The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-08-12 00:00:00

MILNER'S PATENT FIRE PROOF BOXES

Amongst the inventions of the present age which claim more
than common notice in the public estimation, for their utility,
may be reckoned Milner's Fire Proof Boxes. These boxes
hare been the means no doubt of sending many a man home
to his family with a strong feeling of security, and en-
joyment of the knowledge that his property, his books, and
valuable papers, come what will in disasters by fire, must be

safe. Mercantile men owe a debt of gratitude to the inventors
of these boxes; for the awful agency of fire appears, by the
testimonials we have seen, to have been completely rendered
powerless upon them. Although these boxes have been
exposed to its influence for a period of time apparently in-
credible, they have sustained little or no damage. The most
combustible articles have been placed within them, as well as
materials highly susceptible to heat, without the least apparent
damage. Gunpowder has been inclosed, as may be seen by
the following testimonial, and although the heat must have
been intense, still without any explosion taking place.
" Liverpool, June 20th, 1842.
_ _ _ _

. .
" We have this day witnessed the trial of one of Milners'
Patent Fire-proof Double-celled Gunpowder Magazines, of
twelve inches external, and six inches internal diameter and
height, filled with highly combustible materials, papers, and
a packet of gunpowder.
" The same was placed in the centre of a fire consisting of
five to six cwt. of coal and a quantitk of wood, and rcmained
therein upwards of three hours, during two-thirds of which
time the magazine was surrounded by a complete furnace of
intense heat.

"Neither the inner magazine nor its contents were at all in-
jured by the fire, nor did they evince any signs of the severe
ordeal to which they had been exposed, beyond being per-
vaded to the very centre with steam from alkaline solution,
contained in tubes imbedded in the nonconductor occupying
the chamber of each cell.
" In the proof of the intense heat of the fire, the wood:was
wholly consumed, the entire quantity of coal converted into
coke, and the bricks upon which the fire was made were
taken out red hot.

" JOHN WILSON CARTER,
" G. BARNET'T,
"THOMAS ARSTALL."
The utility, the absolute necessity, the positive demand
that there exists that these boxes should be everywhere
brought into use, are apparent, as any one possessing cam-
bustible materials in his dwelling, or on board his vessel, en-
dangers not only his own life but the lives of others by their
presence, and it is a first duty to provide from accident. We
may thus briefly describe these excellent boxes, and recom-
mend them to the consideration of our readers. They con-
sist of two strong cases of prepared sheet iron, compressed
and flatted under heavy machine-worked hammers, the
outer one plated with tin—tinned iron plate being the least
conductor of heat of any metallic substance; and whilst care
has been taken to give sufficient strength of substance and
form for use, durability and resistance of pressure, all super-
fluous metal, likely to conduct and retain heat, beyond what
is necessary for securing this object is avoided—the
inner case is placed an inch within the outer, leaving a
chamber of one inch in width surrounding the contents.
This chamber is filled with a composition possessing extra-
ordinary powers of resistance to the transmission of beat,
and imbedded therein are metallic tubes, containing a che-
mical fluid of similar properties to the compAition. The
tubes are united along their length, and at the ends, by an
amalgam which melts at 212 degrees (boiling heat) ; and, es
soon as they attain that temperature, they open, and silently,
and without violence, discharge themselves into the non-
conducting composition, thus filling the whole cavity with
moisture. For a much longer period than that during wAiell
a box would be in direct contact with fire, in the successive
conflagration of the parts of an ordinary building, no greater
heat than 212 degrees will pass through this medium into
the box, a temperature perfectly harmless to books, papers,
parchments, or even bank notes. The cause of the exhaus-
tion of the moisture being so protracted, is, its being sheathed
and protected from rapid vaporization in he absorbent non-
conductor. From each inch of fluid, is slowly evolved 1100
times its own volume of steam and vapour, which passes
into, and is successively condensed in the contents of the
box, rendering them damp and humid, as a newspaper from
the press, and, of consequence, strongly adverse to com-
bustion. The whole process and principle being throughout
conducive, in the most extraordinary manner, to their
preservation. For the same reason that the inside of a loaf
in an oven is preserved for hours from being more than
boiled, under circumstances wherein it would be reduced to
a blackened, charred mass, were it not for its own self
contained moisture, are materials, the most combustible,
kept from injury in a similar but more perfect manner,
within these boxes, when surrounded with burning coal.
In the same heat that would serve to make a common iron
safe red hot in twenty minutes, these boxes of sauiflli: manyiteillict
mo-
ment
to contain one foot cubic measure will not be heated
degrees above 212, after an hour's exposure ;
the fire subsides, or is exhausted around them,Whercas, willlle
rison for its dry
cool down rapidly below that temperature,
red hot safe remains an immovable burning
hoursndaftteurbed depositories, a
the fire has left it.
contents,witil
in e aconsumingh nf these t themchambered
a
butattendant and self-
centinel engine maybe supposed always
acting, ready not only to extingnish,
its pipes charged and laid into the most rpetriiev)azttefidrew,ewliiint:
valuable property a
public,
all p
toiifaets siitinsald,e uninsurable,eomr ed mercantileneed
first approaches, letting 100 yet often exceeding ill
faunldto insure—the fire itself,
contains—property
in7s
concen-
trated operation within the box, its only
se and arousing, in
And as a bottle of wine, put down to ripen, remains a bottle
of wine at the end of a
will be less waste by score there
efficient antagonist.
evaporationor a century of ears, ,
. in these me
bottles) metal-sealed,
the efficiency of principle therefore
continuing undiminished. The Box described, the same as
,
doubled, trebled, or quadrupled in chambers andtal
submitted to publie trial in the various towns, may be
tub (or
still at a moderate cost, the security increasingproportion.
But it i • '
s quite unnecessary to have any other than a one
in thickness,
chamber box—which will resist any thing within the common
range of accident.

ofthe clocks of the two
In consequence of the obstinacy
Chatham in refusing a church-rate,
week.
last The greatest in-
the inhabitants 0.1
churches were not wound up
, arisen, particularly to the
convenience has accordingly could alway 3 regulate their
artisans of the dockyard, !
ewhinove been told that several who
speed by those clocks.
Journal. By A SERVANT.—Yesterday, a
EXTENSIVE ROBBER.-
Frederick Hibbott, about 24
voted against the rate lost their call last week.—Maidstone
ctable appearance, underwent ora-
tionexarnyears of age, of res Per.. Walmsley and Mr. G. Baillie, a.young man,
before the Reve•i:,
1 Middlesex, on the charge of having
gistrates at Han.
"-containing upwards of £lOO in notes and
stolen a cash-box f his master. It peared from the
named Charles
adduced,that the prisoner had or some time been
roperty 0
dence rk Hayes, cheesemonger, in the
township
go gold, the
tford. On Friday last, during the absence of
of New Bren
Margate,Mrs. Hayes brought down •
Hayes at
Mr. n d tin cash-box, of rather a large size, containing, in
shopman
japanned
England notes and gold, considerably above £lOO,
Bank o
d in the parlour. which
on the same afternoon she suddenly missed it, and on going
to acquaint the prisoner of her loss, she found
had absconded. Information of the robbery was
immediately given at the station-house of the T division in
constable ,Hanslow,e case was placed in the hands of police when th T
68, an active itelli gent officer,
who subsequently traced the delinquent ton the residence of
his friends, in Fleming-street, Kingsland-road and thence
to the neighbourhood of Blackwall, where it was ascertained
he had been making large purchases of clothes, &c., with a
view of embarking fur New Zealand. On the previous after-
noon, Hanslow succeeded in taking him into custody, and in
recovering a slight portion of the cash stolen. The case
being conclusive against the prisoner, lie was fully committed
to Novswe for trial at the Central Criminal Court.