ing should be made a matter of continuous
record so arranged that the results may be directly compared for any
period or set of conditions, and where such results vary from the
standard set, steps must be taken immediately to remedy the causes of
such failings. Such a record is an important check in the losses in the
plant.

As the size of the plant and the fuel consumption increase, such a check
of losses and recording of results becomes a necessity. In the larger
plants, the saving of but a fraction of one per cent in the fuel bill
represents an amount running into thousands of dollars annually, while
the expense of the proper supervision to secure such saving is small.
The methods of supervision followed in the large plants are necessarily
elaborate and complete. In the smaller plants the same methods may be
followed on a more moderate scale with a corresponding saving in fuel
and an inappreciable increase in either plant organization or expense.

There has been within the last few years a great increase in the
practicability and reliability of the various types of apparatus by
which the records of plant operation may be secured. Much of this
apparatus is ingenious and, considering the work to be done, is
remarkably accurate. From the delicate nature of some of the apparatus,
the liability to error necessitates frequent calibration but even where
the accuracy is known to be only within limits of, say, 5 per cent
either way, the records obtained are of the greatest service in
considering relative results. Some of the records desirable and the
apparatus for securing them are given below.

[Illustration: 2400 Horse-power Installation of Cross Drum Babcock &
Wilcox Boilers and Superheaters at the Westinghouse Electric and
Manufacturing Co., East Pittsburgh, Pa.]

Inasmuch as the ultimate measure of the efficiency of the boiler plant
is the cost of steam generation, the important records are those of
steam generated and fuel consumed Records of temperature, analyses,
draft and the like, serve as a check on this consumption, indicating the
distribution of the losses and affording a means of remedying conditions
where improvement is possible.

Coal Records--There are many devices on the market for conveniently
weighing the coal used. These are ordinarily accurate within close
limits, and where the size or nature of the plant warrants the
investment in such a device, its use is to be recommended. The coal
consumption s