AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 657 



flue-stoppers, ^nd the fitting of the smoke pipe to the chimney, 

 becomes a ready vent to fire or sparks wliich are driven out with 

 great velocity, when the blast is high, and which falling upon or 

 adhering to any inflammable material they may come in contact 

 with, the risk of igniting it is incurred thereby. 



Coverings and protection to boilers. — It is very rare to find 

 that the boilers of any of the lake, river, or sound steam vessels, 

 are covered with felt, (of hair,) for the double purpose of pro- 

 tecting the wood work around them from fire, and for the econ- 

 omy of fuel. This very effective precaution against fire, is 

 scarcely known amongst the class of steamers referred to, whilst 

 its use in the sea-going service is almost universal, the utility of 

 it being recognized in restricting radiation of heat from the 

 boiler to the engine room and cabins of the vessel, and in its 

 economy of fuel : although at this time there are many owners 

 of steamships, who pertinaciously refuse to resort to this means of 

 effecting economy of fuel, comfort to the passengers and crew, 

 and of reducing the risk by fire, merely because it involves 

 an immediate expenditure of money, and because the engineers 

 of the vessel, in common with a large majority of the profession, 

 always oppose any means calculated to save life, property and 

 fuel; consequently, they do not urge upon the owners of their 

 vessel the propriety and necessity of this provision. 



As a security against fire from being communicated by an 

 over-heated boiler, a covering of felt is of the first importance, 

 for the reason, that immediately upon its being burned, the pe- 

 culiar odor of its combustion is readily recognized, the engineer 

 and firemen upon duty at once know that the felt around the 

 boiler is being burned; their attention is forthwith drawn to 

 the circumstance, and if it has arisen from an over-heated boiler, 

 or from fire being communicated through a hole or fissure, it is 

 readily discovered, and remedial measures resorted to. 



Covering and prof ecfion to wood work a7 0U7id boilers. — In our 

 lake, river and sound steamers, it is very rare to meet with any 

 covering as a protection from heat or fire to the w^ood w^ork con- 

 tiguous to a boiler; the neglect of this essential point is so gene- 

 ral, as almost to be deserving of being classed as universal; and 

 as the occurrence of fire, originating around a boiler, is not re- 

 stricted to one cause, but may arise from so great a number, it is 

 difficult to account for the continual neglect of proper precautions 

 upon this point. 



The cases in which the wood work around a bailer is exposed 

 to being fired, are, 



