author
b. 1877
A practical early-20th-century engineering writer, he focused on making steam plants run more efficiently and with less waste. His books and bulletins turn technical testing methods into clear, usable guidance for operators and engineers.
by Rufus T. (Rufus Tracy) Strohm
Rufus T. Strohm, born in 1877, was an American engineering author best known for writing about boilers, furnaces, and fuel efficiency. Records for his books identify his full name as Rufus Tracy Strohm, and his work reflects the industrial concerns of the early 1900s, when careful fuel use and reliable steam production were major national priorities.
His known publications include Oil Fuel for Steam Boilers (1914) and Boiler and Furnace Testing (1918), the latter prepared for the United States Fuel Administration. In that bulletin, he explained how to test boiler performance, measure coal and water use, and reduce waste—writing in a direct, practical style aimed at people doing the work, not just studying it.
Available records indicate that he lived from November 12, 1877, to June 1, 1961. While not much biographical detail is easy to confirm, his surviving books show a writer deeply interested in efficient plant operation and the everyday mechanics of steam power.