[D9211AHU], Letter from Thomas Alva Edison to Babcock and Wilcox, November 7th, 1892
https://edisondigital.rutgers.edu/document/D9211AHU
Transcription
Nov. 7, 1892. Babcock and Wilcox Co., No. 30 Cortlandt Street, New York City. Dear Sirs:- There is a serious defect come up in your boilers at Ogden. I have been experimenting on burning a very excellent bituminous coal containing a large quantity of gas and find great economy, i. e., 40% saving by putting dampers of chimney down so that with a blower the gases when the fire door is opened will just stay in and when shut will not blow out the side doors. The fire is only two inches thick and kept full of holes as long as the flame through the holes is white: I am thus enabled to get enough oxygen in and hold it long enough to burn the gases. This method saves us thirty dollars per day. I have received the following telegram from Ogden Mine: “We find four cast iron heads on 4 steam drums cracked. They do not leak yet but are reliable to at any time. We cannot run fires with damper shut to point marked; it makes too much heat on head of flues and cast iron heads of drums. As you know the top of cast iron heads does not come in contest with fire while the bottom does and the difference in expansion causes them to crack. The above explanation is given by boiler makers now here.” They ask for advice and I call on you to suggest a remedy. If we go back to old way of firing I cannot afford to run them. Yours truly,