By James H. Maggard
In placing this book before the public the author wishes it understoodthat it is not his intention to produce a scientific work onengineering. Such a book would be valuable only to engineers of largestationary engines. In a nice engine room nice theories and scientificcalculations are practical. This book is intended for engineers of farmand traction engines, "rough and tumble engineers," who have everythingin their favor today, and tomorrow are in mud holes, who with the sameengine do eight horse work one day and sixteen horse work the next day.Reader, the author has had all these experiences and you will have them,but don't get discouraged. You can get through them to your entiresatisfaction.
Don't conclude that all you are to do is to read this book. It will notmake an engineer of you. But read it carefully, use good judgment andcommon sense, do as it tells you, and my word for it, in one month, you,for all practical purposes, will be a better engineer than four-fifthsof the so-called engineers today, who think what they don't know wouldnot make much of a book. Don't deceive yourself with the idea that whatyou get out of this will be merely "book learning." What is said in thiswill be plain, unvarnished, practical facts. It is not the author'sintention to use any scientific terms, but plain, everyday field terms.There will be a number of things you will not find in this book, butnothing will be left out that would be of practical value to you. Youwill not find any geometrical figures made up of circles, curves,angles, letters and figures in a vain effort to make you understand theprinciple of an eccentric. While it is all very nice to know thesethings, it is not necessary, and the putting of them in this book woulddefeat the very object for which it was intended. Be content with beinga good, practical, everyday engineer, and all these things will come intime.
If you have not read the preface on the preceding pages, turn back andread it. You will see that we have stated there that we will use noscientific terms, but plain every day talk. It is presumed by us thatthere will be more young men, wishing to become good engineers, readthis work than old engineers. We will, therefore, be all the more plainand say as little as possible that will tend to confuse the learner, andwhat we do say will be said in the same language that we would use if wewere in the field, instructing you how to handle your engine. So if themore experienced engineer thinks we might have gone further in somecertain points, he will please remember that by so doing we mightconfuse the less experienced, and thereby cover up the very point wetried to make. And yet it is not to be supposed that we will endeavor tomake an engineer out of a man who never saw an engine. It is, therefore,not necessary to tell the learner how an engine is made or what it lookslike. We are not trying to teach you how to build an engine, but ratherhow to handle one after it is built; how to know when it is in propershape and how to let it alone when it is in shape. We will suppose thatyou already know as much as an ordinary water boy, and just here we willsay that we have seen water haulers that were more capable of handlingthe engine for which they were hauling water, than the engineer, and theengineer would not have made a good water boy, for the reason that hewas lazy, and we want the reader to stick a pin here, and if he has anysymptoms of that complaint, don't undertake to run an engine, for a lazyengineer will spoil a good engine, if b