146 STEAM BOILERS 



MANAGEMENT OF FIRES IN STARTING 

 Precautions in Starting. After the boiler has been filled and 

 before starting the fire, the attendant should see that the water 

 column and connections are perfectly clear and free, that is, 

 that the valves in the connections and the gauge-glass valves 

 are open so that the water level may show in the glass; he 

 should also see that the gauge-cocks are in good working 

 order and open the top cock or the safety valve; he should 

 take care that the stress on the stop-valve spindle is relieved 

 by just unscrewing the valve from the seat without actually 

 opening it. He should make sure that the pump, or injector, 

 or whatever device is used to feed the boiler, is in good working 

 order, and ready to start when required. 



Starting the Fires. It is customary to cover the grates with 

 a layer of coal first, and then to add the wood, among which 

 may be thrown oily waste or other combustible material that 

 may be at hand. To start the fire, light the waste or other 

 easily ignited material and open the damper and ashpit doors 

 to produce draft. Then close the furnace door. After the 

 wood has started to burn well, spread it evenly over the grate 

 and add a fine sprinkling of coal, until this in turn begins to 

 glow, when more coal may be added and the fire occasionally 

 leveled until the proper thickness of fire has been obtained. 

 It sometimes happens that the chimney refuses to draw; the 

 draft can be generally started, however, by building a small 

 fire in the base of the chimney. 



Value of Slow Fires. Wljen getting up steam, the fire should 

 not be forced, but, instead, should be allowed to burn up 

 gradually. By forcing the fire, the plates or tubes that are 

 nearest the fire suffer extreme expansion, while those parts 

 that are remote from the fire are still cold; under such condi- 

 tions the seams and rivets, and also the tube ends, which are 

 expanded into the tube plates, are liable to be severely strained, 

 and, possibly, permanently injured. It is not desirable to 

 raise steam in any boiler, except in steam fire-engines, in less 

 than from 2 to 4 hr., according to the size, from the time the 

 fire is first started. When steam begins to issue from the 

 opened top gauge-cock or the raised safety valve, as the case 

 may be, the cock or the valve may be closed and the pressure 



