Boiler Down and Out

[Harry]

This probably is a SmokStak subject, but we've got a steam board now.

I ran onto this neat old twin boiler at Kennebec pass in Colorado last summer. Instantly realized that there must have been a big problem that not even a shot of Viagra would help. The gauge of the steel that this stack was made of is heavy! You can't move it or even flex a flat sheet of it. I don't think the wind blew it over.

The only thing that I can think of that would bring it down like this is heat and lots of it. Maybe the last firing went into a runaway condition. The face plate casting is immense and it must have been encased in rock and earth for the fire box. Wood was the fuel of choice and the steam was used to run air compressors for mine drilling and steam pumps to get water out of the mine.

There are lots of these old carcasses up in the mountains and lots of photos followed me home. It was a great summer.

-- Harry

[Harry]

My brother "Red" in the foreground.

Interesting picture Harry. I doubt the stack could have got that hot after the fire went through the flues. Could the boiler have been encased in a large building and the building burned down?

Not knowing where the thing is, could it have been caught in an avalanche? Or perhaps pulled out of a rockslide?

[Harry]

Most of these sit right where they used them. Although it's not impossible that someone moved it, I'm not sure that there would be a reason to. The burning building theory sounds good as timber was the building material of choice.



These photos are back at the Columbus mine and below you can see a sample of the foundation work. I have a photo of the rear clean-out showing "Eclipse" April, 13 189? (couldn't read the last number.) Fairbanks Morse & Co., Denver Col. appears on the front over the doors.

Since they probably didn't have a freeway handy nearby in them days, just think of the effort it took to get the material to the site and then install it.

The flue sheet in the close up pic looks better than most "safe" operating boilers I've seen!!! Craig

yeah its part of the old gold mining mill that my great great grandfather up there ,, with the summer season the property will be a full opert ,, gold and silver mines site ,, please stay off property,, it is private ,, thank you