68 ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE ENGINEERING 



as being funny at first, but on second thought I concluded 

 it was about correct. Flues may leak from several causes, 

 but usually it can be traced to the carelessness of some 

 one. You may have noticed by this time that I am in- 

 clined to blame a great many things to carelessness. 

 Well, by the time you have run an engine a year or two 

 you will conclude that I am not unjust in my suspicions. 

 I do not blame engineers for everything, but I do say that 

 they are responsible for a great many things which they 

 endeavor to shift onto the manufacturer. If the flues in 

 a new boiler leak, it is evident that they were slighted by 

 the boiler-maker ; but should they run a season or part of 

 a season before leaking, then it would indicate that the 

 boiler-maker did his duty, but the engineer did not do 

 his. He has been building too hot a fire to begin with, 

 or has been letting his fire door stand open; or he may 

 have overtaxed his boiler ; or else he has been blowing out 

 his boiler when too hot ; or has at some time blown out 

 with some fire in the firebox. Now, any one of these 

 things, repeated a few times, will make the best tubes 

 leak. You have been advised already not to do these 

 things, and if you do them, or any of them, I want to 

 know what better word there is to express it than "care- 

 lessness." 



There are other things that will make your flues leak. 

 Pumping cold water into a boiler with a low gauge of 

 water will do it, if it does nothing more serious. Pour- 



