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1927
ll
the top of the fire and the crown of the furnace is insufficient to
allow of the secondary air there and in the combustion chamber.
Under such conditions the emission of black smoke is inevitable.
With forced draught more coal can be burnt with a normal
depth of fire, but in the majority of cases which come under our
notice the boilers are unsuitable for adaptation to forced draught.
In most of the large factories, mechanical stoking is in
vogue, but in the smaller factories, the inspectors have been
able to give a demonstratoin of the right and wrong method of
hand stoking. We have come across instances where it would
have paid the employers to adopt means to convince a stoker that
hand firing is an art worth acquiring. VVe have issued and distributed
the following leaflet:—
BOROUGH OF ACTON.
INSTRUCTIONS TO STOKERS.
HAND FIRING.
(1). Fire small charges at frequent intervals.
(2). Break coal into lumps 2" diameter.
(3). Method of firing:—
(a) Spread fuel lightly over whole fire, or
(b) Spread along one side of furnace alternately each
charge, or,
(c) Feed on dead-plate and push on to fire when gases
have distilled by coking.
(4). Open furnace door grids if any, for one minute after stoking
to burn volatiles, if no grids, open doors.
(5). Keep fire at even depth and without bare spots.
(6). Do not allow all your fire to burn away before cleaning off.
(7). Do not clean off all your furnaces at one time.
(8). Keep steam pressure steady and do not force boiler.
I think it may be Stated that the solution of industrial
smoke pollution, as far as boiler furnaces are concerned, seems
to be in sight.
There still remains the domestic smoke problem. People
prefer the open fire and will not readily change to other methods
of heating, as far as the living room is concerned. As far as
the inmates of the house are concerned, the open fire is much
the healthiest method of domestic heating, as it ensures thorough
ventilation of the room, with warm surfaces and cool air, unlike
central heating, and closed stoves, which cook the air and leave
the walls and surfaces comparatively cold.
On the other hand, ordinary house coal, when burned in