o
one who can. Well, you say you will do as we have directed, we will
then go back to the gauges. Don't depend on your glass gauge alone, for
several reasons. One is, if you depend on the glass entirely, the
try-cocks become limed up and are useless, solely because they are
not used.

Some time ago the writer was standing near a traction engine, when the
engineer, (I guess I must call him that) asked me to stay with the
engine a few minutes. I consented. After he had been gone a short time
I thought I would look after the water. It showed about two inches in
the glass, which was all right, but as I have advised you, I proposed to
know that it was there and thought I would prove it by trying the cocks.
But on attempting to try them I found them limed up solid. Had I been
hunting an engineer, that fellow would not have secured the job.
Suppose that before I had looked at the glass, it had bursted, which it
is liable to do any time. I would have shut the gauge cocks off as soon
as possible to stop the escaping steam and water. Then I would have
tried the cocks to find where the water was in the boiler. I would have
been in a bad boat, not knowing whether I had water or not. Shortly
after this the fellow that was helping the engine run (I guess I will
put it that way) came back. I asked him what the trouble was with his
try cocks. He said, "Oh, I don't bother with them." I asked him what he
would do if his glass should break. His reply was, "Oh, that won't
break." Now just such an engineer as that spoils many a good engine, and
then blames it on the manufacturer. Now this is one good reason why you
are not to depend entirely on the glass gauge. Another equally as good
reason is, that your glass may fool you, for you see the try-cocks may
lime up, so may your glass gauge cocks, but you say you use them. You
use them by looking at them. You are not letting the steam or water
escape from them every few minutes and thereby cutting the lime away, as
is the case with try-cocks. Now you want to know how you are to keep
them open. Well, that is easy. Shut off the top gauge and open the
drain cock at bottom of gauge cock. This allows the water and steam to
flow out of the lower cock. Then after allowing it to escape a few
seconds, shut off the lower gauge and open the top one, and allow it to
blow about the same time. Then shut the drain cock and open both gauge
cocks and you will see the water seek its level,