Hi Ted;
I assume you are referring to that small pipe that runs from the top of the vertical boiler to the discharge pipe of the pump on the right side of the picture.
That is NOT a pipe that allowed the pump to be used as a boiler feedpump; I was wrong about that. I remember now that someone told me that pipe was used to inject steam into the discharge line of the pump in order to thaw the pipework to the water tank during freezing weather. Sorry about the mistake.
Bill Pratt sent me the picture below; it was taken in June of 03. You can see the pipe coming into the side of the pumphouse that was connected to the suction of the pump. The boiler's exhaust pipe is on the right; I am not sure what the smaller pipe was for.
The steam engine end of the pump has the intake and exhaust side-by-side, with the exhaust at the back. The exhaust pipe branches into two directions -- one pipe goes to a nozzle in the exhaust of the boiler; the other probably goes to a steam trap outside the boilerhouse.
The intake pipe ends in a cap at the top. That also confused me; but what probably happened was that the pumphouse was shut down before the line was abandoned. The length of pipe from the boiler to the pump was probably taken out and capped off on each end to prevent the steam pump from being ran. The capped pipe sticking out of the top of the boiler may be where the other end entered the boiler.
Bill, right now, the Steam Lizards group is abuzz with activity trying to save the steam machinery from the CNJ ferry Elizabeth. (Please see the link below to a thread on the RYPN Interchange for more information.) When things calm down; I will share your pictures with the group.
-James Hefner
Hebrews 10:20a
