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At a meeting of the Directors of the Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance Company, held at their office in Hartford, March 31st, the following report of business done in the month of February, was read by the President: " Visits of inspections made, 180; number of boilers examined, 332; external examinations, 261; internal examinations, 84 while, in addition, 18 were tested by hydraulic pressure; number of defects in all discovered, 226; number of dangerous defects, 26 ; furnaces out of shape, 13 ; fractures, in all, 21 3 dangerous ; burned plates, 20 2 dangerous; blistered plates, 53 2 dangerous; cases of incrustation and scale, 45; cases of external corrosion, 23 3 dangerous; internal corrosion, 3 1 dangerous; internal grooving, 6; water gages out of order, 6; blow-out apparatus out of order, 2 1 dangerous; safety valves overloaded, 22 3 dangerous; pressure gages out of order, 14 8 dangerous; boilers without gages, 1; cases of deficiency of water, 3. In the month's work four boilers have been found in such condition as to be positively dangerous, and beyond repair. These four have been condemned, and are being replaced by new boilers. In one of the cases of internal corrosion, noted above, an internal examination revealed to the inspector plates so badly weakened that upon sounding them with a hammer a hole was broken entirely through. This shows the importance of careful internal examinations. Many cases similar to the above have been found in localities where laws requiring annual inspections to be made are in full force. State and municipal inspection laws require only the hydraulic test to be applied; hence incrustation, scale and internal corrosion are defects which such inspections take no cognizance of. " We must again revert to the subject of overloaded safety valves. Twenty-two have been found; while three were entirely inoperative from excessive loading and neglect. One spindle was very crooked, and extra weighting was resorted to. In another the valve was corroded fast in its seat, and was raised with great difficulty. In another the fulcrum joint was corroded fast, and in raising the lever the connection was entirely broken out. " Now, although a manufacturer may think he has a very careful engineer, and that inspection is hardly necessary, he mast admit that a man whose business it is to thoroughly examine boilers, internally and externally, will discover defects which another would pass over. While many and serious defects have been discovered by the company's inspectors, nc risk has been assumed except where the boilers have been put in good repair. Among the 2,500 boilers under the care of this company, slight damage has occurred to one in tiie city of Providence, during the month. Our inspector from this office visited the establishment at once, and made careful examination of the ruptured sheet; repairs were immediately made, this company assuming the expense.”
