   18 
  stays 
  (Fig. 
  3), 
  24 
  sockets 
  (Fig. 
  4), 
  and 
  30 
  braces 
  (Fig. 
  5), 
  all 
  of 
  which 
  

   had 
  to 
  be 
  replaced. 
  We 
  took 
  advantage 
  of 
  this 
  to 
  cram 
  our 
  smallest 
  

   man 
  into 
  the 
  boilers 
  to 
  scale 
  them 
  as 
  much 
  as 
  possible. 
  We 
  cut 
  one 
  

   l^-inch 
  hole 
  in 
  the 
  port 
  and 
  six 
  in 
  the 
  starboard 
  boiler, 
  through 
  which 
  

   we 
  scaled 
  the 
  hitherto 
  inaccessible 
  parts, 
  and 
  afterwards 
  closed 
  the 
  

   holes 
  with 
  li-inch 
  pipe 
  plugs 
  : 
  these 
  holes 
  are 
  better 
  than 
  hand-holes, 
  

   in 
  that 
  they 
  do 
  not 
  cut 
  so 
  much 
  iron 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  boilers. 
  We 
  tested 
  the 
  

   boilers 
  by 
  cold-water 
  pressure 
  (after 
  replacing 
  the 
  braces) 
  to 
  64 
  pounds. 
  

  

  In 
  repairing 
  at 
  the 
  Washington 
  yard 
  we 
  have 
  been 
  permitted 
  to 
  se- 
  

   lect 
  their 
  best 
  two 
  boiler 
  makers, 
  and 
  have 
  utilized 
  our 
  firemen 
  as 
  

   helpers 
  ; 
  at 
  New 
  Bedford, 
  the 
  contractors, 
  for 
  some 
  reason, 
  refused 
  to 
  do 
  

   this, 
  and, 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  get 
  our 
  repairs 
  made,* 
  we 
  were 
  obliged 
  to 
  employ 
  

   a 
  helper 
  with 
  each 
  skilled 
  boiler-maker. 
  The 
  quality 
  of 
  the 
  repairs 
  done 
  

   by 
  the 
  navy-yard 
  was 
  better, 
  and, 
  by 
  utilizing 
  our 
  men 
  as 
  helpers, 
  was 
  

   also 
  cheaper. 
  I 
  beg 
  to 
  recommend 
  that 
  new 
  boilers 
  be 
  built 
  at 
  the 
  

   Washington 
  navy-yard, 
  from 
  the 
  plans 
  I 
  have 
  already 
  submitted, 
  and 
  

   estimate 
  $20,000 
  as 
  the 
  sum 
  necessary 
  to 
  build 
  and 
  connect 
  the 
  boilers, 
  

   B. 
  Mis. 
  70 
  4 
  

  

  