perfect condition and the water shows two inches in the glass. You now
try the lower cock, and find plenty of water; you will then try the next
upper cock and get steam. Now as the lower cock is located below the
water line, shown by the glass, and the second cock above this line, you
not only see the water line by the glass, but you have a way of proving
it. Should the water be within two inches of the top of glass you again
have the line between two cocks and can also prove it. Now you can know
for a certainty, where the water stands in the boiler, and we repeat
when you know this, there is nothing to fear from this source, and as a
properly constructed boiler never explodes, except from low water or
high pressure, and as we have already cautioned you about your safety
valve, you have nothing to fear, provided you have made up your mind to
follow these instructions, and unless you can do this, let your job to
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