Firebox

/ˈfaɪrbɑks/ noun

Definition

The chamber or compartment in a furnace, steam engine, or boiler where fuel is burned to produce heat or steam.

Etymology

Compound of 'fire' and 'box.' Essential to early industrial machinery, particularly steam locomotives and stationary boilers.

Kelly Says

Steam locomotive fireboxes were incredibly hot—engineers had to constantly shovel coal and monitor the fire while riding in a tiny cab, making it one of the most grueling jobs of the Industrial Revolution, often done by young men called 'firemen.'

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