Keeping Watch on the Chimney 



TO-DAY power-plant owners in Cin- 

 cinnati are as proud of the clean 

 condition of their stacks as they 

 are of their clean engine and boiler- 

 rooms and general interiors. 



The city of Cincinnati has been 

 waging a relentless warfare against the 

 factory smoke nuisance. As the 

 result of a campaign of education 

 the engineer and the fireman and 

 the boss in his swivel chair arc 

 all working together making a 

 superb effort to reduce waste 

 by smoke to a minimum. 

 The manager of one factory 

 was so anxious to co-operate 

 v>ith the smoke inspection 

 department that he installed 

 in his office mirrors which 

 enable him to see at any time 

 of the day the volume and 

 density of smoke emitting 

 from his stack. He adjusted 

 two mirrors in such a posi- 

 tion that they reflect the 

 top of the 

 smoke stack 

 so that they 

 are easily 

 seen from his 

 desk, several 

 feet from the 

 window. 

 When the 

 mirrors di- 

 vulge a smok- 

 ing stack he 

 compares the 

 smoke den- 

 sity with a 

 smoke chart 

 tacked to the 

 window 

 frame beside 

 the upper 

 mirror. When 

 the smoke is 

 cf|ual to or 

 greater in 

 density than 

 "Number 3" 

 on the chart 

 lie presses a 

 button on 



Mirrors Installed in the Manager's Office 

 Are So Adjusted as to Enable Him to See 

 the Smoke Stacks and Gage the Density 

 of the Smoke from a Chart Hung Nearby 



378 



his desk which "blows" an automo- 

 bile horn which is located in the engine 

 room. 



This serves to "wake up" the fireman, 

 who immediately proceeds to give the 

 furnace more air, and turns 

 on steam-air jets which 

 stop the smoke almost 

 instantly, by burn- 

 ing the rich gases 

 from the fuel bed 

 which would 

 othenvise go to 

 waste. The 

 manager con- 

 t i n u e s to 

 operate the 

 button on his 

 desk until 

 the faithful 

 mirrors report 

 that the smoke 

 is reduced to 

 below theobjcc- 

 tionable density. 

 The firemen in 

 this plant are sup- 

 plied with an open- 

 ing in the roof of the 

 )oiler-room to enable 

 them to see the top of 

 the stack, and if they 

 get careless and fail to 

 keep the smoke within 

 law regulations, the 

 manager proceeds to 

 regulate things himself 

 )y pressing the button, 

 .liter determining just 

 u)w much regulating is 

 necessary by looking in 

 lis mirrors. 



The ])lan has proved 

 entirely feasible and the 

 lactory no doubt has an 

 enviable reputation in 

 Cincinnati, not only for 

 the civic pride of the 

 owners but also for the 

 general efficiency of the 

 works, as indicatetl by 

 the alertness and com- 

 I)reheiisi\-e oversight of 

 its manager. 



