Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1842-10-20
For the Herald Of tAs Times.
Mr.. Atkinson


the signature Of NJ, in your last, in oPPosIf'o"
to the use Of camphsne as q substitute '"s
whale oil ; be appears very sensitive on '"e
subject, and very anxious for the safety OF '"n
/ lives and property Of his fellow citizens. u
/ your correspondent is not an nsent Tor th"
Bristol County Mutual Fire Insurance Compn-
| nv, or some other, aud interested in the whale
fishery, and Of course Interested in suppressins
tho use Of camphene as substitute for whale
oil, he may have taken up the subject from dis
interested motivcs.-- tie seems not to be aware
that public enlightened by eamphene, can SEQ
his true character, and cause Of his opposition
TO the use Of it. The public, however, are
grateful TO him for his condcscenson in sx-
pressing his willingness that cnmphenc should
be used by those who prefer 1t to o''-"nd
pleased that he is free TO acknowledge II gives
| n FAR more brilliant light, and is much cheaper
than oil-but asks "if the risk of life and pro-
| perty does not far ovcrbalance these advanta-
| gcs ?"-lIe grounds his opinion of its dnnser-
Gus qualities upon the opinions of disinfertsfed
| and ,ccU informed Chemists and
fTuJcSSOTS, WIN W" 1900 "'' %
lures declared il to be dangerous, and unfit for
/ the purpose. Let us examine this authority
| and the names by which the opinion was oh
tanned by misrepresentation, The President
| of one of the Fire Insurance Companies ia
Il Boston, addressed a letter some one or two.
Il years since, to Mr.. Webster, Professor OF
/ Chemistry in Harvard University, and stated
| to him that there was a material ~ 1Se, as
/ substitute for whale oil, which was composed
Of .qieohoI, Spirits Of turp'ntne and C"mphor.
and asked his opinion, if n material, thus com
posed, was safe to be burnt in lamps for lighting
| buildings, &c. Professor Webster unhesiiat-
ingly answered, that il was dangerous AID un'
ft for that purpose, and on this opinion, tins
obtained, the Bristol County Fire Insurance
Company refused to take risks on buildings in
which eamphcne is used. There is material
under the name Of Spirit Gas, composed Of
seven gallons Of alcohol pt $50 or 9C' 10 ono
gallon Of Spirits Of iirpentinc, and eight
ounces Of camphor, which can be set on fro.
by flint or S,eoi--or by spark Of cleeircity,-.
and many accidents have happened by the
use of ii in lamps; and AT presen, it is but lit
tie used. Comphene is pure double distilled
spirits Of turprntine, without the addition Of
a cohol or camphor, or any other innammabls
subsianco.-When cold, n brand Of fire, in
flame, may be thrown into vessel full Of 10,
and the flame and fire will be instantly cXtin-
yuisheJ-Whcn hot IL will take fire on coming
in contact with Hanie, and the vapor arising
from il, in filing a lamp while burning, might
take fire and communicate to that in the vessel
coataining il, and probably burst Tho vessel
and do injury-but it cannot take fire in close
lamp or explode thence, the only prscau-
ton necessary in using il, is never to attempt
to fill up lamp while burning--and this eau.
ton is always given by the manufacturers audi
wonders OF the article, and generally attended
to. This caution is given from III. opinion
that there is possibility Of its taking fire iD
that way, although have never known the
accident to occur. The well constructed
lamps used in burning it, with proper care, ara
in the opinion of those who use them, vs. safc
as the nature Of combustion VIII admit, aud
|
IN which oil is burnt, Gor the chief danger is
from sparks falling from the wirks, but tho
wicks Of cnmphenc lamps do not gntr, and no
| sparks can fall from them; il is, therefore,
free from this danger, and the camphene lamps
may be wiped with waste cotton and il will
not cause it to ignite, but many manufactures
have been burnt by wiping the oil lamps with
waste cotton, which when thrown in tho mass
will take fire by spontaneous combustion and
ship from New Orleans loaded with cotton,
was recently burnt, after being four days out,
occasoned by spilIing oil on the cotton which
was used in oiling the screws with which tho
cotton was screwed in while loading. ] men
ton this to show that, while ii is well known
HAT oil and cotton will frequently cause sp"n,
tancous combustion, fires often take place in
consequence Of accidents or carclcssness, anl
\ it may, by carelcssncss or accidents, take place
in using camphcne, but not oilonsr than oil
! lamps and the careless uso Of oil will, cotton.
i Professor Webster gave his opinion also against
every material used in lamps, of which spirits
of turpemtino is n component part-and az
! knoYlrdgcd (whai is the Gct,) that il is much
i dangerous when MIXED with Alcohol-bu, his
1 opinion was merely heorrtieai-from n know
ledge of the combnstibility of the materials,
and his opinion in regard To camphcnc has
been disprovcd by experience. At the time
he gave his opinion, there were more than two
thousand camphcne lamps in use in Boston
several hundred in Providence, aud moro than
one hundred in Newport. and there has not
been a single building set on fire in consc-
qucnco of using cnmphcnc, very few accidents
\ have taken place, and none that cannot be
guarded against by care, attention and expert.
n cncc. II is time enough for the Insurance
companies TO Use tho Isto, when fires do hap.
pen from the use Of camphonc So frequently
i as To prove it is more dangerous than ight oh.
! tanned from any other material In tho
sciences aud arts, aud in the progression OF
human Improvements and discoveries, acci-