marked as
the realization of the possible saving in this end of the plant
increases.

The second aspect of boiler room management, dealing with specific
recommendations as to the care and operation of the boilers, is dictated
largely by the nature of the apparatus. Some of the features to be
watched in considering this aspect follow.

Before placing a new boiler in service, a careful and thorough
examination should be made of the pressure parts and the setting. The
boiler as erected should correspond in its baffle openings, where
baffles are adjustable, with the prints furnished for its erection, and
such baffles should be tight. The setting should be so constructed that
the boiler is free to expand without interfering with the brickwork.
This ability to expand applies also to blow-off and other piping. After
erection all mortar and chips of brick should be cleaned from the
pressure parts. The tie rods should be set up snug and then slacked
slightly until the setting has become thoroughly warm after the first
firing. The boiler should be examined internally before starting to
insure the absence of dirt, any foreign material such as waste, and
tools. Oil and paint are sometimes found in the interior of a new boiler
and where such is the case, a quantity of soda ash should be placed
within it, the boiler filled with water to its normal level and a slow
fire started. After twelve hours of slow simmering, the fire should be
allowed to die out, the boiler cooled slowly and then opened and washed
out thoroughly. Such a proceeding will remove all oil and grease from
the interior and prevent the possibility of foaming and tube
difficulties when the boiler is placed in service.

The water column piping should be examined and known to be free and
clear. The water level, as indicated by the gauge glass, should be
checked by opening the gauge cocks.

The method of drying out a brick setting before placing a boiler in
operation is described later in the discussion of boiler settings.

A boiler should not be cut into the line with other boilers until the
pressure within it is approximately that in the steam main. The boiler
stop valve should be opened very slowly until it is fully opened. The
arrangement of piping should be such that there can be no possibility of
water collecting in a pocket between the boiler and the main, from which
it can be carried over into the steam line when a boiler is cut in.

In regular operation th