Bob,
As I said somewhere below (I think), state inspection in Ohio is not mandatory. Before you go on the warpath, please remember a few things: 1. This law dates back to the days when the Grange, and Farmer's Co-operatives fought like hayl to keep the gubmint off the farms. 2. The current Ohio standard is aimed at modern industrial applications, so parts of it doesn't translate too well to vintage farm boilers anyway.
3. Most larger steam engine shows in Ohio do have club inspections, these are usually pretty thorough (internal, external, hydro), but performed by knowlegable hobbyists rather than the state. However, the Medina county fair seems not to have been one of those venues.
The upsides of club inspecions is that inspections are done at every show, rather than just annually increasing the chances that something missed elsewhere will be caught, AND the operator's handling of his engine is usually scrutinized as well, not just the engine itself. The downside is, without force of law, there is nothing, except the hobbyists grapevine and common sense, to keep a fellow who's engine has been rejected at one show from trying again at another. (I've heard of a few people being banned or "blacklisted", this fellow's son is reported to have been bounced from the show at Dover for the way he operated another Case engine)
Here's some other bearing facts:
1. The owner bought the engine a year ago, if it was that badly corroded, then it was that way when he bought it.(Does this release him from culpability? No, the boiler's condition is ultimately the owner's responsibility.)
2. The engine was apart when the fellow bought it (perhaps the old owner intended to have boiler work done, I honestly don't know)
3. As the engine's first public appearance in some time, and it had just arrived on the showgrounds, even Mr J. Payton, had he been there himself, would not have had time to inspect it.(In many places 9even Pa) it is usual to have the engines inspected at the showgrounds just prior to the show. It saves the inspector time and mileage)
4. To my knowlege, no back bidders, who would/should have inspected the engine at the time of sale. have come forward to say the boiler was bad. (I would have expected this, but it hasn't happened.)
5. Mr' Payton's known anti- riveted boiler stance (and antipathy towards Ohio's practice) is bearing not so much on the accuracy of his report, but more the motives of "leaking" for lack of a better word, his report ahead of the official one.
6. IMHO questioning a report is not a sign of a bad engineer, rather a good one who accepts nothing (be it waterglass reading, or that the injectors are working) on someone else's say so. He wants to KNOW it for himself.
