What is the life of the boiler?
Its life is indefinite. It is not subject to frictional wear. Unsatisfactory life is almost invariably found to be caused by gross neglect (such as not keeping it clean, so as to maintain the proper circulation); or by inexcusable abuse (such as attempting to steam it up without any water in it). Even when only partial care is given a boiler, its life is sufficient to vindicate the owner’s judgment, in comparison with the best cars on the road, in supplying uninterrupted, comfortable transportation with assurance year in and year out. 16. Now tell me how the water is heated and turned into steam. This is done by the burner, sealed beneath the boiler. There, the fuel, automatically fed, and vaporized by its own heat, burns in blue compact jets a few inches high. The chamber is entirely enclosed. The heat passes up through the tubes of the boiler, where it is absorbed by the water, thus making the steam. There are two parts to the burner–a miniature burner called the pilot, which burns
