Here are some exerpts from a steam engine book I was given for my birthday a while back. It was originally published in 1903 and has been re-printed. It's called "Farm Engines and How To Run Them" James H. Stephenson.CODE OF WHISTLE SIGNALS
One short sound means to stop.
Two short sounds means the engine is about to begine work.
Three medium short sounds means that the machine will soon need grain and grain haulers should hurry.
One rather long sounds followed by three short ones means the water is low and water hauler should hurry.
A succession of short, quick whistles means distress or fire. MISCELLANEOUS
A good blacking for boilers and smokestacks is asphaltum dissolved in turpentine.
To polish brass, dissolve 5 cents' worth of oxalic acid in a pint of water and use to clean the brass. When tarnish has been removed, dry and polish with chalk or whiting.
It is said that iron or steel will not rust if it is placed for a few minutes in a warm solution of washing soda.
Grease on the bottom of a boiler will stick there and prevent the water from conducting away the heat. When steel is thus covered it will soon melt in a hot fire, causing a boiler to burst if the steel is poor, or warping it out of shape if the steel is good.
Sulphate of lime in water, causing scale, may be counteracted and scale removed by using coal oil and sal soda. When water contains carbonate of lime, molasses will remove the scale. It also has chapters on Gasoline engines, the science of threshing, and a review of the steam tractors of the time. Very interesting literature.
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