The Locomotive - Lighthouse Survival Blog

PUBLISHED BY THE HARTFORD STEAM BOILER INSPECTION AND INSURANCE COMPANY.
New Series — Vol. XIV. HARTFORD, CONN., OCTOBER, 1893. No. 10.
An Unusual Accident.
A short time ago one of our inspectors received an urgent call to visit an electric
power station in Texas. There were six boilers in the battery, and they had been
working all right, until, without warning, boilers Nos. 1, 2, and 3 were seen to be
losing their water rapidly. The feed pump was started as fast as possible, and the
water rose in Nos. 2 and 3; but No. 1 still showed no water, and its feed valve was
closed. The fires were hauled immediately upon the first signs of trouble being per-
ceived, so that boiler No. 1 suffered no damage beyond the starting of leaks about the
The Cause of the Accident.
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tubes at both ends, and at the girth joints and some of the longitudinal joints. The
prompt hauling of the fires also saved Nos. 3 and 3 from being damaged; and after
re-rolling the tube ends and caulking the joints in boiler No. 1, all the boilers were
ready for use again, except that it was first necessary to discover the cause of the acci-
dent, and take measures to prevent its recurrence.
The report of the inspector says : " Arriving at the plant, I found that boiler No. 1
had not been touched after the accident had occurred. The plates were ordered removed,
and as soon as the boiler was cool enough an internal examination was made. No
damage to either tubes or shell could be detected from the inside. The feed pipe was