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Indiana University Studies 



apparatus as are needed in action at once. In the second place, 

 labor conditions make for poor handling. The wages of the 

 average fireman of this district will not attract a competent man, 

 and as a result there are very few licensed firemen in the district. 

 The prevalent idea seems to be that anyone who can shovel coal 

 and see a steam gauge and a water-glass will do for a fireman. 

 This results in a shortening of the useful life of a boiler and a 

 large increase in the amount of coal necessary to do the work. At 

 some plants I have seen fires under boilers that showed a thick- 

 ness of ash on the grate under the fire of 6 or 7 inches. In many of 

 the plants the boiler tubes are not kept properly cleaned and the 

 boiler settings thoroly tight. Every fireman should have it 

 carefully impressed on his mind that any soot accumulation in the 

 tubes or in the combustion chamber of a boiler acts as a non- 

 conductor of heat and that ash accumulation on the grate re- 

 duces the steaming capacity. Effective steaming depends on 

 keeping the tubes clean of soot and scale and the grate free of 

 ash and clinkers. 



Many boilers in use at the present time have passed the age 

 where they can be used economically. Few operators seem to 

 appreciate the fact that a small saving in fuel will soon make a 

 new boiler a more economical proposition than the continued use 

 of the old equipment. At one plant visited, there were two 

 boilers in operation which had been used continuously for over 

 25 years. Both were in a very unsafe condition and the waste 

 of fuel in their use would have been great enough to cover all 

 fixed charges on a new boiler equipment. At another plant an 

 old worn-out boiler had caused three extensive shut-downs during 

 the last year while repairs were being made. At still another 

 plant I found the fireman carrying a very thick layer of ash and 

 clinker on the grate under the fire. When asked why he said 

 that the grate was in such a condition that a large amount of his 

 fire would be lost if he were to rake it clean. 



A comparative study of the amount of coal shipped in and the 

 output of power by the plant will readily show that the plant 

 with modern boiler equipment is a saving investment in the 

 long run. I have made an extensive study of the cost of power 

 in a number of plants in this county and find that up-to-date 

 boiler equipment and careful attention are the most important 

 factors in lower power costs. 



The most reliable boiler feeder is a direct-acting single or 

 duplex pump. In most plants the single-acting Dean pump is 



