LETTING OFF STEAM
By Richard Backus
When Cliff Kovacic's Case 110 exploded in Medina, Ohio, on July 29, 2001, the state of Ohio had no licensing or inspection procedures in place for antique boilers. The Ohio Department of Commerce, which oversees the inspection of boilers in the state, had previously deemed historical boilers to be beyond their scope, and had exempted an
Antique boilers from their boiler inspection laws.
In the aftermath of Medina the state took a look at its lack of oversight of antique boilers, and on July 25, 2002, Ohio Gov. Bob Taft signed into law amended house bill 344, creating the Historical Boilers Licensing Board, which is charged with establishing licensing requirements and inspection procedures for operators of historical boilers.
The board is set to have seven members, and so far three individuals have been appoint ed. One of those seven, I have just learned, will be our very own Bruce E. Babcock, a man well known to readers of these pages.
Bruce was nominated to the board by Dean Jagger, chief boiler inspector for the state of Ohio, and Jagger appointed Bruce in large measure because of Bruce's investigations and articles about fusible plugs that appeared here.
Bruce's appointment represents a real boon to the steam community, because it means we have a strong ally on the board, and you can bet that other states will be watching Ohio to see how they structure this newly-formed board. And in case you're wondering, board members receive no compensation, only reimbursement for expenses.
The Medina explosion seems to have been a watershed for Bruce, pushing him to probe, prod and question issues surrounding the explosion in search of not only an answer for what happened, but information that will help make sure this never happens again. Bruce's unceasing devotion to ferreting out the facts is nothing short of amazing, and we in the steam community owe him a debt of gratitude for his effort.
I realize of course that many people are working quietly in the background for the good of the steam community, but Bruce has applied himself to recent issues intelligently and thought fully, with the clear goal of ensuring the health and welfare of the steam community. So congratulations, Bruce, I know the rest of the steam community recognizes the value of your efforts.