The boiler was cold enough to touch by morning.
Kel had left the drain open overnight and stationed a worker beside the gauge. Iven checked the reading himself, then opened the low inspection tap. A thread of water ran into a bucket and stopped. The vessel still held heat deep in its metal, but it held no pressure.
“Now the jacket,” Kel said.
Four mechanics had joined them: Dara and Olin from the outpost, a pipe fitter named Ves, and Sen, an apprentice who carried a notebook tied shut with string. Annet had stayed to inspect the repair; Orla and Mara were preparing an earlier return. Dalen had offered the visitors a second wagon so the water inspector could carry samples and copies back without waiting for the boiler work.
Iven ran a hand along the split seam. “We take the damaged plate out first, then free the shoe. If we pull the shoe before supporting the vessel, the whole end can settle.”
Dara set two heavy stands beneath the inner vessel. Olin checked their feet against the floor and wedged each one. Ves disconnected the jacket’s inlet pipe while Kel opened the upper vent. The last trapped water drained into a shallow pan.
