Chambers's Information for the People, Ed. by W. and R. Chambers

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General Books, 2013 - 792 pages
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1874 edition. Excerpt: ... is allowed entrance to the tube at the fixed end, and the higher its pressure, the more the tube tends to straighten itself. The exact amount of this tendency for the different pressures is ascertained, and the dialplate graduated accordingly. The whole gauge is inclosed in a cylindrical brass box with a glass front. As serious consequences may result from the water becoming too low in the boiler, and much inconvenience from its being too high, it is necessary always to know its exact level. This is ascertained by two methods--namely, by gaugecocks, and by a water-gauge. The former are three cocks communicating with the boiler, one just at the right water-level, and the others respectively at the highest and lowest levels that can be safely used. By opening these cocks, therefore, the engine-driver can see (according as steam or water is blown out) the water-level, within certain limits. The water-gauge, however, tells its own tale without compelling any action on the part of the driver. It is shewn in fig. 5, where aa is part of the front of the boiler, and bb the level of the water. A pipe, d, communicates with the steam-space of the boiler, and another, e, with the water-space; these are connected by a glass tube c, and stop-cocks, g and/," are so placed as to cut off the connection in the event of the tube breaking. When both cocks are open, the level of the water in c is obviously the same as that at bb, so that the engineer can see at a glance how the water in his boiler stands. Many contrivances have been devised to insure that the boiler shall always have a sufficient supply of water. Some of these are of the nature of a 'self-acting feed, ' but the greater part are simply alarums or whistles, so arranged as to make a great...

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