) m tew! ! lyi.v.A l:i f ; I, « ! I. li i[ jipipg' ii ;? 1 M «;iiwi&:a iiMilM »V.\3 PRESENTED BY rV F\Ti^re.M: Ca-"^'^^^H*- ®fc« J[0r0m0tte. PUBLISHED BY THE ]^EW SEEIES. MARTKORD, CONN 1889. 8fe |[0{:0m0tte. PUBLISHED BY THE HARTFORD STEAM BOILER INSPECTION AND INSURANCE COMPANY. New SEKiiis—Vol. X. HARTFORD. CONN., JANUARY, 1889. No. 1. Corrosion Around Stay Bolts. Arounfl the stay bolts of water lej^s, or furnaces, curious grooves are often found in the plates, radiating from the bolts as centers. This kind of corrosion is well illustrated in Fig. 1, which shows the water side of a piece of metal recently cut from a fire-box subjected to considerable strain. The plate, undoubtedly, bent backward and forward :\ CoRiiosioN AiiouND Stay Bolts. — Fig. 1. slightly under the varying pressures, and though the flexure, and consequent alteration of the surface, was probably too small to be seen, it is easy to believe that it was sufficient to open up the fibres to the water in certain directions, rather than in certain others. Judging from the appearance of the plate, it seems likely, also, that in tapping out the holes for 78612 : THE LOCOMOTIVE. [January, the stay bolts, strains -were brought to bear on the plate, which disturbed the skin of the iron and afterwards hastened the corrosion. The effects of apparently unimjiortant strains are often much greater than one who has not studied them would readily believe. "We have already shown that surface markings on iron plates may often be reproduced with considerable distinctness, by simple immersion in acid, even after they have been planed off, and the metal polished until its surface appears to be perfectly uniform. (See the Locomotive for July, 1884.) In the case illustrated in Fig. 1, the boiler often lay idle for a considerable time, and the water that was used was rather impure, so that the action was naturally more CoRROsiox Around StaY' Bolts. — Fig. 2. rapid than it would be uuder less favorable circumstances ; but the same thing takes place with the purest water, provided there is sufficient strain upon the bolts to disturb the arrangement of the surface particles. In cases of this kind there is no external evidence of the condition of things inside, for the exterior looks perfectly sound. Fig. 2 represents a portion of the inner plate of a water leg of a locomotive boiler. The furrows in this case were quite deep, and looked as though they had been cut by a had entirely off at the outer ends. tool ; and the stay bolts been corroded Inspectors' Reports. November, 1888. In the month of November, 1888, our inspectors made 4,467 inspection trips, visited 8,606 boilers, inspected 3,216 both internally and externally, and subjected 642 to hjdro- static pressure. The whole number of defects reported reached 6,835, of which 555 were considered dangerous ; 38 boilers were regarded unsafe for further use. The defects in detail were as follows Nature of Defects. Whole Number. Cases of deposit of sediment, ... Cases of incrustation and scale, - . - Cases of internal grooving, - - - - Cases of internal corrosion, - - - - Cases of external corrosion, ... Broken and loose braces and stays, Settings defective, - - - - - Furnaces out of shape, .... 1889.] THE LOCOMOTIVE, Nature of Defects. Whole Number. Fractured plates, - ... Burned plates, . Blistered plates, - . Cases of defective riveting, Defective heads, . - - Serious leakage around tube ends, - Serious leakage at seams. Defective Avater-gauges, Defective blovp-offs. Cases of deficiency of water. Safety-valves overloaded, - Safety-valves defective in construction. Pressure-gauges defective, - Boilers without pressure-gauges. Unclassified defects. Total, - - - - : THE LOCOMOTIVE. [January, Summary of Inspectors' Reports for the Year 1888. "We present herewith a summary of the work done by the inspectors during the past year, and, for comparison, we give the corresponding summary for 1887 1887. Visits of inspection made, - - - - Total number of boilers inspected, - " " " " " internally, " " " " tested by hydrostatic pressure, " " " defects reported, - - - " " " dangerous defects reported, " " " boilers condemned. Nature of Defects. Cases of deposit of sediment, ... Cases of incrustation and scale, ... Cases of internal grooving, . - - - Cases of internal corrosion, - - - Cases of external corrosion, - - - - Broken and loose braces and stays, - - - Settings defective, - - - . - Furnaces out of shape, . Fractured plates, ..... Burned plates, . _ . - . Blistered plates, . _ - . Cases of defective riveting, - - - - - - Defective heads, . - Serious leakage around tube ends, . - - - - - Serious leakage at seams, - . - Defective water-gauges, . - Defective blow-offs, - - - - Cases of deficiency of water. - Safety-valves overloaded, - ' Safety-valves defective in construction, Pressure-gauges defective, - - - - Boilers without pressure gauges, . - Miscellaneous defects, . - - - - Total, - - - - - - 91,567 - - 8,967 1889.] THE LOCOMOTIVE. Boiler Explosions. December, 1888. Donkey Engine (208). The boiler of the donkey engine in use at H. A. Stevens's coal yard, on South Front Street, Fair Haven, blew up on Wednesday, Dec. 5th. The explosion destroyed the engine and boiler, and blew the shanty in which the machinery was located, in every direction. The noise of the explosion was heard a long distance away. The engineer, Thomas Hempstock, was somewhat injured, but not seriously so. Iron "Works (209). A boiler exploded at the Shelby Iron "Works, Shelby, Ala., on Dec. 6th, killing three men. BiTUMiNotis Rock Heater (210). On Dec. 7th, Mark Bates was standing before a steam boiler used to melt bituminous rock, at San Diego, Cal., when it exploded, blow- ing him twenty feet and literally cooking his flesh. He died in five minutes. Steam Yacht (211). An explosion took place on the fast Herreshoif yacht, Say When, ofl^ Hope Island, Narragansett Bay, on Dec. 8th, while she was making her trial trip. Charles F. Newman, fireman, was fatally injured, and George C. Horton, engineer, was fearfully scalded about the face and arms. The Say When, disaliled, was picked up by a tugboat and taken to Bristol. The boiler was of the well-known Herreshoff safety coil type. Feed Mill (212). The explosion of a boiler in Strohel & Hamon's feed mill at ^Trowbridge, Ohio, on Dec. lOtli, killed Henry Hamon and Albert Kline, and badly injured "Wallace Strohel and a boy. The mill was wrecked. Oatmeal Mills (213). An explosion occurred at the oatmeal mills, corner of Halstead and Fulton Streets, Chicago, at 2 o'clock on the morning of Dec. 11th, and the building was soon wrapped in flames. Several lives were lost. Saw-Mill (214). On "Wednesday afternoon, Dec. 12th, a boiler exploded in "Wilcox Mills, near Evergreen, Ala., killing four persons. Five others were wounded, but their names were not learned. The property was valuable, and is now a total wreck. The dead were horribly mutilated, and it is said that parts of their bodies were found four hundred yards away. Machine Shop (215). On the afternoon of Dec. 12th, a boiler exploded in the shop of William Bonner, at the corner of North Main and Read Streets, Providence, R. I. The top went up into the ceiling, striking directly beneath a boiler in the works of Samuel Crane, breaking the main steam pipe and damaging the engine. No one was killed, and the damage was small. Cotton Gin (216). A boiler explosion on Dec. 13th, in G. W. Turner's cotton gin, near Montgomery, Ala., killed George Turner and two negroes. Seven other persons were wounded. Cotton Gin (217). In Selma, N. C, on Dec. 14th, the head of Mr. B. L. Aycock's boiler blew out, breaking the arm of his son, Mr. Charles Aycock, in two places, and inflicting a dangerous wound on his head. The firejnan and three others were also injured, some of them seriously. Steam Heating Apparatus (218). Mr. T. L. Aldrich was heating water for live stock, in Woodville, Mass., on Dec. 16th, and as he reached up to open a valve, the boiler exploded. He was seriously but not fatally burned about the face and arms. Steam Tug (219). On December 17th, the steam tug Susie was bought by the Fox Island clay works, situated near Tacoma, W. T. Two days later, while she was Q THE LOCOMOTIVE. [January, bein«- looked over by her purchasers, her boiler exploded with great violence, shattering her hull to the water's edge, so that she sank in a few minutes. The president of the company was blown over a high pile of lumber, and acro.ss an eighty-foot wharf, striking the water a^ain fully 100 feet from the tug. He was badly cut and bruised, and severely scalded about the back and legs. The captain of the steamer was found on the edge of a boom of logs. He was badly disfigured, and will probably die. His brother, who was present, was badly scalded, and was picked up in the water 100 feet away. The enrnneer, who escaped without injury, made off into the woods after the accident, and could not be found. He was a new hand, in place of the regular engineer, who was awav to be married. The new man is blamed for the accident, as the boilers and machinery had been inspected before the purchase. The Sude was a twin-screw propeller, 100 feet long. Quartz Mill ^220). One of the boilers in a ten-stamp quartz mill in Silver Creek, Xevada. exploded on December 18th, while the men were at dinner. The mill was badly damaged and another boiler that stood by the side of the exploded one was thrown about 300 yards, out into a salt marsh. The boiler that exploded had bagged over the fire. Xo one was in the mill at the time of the explosion, and no one was injured. Spoke Factory (221j. The large boiler in the spoke factory of Emmett & Sons, at Mount Yemon, Ind., exploded on Dec.