Regulations for the government of the United States Navy (1865)

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Section 2.

Chief Engineer.

294 A Chief Engineer, on being ordered to a ship, will make himself acquainted with all parts of the machinery and boilers, the coal-bunkers and store-rooms; he will examine carefully all parts of the machinery and everything pertaining to it, and report to the Commanding Officer anything that is defective.

495 He will cause the assistant engineers, on their joining the vessel, to become familiar with all the cocks, valves, pipes, and the different parts of the machinery and boilers.

496 He will see that he has the requisite amount of stores, of good quality, on board, and that they are stored away in good condition.

497 He will provide a supply of oatmeal, to be issued to the firemen and coal-heavers, without charge, at such times and in such quantities as the Commanding Officer may direct.

498 He will keep a strict account of, and be responsible for, the expenditure of the coals, stores, duplicate pieces, and all articles in the engineer department; and he will examine each day.s expenditure and approve it by his signature.

499 He will make out the watch, quarter, fire, and cleaning bills for the engineer department, assigning to each person his proper station and duty, and submit the same to the Commander of the vessel for his approval and signature, which bills shall then be hung up in some conspicuous place where all persons in the department may refer to them. He will see that the prescribed duties are performed in a proper manner, and will report all neglect of duty or other breech of discipline in the fire or engine-room to the executive officer.

500 He will see that the fires are never lighted, nor hauled after being lighted, without the consent of the Commanding Officer ; and that the engines are never turned, after being stopped, except in obedience to signal, or by permission of the Officer of the Deck.

501 He will report to the Commander any accident or defect that may occur to the machinery, boilers, or their dependencies, and at meridian of each day report the quantity of coals consumed, the revolutions made by the engines, and the average revolutions per minute for the last twenty-four hours; also, the quantity of coal remaining on hand; and if at any time in his judgment the machinery is driven too hard, or undue strain put upon any of its parts by stress of weather, motion, or position of the vessel, he will report the same to the Commander, noting such report, and the causes for it, in the steam-log.

502 He shall make a daily personal examination of all parts of the vessel occupied by the engines and their dependencies, and will report them ready for inspection to the Executive Officer at such times as may be directed by the Commander of the vessel.

503 He shall, at the setting of the watch in the evening, report the condition of the engines, boilers, and their dependencies, to the Commanding Officer, and receive from him any orders he may have to give him for the night.

504 He will exercise a vigilant supervision over every part of the steam department, and see that it is kept in good order; he will be particular that the steam-pumps, hose, and other means for extinguishing fire, are ready for immediate use; that the water in the boilers is not carried to an improper density; and that the coals and stores are used to the greatest advantage.

505 He shall afford every facility, and encourage in every way the Assistant Engineers to improve themselves in their profession, and at the end of a cruise. or on heir leaving the ship, he will address to the Secretary of the Navy a letter; stating the deportment, character, and qualifications as an Engineer, of each.

506 He will examine the bunkers each time the ship arrives in port, or oftener, to see if the amount of coats correspond with the log, and if any discrepancy appears, he will report the same immediately to the Commander and note it on the log.

507 He will, on the discontinuance of steaming, with the permission of the Commanding Officer, clean and repair, at once, the engines and their dependencies.

508 He will cause the Firemen to be instructed so as to qualify them for managing the engines and dependencies with safety, in case accident, or other causes, should prevent the attendance of the Engineer.

509 He will cause the temperature of the coal-bunkers to be ascertained twice in each watch, and have the result reported to the Officer of the Deck at the expiration of the watch.

510 Whenever a distilling apparatus is fitted on board a steam-ship, he is to take charge of it, and will be held responsible for its being kept in proper repair and condition.

511 A steam-log is always to be kept when the vessel is moved by steam, which log is to be signed in the column of remarks by the Engineers of the respective watches at the expiration of their watch, and at noon of each day by the Senior Engineer of the vessel. The steam log-book is to be handed to the Commander of the vessel daily by the Senior Engineer on board. At the end of each quarter he shall send to the Commanding Officer of the vessel a fair copy of the steam log-book, certified by his own signature.

512 He will take the utmost care in the arrangement of stores, the use of lights and fires, and the adoption of every precautionary measure to prevent the danger from fire to which steamers are so much exposed.

513 He will carefully note in the steam-log the draught of water of the vessel and immersion of the bucket-boards just before going to sea, and on arriving in port, and frequently when receiving coal and other stores.

514 The Chief Engineer of the vessel will make a quarterly report to accompany the quarterly synopsis of the steam-log, (appendix, form, No. 2.) in which he will detail the breakage or other casualties of the machinery, the causes thereof as far as he may be able to ascertain with certainty, the time expended in repairing them and in adjusting the machinery, and whether done by his department on board or by workmen from the shore. He will also give his opinion of the present condition of the machinery, mentioning particularly the cylinders and their valves, the main journals, the connecting-rod journals, the steam bearings, the pumps, the condensers and boilers, and the paddle-wheels or screw, to which he will add his observations as to their sufficiency and efficiency. In the event of any experimental machinery being on board, or any horse machinery, or unusual arrangement, he will particularly describe it and its mode of action, and give the results therefrom and his opinion on its merits. He will state the maximum speed of the vessel under steam alone, in smooth water, that can be sustained for twelve consecutive hours, with the machinery in its existing condition, and give the necessary data in connexion therewith, such as the boiler pressure, number of revolutions of the engines per minute, vacuum in the condenser, number of holes of throttle-valve open, point of cutting off steam, temperatures, pounds of coal consumed per hour, number of tons of coal on board the vessel, indicated horse-power, &c. He will state the number of engineers, of first and second class firemen, and coal-heavers attached to the vessel, and also the number of tons of coal that the bunkers will contain. He will add such observations on the machinery and vessel as his experience may suggest, with a view to their correct appreciation and value. A copy of the tabular synopsis and of the report is to be pasted into each quarterly steam log, and another is to be forwarded, through the prescribed channels, to the Bureau of Steam Engineering.

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